Author Description

When Rodgers And Hart's Pal Joey Opened At The Barrymore On Christmas Day, 1940, It Flew In The Face Of Musical Comedy Convention. The Characters And Situation Were Depraved. The Setting Was Caustically Realistic. Its Female Lead Was Frankly Sexual And Yet Not Purely Comic. A Narratively-driven Dream Ballet Closed The First Act, Begging Audiences To Take Seriously The Inner Life And Desires Of A Confirmed Heel. Pal Joey: The History Of A Heel Presents A Behind-the-scenes Look At The Genesis, Influence, And Significance Of This Classic Musical Comedy. Although The Show Appears On Many Top-ten Lists Surveying The Golden Age, It Is A Controversial Classic; Its Legacy Is Tied Both To The Fashionable Scandal That It Provoked, And, Retrospectively, To The Uncommon Attention It Paid To Characterization And Narrative Cohesion. Julianne Lindberg. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.