The Abbott Touch: Pal Joey, Damn Yankees, and the Theatre of George Abbott

This in-depth and original study examines 100 productions and analyses why George Abbott’s name became synonymous with the ’golden age’ of Broadway. What did Abbott contribute? How did he work? How did he innovate the industry? How did he survive so long? All of these inquiries, and more, lead to the most fundamental question of all: 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 100 New York productions, from The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees through to Once Upon a Mattress and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Spanning this incredible figure’s work chronologically, each chapter of The Abbott Touch examines a period of creativity in his life, culminating in how he became the famous multi-hyphenate artist he is now celebrated as. Beginning with his early career in 1913 through to his work on the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees, this book analyses his key contributions to his primary works, all of which have relied on his genius.
The first study of its kind, The Abbott Touch provides key insights into the working life of one of the 20th Century’s most prolific theatre practitioners, as well as a vital history for theatre scholars and fans alike.

Thomas Hischak retired from full time teaching in New York State and now teaches theatre and part time at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, USA. He is the author of over 30 non-fiction books on theatre, film and popular music.