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Latest Broadway Books

Historic Theaters of New York's Capital District (Landmarks)

(5/14/2019)

For generations, residents of New York's Capital District have flocked to the region's numerous theaters. The history behind the venues is often more compelling than the shows presented in them. John Wilkes Booth brushed with death on stage while he and Abraham Lincoln were visiting Albany. The first exhibition of broadcast television was shown at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady, although the invention ironically contributed to the downfall of theaters across the nation. A fired manager of the...

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Leonard Bernstein 100: The Masters Photograph the Maestro

(12/18/2018)

Leonard Bernstein is internationally renowned as one of the greatest conductors, composers, musical inspirations, and creative minds of our time. He is also legendary for his extreme passion, raw charisma, and powerful convictions, with a brash, insatiable lust for life that became etched more clearly into the lines of his face with each passing year. As with many celebrities, Leonard Bernstein was constantly being photographed, but unlike most, he was photographed by some of the greates...

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Theater of the Ridiculous: A Critical History

(12/18/2018)

Theater of the Ridiculous is a significant movement that highlighted the radical possibilities inherent in camp. Much of contemporary theater owes this form a great debt but little has been written about its history or aesthetic markers. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the important practitioners, along with critical commentary of their work. Beginning with Ridiculous' most recognizable name, Charles Ludlam, the author traces the development of this campy, queer genre, from the B ...

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Adapting The Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions from Baum to MGM and Beyond

(12/3/2018)

One of the most beloved film musicals of all time, The Wizard of Oz represents an enduring family favorite and cultural classic. Yet there is much more to the story than meets the eye, and the MGM movie is just one of many ways in which it has been represented. In this lively and wide-ranging book, editors Danielle Birkett and Dominic McHugh bring together insights from eleven experts into the varied musical forms this great American myth has taken in the past century. Starting with the early a...

Adapting The Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions from Baum to MGM and Beyond Cover

I'm Not Running (Faber Drama)

(11/27/2018)

Pauline Gibson has unintentionally become a national treasure by staying out of party politics, while one of her close friends from university, Jack Gould, is making his way to the top of the Labour Party. The twenty year span of their adult lives and their contrasting fortunes raise sharp questions about how to do good in the new century.

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen: The True Story Behind Degas's Masterpiece

(11/20/2018)

This absorbing, heartfelt work uncovers the story of the real dancer behind Degas’s now-iconic sculpture, and the struggles of late nineteenth-century Parisian life. She is famous throughout the world, but how many know her name? You can admire her figure in Washington, Paris, London, New York, Dresden, or Copenhagen, but where is her grave? We know only her age, fourteen, and the work that she did—because it was already grueling work, at an age when children today are sent to school. ...

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J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (Fourth Wall)

(11/13/2018)

‘Do you believe in fairies? Say quick that you believe!’ – Peter Pan Peter Pan is a narrative many of us believe we know well, and yet the J.M. Barrie play that premiered on a West End stage in December 1904 is not the depiction of Peter, Wendy, Hook, and Never Land that most people have experienced. It was the critical and commercial success of this particular play which propelled the notoriety and appeal of the story, and without the success of that first production, Peter Pan would ...

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Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey

(11/6/2018)

From The Gashlycrumb Tinies to The Doubtful Guest, Edward Gorey's wickedly funny and deliciously sinister little books have influenced our culture in innumerable ways, from the works of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman to Lemony Snicket. Some even call him the Grandfather of Goth.

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Miss You Like Hell

(11/6/2018)

A troubled teenager and her estranged mother-an undocumented immigrant from Mexico-embark on a road trip and strive to mend their fractured relationship along the way. From the writer of the book for the musical In the Heights comes Miss You like Hell, a musical adaptation of Hudes' play 26 Miles that was inspired by her own experience on a road trip with her mother. Combined with the musical talent of Erin McKeown, Hudes artfully crafts a story of the barriers and the bonds of family, while al...

Rise Up!: Broadway and American Society from 'Angels in America’ to ‘Hamilton’

(11/5/2018)

Penned by one of America's best-known daily theatre critics and organized chronologically, this lively and readable book tells the story of Broadway's renaissance from the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, via the disaster that was Spiderman: Turn off the Dark through the unparalleled financial, artistic and political success of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. It is the story of the embrace of risk and substance. In so doing, Chris Jones makes the point that the theatre thrived by finally figurin...

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Balanchine and Kirstein's American Enterprise

(11/1/2018)

In 1933 choreographer George Balanchine and impresario Lincoln Kirstein embarked on an elusive quest to found a ballet company and school in the United States. Though their efforts would eventually result in the creation of the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet, the first decade of their collaborative efforts was anything but assured. Tracing the tangled histories of two of the most important figures in twentieth-century dance, Balanchine and Kirstein's American Enterprise ...

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Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You Hardcover – October 23, 2018

(10/23/2018)

From the creator and star of Hamilton, with beautiful illustrations by Jonny Sun, comes a book of affirmations to inspire readers at the beginning and end of each day. Good morning. Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today. Make, do, create the things. Let others tussle it out. Vamos! Before he inspired the world with Hamilton and was catapulted to international fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspiring his Twitter followers with words of encouragement at the beginning and end ...

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Pipeline (TCG Edition)

(10/16/2018)

“Pipeline confirms Dominique Morisseau’s reputation as a playwright of piercing eloquence.” —Ben Brantley, New York Times With profound compassion and lyricism, Morisseau brings us a powerful play that delves into the urgent issue of the “school-to-prison” pipeline that ensnares people of color. Issues of class, race, parenting, and education in America are brought to the frontlines, as we are left to question the systematic structures that ultimately trap underserved communities...

Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked 2nd Edition

(10/16/2018)

From his writing of Godspell 's score at age 23 through the making of the megahit musical Wicked and beyond, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked takes readers into the world of the legendary Broadway and film composer-lyricist. In this authorized biography, drawing from her interviews with Schwartz and his collaborators, author Carol de Giere focuses on the behind-the-scenes stories for Schwartz's hits and disappointing flops. Readers will find colo...

Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked 2nd Cover

Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel

(10/9/2018)

Dear Evan Hansen, Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why... When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend. Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore--even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy's parents,...

Lulu the Broadway Mouse

(10/9/2018)

Lulu is a little girl with a very big dream: she wants to be on Broadway. She wants it more than anything in the world. As it happens, she lives in Broadway's Shubert Theatre; so achieving her dream shouldn't be too tricky, right? Wrong. Because the thing about Lulu? She's a little girl mouse. When a human girl named Jayne joins the cast of the show at the Shubert as an understudy, Lulu becomes Jayne's guide through the world of her theatre and its wonderfully kooky cast and crew. Together, ...

Jerome Robbins: A Life in Dance (Jewish Lives)

(10/9/2018)

A lively and inspired biography celebrating the centennial of this master choreographer, dancer, and stage director Jerome Robbins (1918–1998) was born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz and grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey, where his Russian-Jewish immigrant parents owned the Comfort Corset Company. Robbins, who was drawn to dance at a young age, resisted the idea of joining the family business. In 1936 he began working with Gluck Sandor, who ran a dance group and convinced him to change his name t...

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Dance in America: A Reader's Anthology: A Library of America Special Publication

(10/9/2018)

From ballet and Balanchine to tap and hip-hop, two centuries of rich and eloquent writing about the beauty and magic of American dance. Like American speech, American dance has from the beginning been a fusion of many different tones and inflections, with European traditions of ballet and social dancing encountering Native American rituals and African American improvisations to create something altogether new, and extraordinary. Now, in this landmark anthology, dance critic Mindy Aloff (Hipp...

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The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical - Vocal Selections

(10/5/2018)

A dozen vocal selections are included in this songbook featuring music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki for his off-Broadway musical adapted from the 2005 fantasy-adventure novel of the same name. Includes: Bring on the Monsters * D.O.A. * Drive * Good Kid * Killer Quest! * Lost! * My Grand Plan * Prologue/The Day I Got Expelled * Put You in Your Place * Son of Poseidon * Strong * The Tree on the Hill.

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The Road to Oz: The Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Masterpiece

(10/1/2018)

The Road to Oz is a complete retelling of how The Wizard of Oz was influenced and created, and attained its iconic status. The new volume by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman will reflect recent research and much more through newly discovered period interviews, media resources of the era, transcriptions and unique contemporary interviews with those who were there. Additionally, never-before-published imagery accompanies the text. In its truth and candor, this new historical contribution is idea...

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The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary American Plays: Volume Two

(9/30/2018)

The second volume in this series brings together some of the best new writing from contemporary American playwrights. Each play is introduced by critically acclaimed writers themselves. The volume includes: THE EDGE OF OUR BODIES by Adam Rapp, Introduced by AM Homes THE COWARD by Nick Jones, Introduced by Marsha Norman THE BOOK OF GRACE by Suzan-Lori Parks, Introduced by Oskar Eustis WHAT ONCE WE FELT by Ann Marie Healy, Introduced by Paula Vogel

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The Backstagers and the Ghost Light (Backstagers #1)

(9/25/2018)

The stage crew at St. Genesius Prep—or Backstagers, as they like to call themselves—are ready for whatever the theater world can throw their way: the madness of tech week, inevitable prop malfunctions, and all the paranormal activity that goes on behind the scenes. Luckily Jory, Hunter, Sasha, Beckett, and Aziz are up for the job! But lately, someone—or something—seems set on ruining their production of Phantasm. It all started when an actor brought a Spirit Board to the cast party,...

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BAM: Next Wave Festival

(9/25/2018)

Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, founded in 1983 by impresario Harvey Lichtenstein, gathered performances in which genres mixed and traditions were upended. Events held in downtown lofts were given larger venues at BAM. Choreographers, directors, artists and musicians now had access to bigger audiences. The first festivals included New York artists Trisha Brown, Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Laurie Anderson, Robert Rauschenberg, Lucinda Childs and Robert Wilson. International co...

Torch Song Trilogy: Plays

(9/25/2018)

What begins as a chance encounter in a New York nightclub leads drag performer Arnold Beckoff on a hilarious yet touching pursuit of love, happiness, and a life he can be proud of. From a failed affair with a reluctant lover to a committed relationship with the promise of a stable family, Arnold’s struggle for acceptance meets its greatest resistance when he faces off against the person whose approval is most important to him: his mother. This edition contains for the first time ever both ...

Jarmila Novotná: My Life in Song

(9/24/2018)

A legendary beauty, hailed as one of the greatest singing actors of her time, Jarmila Novotná (1907–1994) was an internationally known opera soprano from the former Czechoslovakia. Best known for her performances in Der Rosenkavalier, The Marriage of Figaro, and La Traviata, she was a celebrated performer at the Metropolitan Opera and other theaters across Europe and the United States. A "natural screen actress," Novotná also appeared in Hollywood hits such as The Search (1948) with Montgom...

The Lost Letters of William Shakespeare: The Undiscovered Diary of His Strange Eventful Life and Loves

(9/21/2018)

Could a treasure trove of 400-year-old letters constitute a previously unknown "diary" written by William Shakespeare? After 25 years of research, we believe the astonishing answer is yes. We learn that Shakespeare left home bound for the New World, where he hoped to restore is family's fortunes, but knowing how risky the journey would be, he wanted to create a record for his two-year-old son (Hamnet) so that, one day, Hamnet would know why his father left home (especially in case Shakespeare w...

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A Star Is Born (Turner Classic Movies): Judy Garland and the Film that Got Away

(9/18/2018)

New York Times bestselling author and daughter of Judy Garland tells the story of A Star Is Born -- at once the crowning achievement and greatest disappointment in her mother's legendary career. This is a vivid account of a film classic's production, loss, and reclamation. A Star Is Born -- the classic Hollywood tale about a young talent rising to superstardom, and the downfall of her mentor/lover along the way -- has never gone out of style. It has seen five film adaptations, but none compare...

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Kathleen Turner on Acting

(9/18/2018)

Few actors have had a career as dynamic as that Kathleen Turner's; success has followed her from the television screen to major blockbusters, from indie films to the theater stage. Over her forty-year career, Turner has developed an instinctual knowledge of what it takes to be a successful actor, and, in her conversations with esteemed film professor Dustin Morrow, she shares these lessons with the world. With her iconic wit on full display, Turner dazzles readers with her shrewd insights on...

Media and Performance in the Musical: An Oxford Handbook of the American Musical, Volume 2

(9/17/2018)

For the past several years, the American musical has continued to thrive by reflecting and shaping cultural values and social norms, and even commenting on politics, whether directly and on a national scale (Hamilton) or somewhat more obliquely and on a more intimate scale (Fun Home). New stage musicals, such as Come from Away and The Band's Visit, open on Broadway every season, challenging conventions of form and content, and revivals offer audiences a different perspective on extant shows (Ca...

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Media and Performance in theMedia and Performance in the Musical: An Oxford Handbook of the American Musical, Volume 2 Musical: An Oxford Handbook of the American Musical, Volume 2

(9/17/2018)

Dance in the Mirror: The ballet photography of John R. Johnsen

(8/14/2018)

Dance in the Mirror is an ultimate celebration of dance, and not least ballet, in all its many guises. In particular, it pays homage to Danish ballet photographer John R. Johnsen (1945-2016), whose work is presented here in collected form for the first time. Artistically, Johnsen towers above the vast majority of his contemporaries, and in the period 1967-96, during which he photographed the Royal Danish Ballet and leading international companies such as New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey Americ...

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The American Negro Theatre and the Long Civil RIghts Era (Studies Theatre Hist & Culture)

(8/10/2018)

Jonathan Shandell provides the first in-depth study of the historic American Negro Theatre (ANT) and its lasting influence on American popular culture. Founded in 1940 in Harlem, the ANT successfully balanced expressions of African American consciousness with efforts to gain white support for the burgeoning civil rights movement. The theatre company featured innovative productions with emerging artists—Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, and many others—who would become giants of sta...

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