I pre-ordered Seth Rudetsky’s Musical Theatre for Dummies, so I’ve had it since it first came out in March. Soon after that, I mentioned it on a Thursday for “What Are You Reading?” But, I’ve read it in bits and pieces, and Margie reviewed it on a Thursday. Needless to say, it’s right up my alley, covering all of musical theatre, the history, the staging, the people who make it happen. And Rudetsky, the afternoon host of “On Broadway” on SiriusXM covers it all with humor and asides to the reader.

Part one covers the history of musical theatre, mostly the highlights of the shows that represent theatre over the years. It’s an excellent history lesson if you’re a fan of musical theatre. Rudetsky discusses all the people who make a show happen from the very beginning to the people we see on stage, and the people behind the scenes. As much as he loves Broadway, though, it’s obvious he’s a fan of live musical theatre wherever it happens. He encourages readers to see it in their hometown, at colleges, in community theatre, in schools, not just on Broadway. As I already knew, there’s excellent musical theatre all over the country. He does discuss the West End in London a little bit, but his emphasis is on this country.

There are all kinds of tips to help readers understand musical theatre, or to help people who want to participate in musical theatre. Best of all, Rudetsky shares YouTube videos of all kinds of performances, and links to all of them.

If you’re a musical theatre fan, Musical Theatre for Dummies offers tips, suggestions and pointers to help you enjoy it even more.

Musical Theatre for Dummies by Seth Rudetsky. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2023. ISBN 978111988950252499 (paperback), 395p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I bought my copy.

Did I share this before? If so, it’s worth sharing again. It’s one of the links that Rudetsky shares. It’s from Broadway’s Miscast. Each year, Broadway stars perform songs for which they may never be cast. I love this one of Jonathan Groff performing Sutton Foster’s number “Anything Goes”. And, he does the entire song. This was four years before he appeared as King George in “Hamilton”. If you wonder how he did, check out Sutton Foster’s “Anything Goes”. Here’s the link to Groff’s.