A fascinating look at the careers of some of Broadway's greatest female performers in their own words In Here's to the Ladies, the follow-up to Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater, theatre journalist Eddie Shapiro sits down for intimate, career-encompassing conversations with yet more of Broadway's most prolific and fascinating leading women.
Full of detailed stories and reflections, his conversations with such luminaries as Barbara Cook, Kelli O'Hara, Heather Headley, Faith Prince, Stephanie J. Block, Tonya Pinkins, and a host of others dig deep into each actor's career -together, these chapters tell the story of what it means to be a leading lady on Broadway over the past fifty years.
Alan Cumming described Nothing Like a Dame as "an encyclopedia of modern musical theatre via a series of tender meetings between a diehard fan and his idols. Because of Eddie Shapiro's utter guilelessness, these women open up and reveal more than they ever have before, and we get to be the third guest at each encounter." This new volume brings more fly-on-the-wall opportunities for fans to savour, students to study, and even the unindoctrinated to understand the life of the performing artist.
Industry Reviews
"Eddie Shapiro has gathered the best in business for another fascinating collection of interviews. Reading his work is like sitting down with old friends, where the conversation is easy and the laughs are plenty. This backstage tour de force is one of my all-time favorites and a must-have for any theater loverâs library." -- Susan Stroman, LGBTQ+ Studies
"I found this book to be truly amazing. These glorious women theater artists are almost all friends and colleagues of mine. Yet Eddie Shapiro's intimate conversations with them reveal aspects of their lives, careers, and the beautiful, raw humanity at the core of them and their experiences, that had me entranced, enlightened, and inspired. Eddie is a deeply prepared interviewer who doesn't back off of tough questions, and these goddesses of the theater, meet
him generously, courageously and directly. What a privilege for the reader to be invited into the tender nuances of their journeys." -- Donna Murphy
"Eddie Shapiro's personal warmth and genuine passion for musical theater sets the stage for these irresistible interviews. Talking to him for his last book felt like an in-depth conversation with an old friend. His knowledge and honest curiosity inspired me to open up in ways I never have before." -- Jonathan Groff
"It's so much fun when Eddie Shapiro asks you about what it was like, a long time ago, to do a certain play. And you get the pleasure of only thinking of the best things and the fun things. And his books are chalk full of that." -- Joel Grey
"Eddie Shapiro is not only an expert in theater but a gentle and expert interviewer, allowing the magnificent women in this book to open their hearts in the most forthright and intimate way-a fascinating chronicle of lives well-lived." -- Lynn Ahrens
"Having been forced to consider a world without Broadway for a couple years, this book celebrating some of its most wonderful practitioners arrives as even more of a gift. As in his previous works, Eddie knows just the right thing to ask and when to simply listen to give us unparalleled access to the very human people responsible for some of our most cherished experiences. Overflowing with insight and delight, it's equally valuable for curious audiences,
seasoned performers, and future generations of theater lovers." -- Michael Cerveris
"Eddie Shapiro accomplishes a great feat. He gets this glorious collection of artists to dig into the details of their work and the corners of their lives, sharing with us what they do and who they are, which are not always the same thing. Eddie's respect, wit, knowledge and absolute love for the musical theater is our guide to their greatness, and their greatness is our gift" -- Raúl Esparza
