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This is the ultimate backstage tour of Broadway! AT THIS THEATRE tells the complete history of Broadway in the 20th century, theatre by theatre. This gorgeous book is now updated, revised and with a larger format, covering 1900 to 2001. PLAYBILL's columnist, Louis Botto, along with Robert Viagas, opens the doors and lets readers explore the 40 active Broadway theatres in New York. From the conception and design of the buildings, to their original creators, and on to the theatres' transformation, often under duress, from legitimate houses to vaudeville and Burlesque, to movie houses and then back to their original purpose, this book captures the magical world of Broadway. It is a complete and authoritative history that only Botto, the curator of PLAYBILL's incomparable 116-year-old archives, can tell. Expanded from his popular column in PLAYBILL magazine, AT THIS THEATRE is the biography of those living, breathing buildings we call theatres. In this substantially updated version, Botto includes the histories of all the theatres rescued from the wrecker in the last ten years, including the American Airlines Theatre, Disney's New Amsterdam, and the Lyric and the Apollo, now combined into the Ford Center. AT THIS THEATRE is filled with great stories featuring a cast of characters including Ethel Merman, David Merrick, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy. And it's also a theatrical spectacle boasting lavish illustrations of posters, programs, and photographs throughout. This is the gift book for every theatre lover on your list, including yourself!
Hardcover: 372 pages
Publisher: Applause Books; Revised edition (September 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1557835667
ISBN-13: 978-1557835666
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.4 x 11.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #508 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Broadway & Musicals #908 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > History & Criticism #4176 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > History & Criticism
Author Louis Botto is a master at telling stories of theatre past, present and the future. He's been going to the theatre for the past 65 years and has enough stories to fill the main reading room at the New York Public Library.The book is full of images of old playbill covers, production photographs and souvenir programs from the shows he discuss. and it is not only great as a reference for what show played which theatre, who starred in the production or how long it lasted; but it's a very interesting read and worth every penny you spend.
For any theatre fan or history buff, Louis Botto's At This Theatre is an enjoyable and informative collection of colorfully-illustrated chapters chronicling the many productions and personalities playing at the existing theatres which together constitute "Broadway" today, this revised edition covering all current Tony-eligible houses with a history of legitimate productions (plus a few more theatrical venues in New York City), and including a useful index -- something missing from the first edition. One wishes, though, that this hefty volume could be even thicker, but for the many Broadway theatres now gone. However, of those legitimate stages which remain or which have been returned (or are returning) to theatrical glory, this book is an affectionate tribute to a century of plays and musicals on the Broadway stage and the many theatres which house them, some of which have become like a second home to some of us theatregoers. And at a time when corporations and other commercial producers have made it easy for a wary public to be cynical about the crass commercialism which has taken over so much of mainstream culture (including the renaming of some refurbished or rebuilt Broadway theatres), Brian Stokes Mitchell's thoughtful preface reminds us that there is a very human history and a living tradition at these theatres worth knowing and keeping in spite of it.
I own the first edition of this book and washappy to see the new edition come out.(The first edition was in 1984)It is tells the history of the 40 Broadway theatreswhich are currently being used in NYC.It is filled with tons of photos from the playswhich have taken place in each theatre as well asphotos of other memorabilia related to the theatre.The one thing that the books lacks are historicand contemporary photos of the theatre interiors.There are some color photos of the New Amsterdambut very few others.I think that the book would have had an added dimensionwith interior photos of the theatres themselves.Even without the theatre photos, I would still recommendthis book to any student or fan of Broadway theatre.
I bought this book at the BCEFA fair in Shubert Alley and Mr. Botto signed it for me! It's simply the most beautiful theatre book I've ever seen. It really brings back memories. I only wish there was space for me to write in my own stories! And I have plenty!
I love this book. I grew up in NY and attended a lot of theatre before the prices soared to over $100 a ticket. Theatre used to be something you could take part in all the time for a very reasonable cost.This book provides a very nice history of each Broadway theatre, and traces the history of the shows that played in each house. It's like the "At this Theatre" feature in Playbill Magazine, but on a grand scale. Histories of the theatres are in-depth enough to get a good background on how they came to be, and a flavor of the people who built them, as well as how they got their names. Or how those names changed over time.There are a lot of photographs, too. Pictures of theatres, pictures from shows that played them, and photos of the stars who appeared in them.The index is well done so that you can look up information about specific theatres, shows, or people.If you enjoy theatrical history, or want to remember what you saw where, and who was in it, you'll undoubtedly enjoy having this book around!
a must have for all Broad way love especialy me since i am a huge fan of Robert Morse in How to suceed without even trying guide yo a married man with Robert Morse too and the cardinal also with the Great Robert Morse
This is a great table book that gives a great review of broadway by each theater. It goes back to the original openings to about 2010. You can spend many hours bringing back memories and also a Great reference treasure.
Wasn't this theatre where A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC opened? Didn't I see Vanessa Redgrave on this stage? Wasn't Gary Senise in the original cast? Track down all (or nearly all) your favorite theatre memories in this wide-ranging, informal history of Broadway productions. An expanded and consolidated version of the popular feature in PLAYBILL magazine, it records all the major productions in all Tony-eligible theatres, including many stars, playwrights, and other credits. The tone is conversational, so not all plays or all credits are included, but it makes a great nostalgia trip for long-time theatre lovers.
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