On Broadway: From Rent to Revolution

by Drew Hodges, David Sedaris (Introduction), Chip Kidd (Foreword)

A visual and oral history of the past twenty years of theater, On Broadway pulls back the curtain to reveal the creative process involved in bringing a Broadway show to the stage and into the public consciousness through the words of Broadway’s most famous personalities and the art of SpotCo. The art created for a show provides audiences with a tangible, visual, and emotional connection with the theatrical experience. This collection of hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos, concept art, and posters, as well as personal anecdotes by and with some of Broadway’s most beloved stars, including John Leguizamo, Berry Gordy, Alison Bechdel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Ruffalo, Patrick Stewart, Bernadette Peters, Joel Grey, Harvey Fierstein, Sting, Dolly Parton, Neil LaBute, Cherry Jones, and more serves as the document of record of the shows and performers that have graced New York stages for the past two decades. Stories and art cover working with Jonathan Larson’s family and the producers on the campaign for Rent; Nicole Kidman on her decision to bare all during her photo shoot for The Blue Room ; selling the hip-hop Hamilton; and collaborating with the legendary Kander and Ebb on their revival of Chicago , in addition to stories about shows such as Annie Get Your Gun , Young Frankenstein , Freak , Avenue Q , Shrek , Pippin , Elaine At Liberty , Gypsy , and Kinky Boots .

Genres: Nonfiction, Theatre

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this beautiful book free from work and I love Broadway so I'm excited to read it!

[Michael McClain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel odd for having read a coffee table book cover to cover but it was fascinating to see what goes into creating some of the most indelible artwork and advertisements for commercial theatre. I remember looking at the covers of Playbills or marquees outside Broadway theaters and being struck by their indelible imagery, promising unique and profound experiences inside. I would’ve never thought that SO MUCH thought and care and time went into being a customer’s first point of contact with a show.
All the rejected art, the pieces that don’t land, that end up leading to some real classics...the people at SpotCo are no joke!

[Roberta]

I ordered this from the library not realizing it was a coffee table book, but wow what a gorgeous one. It’s filled with posters from Broadway shows starting with Rent and ending with Hamilton, along with discussion of the design ideas that went along with their creation. Anyone interested in Broadway or advertising would love this.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning book from beginning to endpapers. Pages and pages of beautiful designs and interviews that contradict each other sometimes in intriguing ways as people navigate the ins and outs of what makes a design work.

[Janeene · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun romp with many of Broadways finest and some I hadn't really heard of or known about -

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️
This book is full of such beautiful artwork and stories of Broadway musicals and plays.
I loved it! Naturally.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take your time reading and enjoying this gem. An interesting behind the scenes to musicals and beautiful art work.

[Heather McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colorful coffee table book that details decades of Broadway history (including potential hidden gems that were yet to be seen by the public).

[Cindy Kleback · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating history of Broadway told through the marketing pieces created by a theatrical ad agency. Who knew those existed? It was so interesting to see the creative process they went through to get to the final iconic images you may recognize if you are a Broadway fan.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for anyone interested in the art behind the Broadway marketing industry. Ever wonder about the iconic marquues, posters, and playbills of shows like Rent, Hamilton, or Kinky Boots? This book goes through the process of developing an ad campaign to sell the show to the public through art work and photography. Could influence many to get into this industry.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully presented book detailing 20 years worth the artwork and ad campaigns for Broadway shows done by SpotCo; a company whose first show was Rent and it's most recent was Hamilton. It was fun getting lost in the world of advertising and design as it applied specifically to how best to present a show that no one has seen, or revivals that everyone has already seen, and sell tickets. I guess after having watched so much Mad Men, I understood the idea of shaping the public's perception about a product, but had never given much thought to the fact that a show is indeed, a product and can be sold in many different ways. The book is organized with each show getting a two page spread featuring discarded comps, notes from producers, creatives, actors etc. and then the final product. It made for a fun coffee table book to pick up and read about a few shows at a time.

[Marci Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exquisite; I just have a few notes. If you love Broadway or graphic design, this is a fascinating look at the work of SpotCo, a Broadway ad agency that has produced some brilliant work. My complaints are minor. I couldn't always tell if some of the comps were alternate designs that didn't get used or whether they were adjustments or early designs. Sometimes the callouts were pulled from the copy, other times they were new information. And there were a few two-page spreads that seemed out of place in the otherwise chronological order. A little clarity on things would have made my rating a 5. Overall I loved reading. I felt like I spent a week on Broadway.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spotted this book in the Encore lounge at the Vets Auditorium in Providence when we were there for its Open House earlier this month. This book focuses on the graphic design on the advertising used in Broadway shows from Rent to Hamilton. As someone who works on flyers in Publisher at work, it's astounding to see how these graphic artists pull together their concepts. Wow. Really cool book.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great coffee table book for Broadway lovers. I am new to the world of Broadway so I don't know all but I feel a little duped. I luckily like design so this works in my favor but I was hoping for more of a back story and list of actors and such. It is largely pushed by SpotCo which is annoying, if they are going to constantly promote be up front from the beginning.

[LC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent graphic visualization of the art of Broadway. Especially interesting: variations and evolution of individual graphic treatments.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating glimpse into how the "look" of some of my favorite shows were made. One of those coffee table books you read down to the last little detail.

[Sarah Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at how design has the power to influence the way we view theatre, as well as how it determines the success of different shows

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved seeing the progressions, and the ones that never happened (like Wicked!)