Doing a show is great fun—but how do you know which one to do? This practical resource will guide your school, community, or professional theater group to a musical that perfectly fits your budget, creative team, production capabilities, and audience.
With Let’s Put on a Musical! you’ll discover more than 200 famous and little-known shows—all cleverly categorized and described in terms of:
• Story
• Best-known songs
• Musical requirements, including instrumentation
• Chorus and dance numbers
• Staging—the sets, costumes, and props you’ll need
And it’s packed with nuggets about the original Broadway versions and useful tips on casting, publicity, and other practical matters relating to production. Whether it's a big classic like My Fair Lady or an all-but-forgotten show like Top Banana, if there's a musical in your future—or if you’re just a fan of the genre—Let’s Put on a Musical! will be an essential and fun-to-read addition to your theater library
Peter Filichia
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Day-to-day calendar (one that can be used again and again, in any year). 366 bite-size entries, with anecdotes, observations, fun facts, and other confections tied to a single song, perfect for starting each day. Tied to a show's opening date, holidays, historic dates, lyrics, or…
Brainteasers that require more than an ordinary knowledge of Broadway facts that will send even the most seasoned theater lovers looking for answers. Kindle version to be released 9/15/23. 232 pages.
A book that is "purposely meant to start arguments and to settle them," as the author addresses the most dividing musical theater questions and opinions.
It was the Broadway season when Barbra Streisand demanded "Don’t Rain on My Parade" and Carol Channing heard the waiters at the Harmonia Gardens say "Hello, Dolly!". From June 1, 1963 through the final day of May 31, 1964, theatergoers were offered 68 different productions: 24 ne…
Every year, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League name a Most Valuable Player - an MVP. The Broadway musical community doesn't. Oh, there are the Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Awards, and the Theatre…
When Evita opened on Broadway during the 1979-1980 season, it was (as one of its songs said) "High Flying Adored." But in the 1970-71 season, the producers of Lolita, My Love saw their show (as one of its songs said) "Going, Gone, Gone" after its torturous Philadelphia and Boston…
Many musical theatre actors confuse competence with excellence. We mistake arriving in NYC with a well-trained voice, a pricy headshot, and general show biz acumen for being ready to work where Broadway happens. Then, when too many auditions end up no-gos, we assume it’s not mean…
Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave, or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the ratin…
Center Stage Records released ONCE EVERY HUNDRED YEARS, a song cycle by William Finn and Danny Ursetti, recorded live at 54 Below in New York.
The musical adaptation by Thomas F.
BroadwayWorld has your exclusive firsst listen to Zachary Noah Piser singing 'Simon's Bar Mitzvah' from William Finn and Danny Ursetti's song cycle, set to be released.
Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon will release his new book Direction.
BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen to the track 'You're a Gay Guy' from Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody's original cast album.
The guest lineup has been revealed for a six-episode podcast hosted by President Obama, featuring conversations with Tom Hanks, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and more about books that shaped worldview and society.
The Drama Book Shop will present an exclusive event celebrating THE JONBENÉT GAME, featuring a live scene performance, panel discussion, and script signing with playwright Tori Keenan-Zelt.
We're falling into fall with a great Broadway read! This season, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind.
Once Every Hundred Years – a new song cycle by two-time Tony Award winner William Finn and Danny Ursetti – will be released in digital and streaming formats.
The full audio production of AUGHTS, a radio play written and directed by Jake Lebowitz, is available free on YouTube, podcast platforms, and the show's website.
Music historian and critic Lawrence Schulman will release new titles including a third GARLAND volume and a photographic biography of Judy Garland, with forewords from Will Friedwald and James Fisher.
CENTER STAGE RECORDS has announced the release of The Pianist: World Premiere Recording – based on the new musical stage adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman’s internationally acclaimed memoir, the basis of Roman Polanski’s Academy Award-winning film.
Ghostlight Records has released the CHESS (2025 Broadway Cast Recording) on CD and vinyl, featuring Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele and Nicholas Christopher from the Imperial Theatre revival.
Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin, Caroline Bowman, Timothy H.
The world premiere cast recording of THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, starring Nicola Coughlan, is streaming now via Broadway Records.
Broadway director and choreographer Richard J.
Decca Records will release the original cast album of 13 GOING ON 30 – THE MUSICAL, featuring Lucie Jones and David Hunter from the show's Manchester premiere cast.
Jonathan Bailey will take on the title role in Audible's new global adaptation of Dracula, joining Ella Purnell, Aimee Lou Wood, Maggie Gyllenhaal and more in the full-cast audio production.
Composer Ian Ferguson and writer Lauren LeBlanc will release a cast album of their original musical THE PENUMBRA, following its Dallas Children's Theater workshop presentation.
Tori Keenan-Zelt will discuss her play THE JONBENÉT GAME during an evening event at The Drama Book Shop in New York City, exploring themes of true crime, memory, and grief.
Johanna Telander's new concept album reimagines global 'Ladies in White' ghost legends, featuring an all-female cast including Militia Vox, Natalie Toro, Felicia Curry and Melody Munitz.
MEMENTO GOREY: The Last Interviews with Edward Gorey, a new book by Christopher Seufert, collects unpublished interviews and photographs documenting the designer's life and work.
The original stage work BIG MAN: A NEW MUSICAL, currently in development, will release the show's second single “Wander” in streaming and digital formats featuring Kevin Chamberlin.
The New York City Center Gala production of Bat Boy: The Musical (New York City Center Cast Recording) is available in digital and streaming formats.
Evita: The Full Album, the full cast recording of Jamie Lloyd's West End production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, led by Rachel Zegler, is available now.
You can now get a first listen to two new singles from the upcoming album Beau: The Musical recording.
Theatre Communications Group will publish an anthology of more than thirty plays by women+ playwrights, a civic initiative from the Flynn Center with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize examining democracy in America.
Audible has a packed slate of new releases and live programming arriving this September, featuring everything from conversations with Barack Obama and a return to the fan-favorite Bobiverse to Colin Kaepernick's deeply personal story and more.
The Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show will record a cast album, featuring Rachel Dratch as “Narrator,” Luke Evans as “Frank-N-Furter,” Amber Gray as “Riff Raff,” Stephanie Hsu as “Janet,” Juliette Lewis as “Magenta,” and more.
This Ain’t No Disco: World Premiere Recording – Songs from the Musical by Stephen Trask and Peter Yanowitz is out now in digital and streaming formats.
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