A Producer's Broadway Journey - by Stuart Ostrow (Hardcover)

About the Book

Ostrow offers his personal reminiscences about the shows that have shaped musical theater, including "Hello Dolly, Funny Girl, Man of La Mancha, Cabaret, 1776, " and "M. Butterfly, " and the legends he has encountered in his illustrious career as a producer.

Book Synopsis

It would be difficult, indeed, to imagine anyone more qualified to give us a celebration, from the perspective of an insider, of the Broadway musical. From the first run of Guys and Dolls in 1950 to the recent debut of Rent, Stuart Ostrow, a prot^D'eg^D'e of the great composer-lyricist Frank Loesser, has been personally involved in many of the major Broadway productions of our time. The steadily growing number of fans of the Great White Way will delight in his reminiscences about the shows that have shaped musical theater, such as Hello Dolly, Funny Girl, Man of LaMancha, Cabaret, 1776, and M. Butterfly--to name just a few.

Readers of A Producer's Broadway Journey will certainly be entertained by Ostrow's behind-the-scenes anecdotes of Bob Fosse, Barbra Streisand, Betty Buckley, Cole Porter, Lerner and Loewe, Hal Prince, Ethel Merman, and many other legends encountered in his accomplished career. But in addition to the tales or re-writes, stand-ins, near-disasters, and moments of theatrical magic, the author also provides a unique historical perspective on almost half a century of the musical.

Review Quotes

"Stuart Ostrow's Broadway journey through the tunnel of the musical theatre is such an adventure, such a treasure trove of anecdotes and observations, so refreshingly frank, and such a feast of food for thought that it becomes much more than a trip worth taking. Forthcoming and funny to boot, it travels headlong toward the light at the end, searching to find the future of, dare I say it, the Broadway musical."-Jerry Bock Composer, Fiddler on the Roof

?An entertaining trip through a half-century of musical theatre....The story of Bob Fosse's and Stephen Schwartz's battle over Pippin's concept is succulent backstage gossip, as is Ostrow's experience with record mogul David Geffen, his co-producer for M. Butterfly....Riveting.?-Show Music

?For fans of Broadway musicals, this book will introduce little-known facts, interesting backgrounds, and a multitude of shining stage stars....Excellent reading for both fans...and musical theatre students (who know the difference between middle C and D-flat)....Ostrow's candid revelations about the role of producer--part hopeful innocent, part hardheaded mathematician--also make for entertaining and touching reading.?-Today's Librarian

?He gave us 1776, Pippin, The Apple Tree, M. Butterfly, and La Bete. Now Stuart Ostrow has given us a book that is a must-read for all of us stagestruck....He tells what Frank Loesser did to Frank Sinatra on the set of Guys and Dolls, adds a funny story about an audition a Yiddish actor gave for The King and I, then another about a bagpiper on Brigadoon that doesn't reflect well on the musician's union. Then there's the salacious mistake the Art Lund made while singing "Joey" at his first Most Happy Fella performance.?-Playbill Online

?With an insider's perspective and understanding. Ostrow provides capsule insights into over 50 Broadway musicals from 1950 to 1998....He uses a folksy, intimate writing style in this....compact but comprehensive overview of the major musicals of the later 20th century.?-Library Journal

"An entertaining trip through a half-century of musical theatre....The story of Bob Fosse's and Stephen Schwartz's battle over Pippin's concept is succulent backstage gossip, as is Ostrow's experience with record mogul David Geffen, his co-producer for M. Butterfly....Riveting."-Show Music

"For fans of Broadway musicals, this book will introduce little-known facts, interesting backgrounds, and a multitude of shining stage stars....Excellent reading for both fans...and musical theatre students (who know the difference between middle C and D-flat)....Ostrow's candid revelations about the role of producer--part hopeful innocent, part hardheaded mathematician--also make for entertaining and touching reading."-Today's Librarian

"With an insider's perspective and understanding. Ostrow provides capsule insights into over 50 Broadway musicals from 1950 to 1998....He uses a folksy, intimate writing style in this....compact but comprehensive overview of the major musicals of the later 20th century."-Library Journal

"He gave us 1776, Pippin, The Apple Tree, M. Butterfly, and La Bete. Now Stuart Ostrow has given us a book that is a must-read for all of us stagestruck....He tells what Frank Loesser did to Frank Sinatra on the set of Guys and Dolls, adds a funny story about an audition a Yiddish actor gave for The King and I, then another about a bagpiper on Brigadoon that doesn't reflect well on the musician's union. Then there's the salacious mistake the Art Lund made while singing "Joey" at his first Most Happy Fella performance."-Playbill Online

About the Author

STUART OSTROW is the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Theatre at the University of Houston. His many award-winning Broadway and West-End productions include M. Butterfly, Pippin, and 1776. He has also produced La Béte and The Apple Tree, directed Here's Love, was associate director of Chicago, and authored Stages.