The Musical of Musicals June 1, 2012

One simple plot becomes five delightful musicals, each written in the distinctive style of a different master of the form. The Rodgers & Hammerstein version is set in Kansas in August, complete with a dream ballet; the Sondheim version features a tortured artistic genius who slashes throats in revenge for not appreciating his work; the Jerry Herman version is a splashy star vehicle; the Andrew Lloyd Webber version is a rock musical with themes borrowed from Puccini; and the Kander & Ebb version is set in a cabaret in Chicago.