(Part 2) Top products from r/Broadway

My recommendations are a bit limited because I haven't been to New York in many years, but from productions I've seen elsewhere or from previous casts, I'd recommend Wicked, Cabaret, and to a lesser extent Chicago. Wicked is what really drew me into musicals and it's a phenomenal extravaganza in terms of music and sets. I love gritty type musicals, and Cabaret has such a fun gritty atmosphere, it's very playful but very dark, and the ending left me stunned and speechless. Chicago is very fun and my mom who isn't into musicals, still talks about how much she enjoyed it years later.

Definitely the best way to experience theatre is live, but since I often can't, I watch a lot of cast recordings. The 2006 production of Company at the Lincoln Centre (it aired on PBS's Greats Performances), is my favourite. It's available on youtube or you can rent it from amazon. The first time I watched it, there were a couple of songs I found a bit boring, but over time, the more carefully I listened to it or had situations that made me relate to the feelings they convey, the more I love it.

I definitely agree with /u/ally-saurus's analogy. You get sucked in by a Harry Potter, and then find out there's such a wide variety of literature in the world, and generations of prolific authors. Maybe once you get into Hemingway or Shakespeare, you may find that you've outgrown some Harry Potter type books, but you'll likely still have a soft spot for it. I certainly found that I was first was drawn to the big, flashy productions but these days, smaller esoteric ones are what I prefer.

The DK Musicals: The Definitive Illustrated History book is beautiful! And pretty comprehensive, though a lot of the choices are strange. This is not the right book if you're looking for an actual definitive history, but if you want a huge, beautifully designed book about musical theatre, it's great.

I'm also a big fan of Sam Wasson's Fosse biography.

If you love Sondheim I highly recommend his Finishing the Hat/Look, I made a Hat. These two books contain lyrics from all his shows, annotated with anecdotes and insightful observations written by Sondheim himself.

Other musicals also have books that trace the whole development process and provide a behind-the-scene look of the show, such as Hamilton: A Revolution, The Great Comet: The Journey of a New Musical to Broadway and Wicked: The Grimmerie

I have these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EO1DUC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've never really needed them since shows, as they say, play to the back of the house. But when if you NEED to see someone's face at the expense of the rest of the set, they're good. I used them at Les Liaisons Dangereuses and felt like a perv :)

The show will basically tell you everything you need to know, but in a nutshell: gold plates, Utah, Joseph Smith, mission, magic underwear. On a serious note, if you'd like to read up on the history of Mormonism in America, I'd recommend borrowing [Under the Banner of Heaven] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400032806/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gzNczbGTWMEVV) by Jon Krakauer from the library. He's one of my favorite non-fiction writers and even if you don't read the entire book (which deals mostly with Mormon fundamentalists, i.e. polygamists), there are several early chapters that will tell you more than you need to know about how Mormonism developed as a religion and what Mormons believe.

This is the specific translation, if you're interested in reading it. Reading the portion the musical is based on (Volume 2, part 5) really increased my appreciation of the music and lyrics!

I would recommend this book. I used it for a class on Broadway's entire history, and it's pretty in-depth. It covers the entire 20th century, up until ~2009. And while it's technically a companion book to the PBS documentary, you don't really need to watch it to get the amount of information the book gives you. Anything that might require a video could be found on YouTube anyway.

Hope this helps!

You really should give this a read: The Secret Life of the American Musical. Viertel organizes songs to plot a traditional structure of a musical (I Want, Act II openers, 11 o'clock Numbers) and gives examples from musical history from Golden Age through Hamilton. It's a great read and I think neatly lays out what you're trying to do.

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-American-Musical-Broadway/dp/0374536899

I recommend What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of "A Chorus Line" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553345931/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kqsiDb19HSY2W

I really like this: https://www.amazon.com/Musical-Stages-Autobiography-Richard-Rodgers/dp/0306811340 Not sure how much he changes to flatter himself but it's a good read.

In that case, I suggest you read up on Constantin Stanislavski and his best known work An Actor Prepares. Stanislavski invented a technique called Method Acting, and is considered the most famous acting coach of all time to my knowledge.

I’m reading Michael Riedel’s Razzle Dazzle right now. It’s an in depth look into broadway in the mid to late 1900s, featuring the Schubert Organization, Jacobs, and Schoenfeld. Peter Filicia who works for Broadway World and is usually on the This Week on Broadway podcast (highly recommended as well) has also written several Broadway books.

http://www.amazon.com/Newsies-Broadway-Musical-Alan-Menken/dp/1458477223/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pdT1_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3PLXYQCYEI6UF&coliid=IV6VM12JOTWB4

I’ve found Sea Wall, but I wasn’t able to find the script for A Life.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXXW7WS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

I might suggest getting a couple of big fake books or compilations like this if you want to get a lot of bang for your book song-wise.

Buy the book Alexander Hamilton.

Hide the tickets in the book.

When he's fake excited tell him it comes with a bookmark. Maybe say that someone you know who saw Hamilton snagged you an overpriced bookmark from Richard Rogers.

If he has that book then use this one.