Theater-Themed Novels

As the author of a recent novel about Broadway's Camelot (One More Seat at the Round Table), I am always on the hunt for backstage stories, and recently I've found several that I've personally read and want to recommend. It's a growing sub-genre, and one that is dear to my heart. Maybe you can think of other books I've missed.

The Adored One by Susanne Dunlap, Atmosphere Press, the story of Ziegfeld Follies star Lillian Lorraine and her romance with Flo Ziegfeld.

Broadway Butterfly by Sara Divello, Thomas & Mercer, a thriller set in Broadway of the Roaring Twenties. 

Broadway Revival by Laura Frankos, Swallow's End, a story that jumps back in time to save the life of George Gershwin.

Limelight by Amy Poeppel, Simon & Schuster, the tale of a transplanted Texas mom who becomes the personal assistant to a reluctant pop singer who's slated to make his Broadway debut.

Quick Bright Things by Michael Golding, Amazon, a novel about the Golden Age of Broadway and a would-be musical version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, Harper, a novel that examines an actress's theatrical past as it relates to her present choices. 

 

A Tender Thing by Emily Neuberger

"Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Eleanor O'Hanlon always felt different. In love with musical theater from a young age, she memorized every show album she could get her hands on. So when she discovers an open call for one of her favorite productions, she leaves behind everything she knows to run off to New York City and audition. Raw and untrained, she catches the eye of famed composer Don Mannheim, who catapults her into the leading role of his new work, A Tender Thing, a provocative love story between a white woman and black man, one never before seen on a Broadway stage. As news of the production spreads, setting off an outpouring of protest that threatens the possibility of the show itself, Eleanor is forced to confront her own naive beliefs about the world.

Pulsing with the vitality and drive of 1950s New York, A Tender Thing immerses readers right into the heart of Broadway's Golden Age, a time in which the music soared and the world was on the brink of change."

SHADOWPLAY by Joseph O'Connor

ACTRESS by Anne Enright

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA by Gaston Leroux

I love these three, and would recommend.

THE EMPIRE, by Michael Ball

Haven't read. Could be good, could be trash. At least the author obviously is very familiar with theatre.

A Fanny Full of Soap, by actress Nicola McAuliffe, more or less a roman à clef about Murderous Instincts, one of the West End's most infamous debacles in recent-ish memory.

Updated On: 11/13/23 at 05:22 PM

I read and loved Susan Dormady Eisenberg's One More Seat at the Round Table. It makes the unbelievable difficulties come to life of shaping the original Camelot through its many mishaps to finally become a Broadway hit. Julie Andrews comes out as the real lady she is, and Burton was great but a handful. I love backstage stories. So perfect for me.

Also read Susanne Dunlap's The Adored One about the Ziegfield Follies. Theater history is one of my passions. Should we add Marjorie Morningstar to this list?

 

morosco said: "Smashby Garson Kanin.

The novel is in the form of a production diary for Shine On, Harvest Moon, the fictional musical being created about the life of vaudevillian Nora Bayes. The diary is kept by Production Secretary Midge Maghakian, a young woman who leaves her secure publishing job to join the staff. She finds herself caught up in the various power struggles to control the musical.

Smash (novel)"

 

Great, fun read -- and also a VERY thinly veiled account of what went on backstage during the out of town tryout and Broadway opening of FUNNY GIRL!

Limelight is very cute. It'd make a nice film. Her books always seem very light but at the end I always find a little more depth than I expected to be there.