RISE UP!

3.5 stars out of 5

Only twice in my life have I ever seen a real, live Broadway play; it happened sometime in the early 1980s when my husband and I accompanied a group of college business students who went to New York City to learn more about the garment industry. We managed to get discount tickets to two plays: "Noises Off," and "A Chorus Line." Both were awesome (the latter falling into the "OMG, I've died and gone to heaven" category). And while I've seen many Broadway touring company productions locally since then, nothing ever will compare to the "real" experience.

It was with that meager but thrilling experience in mind that I looked forward to reading this book, in which the author provides an inside look at some of the productions that have made an impact in ways far beyond simple entertainment. From "Angels in America" to "Hamilton," he examines how and why various shows have tried to shed light on societal issues like AIDS, slavery and divisive politics. It was interesting to learn, for instance, of Broadway's overall disdain for then-President Ronald Reagan, who refused to even acknowledge the existence of AIDS or, perhaps more importantly, approve funding for AIDS research. Also noteworthy, to me at least, was that when New York City virtually came to a halt after the horrific events of 9/11, city leaders including then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani ordered theater owners to reopen as a sign that the show - and in the broader sense the entire city - must go on.

In part because the book isn't very long, I'll leave the details of the plays to the author and you can read them for yourself. I must, however, note that I'm hoping it underwent a more thorough copy-editing before its release. I read an advance copy courtesy of the publisher (via NetGalley), for which I'm very appreciative. But I found numerous errors (it's Harriet TUBman, not TAUBman, for instance), and there's enough of what I'll call "jumping around" within the chapters that at times it's a little hard to follow. Overall, though, the author has put together an excellent history with insights that should enlighten theater-lovers everywhere. 

Rise Up! by Chris Jones (Methuen Drama, November 2018); 240 pp.