The Century of Musical Comedy and Revue

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Revue and proper musical comedy have provided some of the longest runs in the West End theatre. Yet both were killed stone dead by television. And both have virtually been forgotten even by theatre historians. The reason is largely because both forms depended on comedians making spontaneous jokes so that few working scripts have survived. Also the musical numbers were simple jolly tunes with no pretentions to light opera. Altogether they were so transient they have escaped serious study. Nor for that matter have the two forms of theatre previously been considered in tandem. Yet authors, composers and stars were constantly crossing. Then revue and musical comedy have unsuspected similarity in construction, the chorus and the topical wit which played an essential part in the comedy. These two theatrical genres in parallel held sway on the West End stage for all the last century. This book covers that century in full and interesting detail.