{"product_id":"how-to-survive-a-killer-musical-agony-and-ecstasy-on-the-road-to-broadway-9781493075744","title":"How to Survive a Killer Musical: Agony and Ecstasy on the Road to Broadway","description":"When the young composer-lyricist Douglas Cohen first secured the musical rights to the novel No Way to Treat a Lady by William Goldman--the acclaimed author of The Princess Bride and Marathon Man--he hoped it would be his big break, the first step on a gilt path to artistic triumph and commercial success in the form of a hit Broadway musical. What happened after that, while memorable, was anything but. How to Survive a Killer Musical chronicles Cohen's decade-long quest to bring that musical to the stage--writing, re-writing, and shepherding it across the US and Europe amidst all manner of adversity and plain rotten luck. It's a fascinating portrait of passion, persistence, and resilience--a coming-of-age story populated with famous mentors and formidable adversaries, told with refreshing honesty and humor. On Cohen's journey, we meet an unforgettable, vividly rendered cast of characters, including: an Oscar-winning screenwriter who invites Cohen to his personal screening room for a marathon midnight writing session; a Tony Award-winning director making his comeback after a horrific accident renders him a quadriplegic; and a celebrated, volatile British director who inspires a fruitful collaboration in London, only to later leave carnage in his wake. Catastrophes abound, including the near-fatal stabbing of a female lead in rehearsal and an onstage accident incapacitating another leading lady--leaving only the author to go on in her place! Whether you're a fan of musicals or just someone who's trying to bring a passion project into the world, this tale of fortitude in the face of obstacles, personalities, and egos will make for an eye-opening and frequently hilarious journey.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Applause Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781493075744\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.29lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.23h x 6.37w x 0.94d","brand":"Douglas J. Cohen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43096188846261,"sku":"9781493075744","price":25.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_391199a9-1068-46dc-b41e-0e1d3b7fa5a6.jpg?v=1692803358","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/how-to-survive-a-killer-musical-agony-and-ecstasy-on-the-road-to-broadway-9781493075744","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}