Susan Dormady Eisenberg

From Atmosphere Press on April 4, 2023. 

 

 

 

"...An engaging and entertaining romp

through the tribulations of testing out a new show..."
--Kirkus Reviews

 

 

 

Amid the out-of-town chaos of the 1960 musical Camelot, a clever production assistant, Jane Conroy, tries to juggle her first theater job and her unexpected passion for a gifted singer in the chorus, Bryce Christmas. Part coming of age novel, part love story, part dish-filled history, ONE MORE SEAT AT THE ROUND TABLE follows the comic travails of Camelot from its New York rehearsals to its lackluster tryouts in Toronto and Boston to its disappointing New York debut.

 

The show's creators Alan Jay Lerner, Fritz Loewe, and Moss Hart, and its stars Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet, struggle to save the tuneful tale of King Arthur's Round Table as Jane and Bryce face professional and romantic complications. How Camelot becomes a belated Broadway hit is one of the surprises of this midcentury novel that combines the wit and whimsy of My Favorite Year and TV's Smash with the backstage charms of Elizabeth Gilbert's novel CITY OF GIRLS.

 

 

Advance Praise for ONE MORE SEAT AT THE ROUND TABLE

 

"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     

 

"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, 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