NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- There is no business like the business of theater. And in his candid new book Bright Lights, Big Changes -- Transatlantic Theatre At The Turn Of Our Century Executive Producer Steven Rivellino throws open the backstage door and reveals the pretensions and the flaws of an art that has slowly but surely surrendered to commerce. It is a decidedly unforgiving assessment of the evolution of the two leading theatrical centers of the world -- Broadway and London's West End -- over the past twenty years, and an informed examination of present trends and where those trends will inevitably lead the industry.
For years, the prevailing sentiment has been that Broadway is dying; some even believe it is already dead. A veteran producer of 25 years, Rivellino traces the history that has shaped both Broadway and West End houses, and gives a succinct and compelling discussion of the issues that have hounded the theatrical industry over the years. The author makes enlightened analyses, for example, on why theater has lost its significance in society, why theatrical content has become bland and mundane, and why Broadway has become a spate of revival after revival. For the first time, we see theater through the eyes of a producer as Rivellino explains how a show is mounted, why it costs as much as it costs, where the money actually comes from, and who really makes the creative and administrative decisions. By focusing on the business side of theater, Rivellino reveals fresh and significant insights that everyone -- theater insiders, students, and theater aficionados alike -- should know about the art as an industry.
A paradox in modern theatrical circles is that while Broadway is taking in more money than ever, today's theater has lost its artistic pith. And this, Rivellino points out, is what will no doubt decide the future of the industry. Bright Lights, Big Changes shows us how theater is -- above all -- a business, and is therefore ruled by the same motivations as those of any other profit-making machine.
About the Author
Steven Rivellino is an accomplished writer, lecturer, and producer of theatrical entertainment. He has worked successfully on both sides of the Atlantic -- with credits spanning Broadway, Off-Broadway, television, and the corporate arena. From 1982 to 1990, he was Vice President and General Manager of Radio City Music Hall in New York and produced The Grammy Awards, The MTV Video Music Awards, numerous concerts, and special events, and the celebrated Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
A member of the Circumnavigators Club, he has traveled the world extensively -- far north of the Arctic Circle, south to Antarctica, from the Greenwich Meridian, and east to the International Date Line.
He lives in New York City and Cedar Lake New Jersey, and is currently at work on a full-length history of America's first and only nuclear-powered passenger vessel: NS Savannah. His first book, Mysterious Places, Mysterious Dreams -- A Novel Memoir, successfully debuted early this year.
Bright Lights, Big Changes -- Transatlantic Theatre At
The Turn Of Our Century
By Steven Rivellino
Publication Date: June 8, 2004
Trade Paperback; $21.99; 208 pages; 1-4134-4479-2
Cloth Hardback; $31.99; 208 pages; 1-4134-4480-6
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