The Girl Who Fell Down: A Biography of Joan McCracken - by Lisa Jo Sagolla
An overnight sensation for her 1943 comedic role as "The Girl Who Falls Down" in the groundbreaking musical Oklahoma!, McCracken established the prototype dancer-comedienne, headlining in ballet, stage, film, and television productions before her life was tragically cut short by complications from diabetes.
Author Lisa Jo Sagolla draws on extensive interviews with McCracken's friends, family, and colleagues to paint a complex portrait of the petite, blue-eyed, and sprightly entertainer as a woman exploiting her mesmerizing beauty and magnetism to succeed in the man's world of entertainment, yet always retaining the persona of childlike pixie she portrayed on stage. McCracken's comic exuberance and athleticism also epitomized a new ballet form that married the European ideas of aristocratic grace and movement with a uniquely American spirit and style.
From her beginnings in Philadelphia and New York, to her meteoric rise to fame, to her life long struggle with the little understood and devastating effects of diabetes, The Girl Who Fell Down chronicles McCracken's spirited yet poignant life, including her training at Balanchine's seminal School of American Ballet, her blossoming as a "ravishing talent" with a "crackerjack dance technique" under Agnes de Mille, her supremacy as a performer, her marriages to novelist Jack Dunphy (who left her for Truman Capote,) and Bob Fosse, and her ultimate diagnosis with heart disease. Touching and inspiring, Sagolla's account describes McCracken's lasting influence through her nurturing of husband Fosse's provocative career, her dramatic coaching of actress Shirley MacLaine, and her inspiration for the many dancer-comediennes that followed -- Gwen Verdon, Carol Haney, and Sandy Duncan, to name a few.
Rich with the social and cultural history of a golden age in show business and teeming with colorful choreographers, dancers, and entertainers, this comprehensive and carefully researched biography will introduce Joan McCracken to a new audience of dance enthusiasts.
Author and Broadway star Andrew Keenan-Bolger is making YA debut with Limelight, a poignant coming-of-age novel about identity, first love, and the power of the arts to help young people feel seen.
On the eighth anniversary of the 2018 Hawaii missile scare, the musical THIS IS NOT A DRILL, inspired by the event, is now available for licensing to theaters. The production, which premiered at The York Theatre Company, explores the intense 38 minutes of the false alert through a blend of humor and drama.
BroadwayWorld is now accepting nominations for the BroadwayWorld Stage Recording Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in theatrical and performance-based recordings released during the 2025 calendar year.
Jack White has officially published Jack White Collected Lyrics and Selected Writing Volume 1, available now at Third Man physical storefronts, online, and booksellers in the United States.
Puscifer has expanded its universe with the launch of the band’s first comic book series, “Tales From The Pusciverse.” Issue #1 centers on Bellendia Black, a character first seen in the band’s “Pendulum” video.
Song Sung Blue, starring Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, will be available to buy or rent on digital platforms on January 13, 2026, and on Blu-ray and DVD on February 17, 2026.
The cast and creative team of Broadway’s current revival of Ragtime had their first listen of the show’s official Broadway cast album at a listening party.
Blue Moon, Richard Linklater's portrait of Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, will be available on Blu-ray on January 27 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The audiobook of Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner, a memoir written by Marc Shaiman, is slated for release on the same day as print publication.
Writer, composer, and producer T.J. Armand has announced the release of Happy Hour Blues – Volume 2 (Demo Sessions), the latest chapter in his three-volume recording project.
Considering Our Town playwright Thornton Wilder's life and work through a queer lens is the theme of a new collection of essays by D.R. Lewis, the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association and Foundation ATCA's 2024-2025 Helbing Fellow.
Grammy-winning producer, guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli will celebrate the centennial of iconic singer Tony Bennett with a pair of heartfelt tributes.
The weather outside might be frightful for a while, but what better time to stay in and snuggle up with a great Broadway read? This season, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 20 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's winter reading list.
The Broadway recording of Good Night and Good Luck, starring George Clooney, will come to DVD and Blu-ray on December 30 from Magnolia Pictures. Pre-orders are available now.
A new sing-along karaoke edition of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack has been released, allowing fans to belt out their favorite tunes, including 'No Good Deed,' 'As Long As You're Mine,' 'For Good,' and more. Check out the new soundtrack here.
Julie Benko - the singer and actor who rose to national prominence in Broadway's Funny Girl - will release Euphonic Gumbo, a vibrant new album steeped in the musical and cultural histories of New Orleans.
Get your voices ready! This Friday, a new sing-along edition of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack will be released, allowing fans to belt out their favorite tunes, including 'No Good Deed,' 'As Long As You're Mine,' and 'For Good,' which is available now.
PENTATONE will release Vesper, an album from trailblazing guitarist Sean Shibe, featuring three major contemporary voices who have each reshaped the expressive possibilities of the instrument: Thomas Adès, Harrison Birtwistle,and James Dillon.
With Christmas right around the corner, Michigan-born tenor Glenn Seven Allen is spreading holiday cheer with his debut of 'Michigan Christmas', a song written and originally recorded by Broadway star and Saginaw native Brian d'Arcy James.
Center Stage Records has announced the release of The Lightning Thief: Original London Cast Recording on CD. The album is also available in streaming and digital formats.
Center Stage Records has released “Fly High” – the new single from Chloe Tucker Caine of the Netflix show “Owning Manhattan” – in digital and streaming formats.
Center Stage Records has released Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical – Original Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats. It is set to be released in CD formt.
Center Stage Records will release the original cast recording of Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, the TheaterWorksUSA production based on Dav Pilkey’s book series. BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen of the album with a new single, 'My Sister, Naomi,' Watch the video!
On Friday, February 6, 2026, the two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated Neave Trio will release its eighth commercial album, In Her Hands. The ensemble will present a program of piano trios celebrating three women composers in the early modern era: Clara Schumann, Dora Pejačević, and Cécile Chaminade.
The cast album of THE ONE: The Life of Legendary Boxer Muhammad Ali, written and directed by David Serero, is now officially released across all major music platforms.
Darius de Haas joins The Roundtable for a gorgeous, soulful conversation about his brand-new holiday album “Let Me Carry You This Christmas.” We talk about the heart behind the project, the family love that inspired it, and how this music became a tribute to connection, healing, and joy.
Writer, composer, and producer T.J. Armand has released Happy Hour Blues: Lyrics, Notes & Reflections, the companion book to his three-volume recording project.
Desi Oakley has released the official music video for her new holiday single, “Christmas on the Coast,” written by Dan Diaz and Martin Storrow. Oakley is known for Waitress, Chicago and more.
Republic Records has released the official score album for Wicked: For Good, containing all the instrumental underscoring written for the film by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell. Listen to it now!