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February 2024 MBR The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
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Midwest Book Review
Feb 18, 2024, 4:37:42 PMFeb 18
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The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Jesus Christ Superstar
Ellis Nassour
Applause Books
c/o Globe Pequot
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781493068043, $36.95, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Christ-Superstar-Worldwide-Phenomenon/dp/1493068040
Synopsis: In 1969, when Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice decided to write a rock opera about Jesus Christ, they had little idea they were about to embark on one of the most popular, boundary-pushing, and influential musicals ever.
The show's success was hardly assured at first: unable to secure enough funding, they initially resorted to just releasing its title song as a single. A full album followed to widespread acclaim, and only then could a full production get underway. More than fifty years later, Jesus Christ Superstar continues to be beloved in all its forms -- the live show, various cast albums, and the wildly successful movie.
Few people had the chance to witness the musical's evolution from as many angles as Ellis Nassour, whether collaborating with Rice and Lloyd Webber at MCA, writing for the New York Times, or assisting with the Broadway and LA productions. In this expansive, beautifully illustrated book, Nassour draws on a wealth of knowledge, first-hand experience, and new interviews to give the definitive story of the musical.
Combining an engaging narrative with abundant photographs (many in color and never before published) he follows the show from its uncertain beginnings, through setbacks and controversies, to Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's ultimate triumph, serving up an unparalleled look at one of the most important and best-selling musical works of all time.
Critique: Simply stated, "Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon" by Ellis Nassour is an essential 'must read' selection for the legions of Jesus Christ Superstar fans. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49). "Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon" will prove to be an immediately-in-demand and enduringly popular addition to community and college/university library Theatre/Cinema collections and Music History/Broadway Musical curriculum studies lists.
Apocalypse Television
David Craig, author
Applause Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781493079179, $36.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Television-After-Helped-Cold/dp/1493079174
Synopsis: On November 20, 1983, a three-hour made-for-TV movie, "The Day After" premiered on ABC. Set in the heartland of Lawrence, Kansas, the film depicted the events before, during, and after a Soviet nuclear attack with vivid scenes of the post-apocalyptic hellscape that would follow.
The film was viewed by over 100 million Americans and remains the highest rated TV movie in history. After the premiere, ABC News aired an episode of Viewpoint, a live special featuring some of the most prominent public intellectuals of the debating the virtues of the Arms Race and the prospect of a winnable nuclear war. The response to the film proved more powerful than perhaps any film or television program in the history of media. Aside from its record-shattering Nielsen ratings, it enjoyed critical acclaim as well as international box office success in theatrical screenings.
The path to primetime for "The Day After" proved nearly as treacherous as the film's narrative. Battles ensued behind the scenes at the network, between the network and the filmmakers, with Broadcast Standards and Ad Sales, in the edit room and on the set, including the "nuke-mares" experienced by the cast.
After the director was pushed aside, he contemplated suicide while also engineering a comeback through the press. But these skirmishes pale in comparison to the culture wars triggered by the film in the press, alongside a growing Nuclear Freeze movement, and from a united, pro-nuclear Right. Once efforts to alter the script failed, the White House conducted a full-throttled propaganda campaign to hijack the film's message.
With the publications of "Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War", Professor David Craig features a dramatic insider's account of the making of and backlash against "The Day After".
No other study has told this story in similar fashion, taking the reader behind-the-scenes of the programming and news divisions at ABC, Reagan officials in the White House who mounted the propaganda campaign, rogue publicists who hijacked the film to promote a Nuclear Freeze, the backlash from the conservative movement and Religious Right, the challenges encountered by film's production team from conception to reception, and the experiences of the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, where the film was set and shot, if also, ground zero in America's nuclear heartland.
Critique: An inherently fascinating read from beginning to end, "Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War" is an extraordinary and seminal study that will prove to be of immense value for readers with an interest in television history/criticism, and the cultural/political impact of movies and the performing arts. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Apocalypse Television" is unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library 20th Century Film collections and Cinematic History curriculum studies. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Apocalypse Television" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.65) as well.
Editorial Note: David Craig (https://www.davidrcraig.com) is a Clinical Professor at the University of Southern California in the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California. He is one of the world's leading scholars of the "emerging creator" industries, marked by social media entrepreneurs and influencers harnessing global platforms. Craig has been cited in major outlets including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter, Vox, CNN, Bloomberg, and NBC News. Prior to his academic career, he was a multiple Emmy-nominated Hollywood producer and cable television executive involved in over thirty projects, from feature films to television programs, web series and stage productions. His television projects garnered critical acclaim and were nominated for over seventy Emmy, Peabody, and Golden Globe awards.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.
The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com
Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
Jesus Christ Superstar
Ellis Nassour
Applause Books
c/o Globe Pequot
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781493068043, $36.95, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Christ-Superstar-Worldwide-Phenomenon/dp/1493068040
Synopsis: In 1969, when Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice decided to write a rock opera about Jesus Christ, they had little idea they were about to embark on one of the most popular, boundary-pushing, and influential musicals ever.
The show's success was hardly assured at first: unable to secure enough funding, they initially resorted to just releasing its title song as a single. A full album followed to widespread acclaim, and only then could a full production get underway. More than fifty years later, Jesus Christ Superstar continues to be beloved in all its forms -- the live show, various cast albums, and the wildly successful movie.
Few people had the chance to witness the musical's evolution from as many angles as Ellis Nassour, whether collaborating with Rice and Lloyd Webber at MCA, writing for the New York Times, or assisting with the Broadway and LA productions. In this expansive, beautifully illustrated book, Nassour draws on a wealth of knowledge, first-hand experience, and new interviews to give the definitive story of the musical.
Combining an engaging narrative with abundant photographs (many in color and never before published) he follows the show from its uncertain beginnings, through setbacks and controversies, to Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's ultimate triumph, serving up an unparalleled look at one of the most important and best-selling musical works of all time.
Critique: Simply stated, "Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon" by Ellis Nassour is an essential 'must read' selection for the legions of Jesus Christ Superstar fans. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49). "Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon" will prove to be an immediately-in-demand and enduringly popular addition to community and college/university library Theatre/Cinema collections and Music History/Broadway Musical curriculum studies lists.
Apocalypse Television
David Craig, author
Applause Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781493079179, $36.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Television-After-Helped-Cold/dp/1493079174
Synopsis: On November 20, 1983, a three-hour made-for-TV movie, "The Day After" premiered on ABC. Set in the heartland of Lawrence, Kansas, the film depicted the events before, during, and after a Soviet nuclear attack with vivid scenes of the post-apocalyptic hellscape that would follow.
The film was viewed by over 100 million Americans and remains the highest rated TV movie in history. After the premiere, ABC News aired an episode of Viewpoint, a live special featuring some of the most prominent public intellectuals of the debating the virtues of the Arms Race and the prospect of a winnable nuclear war. The response to the film proved more powerful than perhaps any film or television program in the history of media. Aside from its record-shattering Nielsen ratings, it enjoyed critical acclaim as well as international box office success in theatrical screenings.
The path to primetime for "The Day After" proved nearly as treacherous as the film's narrative. Battles ensued behind the scenes at the network, between the network and the filmmakers, with Broadcast Standards and Ad Sales, in the edit room and on the set, including the "nuke-mares" experienced by the cast.
After the director was pushed aside, he contemplated suicide while also engineering a comeback through the press. But these skirmishes pale in comparison to the culture wars triggered by the film in the press, alongside a growing Nuclear Freeze movement, and from a united, pro-nuclear Right. Once efforts to alter the script failed, the White House conducted a full-throttled propaganda campaign to hijack the film's message.
With the publications of "Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War", Professor David Craig features a dramatic insider's account of the making of and backlash against "The Day After".
No other study has told this story in similar fashion, taking the reader behind-the-scenes of the programming and news divisions at ABC, Reagan officials in the White House who mounted the propaganda campaign, rogue publicists who hijacked the film to promote a Nuclear Freeze, the backlash from the conservative movement and Religious Right, the challenges encountered by film's production team from conception to reception, and the experiences of the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, where the film was set and shot, if also, ground zero in America's nuclear heartland.
Critique: An inherently fascinating read from beginning to end, "Apocalypse Television: How The Day After Helped End the Cold War" is an extraordinary and seminal study that will prove to be of immense value for readers with an interest in television history/criticism, and the cultural/political impact of movies and the performing arts. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Apocalypse Television" is unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library 20th Century Film collections and Cinematic History curriculum studies. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Apocalypse Television" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.65) as well.
Editorial Note: David Craig (https://www.davidrcraig.com) is a Clinical Professor at the University of Southern California in the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California. He is one of the world's leading scholars of the "emerging creator" industries, marked by social media entrepreneurs and influencers harnessing global platforms. Craig has been cited in major outlets including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter, Vox, CNN, Bloomberg, and NBC News. Prior to his academic career, he was a multiple Emmy-nominated Hollywood producer and cable television executive involved in over thirty projects, from feature films to television programs, web series and stage productions. His television projects garnered critical acclaim and were nominated for over seventy Emmy, Peabody, and Golden Globe awards.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.
The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com
Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
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