#Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin is one of the best Broadway books ever by the way.

[pureanonofficial]

i think your blog feels like a cheerful breakroom in new york in the 1970s where sometimes we’re all reading our books and having our lunches in companionable quiet and sometimes we’re crammed at the window laughing at the posters for the new broadway shows getting put up outside

what's the vibe of my blog? ask meme

Ahhhh I love this!!! What an evocative vibe. I'm giving you all the Broadway dirt I have on why Prettybelle failed in Boston as I ooh at the Follies poster being put up.

[jgroffdaily]

An interview with Jonathan and Ted Chapin is now available to mark the release of the audio book of "Everything was possible: The birth of the musical Follies". Jonathan narrates the audio book, with details about how to listen available here. An article at Playbill is also available here. Excerpts from the interview:

Jonathan: Why an audiobook now and what inspired it? And I’m so happy that it took 20 years to happen because we’ve become friends during that time. Now I got to read it, which was a great, great pleasure, an extreme pleasure that I can speak in more detail about, but why now? Why the audiobook now?

Ted: Well, it’s as simple as my agents saying, “Hey, we never did an audiobook. Let’s see if there’s an interest.” To which I said, “Why not?” And then of course was like, well, who should read it? And I said, well, um, you know, I have a suggestion of somebody who is a friend, but on his own, you know, is more than capable and does some of these books. So, Jonathan Groff and here we are. So I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled that you ended up doing it.

J: There’s just something so moving about the way that you describe the experience from your perspective and these actors that are of a certain age, coming together and kind of, like, laying everything on the line. And your spirit — I felt so connected to you <laugh> in so many ways because I never went to college and I learned everything about acting by watching and being in the ensemble of shows. And my first Broadway show, I was an understudy and a swing. And so this perspective that you have of watching from the audience, slash, watching from the wings, I just felt so connected to it because it’s how I learn. I feel like your way in this book is just so specific and so emotional, because it really is like, I feel like the, how old were you when you were 20. I feel like the 20-year-old you when I’m reading it. We kept having to stop in my recording. It was a little embarrassing at first, and then it just kept happening all the time. The amount of time that we had to stop for me, uh, weeping. It was just the weeping that took a little bit longer.

T: <laugh> Well, I love it.

J: I think it has become essential reading for anyone that has anything to do with the theater and beyond, of course, because when a story is told with as much detail as you tell it. I think anybody, in any line of work, can appreciate it and fall in love with it. Definitely for people in the theater, it is required reading. And here it is 20 years later. And Lin, when I was recording it, Lin-Manuel Miranda was FaceTiming me and I told him, “Oh, I’m doing the audiobook of ‘Everything was Possible.'” And he said, “I just reread that two weeks ago.”

T: <laugh> Yeah, he was, when I first met him, he was a big fan. It was great.

J: It really is such a gift because it’s a complete education. It really is such a document of the way things were done. And it’s a document of how things still feel. It’s so rooted in its time period. And so timeless at the same time, in the same moment. It’s so extraordinary in that way, which is very “Follies.” It’s about the past and present at the exact same time. 

T: Exactly. And in using both to influence the other, I remember reading a Diane Arbus quote about how the more detailed you are, the more general you are. Don’t be afraid of going into the details because if you try to find a middle ground, it probably won’t work. 

J: And the more universal it becomes.

[hesupportsyou]

Jumping on this because I love sharing my opinions...

THE SEASON by William Goldman is utterly riveting. It profiles every show that opened in the 1968-1969 Broadway season, beginning with Judy’s concert at the Palace. Incredible writing, though extremely homophobic, but worth reading! Not just one of my favorite theatre books but one of my favorite books, period.

EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE: THE BIRTH OF THE MUSICAL ‘FOLLIES’ by Ted Chapin--an inside look at the rehearsal process (and run) of Follies in 1971, written by Ted Chapin who was a production assistant at the time and is now head of the R&H organization.

SONG OF SPIDER-MAN by Glen Berger, I honestly think everyone with any interest in the theatre should read. It’s a chronicle of Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark as told by the musical’s book writer. The story is totally unbelievable, even if you were following all the drama at the time. It’s the most cathartic experience for anyone who has ever had a really bad tech process. After I read it, I felt so, so, so much better about all my artistic failures.

BALANCING ACTS by Nicholas Hytner was a really great read. Full of stories about running the National Theatre for over a decade, as well as directing some monumental productions, like Miss Saigon, The History Boys, and Carousel. A really great theatre book and a really great memoir.

A THEATER OF OUR OWN: A HISTORY AND MEMOIR OF 1,001 NIGHTS IN CHICAGO by Richard Christiansen. It’s a chronicle of the history of the theatre scene in Chicago as written by the long-time theatre critic of the Chicago Tribune. His love of the theatre really comes across and it’s filled with wonderful anecdotes. It pairs really well with BIGGER, BRIGHTER, LOUDER, by his successor, Chris Jones.

And as for a read that’s not at all memoir, completely technical, BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS by David Ball is a book that I had to read for 4 different classes in college, and I always got more and more out of it each time I revisited it (and I still do).

theatre book recs? making a holiday wishlist and would love some. i know you’ve recommended strouse’s memoir and that’s on there (general book recs also welcome! i admire your taste)

oh this is a very big question! it really depends on what you’re looking for, but I’ll name a few that I like a lot in no particular order:

Finishing The Hat and Look I Made A Hat by Stephen Sondheim: These are my absolute favorite. They’re Sondheim’s collected lyrics, with “Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes.” I think it’s absolutely essential for anyone interested in writing lyrics for the theatre (not saying “everyone must follow Sondheim’s thoughts to a T” because that would be boring, but I think it’s a great foundation for anyone with interest in the field), and for everyone else it’s still damn interesting and entertaining.

Art Isn’t Easy (Gordon) is a fun collection of essays about Sondheim’s work, How Sondheim Found His Sound is a VERY in-depth look at his musical choices and influences (cannot emphasize just how in-depth it is, to the point that I--a composer who loves Sondheim--can only read so much at a time), and then there’s Sondheim and Co (Zadan) and Sondheim (Gottfried), which I own upon recommendation, although I ashamedly haven’t explored them much. Anyway, that’s enough Sondheim for now.

I Got The Show Right Here by Cy Feuer is a really fun, juicy, interesting memoir from the producer’s side of things. (Although I prefer the Strouse memoir).

Julie Andrew’s memoir Home Work has some wonderful stuff too, although that’s more movie world than theatre. (And it has a prequel, which I didn’t read.)

The Great White Way: Race and the American Musical absolutely RULES. One of my biggest recommendations. I think “theatre kid” culture has a big problem when it comes to race, and this book is an eye-opener.

Broadway Babies Say Goodnight by Mark Steyn is catty, absolutely infuriating, and hella entertaining. It’s not the highest recommendation on this list, but it sure is enjoyable.

Sarah Ruhl’s 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time To Write is WONDERFUL. A lot of it is just general reflection and thoughts (non-theatre related), but a lot of it IS theatre-related, and all of it is amazing.

If you like Angels In America: Approaching the Millenium by Geis and Kruger and The World Only Spins Forward are both awesome in their own way. The former is a collection of academic essays, and the latter is a more informal collection of interviews of people associated with the show.

Patti LuPone’s memoir is another juicy one. The prose leaves something to be desired (even compared to fellow non-authors Strouse, Feuer, and Julie Andrews), but it’s a fast read with a lot of delightful stories and anecdotes. 

Oh! The story of Oklahoma! by Max Wilk is fantastic, if you’re into Oklahoma!. 

Similarly, Harold Prince and the American Musical is a great one, if you’re interested in delving further into Prince’s work (and given his resume, I can’t imagine any theatre fan wouldn’t be.)

My roommate recommends Theatre of the Unimpressed, by Jordan Tannahill. 

I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface. I guess of these, my top picks are Finishing The Hat/Look I Made A Hat, I Got The Show Right Here, The Great White Way, 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time To Write, the Angels In America books, the Oklahoma! book, and Harold Prince and the American Musical. 

anyone else have thoughts? @itsdlevy? @aliveandfullofjoy? others? 

[jgroffdaily]

Jonathan is the narrator of a revised and updated second edition of an audiobook of "Everything was possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies", written by Ted Chapin. An excerpt is in the YouTube clip linked. Ted Chapin is the former president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, and he worked with Jonathan on the Lyrics and Lyricists concert in 2014 and a benefit concert in 2015 for the Theatre Development Fund. The audiobook will be released on 30 August and is 12 hours 30 minutes.

Details from YouTube:

Written by: Ted Chapin.

Narrated by: Jonathan Groff.

Published by: Recorded Books

In 1971, college student Ted Chapin found himself front row center as a production assistant at the creation of one of the greatest Broadway musicals, Follies.

GET THE AUDIOBOOK:

Audiobooks.com: https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/...

Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/978170504...

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/...

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobo...

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/...

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ever...

Overdrive: https://www.overdrive.com/media/65961...