Theater Biography - Producers, Directors, and Other Theater Professionals, Family Memoirs & Histories, New York City - History, United States - Theater - History & Criticism
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Overview
Despite poor beginnings and near illiteracy, Sam Shubert (1875-1905) and his brothers Lee (1873?-1953) and J. J. (1878?-1963) created a theater monopoly unrivaled in history. Ruthless and rapacious, they attracted the most sought-after stars of the day, including Al Jolson, Carmen Miranda, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Mae West, and Fred Astaire. Today their many theaters, including the Majestic, the Booth, and the Shubert, are Broadway landmarks.Alternately feared and loathed for their totalitarian business tactics, the surviving brothers, Lee and J. J., remained outsiders to their success. Reclusive in their habits and ambivalent about their marriages, they refused to speak to each other as they ran their empire from separate buildings. The Boys from Syracuse captures brilliantly and evocatively the Shuberts' unparalleled accomplishments in American show business, and the complex, often bizarre, lives of the men behind the curtain.
Editorials
The Nation
Elegantly written.... Granted access to previously unpublished sources, Hirsch describes how, for the Shuberts, Broadway was Rome with a casting couch.Show Music
Hirsch presents the fascinating Shubert story, drawing on interviews with family members and others who worked for the brothers.Stage Directions
In The Boys from Syracuse: The Shuberts' Theatrical Empire, Foster Hirsch reveals an epic tale of business successes and shenanigans on an enormous scale. Making good use of original interview material, this vividly written chronicle... is an outstanding addition to the history of the American theater.Book Details
Published
June 30, 1998
Publisher
Carbondale, Ill. : Southern Illinois University Press, c1998.
Pages
352
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780809321568