Making It on Broadway: Actors' Tales of Climbing to the Top

by David Wienir, Jodie Langel, Jason Alexander (Foreword by)

Overview

Countering the misperceptions about Broadway performers leading glamorous lives, the words of more than 150 Broadway stars provide unprecedented insight into their struggle for stardom. With an introduction by Jason Alexander and candid interviews with today's most celebrated Broadway stars, this book offers stories to entertain and astonish theater lovers, as well as serve as a sobering reality check for those considering careers on the stage. This book shares firsthand accounts of professional actors' difficult yet fulfilling journeys to Broadway: moving to New York, finding survival jobs, auditioning, landing roles, avoiding pitfalls, forging a family life, and much more. Interviews Include These Award-Winning Actors: • Jason Alexander • Daisy Eagan • Heather Headley • Wilson Heredia • Randy Graff • Donna McKechnie • Donna Murphy • John Rubinstein • Lea Salonga • Scott Wise • Chita Rivera

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581153460
Publisher:	Allworth
Publication date:	04/01/2004
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David Wienir is an entertainment lawyer and the author of The Diversity Hoax and Last Time: Labour's Lessons from the Sixties. He lives in New York City. Jodie Langel began her acting career in Les Misérables on Broadway and went on to star in the national tours of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Cats. She lives in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

	The Voices	viii
	Foreword	xi
	Opening Thoughts	xiii
	Introduction	xv
Part 1	The Early Years
Chapter 1	Singing on the Coffee Table	3
	Not by Choice
	Church and Tractor
	A Young Passion for Music
	Cheerios, Indians, and Show Tunes
	A Special Talent
Chapter 2	First Impressions	9
	Tickets, Please
	Field Trip
	Broadway Dreaming
Chapter 3	Don't You Dare Call My Child a Thespian!	15
	Play Ball
	What's Wrong with the Family Business?
	Proving Parents Wrong
	Plan for the Future
Part 2	Getting Settled
Chapter 4	Welcome to Gotham City	21
	A Special City
	Driving into Town
	Taxi!
	Sharing the Wealth
	Adjusting to City Life
Chapter 5	New Home and New Friends	27
	Roll Out the Red Carpet
	Where's My Carpet?
	The N.Y.C. Wildlife
	Loving the Landlords
	Dealing with the Devil
	Leaks, Freaks, and Gregory Hines
Chapter 6	Survival Jobs	34
	The Toilet Scrubber
	The Fitness Instructor
	Welcome to Macy's
	The Ice Sculpture
	The Telemarketer
	The Waiters
	Pebbles, Winnie, and The Count
Chapter 7	Singing for Supper	40
	Bar Hopping
	Hava Nagila
	All Aboard
	On Guard
	Carrots and Hamburgers
	Life before the Union
Part 3	Transition to Stardom
Chapter 8	The Audition Room	49
	The Life
	The Open Call
	Growing Pains
	Destiny Calling
	Crossing the Atlantic
	Fashion Statement
	Cinderella Stories
	Truth Be Told
	Patience Is a Virtue
	Weighing In
Part 4	The Thrill of Live Theater
Chapter 9	Take Two	65
	Unexpected Transformations
	Look Out Below!
	Unleashed
	Left Hanging
	The Rest of the Story
	A Bit Behind Schedule
	Say What?
	Stop the Show
	Dressed for Disaster
	Set for Disaster
	Broadway Carnage
	Unplugged
Chapter 10	Please Remain Seated	83
	Breaking into Show Biz
	Quiet Please!
	Stage Door Drama
	Backstage Tours
	Love Letters
	The Ultimate Payoff
Part 5	The Secret Life
Chapter 11	The Broadway Lifestyle	99
	Take the Elevator to the Third Floor
	Call the Cleaning Lady
	Misconceptions
	A Twenty-Four-Hour Job
	Only Human
	Not for the Money
	Moonlighting
	Homes of the Stars
	The Glamour of It All
Chapter 12	Sex in the Workplace	114
	The Showmance
	Testing Boundaries
	Crossing the Line
	They Don't Do This on Wall Street
	Straight Man Out
Chapter 13	Forget the Picket Fence	124
	Courting Civilians
	Marrying Civilians
	Keeping It in the Family
	Flying Solo
	Planned Parenthood
	Working Parents
Chapter 14	Road Trip	132
	Fantasyland
	Love on the Road
	Seeing the Country
	Guns and Drugs
	A Big Star in Toledo, Ohio
Chapter 15	What Am I Doing Here?	140
	Careful What You Wish For
	Why Aren't I Smiling?
Part 6	A New Era
Chapter 16	The Disneyfication of Broadway	147
	Where Did All the Stars Go?
	The Death of the Gypsy
	The Good Old Days
	Britney Spears on Broadway?
	Another Standing Ovation
	The New Business Model
	Size Does Matter
	Six Flags Times Square
Chapter 17	Broadway, Inc.	166
	Job Security
	Cogs in the Machine
	A Company of Clones
	Tracked
	Acting on Empty
	Just Part of the Scenery
	Malpractice
	Playing in the Shadows
	Watch Out, Giuliani, XXX is Back
	Hey, My Mom's in the Audience
	No Acting Allowed
Part 7	When Dreams Come True
Chapter 18	The Base of the Tony Is Plastic	191
	The Plastic Prize
	Who's the Best?
	How Does It Feel to Be a Big Star?
	Where Did I Put That Thing Anyway?
	Tony Wanna Cracker?
	The Trophy on the Shelf
	"Hello, You Have No New Messages"
	The Curse of the Tonys
	A Ticket to Nowhere
	Making It in the New Millennium
Chapter 19	Here Today, Gone Tomorrow	210
	Sorry, We're Closed
	Onward and Upward?
	There is Only Square One
	Remember Me?
	Typecasting
	Wanted: Fresh Talent Only
	Don't I Get at Least Sixteen Bars?
	Tenure Denied
	A Time for Retribution
Chapter 20	The Time in Between	227
	Time for Therapy
	Actors Anonymous
	Paying the Rent
	Back to the Day Job
	At Least I'm Not Waiting Tables
	Has It All Come Down to This?
	Didn't I Do a Show with You on Broadway?
	At the End of the Day
	Conclusion	242
	Chapter Guide	246
	The Contributors and their Credits	250
	Acknowledgments	260
	About the Authors	261
	Index	263