{"product_id":"9781350524446","title":"Narrators in Musical Theatre A Critical Companion","description":"\u003ch3\u003eMusical Theatre Critical Companions\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eNarrators in Musical Theatre\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Critical Companion\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eKelly I. Aliano | Dean Adams\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Theater \/ Broadway \u0026amp; Musicals\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat do Burr in \u003ci\u003eHamilton\u003c\/i\u003e, Che in \u003ci\u003eEvita\u003c\/i\u003e, Judas in \u003ci\u003eJesus Christ Superstar\u003c\/i\u003e, Hermes in \u003ci\u003eHadestown\u003c\/i\u003e and the Emcee in \u003ci\u003eCabaret \u003c\/i\u003eall have in common? They all act as narrators in each musical in which they appear, employed to speak directly to the audience, comment on the action and offer an important external reflection. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom classic Broadway musicals to the 'British invasion' megamusicals and the biggest contemporary hits, the role of the narrator figure in musical theatre is varied, important and necessary to critically unpack. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNarrators in Musical Theatre\u003c\/i\u003e provides scholarly insight into how to approach musicals that include  narrator characters and\/or have instances of character narration of events. Tracking the process historically these edited chapters offer an overview of the practice, considering the musical's connection with both classical theatre and the opera, as well as a comprehensive overview of the development of the form of the musical as we know it. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIndividual chapters analyse specific types of narrator roles through key case studies drawn from both major canonical musical theatre works and lesser-known compositions. From investigating individual examples of the narrator\/narration phenomenon and showing how specific theoretical and critical lenses can be vital for informing interpretation of musicals, readers will walk away with an understanding of the prevalence of narrators in musicals, along with tools for how to unpack meaning in shows that use the element of narration to present their story. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublished in Methuen Drama's \u003ci\u003eMusical Theatre Critical Companions \u003c\/i\u003eseries this offers an accessible yet thorough study of key formal concept that is perfect for students, dramaturgs, writers and musical theatre fans alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDean Adams \u003c\/b\u003eis a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Senior Associate Dean of Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  From 1989 to 2011, he was the Artistic Director of the Connecticut Theater Festival in Simsbury, Connecticut\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e He directed and designed a touring production of \u003ci\u003eOnce Upon a Mattress,\u003c\/i\u003e the first musical ever to tour the People's Republic of China (chronicled in the PBS documentary \u003ci\u003eBeyond the Wall\u003c\/i\u003e) in 1987. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs an author, he has penned book chapters for the \u003ci\u003eOxford Handbook \u003c\/i\u003eseries including the volume on musical theatre screen adaptations as well as one on Disney musicals, and he is contributing two chapters for the upcoming \u003ci\u003e50 Key Choreographers of Stage and Screen \u003c\/i\u003eas well as a chapter for \u003ci\u003eStage Fright: Race, Gender, and Camp in Contemporary Horror of Stage and Screen \u003c\/i\u003eentitled “\u003ci\u003eBat Boy \u003c\/i\u003eand the Fear of the Other.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKelly I. Aliano \u003c\/b\u003eis the Manager of Education Special Projects at The New York Historical and teaches in the English Department at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eTheatre of the Ridiculous: A Critical History\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Performance of Video Games\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eImmersive Storytelling and Spectatorship in Theatre, Museums, and Video Games\u003c\/i\u003e. She is also the co-author, along with Dongshin Chang, of \u003ci\u003eTeaching Writing through Theatre: A Performative Approach to Pedagogy\u003c\/i\u003e and co-editor, along with Adam Crowley of \u003ci\u003eVideo Games and Environmental Humanities: Playing to Save The World\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Berst \u003c\/b\u003eserves as Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts, where he teaches several courses in performance, history, and musicianship. An active musical theatre scholar and historian, John has presented at several national and international conferences. In addition to his scholarship and teaching, John also continues to work professionally as an actor, director, and music director. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNick Braae\u003c\/b\u003e is Team Manager of Music and Performing Arts at the Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand. He has published extensively on the music of Queen, issues of style and genre in popular music, and the intersections between popular music analytical methodologies and musical theatre. Outside of research, Nick is an active as a musical director and keyboardist for local and national shows.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoger Ellis\u003c\/b\u003e is an Assistant Professor and head of movement for the MFA Acting program in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University. Ellis' research investigates the interplay between sensation, perception, and response through post-psychophysical experimental theatre and cinema. As a director who moves fluidly between music theatre, devised performance, digital installation, and film, Ellis' work has been produced by the Cairo International Festival of Experimental Theatre, Steppenwolf LookOut Series, and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival. Ellis' film work has screened at Cinequest, BronzeLens, African Diaspora International Film Festival, and the Gene Siskel Film Center. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEllis has been interviewed for and quoted in articles in \u003ci\u003eHowlround \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eTheatre Topics,\u003c\/i\u003e and contributed an article on physical dramaturgy in \u003ci\u003eWriting Adaptations and Translations for the Stage \u003c\/i\u003eby Jacqueline Goldfinger and Allison Horsley. Ellis has presented on panels at Dance\/USA, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs Association Conference, and Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlison Morooney\u003c\/b\u003e is a director and choreographer, and serves as an Assistant Professor of Music Theatre at Denison University in Granville, OH. She has contributed chapters to 50 Key Musical and 50 Key Choreographers for the Stage and Screen (upcoming). Select directorial and choreographic works: Legally Blonde (Duluth Playhouse), Pumpboys and Dinettes (Okoboji Summer Theatre), Spamalot and Life Could Be a Dream (Priscilla Beath Theatre).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKellee Van Aken\u003c\/b\u003e serves as a member of the theatre faculty and the Dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. She has a long standing collaboration with visual artist and puppet maker Cheryl Capezzutti, writing, directing and creating works with puppets of all sizes for people of all ages. Their work has been performed regularly as part of Pittsburgh's Citiparks summer program and throughout the Allegheny County library system. She also works as an audio describer for City Theatre, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Pittsburgh Film Festival. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAddison Weissert\u003c\/b\u003e is a choreographer, fight captain, dance captain, singer, dancer, and actress. She began studying dance and theatre in her home town of Centennial, Colorado with Magic Moments Inc. and Kaleidoscope Dance Company. She then continued on to pursue her undergraduate degree in psychology and theatre at Denison University, where she met her coauthor and mentor Alison Morooney. Some of her favorite projects include her work done at Denison participating in \u003ci\u003eMacbeth, Spring Awakening, 9 to 5\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eInvincible Summer\u003c\/i\u003e; as well as her work done outside of Denison with Sasquatch Production's performance of \u003ci\u003eLegally Blonde.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10 December 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethuen Drama\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781350524446\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e224\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16.0\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57328993009804,"sku":"9781350524446","price":29.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_4d89c09c-90d1-4f59-a943-b66e79cbd177.jpg?v=1789056977","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9781350524446","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}