Present at the creation, leaping in the dark, and going against the grain

the long version

"Producer Stuart Ostrow's manifesto of how intelligent life might be restored to the theatre is also a unique personal memoir of the producer - creator relationship and an evaluation of the essentials that can make a show fly, or remain earthbound." "He riffs about the heroes and heels he's met along the way and that great cast includes Frank Loesser, Meredith Willson, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols, Bob Fosse, David Geffen, Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Henry Hwang, John Kander, Fred Ebb, and many more."--BOOK JACKET.