This intimate musical revue is a zany, hilarious spoof dedicated to satirizing every conceivable aspect of show business. Among the many skits are a pointed parody of theatre party ladies, a wrestling match between the "Elephant Man" and the paraplegic hero of Whose Life Is It Anyway?, the traumas of a suburban couple getting to and going from the theater, a madrigal on the popularity of British plays and performers, and takeoffs on critics and Joseph Papp and his Public Theatre. It's a perfect show for anyone involved with the theatre.

Although the venue Off Broadway has long been the birthplace of innovative and popular musicals, there have been few studies of these influential works. Long-running champs, such as The Fantasticks and Little Shop of Horrors, are discussed in many books about American musicals, but what of the hundreds of other Off-Broadway musicals? In Off-Broadway Musicals since 1919, Thomas Hischak looks at more than 375 musicals, which are described, discussed, and analyzed, with particular attention given to their books, scores, performers, and creators. Presented chronologically and divided into chapters for each decade, beginning with the landmark musical Greenwich Village Follies (1919), the book culminates with the satiric The Toxic Avenger (2009). In this volume, any work of consequence is covered, especially if it was popular or influential, but also dozens of more obscure musicals are included to illustrate the depth and breadth of Off Broadway. Works that introduced an important artistic talent, from performers to songwriters, are looked at, and the selection represents the various trends and themes that made Off Broadway significant. In addition to essential data about each musical, the plot and score are described, the success (or lack of) is chronicled, and an opinionated commentary discusses the work's merits and influences on the musical theatre in general. The first book of its kind, this highly readable volume will please both the theatre scholar and the average musical theatre patron or fan.

Best known for her Oscar-nominated roles in the smash hits Paper Moon and Blazing Saddles, Madeline Kahn (1942–1999) was one of the most popular comedians of her time—and one of the least understood. In private, she was as reserved and refined as her characters were bold and bawdy. Almost a Method actor in her approach, she took her work seriously. When crew members and audiences laughed, she asked why—as if they were laughing at her—and all her life she remained unsure of her gifts. William V. Madison examines Kahn's film career, including not only her triumphs with Mel Brooks and Peter Bogdanovich, but also her overlooked performances in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother and Judy Berlin, her final film. Her work in television—notably her sitcoms—also comes into focus. New York theater showered her with accolades, but also with remarkably bad luck, culminating in a disastrous outing in On the Twentieth Century that wrecked her reputation on Broadway. Only with her Tony-winning performance in The Sisters Rosensweig, fifteen years later, did Kahn regain her standing. Drawing on new interviews with family, friends, and such colleagues as Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett, Gene Wilder, Harold Prince, and Eileen Brennan, as well as archival press and private writings, Madison uncovers Kahn's lonely childhood and her struggles as a single woman working to provide for her erratic mother. Above all, Madison reveals the paramount importance of music in Kahn's life. A talented singer, she entertained offers for operatic engagements long after she was an established Hollywood star, and she treated each script as a score. As Kahn told one friend, her ambition was “to be the music.”

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

"In Here's to the Ladies, theater journalist Eddie Shapiro opens a jewelry box full of glittering surprises, through in-depth conversations with twenty leading women of Broadway. The women he interviewed spent endless hours with him, discussing their careers, offering insights into the iconic shows, changes on Broadway over the last century, and the art (and thrill) of taking the stage night after night. Each of these conversations is guided by Shapiro's expert knowledge of these women's careers, Broadway lore, and the details of famous (and infamous) musicals"--

CAT BURGLARY. TOMB RAIDING. TREASURE HUNTING. ALL PART OF THE GAME. At the end of a well-earned vacation, Livi Talbot is ready for more work. She just didn’t expect “work” to be a call from a friend suffering a small case of blackmail. One short Australian heist later, a simple retrieval becomes a tangle of sacred mountains, dangerous tombs, a fellow treasure hunter’s disturbing hotness, murderous sea monsters, and life-threatening danger. Most of her usual team is AWOL and now she’s reluctant allies with her enemies. If she puts a toe out of line, a jail cell awaits her—and that’s the best-case scenario. At worst, a bounty on her head. The prize for success is immortality itself, but Livi will settle for just getting out—and returning to her beloved daughter—alive...

Comedy / 7m, 4f / 1 Set Confined in is villa at Yalta by illness in April of 1900, Chekhov receives a delightful visit by the Moscow Art Theatre. They have embarked on a provincial tour with the express purpose of persuading Chekhov to give them his latest play. Noteworthy characters include Stanislavski, Valdmir Nemirovich Danchenko, Gorky, Ivan Bunin and actress Olga Knipper who Chekhov, a confirmed bachelor, contemplates marrying even as he acknowledges his advancing consumption. The play is criss crossed with amorous triangles, battles of ego, high spirits and melancholic languor reminiscent of Chekhov's work. Winner of several prestigious awards including a Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Distinguished Playwrighting and an American Theatre Critics Citation. "A truly Chekhovian comedy filled with wit, style, and passion." - L.A. Star News

In northern Britain, a scientist pursued by members of an evil organization that would force him to develop cyborg soldiers must leave his masterpiece, Anne, in the care of three eleven-year-old friends, who protect her and teach her to assimilate into human society.

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.