This volume investigates the evolution and historical progression of American musical theater productions between 1912 and 1952. Richard C. Norton provides a comprehensive, data-driven record of stage productions, documenting the shift from early vaudeville-influenced revues to the emergence of the integrated book musical. The work serves as a foundational reference, organizing complex theatrical data into a chronological framework that highlights the development of the American stage.

Scholars and theater historians frequently cite this work as a definitive reference for the mid-twentieth-century American stage. The text is noted for its high density of factual data and its utility as a primary research tool for those studying the history of musical theater.