Favorite Books on Theater

[PianoMan2]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 1:25am

Hey All.

Thought I would ask for some opinions on Broadway reading material and get some suggestions.

First (as you can guess from the name) I am a musician - and I actually like getting research books! (I have the new Suskin book about orchestrations on order now)

Seth Rudetsky's book made me laugh (Broadway Nights - still have not gotten Q Guide yet), but would love to get some ideas especially about books with artistic and creative team interviews - the "putting it together" books, and backstage anecdotes.

Any thoughts would be great - Thanks!

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 1:46am

The Empty Space - Peter Brook
Not Since Carrie - Ken Mandelbaum
The Abominable Showman - forgot the author's name used to be a Daily News Critic - The Good One! About the great David Merrick. Highly amusing!
Also: All His Jazz (Fosse biography - fascinating.

Updated On: 5/3/09 at 01:46 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 3:12am

There's the truly extraordinary "Everything was Possible - The Birth of the Musical Follies. Ted Chapin really lays out a remarkable era of the creation of Sondheim and Goldman's (and Prince and Bennett's) masterpiece. Sure, his book is biased and subjective (he seems to share Ethel Shutta's distaste for Fifi D'Orsay for no real good reason other than Ethel did), but it paints such a crystal clear picture of the creation of that show.

[PianoMan2]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 7:27am

Phyllis - I don't know Follies nearly as well as I should, but this has inspired me to listen to the recording and take a look for this book. Thanks for the idea.

TinyMagic - The David Merrick piece sounds very interesting, and I am going to check out pricing for that as well.

Thanks fellow theater lovers!

[binau]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 7:51am

I can tell you it's *not* Mainly on Directing by ARTHUR LAURENTS.

[chiuptown]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 9:22am

Letting Down My Hair, by Lorrie Davis is a good read whether or not all is completely fact. It does paint a true picture of that show and the cast, and the vibe of that time. I worked at the theatre where the Chicago cast was settled in. wild.

[laura is broadway]

Posted: 5/3/09 at 9:32am

"Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions" comes to mind, would be especially enjoyable if you're a musician.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 1:47pm

Bill Berloni's book on working with zillions of animals on Broadway throughout the years. MUST HAVE!

http://www.amazon.com/Broadway-Tails-Heartfelt-Stories-Superstars/dp/1599213532

[Hest882]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 2:25pm

All of Stephen Citron's books. They're dual biographies that compare and contrast two theatre luminaries at a time. He also goes at it from a bit of a technical POV, though directed at the layman. For instance, as non-musician, I found his discussions of how various musical choices created the effects of the songs in the "Sondheim and Lloyd-Webber" book quite interesting--even if they might be no-brainers for a musician.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/5/09 at 2:28pm

Our Musicals, Ourselves
The Empty Space
Hot Seat (a collection of Frank Rich's NY Times reviews)
The Season
Brecht on Theatre
The Dramatic Imagination
Ever After: The Last Years of Musical Theatre and Beyond
Art Isn't Easy: The Theater of Stephen Sondheim

Updated On: 5/5/09 at 02:28 PM

Posted: 5/5/09 at 2:44pm

The Season and Moss Hart's Act One are the two absolute must-reads.