# Novels, movies, shows about theatre **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116 "2016-11-16T01:00:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/21 "2016-11-16T19:56:29Z")
I see that the excellent [The Dresser](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085461/?ref_=nv_sr_2) was already mentioned. I highly recommend this film. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/22 "2016-11-17T02:26:29Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I see that the excellent [The Dresser](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085461/?ref_=nv_sr_2) was already mentioned. I highly recommend this film. I’ve heard of it but never seen it. Will definitely check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/23 "2016-11-17T02:46:01Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Novel-wise, I’m really coming up short. I asked IRL and got the recommendation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s Black Snow, which is interesting but is more about political satire than anything else. I’m also a mystery fan, and I’ve read all the Charles Paris novels by Simon Brett (first 10 or so are really good), but I love reading about the theatre, and I need more! Some of Terry Pratchett’s _Discworld_ novels have a significant theatrical element, although they’re set in a fantasy world so it’s not exactly the theater as we know it. _Wyrd Sisters_ is to some extent a Shakespeare parody (imagine _Macbeth_ from the perspective of the witches) and also involves a theater troupe and a _Hamlet_-esque attempt to “catch the conscience of the king” through a play. If you’ve never read a _Discworld_ book then this isn’t a bad one to start with, as it’s early in the series and is the first time most of the characters appear. A later book featuring the same three witches, _Lords and Ladies_, draws some inspiration from _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ and has a “rude mechanicals” subplot, but the theater isn’t a major part of the story. The next book featuring the witches, _Maskerade_, takes on _The Phantom of the Opera_ and much of it does take place backstage at the opera. There’s also a mystery element, with the main characters trying to figure out who the murderous Phantom is. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/24 "2016-11-17T02:56:33Z")
Dickens’s “Nicholas Nickleby” has a substantial portion with the hero acting in a theatrical troupe. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/25 "2016-11-17T03:54:33Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > _Noises Off_ might actually be my favorite play! I can’t imagine it having an impact as a film, though. I’ve seen it twice on stage-- amateur productions-- and both times during the third act it was one of those laughing so hard I’m either gonna have a heart attack or pee. Or both. For the movie to have worked, it needed to be filmed with a camera sitting in the audience of a stage production. That’s the only way it works. I’d advise you to skip the movie. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/26 "2016-11-17T04:19:52Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Some of Terry Pratchett’s _Discworld_ novels have a significant theatrical element, although they’re set in a fantasy world so it’s not exactly the theater as we know it. _Wyrd Sisters_ is to some extent a Shakespeare parody (imagine _Macbeth_ from the perspective of the witches) and also involves a theater troupe and a _Hamlet_-esque attempt to “catch the conscience of the king” through a play. If you’ve never read a _Discworld_ book then this isn’t a bad one to start with, as it’s early in the series and is the first time most of the characters appear. > > A later book featuring the same three witches, _Lords and Ladies_, draws some inspiration from _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ and has a “rude mechanicals” subplot, but the theater isn’t a major part of the story. The next book featuring the witches, _Maskerade_, takes on _The Phantom of the Opera_ and much of it does take place backstage at the opera. There’s also a mystery element, with the main characters trying to figure out who the murderous Phantom is. I can’t remember which Discworld books I’ve read… I’m pretty sure I’ve read Wyrd Sisters, but I (apparently) don’t remember anything about it. Might be a fun re-read anyway! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/27 "2016-11-17T14:32:47Z")
If you want to hit a classic, there’s Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/28 "2016-11-17T14:53:04Z")
_ **She’s Back on Broadway** _ with the luscious Virginia Mayo. :o ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/29 "2016-11-17T15:13:28Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **She’s Back on Broadway** _ with the luscious Virginia Mayo. :o Never heard of this (or indeed of Virginia Mayo)! ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/30 "2016-11-17T16:40:37Z")
There’s [Foolscap](https://www.amazon.com/Foolscap-Stages-Love-Michael-Malone/dp/1402239351/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1479400534&sr=8-7&keywords=michael+malone) a novel about playwrights. IIRC Michael Malone also has another book about summer stock. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/31 "2016-11-17T17:02:19Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Never heard of this (or indeed of Virginia Mayo)! Salad dressing heir who later founded a medical clinic. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/32 "2016-11-17T18:29:37Z")
**Bullets Over Broadway** by Woody Allen (starring John Cusack in the typical Allen role) is a great comedy about Broadway shenanigans. (It was also probably Woody’s last great movies before his mid-90s slump and his renaissance in the mid-2000s.) ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/33 "2016-11-17T23:53:23Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > **Bullets Over Broadway** by Woody Allen (starring John Cusack in the typical Allen role) is a great comedy about Broadway shenanigans. (It was also probably Woody’s last great movies before his mid-90s slump and his renaissance in the mid-2000s.) Agreed on all points! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/34 "2016-11-18T01:07:53Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > **Bullets Over Broadway** by Woody Allen (starring John Cusack in the typical Allen role) is a great comedy about Broadway shenanigans. (It was also probably Woody’s last great movies before his mid-90s slump and his renaissance in the mid-2000s.) > [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Agreed on all points! +1 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/35 "2016-11-18T05:35:03Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Never heard of this (or indeed of Virginia Mayo)! My, my, how quickly they forget… ☹ [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/bf/db/2cbfdbdfcc8ae96a13ee7bf88ce10f36.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/bf/db/2cbfdbdfcc8ae96a13ee7bf88ce10f36.jpg) [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1f/c1/ce/1fc1ce3bb1941c5c3d2af0c8718e7ba6.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1f/c1/ce/1fc1ce3bb1941c5c3d2af0c8718e7ba6.jpg) Among many other roles, she also played Dana Andrews’ floozy wife in _ **The Best Years of Our Lives** _ … but I’ll wager you never heard of them either. [![](https://l7.alamy.com/zooms/70bf84736a3c4b56ac361b235d5d06e0/dana-andrews-virginia-mayo-the-best-years-of-our-lives-1946-bp3j6j.jpg) ](https://l7.alamy.com/zooms/70bf84736a3c4b56ac361b235d5d06e0/dana-andrews-virginia-mayo-the-best-years-of-our-lives-1946-bp3j6j.jpg) > **[Virginia Mayo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Mayo)** > > Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of popular comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Bros.' biggest box-office draw in the late 1940s. She also co-starred in the 1946 Oscar-winning movie The Best Years of Our Lives. > Mayo was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of newspaper reporter Luke and his wife, Martha Henrietta (née Rautenstrauch) Jones. Her family had roots back to the earlie... > **[The Best Years of Our Lives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Years_of_Our_Lives)** > > The Best Years of Our Lives (also known as Glory for Me and Home Again) is a 1946 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Russell. The film is about three United States servicemen re-adjusting to societal changes and civilian life after coming home from World War II. The three men come from different services with different ranks that do not correspond with their civilian social class backgrounds.... > **[She's Back on Broadway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She's_Back_on_Broadway)** > > She's Back on Broadway is a 1953 musical comedy-drama Warnercolor film starring Virginia Mayo in her final musical film, although her singing voice was dubbed by Bonnie Lou Williams. The film was Mayo's unofficial successor to her 1952 musical hit She's Working Her Way Through College. > When Catherine Terris' career in Hollywood begins to falter, she returns to Broadway, where her first great triumphs occurred. She takes the lead in a play directed by Rick Sommers, with whom she had a romantic pa... No, I’m not a nonogenarian. I just make it a point to learn as much as I can about old movies while I’m alive so I’ll know a whole lot about them when I’m dead. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/36 "2016-11-18T07:50:04Z")
There’s Brannagh’s _In The Bleak Midwinter._ and Pacino’s _Looking for Richard_ _The Libertine_ with Johnny Depp & Samantha Morton is largely set around Restoration theatre. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/37 "2016-11-18T14:27:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > (It must be a bitch to learn the lines and remember which iteration you’re in!) It is. Luckily, the ‘correct lines’ are more or less said twice in Acts I and II. And if you get a little confused in Act III, as long as you don’t fuck up anyone’s cue, it tends to add to the falling-apartedness. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/38 "2016-11-18T14:28:32Z")
Hamlet has a play in it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/39 "2016-11-18T15:13:36Z")
There’s a comedic film called _[Hamlet 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_2)_. And I liked _[Mrs Henderson Presents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Henderson_Presents)_. And there’s a [Wikipedia list of films about theater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_theatre). ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116/40 "2016-11-18T16:54:12Z")
Films about theater seem to be quite abundant, and successful. Novels less so, though I guess that shouldn’t be too surprising. I’d love to watch a ‘workplace comedy’ TV show set in a, say, Off-Broadway play. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novels-movies-shows-about-theatre/772116.md?page=3)