Second Act Trouble: Behind the Scenes at Broadway's Big Musical Bombs(Applause Books). If Broadway's triumphant musical hits are exhilarating, the backstage tales of Broadway failures are tantalizing soap operas in miniature. 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 . |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
CAST OF CHARACTERS AND LIST OF VICTIMS | 7 |
When Everything Goes Wrong | 15 |
Sweat and Sequins Shine It On | 17 |
Its Not Where You Start | 27 |
Excruciatingly Boring | 41 |
Mud in the Valley at a 15top | 55 |
Star Turns | 66 |
Salvage Jobs | 174 |
Misbegotten but Alive | 177 |
Any Suggestions? | 187 |
The Doctor Is In | 195 |
Outside Interference | 216 |
Calling All Critics | 219 |
Battle Stations | 272 |
A Case of Mumps | 275 |
Fits and Fights and Feuds and Egos | 69 |
The OneEyed Prostitute | 95 |
Thats How the Money Goes | 103 |
Material Objection | 120 |
Goodbye Mabel | 123 |
A Conclave of EgoManiacal Children | 133 |
The Nadir | 324 |
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp | 327 |
CREDITS | 367 |
INDEX | 369 |
Other editions - View all
Second Act Trouble: Behind the Scenes at Broadway's Big Musical Bombs Steven Suskin No preview available - 2022 |
Second Act Trouble: Behind the Scenes at Broadway's Big Musical Bombs Steven Suskin No preview available - 2022 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbott Abe Burrows actors Adler Alan Arthur Laurents audience backstage Bennett Boston Breakfast at Tiffany's Broadway musical Broadway's called cast Charlap Charnin choreographer closed Cohen Costumes critics Dance dancers David Merrick Debbie directed director doctor Dow Jones Dude Ella Logan Fade Out-Fade Feuer film Flying Colors girl Golden Boy Gower Champion Hallelujah Harnick Harry Hellzapoppin Illya Darling Irene Jerry John Jule Styne Kasha Kelly Kwamina Lawrence Leigh Lewis librettist look lyricist Mack & Mabel Martin Melnick Michael Minnelli Minskoff Miss musical comedy never Nick & Nora opening night Orchestrations performance Philadelphia Pickwick play PLAYBILL producers Ragni Red Shoes rehearsal Remember Mama replaced Richard Rodgers Robert Ross says scene Seesaw Selden Sheldon Harnick show's Shubert Theatre singing Skyscraper songs star story Strouse Subways Susskind talk television Tenderloin theatregoers things tickets told Tony trouble tryout week write York