
One More Seat at the Round Table
by Susan Dormady Eisenberg
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Pub Date May 18 2023 | Archive Date May 19 2023
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Description
What if the most conflicted lovers in Broadway’s Camelot aren’t Lancelot and Guenevere?
Set backstage during the out-of-town chaos of Lerner and Loewe’s now-classic 1960 musical, One More Seat at the Round Table portrays the struggles of feisty drama school grad Jane Conroy, who lands a plum Gal Friday job, and Bryce Christmas, a gifted, if insecure, actor on the verge of his big break. When Jane and Bryce fall helplessly in love during Toronto tryouts, their relationship is tested by mistakes they make and endless work woes: Camelot’s four-hour length, poor reviews, the illness of librettist Alan Jay Lerner, and the near-fatal coronary of director Moss Hart who quits.
As Lerner, composer Loewe, and their stars, Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, trudge on to Boston, doubts besiege Jane who hopes to buck convention and skip marriage and Bryce who wants a wife. They also discover hidden strengths as Jane gains agency backstage and Bryce takes charge of his talent. But will Jane’s commitment phobia derail their future? Will Camelot become a glittering hit? These questions create a tense roller-coaster ride to the end of Susan Dormady Eisenberg's wise and witty novel, a story about the transformative power of love and the luminous pull of Broadway as it casts its spell on performers and fans alike.
A Note From the Publisher2>
Susan Dormady Eisenberg began her writing career as a teenager when she contributed a regular column to the Cohoes Newsweekly in her hometown of Cohoes, New York. After earning a bachelor’s in Humanities from Michigan State, she promoted the performing arts as a publicist and/or marketeer for the Goodspeed Opera House, Syracuse Stage, and the Joffrey Ballet. After moving to Washington, D.C., she became a freelance promotional writer, creating publications for banks, hospitals, schools, and other organizations. She also studied fiction writing with the late novelist and critic Doris Grumbach at American University.
As an arts journalist, Susan has written articles for the Hartford Courant, the Albany Times Union, Classical Singer Magazine, Opera News, and the Huffington Post (where her work often appeared on the front page). A proud member of the Authors Guild, she released her first novel about an aspiring soprano, The Voice I Just Heard, in 2012. Her next novel will explore the life and times of American icon Annie Oakley.
Susan lives in Baltimore with her husband, a senior living executive. They have a beautiful daughter who works in theater.
Please visit her website at www.susandeisenberg.com.
As an arts journalist, Susan has written articles for the Hartford Courant, the Albany Times Union, Classical Singer Magazine, Opera News, and the Huffington Post (where her work often appeared on the front page). A proud member of the Authors Guild, she released her first novel about an aspiring soprano, The Voice I Just Heard, in 2012. Her next novel will explore the life and times of American icon Annie Oakley.
Susan lives in Baltimore with her husband, a senior living executive. They have a beautiful daughter who works in theater.
Please visit her website at www.susandeisenberg.com.
Advance Praise
“An utterly engrossing, hilarious, and often tender novel of how one hundred-plus creative people made Broadway’s legendary, much-loved musical Camelot from scraps and sheer determination. Told from the points of view of a clever Gal Friday savoring her first job and a rising baritone hoping for his big break, the plot depicts the 1960 out-of-town tryouts when the show’s in trouble. One More Seat at the Round Table is an original, charming book. I loved it and was sorry when it ended. All I wanted was to be in the author’s chaotic, marvelous world of musical theater.”
~ Stephanie Cowell, author of Claude & Camille and The Boy in the Rain
“In One More Seat at the Round Table, Dormady Eisenberg spins a delicious, surprising concoction of a story, giving a true insider glimpse of one of the most iconic Broadway musicals. Replete with dramatic ups and downs, off-stage romances and rivalries, and sparkling with wit, this book should be required reading for every theater geek or lover of musicals.”
~ Susanne Dunlap, author of The Portraitist
and The Courtesan’s Daughter
“Masterfully researched and artfully written, One More Seat at the Round Table is historical fiction at its best, offering production intrigue, vocal rivalry, death, hospitalizations, and romances within Lerner and Loewe’s 1960 hit Camelot. Prepare to lose your entire day as Susan Dormady Eisenberg’s Gal Friday guides us in a riveting story of love, courage, and sacrifice. The book is peppered with utterly captivating insights into Broadway show-doctoring and the elements needed to transform a production from disaster to shining splendor.
~ Henry A. Young, Jr., former executive director,
the New York City Center Joffrey Ballet
“A delightful discovery awaits all who are smart enough to purchase this novel, One More Seat at the Round Table, and succumb to its inherent pleasures. It's a love story for all who are curious about the theater and the American musical form as it delves accurately into the intricate evolution from the rehearsal process to a series of opening nights ultimately landing on Broadway. The two main characters who romantically find their paths through their respective places within the art form and into each other's lives accurately reflect the obstacles to having a career in the professional musical theater. Ms. Dormady Eisenberg is a vivid storyteller and her incorporation of the historic personages who populate the original Camelot production provides a colorful adventure as the novel embraces theatrical history.
~ Joseph V. Melillo, executive producer emeritus,
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
“A wonderful, suspenseful, and engaging novel about the making of the musical Camelot, replete with famous historical figures such as Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. We see the real streets of New York City, both the glitz and the seamy side, then go backstage with the actors and witness the grit it takes to create a show that mesmerizes audiences and lasts through the ages. The real story, though, is the evolution of the two main characters, Jane and Bryce; how Jane fights for autonomy and must prove herself to be seen and heard in a man’s world; and how even with obstacles and road-blocks, both art and love triumph.”
~ Louise Nayer, author of Burned: A Memoir
and Narrow Escapes: A Memoir
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Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9781639888023 |
PRICE | $17.99 (USD) |
PAGES | 358 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 10 members
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