Stephen Sondheim 6 Curtain Time Firseide Flyers Follies/Anyone Can Whistle/ RARE

Description

Perhaps even more rare than the books themselves (see my collection of those - also for sale), this is a lot of six Fireside Book Club Curtain Flyers for Stephen Sondheim's Follies, A Little Night Music, Anyone Can Whistle, Pacific Overtures, Assassins-
Pacific Overtures 2nd release and Passion. Flyers are trifold and folded measure 8.5X 5.5" folded except for Follies, which is 8x5" and does have a strip of tape where it had been taped to the inside of the book.
THE FIRESIDE THEATRE BOOK CLUB
Fireside Theatre, a small but venerable book club, began life in 1950 and during its 1970's high point had over 40,000 members all engaging via snail mail for their monthly printed page of the Best of Broadway.  During it’s most challenging years the club membership had dropped to an estimated low of 15,000.
Membership was by invitation only and the easiest way in was via another member's introduction.
The members were theatre lovers and makers around the country who obviously did not have a theatre book shop in their local shopping centers or Malls.
So while, the most hardcore would fill their luggage with the lasted pubs on their annual trips to New York, this was a way to stay connected all year.
Every month, members got their current selection in the mail along with Curtain Time, the
brochure showcasing the featured play the next month as well as other choices.
Don’t respond with an opt out for next months selected feature play book, then it was on the way to you.
Perhaps over time, there was some loss of audience for plays (well, the reading of plays, anyway), but more likely the internet and easier availability of scripts on demand took it’s toll on the Club.
Stage & Screen Book Club had taken over the business and announced that the curtain was coming down on its operation in July 2003.  The same toll happened to the theatre book stores across the major cities in the world.   Meanwhile, pre- pandemic theatre attendance was breaking records everywhere.