Not Since Carrie - by Ken Mandelbaum (Paperback)

About the Book

From such legendary catastrophes as Breakfast at Tiffany's and Carrie to the failures of Alan Jay Lerner and Rodgers and Hammerstein, this hilarious account of some "lost" theatre history provides stories of nearly 200 musical flops that played from 1950 to 1991. "Best Theatre Book of 1991".--USA Today. 150 photographs.

Book Synopsis

The hilarious, gossipy, inside account of Broadway's biggest flops

Not Since Carrie is Ken Mandelbaum's brilliant survey of Broadway's biggest flops. Framed around the notorious musical adaptation of Carrie, this highly readable and entertaining book highlights almost 200 musicals created between 1950 and 1990, providing a thorough and fascinating look at theatre history.

With amusing illustrations and insightful analysis, Mandelbaum expertly examines the reasons for 40 years of Broadway failures. "Essential and hilarious," raves The New Yorker, and The New York Times calls the book "A must-read." If you want to understand the fascinating stories behind Broadway's most infamous flops, this classic book provides an absolute masterclass.

Review Quotes

"Highly readable...strong opinions backed up by solid judgment. Mr. Mandelbaum has seen nearly everything and is not easily taken in....Justified affection for worthy scenes, wisely tempered by shrewd analysis...Mr. Mandelbaum has a very good ear that leads him to champion scores that have had smaller cult followings...As befits the subject, Not Since Carrie is full of entertaining backstage reportage...The illustrations are also fun and wittily chosen, whether embarrassing production photos or sadly hopeful posters and advertising." --Frank Rich, The New York Times/WQXR

"A must-read." --Alex Witchel, The New York Times

"Best theater book of 1991...breathtaking research and pointed, but not cruel, wit." --David Patrick Stearns, USA Today

"Of all the theater books I've come across lately, none has entertained me more than Ken Mandelbaum's Not Since Carrie, a lively, illustrated account of forty years of Broadway musical flops." --Doug Watt, New York Daily News

"An enormously amusing read...I cannot recall enjoying a theatre book as much as Not Since Carrie in a long time." --Hap Erstein, The Washington Times

"The book we have all been waiting for. Not only does [Mandelbaum] identify more than two hundred flops by name, he analyzes each and every one of them at some length and misses very little in the way of backstage intrigue. Mandelbaum's chapter "Don't Let This Happen to You" could double as a primer for people who write musicals or aspire to write them. Fascinating book, this-- most definitely not a flop. It practically reads itself. And just chockful of stuff that's hard to find elsewhere." --Nels Nelson, Philadelphia Daily News

"Essential and hilarious." --The New Yorker

About the Author

Ken Mandelbaum is a theater critic. He is the author of A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett and Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops.