Book excerpt: Tony Stimac’s book is a captivating exploration of America’s national musical theatres, with a particular focus on his experience with the emerging musical theatre in China. In granular detail, he chronicles his rollercoaster of successes and failures while sharing intimate details of collaborating with the preeminent musical theater artists of our time, including George Abbott’s last musical, Kander and Ebb’s reworking of The Rink and hosting the first readings of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Tony provides invaluable insights into the secrets of creating innovative musicals. Passionately devoted to his art form, he struggles with the artist’s dilemma of how to balance his two great loves—his art and his family.