Customer Reviews

I'm the Greatest Star: Broadway's Top Musical Legends from 1900 to Today

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I was so looking forward to this great title. There are not many books out there solely devoted to details about Broadway musical stars of the past and present.

The stars covered by the author are numerous and the reason for choosing each performer is clearly explained. I cannot comment on the details about the stars. I am not an historical expert but simply a devoted fan of the Broadway musical. The insights into the professional careers and personal life of each performer is to be commended. The detail is just enough to wet the appetite and make one go searching for more details using other technology.

What disappointed about the book was the use of only one black and white photograph for each performer and the numerous blank pages which could have been used to expand the pictorial exposure of some stars. Even some colour photographs would have enhanced the total impact of this worthwhile venture.

While not being an historical expert on the details concerning the stars, there appear to be some glaring errors in detail even to this non-expert reader. On page 38 it refers to the film "The Jolson Story" starring "Bert" Parks. Wasn't his name Larry? In the chapter on Fanny Brice it states that Barbra Streisand sang the Brice song "My Man" in the "Funny Girl" film sequel "Funny Lady". Actually she sang the song at the end of the first movie "Funny Girl".

There are numerous typographical/spell check errors throughout the text indicating a poor editing process. It seems the whole project was rushed to print without the proper attention to detail and checking needed to make an outstanding contribution to this most worthwhile topic.

Still, despite the errors this is still a book worth having for those fans who appreciate the Broadway tradition and the life of its stars from 1900 to today. I hope the author will correct the errors for any new updated edition in the years to come.

This is a great book and wonderful for research on the theatre :) I would recommend it to anyone who has a love affair with the great musicals of Broadway. Robert Viagas does a slammin' job!