Books for Broadway Fans

There are so many books in the world there is bound to be some for your favorite fandoms. So today I curated a list for the Broadway fans!

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Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich, with Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul

While many Broadway shows are inspired by literature, Dear Evan Hansen is the other way around. The musical inspired this book and tells the story from stage to page.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

This graphic novel is the inspiration for the Tony winning musical of the same name. Alison shares her story of her relationship with her father, his closeted homosexuality, and her coming out in late adolescence.

Hamilton: The Revolution by Jeremy McCarter and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton: The Revolution, also known as the Hamiltome by fans, gives readers an unprecedented view of both revolutions, from the only two writers able to provide it. Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, a cultural critic and theater artist who was involved in the project from its earliest stages–“since before this was even a show,” according to Miranda–trace its development from an improbable perfor­mance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later.

Life Is Like a Musical: How to Live, Love, and Lead Like a Star by Tim Federle

Life Is Like a Musical is a self-help book with life lessons learned while in the show business. It is a guide to getting ahead in life, love, and leadership-Broadway style.

Up in the Cheap Seats: A Historical Memoir of Broadway by Ron Fassler

In this amusing and wholesome memoir, Ron Fassler tells the stories of how over a four-year span, between the ages of 12-16, he saw 200 Broadway plays and musicals, such as Company, 1776, The Great White Hope, Hair, Follies and Pippin, all up in the cheap seats.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

The inspiration behind the smash musical Wicked, this book is actually the first in a four book series about the citizens of Oz. There is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot

You’re probably thinking what does a T.S. Eliot poetry book have to do with Broadway? Simple: this book is the inspiration behind the musical Cats. Take a peek into the mind of Andrew Lloyd Webber by reading the poems that created the likes of Rum Tug Tugger and Grizabella.

Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution by Todd S. Purdum

Take a look at one of the most well-known and influential creative duos in all of Broadway history with this biography of the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music: Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Fraver by Design: Five Decades of Theatre Poster Art From Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Beyond by Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo

From The Lion King to Moose Murders and from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to Agatha Christieʼs The Mousetrap, celebrate the Drama Desk Award-winning artwork of Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo with more than 250 of his theatre poster designs from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and around the globe.

You in Five Acts by Una LaMarche

For those who want a fiction option, this YA novel follows five friends at a prestigious New York City performing arts school all chasing their own dreams and experiencing the change, stress, and growth of being a teen.

What books do you recommend for Broadway fans? Let me know in the comments below.

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