The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theater [Hardcover]

Mary Henderson (Author)

Book Description

The world will be watching this fall when the famed New Amsterdam Theatre finally reopens its doors. The storied past and famous renaissance of this "jewel of 42nd Street" are captured in this elegant volume, featuring an elegant gatefold opening. Full-color illustrations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Disney Editions; 1st edition (October 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078686270X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786862702
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,572,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Amsterdam: the Biography of a Broadway Theatre, June 26, 2000

By 

Gerald H. Protz - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theater (Hardcover)

This is the most beautiful book I own. I had been to the New Amsterdam in its most painful days. At this time I saw Mondo Cane and would not sit down it was such a flea bag theatre. It was a historical sight...Ziegfeld Folies et al. I really felt sad as I stood there feeling the greatness that had passed; at the time I felt... forever. Disney has brought the theatre and the feeling back. I witnessed this with my viewing of LION KING. What I felt had been lost forever can be seen in this wonderful book. The pictures before and after make one feel that nothing is impossible. The beauty that had decayed and looked irreversable has been accomplished and this book, and this theatre stand as testaments to what can be accomplished. Anyone who has walked into a theatre and felt the past rekindle will love to read this inspiring book. This book shows the cycle of a wonderful theatre and all that it was and lost and then saved. It symbolizes the rise and fall of 42nd Street as well as one beautiful theatre. This book will for once and for all show what a thetare can be and fall to and rise above. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Theatres anywhere and what they should symbolize to all of us.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book As Beautiful As The New Amsterdam Theatre Itself, December 11, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theater (Hardcover)

Do you know a theater buff who deserves the perfect gift this holiday season? Disney's Hyperion has just released the ideal book for anyone who loves the theater: The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theatre.

The book is as striking as New York's famed and recently refurbished New Amsterdam Theatre. Opening from the center to reveal the main stage framed by delicate murals and art nouveau decorations, the book is brimming with pictures. It begins with decades old photographs and sketches that depict the grace and splendor of the theater when it opened in 1903 and concludes with before-and-after pictures demonstrating the care and effort that went into the building's restoration.

This book does not simply tell the story of the rise, fall, and rebirth of the Broadway landmark, it recounts the history of American theater as it passed over the stage of the New Amsterdam. From the Ziegfeld Follies to Fred Astaire to Jack Benny to Disney's recent staging of King David, the New Amsterdam welcomed America's most famous and talented performers. The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theatre makes this history come alive with photos of movie posters, actors, sets, and costumes.

Disney is to be commended for committing their resources to the painstaking and comprehensive restoration project that has saved the New Amsterdam from its undeserved fate as a forgotten and abandoned relic from Broadway's' glamourous past. They can also be congratulated for offering this remarkable book that preserves and shares 94 years of America's artistic heritage.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent history of the New Amsterdam Theater, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Amsterdam: The Biography of a Broadway Theater (Hardcover)

This book offers an excellent overview of the New Amsterdam Theater from the beginning through the recent renovation with discussions of the architecture of the building, the decorative artwork and of course a history of shows that have played at the theater from the beginning.