Show and Tell: The New Book of Broadway Anecdotes [Paperback]

Did you know that Frank Sinatra was nearly considered for the original production ofFiddler on the Roof? Or that Jerome Robbins never choreographed the famous Dance at the Gym inWest Side Story? Or that Lin-Manuel Miranda called out an audience member on Twitter for texting during a performance of Hamilton (the perpetrator was Madonna)? InShow and Tell: The New Book of Broadway Anecdotes, Broadway aficionado-in-chief Ken Bloom takes us on a spirited spin through some of the most intriguing factoids in show business, offering up an unconventional history of the theatre in all its idiosyncratic glory. From the cantankerous retorts of George Abbott to the literally show-stopping antics of Katharine Hepburn, you'll learn about the adventures and star turns of some of the Broadway's biggest personalities, and discover little-known tidbits about beloved plays and musicals fromThe Black CrooktoBeautiful.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Personalities
The Idea
Writing the Show
Naming the Show
Songs
Producing the Show
Auditions
Rehearsals
Out of Town
Theatres
Previews
Opening Night
Critics
Box Office
Audiences
Superstitions
Publicity
Stunts
Performing the Show
Tragedies
Quotes
Bibliography

Show & Tell is a book likely to find its way into both public and academic libraries, and readers are likely to come away from it much more informed than before... The amount of inside information this book contains is rather undersold by the title, which implies a random assortment of witty asides and gossipy small-talk from and about Broadway life... Although there are plenty of memorable encounters, sarcastic put-downs, near-the-knuckle jokes and theatrical memorabilia (quite enough to help any after-dinner speaker with some material), there is also a generous store of knowledge about Broadway shows and theatre. --Stuart Hannabuss (Independent Reviewer andlq