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Behind the Scenespresents the story of Dublin's famous Abbey Theatre and its major creative personalities:W. B. Yeats, Annie Horniman, J. M. Synge, and Lady Gregory. Part history, part sociology, part biography, Frazier's work recreates the forces that shaped the Abbey stage, forces that involved the spirited participation of actors, audiences, press, and financiers as well as of the famous poet-playwright who was its co-director. His book unfolds an entertaining and suspenseful tale, centered on the undeniably autocratic personality of W.B. Yeats and with the political struggles of Ireland as a backdrop. ... Read more

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A view of all the machinations, foibles, and happy accidents behind the making of some of America's greatest films. ... Read more

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Follows the Children's Theatre Company as it produces an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Nightingale," describing how the play is planned, designed, cast, and rehearsed for its opening. ... Read more

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Reveals the work involved in theater through profiles of ten people active in various phases of the field, from playwright, producer, and general manager to master electrician, wardrobe master, and production carpenter. ... Read more

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This book brings you to one of the frontiers of multimedia applications, where computers are used as part of experimental theatre, puppet theatre, art installations, musical performances, museums, entertainment, games and teaching. Bringing together a wealth of knowledge covering theatre production, film production, design, game development, art and software engineering, 3D Production Methods recounts the exciting histories of the origins of specific multimedia products. Each chapter is case-orientated and focuses on the production process, including themes such as: - Scriptwriting techniques- Interdisciplinary co-operative teams- Visualization of ideas- Motivation- Prototyping and experimental systems development- Advice on how to organise multimediaA CD-ROM accompanies this book, containing all figures and video material from some of the cases presented in the book. 3D Production Methods contains edited research papers resulting from a project managed by Professor Lars Qvortrup into Virtual Inhabited 3D Worlds. Other volumes include: Virtual Interaction: Interaction in Virtual Inhabited 3D Worlds; Virtual Space: Spatiality in Virtual Inhabited 3D Worlds; and 3D Virtual Applications: Applications with Virtual Inhabited 3D Worlds. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (7)

An incredibly valuable story.
Steven is amazingly honest in sharing his life with us as readers and ultimately showing us, that no matter what happens in life, if we can personally take responsibility for our life and choices, we can quit being a victim and start turning our lives around.We have so many possibilities if we can get out of the victim mentality.

Sincere, Poignant and Uplifting
"Confessions of a Mormon Boy" is human, it is sad, painful, and yet reaffirming, enlightening and ultimately uplifting. Gay Latter-day Saints, as do Gay people in general, face difficult choices in life, but one choice they do not face is to be who they are. Gay Saints and Gays in general are born this way; what to do about and with it is the journey of a lifetime, one that is spiritual, emotional, moral and most genuinely human. Brother Fales, thank you for your honesty. God bless you; you inspire.

Inspiring Story
An inspiring story of how a Mormon man comes out, and eventually makes peace with who he is.

Heart-felt Story of a Gay Man Born into a Mormon Family
Steven Fales was born into a typical mormon family in Utah, but realized at a young age that he is gay. The Mormon church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints) teaches that homosexuality is a disease, and Fales at first bought into that nonsense without question. He tried the Church's "reorientation" therapies, got married at a young age and quickly fathered two children.

Of course, everyone suffered as a result. The marriage ended in divorce, and Fales was excommunicated. Fales' life went into a tailspin, but he managed to pull himself out and come to grips with the circumstances of his life. That's the story in a nutshell, a rather remarkable one at that.

Fales' one-man play tells his life story (so far, he is still a relatively young man)in an honest and direct manner. He does not "trash" the Mormon Church. Quite to the contrary, he goes out of his way to mention the good qualities of the Mormon culture -- hard work, charity, treating others well (as far as their religion will allow).

This book consists mostly of the script of the play. While the script is, of course, written for a performance, it is quite readable as a book. It is also quite short.

If you do not know much about the Mormons, Confessions will give you a small and incomplete introduction. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith provides another very worthwhile but equally incomplete look at Mormons, focusing on some the nuttiest of the lot. For a far more complete look at the Church of Later Day Saints, read Mormon America: The Power and the Promise.

Words of another Mormon boy
While it is not the right, or authority of any one member of the LDS church to judge another human being all Latter Day Saints accept the responsibility of upholding the commandments and doctrine of God.
As a member of the church I have never met anyone that condemns another person because they are Gay. And any situation that involves someone being excommunicated is treated with great care nor is that person looked down on by others.

Gays have been persecuted and abused for their life style and treated as something less than human. It's tragic and it's wrong. I'm happy to see changes for the better being made. Yet while gays are finding progress being made; some great, some small; there is still areas which are not subject to public popularity, or anything else and one of them is the commandments and doctrine of God. It's common to see people, organizations, and institutions bend under pressure if their views or policies become unpopular. God does not change His laws because something is unpopular. It is up to us to accept His laws and live by them.

I can't understand, but only imagine, a small part of the pain and sufferinga person must feel to be excommunicated. It's human nature to be angry at anything or anyone who is associated with the church because of that.
On the other hand it is unfair of one reviewer to say, "... his church that was quick to rid itself of a human life." That judgment of the church is not only cruel but short sighted. The LDS church does not throw away human lives nor are they "bigoted". As you speak or write those words you hang those labels around the necks of more than 12 million Mormons and everyone that hears or sees your words will think of them when someone says they're Mormon. If you are gay and have been struggling against the rumors, lies, and stereotypes spread by others, you can easily comprehend how damaging a few disparaging words can be. Yet, you use the same practice on us that you have been fighting against. So, along with the litany of other misconceptions Latter Day Saints must deal with you now add "bigot" and antipathy to it.

I can not speak with the understanding or knowledge of what it's like to live in this world as a gay person. Yet I do posses the understanding and knowledge that someone who is gay is a living, breathing person; a human being and just as everyone on the face of this earth they earn respect and courtesy on the merits of their individual actions. All human beings are Gods children and His laws and commandments are the same for every one of us. It is the responsibilty of each individual to either ignore or abide bythem. ... Read more

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Wicked is not just a musical, it is a phenomenon. Every week 15,000 people pack New York+s Gershwin Theatre to see the show. The most successful musical on Broadway in 2004, Wicked is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire. It tells the story of Elphaba, the headstrong Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the good witch, growing up in the Land of Oz. The show has cast a spell on fans, many of whom return for second and third viewings. In 2005, the show begins an extensive tour across the United States and Canada, hitting major cities such as Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and many more.This beautifully packaged, whimsical keepsake is designed to resemble the Grimmerie, an ancient book of spells that Elphaba uses in the show. Wicked: The Grimmerie offers fans a behind-the-curtains peek at the musical, profiles of the cast and creative team, and inside stories, with full-color photographs throughout. Some of the irresistible special features include an -Ozian+ glossary, spells, an illustrated family tree, and a step-by-step look at how Elphaba gets green before each show-everything fans need to relive the Broadway experience day after day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (144)

best birthday gift ever
I gave this book to my big sister, who is a Wicked finatic, for her 20th birthday and she absolutely loves it!! she said it was the best birthday gift ever and she drooled over it for days and is still finding new interesting things about the play she loves so much everyday. Also this is were i found the least expensive copy of the book and i was thouroughly impressed by its quality.

must own
Buy this here.Go see the Broadway production, but wait to buy the book here.This book is the same one they had at the theater but half the price!Amazing book of beauty, facts, and inside info of the production.

Elphaba Lives!
Meant to be a companion to the musical based on the original novel of Wicked by Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Grimmerie is a comprehensive behind-the-scenes view of the musical from the book to Broadway. It's titled The Grimmerie after the magical book from both the novel and musical that Elphaba(the Wicked Witch of the West)uses.

The book covers the timeline leading from the original Wizard Of Oz novel to Wicked, plus how it went from being a screenplay for a proposed movie(before the one they're planning on doing now)to instead a musical extravaganza. Also included is the history of the choosing of the staff and cast, the music by Stephan Schwartz, taking the show on the road, plus a breakdown of the music numbers and some of their lyrics. The best is the detail that goes into describing the characters and how the actors perform them, how the sets and costumes are designed, and a look at the entire story as a whole(warning: spoilers included!).

There's a really distinct feel given to this large hardcover. It's modeled to look slightly like the actual Grimmerie from the book on the outside, and the interior gives the impression of an ancient tome mixed in with a turn-of-the-century publication. There's some wonderful art by W.W. Denslow and John R. Neil from the original Oz books, along with great photograps from the show and its production. I'd recommend this as a collectors item or gift mainly for anyone who has already seen the musical.

beautiful
It is much bigger than I imagined but it was beautiful! Fresh out BRAND NEW and feel much closer with the casts and the Broadway performance. I havent seen one myself yet but I already felt like that I was actually there by the book!

A must have for all Wicked fans
I have only recently become a Wicked fan, having seen the show twice in the last few months in San Francisco. It is, without a doubt, one of the best musicals I've ever seen. The Grimmerie is a beautiful, informative book and something all Wicked fans will cherish. If there is a Wicked fan in your life, this would make a perfect gift. ... Read more

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Steven Suskin has compiled and annotated long-forgotten, first-person accounts of 25 Broadway musicals from the 1930s to the 1990s that stubbornly went awry. The infamous shows featured include Mack and Mabel, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Act, and How Now, Dow Jones. And this being Broadway, there are stars: Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters, Richard Chamberlain, Jerry Lewis, Mary Tyler Moore, and many more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Great book with some shocking stories
This fascinating book tells about some of the famous ("Kelly," "Breakfast at Tiffany's") and lesser known ("Skyscraper," "Flying Colors") Broadway flops.Behind the scenes of these entertainment disasters lie stories of a suicide attempt, clashing egos, gross misjudgments of public opinion, AWFUL artistic choices, and marital infidelity.Suskin does a great job collecting these behind-the-scene stories, many of which were more dramatic and breathtaking than anything going on in the script.

Although the stories are interesting, they're all reprints of previous material taken from newspapers, magazines, books, and other print sources.This means that some of the more interesting flops in Broadway history are completely unmentioned in the book ("Merrily We Roll Along," "Carrie," "Anyone Can Whistle," etc).It would have been better if Suskin had contacted the creative personnel, actors, and other behind-the-scenes people to uncover the stories behind those musicals.

But overall, this is a great read (and tough to put down).I'd recommend it for any person with an interest in theatre or the entertainment industry.

It Strikes Out!
If you really want the scoop on B'way shows, look for a couple other titles by the same author:"Opening Nights on Broadway", and it's companion, "More Opening Nights on Broadway".They're far better.What's missing in this book is all the great detail at a glance:Opening night date/year, length of run, original cast listing and snippets of numerous reviews by the major critics and publications, as well as a paragraph or two of interesting trivia."Second Act Trouble" is limited to little more than a couple dozen shows in as many chapters each made up of long narrative, as opposed to the reference guide-style of the two other works mentioned above.

endlessly fascinating
I had my doubts about this book, especially based on some of the feedback I read, but I have to say I'm very happy I bought it. The best articles here present wonderful fly-on-the-wall observations about the musical theatre process, and there aren't any articles that are less than fascinating accounts of what bombed when and how. This is an important and entertaining collection that shows that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.Fascinating stuff!

Interesting read if you wouldlike to know more about Broadway flop musicals
This book, while interesting in its subject matter, is not an easy read as stated by an earlier reviewer. It is sometimes dry and rather longwinded in spots. It does provide information to a reader why many shows were not the successes their creators and producers hoped them to be.

A much more entertaining and fascinating book on the same subject is Ken Mandelbaum's NOT SINCE CARRIE: Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops. It is a reference tool, which I own, that I go back to quite often. Second Act Trouble was a book I borrowed from the public library. I am glad I read it, and I found it worthy of my time to have completed it. I enjoyed learning some new facts like Louis Jourdan was the original male lead in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, or that there was a brief thought of pairing up Ethel Merman and Mary Martin in 1973 for a musical comedy version of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE with a score by Rodgers and Harnick. However, Not Since Carrie has much more of a personal touch to it. It's like you're sitting down for coffee with Ken himself.

But this is a review for Second Act Trouble, not Not since Carrie. In the end, I recommend this book. However, just be aware that this look at flop musicals is a bit dull in spots and not as exciting as it could have been.

Read both of the books, and decide for yourself.

The Lazyman's Guide To Bad Broadway Musicals
This 2006 compendium of articles about problem musicals that fell apart on or near Broadway isn't a turkey on the order of "Kelly" or Jerry Lewis's revival of "Hellzapoppin", two of the 25 productions detailed inside. It's just misshapen and frustratingly incomplete.

For example, I'm not sure why Steven Suskin's name is on the spine of this book and Lewis H. Lapham's isn't. The Harper's editor has more to say in this book than Suskin does, as Lapham wrote a long piece on "Kelly" for the Saturday Evening Post back in 1965 which Suskin reprints at full length, covering 40 pages in all.

Other sections consist of shorter articles, from the New York Times, New York magazine, and other sources, detailing aspects of other failed productions often written just after or shortly before the play flopped. Suskin's contributions, here and elsewhere, consist entirely of brief introductions and often-snarky asides bracketed into the text.

"...[I]t struck me that these yellowing accounts - mostly from daily newspapers and weekly magazines, which went out-of-print the day or week after they were published - tell pretty convincing tales in themselves. Why not gather the best of them together, and put them in context, I wondered? Thus, 'Second Act Trouble'."

Suskin's idea of context is well on the spare side, though. He doesn't add much of anything about the musicals themselves. Were the songs bad? Was the acting at fault? Did it fail to find an audience? If the original author didn't say anything (and many of them focus as much on the money or key individuals behind the production as on the shows themselves), then Suskin doesn't, either, except to say whether the show was a "total", "partial", or "substantial" loss. It's a big hole, but not the only one in "Second Act Trouble."

Another abscess comes in the form of the musicals selected. They are a fairly narrow selection, all but three from the 1960s and 1970s. Many feature the same composers and producers. One producer, David Merrick, the famously shameless "Abominable Showman" and Suskin's one-time employer, shows up in nearly half the pieces.

Merrick makes for great copy, especially when he promotes "Subways Are For Sleeping" by getting a group of people who happened to have the same names as the New York theater critics of the time and producing an ad with their "raves" for the show. Alas, I learned more about Merrick reading this book than I did about how a musical may find itself on the Great Wrong Way.

It's too bad Suskin couldn't stir himself to do anything more with his materials. Even the illustrations reveal a lack of effort: Playbill covers and handbills for the shows constitute most of the art; with very few vintage photos.

It takes gall to publish a book with other people's thoughts and words and present it as one's own work; even more to make the subject one highlighting other people's failures. Merrick would be proud of his pupil. But this is one show you are better off skipping. ... Read more

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The Stage and the School provides students and teachers with the tools needed to build key theater arts skills. Students receive instruction in classic training exercises, production techniques, and theater conventions.