42nd Street's Theaters Chronicled in New Book

Got a fascinating package in the mail over the weekend. Actually, a very heavy envelope that had a very glossy promotional piece for a new book that's coming out in September: The Story of 42nd Street inside it. "Story" has been written by Mary C. Henderson (one-time curator of the theatre collection at the Museum of the City of New York) and Alexis greene (author of The Lion King: Pride Rock on Broadway and Lucille Lortel: The Queen of Off-Broadway).

Henderson and Greene's new undertaking is summed up best by the bok's subtitle: "The Theatres, Shows, Characters and Scandals of the World's Most Notorious Street," chronicling events on the street from the moment that the first theater went up there in 1899 through its reclamation in the 1990s.

The book is divided into chapters that are dedicated to each theater. Some of them are still with us, even if they've been renamed. Others are just memories – like The Eltinge and The Cnadler (built in 1912 and 1914, respectively). The promotional piece promises that within the chapters ther will be some 25 color illustrations and 125 black and white ones.

"Story" looks as if it's going to be a fascinating and probably "must have" release when it comes out in September from Back Stage Books.

For more information, visit: Back Stage Books. Amazon.com is also taking preoders. You can click here to see the listing there.