1. How to create a musical: the case of Wicked Paul R. Laird; Part I. Adaptations and Transformations: before 1940: 2. American musical theatre before the twentieth century Katherine K. Preston; 3. Non-English-language musical theatre in the United States John Koegel; 4. Birth pangs, growing pains, and sibling rivalry: musical theatre in New York, 1900-20 Orly Leah Krasner; 5. American and British operetta in the 1920s: romance, nostalgia, and adventure William A. Everett; 6. Images of African Americans: African-American musical theatre, Show Boat and Porgy and Bess John Graziano; 7. The melody (and the words) linger on: American musical comedies of the 1920s and 1930s Geoffrey Block; Part II. Maturations and Formulations: 1940-70: 8. 'We said we wouldn't look back': British musical theatre, 1935-69 John Snelson; 9. The coming of the musical play: Rodgers and Hammerstein Ann Sears; 10. The successors of Rodgers and Hammerstein from the 1940s to the 1960s Thomas L. Riis and Ann Sears; 11. Musical sophistication on Broadway: Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein Bruce D. Mcclung and Paul R. Laird; Part III. Evolutions and Integrations: after 1970: 12. Stephen Sondheim and the musical of the outsider Jim Lovensheimer; 13. Choreographers, directors, and the fully integrated musical Paul R. Laird; 14. From Hair to Rent and beyond: has 'rock' ever been a four-letter word on Broadway? Scott Warfield; 15. The megamusical: the creation, internationalisation, and impact of a genre Paul Prece and William A. Everett; 16. 'In this England, in these times': redefining the British musical since 1970 Miranda Lundskaer-Nielsen; 17. 'Tonight I will bewitch the world': the European musical Judith Sebesta and Laura MacDonald; 18. New horizons: the musical at the dawn of the twenty-first century Bud Coleman; Part IV. Legacies and Transformations: 19. Why do they start to sing and dance all of a sudden? Examining the film musical Graham Wood; 20. Revisiting classic musicals: revivals, films, television, and recordings Jessica Sternfeld; 21. Big dreams on the small screen: the television musical Mary Jo Lodge.