Customer Reviews

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

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For everyone who is in school or training for a career in musical theatre, this book is the priceless information you will receive that a lot of times is not told to you at your school or studio. From the moment I started reading the book I couldnt stop reading. It takes you on an ubelievable journery from the beginning of their lives in this business to where they are now. It is so beautifully crafted. The book is literally story after story, but the way they were streamlined together makes it like one person reciting an autobiography. If there was ever a time that all of the tears of joy and pain from trying to "make it" were combined, it is in this book. It will inspire you to work even harder, not to be a broadway star, but to just work and do what we love. The only reason I put the book down was to run on stage for an entrance, seriously!

This is a must-have for anyone who wants to work in the musical theater business on Broadway. At it's best it is uplifting and dreamlike, and it's worst is suicidally depressing. But if you want to get onto the Great White Way, you can't allow yourself to be brought down by fear or depression. This book gives you that knowledge straight from the horse's mouth.

For theatre people or anyone interested in acting this book is a MUST!! It actually is more about making "it" on Broadway. The Great White Way is strewn with many funny, sad stories. These are actors who make a living at their craft. Most of them are not household names but they work primarily in Broadway musicals. This book painfully tells of their youth, their dreams and their struggles. All in their own words.
Some of it is very funny and some is very sad. They express anger at what Broadway has become and tell of the hard work and discipline that is required of them. There are some very amusing anecdotes about things that go horribly awry during a production.
Dave Clemmons tells a very touching and sad story of a little girl who came to see him in "Les Miserables" in Salt Lake City. It has a happy ending but really tugs at your heart strings.
The theatres are old and dirty, and most of the time the pay is not that great. But they do it because they love the theatre. The are all Broadway Babys. Read it, you won't regret one word.

A collection of commentary from Tony Award winners and other successful actors, Making It On Broadway gives a real-life view into the career of an actor. From the beginnings of their career when they first took an interest in acting to moving and settling in to a new home, survival jobs, live theater, Broadway life, the changing scene of Broadway, the personal life of an actor and problems that acting creates, romance, road trips, and finally when dreams come true, the whole life cycle of an actor is uncovered in detail. This is a very good book that shows the difference between the glamorized version of being a Broadway actor and what it really takes in terms of commitment, experiences, and the toll on your personal life. But it does not concentrate entirely on the difficulties of becoming an actor; the authors also discuss the thrill when you actually make it. When so many people have false ideas of what it would be like, and colleges and training facilities have a financial interest in encouraging students to remain it is a breath of fresh air to hear the viewpoint of all of these actors who have actually made it. Just like any other occupation, acting has its good and bad points and this book points them out from the perspective of people who did make it. Making It On Broadway is a recommended read for anyone who wants to pursue acting as a career.

This is such a great read! Theater fans like me love hearing actual broadway actors speak about what the business is really like. Most other Broadway books talk about either the history of theater or how vaguely to construct a show, but this book really gets to the core of what being on Broadway is about. Be prepared for shocking, hilarious, and sometimes even painful stories shared by so many revered performers. It's an extremely truthful and important read for everyone even vaguely interested in theater!

This book is brilliant and worth far more than the asking price, if you ask me. Sure, it's got more than its fair share of funny and interesting little theatre anecdotes, but it's also a great textbook about the trials of being a professional actor, as well as a study in the commercialism of modern theatre. I'm actually using it as a textbook in my capstone Theatre course, as we're focusing a bit on "what makes a hit". I think that anyone interested in any aspect of Theatre should give this one a read; it really gives a fascinating view into it, as well as being just a really good read.
Oh, and one of my favorite parts is the set of interviews all talking about the Les Mis entrance mishap... funny stuff. Warning: don't read this backstage, or you *will* almost miss your cues!

NO other way to describe it. Broadway or even the glitzy life of showbiz ain't all razzle dazzle. In fact, as this groundbreaking book describes, the life to stardom is fraught with poverty, rejection and even stiff competition. And let's not even mention the fact that almost 80 percent of the stories seem to reveal that the performers don't feel like stars anyway, no matter how high up the showbiz ladder they go. Many attest to having to work with intense apathy in the casts, and even having to deal with a disinterested management as well in areas so clear-cut in the corporate world, it's astonishing. What's also so liberating about this book is that many performers will instantly relate to the universal stories of living in cheap and tacky apartments, having no money, not getting on with their castmates and even feeling intensely lonely, in the height of their success.

You could be forgiven for thinking that there is a slight hinge of bitterness in the book, but in all honesty, the book paints a real picture of a deeply misunderstood profession and will doubtless be a deep comfort to many a performer who will scream from their apartment, 'It's okay to feel this way, I am normal!!!' What's so good about the book is the way the stories have universal appeal whether in London, New York, LA or even Australia.

Also causing a great deal of controversy is the topic of a mysterious 'gay mafia' in the Broadway business which selects those of a certain sexual preference over another , and the way that performers deal with it. If you bark 'It's so subjective!', you couldn't be more right. The book reeks of realness and honesty and seems to be cathartic in its very conception. One can't help but hope that every casting director, director and top management of every Boroadway show that exists will read it, reread it, reread it again,make notes, be humbled and instantly effect change.

For the new performer, it no doubt will discourage or force a new drama student to count the cost of the profession and hopefully discourage many who are not meant to be in there from going in. And that's good. For the theatre lover who doesnt perform, it can only help you to appreciate and even understand and be part of the solution for a highly misunderstood and marginalised profession of deeply talented and misunderstood people.

Whether you are a theatre novice or Broadway veteran, this ambitous work is insightful, educational and fun.
On some nights, the theatre life is full of passion and wonder. However, many nights are spent in the hope of simply finding a job or landing a decent audition. Warts and all, this book is a must for anyone who loves a play or story. Enjoy and learn.

This book is so entertaining. I love hearing actors' stories in their own words, from their point of view. There are some great stories (My favorite section so far is the "Mishaps during a performance" section.) and some wonderful insight. Very well done.
I am enjoying reading it so much that I have to force myself to slow down. I don't want to finish it too soon.

"Making it on Broadway" is absolutely amazing. This book depicts the business as it is. Accurate and Ispiring! I reccomend this book to actors, people in the business, and theatre lovers! READ THIS!!!