Broadway Bookshelf — Reference Books

Biographies, show books, musical scores, history, and must-read theatre books.

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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Musicals: Of Thee I Sing to A Strange Loop (9/18/2026) Part of Essential Musicals series. Takes a chronological look at the ten musicals that have won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Deep diving into the development of each show, unpacking the creation, production, and reception of each musical. Each chapter traces a different Prize-winning show from its inception to its opening night. Introduces the reader to each musical's key creators and company members and places them in the larger context of Broadway history. 248 pages.

Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend (12/31/2025) Gaming expert and theatre fan Barry Joseph draws from over eighty years of Sondheim’s activities, collecting his extremely rare and never-publicly-seen puzzles and game designs, original interviews with the celebrity friends who played them, deep dives into Sondheim-related archives from around the country, and analysis from both puzzle designers and theatre professionals from around the world. Allows readers to solve Sondheimian puzzles and bring Sondheimian games into their own homes. 208 p...

The Reason to Sing: A Guide to Acting While Singing 2nd Edition (12/18/2025) Composer-lyricist and teacher Craig Carnelia provides musical actors with a step-by-step guide to making their sung performances more truthful, vivid, and full of life. Using a technique developed over decades of teaching the professional community of Broadway actors and students alike, The Reason to Sing lays out a new and proven approach,to help you build your skills, your confidence, and your career. This second edition includes two new chapters: "Writers," in which Stephen Sondheim, Jason R...

The Reason to Sing: A Guide to Acting While Singing 2nd Edition (12/16/2025) Composer-lyricist and teacher Craig Carnelia provides musical actors with a step-by-step guide to making their sung performances more truthful, vivid, and full of life. Using a technique developed over decades of teaching the professional community of Broadway actors and students alike, The Reason to Sing lays out a new and proven approach,to help you build your skills, your confidence, and your career. This second edition includes two new chapters: "Writers," in which Stephen Sondheim, Jason R...

Secret Lovers Songbook (12/2/2025) Companion book to Anya Turner & Robert Grusecki's tenth studio recording released in September 2024. Ten new songs inspired by their own life experience and the artistry of poet Emily Dickinson, novelist Virginia Woolf, essayist Joan Didion, Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, New Zealand-born street artist Deborah Wood, Harlem blues singer Gladys Bentley, transgender jazz pianist Billy Tipton, and British jazz singer/pianist Liane Carroll.

The Official Rocky Horror Late Night Double Feature: The 50th Anniversary Two-Volume Collector's Edition (11/18/2025) Two-volume set features the original theatrical script with rare images of the original cast, and an oral history of the Rocky Horror Picture Show phenomenon featuring never-before-seen archival material from its creator (and original Riff-Raff), Richard O'Brien. With never-before-seen set photography and design sketches from O'Brien’s, personal collection, and oral history with new interviews with cast, crew, and historians. 352 pages.

Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders (11/4/2025) Oral history of the 1967 novel for teens, turned blockbuster film turned Tony-winning musical, and commemorated with a newly opened museum. Includes interviews with Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell Leif Garrett, David Arquette, Dennis Quaid, and more.

Hirschfeld's Sondheim: A Poster Book (9/9/2025) This first volume in a series of deluxe Hirschfeld poster books contains art drawn from life before the opening night of each of Sondheim’s productions. On the reverse side are rare, ancillary images from the archives, as well as an introduction by Bernadette Peters, an essay by Ben Brantley, and text by David Leopold, Hirschfeld’s archivist and creative director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation. Hirschfeld’s images capture the essence of the performances even better than the photograph...

Hirschfeld's Sondheim: A Poster Book (9/9/2025) Contains art drawn from life before the opening night of each of Sondheim’s productions. On the reverse side are rare, ancillary images from the archives and text by Leopold (archivist and creative director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation). 25 Al Hirschfeld portraits drawn from Stephen Sondheim’s musicals. These art prints can be easily removed and framed. All images for this book have been scanned from the archives of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation. 58 pages, 11 x 0.65 x 14 inches.

Matching Minds with Sondheim (5/20/2025) By near-universal consensus, Stephen Sondheim was the greatest musical theater composer of his generation—celebrated, among other things, for the wit, sophistication, and intricacy of shows from West Side Story to Sunday in the Park with George. A less well-known avenue for his brilliant creativity was his lifelong fascination with designing and constructing intricate puzzles and games: from treasure hunts and crossword puzzles to parlor and board games. Matching Minds with Sondheim is a j...

Every Day a Little Death: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Stephen Sondheim (3/22/2025) Twenty crime stories, one inspired by a song from each of the twenty musicals with scores by Stephen Sondheim (including the made-for-TV Evening Primrose and the final show, Here We Are). Contributing authors include both widely published crime writers and people who are involved in the world of the theatre.

Broadway Poster Art: 1945–1969 (10/28/2024) 750 advertising posters for the musicals and plays of Broadway's golden age, plus behind-the-scenes stories. Also included: never-before-seen artist progressions from conception to completion, as well as alternate and rejected designs; facts and legends about the productions; a look at how the posters were used around the city; rare images - many one of a kind - from private collections, archives, and libraries nationwide; and an index of artists and shows. 304 pages.

A Show Tune for Today: 366 Songs to Brighten Your Year Calendar (10/15/2024) 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 connections more surprising. 400 pages.

Rocky Horror Cookbook: 50 Savory, Sweet, and Seductive Recipes from the Cult Musical (9/3/2024) Officially licensed cookbook based on The Rocky Horror Show. 50 recipes. Examples: Magenta Mash(ed) Potato Cakes, Thrill Me Chill Me Spicy Gazpacho, Rocky’s Mussels, Riff Raff Ramen, and Slow-Cooked Thigh Ragu. "Don't dream it. Eat it." 136 pages.

Ageless Dancers (4/18/2024) Photographs by Betti Franceschi, from her collection of photographs of dancers age 70 and up. Forty iconic dancers from the disciplines of ballet, modern, contemporary, tap, and musical theater. 130 pages.

Backstage: Portraits of Actors at Work in the Theatre (9/27/2023) Series of photographs by Simon Annand that go behind the scenes in London theaters, capturing actors before they go on stage. Foreword by Cate Blanchett. 256 pages.

Broadway Decoded: Musical Theatre’s Forgotten References (9/15/2023) Guide to fifty popular musicals from the comedy classics of the 1930s and 1940s to the frequently-produced darlings of modern theater. Kindle version to be released 9/15/23. 314 pages.

Brainteasers for Broadway Geniuses: 500 Puzzlers to Perplex Even the Biggest Fans (9/1/2023) 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.

I'll Drink to That!: Broadway's Legendary Stars, Classic Shows, and the Cocktails They Inspired (5/23/2023) Photographs by Joan Marcus. Mixes clever cocktails that pay homage to unforgettable Broadway shows–such as the Rainbow High from Evita and the Sidecar Named Desire–with authentic recipes for drinks that played supporting roles in beloved shows–like the legendary Vodka Stinger from Company–and shakes it up with a history of the cocktail on Broadway. 30 drink recipes. Featured throughout are images from intoxicating images of classic shows to portraits of effervescent stage celebrities to...

From Craft to Career: A Casting Director's Guide for the Actor (4/26/2023) Insight into the role of the casting director. Explains the jobs of all the other people involved in the casting process and how they influence casting decisions. 176 pages. Kindle Edition released earlier.

The ABCs of Acting in Musicals: A Civilian's Guide (4/19/2023) Second in a series. Includes a brief history of musicals, a brief survey of acting methods, myths about musicals and about acting, useful musical theatre terms, good books and documentaries, plus a wide array of other related topics, like using silence and stillness, the Fourth Wall, realism and naturalism, playing funny, playing sexy, acting traps, audition tips, the nature of “reality” onstage, and lots more. 80 pages.

Around the Globe: Behind the Scenes at Shakespeare's Theatre (3/30/2023) A unique view of the theater's backstage life, props, wardrobe collections and rehearsal spaces through unprecedented access to life behind the scenes. All captured by Angela Moore's photographs. 200 pages.

Musical Theatre For Dummies (12/8/2022) For those new to musical theatre. History of musical theater and shows born on Broadway or the West End that became cultural phenomena; development of productions, from the idea stage all the way through opening night and beyond; insights into how theater is made; insider advice on the skills you need to perform in professional or amateur musical theater productions; anecdotes and show recommendations. 384 pages.

Jack in the Box: or, How to Goddamn Direct (11/15/2022) In a follow-up to his memoir, Jack Be Nimble, the director collects stories from the many productions he has worked on; the great talents he encountered and collaborated with; and the choices that he made, on the stage and off, that have come to define his career. He tells his readers how to become a director–or, at the very least, relates an unfailingly honest story of how he did.

The American Theatre as seen by Hirschfeld 1962-2002 (11/1/2022) dited by David Leopold. Showcases 300 Hirschfeld drawings: his greatest theater work from five decades, including some of the most important productions from the last sixty years, plus portraits of Stephen Sondheim, Neil Simon, Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein, Tom Stoppard, and Hal Prince, and more. forward by Michael Kimmelman, and chapter introductions by Brooks Atkinson, Brendan Gill, Maureen Dowd, Terrence McNally and Jules Feiffer. Follow-up to The American Theatre As Seen by Hirschfeld, p...

Designing Broadway: How Derek McLane and Other Acclaimed Set Designers Create the Visual World of Theatre (10/18/2022) Richly illustrated and information-packed celebration of Broadway set design. Many contributors, including John Lee Beatty, Danny Burstein, Cameron Crowe, Ethan Hawke, Moisés Kaufman, Carole King, Kenny Leon, Santo Loquasto, Kathleen Marshall, Lynn Nottage, David Rabe, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Wallace Shawn, John Leguizamo, and Robin Wagner. With personal sketches and photographs from the artists' archives. 272 pages.

Broadway Musicals On CD: A Conversational Guide (10/13/2022) "From Babes In Toyland to Hamilton and Yank!, from Anything Goes to Follies, this book reviews original-cast, revival-cast, and studio-cast discs, discussing every element from the quality of performance to the quality of the sound." 528 pages.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical: The Story of the Broadway Spectacular (10/11/2022) Alex Timbers and John Logan, contributors. "A glittering backstage pass to Moulin Rouge! The Musical and its journey to Broadway, with contributions from cast and crew, interviews with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, and a chronicle of its triumphant 2021 return." Photo essay and oral history through early sketches, historical research, technical diagrams, and rehearsal photos. 184 pages.

Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway: The Broadway Lover's Cookbook (10/4/2022) llustrated by Justin "Squigs" Robertson. Collection of musical-inspired recipes includes dishes like Yolklahoma!, Clafoutis and the Beast, Yam Yankees, Dear Melon Hansen, and more. Each dish comes with a brief history of the show that inspired it, a summary of the plot, and "Listening Notes" of behind-the-scenes trivia. 200 pages.

Selected Musical Plays by Noël Coward: A Critical Anthology (9/22/2022) This Year of Grace, Bitter Sweet, Words and Music, Pacific 1860, Ace of Clubs, Sail Away, The Girl Who Came to Supper. A portrait of Coward's oeuvre and its lasting influence on the wider world of the British musical, (Kindle Edition will be released early.) 552 pages.

The Book of Broadway Musical Debates, Disputes, and Disagreements (9/1/2022) 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.

Opera: The Definitive Illustrated History (8/16/2022) Follows the history of opera from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in 1607, to Cosi fan Tutte, La Bohème, and modern operas such as Brokeback Mountain. Explains musical terminology, traces historical developments, and sets everything in a cultural context. Features include: all of the most important operas from the Renaissance to the 21st century; profiles of the key composers, librettists, performers, and companies, with details of their lives, works, and influence–arranged in chronological order to sh...

The Height of Summer: New Plays from Williamstown Theatre Festival 2015-2021 (7/28/2022) A sample of the dozens of plays that have been created and/or premiered at the Festival during the Artistic Directorship of Mandy Greenfield. Paradise Blue; Cost of Living; Actually; Where Storms Are Born; Selling Kabul; Grand Horizons. Includes introductions by each of the authors (Martyna Majok, Anna Ziegler, Sylvia Khoury, Bess Wohl, Dominique Morisseau, Harrison David Rivers) reflecting on their work. 448 pages. Kindle Edition released 6/30/22.

Doris Day: Images of a Hollywood Icon (6/14/2022) To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most successful actresses and singers in the history of show business,Hermes Press is proud to announce the publication of DORIS DAY - IMAGES OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON, featuring rare and previously unpublished photographs from the late star's personal collection.

Don't Miss This: A Decade of Eccentric Performing Arts (5/12/2022) Pictorial paean to the stars of today's circus, sideshow, burlesque, and new vaudeville scenes. More then 200 photographs taken between 2010 and 2020 plus accompanying essays that chronicle the last decade of eccentric performing arts.

Creating Back to the Future: The Musical (5/3/2022) About the creation of the musical that opened at the Manchester Opera House in February 2020, music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard and a book by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale (adapted from their original screenplay). Pairs exclusive, in-depth interviews with previously unpublished photography; excerpts from Bob Gale’s personal journal; and a foreword by Gale to reveal and detail the years long process, and the creative ingenuity and technical innovation.

Fifty Key Stage Musicals (3/31/2022) This volume in the Routledge Key Guides series provides a round-up of the fifty musicals whose creations were seminal in altering the landscape of musical theater discourse in the English-speaking world. Chapters: 1. The Black Crook by Sebastian Trainor; 2. HMS Pinafore by Rupert Holmes; 3. The Merry Widow by Andrew Child; 4. Shuffle Along by Jerrell L. Henderson; 5. Show Boat by Benjamin Nissen; 6. Of Thee I Sing by Laura Frankos; 7. Anything Goes by Scott Miller; 8. Porgy and Bess by Isaiah W...

Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage (3/15/2022) The story of an autistic and legally blind person and pushing beyond the restrictions of a special education classroom to shine on the stage ... to become the first autistic actor to play the lead role in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, landing the title role in the play Amadeus, co-creating the theatre/philanthropy company Arts on the Waterfront, and founding the National Disability Theatre. 200 pages.

Pinter and Stoppard: A Director's View (2/24/2022) Carey Perloff examines these contemporary playwrights alongside one another and in the context of the rehearsal room, to glean new insights and connections, including the impact of their Jewish background on their work and their passion for the details of stagecraft. The author draws upon her first-hand experience of working with both writers, creating case studies of particular plays in production to provide new ways of positioning the work today. 240 pages.

The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act (2/2/2022) Chronicles the history of the Method in a narrative that transports readers from Moscow to New York to Los Angeles, from The Seagull to A Streetcar Named Desire ... traces how a cohort of American mavericks—including Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and the storied Group Theatre—refashioned Stanislavski's ideas for a Depression-plagued nation that had yet to find its place as an artistic powerhouse. Long after its midcentury heyday, the Method lives on as one of the most influential—and misun...

The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act (2/2/2022) Chronicles the history of the Method in a narrative that transports readers from Moscow to New York to Los Angeles, from The Seagull to A Streetcar Named Desire ... traces how a cohort of American mavericks—including Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and the storied Group Theatre—refashioned Stanislavski's ideas for a Depression-plagued nation that had yet to find its place as an artistic powerhouse. Long after its midcentury heyday, the Method lives on as one of the most influential—and misun...

The Lost Conversation: Interviews with an Enduring Avant-Garde (12/21/2021) Collection of interviews conducted between 2019-2021 with New York theater artists who have spent their lives working in and inventing the avant-garde ... brings to light a series of "lost conversations" about class, race, difficulty, endurance, and privilege in the New York avant-garde of the past fifty years, as well as conversations about the ephemerality, the always-about-to-be-lostness of the medium itself. Featuring conversations with Joanne Akalaitis, Anne Bogart, Lee Breuer, Ping Chong...

Broadway Revival: What If Gershwin Had Lived? (12/9/2021) . "David Greenbaum ... hijacks his brother Nate’s time machine, the SlingShot, and jumps to 1934 to save George Gershwin from the brain tumor that killed him at age thirty-eight ... How much influence can one actor-songwriter have on the Great White Way, armed with a suitcase of modern medicine and advance knowledge of nearly 150 years of musical theatre history?" Physical format to be released in February 2022.

West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film (11/16/2021) Featuring never-before-seen unit photography, storyboards, costume and concept designs, and behind-the-scenes photos. The author was embedded with the film's cast and crew and conducted original interviews with director and producer Steven Spielberg, screenwriter and executive producer Tony Kushner, Tony Award–winning choreographer Justin Peck, and the cast to bring together a firsthand oral history documenting every stage of the film's production. 256 pages.

The Art of Bob Mackie (11/9/2021) Foreword by Carol Burnett. Afterword by Cher. Comprehensive and authorized showcase of legendary fashion designer Bob Mackie’s fabulous life and work, featuring hundreds of photos and dozens of never-before-seen sketches from his personal collection. 304 pages.

Booze Over Broadway: 50 Cocktails for Theatre Lovers (11/2/2021) Recipes include Hello, Daquiri!, The Best Little Whiskey Sour in Texas, Don't Cry for Me, Appletini, I Don't Know How to Love Gin, Bloody, Bloody, Mary Jackson, Once on this (Long) Island Iced Tea, Brandy Alexander Hamilton, If I Were a Rich Man(hattan), and more.

When the Lights Are Bright Again: Letters and images of loss, hope, and resilience from the theater community (11/1/2021) Immortalizes the stories, struggles, and successes of an industry that was the first to be shut down and one of the last to return. Weaves more than 200 letters from Broadway theater veterans, devout theatergoers, teenage dreamers aching for their day in the spotlight, long-time ushers, designers, creatives, and countless other arts workers with a brand-new, breathtaking photo series by Broadway photographer Matthew Murphy. For every copy purchased, a portion of the profits will directly benef...

Theatre Cats: The Old Producer's Book of Dramatical Cats (10/31/2021) While T.S. Eliot observed and made fun of the habits and behavior of everyday people, through the comic and insightful metaphor of some very human-like cats, this collection targets more specific but just as wickedly true-to-life cat types ... quirky, eccentric, fascinating cat types who make musical theatre, through the lens of some very artsy cats, the good, the bad, and the finicky.

Particle and Wave (10/19/2021) In a roving, shimmering conversation that took place in May 2021, scholar, poet, and activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs and playwright, songwriter, performance artist, and educator Daniel Alexander Jones discuss love as a foundational principle of artistic practice and societal change. Reflecting on Love Like Light, Daniel Alexander Jones's collection of seven plays and performance texts (published by 53rd State in July 2021), DAJ and APG illuminate the ways in which an attention to care, community,...

Vamp Until Ready (9/1/2021) Fourth novel by James Magruder (Triumph of Love book and Head Over Heels book adaptation). Novel set at the Hangar Theatre in 1980s Ithaca, New York. 216 pages. Released 9/1/21.

The Art of VIVO (8/17/2021) Official behind–the–scenes companion book to VIVO, the first-ever musical from Sony Pictures Animation. (Vivo will be directed by Kirk DeMicco and co-directed by Brandon Jeffords, from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes and DeMicco, and a story based on the original idea by Peter Barsocchini, with songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who voices the title character. With the voices of Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldana, Juan de Marcos González, Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, and...

Perspectives on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (8/12/2021) With an off-putting title and a decidedly retrograde premise, the CW dramedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a surprising choice for critical analysis. But, loyal viewers quickly came to appreciate the show’s sharp cultural critique through masterful parody, and this strategy has made it a critical darling and earned it several awards throughout its run. In ways not often seen on traditional network television, the show transcends conventional genre boundaries—the Hollywood musical, the romantic com...

The Ground on Which I Stand: 25th Anniversary Edition (8/10/2021) August Wilson's personal call for African American artists to seize the power over their own cultural identity and to establish permanent institutions that celebrate and preserve the singular achievements of African American dramatic art and reaffirm its equal importance in contemporary American culture. Delivered as the keynote address at TCG's conference ... refocused the agenda of the entire convening and spurred months of debate about cultural diversity in the American theatre, culminating ...

Breaking It Down: Audition Techniques for Actors of the Global Majority (7/15/2021) A practical guide that shows BIPOC actors how to break down the audition process rather than being broken down by the entertainment industry and its practices of exclusion and bias.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane (6/15/2021) Souvenir guidebook about The Theatre Royal Drury Lane of Londons Covent Garden, the oldest theater in the world in continuous use. From actor-manager David Garrick to Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has now restored the theater to its Georgian glory. From iconic shows to the first pantomimes, from rituals and superstitions to royal fisticuffs, from performers, composers and playwrights to backstage crew, the rich and colorful history of Londons oldest theater is brought to life. New photography fo...

In the Heights: Finding Home (6/15/2021) Gives readers an inside look at In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway debut, written with Quiara Alegría Hudes, and now a feature film. Untold stories, perceptive essays, and the lyrics to Miranda’s songs, complete with his annotations. Also, newly commissioned portraits and never-before-seen photos from backstage, the movie set, and productions around the world.

Modern Theatres 1950 – 2020 (4/19/2021) An investigation of theatres, concert halls, and opera houses in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North and South America. Explores in detail thirty of the most significant theatres, concert halls, opera houses, and dance spaces that opened between 1950 and 2010. Each theatre is reviewed and assessed by experts in theatre buildings, such as architects, acousticians, consultants, and theatre practitioners, and illustrated with full-color photographs and comparative plans and sections. A further...

The Reason to Sing: A Guide to Acting While Singing (4/9/2021) By composer-lyricist and teacher Craig Carnelia (Working, Is There Life After High School?, Sweet Smell of Success). Step-by-step guide to making singing performances more truthful, vivid, and full of life. Utilizes detailed descriptions of sessions the author has had with his notable students and lays out a new and proven approach to help you build your skills, your confidence, and your career.

A Wonderful Guy: Conversations with the Great Men of Musical Theater (4/1/2021) In A Wonderful Guy, a follow up to Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater, theatre journalist Eddie Shapiro sits down for intimate, career-encompassing conversations with nineteen of Broadway's most prolific and fascinating leading men. Full of detailed stories and reflections, his conversations with such luminaries as Joel Grey, Ben Vareen, Norm Lewis, Gavin Creel, Cheyenne Jackson, Jonathan Groff and a host of others dig deep into each actor's career; toget...

And Then the Doors Opened Again: What Will Happen on Your First Theatre Visit after the Lockdown? (1/27/2021) Theater director David Weber-Krebs asks theater industry practitioners, artists, scholars, curators and spectators to imagine their first post-virus theater visit. 288 pages.

American Theatre Ensembles Volume 1 (11/12/2020) First volume in series, covering the years 1970-1995. Overview of ensemble-based creation within the general historical and cultural contexts of the period, followed by a detailed study of the evolution of ensemble-based work. Contributors examine matters such as influence, funding, production and legacies, as well as the forms of collective devising and creation, while presenting close readings of the companies' most prominent works.

Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway (11/10/2020) Account of recent Broadway history—spanning from the debut of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Sunset Boulevard to Disney’s The Lion King. Drawing upon more than 150 insider interviews, Riedel walks us through the Broadway we know and love today: an industry awash in big hits and bigger money, while also being an industry split between its adherence to old art forms and the allure of popular culture.

Sweet Mystery: The Musical Works of Rida Johnson Young (11/6/2020) Part of Broadway Legacies series. Study of the musical theater works of Rida Johnson Young (ca. 1869-1926), one of the most prolific female playwrights of her time, as well as a lyricist and librettist in the musical theater. She wrote more than thirty full-length plays, operettas, and musical comedies, 500 songs, and four novels, including Naughty Marietta, Lady Luxury, The Red Petticoat, and When Love is Young. 192 pages. Using archival materials such as original typescripts, correspondence, ...

Drama Menu at a Distance: 80 Socially Distanced or Online Theatre Games (11/3/2020) Exercises to energise, excite and inspire ... alongside some firm favourites, redesigned to be played within the necessary constraints.

Time to Act: An Intimate Photographic Portrait of Actors Backstage (10/31/2020) In meditative portraits, often shot in the intimate space of the dressing room, Annand captures the focus and tension of world-class actors right before they go on the stage. Including Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal and Judi Dench.

The ABC's of Broadway Musicals: A Civilian's Guide (10/26/2020) Presents a basic understanding of this most American of art forms, the musical theatre, including a very brief history of musicals, a survey of important and well-known shows, examples of the wide and wild variety of musicals, a look at the amazing people who create musicals, and a sense of how Broadway musicals reflect and comment on our culture.

The Song Is You: Musical Theatre and the Politics of Bursting into Song and Dance (10/15/2020) Are the musical's progressive politics rooted in its embrace of regressive entertainments like burlesque and minstrelsy? Shows how musicals return again and again to this question, and grapple with a guilt that its joyous pleasures are based on exploiting the laboring bodies of its performers. Rogers argues that the discourse of "integration"—which claims that songs should advance the plot—has functioned to deny the radical work that the musical undertakes every time it transitions into son...

The Dramatic Moment of Fate: The Life of Sherlock Holmes in the Theatre (10/15/2020) Alexandra Kitty curates Sherlock Holmes' theatrical world throughout the decades: from unlikely Off-Broadway musicals to lauded slapstick comedies, to more traditional and gripping portrayals of his iconic stories and new incarnations. 172 pages.

Sing Like Never Before (10/10/2020) Written by New York Vocal Coaching founder Justin Stoney, the Award-winning book Sing Like Never Before was created to help Singers and Voice Teachers understand complex ideas and concepts while still keeping the fun and the Joy throughout the process. With its colorful artwork and entertaining style, Sing Like Never Before is making vocal technique practical and accessible for vocalists and pedagogues everywhere.

London Theatres (new edition) (10/6/2020) Fully revised and updated version of 2017 book by drama critic Michael Coveney, with photographs by Peter Dazeley. Stories of the architecture, the people, and the productions which have defined each theatre, with photographs of the public areas, auditorium and backstage, Updated to include ten additional theatres, including the Victoria Palace Theatre, the Sondheim Theatre, the Bridge Theatre and the Noël Coward Theatre. Foreword by Mark Rylance. 288

Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown (10/6/2020) Book of lyrics and stories from Hadestown from its author, songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, with a foreword by Steve Earle. 272 pages.

God, Sex, and Musical Theatre: Meditations for Unlocking the Powerful Self (9/29/2020) Poetry, thoughts, and musings on communing with the unseen, expressions of love, and the nuances of desire.

B Is for Ballet: A Dance Alphabet (American Ballet Theatre) (9/22/2020) With illustrations by Rachael Dean. "A is for arabesque, B is for Baryshnikov, and C is for Coppélia" in this illustrated, rhyming, alphabetic picture book, filled with ballet stars, dances, positions, and terminology

Homeland Elegies: A Novel (9/15/2020) Novel by Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced). Audio versions narrated by the author.

The Complete Book of 2010s Broadway Musicals (9/10/2020) New volume in Dan Dietz' series of books (which previously covered the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s). Includes detailed information about every musical that opened on Broadway from 2010 through the end of 2019. Discusses the decade's major successes, notorious failures, and musicals that closed during their pre-Broadway tryouts, and also highlights revivals and personal-appearance revues. Plot summaries; cast members; names of all important personnel, including ...

Understanding Tracy Letts (9/4/2020) Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in drama as well as Tony Awards for best play and best actor, Tracy Letts has emerged as one of the greatest playwrights of the twenty-first century. Understanding Tracy Letts, the first book dedicated to his writing, is an introduction to his plays and an invitation to engage more deeply with his work―both for its emotional power and cultural commentary.

Oklahoma!: The Making of an American Musical, Revised and Expanded Edition (9/1/2020) Revised edition of 2007 book which tells the full story of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Now, Carter draws further on recently released sources, including the Rouben Mamoulian Papers at the Library of Congress, with additional correspondence, contracts, and even new versions of the working script used—and annotated—throughout the show's rehearsal process. Carter also focuses on the key players and concepts behind the musical, including Lynn Riggs's "Green Grow the Lilacs," an...

My White Best Friend: (And Other Letters Left Unsaid) (9/1/2020) Originally commissioned by The Bunker Theatre as a festival that ran in 2019. 23 letters that engage with a range of topics, from racial tensions, microaggressions and emotional labour, to queer desire, prejudice and otherness. Includes work from Zia Ahmed, Travis Alabanza, Fatimah Asghar, Nathan Bryon, Matilda Ibini, Jammz, Iman Qureshi, Anya Reiss, Somalia Seaton, Nina Segal, Tolani Shoneye, Lena Dunham, Inua Ellams, Rabiah Hussain, Mika Johnson, Jasmine Lee-Jones, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, Shi...

Break an Egg!: The Broadway Cookbook (9/1/2020) 55 recipes inspired by favorite musicals from The Sound of Music to Hamilton, including Eggrolls for Mr. Goldstone served with a side of Too Darn Hot Sauce; Another Vodka Stinger, The Wizard and Ice, Schnitzel With Noodles, Mama’s Well-Peppered Ragu, Angel (Food Cake) of Music. With illustrations and photographs.

Broadway Musical Christmas Carols (8/31/2020) 25 well-loved Christmas carols refashioned for the hard-core fan of Broadway musicals, in new vocal arrangements with all-new lyrics related to musical theatre – funny, serious, smartass, cynical, reverent, poignant songs that will make you laugh, that will make you think, that will remind you why you love musicals so much.

A Tale of Transformation: Twenty-Five Years of Beauty and the Beast on Stage (8/27/2020) Fully illustrated with concept art, costume designs, behind-the-scenes photography, and other rarities and never-before published visuals, along with text by renowned Disney author historian Jeff Kurtti. Also features a dozen guest essays by creative talents and performers who have been a part of, or been deeply influenced by this landmark cultural work. Disney Editions Deluxe series.

The Theatre and Films of Conor McPherson: Conspicuous Communities (8/20/2020) Offers a detailed and engaging critical analysis of the plays and films of Conor McPherson, considering issues of gender and class disparity, violence and wealth in the cultural and political contexts in which the work is written and performed, as well as the inclusion of song, sound, the supernatural, religious and pagan festive sensibilities through which initial genre perceptions are nudged elsewhere, towards the unconscious and ineffable. Supplemented by a number of contributed critical and...

Ever After: Forty Years of Musical Theater and Beyond, 1977–2019 (8/15/2020) Originally published in 2003 as a comprehensive history of the previous twenty-five years in musical theater, on and off Broadway, this new edition of Ever After extends the narrative, taking readers from 2004 to the present.

The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition - COVID Update (8/11/2020) Pandemic-specific supplement to his popular book for actors, The New Business of Acting: How to Build a Career in a Changing Landscape - The Next Edition.

Stage Money: The Business of the Professional Theater 2nd edition (8/4/2020) For decades roughly 80 percent of commercial Broadway productions have failed to recoup their original investments. In light of this shocking and harsh reality, how does the show go on? Tim Donahue and Jim Patterson answer this question and many others in this updated edition of their popular, straightforward guide to understanding professional theater finances and the economic realities of theater production.

Michael Chekhov and Sanford Meisner: Collisions and Convergence in Actor Training (7/22/2020) Compilation of essays that offers a comprehensive analysis of the Sanford Meisner Acting Technique in comparison to the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique, revealing the connections as well as the contradictions between these two very different approaches. 274 pages.

The Understudy (7/1/2020) THE UNDERSTUDY is the story of Nina Landau, an actress, living in New York City in the early '70s and trying hard to make it on Broadway. We follow her from her Broadway audition nerves to her eventual success on stage. Along the way we discover what goes on backstage during a Broadway show, how actors deal with the mistakes that occasionally occur and how exciting it is to be at an opening night party at Sardi's! Nina experiences thrilling triumphs as well as crushing setbacks and has a passio...

Les Miserables and Its Afterlives (6/30/2020) Offers analysis of both the Victor Hugo novel itself and its adaptations: more than 60 international film and television variations, numerous radio dramatizations, animated versions, comics, stage plays, and the world's longest running musical, which itself has generated a wealth of fan-made and online content. Draws together essays from across a variety of fields, combining readings of Les Misérables with reflections on some of its multimedia afterlives, including musical theater and film fro...

West Side Story: The Jets, the Sharks, and the Making of a Classic (Turner Classic Movies) (6/30/2020) A major hit on Broadway, on film West Side Story became immortal-a movie different from anything that had come before, but this cinematic victory came at a price. In this engrossing volume, film historian Richard Barrios recounts how the drama and rivalries seen onscreen played out to equal intensity behind-the-scenes, while still achieving extraordinary artistic feats. The making and impact of West Side Story has so far been recounted only in vestiges. In the pages of this book, the backsta...

So You Want to Sing Cabaret: A Guide for Performers (6/15/2020) Examines in detail the unique vocal and nonvocal requirements for professional performance within the genre of cabaret. Includes interviews from Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton Callaway, Roy Sander, Sidney Myer, Jeff Harner and others. Produced in partnership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing and features online supplemental material, including style-specific exercises, audio and video files, on the NATS website.

Tarell Alvin McCraney: Theater, Performance, and Collaboration (6/15/2020) This is the first book to dedicate scholarly attention to the work of Tarell Alvin McCraney (Choir Boy, Head of Passes, The Brother/Sister Plays). Featuring essays, interviews, and commentaries by scholars and artists, who consider McCraney’s innovations as a playwright, adapter, director, performer, teacher, and collaborator, bringing fresh and diverse perspectives to their observations and analyses.

The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage (6/15/2020) An overview of British musicals that made their way to Broadway, covering their entire history up to the present day. Covers 110 British musicals, ranging from 1750 to the present day. Each London musical is discussed first as a success in England and then how it fared in America. The plots, songs, songwriters, performers, and producers for both the West End and the Broadway (or Off-Broadway) production are identified and described

Broadway Tails: Heartfelt Stories of Rescued Dogs Who Became Showbiz Superstars (3rd edition) (6/1/2020) The sun always comes out tomorrow for the shelter animals Bill Berloni rescues—sometimes from death’s door—and then trains to meet the demands of the stage. Berloni was a nineteen-year-old theater apprentice more then three decades ago when he was offered his first big break: find and train a dog to appear in the original production of the Broadway hit Annie. Defying the odds, he rescued a down-on-his-luck dog from a local shelter and, together, they redefined what animal performers could...

Shakespeare in the Theatre: The National Theatre, 1963–1975: Olivier and Hall (5/28/2020) Paperback version of 2018 book by Robert Shaughnessy about the National Theatre's most Shakespearean period in its history, 1963-1975, one which included Laurence Olivier's Othello and Shylock, a radical all-male As You Like It, the Berliner Ensemble's Coriolanus and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Tells the interlinked stories of the National's relationship with Shakespeare through a series of production case studies.

Climbing Rejection Mountain: An Actor's Path to Success, Stability, and Self-Esteem (5/21/2020) Full of practical advice and guidelines for approaching not only acting but life. Highlighted by anecdotes from Mr. Wyman's long, illustrious career (sixteen Broadway shows) as well as dozens of clever, amusing cartoons by the noted Broadway actor (seventeen Broadway shows) Michael X. Martin.

We Can Be Kind: Healing Our World One Kindness at a Time (audiobook) (5/6/2020) David Friedman's 2017 book, now in audiobook format, with Nancy LaMott singing Friedman's "We Can Be Kind." Foreword by Lucie Arnaz. Through story, meditation and suggestions on how we can be kind not only to others, but to ourselves as well, Friedman encourages us to create new ways of building community

The Untold Stories of Broadway Vol 1 - Kindle edition (4/23/2020) Chronicle of the history of Broadway through firsthand accounts from actors, directors, producers, stagehands, designers, ushers and others. Each chapter represents one Broadway theater. Volume 1 covers The Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Lyceum, Mark Hellinger, Marquis, Neil Simon, Richard Rodgers and Winter Garden Theatres. Free through March 27

Simply: A Lifetime of Lyrics (4/21/2020) Lyrics by Bruce Kimmel from his shows, films, TV shows, and standalone songs. Expected to ship by third week in April

Climbing Rejection Mountain: An Actor's Path to Success, Stability, and Self-Esteem (4/15/2020) Full of practical advice and guidelines for approaching not only acting but life. Highlighted by anecdotes from Mr. Wyman’s long, illustrious career (sixteen Broadway shows) as well as dozens of clever, amusing cartoons by the noted Broadway actor (seventeen Broadway shows) Michael X. Martin. 224 pages.

M is for MAMA (and also Merlot): A Modern Mom's ABCs (4/1/2020) Illustrated by Helene Weston. A board book for moms. This irreverent board book provides laughter, reassurance, confidence, honesty, and perhaps even a moment of relaxation for expectant, new, and not-so-new moms.

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