Joshua Rosenblum
SUNY Press
1 July 2026
312
eBook - PDF
Non-Fiction/Theatre
ARC via Edelweiss
Maury Yeston, the celebrated composer and lyricist of the Tony Award–winning musicals Nine, Titanic, and Grand Hotel, has not, until now, been the subject of a full-length study of his career and work. Now, through this comprehensive text, readers can appreciate the full scope of Yeston's output and his place in musical theater history. A Very Unusual Way is a career chronicle combined with close examinations of some of Yeston's most noteworthy compositions, including songs from his famous musicals as well as his lesser-known works. Joshua Rosenblum gives behind-the-scenes accounts of Yeston's Broadway shows and appraises his songs with revelatory analyses that can be appreciated by musicians and lay readers alike. In addition to having full access to the composer's archive, the author conducted over a dozen interviews with Yeston, an unusually articulate, charming, and enlightening subject who offers priceless insights into his work and his process. The book also highlights the numerous well-known artistic figures and collaborators who have featured prominently in Yeston's life, including Stephen Sondheim, Placido Domingo, Federico Fellini, Jane Krakowski, Alan Jay Lerner, Yo-Yo Ma, Alan Menken, Mike Nichols, Barbra Streisand, Tommy Tune, and Jonathan Tunick. As a bonus, "Advice to Young Composers," Yeston's legendary discourse, is included in full as an appendix.
I should perhaps preface this review by stating that Maury Yeston is not my favourite musical theatre writer. I tend to like individual songs of his, rather than his shows overall. One exception is Death Takes a Holiday, which I love the full score for and would dearly like to see live, and Phantom, but only in the Korean version, which I will touch on more shortly.
A Very Unusual Way offers a wonderful overview of Yeston's life and works, written by someone who is clearly a fan. The book begins by introducing Yeston's background and education, before leading into an overview of how each of his works came into being and an analysis of their music. This includes not only major Broadway productions but also classical works and shows still in developmental stages. On the whole, I found it a nuanced and interesting account and study, and I was particularly fascinated by the Jewish influence in Yeston's music. The only thing I found a shame was the lack of a chapter on the reception of Yeston's work overseas. A couple of brief mentions are made of Japan, but that is all, and yet Yeston's musicals have found many fans overseas, especially in Asia. Earlier, I mentioned Phantom, which I only thought so-so when I first heard the English-language recording but which I have come to appreciate more through its Korean translation. The show is a fan favourite in Korea and professional productions of it are put on every 2-3 years. A chapter considering European and Asian productions of his shows would have rounded off this book nicely and the absence was conspicuous, at least to me.
Nonetheless, as the first major study of Yeston and his works, this book was well researched and nicely presented and I found it an interesting read. I am therefore giving it 4.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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