{"product_id":"then-and-now-a-memoir-9780062090478","title":"Then and Now: A Memoir","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the greatest American singers and actresses of her generation looks back on a magical and turbulent life spanning a half century of theatrical history from the golden age of the Broadway musical to the present day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA legend of the American theater, Barbara Cook burst upon the scene to become Broadway's leading ingénue in roles such as Cunégonde in Leonard Bernstein's \u003cem\u003eCandide\u003c\/em\u003e, Amalia Balash in Jerry Bock's \u003cem\u003eShe Loves Me\u003c\/em\u003e, and her career-defining, Tony-winning role as the original Marian the librarian in Meredith Willson's \u003cem\u003eThe Music Man.\u003c\/em\u003e But in the late 1960s, Barbara's extraordinary talent onstage was threatened by debilitating depression and alcoholism that forced her to step away from the limelight and out of the public life. Emerging from the shadows in the early 1970s, Barbara reinvented herself as the country's leading concert and cabaret artist, performing the songs of Stephen Sondheim and other masters, while establishing a reputation as one of the greatest and most acclaimed interpreters of the American songbook.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaking us deep into her life and career, from her childhood in the South to the Great White Way, \u003cem\u003eThen and Now\u003c\/em\u003e candidly and poignantly describes both her personal difficulties and the legendary triumphs, detailing the extraordinary working relationships she shared with many of the key composers, musicians, actors and performers of the late twentieth century, among them Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Elaine Stritch, and Robert Preston.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHailed by the \u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e of London as \"the greatest singer in the world\", but preferring to think of herself as \"a work in progress\", Barbara Cook here delivers a powerful, personal tale of pain and triumph, as straight forward, unflinchingly honest, and open hearted as her singing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCook, Barbara:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Barbara Cook, a 2011 Kennedy Center honoree and member of the Theater Hall of Fame, has starred in eighteen Broadway shows. She received a Tony Award nomination in 2010 for \u003cem\u003eSondheim on Sondheim\u003c\/em\u003e, fifty-three years after winning a Tony for her performance in \u003cem\u003eThe Music Man\u003c\/em\u003e. Now in her late eighties, she continues to perform as a cabaret and concert singer.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSantopietro, Tom:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eTom Santopietro is the author of five books, including \u003cem\u003eThe Sound of Music Story\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e Editors' Choice \u003cem\u003eConsidering Doris Day\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51500164022546,"sku":"9780062090478","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9ede1138-9cd1-4c99-b841-5805139df814.jpg?v=1753187469","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/then-and-now-a-memoir-9780062090478","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}