Novels about the Golden Age of Musicals

[BaltimoreWriter]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 11:26am

So many vintage shows are being updated and changed, maybe the only way to know what the creators of golden age musicals had in mind is to read about them in non-fiction and fiction. Here are four recent novels that give you a birdseye backstage view and lots of clever dish: 

Producer Jack Viertel's BROADWAY MELODY (Benzinger and Frank) in which three Broadway denizens conduct a triangular relationship  across several decades.

Librettist Stephen Cole's MARY & ETHEL...AND MIKEY WHO? (Moreclacke), which depicts the enduring friendship of Mary Martin and Ethel Merman as told through the eyes of a time-traveling assistant.

Author Laura Frankos's BROADWAY REVIVAL (Swallow's End), which follows a time-traveler's attempt to reverse the fate of George Gershwin and several of his contemporaries.

Author Susan D. Eisenberg's ONE MORE SEAT AT THE ROUND TABLE (Atmosphere), which depicts the travails of Broadway's 1960 CAMELOT as it moves from New York to Toronto to Boston where it almost closes. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 1:16pm

The gold standard for these type of books is SMASH by Garson Kanin, which is a thinly veiled “fictional” account of the out of town and Broadway production of FUNNY GIRL. 

[BaltimoreWriter]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 3:58pm

Thanks so much, JSquared2. I read and adored SMASH, but it was published in 1980, turned into a TV show, and will soon become a musical. The novels mentioned here came out in the past two years, and some Broadway fans may not be aware of them. 

[Ensemble1716440075]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 5:04pm

You should read this book - I loved it. https://www.amazon.com/Tender-Thing-Emily-Neuberger/dp/0593084896/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25OZWLTMXAYVC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dBuRzJUjRFU8bAkor-o8H4nMI69p-77XKg53v_MugKH6NKqEJM8jN0WoOC5FI1KZGsRBkeIxHZyTU3EWZhcnF4YVU1rK324kZCvpyH4gy8pb5fftmqwY_h3QbNMVEbRgkFv0-x6RSbvbtnHncze4CS5EbgzdH3A15qIIp8YtuSKDr3LRMJJH8uGGU3Ck_TCueRnuGNNB-itHS7obLoOt6q3_Jyx6NOcKVXnj0n7jmkY.8Be-WoQlUfz3wBRK9eMYK7of-ZLDEFH4VjgAq79JbZc&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+tender+thing+emily&qid=1716671050&sprefix=a+tender+thing%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1

[Stephen Cole]

Posted: 5/30/24 at 9:44pm

My novel MARY & ETHEL...and Mikey Who? got a rave here from Rob Lester. I am proud to be part of a new subculture of Broadway novels.