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 andl£½