Review of the first edition:
"Golden Ages of the Theater is the very best up-to-date short history of the theater available in English. Kenneth Macgowan and William Melnitz are to be congratulated for the clear and vivid writing and excellent organization as well as the abundant information that make this book indispensable to anyone interested in theater and drama."—John Gassner. Sterling Professor of Playwriting and Dramatic Literature, Yale University.
This revised and updated edition has been expanded to include two completely new sections. Medieval Theater—The book examines its ceremonial function, cycle plays, passion plays, farce and morality plays and describes the emergence of professional theater in the medieval world.
The Theater of Today—The authors trace the rapid development of modern theater in the U.S. and abroad through the 1970s, focusing on the most recent theatrical productions, including those of the new avant-garde, and examining the most up-to-date influences on theater from the Vietnam War to the Women's Movement.