An award-winning Sondheim expert dives into all facets of this unique, murder-filled masterpiece-its slimy roots, original production, characters from killers to lovers to bakers, soaring score, gripping storytelling, and lasting power.This bloody tale is often considered one of the greatest musicals of all time. Rick Pender provides a kaleidoscopic view and interweaves a wealth of archival materials and insights, starting with the show's 19th-century gruesome lite...

Cincinnati has intrigued adventurous souls since 1788 when it became the first gateway to America’s western frontier. The beautiful Ohio River valley enticed immigrants from 19th-century Germany, and their entrepreneurial spirit is still evident two centuries later. This third edition of 100 Things to Do in Cincinnati Before You Die is an up-to-date guide to exploring all the Tristate has to offer, with numerous new choices for both visitors and longtime residents to experience. The region...

Praise from Jesse Green, New York Times Chief Theater Critic, Arts, in the 2023 Holiday Gift Guide: “From A (the director George Abbott) to Y ('You Could Drive a Person Crazy'), The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia**, by Rick Pender, offers an astonishingly comprehensive look, in more than 130 entries, at the late master’s colleagues, songs, shows and methods."**The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia

Late in the 18th-century, people began to head west in America in search of new frontiers and new lives. Many of them, including immigrants, found their way down the Ohio River to Cincinnati, Ohio, the “Queen City of the West.” In Oldest Cincinnati, follow their journey and learn the story of the city as you’ve never heard it before. Read about a ferry that helped early settlers cross the Ohio River to Augusta, Kentucky, began in 1798 and that’s still in business today. Likewise, a stageco...

Cincinnati has been intriguing adventurers since its founding in 1788 as the Gateway to America's western frontier. With its beautiful river valley reminiscent of Bavaria and centuries-old entrepreneurial spirit, Cincinnati has always offered a surprising variety of attractions, history, and dining. In the second edition of 100 Things to Do in Cincinnati Before You Die, you'll find the perfect guide to exploring everything with even more updated choices for visitors to experience....

Bloomsbury presents Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd by Rick Pender, read by John Chancer.An award-winning Sondheim expert dives into all facets of this unique, murder-filled masterpiece—its slimy roots, original production, characters from killers to lovers to bakers, soaring score, gripping storytelling, and lasting power.This bloody tale is often considered one of the greatest musicals of all time. Rick Pender provides a kaleidoscopic view and in...

Outrageous, outspoken, and uninhibited, Tallulah Bankhead was an actress known as much for her vices -- cocaine, alcohol, hysterical tirades, and scandalous affairs with both men and women -- as she was for her winning performances on stage. In 1917, a fifteen-year-old Bankhead boldly left her established Alabama political family and fled to New York City to sate her relentless need for attention and become a star. Five years later, she crossed the Atlantic, immediately taking her place as...

In the first full-scale life of the mostimportant composer-lyricist at work in musical theatre today, Meryle Secrest, the biographer of Frank Lloyd Wright and Leonard Bernstein, draws on her extended conversations with Stephen Sondheim as well as on her interviews with his friends, family, collaborators, and lovers to bring us not only the artist--as a master ofmodernist compositional style--but also the private man.Beginning with his early childhood on New York's pros...

This illustrated Travel Guide is designed for optimal navigation on eReaders and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically and by category, making it easier to access individual articles. Articles feature information about attractions, landmarks, districts, transportation, cultural venues, dining, history and much more. Addresses, telephones, hours of operation and admissions information are included. The guide is complimented by clearly marked maps that are linked to city att...

This guidebook to the Big Apple goes beyond the traditional tour, offering visitors a fascinating exploration of the city's rich history.New York is a city of superlatives. It has the largest population, greatest wealth, broadest diversity, and most elegant museums in the nation. With that comes an amazing history that you can experience firsthand with this unique guide.George Washington took his first oath of office on the steps of Federal Hall. Visitors c...

The "essential and hilarious" book that highlights almost 200 musicals and examines how they became Broadway's biggest fails ( The New Yorker ).Ken Mandelbaum offers the behind-the-scenes story of the development of almost two hundred musical flops that played Broadway between 1950 and 1990, along with a reevaluative and often revisionist study of their quality.Here they all are, from such legendary catastrophes as...

This book contains 250 anecdotes about the theater, including these: 1) British actor Pete Postlethwaite has a rugged face. When he was studying at the Bristol Old Vic, he ran out of money to pay for the completion of his course of study. However, the head of the school knew that the young man had real talent, so he told him, "Listen, I have a hunch you're going to do all right in this business, so I'm going to put down the outstanding amount as a debt and then, in a few years' time, I'll ...