-
Sense of Occasion
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Entertainment & Performing Arts
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $20.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
All About Me!
- My Remarkable Life in Show Business
- By: Mel Brooks
- Narrated by: Mel Brooks
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,249
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,028
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,018
At 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful and nostalgic
- By GAT on 12-07-21
By: Mel Brooks
-
Putting It Together
- How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George
- By: James Lapine
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper, Alyssa Bresnahan, Eva Kaminsky, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 136
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 133
Putting It Together chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical. Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of that journey, one that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Revisiting a truly great theatrical experience
- By Robert Beuth on 08-10-21
By: James Lapine
-
I Was Better Last Night
- A Memoir
- By: Harvey Fierstein
- Narrated by: Harvey Fierstein
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 382
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 344
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 340
Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. He’s received accolades and awards for acting in and/or writing an incredible string of hit plays, films, and TV shows: Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Cheers, La Cage Aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies, and Kinky Boots.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it
- By Mary Ellen Guadagno on 03-09-22
By: Harvey Fierstein
-
Singular Sensation
- The Triumph of Broadway
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 44
The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the '90s, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Why Didn’t Michael Riedel Read This Himself?
- By Tallulah on 01-17-22
By: Michael Riedel
-
The Secret Life of the American Musical
- How Broadway Shows Are Built
- By: Jack Viertel
- Narrated by: David Pittu
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 210
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 192
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 192
For almost a century, Americans have been losing their hearts and losing their minds in an insatiable love affair with the American musical. It often begins in actors and reaches its passionate zenith when it comes time for love, marriage, and children, who will start the cycle all over again. Americans love musicals. Americans invented musicals. Americans perfected musicals. But what, exactly, is a musical?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great review lacked music
- By joseph f mcgovern on 10-14-18
By: Jack Viertel
-
Mike Nichols
- A Life
- By: Mark Harris
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 20 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 514
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 445
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 442
By the acclaimed author of Pictures at a Revolution and Five Came Back comes a magnificent biography of one of the most protean creative forces in American entertainment history, a life of dazzling highs and vertiginous plunges - some of the worst largely unknown until now. Mark Harris explores, with brilliantly vivid detail and insight, the life, work, struggle, and passion of an artist and man in constant motion.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved the book, but driven nuts my mispronounced names.
- By Amazon Customer on 02-14-21
By: Mark Harris
-
All About Me!
- My Remarkable Life in Show Business
- By: Mel Brooks
- Narrated by: Mel Brooks
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,249
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,028
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,018
At 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful and nostalgic
- By GAT on 12-07-21
By: Mel Brooks
-
Putting It Together
- How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George
- By: James Lapine
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper, Alyssa Bresnahan, Eva Kaminsky, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 136
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 133
Putting It Together chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical. Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of that journey, one that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Revisiting a truly great theatrical experience
- By Robert Beuth on 08-10-21
By: James Lapine
-
I Was Better Last Night
- A Memoir
- By: Harvey Fierstein
- Narrated by: Harvey Fierstein
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 382
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 344
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 340
Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. He’s received accolades and awards for acting in and/or writing an incredible string of hit plays, films, and TV shows: Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Cheers, La Cage Aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies, and Kinky Boots.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it
- By Mary Ellen Guadagno on 03-09-22
By: Harvey Fierstein
-
Singular Sensation
- The Triumph of Broadway
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 44
The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the '90s, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Why Didn’t Michael Riedel Read This Himself?
- By Tallulah on 01-17-22
By: Michael Riedel
-
The Secret Life of the American Musical
- How Broadway Shows Are Built
- By: Jack Viertel
- Narrated by: David Pittu
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 210
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 192
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 192
For almost a century, Americans have been losing their hearts and losing their minds in an insatiable love affair with the American musical. It often begins in actors and reaches its passionate zenith when it comes time for love, marriage, and children, who will start the cycle all over again. Americans love musicals. Americans invented musicals. Americans perfected musicals. But what, exactly, is a musical?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great review lacked music
- By joseph f mcgovern on 10-14-18
By: Jack Viertel
-
Mike Nichols
- A Life
- By: Mark Harris
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 20 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 514
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 445
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 442
By the acclaimed author of Pictures at a Revolution and Five Came Back comes a magnificent biography of one of the most protean creative forces in American entertainment history, a life of dazzling highs and vertiginous plunges - some of the worst largely unknown until now. Mark Harris explores, with brilliantly vivid detail and insight, the life, work, struggle, and passion of an artist and man in constant motion.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved the book, but driven nuts my mispronounced names.
- By Amazon Customer on 02-14-21
By: Mark Harris
-
The Untold Stories of Broadway
- Tales from the World's Most Famous Theaters, Volume 1
- By: Jennifer Ashley Tepper
- Narrated by: John David Farrell, Rebecca Surmont
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 69
From Broadway debuts to landmark productions. Score a front row seat to hear hundreds of stories about the most important stages in the world, seen through the eyes of the producers, actors, stage hands, writers, musicians, company managers, dressers, designers, directors, ushers, and door men who bring The Great White Way to life each night. You'll never look at Broadway the same way again.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Broadway book!
- By NYreader on 09-23-14
-
Hello, Molly!
- A Memoir
- By: Molly Shannon, Sean Wilsey
- Narrated by: Molly Shannon
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,114
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,002
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 993
At age four, Molly Shannon’s world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Molly is a superstar!!!
- By Marlene on 04-29-22
By: Molly Shannon, and others
-
Lord Knows, At Least I Was There
- Working with Stephen Sondheim
- By: Paul Ford, Mandy Patinkin - foreword
- Narrated by: Paul Ford
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3
When the Atlanta-born Paul Ford first fell in love with the American musical theater at the age of five, he never imagined that his future skills as a "piano thumper" would lead him to a career on Broadway playing rehearsals or in the "pit" for classic Stephen Sondheim musicals and numerous concerts, birthday tributes, and television spectaculars. Now retired, the candid (and admittedly opinionated) author looks back on the performances and personalities that defined the American musical theater in the waning years of the 20th century.
By: Paul Ford, and others
-
Razzle Dazzle
- The Battle for Broadway
- By: Michael Riedel
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 167
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 151
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 150
Razzle Dazzle is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people, money, and power that reinvented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way - and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Too long and boring in spite of a vibrant subject
- By harry rohme on 03-04-18
By: Michael Riedel
-
Playing with Myself
- By: Randy Rainbow
- Narrated by: Randy Rainbow
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 354
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 323
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 323
Randy Rainbow, the man who conquered the internet with a stylish pair of pink glasses, an inexhaustible knowledge of Broadway musicals, and the most gimlet-eyed view of American politics this side of Mark Twain finally tells all in Playing with Myself, a memoir sure to cause more than a few listeners to begin singing one of his greatest hits like “A Spoonful of Clorox” or “Cover Your Freakin’ Face”.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I was left wanting MORE!
- By T. Widegren on 04-19-22
By: Randy Rainbow
-
I Got the Show Right Here
- The Amazing, True Story of How an Obscure Brooklyn Horn Player Became the Last Great Broadway Showman
- By: Cy Feuer, Ken Gross
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
Guys & Dolls...The Boyfriend...How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying...Can-Can... These are just a few of the many Broadway shows produced by the legendary Cy Feuer, who, in partnership with the late Ernest H. Martin, brought to life many of America's most enduring musicals. Cy Feuer was at the center of these creations, as well as the films based on two of Broadway's most exceptional musicals, Cabaret and A Chorus Line. He was the man in charge, the one responsible for putting everything together, and - almost more important - for holding it together.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating but flawed.
- By Stewart Gooderman on 08-15-15
By: Cy Feuer, and others
-
Something Wonderful
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution
- By: Todd S. Purdum
- Narrated by: Todd S. Purdum
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 383
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 335
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 332
They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Rediscovery of an innovative team of artists
- By Brian T. on 04-14-18
By: Todd S. Purdum
-
Fosse
- By: Sam Wasson
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 21 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 183
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 161
We see Bob Fosse's legacy everywhere - from Broadway to "Billy Jean" to Beyoncé's moves in the "Single Ladies" video. Yet in spite of Fosse'sdeep cultural significance, no biography has ever brought him fully to life, unveiling the man behind the bowler hat and the swaggering sex appeal.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
High concept biography, well executed
- By Keith on 03-06-18
By: Sam Wasson
-
The Street Where I Live
- By: Alan Jay Lerner
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
This warm, loving, and often hilarious personal history of My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Gigi describes the cast of a great era in American musical theater: Moss Heart, Fritz Loewe, Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Cecil Beaton, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier, Leslie Caron, Vincente Minelli, Arthur Freed, and many others. How these people worked together to conceive, finance, write, produce, stage, and present these brilliant shows is detailed here.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
the street where I live
- By Karen Creeden on 12-02-20
By: Alan Jay Lerner
-
A Life in Movies
- Stories from 50 Years in Hollywood
- By: Irwin Winkler
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
This is an engrossing and candid book, a beguiling exploration of what it means to be a producer, including purchasing rights, developing scripts, casting actors, managing directors, editing film, and winning awards. Filled with tales of legendary and beloved films, as well as some not-so-legendary and forgotten ones, A Life in Movies takes listeners behind the scenes and into the history of Hollywood.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
ONLY ONE WAY THIS BOOK COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
- By David from Vermont on 09-22-19
By: Irwin Winkler
-
Still Here
- The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch
- By: Alexandra Jacobs
- Narrated by: Andréa Burns
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
Still Here is the first full telling of Elaine Stritch’s life. Rollicking but intimate, it tracks one of Broadway’s great personalities from her upbringing in Detroit during the Great Depression to her fateful move to New York City, where she studied alongside Marlon Brando, Bea Arthur, and Harry Belafonte. We accompany Elaine through her jagged rise to fame, to Hollywood and London, and across her later years, when she enjoyed a stunning renaissance, punctuated by a turn on the popular television show 30 Rock.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Phenomenal account of a Broadway Icon
- By Donna Deal on 12-30-19
By: Alexandra Jacobs
-
In the Heights
- Finding Home
- By: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Jeremy McCarter
- Narrated by: America Ferrera, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 128
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 118
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 117
In 2008, In the Heights, a new musical from up-and-coming young artists, electrified Broadway. The show’s vibrant mix of Latin music and hip-hop captured life in Washington Heights, the Latino neighborhood in upper Manhattan. It won four Tony Awards and became an international hit, delighting audiences around the world. For the film version, director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) brought the story home, filming its spectacular dance numbers on location in Washington Heights.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
As always, stunning!
- By Maura on 06-16-21
By: Lin-Manuel Miranda, and others
Publisher's Summary
In this fast-moving, candid, conversational, and entertaining memoir, Harold Prince, the most honored director/producer in the history of the American theater looks back over his 70-year career.
In 1974, Prince released his first book, Contradictions: Notes on Twenty-Six Years in the Theatre. Although Contradictions has since attained cult status among producers, directors, and actors alike, Prince, in hindsight, believes he wasn't ready to publish such a tome at that point in his career. Although he doesn't regret that effort, he is at last prepared to conclude it. In Sense of Occasion, Prince returns to this seminal text, invigorating it with fresh insights cultivated through four decades of additional practice.
As well as detailing his titanic successes that changed the form and content of the American musical theater, Prince evenhandedly reflects on the shows that didn't work, most memorably and painfully Merrily We Roll Along. Throughout, he offers insights into the way business is conducted on Broadway, drawing sharp contrasts between past and present. This thoughtful, complete account of one of the most legendary and long-lived careers in theater history, by the man who lived it, is an essential work of personal and professional recollection.
More from the same
What listeners say about Sense of Occasion
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alan Mohney
- 01-06-22
Brilliant
The insight from someone who is so deeply etched into the fabric of musical theater is fascinating.
