Step into the chaotic, male-dominated world of the 1980s New York City comedy scene in this captivating book about one journalist’s mission to uncover the truth of a rising star’s infelicitous death. Pulling inspiration from the groundbreaking origins of the ever-enduring Saturday Night Live, The Midnight Show by coauthors Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne is a compelling murder mystery and a riveting peek behind the curtain of the tumultuous comedy industry.
Since its birth, professional comedy has been a sphere that actively and inherently excludes women. So, when the slightly timid and charmingly dorky Lillian Martin bursts on the scene as the standout star of a new live late night sketch show, the novelty of her success catapults her headfirst into fame. That is, until her tragic and mysterious death one cold winter night in NYC. The Midnight Show follows journalist Madeline Cohen as she attempts to understand the circumstances surrounding Lillian Martin’s trailblazing career and her untimely passing at the height of her fame decades earlier. Through interviews with former castmates, friends, and family, newspaper clippings, and Lillian’s own journal entries, the story of her last moments that fateful night slowly unfurls.
Tales of jealousy, scorned lovers, and the scandalous, drug-fueled party culture of late night comedy shroud the life and career of a woman who deserved recognition for her accomplishments and not her death. With a sharp focus, the persistent Cohen gets Lillian’s former castmates to expose skeletons that have been hiding in closets for decades, some of which might hold the answers to what happened to Lillian that night and who has benefited from covering it up all these years.
Packed with gossip, dramatic twists, and characters that feel like they’re jumping from the page to join you in intimate conversation, coauthors Kelly and Thorne paint a raw picture of being a woman in the testosterone-soaked world of comedy and the sacrifices that so many women have made to find success being funny.
