THE PLAYMAKERS

by Stuart W. & Arthur Cantor Little ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1969

This is Broadway, the land of the Giants, and gnats -- a fun house of magic mirrors and tragic trap doors as seen by two men who know it from the best tables at Sardi's to the dilapidated ""diggers"" who front for the wealthy ""sidewalk men"" or scalpers. It's a long, rather fascinating, insider's examination of all of the components -- producers, directors, actors, agents, managers, lawyers, backers, play-wrights, and critics with a lot of intimate details -- Paddy Chayefsky lamenting the two years' work that went into the fifteen performances of The Passion of Josef D.; power manipulations of contract negotiators; who gets to sit where on opening night: what Israel Horovitz does to keep his mind off his play; what ""ice"" means etc. There's a look at the Off-Broadway establishment and an analysis of actors' sex and psychological problems, homosexuality and the rise of nudity. All of which combines to place this somewhere between a gossipy guide and a Variety show case.

Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1969

ISBN: 1583483829

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1969

Categories: NONFICTION