When Robert Preston shouted “Ya got trouble!” in River City, when Carol Channing glided down a gilded staircase while waiters serenaded her with “Hello, Dolly!,” when Barbra Streisand defied us to rain on her parade in Funny Girl, audiences were instantly enchanted. Showstoppers! is all about Broadway musicals’ most memorable numbers—why they were so effective, how they were created, and why they still resonate. Much of it is told through the eyes of the performers, songwriters, directors, and choreographers who first built these explosive numbers and lit the fuse. Gerald Nachman interviewed dozens of iconic musical theater figures, including Patti LuPone, John Raitt, Jerry Herman, Edie Adams, Dick Van Dyke, Joel Grey, Marvin Hamlisch, John Kander, Tommy Tune, Sheldon Harnick, and Harold Prince, uncovering priceless untold anecdotes and details.

"The fertile fields of musical theatre have been tilled so well and so often you might think all the gold nuggets have been plucked, published and repeated till they’re lore. Well, think again. Gerald Nachman is a determined, tenacious prospector in addition to being an engagingly witty showbiz historian. In his latest and liveliest tone, SHOWSTOPPERS!, he comes up with some new wrinkles in the old gypsy robe." —Playbill magazine  

“Showstoppers! is like a great Broadway season: hit after hit, with nary a flop in sight! Nachman employs the big numbers from the big shows as his entry point into the world of musical comedy, using the showstoppers to analyze how the great shows work and how the various elements, from the cast to the score to the script, come together. Whether you’re a hardcore Broadway buff or a stranger here yourself, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in this well-written, diligently researched volume.” —Will Friedwald,

author of Stardust Melodies: A Biography of 12 of America’s Most Popular Songs

“Gerald Nachman has the great good sense to let the creators of these brilliant theatrical moments speak for themselves, which gives us the feeling that we are really there at the birthing of the songs and dance numbers that have thrilled us all of our theatergoing lives. For that alone, Showstoppers! is a treasure trove of theatrical inspiration.”

—Jack Virtel, author of The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Classic Broadway Shows Are Built

“Wonderfully written and exciting to read.” —Martin Charnin, creator of Annie

“Whether you don’t know a lot about musical comedy or think you know it all, Gerald Nachman’s Showstoppers! has multiple insights, canny observations, and is a lot of fun!” —Ken Bloom, author of Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time

"[Nachman] knows these songs and these shows inside-out and has conducted tireless research and multiple interviews. Fans of show tunes will enjoy dipping in and out of these short, easy-to-read snapshots." —Booklist

Gerald Nachman has been writing about musicals for over fifty years. His reviews and columns have been published in the New York Post, New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, New York Times, Esquire, GQ, Cosmopolitan, and Theater Week. He is the author of six books, including Seriously Funny, Raised on Radio, and Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!