The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 2012 to May 2013

The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 2012 to May 2013 (Ninth Annual Edition). Edited by Robert Viagas. Playbill Broadway Yearbook. Hardcover. 480 pages. Published by Applause Books.

Taking the format of a school yearbook, the ninth edition of The Playbill Broadway Yearbook is packed with photos (more than 4,000, many in color) and memorabilia from the entire 2012-2013 Broadway season.

This edition documents the more than 80 Broadway shows of that season – not just the new shows, such as Matilda * Motown * Lucky Guy * and Bring It On!, but the long-running ones from seasons past, such as Phantom of the Opera * The Book of Mormon * Once * and Wicked. The book features photos of not only the actors – even Sunny, the dog who portrays Sandy in Annie... plus his understudy, Casey – but producers, writers, designers, stage managers, stagehands, musicians, ushers. This year's roster is expected to top 10,000 (human) names.

There is also a wealth of photos from Broadway insider events, including “Gypsy of the Year” * “Broadway Bares” * “Forbidden Broadway” * and the annual Broadway League softball championship players. For this edition, each production was asked to appoint a member of the cast or crew to report on things only those who worked backstage would know: opening-night presents, who got the Gypsy Robe, daily rituals, celebrity visits, favorite health tips and regimens, memorable ad-libs, and so on. Correspondents range from dressers, doormen, and dancers to, in some cases, the star of the show.