When the young composer-lyricist Douglas Cohen first secured the musical rights to the novel No Way to Treat a Lady by William Goldman–the acclaimed author of The Princess Bride and Marathon Man–he hoped it would be his big break, the first step on a gilt path to artistic triumph and commercial success in the form of a hit Broadway musical.
What happened after that, while memorable, was anything but.
How to Survive a Killer Musical chronicles Cohen’s decade-long quest to bring that musical to the stage–writing, re-writing, and shepherding it across the US and Europe amidst all manner of adversity and plain rotten luck. It’s a fascinating portrait of passion, persistence, and resilience–a coming-of-age story populated with famous mentors and formidable adversaries, told with refreshing honesty and humor.
On Cohen’s journey, we meet an unforgettable, vividly rendered cast of characters, including: an Oscar-winning screenwriter who invites Cohen to his personal screening room for a marathon midnight writing session; a Tony Award-winning director making his comeback after a horrific accident renders him a quadriplegic; and a celebrated, volatile British director who inspires a fruitful collaboration in London, only to later leave carnage in his wake. Catastrophes abound, including the near-fatal stabbing of a female lead in rehearsal and an onstage accident incapacitating another leading lady–leaving only the author to go on in her place!
Whether you’re a fan of musicals or just someone who’s trying to bring a passion project into the world, this tale of fortitude in the face of obstacles, personalities, and egos will make for an eye-opening and frequently hilarious journey.
Author: Douglas J. Cohen
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Applause Books
Published: 09/01/2023
Pages: 272
Weight: 1.29lbs
Size: 9.23h x 6.37w x 0.94d
ISBN: 9781493075744
Language: English
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