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More Opening Nights on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Musical Theatre from 1965 Through 1981

Published in Hardcover by Music Sales Ltd (1997)

Author: Steven Suskin

Amazon base price: $45.00
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Who knows musicals better?

There are few better ways of understanding a show than by reading the words of the critics who review it. Hits or flops, big names or no names, this is an extremely comprehensive book of a dizzying number of shows, with excerpts from the critics' opening night reviews. Steven Suskin makes some cuts here and there, and offers his own thoughts about the shows, but the critics are the stars of this book, and shine they do. There are some wonderful reviews of hits and flops alike, and the totality of reviews help paint a unique and irresistible picture of the shows and Broadway itself.

Calling all musical lovers!

You're in a restaurant. The wine is good, the food is better and the laughter is loud. All of the sudden, someone stops and yells "ONE LINE! A song, played on a solo saxaphone . . ." and you shout out "That's from "Miss Saigon!'"

If the above situation seems familiar, then "More Opening Nights on Broadway : A Critical Quotebook ofthe Musical Theatre from 1965 Through 1981" is for you! A book for those of us who love theatre with a passion, especially the mistakes! You can not have a library of musicals/theater literature without this book.

So your cat won't play with you and the only things on TV are "The Psychic Friends Hotline" and "Alligators: the way they love today?" Curl up in a big overstuffed chair and read about your favorite musical. Guaranteed to lift your spirits. You'll relish every fact, every mistake, every juicy tidbit. Then you'll call up your best friend and say "Hey, did you know what happened on the set of "My Fair Lady?'"

Don't think! Impulse buy! You won't regret it.

Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre, Oklahoma! (1964)

Published in Hardcover by Music Sales Ltd (1990)

Author: Steven Suskin

Amazon base price: $35.00
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Collectible price: $24.09
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Musical lovers catnip!

If you love musicals, you can spend hours poring over this collection of reviews for the Broadway musicals that followed in the wake of OKLAHOMA. Hits and flops, all are here -- with some great insights and theatre diah provided by Suskin. For serious research or just plain fun reading, this is one of the most rewarding books ever published on the subject. (And the sequel is equally worthwhile!)

One of the Best Books on the History of Broadway Musicals

I bought "Opening Night on Broadway" when it was first published. I found it to be much more than a written recorded history of the Broadway Musical. It is a time capsule that captures the feeling of the periods when these shows first opened. The reader can almost feel what it was like to be there in 1956 at the opening of "My Fair Lady". Mr. Suskin gives useful biographical information about some of the theater's biggest stars. As someone involved in the business end of the theatre, I also enjoyed finding out whether or not a show was a financial success or failure. My only criticism is, I wish the book was laid out chronologically, not alphabetically. That way readers could get a better perspective of what else was running when "Guys and Dolls", or "Kiss Me Kate" or even "Donnybrook opened" All in all though, I found "Opening Night.." to be the hit of the season

Show Tunes, 1905-1991: The Songs, Shows and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers

Published in Paperback by Limelight Editions (1992)

Author: Steven Suskin

Amazon base price: $27.50
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suskin does it again!

for fans of the broadway musical, steven suskin's books are indispensable. this time around he manages to explore the full bodies of work of some 36 broadway composers, as well as the work of various "lesser" lights. if you are any kind of fan beyond the most basic, there will be few reference books on the subject you will turn to more often. mine is beside my cd player, as i constantly am cross-referencing. if i can have a complaint, its that the book is too short -- but im sure thats the fault of suskin's publisher, who cant be making a fortune on this book as is.

btw, highly recommended: suskin's bi-weekly review of new recording....

for fans of show music, this is a MUST HAVE.

A most valuable reference tool

Anyone interested in Broadway lore must own at least three books, all by Steven Suskin. The first is which covers 1943-1964 and the sequel, which deals with 1965-81. These are compilations of what the major New York music critics had to say about the openings of every important show on or just Off-Broadway plus the author's comments about each. These books are very readable and an invaluable document of American musical history. Now Mr. Suskin has given us an equally valuable reference tool, but this is more to be used than to be read for enjoyment.

The third edition of his (Oxford University Press, 2000) is an encyclopedia of facts about the composers of the shows dealt with in the other volumes. The organization is like this. After several introductory pages, we are given facts about the composers of the early years from Jerome Kern to Harold Rome, new composers of the 40s and 50s, and those of the 60s and beyond. Having dealt with what Suskin considers (mostly rightly) to be the major composers, he then devotes the fourth part of the volume to "Notable scores by other composers": "Irene," "Shuffle Along," "Hair," and so on up to "Parade."

Then comes a feature or two, which to students of the American musical like myself, are almost worth the price of the book alone. There is a year by year listing of all the major Broadway productions from 1904-1998, a list of all people who collaborated on the shows (George Abbott, Guy Bolton, etc.), an index of song titles, and finally an index of show titles. Talk about user friendly!

Turning back to the main section and taking Gershwin as an example, Suskin gives us in chronological order facts about each of the shows from 1916 to a 1951 production that used Gershwin's music. For each, he lists all the published songs, indicates which were dropped by opening night, and gives some general comments about the show itself. Then he ends with an evaluation of Gershwin's Broadway output in general.

Concise, accurate (as far as I can see), beautifully organized. A real Grabbit.

Broadway Yearbook 2000-2001

Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (2002)

Author: Steven Suskin

Amazon base price: $60.00
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EXCELLENT guide for the curious

For anyone who wants info on some of Broadways most and least known shows currently playing, Mr. Suskin's book is an ideal source. Having only seen the Producers out of the all the titles reviewed, I was very grateful for the in-depth reviews given on each play. I plan on buying the other two volumes. Great for any Broadway fan.

Broadway Yearbook 2001-2002 (Broadway Yearbook)

Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (2003)

Author: Steven Suskin

Amazon base price: $74.00

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FABULOUS!

THIS BOOK SHOWS WHAT THE GREAT LINEUP OF BROADWAY SHOWS WAS FOR 2001-2002 AND IT NOT ONLY LISTS IT BARELY, IT GOES INTO DEPTH ON HUGE HITS LIKE MAMMA MIA! AND THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. ITS REALLY GREAT!