Mary & Ethel and Mikey Who?

By: Stephen Cole

Narrated by: Anita Gillette

Author and musical theatre librettist Stephen Cole has taken his real-life friendships with Ethel Merman and Mary Martin, the two undisputed queens of Broadway, tossed them into a blender and come up with a fantasy about a nerdy super-fan in the early 1980s who, while visiting his dying idol Ethel Merman, stumbles into a time portal in her closet and exits on the other side in Sophie Tucker's star dressing room at the Imperial Theatre in 1939. Mikey Marvin Minkus gets to know his idols in their prime as he time travels through the decades with them, influencing their lives and careers, while helping to foster their legendary rivalry. Only visiting times when Merman and Martin's fates crossed, Mikey becomes a vital part of their lives, all the while interacting with such celebrated theatrical figures as Cole Porter, Jerome Robbins, Josh Logan, Dorothy Fields, Larry Hagman, Irving Berlin, Sophie Tucker, Leland Hayward, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and a newcomer named Jane Fonda.

©2024 Stephen Cole (P)2023 Moreclacke Publishing

Anita Gillette makes this audible version so much fun.

A delightful romp for theatre nerds, or fans of Merman and Martin. I’d love to know what’s fact and what’s fiction!

A front row seat to the history of Broadway

This book is a time-travel fantasy through the golden age of Broadway looking at the careers of Mary Martin and Ethel Merman. Unlike many books of historical fiction, our main character, Mikey, meeting all the famous folks is motivated by the story. Anita Gillette's performance is nothing short or extraordinary as she captures the essence of not only Mary Martin and Ethel Merman, but also Sophie Tucker, Noel Coward and many more.