RISE UP!
Broadway and American Society from ‘Angels in America’ to ‘Hamilton’
This lively book, from one of America’s best known theatre critics, tells the story of Broadway’s renaissance from the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, through the disaster that was Spiderman: Turn off the Dark to the unparalleled success of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Through a loving look at some of our most well-known plays, Chris Jones shows that the theatre thrived by embracing bold statements and taking part in the national conversation.
Jones was in the theatres when and where it mattered. He takes readers from the moment Tony Kushner’s angel crashed through the ceiling of prejudice and intolerance to the triumph of Hamilton,
This lively book, from one of America’s best known theatre critics, tells the story of Broadway’s renaissance from the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, through the disaster that was Spiderman: Turn off the Dark to the unparalleled success of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Through a loving look at some of our most well-known plays, Chris Jones shows that the theatre thrived by embracing bold statements and taking part in the national conversation.
Jones was in the theatres when and where it mattered. He takes readers from the moment Tony Kushner’s angel crashed through the ceiling of prejudice and intolerance to the triumph of Hamilton, ending with a look at the unforgettable moment the Broadway cast addressed their new vice president from the stage. That complex performance illustrates the conflict at the heart of the theatre – both its role as a progressive cultural influence, and its inability to fully change American society for the better.
- Bloomsbury
- Paperback
- November 2018
- 240 Pages
- 9781350071933
Buy the Book
$24.95
About Chris Jones
Chris Jones has been the chief theater critic and Sunday culture columnist of the Chicago Tribune since 2002 and he is author of Bigger, Brighter, Louder: 150 Years of Chicago Theater (2013). His work has appeared often in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, American Theatre and many other publications. In 2014, he became the director of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute in Waterford, Connecticut. In 2001, Jones was named by American Theatre magazine as one of the most influential theater critics in America. In 2015, he was the winner of Cornell University’s George W. Nathan Award, the most prestigious honor for drama critics in the United States.
Praise
“A vivid compelling read that will form an important part of any Broadway-lover’s bookshelf.” – Matt Wolf, theatre critic
“Some critics get it right, some critics get it wrong, but Chris Jones is one of the only critics who consistently reviews all shows trying to be helpful to its creators so they can put right what is wrong. Chris brings his formidable analytical skills to examining the theatrical tissue and political discourse that has led to the spectacular rebirth of the American play and musical on Broadway. A hugely informative resume of the rise up over the last 25 years of the American theatre from “Angels in America” to “Hamilton”. It puts you into the room as it happened.” – Cameron Mackintosh, theatrical producer