Mazie by Melanie Crowder (review)

Crowder, Melanie Mazie. Philomel, 2021 [352p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780525516743 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780525516750 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 7-10

High school senior Mazie has bigger dreams that just being a farmer's wife in her small Nebraska town, so in 1959, she sets off to New York City, leaving behind her adoring boyfriend and hoping her vocal talents will land her a spot on a Broadway show. She knows it's not going to be a straight shot to the bright lights, however, and she's grateful that several girls at her new boarding house, also aspiring performers, take her under their wing, moving her style from small town to big city. After a series of rejections, Mazie eventually lands a role—in a traveling production that will eventually stop in Nebraska, forcing her to deal with some of the emotional fallout she left behind. Mazie is not lacking for moxie or confidence, rarely wilting under the pressure of performance, and it's particularly gratifying when she calls out her sleazy director who is all too hands on. Crowder depicts with realism the cycle of hustle and rejection that tends to be an actor's career, but it is just that realism that bogs down the pace and Mazie's character development. There's little depiction of the world and the era outside the theater, although Mazie's friendship with several closeted actors does delve somewhat into LGBTQ issues of the time. Readers looking for historical heft will be underserved, but this could fill the bill for theater kids looking for a story about a girl finding her way on stage without losing herself.