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| Behind the Scenes at Broadway's Big Musical Bombs. Applause Books. Book. 7x10 inches. 384 pages. Published by Applause Books. (HL.00314684)
Beautiful and intelligent. A rich source of information not easily obtained elsewhere, the book will valuably augment any theatre collection. - Booklist review of Suskin's A Must See! . . . a producer shutters his show despite a million-dollar advance, calling it excruciatingly boring . . . an award-winning composer writes a vehicle for his leading lady-wife, only to find her in bed with her leading man . . . a despairing producer attempts suicide from the balcony of the Forrest Theatre during a tryout in Philly . . . If Broadway's triumphant musical hits are exhilarating, the backstage tales of Broadway failures are tantalizing soap operas in miniature. Behind every fabled flop is a set of claims, countercharges, and recriminations from some of the biggest egos in the public eye, struggling to save face. Second Act Trouble puts you with the creators in the rehearsal halls, at out-of-town tryouts, in late-night, hotel-room production meetings, and at after-the-fact recriminatory gripe fests. Suskin has compiled and annotated long-forgotten, first-person accounts of 25 Broadway musicals that stubbornly went awry. Contributions come from such respected writers as Patricia Bosworth, Mel Gussow, Lehman Engel, William Gibson, Lewis H. Lapham, and John Gruen. No mere vanity productions, these; you can't have a big blockbuster of failure, it seems, without the participation of Broadway's biggest talents. Caught in the stranglehold of tryout turmoil are Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne, Jerry Herman, Cy Coleman, Charles Strouse, John Kander, Mel Brooks, and even Edward Albee. The infamous shows featured include Mack & Mabel; Breakfast at Tiffany's; The Act; Dude; Golden Boy; Hellzapoppin'; Nick and Nora; Seesaw; Kelly; and How Now, Dow Jones. Browse Similar Items in:
Broadway Theater History Books
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