In need of a last-minute holiday gift for a theater-addicted friend or family member? Below are some recommended items divided by category.
TICKETS
If you really want to impress someone, track down tickets to see “Hello, Dolly!” with Bette Midler before she exits the show next month. However, getting tickets to see the show with Bernadette Peters (who is set to take over for Midler) is not a bad alternative. Also consider tickets for the upcoming Broadway revivals of “Carousel,” “My Fair Lady” and “Angels in America.”
Another possibility is to purchase a subscription or membership to a not-for-profit theater company. For instance, a Public Theater membership can be obtained with a tax-deductible contribution starting at $65 (which allows for purchasing tickets at a discount and in advance), and a Roundabout Theatre Company subscription starts at $183 for tickets to three productions.
CAST ALBUMS
My favorite cast album of the year is “Bandstand,” which preserves the dynamic jazz band score of this underrated and unfortunately short-lived Broadway musical about a group of struggling World War II veterans who come together to form a swing band.
Some other new albums include “The Band’s Visit,” “Sunday in the Park with George” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford, “Hello, Dolly!” with Bette Midler, “Spamilton” (the “Hamilton” parody) and “Hamlisch Uncovered” (little-known songs by the late composer Marvin Hamlisch).
VIDEO RECORDINGS
The streaming service BroadwayHD, which launched two years ago, has since substantially upgraded its subscription library (which originally consisted mainly of antiquated Shakespeare adaptations) with filmed recordings of recent productions from Broadway (“Falsettos,” “She Loves Me,” “Present Laughter,” “Holiday Inn”), Off-Broadway (“The Gabriels,” “Buried Child”) and London (“Gypsy,” “Wind in the Willows”).
For the musical theater buff, a long-lost 1957 television adaptation of “Annie Get Your Gun” with Mary Martin and John Raitt was just released on DVD and Blu-ray.
For the classical theater buff, new productions of Shakespeare from the Globe, Royal Shakespeare Company and Stratford Festival can be purchased digitally or on disc.
BOOKS
The hottest new theater book is the jumbo-sized “Dear Evan Hansen: Through the Window,” which combines a behind-the-scenes look at the Tony-winning musical with its complete lyrics and dialogue.
A good pick for a young female who is familiar with “Fiddler on the Roof” is “After Anatevka,” an unofficial sequel to “Fiddler” about Tevye’s daughter Hodel and her fiance Perchik, written by actress Alexandra Silber (who played Tzeitel in the recent Broadway revival of “Fiddler”). Considering that “Fiddler” lyricist Sheldon Harnick wrote the book’s foreword, it clearly has his approval.
CHILDREN AND INFANTS
“Lullaby Renditions of Songs from Hamilton,” an album produced by Rockabye Baby consisting of soft bedtime versions of eight songs from Act One (including “My Shot” and “The Schuyler Sisters”), has been followed by a sequel that includes another eight songs (including “Guns and Ships” and “The Room Where It Happens”).
For those who would like to look at “raindrops on roses” and “wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings,” Broadway Baby just came out with two children’s picture books based on the lyrics of “Do Re Mi” and “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music.”
