West Side Story, Gypsy, and the Art of Broadway Orchestration

In this ground-breaking study, Paul Laird examines the process and effect of orchestration in West Side Story and Gypsy , two musicals that were among the most significant Broadway shows of the 1950s, and remain important in the modern repertory. Drawing on extensive archival research with original manuscripts, Laird provides a detailed account of the process of orchestration for these musicals, and their context in the history of Broadway orchestration. He argues that the orchestration plays a