Broadway to Main Street: How Showtunes Enchanted America

The music of Broadway is one of America ‘s most unique and popular calling cards. In Broadway to Main Street: How Show Tunes Enchanted America, author Laurence Maslon tells the story of how the most beloved songs of the American Musical Theater made their way from the Theater District to living rooms across the country. This talk will investigate the immense appeal of the Broadway song book as heard by millions of Americans through original cast albums, pop recordings, radio, and television.Featuring Laurence Maslon, Arts Professor, Associate Chair, Grad Acting Program, NYU Tisch, in conversation with Amanda Vaill, Biographer, Journalist, and Screenwriter.Reviews: “Broadway to Main Street: How Show Tunes Enchanted America (Oxford University Press) is the first book I know to focus exhaustively on the rise of the modern cast album . . . Well-researched and well-written by Laurence Maslon, an Emmy-nominated producer and author-educator, the book tells a fascinating and little-known story about how Broadway theater rose to an influential position in American culture via records, television and Top-40 radio, all fueled by bestselling cast albums . . . The book fills a gap in history about an undervalued subject: the challenges of using limited technology to capture and preserve popular recordings for the masses and later generations. ” —The Columbus Dispatch “Maslon ‘s book explains the phenomenon of how show tunes have endured as an integral part of our popular culture. He also addresses the influence of the range of media on show music ‘s popularity – from sheet music, radio and 78-rpm recordings to television, CDs, the Internet and streaming. ” —The Albuquerque Journal “Laurence Maslon, who knows as much as about the American Musical Theater as anyone on Planet Showbiz, explores the multi-layered bond between the phenomenon of the original cast album from Oklahoma! to Hamilton and its impact on the music industry. By focusing on the ‘business ‘ part of show business, Maslon opens a fascinating new door into the history of what just might be America ‘s Greatest Treasure. ” — John Guare, Playwright