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Insane Theater Incidents and Absurd Accidents: A History of When the Show Stopped
$16.99
The first book to compile all of theater’s glorious bloopers–an uproarious homage to the stage
Stop the Show! is the first book to assemble humorous, frightening and bizarre anecdotes about the history of all that went wrong during live theatrical productions in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. It is the publishing equivalent of TV bloopers for the legitimate stage.
This book includes stories from top directors, actors, playwrights and technicians from New York, Los Angeles, and points in between, to the United Kingdom, from the 19th century to today. There are stories about missed entrances and exits, onstage unscripted fights between performers, improvised lines, accidental pratfalls, falling scenery, and costume, lighting and makeup screwups. The backstage provides sordid tales of practical jokes, treachery, misplaced props, wild arguments, and generally the kinds of things Michael Frayn created for his farce about a theatrical disaster, Noises Off.
This book doesn’t leave out the theatergoers either, who snore, fight with each other, talk back to the performers, search for their seats, become suddenly ill, eat, drink, make merry, and are yelled at by the performers–all of which sometimes prompts the show to stop, even though we’ve always been told it must go on.
ASIN : 1560258209
Publisher : Grand Central Publishing
Publication date : September 5, 2006
Edition : Standard Edition
Language : English
Print length : 273 pages
ISBN-10 : 9781560258209
ISBN-13 : 978-1560258209
Item Weight : 8.6 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.69 x 8.38 inches
Price: $16.99
(as of Jun 22, 2025 13:40:22 UTC – Details)
The first book to compile all of theater’s glorious bloopers–an uproarious homage to the stage
Stop the Show! is the first book to assemble humorous, frightening and bizarre anecdotes about the history of all that went wrong during live theatrical productions in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. It is the publishing equivalent of TV bloopers for the legitimate stage.
This book includes stories from top directors, actors, playwrights and technicians from New York, Los Angeles, and points in between, to the United Kingdom, from the 19th century to today. There are stories about missed entrances and exits, onstage unscripted fights between performers, improvised lines, accidental pratfalls, falling scenery, and costume, lighting and makeup screwups. The backstage provides sordid tales of practical jokes, treachery, misplaced props, wild arguments, and generally the kinds of things Michael Frayn created for his farce about a theatrical disaster, Noises Off.
This book doesn’t leave out the theatergoers either, who snore, fight with each other, talk back to the performers, search for their seats, become suddenly ill, eat, drink, make merry, and are yelled at by the performers–all of which sometimes prompts the show to stop, even though we’ve always been told it must go on.
ASIN : 1560258209
Publisher : Grand Central Publishing
Publication date : September 5, 2006
Edition : Standard Edition
Language : English
Print length : 273 pages
ISBN-10 : 9781560258209
ISBN-13 : 978-1560258209
Item Weight : 8.6 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.69 x 8.38 inches
Customers say
Customers find the book entertaining, particularly enjoying the amusing anecdotes about backstage mishaps. They consider it a great gift option.
by Michael Collins
Honest seller. Great book
This is a great book but references older shows that I was not familiar with.
by Len Talan
Great gift for all lovers of the theater
Hilarious stories that you’ll want to share with others.I absolutely loved this book and am buying some copies for friends. If you’re an actor, playwright, director or a dyed-in-the-wool theater fan, you’ll really enjoy this book. Brad Schreiber’s collected some of the best backstage (and audience) stories ever heard. I can’t recommend this more highly and can’t wait for the next installation. I want more!
by DJT74
Humor in short snipits
Bought as gift for college student studying theater education, as a diversion. Short “stories”, easy to read, pick up, put down. Haven’t given it to her yet but I expect she will find it amusing. I did when I read a few random pages.
by Mell Hill
Bought for our families drama nerd and she LOVED it. Always interesting to read about what happens …
Bought for our families drama nerd and she LOVED it. Always interesting to read about what happens behind the scenes. She stated it is a guide of tragedies to not do herself and two other family members have requested to read it next. It was a HIT!
by MsP
Have recommened it to many of my actor AND non actor friends
witty, yet succinct — gets the facts, but makes them funny without embellishing them — paints the wonderful picture of a stage show and then a hilarious picture not only of the disruptions, but the reactions to same — all true stuff too!
by P. McCormack
Funny, except when actors die on stage.
Hilarious. Perfect for my son, who is a theater wonk, and reads the stories aloud to us. A good antidote to perfectionism, to thinking you have to do everything right every time. Funny!
by Dr. Goodbook
A fun read!
This book is a must for anyone who loves the theater, and is a fun read for anybody. Most of the anecdotes are quite amusing. The ‘mishaps’ are each told in a brief, 2-page-or-less missive, so it is perfect for when you want a book handy to pick up whenever you need a quick laugh.
by voracious reader
Maybe They Should Have!
Anecdotes & stories about what can go wrong in legitimate theatre is okay, but it gets dull at times.