Dishy Broadway Behind the Scenes Books?

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:33pm

Hi all, 

It’s been about a hundred years since I posted here, but I’ve been reading “The Making of NO NO NANETTE” by Don Dunn and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for similar behind-the-scenes books about stage musicals (or plays). Particularly from that same 60s-80s era or on lesser known shows.

[JanMaxwellsBag]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:43pm

Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin is a gripping and fantastic book. I just reread it over the summer and I still loved it. 
It’s slightly more recent, but The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America by Isaac Butler is similarly detailed and engaging. 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:52pm

The ones that I can think of off the top of my head are:

On Stage with Bette Davis: Inside the Famous Flop of Miss Moffat by Kevin Lane Dearinger

Birth of Shylock & the Death of Zero Mostel by Arnold Wesker

Song of Spiderman by Glen Berger

A Year with the Producers: One Actor's Exhausting (But Worth It) Journey from Cats to Mel Brooks' Mega-Hit by Jeffry Denman

Diary of a Mad Playwright by James Kirkwood

Everything Was Possible by Ted Chapin

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 1:55pm

SMASH by Garson Kanin.  While technically considered a work of fiction, it's a VERY thinly veiled account of the rehearsals, out of town and Broadway opening of FUNNY GIRL.  It's also a great read!

 

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 2:09pm

Many of the principals are now gone, but there should be a book about the background and making of West Side Story - stage and film. There seems to be much scattered through various memoirs and tellings - between who was responsible for what - for casting - for separating the Sharks and Jets - 

Wonder of Wonders - A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof by Alisa Solomon is about more than just the back story of the stage show - but a very worthwhile read.

Updated On: 10/11/22 at 02:09 PM

[BETTY22]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 3:42pm

SHY - by Jesse Green is brilliant. 

[pethian]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 3:49pm

THE SEASON by William Goldman. A classic.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 10/11/22 at 8:40pm

The two Michael Reidel books - Razzle Dazzle & Singular Sensation are excellent.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/12/22 at 3:48pm

Thanks a lot for these! Everything Was Possible is one  that I have read and adored. Shy is also on my Christmas list!
 

Most of these others I had’t heard of. I’ll have to check them out.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 10/12/22 at 3:55pm

LORD KNOWS AT LEAST I WAS THERE by Paul Ford.

Fasten your seatbelt, though…

[gennymorgan]

Posted: 11/22/22 at 8:09am

I'm looking for something like that myself. I've been going through this process for a month now. You can not even try to look for it. I am a student at the university of rochester, you can read about it https://studymoose.com/university/university-of-rochester here. So that's what I mean, I even went to the university library and I couldn't find anything like that there. Even the librarian told me that I was wasting my time, you won't find anything better!

Updated On: 11/28/22 at 08:09 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/22/22 at 8:32am

ON THE LINE is an excellent book about the creation, history & closure of A CHORUS LINE.

[jv92]

Posted: 11/22/22 at 12:43pm

SHY is dishy, sure, but it’s also incredibly moving. I think it’s more than a “Broadway” book, despite being written by (or dictated by) a Broadway Brahmin. 
 

EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE, too, is an even tempered, pretty journalistic book. Dish? I suppose, but it’s not bitchy. But I agree— one of the best theatre books ever. 
 

Ken Mandelbaum’s book on Michael Bennett is sort of dishy, but very informative, too. Kevin Kelly’s is utter trash, though I have begun to believe there’s enough truth in it than untruths.