The History of the Musical is a unique, bold, and entertaining undertaking that traces the musical from its origins in classical music (Gay's The Beggar's Opera, Offenbach's operettas and Gilbert and Sullivan) to its flowering in America; Showboat, Anything Goes, High Society, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Oliver, Cabaret, A Little Night Music, The Rocky Horror Show, The Phantom of the Opera, and an almost endless list of other classics.

Endless too are the stars who brought life to these musicals: the composers Kern, Porter, Gershwin, Bernstein, Lloyd Webber; the famous partnerships such as Rogers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe; the performers Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, Howard Keel, Julie Andrews ... and the tempestuous creative background to the productions themselves. With over 120 musical examples illustrating this remarkable story, the history of the musical in all its glory comes alive.