The "New York Post" theater columnist draws on more than 150 insider interviews to celebrate the productions, artists, and movements that shaped Broadway in the years spanning "Sunset Boulevard" through "The Lion King."

At the dawn of the nineties, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing. Musical spectacles dominated the box office. As American musical comedy made its grand return, plays, always an endangered species on Broadway, staged a powerful comeback. A different breed of producers rose up to challenge the grip theater owners had long held on Broadway, and corporations began to see how much money could be made from live theater. Then the September 11 attacks struck fear into the heart of Americans who thought Times Square might be the next target. Riedel presents the drama behind every mega-hit or shocking flop of that decade, bringing readers into high-stakes premieres, fraught rehearsals, tough contract negotiations, intense Tony Award battles, and more. -- adapted from jacket