Richard Skipper Celebrates The Big Time with Douglas J. Cohen
b"https://douglasjcohen.com\\n\\n\\u201cLife is what you make it. Always has been, always will be,\\u201d says political figure and diplomat Eleanor Roosevelt When the young composer-lyricist Douglas Cohen first secured the musical rights to the novel No Way to Treat a Lady by William Goldman\\u2014the acclaimed author of The Princess Bride and Marathon Man\\u2014he hoped it would be his big break, the first step on a gilt path to artistic triumph and commercial success in the form of a hit Broadway musical. What happened after that, while memorable, was anything but. How to Survive a Killer Musical chronicles Cohen's decade-long quest to bring that musical to the stage\\u2014writing, re-writing, and shepherding it across the US and Europe amidst all manner of adversity and plain rotten luck. It's a fascinating portrait of passion, persistence, and resilience\\u2014a coming-of-age story populated with famous mentors and formidable adversaries, told with refreshing honesty and humor. On Cohen's journey, we meet an unforgettable, vividly rendered cast of characters, including: an Oscar-winning screenwriter who invites Cohen to his personal screening room for a marathon midnight writing session; a Tony Award-winning director making his comeback after a horrific accident renders him a quadriplegic; and a celebrated, volatile British director who inspires a fruitful collaboration in London, only to later leave carnage in his wake. Catastrophes abound, including the near-fatal stabbing of a female lead in rehearsal and an onstage accident incapacitating another leading lady\\u2014leaving only the author to go on in her place! Whether you\\u2019re a fan of musicals or just someone who\\u2019s trying to bring a passion project into the world, this tale of fortitude in the face of obstacles, personalities, and egos will make for an eye opener!"