Broadway & Musicals Books

Wicked: The Grimmerie, a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical

David Cote

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 124 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

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.

Wicked - Piano/Vocal Arrangement

Stephen Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Phenominal score 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Wicked is fabulous on every level. Just know that this score is not easy to play from if you are not a good piano player. Also as voice teacher, prepare yourself for a lot of students who will not be able to even touch the high belt required for some of these songs!

Check Out: Vocalize!

Editorial Review:

Nominated for a whopping 10 Tony Awards in 2005, Wicked is an undeniable Broadway smash! A prequel to the all-American classic The Wizard of Oz, this new musical is a character study of Elphaba and Glinda, school roommates who grow up to become the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, respectively. We are very proud to offer several songbooks featuring this delightful music, including a Vocal Selections book which contains the vocal line with piano accompaniment (00313268), and a Piano/Vocal Selections book, in standard piano/vocal format with the melody in the piano part (00313267). Songbooks feature a special section of color photos from the production, a note from composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and these fantastic tunes: As Long as You're Mine * Dancing Through Life * Defying Gravity * For Good * I Couldn't Be Happier * I'm Not That Girl * No Good Deed * No One Mourns the Wicked * One Short Day * Popular * What Is This Feeling? * The Wizard and I * Wonderful.

Spring Awakening: In the Flesh

David Cote

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The official companion to the Broadway musical

A heart-pounding score. A heartrending story. A barrier-breaking fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock&roll. No wonder Spring Awakening has awakened audiences like no other musical in years.

Based on the infamous 1891 Frank Wedekind play and featuring an original score by Grammy-nominated recording star Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Spring Awakening is a story of uncontrollable emotions and undeniable passions, of first loves and lasting regrets. Haunting and electrifying, the show celebrates the unforgettable journey into adulthood with a power and a poignancy that you will never forget.

Spring Awakening: In the Flesh is more than just a companion book -- it's a new opportunity to experience the show. Designed to resemble a vandalized book, this beautiful volume offers more than one hundred photographs, handwritten drafts of hit songs, original sketches of costumes and sets, an annotated, unabridged libretto, and unprecedented access to the hit show, making Spring Awakening: In the Flesh a must-have for fans of all ages.

Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time

Ken Bloom, Frank Vlastnik

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Looking Back on Broadway's Classic Musicals Is Like Catching Lightning in a Bottle 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

If you saw Dori Berinstein's illuminating 2007 documentary, Show Business - The Road to Broadway, you got close to an all-access peek into the 2003-2004 Broadway theater scene that gives you a sense of the chaos, diligence, exhaustion, and luck that goes into mounting a musical. Two of the four shows spotlighted, "Avenue Q" and "Wicked" are still running as of this date, and unsurprisingly, they are included in the list here. The other two, "Taboo" and "Caroline, or Change", did not fare as well, at least at the box office, and such is the fate of most efforts trying to make it to the Great White Way. Co-authors Ken Bloom (also a Broadway musical performer) and Frank Vlastnik have compiled an eminently entertaining coffee-table book describing what they consider the 101 greatest musical productions staged on Broadway. They seem to have a thing for such lists because last year, they compiled the genuinely addictive Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time.

Both books share the co-authors' enthusiasm for their topics. Most such entertainment reference books stick with mainly the facts of the productions, but Bloom and Vlastnik go beyond the relevant statistics about each show and inject plenty of behind-the-scenes information along with a surprisingly sharp level of critical commentary on how justified the legacy are of these productions. The challenge of this tome, however, is that most of us have not seen the original-run productions discussed and can't really provide a personal response to the co-authors' collective viewpoint. For me, among the 101 shows, I have only seen "Sweeney Todd", "Dreamgirls", "Avenue Q" and "The Drowsy Chaperone" during their original runs. At the same time, the co-authors give you a palpable sense of what probably were incandescent performances onstage - Fred Astaire in "The Band Wagon", Vivienne Segal in "Pal Joey", Gertrude Lawrence in "The King and I", Ethel Merman in "Gypsy", Julie Andrews in "My Fair Lady", Gwen Verdon in "Sweet Charity", Michael Crawford in "The Phantom of the Opera".

The rarely seen black-and-white and color photos make this an indispensable record of these lightning-in-the-bottle shows. There are sidebars for particularly noteworthy performers and other creative dynamos behind the curtain. Similar to the approach taken with "Sitcoms", the co-authors devote special pages to infamous flops, guilty pleasures, great scores from so-so shows, star turns that have become mythic, film stars who tried to conquer Broadway, and even shows with T&A. There are opening remembrances from luminaries like Angela Lansbury ("Mame") and Chita Rivera ("West Side Story") and an introduction carried over from the 2004 edition by the late Jerry Orbach ("Promises, Promises"). Naturally, some shows you would expect to be included are not, arguable candidates such as "Rent", "Les Misérables", "The Producers" and "Hairspray". Moreover, the one flaw with the approach here is the somewhat arbitrary exclusion of musicals whose scores were created for another project. That's why you won't see long-running shows like "42nd Street", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Mamma Mia!", and "The Lion King" in the book. Regardless, this book is a fine document for any musical theater aficionado with a penchant for breaking out into a show tune.

Editorial Review:

Finally in paperback, this info-and photo-packed celebration of Broadway has been thoroughly updated to include new shows, new features, and new comments from Broadway's celebrated leading ladies.

The rich history of Broadway—from the beloved classics of each decade to the most popular recent hits—are showcased here in colorful chapters that include authoritative commentary, features on the creators and performers, and more. The list of the 101 best has been reevaluated by the authors for this edition, and new shows include Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, Grease, Grey Gardens, Sunday in the Park with George, and Wicked.

Wicked: A New Musical - Easy Piano Selections

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

What are you folks talking about?? 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this songbook based on the reviewer comments that it represented the full score without the melody. You must be talking about a different book. The arrangement consists only of the melody on right hand (yes you can play the right hand with one finger) and one or two notes of the chord on the left. I'm not even a piano player and it's too simple for my taste. The only thing that would make this a remotely difficult book is that the key signatures are unusual and the annotated chords are sophisticated. I was looking for something suitable to accompany a vocalist. This isn't it. I hate to give it a poor rating because of misleading reviews but I am doing so to let folks know what they are getting.

Editorial Review:

Nominated for a whopping 10 Tony Awards, Wicked is the Broadway smash of 2004! A prequel to the all-American classic The Wizard of Oz, this new musical is a character study of Elphaba and Glinda, school roommates who grow up to become the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, respectively. 13 fantastic tunes: As Long as You're Mine * Dancing Through Life * Defying Gravity * For Good * I Couldn't Be Happier * I'm Not That Girl * No Good Deed * No One Mourns the Wicked * One Short Day * Popular * What Is This Feeling? * The Wizard and I * Wonderful.

Uncle Tom's Cabin: by George L. Aiken and George C. Howard, 1852

George L. Aiken

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 146 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A towering, very important American classic 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

For whatever reasons, I'm one of those who, over the years, never gave "Uncle Tom's Cabin" much thought. I'm afraid I dismissed the book based on the derogatory cliche of describing a complacent black man as an Uncle Tom. What a pleasure to find how wrong I was.

Although the style of narration, the punctuation style of the day and the evolution of contractions, compound words and other bits of syntax show this book to be from the mid 1800s, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is a modern novel. It is largely without the stifling level of detail offered in other books of the time, and it pushes the concept of omniscient narrator (perhaps along the lines of Vonnegut in "Breakfast of Champions") to a level that would likely be absurd in another story and purpose.

And Harriet Beecher Stowe did have a purpose - a daring, countervailing, completely forward-thinking challenge to the complacency of the day. The action of the story concludes in the second-to-last chapter. In the last chapter, called simply "Concluding Remarks," Stowe, referring to herself in third person, explains how she came to write the book, and in so doing pulls the reader beyond the realm of fiction in order to cap off her sermon. And a 500-page sermon is exactly what "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was and is.

To quote Stowe from the last chapter, "For many years of her life, the author avoided all reading upon or allusion to the subject of slavery, considering it as too painful to be inquired into, and one which advancing light and civilization would certainly live down. But, since the legislative act of 1850, when she heard, with perfect surprise and consternation, Christian and humane people actually recommending the remanding escaped fugitives into slavery, as a duty binding on good citizens,- when she heard, on all hands, from kind compassionate and estimable people, in the free states of the North, deliberation and discussions as to what Christian duty could be on his head,- she could only think, These men and Christians cannot know what slavery is; if they did, such a question could never be open for discussion. And from this arose a desire to exhibit it in a LIVING DRAMATIC REALITY [emphasis the author's]. She has endeavored to show it fairly, in the best and worst phases. In its BEST [emphasis the author's] aspect, she has, perhaps, been successful; but, oh! Who shall say what yet remains untold in that valley and shadow of death, that lies the other side?"


Within the narrative arts can be found a gray area between complete fiction and straightforwrad documenting. Within this area itself is a fine line of storytelling that sheds the fluff factor of fiction and the yawn factor of documentation. A story told along this line is not only compelling but offers to the receiver of the story a glimpse of what a life in the world depicted by the story must have been like. Or at the very least might have been like. This glimpse, whatever else it is, will be visceral, allowing the reader an actual emotional link. Finding this line is hard, staying on it harder and pulling off a finished work while remaining true to the line harder still. This is what Stowe did, a century before such a point of view emerged again in Americam media.

As such, Stowe explains that many of the characters are based on real people - yes, there really was a man as horrible as Simon Legree - and that most of the events in the book were based on true events known to her personally or through trusted reporting. This novelizing of reality was so compelling the book would be translated into twenty-two languages.


It would be relatively easy to take sentences and paragraphs out of context and reach the conclusion that Stowe decried slavery while holding the black race paternalistically. It's very possible to find any number of passages and label them as apologetic and paternalistic. There is, in fact, paternalism throughout the story, but this is a reflection of America ten years before the Civil War; and by the end of Stowe's "Concluding Remarks" this paternalism is gone.

I would describe the main apologist, St. Clare, who is keenly aware of the state of his own culture, as more of a rationalist. By making this character so, Stowe is able to open our eyes, as she opened many eyes of the day, to the subtler forms of defacto slavry - not at all to excuse slavery in general as some kind of natural order, but to bear witness to those toiling in other forms of captured work.

In 1851 the scullery maid of an English country home was not a slave, of course. Her employment was voluntary, after all, and at the end of a year she would have a few schillings to her name. But economically, perhaps even geographically, her freedom was largely unavailable to her, and so while not a slave under the law, the other side of her employment was the delivery of herself to twelve- or fifteen-hour days of scrubbing pots and pans. The delivery of herself to, at the end of any of those days, climbing three or four flights of a rear stairs to a garret; to a social life limited to the kitchen staff, which itself was a hierarchy that lorded over her; to little hope of marriage, if that's what she wanted, or to any sort of a life she might call her own. Why? To keep from starving to death.

And think about this today. Are you watching a 27" color TV with full remote that cost $199? Do you honestly think that set could have been made, boxed, shipped to a port in Asia, shipped by boat to the US, shipped by train and truck to your local StuffMart and sold to you profitably for one or two day's wages while every worker along the way was treated fairly? Do you care?


For the vast majority of those reading this review slavery is an abstracted and distant topic. It is a practice from a long ago past that might be given two meetings in a high school American History class, a cursory survey from which students might understand the concept of the economics of buying, selling and breeding human beings, from which they might be encouraged to imagine the suffering implicit to such practices.

Stowe's great achievment in writing "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was to belie the nuts and bolts, the mere logistics and schematics of slavery. She established for the reader the point of view of the slave, of a human life set against the legally sanctioned bureaucracy of slavery. She successfully depicted a person - an individual, a human being - sold as a product, warehoused as a product, transported as a product, and then set to use as an organic machine that was discarded and replaced when it broke. More to the point, she allows us glimpses into the inner lives, thoughts and prayers of those sold, warehoused, transported and used up while their ties to family and place, while their smallest hopes, are given credence only as an afterthought that may never coalesce. Only if, after having purchased a brother or a mother, there should be enough money remaining to buy the sister or the child. Only if it should be convenient and expedient for the planter to do so, only if it should strike that planter's fancy one particular afternoon but
not another.

This book is as meaningful today, in new ways, as it was in 1851, and that is wholly remarkable.

Editorial Review:

The first American novel to sell over a million copies. By calling attention to the issue of slavery, it has become a part of our country's literary and historical heritage.

Broadway Musicals - Show by Show

Stanley Green, Kay Green

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A true must-have book for all musical theatre fans! 5 out of 5 stars.
47 of 48 people found this review helpful.

This book has proven and indispensable part of my theatre library, and if you get it, it will become one for you as well. Want to know what date the original production of Show Boat opened on Broadway? This book will tell you. Who the original stars of Mexican Hayride were? That's in here, too. You will be able to find the answer to just about any question you could ever ask of Broadway's hit musicals. A perfect companion piece to Ken Mandelbaum's Not Since Carrie (which chronicles the flop musicals this book mostly excludes), and a wonderful way of tracking the history of the Broadway musical, Broadway Musicals: Show by Show is as comprehensive, helpful, and essential as reference books on Broadway come.

Editorial Review:

The most comprehensive and widely used Broadway reference book has been expanded and updated to include more than 300 of the most important and memorable productions of the American musical theatre. Chronologically arranged beginning with The Black Crook in 1866, this edition includes show entries up through the latest hits (Rent, Sunset Boulevard, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Victor/Victoria, Passion) and all the latest big revivals (Show Boat, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The King and I). Features a wealth of statistics, inside information, critical reception, cast lists, and pithy commentary about each show. Includes seven completely revised, cross-referenced indexes and over 200 photographs.

Broadway Tails: Heartfelt Stories of Rescued Dogs Who Became Showbiz Superstars

Bill Berloni, Jim Hanrahan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Wonderful, Heart-Warming Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I hated to put it down and could'nt wait to pick it up again. This is such a heart-warming book and though I cried several times, I laughed and cheered even more! Mr. Berloni's writing grabs you right from the start and does not let go. He is an amazing man whose patience and drive creates even more amazing animals!
This is an awesome, awesome read and if you love all animals, you'll love this book!

Broadway Tails 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a wonderful book, lovingly written, about Bill Berloni's unusual and fascinating career. And the work he's done rescuing and training dogs over 30 years is a remarkable testament to his humanity and creativity. An extremely entertaining read, for animal, as well as theater, lovers.

Broadway Tails 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Excellent book for the dog lover. I heard the author and animal lover Bill Berloni interviewed on PBS radio, and had to read the book. It's full of stories and pictures about the dogs and other animals he's rescued and trained for Broadway and TV shows.

A winning story of animal heroism and talent 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The author was a nineteen-year-old theater apprentice when he was offered a professional break - IF he could find and train a job to appear in the Broadway hit Annie. His rescue dog from a shelter made history - and BROADWAY TAILS offer similar stories of animals who overcame impossible odds to become co-stars in entertainment. Dog owners and animal lovers -and libraries catering to them - will find BROADWAY TAILS a winning story of animal heroism and talent, paired with black and white photos of the entertainers themselves.

The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 2007 to May 2008: Fourth Annual Edition (Playbill Broadway Yearbook)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Many people who work on Broadway keep scrapbooks of their experiences, with photos, signed posters, ticket stubs, and of course Playbills. Playbill Books has expanded this idea into an annual project that is becoming a Broadway institution: The Playbill Broadway Yearbook. Taking the form of a school yearbook, the fourth edition is packed with photos and memorabilia from the 2007-2008 Broadway season. The new edition includes chapters on all the Broadway shows that ran during the season - new shows like In the Heights and August: Osage County as well as long-running ones like Wicked. In addition to headshots of all the actors who appeared in Playbill, the book has photos of producers, writers, designers, stage managers, stagehands, musicians - even ushers. The Playbill Broadway Yearbook also has a correspondent on each production to report on inside information: opening-night gifts, who got the Gypsy Robe, daily rituals, celebrity visits, memorable ad-libs, and more. Correspondents range from dressers and stage doormen to stage managers, dancers, featured players, and even stars of the shows.

Les Miserables: Vocal Selections

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Les Mis Piano Book 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Overall, I am glad I bought this book. The main thing I was disappointed about was that the lyrics to the songs are not included.

Awesome!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Being a huge fan of the Les Miserables musical, I borrowed this book at the library hoping to be able to play some of my favorite songs on the piano. I was not disapointed!

Since I play piano by playing the guitar chords giving for each song, I was so happy to find that the book contained all the chords that I needed to play the songs.

From the start I was able to play all the songs pretty well (with the exception of 'Stars', but that's because I barely know the tune to begin with, lol), and with practice I was able to play many of them VERY well.

Its a fantastic book. I have had so much fun singing the songs and accompaning myself on the piano!

Editorial Review:

This terrific songbook features 14 vocal selections from the beloved Broadway musical: At the End of the Day * Bring Him Home * Castle on a Cloud * Do You Hear the People Sing? * Drink with Me (To Days Gone By) * Empty Chairs at Empty Tables * A Heart Full of Love * I Dreamed a Dream * In My Life * A Little Fall of Rain * Master of the House * On My Own * Stars * Who Am I?. Also includes beautiful full-color photos from the production.