Theater History Books- Page 2

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 7/24/14 at 6:34am

^^ anything by Arthur Laurents. His book 'An Original Story By' is pretty juicy.

To his defense though, he does talk about process. Updated On: 7/24/14 at 06:34 AM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/24/14 at 9:29am

"Less of the academic process stuff and more of the memoir/behind-the-scenes/gossipy-name-dropping-and-full-of-sometimes-wickedly-funny-theatre-anecdotes type of reads?"

Diary of A Mad Playwright is about James Kirkwood trying to get his play Legends to Broadway. It starred Mary Martin and Carol Channing and he does have some interesting things to say about his stars.

[Queen of the Night]

Posted: 7/25/14 at 8:27pm

"Showtime: a history of the Broadway musical theater" by Larry Stempel. It's a decent sized volume, nearly 700 pages chronicling the history of the theater from pre-vaudeville operetta through to the present day. I'm reading it right now and it's an engaging and informative book, even for people who already know a lot about theater.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/25/14 at 8:33pm

"Not mentioned yet-- Everything Was Possible - Ted Chapin"

I think POSSIBLE is not only excellent but sui generis. I have no idea how it would read to those who don't know FOLLIES very well.

***

For non-academic works, many musical theater greats wrote autobiographies. Check out those by Richard Rodgers, Alan Jay Lerner, Kander & Ebb, Charles Strauss, etc. Of course they have their biases--that is a given--but they also mix anecdotes with theory.

[Junior Babcock]

Posted: 7/26/14 at 8:34am

For a delicious, gossipy treat: "The Making of No, No, Nanette." The 1970's revival, of course. Or, more recently, "Making It Big."

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 9:53am

Sondheim & Lloyd Webber
Razzle Dazzle
Kander & Ebb
It Happened On Broadway
Showtime - Jerry Herman
The Most Remarkable Fella - Frank Loesser
Cole Porter
Opening Nights 1 & 2
Neil Simon Rewrites

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 10:08am

For the love of God, don't even think about picking up anything by that self-important hack, Peter Filichia!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/27/14 at 10:06pm

Thank you, Babcock. I had forgotten THE MAKING OF NO, NO, NANETTE. It's trashy, but a delight to read and full of intriguing tidbits.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 7/28/14 at 8:26pm

"Ghost Light" by Joseph O'Connor is a good example of a fiction theatre history book, if such a thing exists.

1907 Edwardian Dublin, a city of whispers and rumors. At the Abbey Theatre W. B. Yeats is working with the talented John Synge, his resident playwright. It is here that Synge, the author of The Playboy of the Western World and The Tinker’s Wedding, will meet an actress still in her teens named Molly Allgood. Rebellious, irreverent, beautiful, flirtatious, Molly is a girl of the inner-city tenements, dreaming of stardom in America. Witty and watchful, she has dozens of admirers, but it is the damaged older playwright who is her secret passion despite the barriers of age, class, education, and religion.

I enjoyed it.