The ultimate treasure trove of information, A Chorus Line FAQ presents history and fun facts, including: the unique workshop process through which the show was developed and written, the stories of its creators, the record-breaking Broadway run and numerous touring productions, and the captivating movie version. The book also features all-new chapters on the Broadway revival, the two London productions, and notable regional productions around the country. In addition to a chapter on A Chorus Line cultural history – with a guide to all the pop cultural references in the show – the book includes extensive photos as well as biographical information on the casts of the major productions. There are also chapters on recordings, previous books on the topic, and the landmark show's influence on subsequent Broadway musicals and films.

A Study Guide for Michael Bennett's "Chorus Line, A", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama for Students.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama for Students for all of your research needs.

"The Broadway Body I lied about my height on my résumé the entire time I was a dancer, though in truth I don't think the extra inch ever actually made a difference. In the US, 5'6" still reads as short for a man no matter how you slice it. The reason for my deception was that height was often the reason I was disqualified: choreographers often wanted taller male dancers for the ensemble and listed a minimum height requirement (often 5'11" and up) in the casting breakdown. Being disqualified before I could even set foot in the audition because I possessed an unchangeable physical characteristic that often made me unemployable in the industry. I was learning an object lesson in Broadway's body politics-and, of course, had I not been a white cisgender nondisabled man, the barriers to employment would have been compounded even further. I wasn't alone in feeling caught in a catch-22. Not being cast because of your appearance, or "type" in industry lingo, is casting's status quo. The casting process openly discriminates based upon appearance. This truism even made its way into a song cut from A Chorus Line (1975) called "Broadway Boogie Woogie," which comically lists all of the reasons one might not be cast: "I'm much too tall, much too short, much too thin/Much too fat, much too young for the role/I sing too high, sing too low, sing too loud." Funny Girl (1964) put it even more bluntly: "If a Girl Isn't Pretty/Like a Miss Atlantic City/She should dump the stage/And try another route"--

A Study Guide for Alan Ayckbourn's "A Chorus of Disapproval," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama For Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama For Students for all of your research needs.

This month, as Sir Elton John celebrates his seventieth birthday, Backbeat Books is thrilled to announce the release of Donald Gibson's Elton John FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Rocket Man. An exploration of Sir Elton's accolades alone could span several volumes: in a career spanning nearly five decades, he has sold over 250 million records worldwide, appeared in nearly 4 000 live performances, been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received multiple awards and nominations from the Academy, GRAMMYs, Oscars, and Tonys. How can one possibly hope to examine the life and times of this peerless singer-songwriter, the most successful solo artist Great Britain has ever produced and the third-most successful artist overall in American music history? Why, with Backbeat's acclaimed FAQ format, of course! Like every other volume in the FAQ series, Elton John FAQ is overflowing with enlightening data, compact histories, rare photographs and period ephemera, all organized into chapters equally suitable for a straight-through read or random perusal. Gibson touches on every major episode from Sir Elton's life, from his humble, and at times disheartening, childhood in the North London suburb of Pinner to his serendipitous meeting with lyricist Bernie Taupin, with whom he'd form a songwriting partnership that would ultimately rank alongside Lennon and McCartney in its success, and beyond. Scrutinizing the highs and lows of a life crammed with musical phases and sartorial changes, the book underscores not only the renowned musician's talents, but the truth behind tales that are familiar only to diehard fans.

Are you a teacher of musical theatre who struggles to plan and construct lessons? Are you looking for a structured approach to teaching musical theatre to students of all abilities? Do you know your Ivor Novello from your Stephen Sondheim? Despite being one of the most popular forms of performance study, Musical Theatre is often the most difficult to teach due to its part-practical and part-academic approach. With few books on the market directly aimed at teachers, it can be a challenging and daunting task to devise a course of study that takes in the history of the form as well as considering the wider aspects that come together to make a successful musical. A Teacher's Guide to Musical Theatre enables teachers to plan and deliver courses in Musical Theatre with confidence and flair. The unique structure of the chapters guides teachers through key facts and concepts in musical theatre history and offers practical in-class activities for students. From topics for class discussion and essay assignments to journal entries and portfolios to sample test questions, this book is full of practical advice from experienced teachers in the field which make it the idea companion for teachers and instructors on diploma and degree-level courses, as well as those devising courses in part-time performing arts schools. Devised to provide sufficient engaging and inspirational material for an initial term or semester, the book establishes the principles of teaching this relatively new subject and encourages teachers to extend much further into the subject. From The Mikado to Hamilton and everything in between, this book breaks down decades of history into appropriately sized lessons, designed to give students a rounded survey of the subject and an understanding of how musicals work. Offering expert guidance to those with varied fields of expertise and practical experience but limited teaching experience, this book is the only existing guide to structured and stimulating practice.

With hit TV shows picking the leads in productions of Oliver! and The Sound Of Music, and smash musicals like Hairspray and Wicked all the West End rage, musical theatre is as popular as it's ever been. James Inverne provides an indispensable guide to his top one hundred greatest shows of all time - and ten of the worst. Whether you know your Pal Joey from The Producers, your West Side Story from your Witch Witch, the Faber Pocket Guide To Musicals is packed with entertaining behind-the-scenes stories, essential songlists and comprehensive recording guides. Did you know, for instance, that one of the best recordings of Les Miserables is in Hebrew? Or that the Mel Brooks wasn't the first person to want to make a musical of The Producers? (That claim goes to Eric Idle.) Or the ridiculous story of the huge purpose-built theatre constructed in Holland to house a flop about Grace Kelly? Key features include: - The hundred greatest musicals - Numbers to listen for - Snapshot plot summaries - Ten terrible musicals - Recommended recordings James Inverne has been writing about musical theatre for years and brings copious knowledge, passion for the subject and a sense of fun to a genre that continues to entertain us all. Make the most of the musicals with this vital book.

The Routledge Guide to Broadway is the second title in our new student reference series. It will introduce the student to the Broadway theater, focusing on key performers, writers, directors, plays, and musicals, along with the theaters themselves, key awards, and the folklore of Broadway. Broadway is the center of American theater, where all the great plays and musicals make their mark. Students across the country in theater history, performance, and direction/production look to Broadway for their inspiration. While there are illustrated coffee table type books on Broadway, there are few that offer a comprehensive look at the key figures and productions of the last two centuries. The Routledge Guide to Broadway offers this information in an easy-to-use, inexpensive format that will appeal to students, professors, and theatrical professionals.

The classic guide to who-did-what-where in New York, on- and off-screen, including: Classic film and TV locations: Marilyn Monroe’s infamous Seven Year Itch subway grating . . . the deli where Meg Ryan famously faked an orgasm in When Harry Met Sally . . . the diner where Courteney Cox (in Friends) and Kirsten Dunst (in Spider-Man) waitressed . . . Men in Black’s Manhattan headquarters . . . The Godfather mansion on Staten Island…the Greenwich Village apartment where Jack Nicholson terrorized Greg Kinnear in As Good as It Gets . . . Ghostbusters’ Tribeca firehouse . . . Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow’s A Perfect Murder palazzo . . . the landmark West Side building that housed Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky and Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby . . . the Greenwich Village apartment of Friends . . . Will & Grace’s Upper West Side building . . . The All in the Family block in Queens . . . The Sopranos’ New Jersey mansion (and the real Bada Bing club) . . . Seinfeld’s favorite diner . . . Sex and the City’s sexiest haunts . . . and many more . . . Stars’ childhood homes: Lena Horne’s Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse . . . Frank Sinatra’s Hoboken row house . . . Barbra Streisand’s Flatbush housing project . . . J.Lo’s Bronx block . . . Humphrey Bogart’s Upper West Side tenement . . . the Marx Brothers’ Upper East Side brownstone . . . Apartments and townhouses of the silver screen’s greatest legends: Joan Crawford . . . Marlene Dietrich . . . James Dean . . . Katharine Hepburn . . . Montgomery Clift . . . Rita Hayworth . . . Rock Hudson . . . and . . . Plus: Superstar cemeteries . . . major film and TV studios . . . historic movie palaces and Broadway theaters . . . star-studded restaurants and legendary hotels . . . For movie-loving New Yorkers, travelers and armchair film buffs, New York: The Movie Lover’s Guide is the ultimate insider’s guide to the Big Apple’s reel attractions.