Staged By: Ruby Preston *Author Guest Post & Review*

*Blog Tour Schedule*

Book Description

Aspiring Broadway producer Scarlett Savoy has almost everything she needs to make her first musical a huge success- millions in financial backing, a talented (not to mention handsome) young director, and a big-name Hollywood starlet as her female lead. But with none of the theater owners in town willing to back a novice, she’s missing one final piece of the puzzle: a Broadway theater. Just when Scarlett thinks her show might never see the footlights of day, an unexpected meeting with the young, eligible son in the Stewart theatrical empire changes Scarlett’s Broadway prospects forever.

“Will have you dreaming of Broadway, even if you’re miles away!” - TheaterMania

STAGED, the second novel by Broadway producer Ruby Preston, continues the saga of Scarlett Savoy and the colorful cast of theater characters introduced in SHOWBIZ.

Check Out The Author's Guest Post :)

The Best and Worst of Book-Based Broadway Musicals

By Ruby Preston

Though there are many amazing playwrights and composers who produce original musicals for the stage, more often than not Broadway musicals tend to be based on something else whether it’s a straight play (non-musical play), movie, or book. Here’s a beginner's cheat to the musicals adapted from literature that have successfully survived the trip to Broadway and those whose stay on the Great White Way was short lived.

The Hits

Wicked (based on Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire)

The story behind the story of The Wizard of Oz, Wicked is about Glinda, The Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of The West, before Dorothy ever came into their lives. Since it opened in 2003, the musical has broken the ticket sales record at the Gershwin Theatre twenty times. It regularly grosses in excess of $1.6 million each week, making it one of the most lucrative shows on Broadway! Bonus trivia, Gregory Maguire named the main character Elphaba as a reference to the original author of OZ, L. Frank Baum's initials L.F.B.

Les Miserables (by Victor Hugo)

An international phenomenon, Les Miserables first ran on Broadway for sixteen years. Audience’s love this musical based on Victor Hugo’s sweeping story of the French Revolution so much that is it coming back to Broadway in the spring of 2014 to delight a whole new generation of theatre-goers.

The Phantom of The Opera (by Gaston Leroux)

Phantom (as its called by Broadway fans or “phans!”) recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary on Broadway, making it the longest running show in Broadway history. A staple of both musical theater and the New York Broadway scene itself; Phantom of the Opera has long reigned as the must-see show for tourists and Broadway new comers alike!

The Flops

High Fidelity (by Nick Hornby)

One of the more modern books on this list to be adapted to the stage, High Fidelity had a  contemporary score (soundtrack) with the music ranging from pop ballads to rock songs. Written by later-to-be Tony Award winning composers Tom Kitt & Amanda Green, the musical was something new for Broadway, but audiences and critics weren’t impressed. It opened on Broadway in 2006 and, sadly, soon closed after only fourteen performances.

By Jeeves (based on P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster stories)

Whereas Andrew Lloyd Webber had massive success with The Phantom of The Opera, his attempt to bring P. G. Wodehouse’s absent minded Wooster and his trusty butler Jeeves to the Broadway stage was not as triumphant. The show had a brief Broadway run in 1996, but Webber simply could not capture Wodehouse’s wit in song.

Wonderland (based on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland)

One of the more recent plays on this list, Wonderland is based on Lewis Carroll’s famous story, but with a modern twist. In the musical, recently separated children’s book author Alice Stetson bumps her head in a New York City elevator and wakes up to find herself in Wonderland. The musical was roundly panned by critics and only survived one month on Broadway before closing.

This Broadway season, we can look forward to more books turned musicals. What am I most excited about? Matilda, of course. What author wouldn't love this creative new musicals about an exceptional little girl who draws her own strength and inspiration from books!

About The Author

Author Ruby Preston is an award-winning Broadway producer who has helped to bring many musicals to the stage. Her first novel “SHOWBIZ,” described as “The Devil Wears Prada” meets NBC’s Smash, received widespread praise. Now a promising talent in the literary as well as the theater world, Preston’s newest release is the second book in her Broadway Trilogy. For more information on Ruby Preston and her novels visit www.rubypreston.com or www.dresscirclepublishing.com. 

Follow Ruby on twitter: @BroadwayRuby

Buy SHOWBIZ and STAGED in paperback or Kindle on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Showbiz-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B007V59IZU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1353621332&sr=8-1

Or on Nook, iTunes or Kobo!

My Review

*Will Be Posted Soon*