Mr. Broadway

"The Broadway theatre as we now know it is largely the achievement of Jerry Schoenfeld."

That was how current chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts - and, at the time, rival theater executive - Rocco Landesman, described the man who, with his partner Bernie Jacobs, led the Shubert Organization, the largest and most important theatre owner on Broadway.

Schoenfeld, who died in 2008 at the age of 84, recounts that achievement in Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars (Applause Books; April 17, 2012; $27.99), the memoir he completed just one month before his death.

Bringing the reader backstage, Schoenfeld shares his triumphs and failures, sings praise, and settles scores. He recounts nightmarish tales of the Shuberts - the meanness of Lee; the madness of J.J.; the turmoil surrounding John's personal life, and the drunken ineptitude of Lawrence, Jr.; the man who succeeded them and nearly brought the Shubert legacy to an ignominious end.

Schoenfeld describes how he and Jacobs created the theatre as we know it today, bringing to the Broadway stage some of its greatest hits -- from A Chorus Line, Equus, and Amadeus to Pippin, Les Misérables, Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Godspell, Ain't Misbehavin', Dreamgirls, Dancin', Sunday in the Park with George, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Heidi Chronicles, The Gin Game, Miss Saigon, and Chess.

Mr. Broadway: The Inside Story of the Shuberts, the Shows, and the Stars includes a foreword by Hugh Jackman, introduction by Alec Baldwin, and a prologue by Pat Schoefeld, Jerry's wife of 58 years.