At this theatre

About this book

Theatergoers' favorite history of Broadway is back in an updated and expanded 2010 edition that includes more than 500 color production photos, vintage archival photos, and PLAYBILL covers from all forty currently operating Broadway theatres. Thirty-eight of the original chapters have been expanded to cover all the shows that have opened since the popular 2002 edition, with two new chapters added to include Broadway theatres recently refurbished and returned to life. This unique chronicle is the first work to present a detailed theatre-by-theatre roundup of players and productions that have enchanted audiences at Broadway's great playhouses from 1900 to 2010. The work is an expanded treatment of "At This Theatre," the popular feature in PLAYBILL's Broadway theatre programs. "At This Theatre" offers playgoers instant nostalgia by listing notable hits (and some famed fiascos) that have played through the years in the theatre that they are attending. At This Theatre captures the magical world of Broadway and its theatres. From their own unique perspective, Viagas and Botto chronicle the stories of the forty active theatres on Broadway--from the conception and design of the buildings to their various transformations over the years, often under duress, to vaudeville and burlesque houses, to movie theatres and discos, and back again to showcases for the latest Broadway offerings. At This Theatre also pays tribute to the distinguished impresarios who built and managed these houses and the brilliant architects and interior designers who created them. At This Theatre is also filled with page after page of great stories featuring a cast of stars like Ethel Merman, David Merrick, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, and hundreds more. --Book Jacket.