The Ultimate Broadway Musical List Book

by Steven M. Friedman

From Showboat to Hamilton, American musical theater has long held the imagination of the nation's theatergoers. Those who love Broadway musicals always have their favorites-their all-time bests, their most reviled shows, and the ones that are absolutely unforgettable. The Ultimate Broadway Musical List Book considers the history of the Broadway musical from the unique perspective of the list-the bests and worsts of various eras, the groundbreaking shows and the forgotten gems. Author Steven M. Friedman explores the musicals of the last ninety years, taking apart favorites and flops alike in numerous creative ways. These lists offer facts and background that stimulate laugh and discussion, provoke passionate reactions, and provide tons of fun for any Broadway enthusiast. Offering a new twist on the subject, this collection explores Broadway musicals and their history and provides intriguing background for music theater aficionados of all levels.

294 pages, Paperback

Published February 16, 2016

Reviews

[Kathryn Rosenberg]

A list book? (I'm a sucker for lists!) A book about Broadway musicals? (I'm the hugest musical fan ever!) Seemed like a no-fail proposition! EXCEPT that this self-published tome is repetitive, dull, and appallingly written, and seems not to have been edited or proofread at all. The only reason I finished reading it was so that I could authoritatively state that it was terrible.

[Ken Nelson]

It's really sad that these folks could not afford a proofreader before publishing. I can't remember when I read something so full of typos. For example, the book explains why THE BOY FROM OZ staring Hugh Jackman was such a hit: it was because "twice during the show, he takes his short off."

[Katherine]

Filled with a MILLION typos and grammatical errors! Diminishes any fun, sadly.

[Russell Sanders]

I have no doubt if I met Steven M. Friedman I would enjoy conversing with him. He seems like a genial fellow, and with our shared passion for Broadway musicals, we would most likely talk for hours. Friedman gives lectures on cruise ships about musicals. The final chapter of is book The Ultimate Broadway Musical List Book was enjoyable to read, for it not only explained why he wrote this book but it also related some heartfelt experiences he had while lecturing. His lectures apparently are peppered with songs from shows that he sings himself, and—we only have his word for this—he is an accomplished singer. So I’m sure those folks onboard who are tired of trivia games and getting baked in the sun must truly enjoy Friedman’s presentations. That being said, this is one of the most terribly written books I’ve ever tried to read. It would have benefitted from a good editor (it appears no editing whatsoever was done, including proofreading.) The book is riddled with typos, i.e. Cole Perter, instead of Cole Porter; Richard Rogers, instead of Rodgers. The most egregious of these typos is the first essay on the musical Oklahoma! That famous title has always ended in an exclamation point. But here it ends, each time in the essay, with two exclamation points. And to make it worse, when the state of Oklahoma is mentioned in the essay, there is, included, a single exclamation point as if the state’s name has that punctuation after it. If Friedman paid for editing, he was ripped off. Friedman’s writing, too, needs a lot of work. I’m sure in his lectures, he can speak conversationally and punctuation is implied, but in writing, one needs commas to make things clear, and I found myself re-reading sentences trying to figure out where a comma should be mentally inserted to make sense of the words before me. Friedman also quite often uses poor word choice. For example, in writing about A Chorus Line, he says, “Michael Bennet wanted to create a memoir to the Broadway Gypsies.” A memoir is typically an autobiography of sorts, written about one’s own life. Bennet was indeed a Broadway gypsy (a dancer,) but A Chorus Line is more accurately a tribute to the Broadway dancers or a Valentine, if one wants to get metaphorical. This kind of imprecise word choice is rampant throughout the book. And, sadly, for a man who is so steeped in and so in love with the genre, Friedman doesn’t tell us enough, at times, to figure out what he is talking about. The musical Sunday in the Park with George in the first act ends with a re-creation of Seurat’s famous painting A Sunday on La Grande Jatte. But Friedman makes a statement about “the painting” without ever telling us there was a painting in the show, and thus his description of the first act finale makes absolutely no sense. This sort of thing happens throughout the book. Friedman also should have realized that most people would likely read his book cover to cover. He puts several shows repeatedly in various lists. And when he writes about those shows, he says just about the same thing. We hear multiple times that Neil Simon’s musical scripts were not as good as his plays. We hear the anecdote about Patti Lupone sleeping through an entrance twice in the book. The book, too, is not very comprehensive. Friedman sticks to a handful of shows (which we find in a list late in the book labeled as his favorites.) So endlessly, we hear the virtues of a few shows, and a novice could be led to believe that in the entire history of Broadway, there were only about twenty shows worth watching. And laughably, in his list of audition songs for women, his intro states “A myth to consider: never sing Sondheim. That is just wrong.” He doesn’t explain this statement, but he does go on to expound on five or six Sondheim songs that should be used for auditions. If I were auditioning, based on his previous statement, I’d be convinced that Sondheim songs for auditions are toxic. Speaking of Sondheim, I suppose many people who are not even interested in theater would realize Friedman is talking about Stephen Sondheim, the composer and lyricist. But other show creators, mostly lyricists and book writers, Friedman refers to only by their last names, leaving the reader to wonder who he is talking about and, in many cases, what their contribution to the show was. I rarely diss a book so strongly. As a writer myself, I know how a bad review stings. But as a consumer who values his budget and as a musical-lover who feels the history is sacred almost, I have to warn people against purchasing this horrible book. Be forewarned. Proceed at your own risk.

[Edmund]

This was a gift I received a little over two years ago. I appreciate the spirit in which it was given and the author's zeal and breadth of knowledge of the Broadway musical. That's why I'm giving it two stars rather than one.

This self-published love letter to musical theatre is the worst edited and copyedited book I've ever seen. While initially distracting, I came to expect poorly written prose and errors in every entry. Nevertheless, it can serve as a useful reference volume. Friedman seems to lose steam at the end, offering lists with little explanation or justification for inclusion. The book itself represents the foundation for fun, engaging, and spirited debate, as he acknowledges the inherent subjectivity of his endeavor. But he should be executed for its execution. I kid, I kid. I do appreciate his passion for the subject matter. This was a chore to plow through and I made it only because of my own passion for and interest in Broadway musicals.

[Joan Foss]

I would never have purchased or read this book unless I met the author this April on a TransAtlantic cruise. His daily podium Broadway discussions for 6 days at sea were fascinating and filled the theater. His singing added to the enjoyment. The book is a trip for me down memory lane through the decades. My Broadway shows seen in New York were all spectacular: "Most Happy Fella", "Man of La Mancha", "Mame", "Chorus Line" and "Cats" and I wish I had all the Playbills. Interesting lists in the book and lots of tidbits on why some shows never made it, and others did. Thank you Mr. Friedman. I learned a lot.

[Jana]

I was really excited to read this book. I love musical theater opinion books of all kinds. Except the kinds that are full of typos and errors. I've seen tweets with better grammar. This was brutal to get through. That said, I bet this author is really great at speaking about musical theater history.

[Pat Kiser]

A trip down memory lane. It is fun when your tastes agree so clisely