By Judy Samelson
07 Nov 2009

This month we page through new books that peek behind Forbidden Broadway's curtain, tell the true love story of Jerry and Elaine Orbach, re-imagine The Sound of Music, and offer advice from award-winning practitioners.

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Forbidden Broadway: Behind the Mylar Curtain
By Gerard Alessandrini with Michael Portantiere
Published by: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
Publication Date: November 2009
List price: $24.99 hardcover; 288 pages, illustrated

Gerard Alessandrini has made a career out of biting the hands that feed him—and making those hands applaud in the bargain. Alessandrini's creation, Forbidden Broadway, has been the culprit—a side-splitting revue that has spoofed the best of Broadway in 20 different incarnations over 30 years. Now, from the creator–writer–director himself, written with Michael Portantiere, comes the first-ever chronicle of the revue that has parodied stars from Merman to Minnelli, composers from Sondheim to Lloyd Webber and shows from Les Miz to Avenue Q. In this new book, Alessandrini, who received the 2006 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, looks back at the creation and evolution of Forbidden Broadway with, notes the publisher, "zany parodies, hilarious lyrics, and behind-the-scenes stories" from former cast members including Bryan Batt, Christine Pedi, Daniel Reichard and many more. In his dedication, Alessandrini salutes his family, "who taught me that no matter how brilliant a show is, you can always find something in it to criticize." This is a lesson he learned well, as chapters with titles such as "Cats, Phantoms, and More Misérables," "Teeny Todds and Grim Hotels" and "Who's Afraid of the Light in the Piazza?" attest. This "mockument" contains over 100 black-and-white and color illustrations from the various productions in New York, Los Angeles, London and worldwide as well as photos of the celebrities who came to laugh at themselves, including Carol Channing, who was an early supporter. When she discovered she wasn't in the the show, Channing actually lobbied Alessandrini to add a spoof of her, which he did, in a number called "Dolly is a Girl's Best Friend." Channing so loved the show that she brought pals Mary Martin and Ethel Merman to see it. As Alessandrini tells it, his mother was in the audience that night and after the curtain, she ran over to Merman and said, "Please pay no attention to anything my son says in the show. He really loves you and is a great fan of you both, so please forgive him." That, it turns out, is his open secret. Amid all the jabs and hilarious brickbats, Forbidden Broadway is what Alessandrini did—and does—for love.

Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage
By Jerry Orbach and Elaine Orbach with Ken Bloom
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: November 2009
List price: $23 hardcover; 208 pages

The late Jerry Orbach played a multitude of roles in his life—from El Gallo, narrator of the sweetly romantic tale of The Fantasticks (1960) to schlub-turned-romantic-lead Chuck Baxter in Promises, Promises (1968) to smiling, cynical Billy Flynn in the original Broadway production of Chicago (1975) to slave driver and star maker Julian Marsh in 42nd Street (1980) to Baby's solid, loving dad in "Dirty Dancing" (1987) to wisecracking Det. Lenny Briscoe on the original incarnation of television's long-running "Law & Order"—but perhaps his greatest was that of real-life husband to his wife of 25 years, Elaine. The two met when he was starring in Chicago and the School of American Ballet-trained Elaine was hired by Bob Fosse to stand by for the role of Velma Kelly. They married three years later. Over the course of their lives together, Jerry wrote countless notes and short love poems to his wife, often leaving them next to her coffee cup as he left for work in the morning. Elaine Orbach saved them all and has gathered some of the most meaningful, funny and moving in this new volume. With a Foreword by Sam Waterston and essays from some of Orbach's closest friends, the book also contains stories from the long and successful career of this actor, poet and, from all accounts, well-documented mensch and stands as a both a tribute to him and to an enduring love story.

The Sound of Music: A Classic Collectible Pop-Up
By Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lindsay & Crouse; Adapted by Bert Fink
Published by: Little Simon
Publication Date: October 27, 2009
List price: $26.99 hardcover

November 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lindsay & Crouse's The Sound of Music. The show, which opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 16, 1959, starred Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, and was, of course, turned into a classic family film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, thus ensuring its place in our collective memory. This month the hills have come alive again with the tale of Austria's von Trapp family in a most-unique offering for children (of all ages): a collectible pop-up book adapted by Bert Fink, a senior vice president at The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. Most pop-up books are all about the images and this one is no exception: Dan Andreasen's imaginative illustrations include the story's unforgettable scenes—the Nonnberg Abbey, the von Trapp's palatial home with the children lined up dutifully on the stairway, the stage of the Salzburg music festival—and the book's creative paper engineering by Bruce Foster brings these illustrations to life with intricate pop-up detail. However, what gives this volume an even greater interactive quality is the attention given the text. Each page features a small booklet that when opened reveals additional, smaller pop-up images as well as the adapted story. Fink has taken great care to utilize dialogue directly from the Lindsay & Crouse libretto and has planted lyrical clues throughout the prose for fans to pick out (each chapter, for instance, begins with a reference to a "favorite thing" such as "One of Maria's favorite things was to sing out loud" or "Singing together had become one of the von Trapp family's favorite things"). And as a special treat, lyrics from some of the musical's favorite songs are included—such as "Do–Re–Mi," "Edelweiss," "My Favorite Things" and the title song—making it difficult to resist the urge to sing along as you read.  Continued...

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