Broadway Bookshelf — Show Book — Page 5

Molière on Stage

(4/1/2012)

‘Molière on Stage’ takes the reader onstage, backstage and into the audience of Molière’s plays, analyzing the performance of his works in both his own time and in ours. Written by a professional stage director with over fifty years’ experience directing and translating Molière, this text explores how the playwright strove to create a communal experience of shared laughter, and investigates four key topics relating to this achievement: Molière’s early experiences that lead to his ...

Mime Workbook

(3/30/2012)

A Purple Summer: Notes on the Lyrics of Spring Awakening

(3/13/2012)

Spring Awakening, a groundbreaking and multi-award winning show, is being produced all over the United States as well as in 28 countries around the world. Now, 13 years after Steven Sater first conceived the radical notion of creating a rock musical from Frank Wedekind’s notorious symbolist drama Frühlings Erwachen, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books publishes Sater’s notes on his famously evocative, poetic lyrics. A Purple Summer: Notes on the Lyrics of Spring Awakening (March 13, $9.99) i...

Sixty-Two Comedy Duet Scenes for Teens

(3/1/2012)

More Short & Sweet Skits for Student Actors

(3/1/2012)

Moliere

(2/28/2012)

This book is the second part of an important experimental trilogy in text archaeology of all the various ideas about the 1664 and later versions. Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite), is Molière’s most famous play and was first performed at Versailles in 1664. It attacked religious hypocrisy and as a result caused much scandal and was then banned. Tartuffe means "hypocrite" especially one who shows affected religious piety and exaggeratedly feigns virtue. Revised versions of ...

Copenhagen

(2/15/2012)

MasterClass in Drama Education

(2/2/2012)

MasterClass in Drama Education explores drama teaching, drawing directly on international research and practice, presenting effective and engaging approaches for drama learning and focussing on the skills, knowledge and understanding for researchers teachers and M level students. Michael Anderson explores the history, practice and research in drama education to create a foundation for effective learning and teaching. Examples of international practice and research support an evidence-based disc...

Performance in a Time of Terror

(1/17/2012)

Performance in the Time of Terror is an important investigation of the ways in which performance has given shape and form to "wars of terror," past and present, and as a strategy and tactic of violence. Focusing on an array of performances that caused a stir during the "war on terror" of the first decade of the twenty-first century, Hughes also explores the use of performance by counterinsurgents during the "war on terrorism" in Northern Ireland (1969-1998). Offering original discussions of the...

Shakespeare and Genre

(1/3/2012)

This is the first comprehensive survey of approaches to genre in Shakespeare's work as represented in and accross a wide spectrum of media. The distinguished contributors from many disciplinary backgrounds probe deeply into genre theory and genre history by relating Renaissance conceptions of genre to contemporary ones, reading Shakespeare through genre and genre through Shakespeare. They include David Bevington, Samuel Crowl, David Crystal, Lawrence Danson, Peter Donaldson, Stephen Greenblatt,...

Puppetry

(1/3/2012)

Theatregoers are increasingly aware of the growing use of object and figure animation throughout the performing arts. Puppetry offers engaging contemporary perspectives on this universal art-form. It provides an account of puppetry's different facets, from its demands and techniques through its uses and abuses to its history and philosophy.

Moving to Los Angeles

(1/3/2012)

In 'Moving to Los Angeles: The ABC's of Getting an Agent,' top Hollywood executive Alec Shankman writes an informational guide for talent that breaks down the process of securing an agent into a series of simple steps. Alec was an agent & department head at a Top 10 talent agency in Los Angeles by the age of 23 and subsequently the CEO of the industry's largest online talent resource, GotCast.com, by the age of 30. He references his own personal journey from Ohio to success in the entertainment ...

Eventful Weekend

(1/3/2012)

A feel-good play that tackles some serious issues. A perfect play choice for amateur or semi-professional drama societies. The stage is set for a happy weekend as Chris Hedges takes his girlfriend, Tanya, home to meet his mother and announce their engagement. Things start to go wrong when the identity of Tanya's father is revealed. It seems that he and Chris's mother knew each other many years before. As the weekend unravels Tanya's father is drawn in to enlist his support. It looks as if every...

The Carolina Playmakers

(1/1/2012)

The Best Women's Stage Monologues and Scenes

(1/1/2012)

The Best Men's Stage Monologues and Scenes 2011

(1/1/2012)

The Art of Theatre

(1/1/2012)

THE ART OF THEATRE: A CONCISE INTRODUCTION, Third Edition, explores issues of cultural diversity and creativity, presents a full day-in-the-life of theatre, and offers briefer coverage of theatre history. The authors make timely and relevant connections between theatre and the familiar world of television and film to help students understand how the living art of theatre relates to and influences today's screen entertainment.

Wizard of Oz Scanimation: 10 Classic Scenes from Over the Rainbow

(9/1/2011)

We’re off to see the wizard! The magic of Scanimation meets the wonderful Wizard of Oz, bringing to life 10 memorable scenes from the movie that’s enchanted generations of viewers. It’s the gift book of the fall, and includes: • Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto dancing down the Yellow Brick Road • Dorothy’s farmhouse flying upward in a twister • Miss Gulch, on her bicycle in the tornado, transforming into a witch on a broomstick • The Lollip...

The Wizard of Oz: Selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber's New Stage Production

(8/22/2011)

Upon its 2011 debut, Andrew Lloyd Webber's spectacular new stage production of The Wizard of Oz dazzled London audiences and embarked on a course for productions around the world. Building upon the original story and the classic movie score with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, Lloyd Webber masterfully transforms the work by contributing more than a half-dozen new, original songs that at last successfully adapt the world's most beloved movie musical for live theatre. This collec...

Wicked: A Musical Biography

(7/16/2011)

This book explores the creation of the popular Broadway musical Wicked through an examination of draft scripts, interviews with major figures, and the study of primary musical sources such as sketches, drafts, and completed musical scores.

Theatre World Volume 66: 2009-2010

(3/1/2011)

Celebrating its 66th year, Theatre World is the most comprehensive record of the theatrical season on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre. Each of the 1,000-plus entries includes photos, a complete cast listing, producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles, and plot synopses. Theatre World also features the year's obituaries, a listing of all nominees and winners of the major theatrical awards, the longest-running shows on and Of...

Playbill's At This Theatre

(1/1/2010)

Theatregoers' favorite history of Broadway is back in an updated and expanded 2010 edition including more than 500 color production photos, vintage archival photos, and Playbill covers from all forty currently operating Broadway theatres. Thirty-eight of the original chapters have been expanded to cover all the shows that have opened in the ten years since the popular 2000 edition, with two new chapters added to include Broadway theatres recently refurbished and returned to life. This unique chr...

Spring Awakening: In the Flesh

(9/2/2008)

A heart-pounding score. A heartrending story. A barrier-breaking fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock&roll. No wonder Spring Awakening has awakened audiences like no other musical in years. Based on the infamous 1891 Frank Wedekind play and featuring an original score by Grammy-nominated recording star Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Spring Awakening is a story of uncontrollable emotions and undeniable passions, of first loves and lasting regrets. Haunting and electrifying, the show celebra...

Broadway Barks

(4/28/2008)

In a park in New York City lives a lonely little dog. He remembers when he used to get taken for walks, fed dinner every night, and told he was a good dog. Now, he's all alone and must fend for himself. But everything changes one day when he sees a lady reading in the park and decides to follow her—all the way to a place where he might become a star! With a story by actress Bernadette Peters and mixed-media collage illustrations by Liz Murphy, Broadway Barks is a warm and appealing story of...

The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television

(2/1/2008)

From the silver screen to the Great White Way, small community theatres to television sets, the musical has long held a special place in America's heart and history. Now, in The Oxford Companion to the American Musical, readers who flocked to the movies to see An American in Paris or Chicago, lined up for tickets to West Side Story or Rent, or crowded around their TVs to watch Cinderella or High School Musical can finally turn to a single book for details about them all. For the first time, this...

The Cambridge Companion to the Musical

(1/1/2008)

Tracing the development of the musical on both Broadway and in London's West End, this updated Companion continues to provide a broad and thorough overview of one of the liveliest and most popular forms of musical performance. Ordered chronologically, essays cover from the American musical of the nineteenth century through to the most recent productions, and the book also includes key information on singers, audience, critical reception, and traditions. All of the chapters from the first edition...

On the Line - The Creation of A Chorus Line

(8/1/2006)

A Chorus Line, the biggest Broadway hit of its generation, is returning to Times Square in a major fall 2006 revival. The show is based on a remarkable series of taped discussions made in the mid 1970s with some of the top "gypsies" (veteran Broadway dancers), many of whom went on to play characters based on themselves in the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning musical. In many ways, On the Line: The Creation of "A Chorus Line" is a continuation of the show itself. In this collective oral history, the 19...

Wicked: The Grimmerie, a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical

(10/5/2005)

Wicked is not just a musical, it is a phenomenon. Every week 15,000 people pack New York+s Gershwin Theatre to see the show. The most successful musical on Broadway in 2004, Wicked is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire. It tells the story of Elphaba, the headstrong Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the good witch, growing up in the Land of Oz. The show has cast a spell on fans, many of whom return for second and third viewings. In 2005, the show begins an exte...

Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of Hair

(6/13/2003)

"Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen" In 1967, Hair launched a revolution. It rejected every convention of Broadway, of traditional theatre in general, and of the American musical specifically. It paved the way for the nonlinear concept musicals that dominated American musical theatre innovation thereafter. It also launched the careers of such actors as Diane Keaton, Melba Moore, Tim Curry, Peter Gallagher, and Ben Vereen. "Knotted, polka-dotted, twisted, beaded, braided" With more r...

OK! The Story of Oklahoma!: A Celebration of America's Most Beloved Musical

(3/1/2002)

The first pairing of Richard Rodgers's music and Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics, along with Agnes de Mille's choreography, turned the sentimental Green Grow the Lilacs , written by a playwright named Lynn Riggs, into a phenomenon that was to set the standard for musical theater. And few first-nighters attending the 1943 Broadway opening of Oklahoma! could have known that they were witnessing the genesis of modern musical comedy. Conveying a "Hey, I was there" ambience, Wilk ( Don't Raise the Bridge ...

The Story of Starlight Theatre

(3/1/1992)

Starlight Theatre is a magic place where an evening of musical theatre under the stars in Kansas City's Swope Park speaks so strongly of emotion that the audience is transformed by the presence of the creative experience. This book is filled with historical photos and provides a "behind the scenes" look at the real workings of the second largest outdoor theatre in the United States. A must for theatre goers everywhere. Unlike many other art forms, live outdoor theatre is a participatory expe...

The Whorehouse Papers

(5/17/1982)

A Candid, Hilarious, and sometimes hysterical out of school account of the joys, sorrows, and confusions, and small murders attendant to the making of a smash Broadway Musical.

The Making of No, No, Nanette

(1/1/1973)

Don Dunn's account of the making of No, No, Nanette.

Something's Coming, Something Good - West Side Story and the American Imagination

(2011)

Something's Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination takes a critical, comprehensive look at one of the most inventive, influential, and internationally beloved Broadway musicals of all time - from its inception by a brilliant quartet of creators (Robbins, Bernstein, Sondheim, and Laurents) to its smashing success on film, to its ongoing popularity on stages around the world and its potent impact on the Great American Musical. Featuring intriguing chapters on West Sid...

The Wit & Wisdom of Oscar Wilde

(1999)

Wilde on Sincerity: "A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal." Nearly a century after his death, the wit of Oscar Wilde remains as fresh and barbed as ever. This collection of his works, letters, reviews, anecdotes and repartee is ample proof of this iconoclast's enduring place in the world of arts and letters.

The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, from Hair to Hedwig

(2009)

The tumultuous decade of the 1960s in America gave birth to many new ideas and forms of expression, among them the rock musical. An unlikely offspring of the performing arts, the rock musical appeared when two highly distinctive and American art forms joined onstage in New York City. The Theater Will Rock explores the history of the rock musical, which has since evolved to become one of the most important cultural influences on American musical theater and a major cultural export. Packed with c...

Routledge Guide to Broadway

(2006)

The Routledge Guide to Broadway is the second title in our new student reference series. It will introduce the student to the Broadway theater, focusing on key performers, writers, directors, plays, and musicals, along with the theaters themselves, key awards, and the folklore of Broadway. Broadway is the center of American theater, where all the great plays and musicals make their mark. Students across the country in theater history, performance, and direction/production look to Broadway for t...

THE POCKET GUIDE TO PLAYS AND PLAYWRIGHTS

(2009)

Everything you need to know about plays and playwrights in one handy guide by leading expert Maureen Hughes who has had one of her 8 musicals produced in the West End and teaches musical theater. Covering everything from the top playwrights through the centuries to a comprehensive A-Z listing of plays from around the world. Accessibility is a key selling point with factboxes highlighting key or curious facts about the subject.

The Pocket Guide to Musicals

(2009)

Everything you need to know about musical theater in one handy guide by leading expert Maureen Hughes who has herself created 8 musicals and teaches musical theater. The Pocket Guide to Musicals covers everything from the composers and lyricists to a comprehensive A-Z listing of musicals from around the world. Accessibility is a key selling point with fact boxes highlighting key or curious facts about the subject. The Pocket Guide to Musicals is compulsory reading for anyone studying musical t...

The Megamusical

(2006)

A megamusical is an epic, dramatic show featuring recurring melodies in a sung-through score; huge, impressive sets; and grand ideas. These qualities are accompanied by intensive marketing campaigns, unprecedented international financial success, and a marked disjunction between critical reaction and audience reception. Audiences adore megamusicals; they flock to see them when they open, and return again and again, helping long-lived shows to become semi-permanent tourist attractions. Yet genera...

The Impossible Musical: The "Man of La Mancha" Story

(2003)

Man of La Mancha is arguably the most popular musical drama of all time, most recently on Broadway starring Brian Stokes Mitchell. Dale Wasserman, however, had more trouble getting it on to a Broadway stage than Don Quixote ever had with those damn windmills. For centuries, writers all over the world had tried to stage Cervantes' comic masterpiece, and all had failed. On a sabbatical to Spain in the late 1950s, screenwriter-stage director Dale Wasserman had the insight to change that - Don Quixo...

Broadway After Dark

(2007)

"Broadway After Dark is a compilation of columns, stories and never-before-published profiles by my father, Ward Morehouse, and myself. The profiles were originally intended for a book called Stars I Have Known. The columns of his are representative of those he did for the New York Sun from 1926-1950 and after for other newspapers. I started writing sporadically about show business for The Christian Science Monitor in the 1970's and continued as a reporter and theater columnist for the New York...

The Complete Phantom of the Opera

(1991)

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Phantom of the Opera has been a smash hit worldwide. Now, here is the definitive account of this theatrical masterpiece, tracing the Phantom legend from its origins in historical fact through numerous artistic incarnations to the present day. The book includes the complete libretto and many specially commissioned color photographs of the production.

Theatre Tales (Pre-Andrew Lloyd Webber)

(2001)

It is widely believed that if you mention anything to an actor that happened more than twenty years ago, he or she will either laugh or cry. The point being that events in the show business tend to attain a larger than life quality, at least to the participants, either sadder or funnier than they would be if normal people were involved. I have earned a precarious living in various facets of the profession for nearly forty years, while observing, with wonder, these often bizarre moments. It seeme...

Overture and Finale: Rodgers and Hammerstein and the Creation of Their Two Greatest Hits

(1999)

In this tale of the most phenomenal collaboration in Broadway history - that of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II - Overture and Finale revisits the creation of their two most beloved hits: Oklaboma!, their first show together, and The Sound of Music, their last. Full of eyewitness accounts based on interviews with people involved in the original productions, Overture and Finale makes the reader present at the creation of these Rodgers & Hammerstein hits. Among the illustrations there ar...

The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia

(2007)

Still the most influential and popular songwriting team in the history of the American Musical Theatre, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein represent Broadway musicals at their finest. The team revolutionized the musical play with Oklahoma! in 1943 and then went on to explore territory never put on the musical stage before in such beloved shows as Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. The team also worked in film, as with State Fair, and in the new medium of televisio...

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN: The Illustrated Songbook

(1998)

Compiling the best Broadway hits of America's most beloved songwriting team, this beautifully illustrated gift edition brings alive the timeless music of "Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song, The Sound of Music", and more. 60 illustrations, 30 in color.

The Wordsmiths: Oscar Hammerstein II and Alan Jay Lerner

(1995)

Incomparable and unique in their ability to write both libretti and lyrics, Oscar Hammerstein and Alan Jay Lerner brought the musical theater to an artistic peak that remains unsurpassed. From Show Boat, Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music to Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot, they wrote book and lyrics for one glittering gem after another, capturing the verve of the Golden Age of the musical at its peak. Their works continue to hold a preeminent place on stages around the world. Drawing on a w...

Rodgers & Hammerstein

(1999)

Now in paperback, this profusely illustrated volume celebrates the legendary collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Filled with original performance photographs, set and costume designs, backstage candids, and lively anecdotes, the book covers the team's complete works including Oklahoma!, State Fair, Carousel, South Pacific, Flower Drum Song, and The Sound of Music. Ethan Mordden analyzes every one of the shows-detailing the plots, exploring the musical and lyrical ideas, an...

The Longest Line: Broadway's Most Singular Sensation: A Chorus Line

(2000)

From its opening in 1975 until the final curtain call in 1990, the musical A Chorus Line stirred audiences with its stories of aspiring Broadway dancers. This oral history combines 300 photographs (eight pages in color), memorabilia and reminiscences by 125 cast and crew members, including costume and lighting designers, musicians, press agents, understudies and stage managers. They discuss seemingly every angle?how the show affected their lives and careers, the changes in interpretation that o...