Second Act Trouble: Behind the Scenes at Broadway’s Big Musical Bombs

If Broadway’s triumphant musical hits are exhilarating the backstage tales of Broadway failures are tantalizing soap operas in miniature. ESecond Act TroubleE puts you with the creators in the rehearsal halls at out-of-town tryouts in late-night hotel-room production meetings and at after-the-fact recriminatory gripe fests. Suskin has compiled and annotated long-forgotten first-person accounts of 25 Broadway musicals that stubbornly went awry. Contributions come from such respected writers as Patricia Bosworth Mel Gussow Lehman Engel William Gibson Lewis H. Lapham and John Gruen. No mere vanity productions these; you can’t have a big blockbuster of failure it seems without the participation of Broadway’s biggest talents. Caught in the stranglehold of tryout turmoil are Richard Rodgers Jule Styne Jerry Herman Cy Coleman Charles Strouse John Kander Mel Brooks and even Edward Albee. The infamous shows featured include EMack & Mabel; Breakfast at Tiffany’s; The Act; Dude; Golden Boy; Hellzapoppin’; Nick and Nora; Seesaw; Kelly; and How Now Dow JonesE.