BROADWAY'S BEST 1960

by John Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 6, 1960

This is the fourth annual statistical survey of the theatrical year compiled by the drama critic for the N.Y. Daily News. Chapman's selections for Broadway's Best: The Miracle Worker, Fiorello, The Tenth Man, Toys in the Attic, Bye Bye, Birdie, Duel of Angels, The Deadly Game, The Andersonville Trial, A Distant Bell, The Best Man, Five Finger Exercise, A Loss of Roses. He provides summaries of each of these plays, then a rundown of the season's entire offerings, month by month, on and off Broadway. He lists the Prize Plays, the longest runs, the holdovers from previous seasons, the likely new productions for the coming year, a list of books about the theatre published during the year and obituaries of theatrical personalities. In an opening section, A View of the Season Chapman discusses what he considers the crisis of the theatre (apart from the fact that the year '59-'60 was a financially poor one, for several reasons) and that, in his view, is the kind of drama offered: ""seamy, smudgy and discouraging to the point of nihilism"". He can only hope that the ""defeatist"" theatre will alter its sights and raise them. His annual survey is a useful record.

Pub Date: Jan. 6, 1960

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1960

Categories: NONFICTION