Theatre Book Review: The Playbill Broadway Yearbook, Volume 5

Theatre Book Review: The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 2008 to May 2009, the Fifth Annual Edition. Robert Viagas, Editor. Published by Playbill Books and Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. Copyright 2009. Hardcover. 470 pages.

If you really love Broadway, I can't think of a better series of books to invest in than The Playbill Broadway Yearbook. And there are several reasons for my opinion on this. First, it is relatively inexpensive - it lists at $35.00, but I have never seen any edition NOT on sale be it at Playbill Store.com or at Amazon.com. As of this writing, it is currently "on sale" at Playbill Store.com for 34% of, or $22.95, while at Amazon.com it is selling for $23.10. The difference might just lie in the shipping and handling. Second, it is comprehensive, covering every show that was open between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009, including holdovers from years past (Phantom), shows from previous seasons that closed (Xanadu, Legally Blonde), shows that closed quickly (American Buffalo), and shows that continue to this day (In the Heights). It also includes entries of all the major Broadway events like Broadway Bares, Broadway Barks, Broadway on Broadway, the Easter Bonnet Competition, and many more. It is like being there when you can't get there yourself. Third, and perhaps the most appealing, is that it is written to be accessible to anyone from newbie to seasoned theatregoer to theatre professional. It is funny, offers insight into a life in the theatre and it contains thousands of color and black and white production photos and backstage candids.

I especially love the "yearbook" format it takes on, with each show getting several pages:

• A copy of the current Playbill cover
• A title page and complete cast list as of opening or as of a June cutoff date for older shows
• Musicals include song listings; plays include setting information
• Headshots of every current cast member, every past cast member ("Alumni"), and every newly added cast member ("Transfer Students")
• Pictures of the creative staff
• Pictures of every crew, front and back of house (including the ushers and the ticket people)

Most shows also feature a backstage Scrapbook, written by a "correspondent" selected by each show, who then fills us in on such varied topics as cast nicknames, backstage rituals, special guests, worst flubs, and even a report of cell phone interruptions during a performance. The correspondents are usually cast members (Gregory Jbara handles Billy Elliot, and Adam Chanler-Berat covers next to normal, for example.)

Here is a link to the product description at Playbill Store.com. Scroll to the bottom to see several pages from Billy Elliot and next to normal for yourself.

http://www.playbillstore.com/plbrye2020se1.html

There is also a faculty section, showing all of the people from various unions and theatre contractors who make the shows happen every night, a comprehensive, easy to use index and even autograph pages!

There really is something for everyone in these volumes. Best of all, if you don't have earlier editions, you might want to start with volume I at $8.00, II at $9.00, III at $10.00 and last year's at $16.95, all at Playbill Store.com. Who knows how cheap this year's will be next Christmas! At any price these are an investment in Broadway history and they fulfill the same needs as the Playbills and souvenir programs you could buy for much more money. Trust me, you'll get addicted!

Grade: A+

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Well, the weather outside is frightful - OK, here in Vermont, we had wind and a few flurries, but it is DAMNED cold (18 degrees as I write). And so it seems that most of my East Coast friends are digging out of several inches of snow. Welcome to my world! Ah, well...

Anyway, I intended to write a column of some last minute gift ideas for theatre lovers in your family, but now, I don't see that many of you will have the option to shop, but must rely on Internet shopping and shipping that may or may not get through... oh well, here goes anyway. Good luck, good shopping, and Happy Holidays!

1. Get tickets to a Broadway show - January and February are slow months for every show. You might even score Jersey Boys or Wicked. But I'd recommend a new show that you can boast to everyone about seeing BEFORE it becomes a mega-hit. I am talking, of course, about Memphis currently crowd-pleasing the masses at the Shubert Theatre. There are discounts available (see my blog from September 15, 2009) and this show is really something special. Plus, you cannot beat the performances of Chad Kimball and Montego Glover!

2. Cast Recording Recommendations:

• next to normal - You can't go wrong with the Tony winner for Best Score. And it is pretty complete, so you can either relive the show in your head (as I often do) or you can imagine the entire story. Plus there is the heavenly Alice Ripley and the great "Superboy and the Invisible Girl."
  
  
  
• West Side Story - This recording is important because it marks the first Broadway cast recording of the classic musical since the original. (The 1980 revival, a fast flop, was not recorded.) Plus, like it or not, it preserves the Spanish lyrics of a few songs, something you'll probably never hear again. And the recording quality is superb.



• Rock of Ages - I didn't LOVE the show, I appreciated it. But I do LOVE the CD, chock full of great 80's tunes amazingly sung and orchestrated. Listen for two things: the lyric gaffe by James Carpinello, when he refers to Amy Spanger's character as Amy, not Sherie, and the very end... keep the CD playing even after the last song is over. FUNNY!





• For real collectors, I recommend the great CDs of 9 to 5: The Musical and The Story of My Life. Both are superbly produced, sung and packaged, and both will probably leave you scratching your head as to why they flopped, especially the latter of the two. They also contain four of the best individual songs of the past season - "Around Here" and "Get Out and Stay Out" from 9 to 5, and "The Butterfly" and "Mrs. Remington," from The Story of My Life.

3. Speaking of The Story of My Life, it is one of three book recommendations I am giving people who ask:

• "The Butterfly" from The Story of My Life has been turned into a children's book. It is available in several formats.



• How Does the Show Go On? - See my A+ review from December 14,2009.




• And finally, for true lovers of Broadway, you can't go wrong with The Playbill Broadway Yearbook. Now up to Volume 5 (the 2008-2009 Season), it covers every single show that played on Broadway from June 2009 - May 2009. Here is a link to information on this: http://www.playbillstore.com/plbrye2020se1.html. And it is on sale. Better yet, it is easy to catch up on the whole collection: Volume I is $8.00, II is $9.00, III is $10.00, and last year's is $16.95!

Finally, I recommend two sites for theatre lover shopping:

• The Playbill Store - http://www.playbillstore.com/ - Search the clearance section and look through everything for sale items. Also, their Playbill Binders are available in a variety of prices, but all are of great quality, and are a must if you collect them.



• Triton Gallery - http://www.broadwayposters.com/ - This theatre icon of a store is less convenient to get to now that it isn't across from the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, but their online catalogue is complete (DIG AROUND, TRUST ME!!!!).

Both sites have shipping and handling charges that are a bit steep, but they do deliver nicely done packages that a hand grenade couldn't break. As always, of course, shop around. But enjoy!

Comments? Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.

Jeff