"This in-depth and original study examines 100 productions and analyses why George Abbott's name became synonymous with the 'golden age' of Broadway. It asks questions such as what did he contribute?; how did he work?; what innovations did he come up with?; how did he survive so long?; leading to the fundamental question of what exactly was the famous "Abbott touch"? For sixty years, George Abbott was a vital force in the American theatre. As an actor, playwright, director, librettist, play doctor, and producer, he laid his "touch" on approximately one hundred New York productions from The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees through to Sweet Charity and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Spanning Abbott's work chronologically, each chapter examines a period of creativity in his life leading up to him becoming the multi-hyphenate artist he is now famously known as. Beginning with his early career in 1913 through to his work on the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees, each chapter analyses his key contributions to the primary works that have since been attributed to his genius. The first study of its kind, this book offer a key insight into the working life of one of the 20th century's most prolific theatre practitioners, as well as offering a vital history for theatre scholars and fans alike"--
