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Anybody miss spending a night at the theater? Whether it's your community troupe, a regional company, or a Broadway show, there's something special about experiencing a live performance. To tide you over until theaters re-open, we've rounded up some book recs for musical lovers.
We'll start with the big guns (and ships): Hamilton. Interested in the history? Check out the Chernow biography, or Sarah Vowell's hilarious Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. Love the music? We're huge fans of the entire BreakBeat Poets series: https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9781608463954
Another recent Broadway phenomenon is Dear Evan Hansen, which now has its own novelization ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780316420235). Want another story about a teen whose virtual secrets start to cause problems irl? We recommend Eliza & Her Monsters ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062290144)!
Dream of spending one short day in the Emerald City? Try Spinning Silver ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780399180996), a dark and compelling take on Rumpelstiltskin, or Alif the Unseen ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780802121226), which has that ~Wicked~ mix of magic and politics. They've both been staff picks!
A current fave of mine is the Tony-winning Hadestown. Need another story that will rip your heart out, even though you already know the ending? Try Song of Achilles ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062060624) and Lovely War ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780147512970)--both staff picks involving Greek gods.
Rachel Chavkin, director of Hadestown, also worked on Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812. Great Comet brings riotous new energy to Tolstoy's War & Peace. Anna K does the same to Anna Karenina, reimagining Tolstoy's character as a modern socialite: https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9781250236432
But let's take it back a few centuries. Wanna spend a day with the cast of Something Rotten? You need How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9781631496240). And for a sharp and hilarious Shakespeare parody, try Christopher Moore's Fool ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780060590321).
I love Once, and am devastated that Sing Street had to close before it opened. If you also dig that John Carney vibe, check out Dublin music tale The Commitments ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780679721741) or staff favorite Daisy Jones & the Six ( https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9781524798642)
Looking for something sweet and upbeat, like The Prom? Rebecca describes her staff pick Hot Dog Girl as "a quirky (and queer!) rom-com... laugh-out-loud funny and painfully relatable." https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780525516279
Speaking of sweet, who didn't want to taste every pie in Waitress? In April's staff pick write-up, she says that Elizabeth Acevedo's With The Fire on High "tackles complex issues of teen parenthood & identity... be ready to root for [Emoni] & get hungry." https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062662835
![Speaking of sweet, who didn't want to taste every pie in Waitress? In April's staff pick write-up, she says that Elizabeth Acevedo's With The Fire on High "tackles complex issues of teen parenthood & identity... be ready to root for [Emoni] & get hungry." https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062662835](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWOLUDUU0AA_ndN.jpg "Speaking of sweet, who didn't want to taste every pie in Waitress? In April's staff pick write-up, she says that Elizabeth Acevedo's With The Fire on High \"tackles complex issues of teen parenthood & identity... be ready to root for [Emoni] & get hungry.\" https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062662835")
![Speaking of sweet, who didn't want to taste every pie in Waitress? In April's staff pick write-up, she says that Elizabeth Acevedo's With The Fire on High "tackles complex issues of teen parenthood & identity... be ready to root for [Emoni] & get hungry." https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062662835](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWOLVeBUEAEtfSg.jpg "Speaking of sweet, who didn't want to taste every pie in Waitress? In April's staff pick write-up, she says that Elizabeth Acevedo's With The Fire on High \"tackles complex issues of teen parenthood & identity... be ready to root for [Emoni] & get hungry.\" https://www.portersquarebooks.com/book/9780062662835")
