"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#1

Posted: 7/8/18 at 9:57am

This book is a "find".  There are so many stories and anecdotes about the Broadway community.  Here are a few: 

"When Jerome Robbins first heard the song "Everything's Coming Up Roses", he said, "I don't get it.  Everything's coming up Rose's what?"

The most notable investment by a record company was Columbia Records' Goddard Lieberson, who put up $375, 000 for the entire capitalization of "My Fair Lady", plus another $40, 000 for producing the original cast recording.  It is estimated that the LP alone earned over 50 million dollars.

The Angela Lansbury revival of "Gypsy" was in Chicago and one of the newsboys didn't have a boyfriend.  So, after one of the performances, Lansbury went to a gay bar with other members of the cast and that night there was a knock on the cast member's door.  There was Angela Lansbury with some guy whom she pushed into the room and said, "Have a good time."

But if you had sex while on the road, the rule was you could never talk about it to anyone.  Yet another rule was that you had to buy donuts for the entire company.  So, if you went down to breakfast and there were donuts, you knew someone had hooked up the night before.  

When Lauren Bacall took a vacation from "Woman Of The Year", Raquel Welch replaced  her, got rave reviews and did great business.  Bacall was furious that anyone else could be successful in her role.  

"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)

[ggersten]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#2

Posted: 7/8/18 at 1:26pm

I enjoyed the book - but do wonder about some of the things tossed off - such as Charlie Smalls not writing the songs for The Wiz.  (page 57 of paperback edition).  

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#3

Posted: 7/9/18 at 1:16am

I mean, there are at least two numbers in The Wiz that Smalls didn't write... "Everybody Rejoice" (a/k/a "Brand New Day" was by Luther Vandross, and the "Emerald City Ballet" was by George Faison and Timothy Graphenreed.

Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28

[ggersten]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#4

Posted: 7/9/18 at 9:23am

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "I mean, there are at least two numbers in The Wiz that Smallsdidn't write... "Everybody Rejoice" (a/k/a "Brand New Day" was by Luther Vandross, and the "Emerald City Ballet" was by George Faison and Timothy Graphenreed."

Bloom writes:  "[Charlie Smalls] was a front for a bunch of songwriters who all contributed songs to the show."

Fallin also recounts how Martin Charnin was the major author of Sweet Charity - including Charnin having his lawyers and a stenographer at opening night.  

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#5

Posted: 7/9/18 at 12:43pm

I mean, as Jeremy Aufderheide's book on The Wiz recounts, there were several attempts at the show with various songwriters on producer Ken Harper's part, but that doesn't mean Smalls was a front. Ridiculous.

Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#6

Posted: 7/10/18 at 7:55am

Speaking of Jeremy, I put the question re: The Wiz to him in the early hours of this morning, and he had this to say:

"'A bunch' of songwriters is not accurate. A couple is accurate. Originally, they wanted to bring in pop writers to each write a song or two. I think that some of that happened -- at the very least, people were deciding on titles, because there's a list of song titles in my book for songs, but it's not clear if the songs were ever written. Then they met Charlie Smalls. Charlie Smalls wrote almost all of the songs; Luther Vandross wrote 'Brand New Day,' Timothy Graphenreed and Harold Wheeler wrote 'Tornado,' and George Faison and Timothy Graphenreed wrote the 'Emerald City Ballet.'

Ken Harper was sued by a woman who claimed she wrote 'Day Before Yesterday.' And an 'unnamed source' (a household name who has it on good authority) tells me that it was definitely written by someone else [not the one who sued]. Since I couldn't verify it, it's not in the book.

Ken Bloom should really qualify it, though. He's spreading rumors and doing a huge disservice to Charlie Smalls."

Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28

[uncageg]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#7

Posted: 7/10/18 at 8:12am

g.d.e.l.g.i., What is the name of the book on THE WIZ? I would love to read it. It was my first Broadway show and I was a bit obsessed with it!

Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#8

Posted: 7/10/18 at 8:28am

The book is called How The Wiz Was, and it's available from Amazon. Fair warning: it's not as in-depth as one would hope (focusing more on certain aspects of behind-the-scenes stuff than others, though it more than makes up for that by having come from interviews with stars, writers, creative team and other higher-ups, plus primary sources like personal letters, contracts, and documents), and there are zero illustrations, but the writing is uncomplicated, and half -- or more -- of the information in it has not been published elsewhere.

Formerly gvendo2005
Broadway Legend
joined: 5/1/05

Blocked: After Eight, suestorm, david_fick, emlodik, lovebwy, Dave28282, joevitus, BorisTomashevsky, Seb28

[uncageg]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#9

Posted: 7/10/18 at 8:34am

Tried to edit my post but kept getting an error.

I found it on Amazon right after I posted.

Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder

[Valentina3]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#10

Posted: 7/10/18 at 9:01am

That Angela Bassett story. My my. Everything's coming up indeed

Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.

[ggersten]

"Show and Tell: The New Book Of Broadway Anecdotes" by Ken Bloom#11

Posted: 7/10/18 at 10:41am

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "Speaking of Jeremy, I put the question re:The Wizto him in the early hours of this morning, and he had this to say:

"'A bunch' of songwriters is not accurate. A couple is accurate. Originally, they wanted to bring in pop writers to each write a song or two. I think that some of that happened -- at the very least, people were deciding on titles, because there's a list of song titles in my book for songs, but it's not clear if the songs were ever written. Then they met Charlie Smalls. Charlie Smalls wrote almost all of the songs; Luther Vandross wrote 'Brand New Day,'Timothy Graphenreed and Harold Wheeler wrote 'Tornado,'and George Faison and Timothy Graphenreed wrote the 'Emerald City Ballet.'

Ken Harper was sued by a woman who claimed she wrote 'Day Before Yesterday.' And an 'unnamed source'(a household name who has it on good authority) tells me that it was definitely written by someone else [not the one who sued]. Since I couldn't verify it, it's not in the book.

Ken Bloom should really qualify it, though. He's spreading rumors and doing a huge disservice to Charlie Smalls.""

THANKS for this.