The Toughest Show on Earth is the ultimate behind-the-scenes
chronicle of the divas and the dramas of New York’s Metropolitan
Opera House, by the remarkable man who rose from apprentice
carpenter to general manager.
Joseph Volpe gives us an anecdote-filled tour of more than four
decades at the Met, an institution full of vast egos and
complicated politics. With stunning candor, he writes about the
general managers he worked under, his embattled rise to the top,
the maneuverings of the blue-chip board, and his masterful approach
to making a family of such artist-stars as Luciano Pavarotti,
Placido Domingo, Teresa Stratas, and Renee Fleming, and such
visionary directors as Franco Zeffirelli, Robert Wilson, and Julie
Taymor. Intimate and frank, The Toughest Show on Earth is not only
essential for music lovers, but for anyone who wants to understand
the inner workings of the culture business.