Stephen Hinton
In the first musicological study of Kurt Weillâ€™s complete stage works, Stephen Hinton charts the full range of theatrical achievements by one of twentieth-century musical theaterâ€™s key figures. Hinton shows how Weillâ€™s experiments with a range of genresâ€”from one-act operas and plays with music to Broadway musicals and film-operaâ€”became an indispensable part of the reforms he promoted during his brief but intense career. Confronting the divisive notion of â€œtwo Weillsâ€â€”one European, the other Americanâ€”Hinton adopts a broad and inclusive perspective, establishing criteria that allow aspects of continuity to emerge, particularly in matters of dramaturgy. Tracing his extraordinary journey as a composer, the book shows how Weillâ€™s artistic ambitions led to his working with a remarkably heterogeneous collection of authors, such as Georg Kaiser, Bertolt Brecht, Moss Hart, Alan Jay Lerner, and Maxwell Anderson.
Weill's Musical Theater: Stages of Reform