When Broadway Goes Dark, Use a Booklight

This Sunday Broadway will go dark in celebration of the 73rd Annual Tony Awards.  While I am no expert on live theater, I know one thing for sure: only the experience of being transported into another world for two hours by professional performers wearing beautiful costumes can make a walk through Times Square on a Saturday night worth the hassle!

As we are obliged to take a break from Broadway this weekend, why not use the intermission to look at some of the books upon which the nominations are based and enhance our Broadway savvy with a few deeper dives into its rich history? These books will provide a bit more context to guide your future theatergoing once the regular business of show business resumes.

Torchsong by Harvey Fierstein was my favorite play this year.  Almost 40 years after its Broadway debut, this story unfortunately has not yet been consigned to history. Arnold, played by Michael Urie, a gay Jewish drag queen, struggles to find real, unconditional love and tries to find it with a partner, a parent, and an adopted child. Urie’s performance is raw and emotional, but unfortunately did not garner a nomination for best actor. The play did, however, receive a nod for 'best revival of a play'.

Network, an adaptation of the 1976 film, is another favorite and stars Bryan Cranston. It is the story of Howard Beale, a longtime news anchor who is laid off after his ratings decline. His prospects decline still further, but he becomes the star of the news station once again after several of his broadcasts end up as wild rants about the unfairness of life. Cranston, nominated for best actor in a play is captivating. You can feel the despair and anger in throughout his performance up to and including his famous “I'm not going to take it anymore….” speech. Speaking of, Mad as Hell: the making of Network and the fateful vision of the angriest man in movies by Dave Itzkoff is also definitely worth a read if you want to know more about the Oscar award winning film.

And for those of you whose personal "I Want" song would a heartfelt plea for more juicy, Broadway history, here are a few titles to satisfy that craving:

Razzle Dazzle by Michael Riedel is the story of Broadway in the 1970s and how Bernard Jacobs and Jerry Schoenfeld transformed a failing theater industry in a grimy, dark neighborhood in Manhattan into the glitzy and admittingly annoying tourist-ridden Times Square. New York City or theater history fans will enjoy the revealing backstage stories and extraordinary characters of the Great White Way.

Strippers, showgirls, and sharks: a very opinionated history of the Broadway musicals that did not win the Tony award by Peter Filichia asks what do West Side Story, Gypsy, Wicked and Chicago all have in common? None took home Broadway's highest honor, despite being some of its most popular and famous. Filichia, a theater critic for several publications, goes into great detail about how Tony winners are chosen, and why some of our favorites were not winners.

The Secret Life of the American Musical: how Broadway shows are built by Jack Viertel is for those who want to know everything about how to create a musical. And Viertel doesn’t disappoint! He first deconstructs the different elements of a typical musical (storytelling, songwriting, production, etc.) then goes into why viewers are so interested in this surreal version of storytelling.

So, give your regards to Broadway, hear the music play and meet those dancing feet, because...that’s entertainment! And for a bit more entertainment that won’t require you to brave the hustle and bustle of Times Square, you can check out a discussion of The Boys in the Band nominated in the “Best Revival of a Play” category this year and offered in celebration of LGBT Pride Month and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.