“Broadway is a commercial institution. It has nothing whatsoever to do with pretentious artistic notions. It’s there for one purpose, and one purpose alone— to make money.” So begins the comments by the successful Broadway and television producer Alexander Cohen made just before his recent death—his thoughts on the state of Broadway today. “The theatre is too much in transition [these days]. It’s static; treading water, so to speak. I’m only interested in keeping my current shows open as long as I can.” The words of Sir Cameron Mackintosh—his personal views on the current state of the art. Executive Producer Steven Rivellino has taken a long hard look at the business of theatre—Broadway and the West End—at the turn of this new century, and Bright Lights, Big Changes is his own candid personal analysis. Rivellino, author of the successful Mysterious Places, Mysterious Dreams, has cleverly zeroed in on what makes the industry tick. He easily articulates how the industry has changed; how we arrived where we are today; and openly discusses some of the current and future trends in theatrical production we will be seeing in the coming years. Bright Lights, Big Changes is a cogent and succinct analysis of the business of theatre today, on both sides of the Atlantic—a must read for anyone working within the industry, students of theatre; and for those passionate theatre lovers worldwide.

“Broadway is a commercial institution. It has nothing whatsoever to do with pretentious artistic notions. It’s there for one purpose, and one purpose alone— to make money.” So begins the comments by the successful Broadway and television producer Alexander Cohen made just before his recent death—his thoughts on the state of Broadway today. “The theatre is too much in transition [these days]. It’s static; treading water, so to speak. I’m only interested in keeping my current shows open as long as I can.” The words of Sir Cameron Mackintosh—his personal views on the current state of the art. Executive Producer Steven Rivellino has taken a long hard look at the business of theatre—Broadway and the West End—at the turn of this new century, and Bright Lights, Big Changes is his own candid personal analysis. Rivellino, author of the successful Mysterious Places, Mysterious Dreams, has cleverly zeroed in on what makes the industry tick. He easily articulates how the industry has changed; how we arrived where we are today; and openly discusses some of the current and future trends in theatrical production we will be seeing in the coming years. Bright Lights, Big Changes is a cogent and succinct analysis of the business of theatre today, on both sides of the Atlantic—a must read for anyone working within the industry, students of theatre; and for those passionate theatre lovers worldwide.

First Impressions: Observations on Theater and Books is a selection of the author’s previous writing for periodicals, chiefly during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, when he was starting out as a commentator on the arts. The period coincides with the escalation of the Viet Nam war and the emergence of the counter culture—events dealt with in part. But its scope is wide; in its sharpness, clarity, and zestful versatility, the book has a certain kinship with Edmund Wilson. One section is new and written expressly for this volume—a memoir-essay on Judith Malina and Julian Beck of The Living Theatre and their at times bizarre avant-garde world, as it was observed by the author in the 1950’s when he was new to New York and still in his teens.

First Impressions: Observations on Theater and Books is a selection of the author’s previous writing for periodicals, chiefly during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, when he was starting out as a commentator on the arts. The period coincides with the escalation of the Viet Nam war and the emergence of the counter culture—events dealt with in part. But its scope is wide; in its sharpness, clarity, and zestful versatility, the book has a certain kinship with Edmund Wilson. One section is new and written expressly for this volume—a memoir-essay on Judith Malina and Julian Beck of The Living Theatre and their at times bizarre avant-garde world, as it was observed by the author in the 1950’s when he was new to New York and still in his teens.

“Broadway is a commercial institution. It has nothing whatsoever to do with pretentious artistic notions. It’s there for one purpose, and one purpose alone— to make money.” So begins the comments by the successful Broadway and television producer Alexander Cohen made just before his recent death—his thoughts on the state of Broadway today. “The theatre is too much in transition [these days]. It’s static; treading water, so to speak. I’m only interested in keeping my current shows open as long as I can.” The words of Sir Cameron Mackintosh—his personal views on the current state of the art. Executive Producer Steven Rivellino has taken a long hard look at the business of theatre—Broadway and the West End—at the turn of this new century, and Bright Lights, Big Changes is his own candid personal analysis. Rivellino, author of the successful Mysterious Places, Mysterious Dreams, has cleverly zeroed in on what makes the industry tick. He easily articulates how the industry has changed; how we arrived where we are today; and openly discusses some of the current and future trends in theatrical production we will be seeing in the coming years. Bright Lights, Big Changes is a cogent and succinct analysis of the business of theatre today, on both sides of the Atlantic—a must read for anyone working within the industry, students of theatre; and for those passionate theatre lovers worldwide.