Favorite books about Broadway

[Connemara]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 12:09am

Can anyone recommend their favorite Broadway-themed books (memoirs, history of particular shows/time periods/stars, etc. etc.)?

[ragg_ballad]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 12:29am

I don't know if you can find this anywhere anymore, but I got it at a local library- "What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of "A Chorus Line."

Sad, happy, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and everything in between.I appreciate ACL a lot more knowing how much of their lives the original cast put into the show. The book basically follows the creation of the show from the first workshop-like gathering to its international "success" with different artists telling their stories.

http://www.amazon.com/What-They-Did-Love-Untold/dp/0553345931/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217823928&sr=8-2

[Judas]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 12:33am

I really enjoyed "A Year With The Producers." I got it off Amazon for really cheap, and I read it within a few days. Also, "Letters from Backstage," its along the same lines, though not as interesting, but still a great read.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 1:01am

I really like the companion books for shows. I own the one for The Producers, Wicked, Jersey Boys, and Hairspray.

Lots of great pictures and interviews.

Also they have (most) of the libretto.

[commasplice]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 2:46am

Two that often get recommended here (and for good reason, because they're both excellent):

Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical 'Follies' by Ted Chapin
Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops by Ken Mandelbaum

If you're into criticism and scholarly analysis, I enjoyed Stephen Sondheim: A Casebook (Joanne Gordon, ed.), and I'm currently reading Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater by John Bush Jones, but I haven't gotten far enough to be able to really offer any thoughts.
Updated On: 8/4/08 at 02:46 AM

[PJC]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 3:08am

Act One - Moss Hart.

Close runner-up: Sondheim & Co.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 4:49am

Making It On Broadway

[broadwayrules]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 9:48am

The Megamusical by Jessica Sternfeld
It is a great look at the megamusicals of the 80's and the early 90's. The only problem is it gets very technical about the musical structures and mofits which can be a little confusing.
http://www.amazon.com/Megamusical-Profiles-Popular-Music/dp/0253347939/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217857415&sr=8-1

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 10:02am

William Goldman's "The Season" is the granddaddy of 'em all. Although much has changed on Broadway since 1967, much has stayed the same. Highly recommended.

Updated On: 8/4/08 at 10:02 AM

Posted: 8/4/08 at 10:09am

The Season and Act One. Absolutely.

[sgv123]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 10:51am

i guess this is considered a children's book, but it is very informative and interesting. It has samples of things that you can pull out- playbill, ticket, script,make up deign sample, and other things. It is called How does the Show Go On by Thomas Schumacher.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 11:15am

I like the yearbooks.

[Hest882]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 11:26am

Seconding "Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical 'Follies'" by Ted Chapin. Wonderful insider's account.

Anything by Stephen Citron is good. He writes engagingly enough for a layperson but has just enough technical detail to make it interesting for someone with more than a passing knowledge of the theatre. His "Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber: The New Musical" gave me a new apprecation for ALW.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 11:27am

Definitely "Act One" by Moss Hart.

[folkyboy]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 11:37am

lately, i've really gotten into the Broadway by the Decade books that Ethan Mordden did. i'm also partial to NOT SINCE CARRIE. another good one is SECOND ACT TROUBLE by Steven Suskin

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 6:59pm

Does anyone know of any theatre book on scenic design? I have a really great one called "Technical Theatre for Non-Technical People", but other than that, I haven't really come across any good ones.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 12:17am

Bump!

[BNN]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 12:23am

The Theatre Art of Boris Aronson is a great book, however its increasingly difficult to find. Amazon doesn't carry it but it links to other interesting scenic design books.

http://www.amazon.com/Theatre-Art-Boris-Aronson/dp/0394529138

[justme2]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 12:35am

I have many, but one of the best reads I enjoyed was a book by Marty Bell.

"Broadway Stories - A Backstage journey through Musical Theater"

He interviewed many theater personalities around the 1992-1993 timeframe, and they shared their experiences on shows they were working on.

Examples:

Faith Prince discusses Guys and Dolls
David Zippel discusses how City of Angels came about
Kay McClelland talks about Nick and Nora and her role in the show and the craziness around it
Susan Stroman talks about Crazy for You
Karen Ziemba talks about "And the World Goes Round" and "Most Happy Fella"
Stephen Borgadus discusses Falsettos and his involvement with the show for 12 years
and a LOT more...

These are not short paragrahs either, like "Making it on Broadway" is made up of. These are chapter length discussions and they are incredibly detailed and very honest. I am always surprised no one else mentions this book in these threads!

I don't know if it's still in print or not, but if you can find it...GET IT.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 1:00am

Ghost Light by Frank Rich is excellent.

[christhefish]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 2:03am

Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Nights is an amazing read. Maybe the most fun I have had reading a book since Dr. Suess

[Yostertag]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 3:55am

I can't believe no one has mentioned Broadway: The American Musical by Michael Kantor and Laurence Maslon. It is a pretty general view of Broadway but it covers a lot of ground, from Ziegfield to Disney. Definitely an essential read for show people in my book.

[Friendofethelm]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 5:13am

Two incredibly funny (and enlightening) books not mentioned above are THE MAKING OF NO, NO, NANETTE by Don Dunn and DIARY OF A MAD PLAYWRIGHT by James Kirkwood. They both are blow-by-blow chronicles of two tempestuous shows (NANETTE and LEGENDS) that went through severe backstage angst with very different results. No other books I know capture as well the highs, lows and lunacies of the theater.

[lesmis]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 6:21am

After reading all these posts, I just ordered Act One and Diary of a Mad Playwright from Amazon.

[once a month]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 7:23am

Broadway Nights, put out by BFA,,,GREAT BACKSTAGE STUFF.