Gerald Martin Bordman (September 18, 1931 – May 9, 2011) was an American theatre historian, best known for authoring the reference volume ''The American Musical Theatre'', first published in 1978.

Simonson, Robert Robert Simonson (born September 11, 1964) is an American journalist and author. Personal life Robert Simonson was born in Wisconsin; he has lived in Brooklyn since 1988. Career Robert Simonson began writing about cocktails, spirits and bars for ...

(12 May 2011)
Gerald Bordman, Theatre Scholar, Dies at 79
'' Playbill''Glover, William (11 January 1979)
Showbiz addict compiles handbook on musical theater
''Eugene Register-Guard'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

story) In reviewing an updated version of ''American Musical Theatre'' in 2011, '' Playbill'' wrote that the book had "altered the scope of American musical theatre history" and "remained the only book of its kind, and an invaluable one." Bordman grew up in the

Wynnefield __NOTOC__ Wynnefield is a diverse middle-class neighborhood in West Philadelphia. Its borders are 53rd Street at Jefferson to the south, Philadelphia's Fairmount Park to the east, City Avenue (commonly referred to as "City Line") to the north a ...

neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and graduated from Central High School and

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, later earning a master's degree and Ph.D. in medieval literature at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. He published ''The American Musical Theatre'' four years after selling the family's business, Excell Chemical Products, which manufactured mothballs, among other things. He went on to write over a dozen volumes on American theatre, including biographies on

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

and

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

, despite having limited musical training.Downey, Sally A. (12 May 2011)
Gerald Bordman, theater scholar, author
''

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''Burns, Diane Hubbard (4 September 1980)
He Gives His Regards To Broadway
''Palm Beach Post'' Bordman died of cancer in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania on May 9, 2011, at age 79.(11 May 2011)
Gerald Bordman dies at 79: Scholar wrote 'American Musical Theatre'
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

Partial bibliography

* ''American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle'' (1978) * ''Jerome Kern: His Life and Music'' (1980) * ''American Operetta: From H.M.S. Pinafore to Sweeney Todd'' (1981)Houston, Levin (30 May 1981)
Singing the praises of early operettas (book review)
''Free Lance-Star'' * ''Days to Be Happy, Years to Be Sad: The Life and Music of Vincent Youmans'' (1982)Wilson, John S. (22 August 1982)
Youmans book review
''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' (New York Times news service story) * ''American Musical Comedy: From Adonis to Dreamgirls'' (1982) * ''The Oxford Companion to the American Theater'' (1984)Beaufort, John (22 February 1985)
Theater reference books always enjoy a long run
''Palm Beach Post'' (Los Angeles Times syndicate story) * ''American Musical Revue: From The Passing Show to Sugar Babies'' (1985) *''American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1869 - 1914'' (1994) *''American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1914 - 1930'' (1995) *''American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1930 - 1969'' (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bordman, Gerald 1931 births 2011 deaths Lafayette College alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Writers from Philadelphia American theater critics Historians from Pennsylvania Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni