Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir

Tony Award winner Seller traces his path from oddball “theater kid” to Broadway producer in his candid and affectionate debut. Seller recounts his small-town Michigan childhood spent clashing with his hotheaded father—whom he later learned was not his biological dad—and escaping into theater, which filled him “with purpose for the first time.” A later stint as a drama counselor sparked his desire to be a producer. He moved to New York City in 1986, where he parlayed a job as a booking agent into launching his own agency with Kevin McCollum. The two would go on to produce such hits as Rent (which Seller helped shepherd from messy early workshops to cultural phenomenon), Avenue Q, and In the Heights. Throughout, Seller provides colorful, behind-the-scenes peeks into the challenges and joys of producing a musical. Especially memorable are his accounts of helping Avenue Q surmount the “puppet prejudice” that initially prevented it from taking off, and witnessing Rent’s emotional impact on audiences. Unfortunately, the narrative wobbles in its final third, which speeds through more than 20 years of Seller’s prolific career. Still, theater buffs would do well to check this out. (May)