Covering shows that opened and/or ran between June 2008 to May 2009, this 512-page hardcover volume — edited by Robert Viagas and published by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books — offers a behind-the-curtain peek at everything Broadway from the past year: stories of the shows, the stars, the creators, the crew, the producers and more.

Borrowing from the template of a high school yearbook, the Playbill Broadway Yearbook includes black and white and color "class photos" and candid snapshots from shows and events throughout the season.

According to Playbill Yearbook notes, the book is "jam-packed with program clippings and first-hand accounts of what it was like to be backstage, on stage, in the rehearsal rooms, costume shops, and orchestra pits of this year's shows."

Special celebrity correspondents from every show "bring a unique and intimate look into your favorite productions." This season's correspondents include Tony Award winner Greg Jbara (Billy Elliot), Jim Caruso (Liza's at the Palace...), Baayork Lee (A Chorus Line), Kerry O'Malley (Irving Berlin's White Christmas), Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff ([title of show]), among many others.

Editor Viagas told Playbill.com, "The fifth annual Playbill Broadway Yearbook has all the features fans have come to expect. Virtually every person who worked on every show is between its covers, including more than 10,000 names and more than 6,000 photographs, hundreds of them in color. We have all the Playbill covers, plus alternate versions where they changed, and all cast members, including replacements.

"Plus, the 2009 Yearbook covers more shows than ever before: all 78 shows that played on Broadway during the 2008-2009 season, including holdover shows and, of course, all the new openings.

"We're especially proud that the Playbill Broadway Yearbook is fully up to date to the current year, covering shows that opened right up to the 2009 Tony Awards."

The list price is $35. At PlaybillStore.com, there is a 24 percent discount on the cover price (snag it for $22.95).

To order through Playbill Store online, click PlaybillStore.com.

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Robert Viagas is the founding editor of Playbill.com, host and program director of Playbill Radio, founding editor of The Playbill Broadway Yearbook series, editor of At This Theatre, and author of numerous theatre books including "I'm the Greatest Star: Broadway’s Top Musical Legends from 1900 to Today."

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Playbill is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2009.