Todd Almond is an acclaimed performer, songwriter, and playwright. His recent performance on Broadway in Girl from the North Country was called "stunning" by The Washington Post and "roof-raising, uplifting, and invigorating" by Hollywood Reporter. His musical The Odyssey, for which he wrote the book, music, and lyrics, was hailed as "brash, funny and heart-stirring" by The New York Times. His theater piece Kansas City Choir Boy was called "awesome, slyly punk rock" by Rolling Stone.

Almond is known for his singular songwriting in addition to his work as an accomplished performer. He recently toured the US in his original musical Kansas City Choir Boy, starring alongside rock icon Courtney Love, and starred in three of his original musicals at the famed Delacorte Theater in Central Park (The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, and The Odyssey). His musical Girlfriend - based on the Matthew Sweet album of the same title - is a perennial favorite for theater companies around the country, and he is currently collaborating with producer David Foster on a new, original musical. He has previously collaborated with Sarah Ruhl (Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical), Jenny Schwartz (Iowa), Laura Benanti (In Constant Search for the Right Kind of Attention), Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz ("Twohander"), Kelli O'Hara ("Live at Carnegie Hall"), and Andrew Rannells ("Live from Lincoln Center").
As a composer and orchestrator, Almond has written and arranged music for Noises Off! on Broadway, Iowa at Playwrights Horizons, Fucking A at Signature Theatre, and How to Transcend a Happy Marriage at Lincoln Center Theater, Kelli O'Hara Live at Carnegie Hall, and the recent film adaptation of Michael John LaChiusa's Hello Again. Other New York acting credits include Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl at Playwrights Horizons, People Are Wrong at the Vineyard, Piece of Meat opposite Sherie Rene Scott, and Law and Order: SVU. Currently, Todd can also be seen starring in Gossip Girl on HBO Max. As a musical director, Almond tours with Laura Benanti and Judy Kuhn, and recently made his PBS debut with Andrew Rannells in "Live From Lincoln Center."

List of Illustrations
Prologue
Part 1
Heaven
Lafayette
Downtown
Part 2
42nd Street
44th Street
Hospital
The Real World
The New World
Epilogue
Afterword
Works Cited
Permissions
Index