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Broadway Yearbook 2000-2001: A Relevant and Irreverent Record
Broadway Yearbook 2000-2001 is a relevant and irreverent record of the theatrical year. A vivid album of the year on the Great White Way, Broadway Yearbook gives readers front-row seats for the phenomenon of The Producers and the rest of the season's hits and misses.
Steven Suskin's acclaimed new theatre annual delivers a vibrant, candid, and thoughtful account of every show to hit the exciting musicals such as The Full Monty and the revival of 42nd Street ; intriguing new plays like Proof and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife ; and fascinating failures, including Jane Eyre and the beleaguered Seussical . Broadway Yearbook tells us what the shows were actually like. It is an interpretive record, featuring not only dates and names but also the stories behind the statistics. Each entry is accompanied by credits and cast lists, scorecards summarizing overall critical reception for each show, a summary of each show's financial performance, and copies of the illustrative program covers and title pages. Appendices provide a roundup of the season's major awards, memorable performances of the year, obituaries, long run leaders, shows still running from prior seasons, scheduled shows that never reached Broadway, and a comprehensive index.
Steven Suskin has provided a unique and detailed record of the season's memorable moments and high points (and low points as well). Written from an insider's perspective, the book is knowledgeable, intriguing, provocative, and entertaining. Broadway Yearbook brings the shows of the 2000-2001 season back for an encore.
Steven Suskin's acclaimed new theatre annual delivers a vibrant, candid, and thoughtful account of every show to hit the exciting musicals such as The Full Monty and the revival of 42nd Street ; intriguing new plays like Proof and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife ; and fascinating failures, including Jane Eyre and the beleaguered Seussical . Broadway Yearbook tells us what the shows were actually like. It is an interpretive record, featuring not only dates and names but also the stories behind the statistics. Each entry is accompanied by credits and cast lists, scorecards summarizing overall critical reception for each show, a summary of each show's financial performance, and copies of the illustrative program covers and title pages. Appendices provide a roundup of the season's major awards, memorable performances of the year, obituaries, long run leaders, shows still running from prior seasons, scheduled shows that never reached Broadway, and a comprehensive index.
Steven Suskin has provided a unique and detailed record of the season's memorable moments and high points (and low points as well). Written from an insider's perspective, the book is knowledgeable, intriguing, provocative, and entertaining. Broadway Yearbook brings the shows of the 2000-2001 season back for an encore.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 28, 2017
I like Steven Suskin's Broadway Yearbook series very much. Each volume discusses all the Broadway shows of that season. In the 2000 - 2001 season, that included new shows such as The Full Monty, Seussical, Proof, A Class Act, King Headly II, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, and The Producers. There were also revivals, including Macbeth, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Best Man, Follies, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Bells Are Ringing, 42nd Street, and Hair.
There is a large amount of information about each production. Suskin writes about out of town try-outs, prior productions, reviews, theatres, performances, and much more.
But...
Let's start with Suskin's discussion of one play, Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love. This is fascinating. Suskin includes material about most of Stoppard's other plays, so we learn about what led up to Stoppard's writing this particular play. There is also a discussion of the director's prior career. Suskin contributes a very funny anecdote about a woman who appeared in one of Stoppard's plays and also raises tigers. As he does with each play, Suskin lists the cast, gives financial information relative to the play, shows how critics regarded it, and shows the front of the "Playbill." (By the way, this "Playbill" cover shows Hyppolyte Flandrin's painting Young Male Nude Seated beside the Sea.) You could hardly ask for a more complete summation.
Oh, just a couple of questions, though: what is The Invention of Love about and what did Suskin think about the acting? I dunno, he doesn't talk about that.
That's quite important information and it definitely should be included. And yet, Suskin's writing about this play feels very satisfactory. He is so entertaining that I didn't much miss the essential information he left out.
However, I repeat: the essential information.
One thing that consistently amazes me is the vastly different opinions Broadway critics have of some productions. Of course, there are times when the reviews are all positive or all negative. A production of Macbeth starring Kelsey Grammer was hated by all the critics; The Producers was loved. But the revival of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, for example, got one mixed review, four "raves" (Suskin's highest category), and five "pans" (the lowest category). For some reason, I tend to expect more agreement among theatre critics than I do with film critics.
And how valid are Suskin's own opinions? Without seeing any of these productions, I really can't judge.
Despite my complaints, I think this is a very good book, intelligent, funny, and filled with Suskin's insider information.
There is a large amount of information about each production. Suskin writes about out of town try-outs, prior productions, reviews, theatres, performances, and much more.
But...
Let's start with Suskin's discussion of one play, Tom Stoppard's The Invention of Love. This is fascinating. Suskin includes material about most of Stoppard's other plays, so we learn about what led up to Stoppard's writing this particular play. There is also a discussion of the director's prior career. Suskin contributes a very funny anecdote about a woman who appeared in one of Stoppard's plays and also raises tigers. As he does with each play, Suskin lists the cast, gives financial information relative to the play, shows how critics regarded it, and shows the front of the "Playbill." (By the way, this "Playbill" cover shows Hyppolyte Flandrin's painting Young Male Nude Seated beside the Sea.) You could hardly ask for a more complete summation.
Oh, just a couple of questions, though: what is The Invention of Love about and what did Suskin think about the acting? I dunno, he doesn't talk about that.
That's quite important information and it definitely should be included. And yet, Suskin's writing about this play feels very satisfactory. He is so entertaining that I didn't much miss the essential information he left out.
However, I repeat: the essential information.
One thing that consistently amazes me is the vastly different opinions Broadway critics have of some productions. Of course, there are times when the reviews are all positive or all negative. A production of Macbeth starring Kelsey Grammer was hated by all the critics; The Producers was loved. But the revival of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, for example, got one mixed review, four "raves" (Suskin's highest category), and five "pans" (the lowest category). For some reason, I tend to expect more agreement among theatre critics than I do with film critics.
And how valid are Suskin's own opinions? Without seeing any of these productions, I really can't judge.
Despite my complaints, I think this is a very good book, intelligent, funny, and filled with Suskin's insider information.
December 30, 2022
Another wonderful volume in Steven Suskin’s sadly short-lived series of book-length reports on turn of the century Broadway seasons.
Modeled on the William Goldman classic ‘The Season’ (which covered 1967-1968) the books are a terrific combination of criticism, reporting and history.
Suskin worked on Broadway in management before he become a critic and historian so we get a true insider’s view of the hits and flops that opened between 2000 and 2001.
Many of the productions are long forgotten but the season also included ‘Proof’ ‘The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife’ and the mega-hit ‘The Producers.’
I still miss Suskin’s affectionate and authoritative accounts of Broadway on a show-by-show basis.
Modeled on the William Goldman classic ‘The Season’ (which covered 1967-1968) the books are a terrific combination of criticism, reporting and history.
Suskin worked on Broadway in management before he become a critic and historian so we get a true insider’s view of the hits and flops that opened between 2000 and 2001.
Many of the productions are long forgotten but the season also included ‘Proof’ ‘The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife’ and the mega-hit ‘The Producers.’
I still miss Suskin’s affectionate and authoritative accounts of Broadway on a show-by-show basis.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews