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#1

Broadway-Related Books

Just thought I'd ask the opinion of you BWW folk.

Have any of you read any of these books...?
Broadway Musicals : The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time
Broadway : The American Musical
Making It on Broadway: Actors' Tales of Climbing to the Top

I'm a fairly casual theatre fan, and figured I would pick up a book to read in my spare time, as I'm sure they would fill me in on plenty of things I never knew before. Just wanted to get the input of anyone who has read any of the above-mentioned books (I did a super fast amazon search and those were the first 3 that caught my attention). Are any of them particularly worth reading, or a waste of time?

Any other suggestions would of course be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
#2

re: Broadway-Related Books

Making it on Broadway is a really good book, but it'll tell you how harsh it is on Broadway...so I'll give you a warning.

There's a whole book on the making of Disney musicals. It's very interesting.

I also recommend taking a look at The Pillowman -- it's an excellent play (but don't read it if you get squeamish easily).



What the puck?!

Updated On: 1/31/06 at 11:31 PM

#3

re: Broadway-Related Books

I have "Broadway Musicals: The 100 Greatest Shows of All Time" (it was a gift) and I'm not crazy about it. I don't know how they chose which musicals to include, but I think they omitted a few important ones. I guess it gives you a good overview of a bunch of shows, and if you're looking for a certain piece of information it's easy to navigate, but overall I wouldn't recommend it. Then again, maybe it would be good for someone who is a casual fan like you and who wants to broaden their knowledge.
#4

re: Broadway-Related Books

One of the books my mother left me was 'Broadway" by the Brooks Atkinson
Its a history of theatre written in 1970.

'Take me out tonight where's there's music and there's people and they're young and alive.'

Updated On: 1/31/06 at 11:40 PM

#5

re: Broadway-Related Books

Go for Everything Was Possible, by Ted Chapin. It's a fantastic account of the creation of a musical, and includes in its cast of "characters" some of the greatest musical theater artists of all time.

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