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Theater Kid

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Theater Kid

By: Jeffrey Seller
Narrated by: Jeffrey Seller, Annaleigh Ashford, Kyle Beltran, Steven Boyer, Danny Burstein, Darren Criss, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sas Goldberg, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lindsay Mendez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alex Newell, Andrew Rannells, Conrad Ricamora, Jonathan Marc Sherman
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A New Yorker, NPR,and Washington Independent Review Best Book of 2025

A coming-of-age tale from one of the most successful American producers of our time, Jeffrey Seller, who is the only producer to have mounted two Pulitzer Prize–winning musicals—Hamilton and Rent.

Before he was producing the musical hits of our generation, Jeffrey was just a kid coming to terms with his adoption, trying to understand his sexuality, and determined to escape his dysfunctional household in a poor neighborhood just outside Detroit. We see him find his voice through musical theater and move to New York, where he is determined to shed his past and make a name for himself on Broadway.

But moving to the big city is never easy—especially not at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis—and Jeffrey learns to survive and thrive in the colorful and cutthroat world of commercial theatre. From his early days as an office assistant, to meeting Jonathan Larson and experiencing the triumph and tragedy of Rent, to working with Lin-Manuel Miranda on In the Heights and Hamilton, Jeffrey completely pulls back the curtain on the joyous and gut-wrenching process of making new musicals, finding new audiences, and winning a Tony Award—all the while finding himself.

Told with Jeffrey’s candid and captivating voice, Theater Kid is a gripping memoir about fighting through a hardscrabble childhood to make art on one’s own terms, chasing a dream against many odds, and finding acceptance and community. Entertainment & Performing Arts Biographies & Memoirs Inspiring Entertainment & Celebrities Heartfelt Theater

Critic reviews

"Jeffrey Seller, producer of some of the most original, innovative, and memorable Broadway musicals, narrates this no-nonsense, completely engaging memoir...Seller is frank, graphic, and unapologetic about his homosexuality and his relationships with men during the AIDS crisis. Having worked his way up from theatrical booking to producing, he tells the backstories behind such successful musicals as RENT, IN THE HEIGHTS, and HAMILTON."
Captivating Memoir • Inspiring Journey • Talented Cast • Compelling Narrator • Authentic Storytelling • Honest Account

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A must for musical lovers everywhere. Jeffrey Seller takes us on a roller coaster ride of his life, from the difficult childhood living in the “Cardboard Village” of Detroit to the triumphant production of Hamilton on Broadway.

If you love musicals….

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Loved All the feels! Gave me goosebumps at times. I love the musical theater ❤️
Rent was one of my husband and i’s favorite.

Touching story-play lover

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I loved this memoir, especially once it kicked into the Rent chapters and subsequent Hamilton chapters. Being a RentHead from 1997, I was enraptured by Jeffrey’s telling of Rent’s genesis and the insights into Jonathan’s process leading up to the night of his untimely passing. I resonated so deeply with the ways in which Jeffrey described rents Impact on his heart, soul, body and spirit. Theater kids rule and so does this book.

Must read/listen for all theater kids (especially Rentheads)

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The book is beautifully written and narrated by Jeffrey seller, one of the most iconic and history making Broadway producers. As Head of the The Musical Theatre program at the University of Florida and about to Direct Rent. It is a must read for every serious Theatre professional in the industry chronicling the history of the evolution and revolution of musical theater from the 20th century into the 21st.

Truth, and vulnerability and passion, Jeffrey Seller is a Winner!

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Thank you for sharing. The path to present shows a determination against all odds. Thank you for pushing through to bring these wonderful and groundbreaking productions to the stage. I can’t imagine a world without them. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

For Theater Kids

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