Top 10 best broadway books for 2018
Finding the best broadway books suitable for your needs isnt easy. With hundreds of choices can distract you. Knowing whats bad and whats good can be something of a minefield. In this article, weve done the hard work for you.
1. The Book of Broadway: The Definitive Plays and Musicals
Description
Lose yourself in 150 profiles of the best, most influential, and most important Broadway musicals and plays ever produced. Shows profiled include everything from the 1860s musical The Black Crook, which captivated and titillated audiences for more than five hours, to Hamilton, Broadway's biggest storyof 2016.The men and women who shaped Broadway history--such as Stephen Sondheim, Tennessee Williams, Bernadette Peters, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Ethel Merman, Marlon Brando, August Wilson, and Nathan Lane--are celebrated for their groundbreaking work and photographs throughout illustrate the stunning designs of the shows.
This comprehensive book by Eric Grode--arts writer for The New York Times,and author of Hair: The Story of the Show That Defined a Generation--is the ultimate guide to Broadway shows. Even if you consider yourself an expert in the theater, you will be amazedby thefantastic Broadway trivia scattered throughout this volume,as well as the palpable sense of history in this encyclopedic treatment of one of our most beloved pastimes.
Just a few of the titles included are:
- Annie
- The Book of Mormon
- Chicago
- Death of a Salesman
- Fiddler on the Roof
- Grease
- Guys and Dolls
- Hamilton
- Les Miserables
- My Fair Lady
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Rent
- The Sound of Music
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- West Side Story
2. The Book of Broadway: The 150 Definitive Plays and Musicals
Description
Be absorbed by the profiles of 150 of the biggest, most influential, and most important Broadway musicals and plays ever produced. Shows profiled include everything from the 1860s musical The Black Crook, which captivated and titillated audiences for more than five hours, to the Pulitzer Prizewinning 2010 play Clybourne Park.
The men and women who shaped Broadway history--Stephen Sondheim, Tennessee Williams, Bernadette Peters, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II--are celebrated for their groundbreaking work, and photographs throughout illustrate the stunning designs of the shows profiled.
This compilation by Author Eric Grode--arts writer for The New York Times, and author of Hair: The Story of the Show That Defined a Generation--is the ultimate guide to Broadway shows. Even if you consider yourself an expert in the theater, you will be amazed by the fantastic Broadway trivia scattered throughout this volume, as well as the palpable sense of history in this encyclopedic treatment of one of our most beloved pastimes.
Just a few of the titles included are:
-Annie
-The Book of Mormon
-Bye Bye Birdie
-Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
-Chicago
-Death of a Salesman
-Fiddler on the Roof
-Grease
-Guys and Dolls
-Hello, Dolly!
-Kiss Me, Kate
-Les Miserables
-The Music Man
-My Fair Lady
-The Phantom of the Opera
-Rent
-Six Degrees of Separation
-The Sound of Music
-A Streetcar Named Desire
-West Side Story
3. On Broadway: From Rent to Revolution
Feature
Rizzoli Intl PubnsDescription
A visual and oral history of the past twenty years of theater, On Broadway pulls back the curtain to reveal the creative process involved in bringing a Broadway show to the stage and into the public consciousness through the words of Broadways most famous personalities and the art of SpotCo. The art created for a show provides audiences with a tangible, visual, and emotional connection with the theatrical experience. This collection of hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos, concept art, and posters, as well as personal anecdotes by and with some of Broadways most beloved stars, including John Leguizamo, Berry Gordy, Alison Bechdel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Ruffalo, Patrick Stewart, Bernadette Peters, Joel Grey, Harvey Fierstein, Sting, Dolly Parton, Neil LaBute, Cherry Jones, and more serves as the document of record of the shows and performers that have graced New York stages for the past two decades. Stories and art cover working with Jonathan Larsons family and the producers on the campaign for Rent; Nicole Kidman on her decision to bare all during her photo shoot for The Blue Room; selling the hip-hop Hamilton; and collaborating with the legendary Kander and Ebb on their revival of Chicago, in addition to stories about shows such as Annie Get Your Gun, Young Frankenstein, Freak, Avenue Q, Shrek, Pippin, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty, Gypsy, and Kinky Boots.4. Musicals: The Definitive Illustrated Story
Description
Musicals: The Definitive Illustrated Story showcases the complete history of the musical on stage and screen, from its origins in ancient Greece to early twentieth century dance halls and vaudeville to the golden age of cinema productions to the record-breaking Broadway musicals of today.
Packed with historical insights, memorabilia, behind-the-scenes gossip, and artifacts, Musicals: The Definitive Illustrated Story takes you on the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour of the best-loved musicals, such as Chicago, Les Misrables, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, and many more.
In all, Musicals: The Definitive Illustrated Story features more than 140 notable stage and film productions and the stories of the people who created them. Throughout, clear infographics, rich black-and-white and color photography, and a clever, informative design make this comprehensive overview of musical theater and movie musicals a true showstopper.
5. Hamilton: The Revolution
Feature
First EditionFirst Printing
Full Number line
Description
A backstage pass to the groundbreaking, hit musical Hamilton, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, including the award-winning libretto, behind-the-scenes photos and interviews, and exclusive footnotes from composer-lyricist-star Lin-Manuel Miranda.Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical Hamilton is as revolutionary as its subject, the poor kid from the Caribbean who fought the British, defended the Constitution, and helped to found the United States. Fusing hip-hop, pop, R&B, and the best traditions of theater, this once-in-a-generation show broadens the sound of Broadway, reveals the storytelling power of rap, and claims our country's origins for a diverse new generation.
HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION gives readers an unprecedented view of both revolutions, from the only two writers able to provide it. Miranda, along with Jeremy McCarter, a cultural critic and theater artist who was involved in the project from its earliest stages--"since before this was even a show," according to Miranda--traces its development from an improbable performance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later. In addition, Miranda has written more than 200 funny, revealing footnotes for his award-winning libretto, the full text of which is published here.
Their account features photos by the renowned Frank Ockenfels and veteran Broadway photographer, Joan Marcus; exclusive looks at notebooks and emails; interviews with Questlove, Stephen Sondheim, leading political commentators, and more than 50 people involved with the production; and multiple appearances by President Obama himself. The book does more than tell the surprising story of how a Broadway musical became a national phenomenon: It demonstrates that America has always been renewed by the brash upstarts and brilliant outsiders, the men and women who don't throw away their shot.
6. Broadway: A History of New York City in Thirteen Miles
Description
An eye-opening history of Manhattan told through its most celebrated street.
In the early seventeenth century, in a backwater Dutch colony, there was a wide, muddy cow path that the settlers called the Brede Wegh. As the street grew longer, houses and taverns began to spring up alongside it. What was once New Amsterdam became New York, and farmlands gradually gave way to department stores, theaters, hotels, and, finally, the perpetual traffic of the twentieth centurys Great White Way. From Bowling Green all the way up to Marble Hill, Broadway takes us on a mile-by-mile journey up Americas most vibrant and complex thoroughfare, through the history at the heart of Manhattan.
Today, Broadway almost feels inevitable, but over the past four hundred years there have been thousands who have tried to draw and erase its path. Following their footsteps, we learn why one side of the street was once considered more fashionable than the other; witness the construction of Trinity Church, the Flatiron Building, and the Ansonia Hotel; the burning of P. T. Barnums American Museum; and discover that Columbia University was built on the site of an insane asylum. Along the way we meet Alexander Hamilton, Emma Goldman, Edgar Allan Poe, John James Audubon, "Bill the Butcher" Poole, and the assorted real-estate speculators, impresarios, and politicians who helped turn Broadway into New Yorks commercial and cultural spine.
Broadway traces the physical and social transformation of an avenue that has been both the "Path of Progress" and a "street of broken dreams," home to both parades and riots, startling wealth and appalling destitution. Glamorous, complex, and sometimes troubling, the evolution of an oft-flooded dead end to a canyon of steel and glass is the story of American progress.
7. Broadway Musicals, Revised and Updated: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time
Description
Broadway Musicals is a richly illustrated, and information-packed celebration of the most popular and enduring Broadway shows of all time. Each show is featured in a detailed, photo-filled chapter that includes expert commentary, special features on the creators and performers, plot synopses, cast and song lists, production details, and backstage anecdotes. Also included are sidebars on Broadway flops, advertising posters, the greatest scores, and more. This edition includes several shows not in the original hardcover edition such as Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Wicked. An expanded off-Broadway section showcases beloved shows such as I Love You, You're Perfect, NowChange and Little Mary Sunshine.
Praise for Broadway Musicals:
"This book is a joy from cover to cover." ?Dallas Morning News
"This book is a must for fans of musical theater." ?Hartford Courant "A nostalgic treasure trove." ?Seattle Times
"For any theater fan or musical buff it is a perfect abridged education." ?Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Broadway Musicals is a visual delight." ?Palm Beach Post
8. Dear Evan Hansen: Through the Window
Description
9. The Untold Stories of Broadway: Tales from the world's most famous theaters (Volume 1)
Description
Do you wish you were in the audience during Barbra Streisand's final performance of Funny Girl on Broadway? Do you wonder how far Jonathan Groff was willing to go to score tickets to Thoroughly Modern Millie? And are you dying to know which beloved TV star and Tony Award winner was caught with his pants down in front of a movie legend? From opening nights to closing nights. From secret passageways to ghostly encounters. From Broadway debuts to landmark productions. Score a front row seat to hear hundreds of stories about the most important stages in the world, seen through the eyes of the producers, actors, stage hands, writers, musicians, company managers, dressers, designers, directors, ushers, and door men who bring The Great White Way to life each night. You'll never look at Broadway the same way again. This is the first book in a multi-volume series that will tell the stories of all of the Broadway houses. Volume 1 includes theWinter Garden, the Richard Rodgers, the Marriott Marquis, the Al Hirschfeld, the Neil Simon, the August Wilson, the Mark Hellinger, and the Lyceum: eight Broadway theaters that light up New York City.10. The New Broadway Fake Book: 645 Songs from 285 Shows
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