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Smith (Univ. of Suffolk, England) offers a fascinating history in an underrepresented area of Shakespeare studies. Treating radio adaptations of Shakespeare as texts in their own right, with their own performance traditions and technical practices, this volume places (mostly BBC) radio adaptations in their historical and cultural contexts, in chronological order, organized in chapters of roughly 20-year spans from the origins of radio to the present. The introduction serves as a history of British radio engineering practice. Radio as a medium offers a fascinating way to consider Shakespeare's language in performance, as the artists must convert any visual elements of performance to the purely aural, with all the challenges that entails. Smith's chronicle demonstrates the significant role of Val Gielgud, brother to the more famous actor John, in shaping radio Shakespeare. One of the strengths of the volume is Smith's detailed case studies of exemplary radio productions from each period, tracking changes in preferred plays, actor choices, and audience and critical responses. Perhaps the most surprising element: for much of the history of radio Shakespeare, men produced the shows, but in the 21st century, female producers dominate the form.Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals.

Womack (emer., Univ. of East Anglia, England) examines both England's transition to a maritime power during Elizabeth's reign and Shakespeare's allusions to and descriptions of the sea in his drama. He notes that England's turn to the sea "had implications for the political character of the realm itself," altering the relationship among the monarch, the aristocracy, and the merchant class (p. 4). Three chapters analyze each of these cultural changes, focusing on the English history plays, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Merchant of Venice. Womack devotes three more chapters, touching on several plays, to the role of hyperbole in Shakespeare's marine allusions and descriptions of the ocean, the place of narrative in the drama, and the difficulties of portraying the ocean on the stage. The opening chapter traces the connection between naval power and Shakespeare up to modern times, and the final chapter contrasts the ocean of Shakespeare's time to the polluted ocean of ours. Rich and insightful both in its historical perspective and its literary analysis, this well-written book is suitable for any academic library.Summing Up: Essential. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

Women Writing Musicals provides a beautifully curated compendium of women who wrote and created for the New York stage throughout its history. Teppler (independent author and scholar) honors the overlooked or forgotten women of theatre, artists who changed the face of Broadway (and pre-Broadway) through playwrighting, creative endeavors, and writing music or lyrics for musicals. Grounded in thorough research,the book spans a large portion of US history, from the 1700s through the 2010 decade. Each artist is listed along with a narrative of her creative work. Theatrical history is interwoven with biographical information about each to provide important historical context. Some entries are paragraphs, while others span multiple pages based on available information and perceived impact. With plentiful footnotes, a full index, and a chronology of all shows mentioned, this book is an excellent source of information and a superb resource for tangential research. Since each chapter covers a decade, later chapters are longer to acknowledge more women. Taken as a whole, this is a fascinating look at shifting societal standards and the expectations of creative women in New York theaters and on Broadway during most of the United States' existence.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.