Theatre

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ELIZABETHAN COMEDIES – anthology

Posted by Daniel on April 24, 2020
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Anyone who knows me personally knows I have an interest in theatre. Working in theatre is how I spent the better part of my professional career. And ever since my college days, I’ve loved reading classical theatre (though I would have to say the ancient Roman plays have appealed to me the most).  When I saw that Dover Publications had this book, Elizabethan Comedies, available, I was quick to request a copy.

If you have an interest in theatre, chances are that you’ve seen or read a play by Shakespeare, but of course Shakespeare wasn’t the only person writing plays at this time. In fact, Shakespeare had a lot of competition (and associates) who were putting together some really quality, entertaining theatre. And you can see that right here with this basic anthology.

Let’s face it, not everything Shakespeare wrote was pure gold.  Don’t believe me?  How many times has your local Shakespeare festival staged Midsummer Night’s Dream?  And how many times have they performed Cymbeline?

Personally, I would love to see more theatre companies, especially Shakespeare companies who are already well equipped to handle the dialogue, would put on some of the other Elizabethan comedies.  I don’t need to see another conceptualized version of Taming of the Shrew when I’ve never had a chance to see Ben Jonson’s Every Man in His Humour.

This book contains the following six scripts:

Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay by Robert Greene (c. 1589)
The Shoemaker’s Holiday, or The Gentle Craft by Thomas Dekker (1600)
All Fools by George Chapman (1605)
Eastward Ho! by Ben Jonson, George Chapman, and John Marston (1605)
A Trick to Catch the Old One by Thomas Middleton (1607)
Every Man in His Humour by Ben Jonson (1612)

Each of these is well-deserving of being included in this volume and each of these is a really fun read.  We know for our Shakespeare studies that ‘comedy’ doesn’t necessarily mean laugh-out-loud funny, but these six plays are generally comedies in our more commonly accepted definition.

I enjoyed the Ben Jonson plays the most, but that’s probably no surprise since they seem to be retellings of some of the classic Roman plays.

It is interesting to note that at the end of Every Man in His Humour is the note:

This Comedy was first acted in the year 1598.
By the then Lord Chamberlain his Servants.
The principal Comedians were
Will. Shakespeare.
Ric. Burbadge.
…

And before I get emails … I know that most of these plays aren’t really in the Elizabethan era.  Please note that I didn’t title this book. I do realize, though, that a book about Jacobean Comedies probably wouldn’t get nearly as much attention.

Looking for a good book? Elizabethan Comedies: A Basic Anthology by Dover Thrift Editions is great collection and the perfect way to enjoy some theatre other than Shakespeare, from this era. This is highly recommended.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Elizabethan Comedies: A Basic Anthology

publisher: Dover Thrift Editions

ISBN: 0486816060

paperback, 448 pages

THE ESSENTIALS OF THEATER – Lisa Mulcahy

Posted by Daniel on February 25, 2020
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

In the description of this book it says that this is an introduction to the world of theater and I think this is important to note because this really is written for the novice – the absolute beginner. While the description of the book (on Goodreads and Amazon) say that this is perfect for college students in theater programs, I would disagree. The bulk of the information here is so very basic that anyone in a college theater program should already have much of this knowledge.

However, I do think this is a great resource for high school students interested in pursuing theater in college, and also for college students taking an introduction to theater class. Although it has been a few years, I have taught Introduction to Theater at a local college, and I do lead workshops, in various theatre skills, for high school students and there is some information here that I will draw from.

I like the comprehensiveness of this book.  It touches on nearly all the roles in the theater (“nearly” because it doesn’t address any of the front of house services – which is not unusual, but if you are going to the trouble of putting on a play, don’t you want people to be able to buy a ticket to see it?), but of course any time you cover a lot of different aspects of a craft you’re limited to broad strokes as opposed to details.

I also really like the worksheets or ‘to-do’ lists at the end of each chapter.  This is where the interested student can grow in their knowledge and practical skills in theatre and it here that I will likely find some things that I might use in my workshops.

Author Lisa Mulcahy also includes a number brief (brief) interviews with theatre professionals.  I found these to be mostly a waste of time.  I understand that it’s nice for a youngster to hear words of wisdom from professionals, but these snippets are so brief that we don’t really get anything from them. In my opinion, this space could have beet better used for a little more depth in the various roles in the theatre.

The suggested reading/viewing lists (I love that Mulcahy suggests viewing theatre!) are really good and it’s nice to see some suggested plays and musicals that speak to students of this generation rather than a list of nothing but ‘classics’.

Looking for a good book?  If you want a very basic book about all aspects of theatre production, targeted to the real novice, Lisa Mulcahy’s The Essentials of Theater is definitely worth considering.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Essentials of Theater

author: Lisa Mulcahy

publisher: Allworth

ISBN: 1621536467

hardcover, 256 pages

THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT PLAYS 2015-2016 – William W. Demastes, editor

Posted by Daniel on December 30, 2019
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There was a time when I bought every collection of short plays that was published. I love reading plays and I also was directing plays – for theatres and for high schools.  When my focus changed and I wasn’t directing much any more, I also backed off from reading play collections.  Which is too bad, because I do like reading plays! So when I had the opportunity to request this collection I really was eager to get in to it.

I’ve clearly fallen behind in my reading since this collection if about four years old.

Reading this collection, I wondered – what makes for a good short play? What I found here is that most of these short plays are about something.  They are messages, parables, reminders of behavior (how to … how not to …). And because of that, I often found them boring. I rolled my eyes … “Oh gosh … another play about what it’s like being gay … another play about what it’s like growing old … another play about …”

Too often I considered these plays to be catharsis workouts for the playwright.  I could picture the playwrights’ friends coming to performances (always dressed in black and nodding and smiling at how well their friend captured what it’s like________) and talking about the plays afterward.  And that’s okay! Except that I felt left out.  I felt that many of these plays were written for a specific audience and not a general audience.  With an exception or two.

I was really moved by Liz Amadio’s “The Hoodie Play.” I found this to be very theatrical (it’s surprising how many scripts forget this important aspect of being intended for the stage) and with a really great message (yes…despite my complaint about message plays, I like this message).  The action/dialog here moves along at a good pace.  This is one of the very scripts in the book that I’d really like to see staged.

Israel Horovitz is always solid (at least those that I’ve read), and his play “Security” is a nice addition to the book and would work well.

The last play in the book, “Doughnut Hole,” is by Donna Hoke … a name quite familiar to me as a force behind a script exchange and a representative of the Dramatists Guild … is a fun script. Featuring three older women, it’s clear that Hoke has a good understanding of her audience and people looking for age-appropriate scripts. I know a number of older people who would love to have a short play to work on and you can be sure I’ll be recommending this!

While only these three plays stood out as being exceptional, most of the rest were fine – just not uniquely memorable.  One script, however, stood out as a script that very much did not enjoy: “Untitled Radio Play” by Keelay Gipson. It’s a message play, dealing with racism in the gay community. As a cisgendered white male, I recognize that I may have a very different reaction to this script, but I’ve been working professionally in theatre for a long time and I’d like to think that I react to quality rather than subject matter when it comes to plays. The message here is strong, but the script is not.

Liking three plays out of a collection of twenty is actually not bad, especially given that the rest are decent, but still this book will really only appeal to theatre enthusiasts.

This collection includes:

Introduction: Starting Over – John Patrick Bray
“Turtles and Bulldogs” – Scott C. Sickles
“Makin’ IndiXns” – William S. Yellow Robe, Jr.
“Four of Hearts” – Richard Chaney
“The Gun Show” – E. M. Lewis
“Bobo, Booboo, Bibi & Bourbon or, The Clown Play” – Terry M. Sandler
“Untitled Radio Play” – Keelay Gipson
“Eat of the Sun” – Darcy Parker Bruce
“Childish Things” – Arthur M. Jolly
“Before” – Penny Jackson
“Magnolia Blossoms: A Civil War Melodrama, Episode 1: “If Tomorrow Never Comes … Until Today”” – Angela C. Hall
“Certain Unexplainable Events” – Cody Daigle-Orians
“Easter at the Entree Gold” – John Minigan
“Strays” – Kim Katzberg in collaboration with Nora Woolley and Raquel Cion
“The Ladder in the Room” – Lisa Soland
“The Hoodie Play” – Liz Amadio
“Big Easy Death Party” – Mariah MacCarthy
“Rations” – Mark Bowen
“Man. Kind.” – Don X. Nguyen
“Security” – Israel Horovitz
“Doughnut Hole” – Donna Hoke

Looking for a good book? If you enjoy reading plays, or are looking for a short script for your theatre project, check out The Best American Short Plays 2015-2016.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Best American Short Plays 2015-2016

editor: William W. Demastes

publisher: Applause Books

ISBN: 1495065405

paperback, 392 pages

PLAYING TO THE GODS – Peter Rader

Posted by Daniel on September 30, 2019
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Sarah Bernhardt. Eleonora Duse. Most people are familiar with Sarah’s name, even if they don’t know why she is famous. Only a few dedicated history or theatre buffs probably know the name of Eleonora Duse. But at one time their rivalry was watched and reported internationally and the art of acting, as we know it today, largely came about through this clash of theatre titans.

Biographer Peter Rader has written an excellent account of both actresses, their history, their rise (and fall [and rise again]) in the theatre world, their extremely different approaches to acting, and their rivalry.

Sarah Bernhardt is likely one of the first actors to understand that the press/media could be put to good use and that there really was no such thing as ‘bad press.’ She became bigger than life and made sure that the media, everywhere she went, knew of her ‘oddities’ such as traveling wit a tiger or sleeping in coffins. These things got her attention and attention meant curiosity, and curiosity meant ticket sales to the shows she was performing.  But odd as it seems, Sarah’s art of acting was based on a style that today we would dismiss as wooden with huge gestures and, as was the style of the time, required very specific poses to suggest very specific moods and reactions.

Most of today’s actors are familiar with, and generally study a style of acting known as the Stanislavski Method (or just “The Method” as in “Method” acting).  Stanislavski developed that style from watching Eleonora Duse. Duse, a fair bit younger than Bernhardt, ‘felt’ her characters and became the characters rather than just displaying canned poses.

While it might seem strange to us today, Sarah’s style of acting was considered most appropriate, while Eleonora’s was shocking and disturbing to many. But Eleonora had her supporters (including theatre reviews such as Oscar Wilde) and the two great actresses would clash many times, including a time in France when they would appear in the same role, in the same play, in theatres across the street from one another.

This really was an engrossing, fascinating read. Rader captures a really pivotal time in the theatre world, commanded by two women – one largely forgotten despite the fact that it was her style that we still see today.

Although it might seem like this has a very specific interest (acting) I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in biographies or history as Rader really captures a lot about this time period (mid-to-late 1800’s to the early 1920’s).

This had me wanting to learn more about both women and I’ve watched the very few YouTube videos of their few movies.

Looking for a good book? Playing to the Gods by Peter Rader is a tremendous biography of two actors whose styles clashed as one method of acting was on the way out and another was just coming into fashion. But this is more than a book about acting and two famous actresses, it’s also a book about the struggle and rise of two women in an era when women weren’t allowed to take leadership roles.

The book is nicely illustrated with photos.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Playing to the Gods: Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, and the Rivalry That Changed Acting Forever

author: Peter Rader

publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN: 1476738378

hardcover, 277 pages

DEAR EVAN HANSEN – Val Emmich

Posted by Daniel on December 28, 2018
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

I have heard of Dear Even Hansen, the Broadway musical, and I know it’s been very successful, but beyond that I was pretty clueless. When I saw that there was an ARC available of a book, based on the hit show, I put in my request right away.

Dear Evan Hansen is a Young Adult novel and as such, hits all the right notes. It is easy to see why this is such a popular show and likely to be a very popular book – especially in the YA crowd.

Evan Hansen is a high school teenager with a lot of struggles. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mother who works often and takes night classes in order to get a better job to support herself and her son. Evan is in therapy and one of the things he has to do is write letters to himself to bolster or comment on his day.  Each letter begins, “Dear Evan Hansen.”

These letters, of course are private memos, like diary or journal entries, but in letter form.  On one particular day, the school bully, Connor Murphy, grabs a letter from Evan’s hands. In addition to mocking Evan for the letter, Connor wants to know why Evan is writing about his (Connor’s) sister.  Telling Connor that he has a crush on her would be even more embarrassing for Evan.  Connor walks off, taking the letter with him.

Connor doesn’t show up in school for days after the incident, and when Evan is called to the principal’s office, he’s worried about having to confess to the letter and his crush on Zoe. Instead, Evan is informed that Connor took his own life and one of the things found with him was a letter he wrote to Evan.  No one realized that Connor and Evan were such friends.  And so begins a series of lies from Evan, to Connor’s parents, to Zoe, to his own mother, mostly with good intentions.

Despite having been a bully and a loner, Connor’s legacy builds and grows as a misunderstood young man with a secret life as a kind heart.  A truth that doesn’t come out, because of Evan’s lies, is that Connor did indeed have a secret relationship with another young man.

The writing of this book is smooth and very easily readable. We move from chapter to chapter so nicely that it is easy to get caught up and keep reading longer than you intend to.

Evan is seriously flawed, but what teenager isn’t?  It’s all about finding their own way, often with mistakes.  It is what they learn from those mistakes that determine the adult they will become.  In a YA novel like this, the mistakes are on a grand scale and yet everything feels plausible.

There was a point, perhaps two-thirds of the way through, that I started to worry about where this was headed and I absolutely did not want to go there.  Had it gone in the direction I thought it would take – and a direction that so many YA novels WOULD have gone – I would have given this a very low rating.  As it is, it’s tough to give a high score to a book in which a person lies so much and so often, but it’s what Evan does to redeem himself that provides the strong backbone for this story.

Looking for a good book? Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich is a strong, wonderful YA book that should be enjoyed by fans of the genre.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Dear Evan Hansen

author: Val Emmich, with Steven Levinson, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

publisher: Poppy

ISBN: 0316420239

hardcover, 368 pages

SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE – Laura Bates

Posted by Daniel on December 6, 2018
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Dr. Laura Bates had been told that maximum-security prisoner are beyond rehabilitation and Bates, an English professor and believer in the power of Shakespeare’s plays, took that as a challenge.

Bates holds classes in Shakespeare’s plays with prisoners who sign up to take the classes.  She begins regular meetings in a detention ward with maximum security prisoners being held in solitary confinement with one of the most notorious inmates – Larry Newton who was sentenced to life without parole at age 17 for murder. What comes from the classes surprises Bates, who anticipated a struggle to get prisoners – many of whom had little education – to understand Shakespeare, much less discuss it intelligently. But what Bates (and most of us reading this book) forget is that this is, literally, a captive audience.  These are men with nothing but time on their hands to think about what they are reading.

One of the surprises that comes through is how these men associate some of Shakespeare’s characters as imprisoned, usually by their own thoughts and deeds, much as these students are imprisoned physically. Clearly some of these insights can only come from someone who is incarcerated.

This is definitely an interesting read and for those who believe in the power of Shakespeare to speak about what it means to be human in a way that everyone can understand, this would seem to be more proof of just that. And what Newton and the other inmates have to say about Hamlet and Macbeth and the other characters and plays addressed truly is insightful, yet the book starts to grow repetitive and Bates appears to understand this and begins to add more personal information about how she came to begin this program, the dangers, and the rewards. This becomes more of a memoir than a Shakespeare study (note that the cover as depicted above reads “a memoir”) which is too bad because it’s the Shakespeare study that is most fascinating. The problem with most memoirs is that the memoirist remembers his or herself in the best of light.

I am glad that I read this and I will probably recommend this to friends who might find this sort of book interesting, but with a few caveats.

Looking for a good book? Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates is a fascinating look at the power of the Bard’s words, even to hardened criminals, but the memoir portion of the book surrounding the Shakespeare insight, pales slightly.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Shakespeare Saved My Life

author: Laura Bates

publisher: Sourcebooks

ISBN: 1402273142

paperback, 291 pages

DARLINGS OF DRESS – Norma Shephard

Posted by Daniel on October 22, 2018
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This is not what I would consider a ‘typical’ book for me (though I’m not sure I have such a thing as a ‘typical’ book), but there was a reason that I was interested enough to request this book … theatre. Because I write and direct for the theatre I do sometimes look for books such as this for reference material. I recently worked on a show from the period that this book covers and my interest was high.

Author Norma Shephard has done some remarkable research and presents a very detailed, very thorough look at children’s clothes from the time of the American Civil War through the turn of the century and just prior to the Jazz Age. But research is nothing without a great presentation and Shephard walks us through the periods and the styles, detailing when and why are particular style might have been worn, how it came into fashion, and what the other fashions were that complemented it. Because of its specificity it is one of the most detailed history books I’ve read.

This era is ripe with photos as this was the beginning of popular photography as well, and those who chose to be photographed often dressed in their very best outfits.  But we also have a tremendous source of newspaper and catalog pages with drawings that represent the styles of the eras.

As someone not as familiar with all the clothier terms that were often mentioned, I really appreciated the “Style Retrospective” at the end of a chapter/era.  The end of “Chapter Two. Dressed as Never Before 1870-1880” fascinated me and I had it highlighted in my copy:

Children’s clothing of the period were not designed for
comfort or ease of movement, but for adherence to the
prevailing influence of artistic taste.
Throughout the Victorian period, basic silhouettes
prevailed for lengthy periods, with major changes in contour
appearing only with the arrival of each new decade. Female
children of the 1870s were dressed to delineate a form similar
to that of their mothers. At the outset of the decade, high,
tight bodices with sloping shoulders and tight-fitting sleeves
hinted at feminine helplessness, while basques, high-sashed
waists culminating in backside bows, scalloped jacket hems,
and Van Dyke points drew attention to the derriere. Skirts
fell to a few inches below the knee and were supported by
numerous petticoats as the bustle replaced the cage crinoline.
The horizontally trimmed hems of the voluminous skirts
served to punctuate the sleekness of the lower legs in their
stockinged splendor and ankle-hugging leather boots.

The one down-side for me was the introduction to the book.  At well over 40 pages, this is one of the longest introductions I’ve come across in a book.  When I was on page 52 and I was at Chapter One I thought, “Wait a minute! What’s going on?!” I’m not sure why this was an introduction and not a chapter.  Does it make a difference?  Only because of expectations.  I expect an introduction to set up what I am about to read and maybe why it’s important or why the author chose to write the book.  I do not expect an introduction to give me the history of dyes or the influences on clothing from literature or pages about hats and pages about gloves.  These are all great subjects, worthy of chapters or at least inserts within chapters, rather than being bunched together in one very long introduction.

That aside, this is a wonderful book for history buffs, costumers, writers of historical/period fiction, or anyone interested in period clothing.

Looking for a good book? Darlings of Dress by Norma Shephard is a thorough, remarkable book about clothing for youngsters during the latter part of the Victorian Age up to the Jazz Age.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Darlings of Dress: Children’s Costume 1860-1920

author: Norma Shephard

publisher: Schiffer Publishing

ISBN: 0764349392

hardcover, 192 pages

LIFE IS LIKE A MUSICAL – Tim Federle

Posted by Daniel on May 17, 2018
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Tim Federle’s Life is Like a Musical appears to be targeted toward the audience for his Young Adult books, but the advice he offers up is pertinent to everyone.

Although many who read this book will know Federle as the author of popular books such as Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist and the Nate the Great series of books for young readers, Federle also happens to be a theatre professional – dancer, singer, actor, and much more.

In this witty, easy-to-digest book, Federle takes his observations on how to succeed (and how to be successful) in the Broadway theatre world and translates those observations to apply to everyday life. And he does it well.

Let’s be honest for a minute, though.  Most of know how we’re supposed to behave and how the people around us are supposed to behave in return. But all it takes is one person’s snarky comment within ear shot to have us leave the path of how to behave and become a diva (and, yes, Federle addresses this).

Federle’s observations are spot on and he describes them simply and clearly, referencing a theatrical example (often using himself and his mistakes in a “I speak from experience here, kids” tone. It is charming, and his very NON-aggressive bearing is very relaxing and makes this a calm pleasure to read.

The chapters and examples are short – typically only two or three pages long each – making this the sort of book that you can either devour all at one time, or read a chapter or two then put it away for a bit and read another some time later.  It also makes (sorry, Mr. Federle) great bathroom reading.

As I mentioned earlier, most of this is advice that really we already know (or should know) but don’t follow as much as we should and so I took a piece of advice to heart.  Chapter 35 is titled “Write Fan Letters” and in it he offers the advice, “Never get so big that you stop admiring the efforts of others.” Damn, that’s good! And so I did it.  I wrote an email to someone who’s lifetime of work I’ve admired and appreciated (that person being 85 years old).  That person wrote back and I think we both felt very good about it. Thanks, Mr. Federle, it worked!

Looking for a good book? Life is Like a Musical by Tim Federle is a wonderful reminder/guide to how to get the most out of life and how to be the best you can be.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Life Is Like a Musical: How Broadway Can Help You Live Your Best Life

author: Tim Federle

publisher: Running Press

ISBN: 0762462647

hardcover, 224 pages

LEAR – Harold Bloom

Posted by Daniel on April 11, 2018
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Anyone who’s read much Shakespeare apologia has certainly encountered the works of Harold Bloom.  Lear: The Great Image of Authority is the third book in Bloom’s “Shakespeare’s Personalities” series.  I had quite enjoyed the second volume on Cleopatra and looked forward to this volume.

Unfortunately this one did not work quite so well for me.

This felt like a director’s notes on a play’s character – which could be really fascinating if it revealed something new or had some insight that hasn’t already been presented by many other writers and directors.  And the writing examines Edgar, Goneril, and Regan as much as it does Lear.  At one point I actually flipped back to the beginning to make sure I had the correct subtitle and that it wasn’t something more along the lines of “The Effects of Edgar on the great King.”

I’m not sure, but half this book might just be dialog pulled from Shakespeare’s play.  I can read (or watch) the play myself – more analysis of the dialog, and how it defines a character would have been welcomed.  Yes, there was some, but it was rather pedantic.

Bloom has written some wonderfully introspective works. but regretfully, this isn’t one of them.  I’ll look forward to the next volume in the series, but with hopes that it will be more of a “Personality” retrospective rather than a director’s moderate character analysis.

Looking for a good book? Harold Bloom’s Lear does not live up to the “Shakespeare’s Personalities” series, but might be a fine book for anyone directing the play but doesn’t want to do their own research.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Lear: The Great Image of Authority

author: Harold Bloom

publisher: Scribner

ISBN: 1501164198

hardcover, 176 pages

FOUR OF THE THREE MUSKETEERS – Robert S. Bader

Posted by Daniel on December 21, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Wow.  Just … wow.

Robert S. Bader has done an incredible amount of research into the early days – the vaudeville and live stage performance days – of the Marx Brothers and shares it with the rest of us in the tremendous book, Four of the Three Musketeers.

Bader brings us in to the home of Minnie and Sam Marx, introducing us to the extended family, and we only leave when Minnie and the boys begin their careers in show business.  We get the very definite impression that Minnie was quite the caretaker of these early careers and became an agent for them  and truly looked out for their best interests (even if it back-fired a time or two).

We get a very detailed look at the vaudeville careers of these comedians as well as their more personal lives in the early days (with the vaudeville schedule being what it was, the two [business and personal lives] were intrinsically linked.  That Minnie created a ‘stable’ of young starlets, ready to join the boys in a show at a moments notice – knowing full well that these young ladies did more than simply perform on stage to service the brothers – speaks to Minnie’s manipulation and desire to provide for her sons in every way.

There have been plenty of books on the Marx Brothers, and the brothers themselves have written a few volumes on their early days.  But what Bader does extremely well is point out to the reader the inconsistencies in the stories, the facts Bader has found, based on research, and – when no facts exist – relays the various points of view and expresses thoughtful consideration on what is most likely the ‘truth.’  It all comes down to Bader’s impressive research.

From their early battles with vaudeville circuit owners (and their being blacklisted from the top producer) and Chico’s gambling debts, and young women scorned, to Uncle Sam’s draft and Broadway and eventually film, we following the three … er four … um, sometimes five Marx Brothers through their entire early career.

Bader is extremely easy to read, making these 500+ pages go by quite easily.

And as impressive as the narrative itself is, “The Marx Brothers Stage Chronology, 1905-45” has Bader compiling every live performance theses comic geniuses gave over a forty-year span, listed the theatre, the city, the date, and even the sketch/revue/show name when possible.  I may have enjoyed reading through this nearly as much as the narrative as I followed the path they took, could visualize some of the cities and thought about visiting some of these locations (some near me).

I grew up watching the Marx Brothers films – classics replayed in movie theatres (so long before Netflix or DVDs) – and have read up on them periodically through the years, and this is easily the most comprehensive, readable, and thoroughly-researched book I’ve come across.  It is highly recommended.

Looking for a good book? Four of the Three Musketeers, by Robert S. Bader is a remarkable achievement, detailing the early years of the famous Marx Brothers, separating fact from common fiction (usually invented by a Marx Brother as a joke), and mapping out every theatre and sketch they performed during the early days.  It is highly recommended.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers on Stage

author: Robert S. Bader

publisher: Northwestern University Press

ISBN: 0810134160

hardcover, 544 pages

 

WORKSHOPPING A NEW PLAY – George Sapio

Posted by Daniel on December 6, 2017
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

George Sapio has written what is probably the best, most definitive book on the how and the why to workshop a new play.

While writing may be a solitary exercise, once words are on a page they need to be seen, read, or heard.  This is especially true for playwrights who write very specifically for actors and an audience.  But a large part of writing is rewriting.  For fiction and non-fiction writers it is common to send a draft to a variety of readers for comments.  And while it’s possible to do that with scripts as well, a play needs to be read aloud and heard to get the full measure of what works, what is clear, and what needs improvement.  Hence, a workshop.

Many theatres will hold readings of plays – that first chance to hear the script out loud. But fewer will take that next step, to workshop a play.  To hire a director, a dramaturg, actors, and really explore a script to find the strengths and weaknesses of a script so that it might be developed, giving the playwright the opportunity to make a play stronger.

Sapio, who has experienced play-writing workshops from different points of view, approaches the playwright though this book with insight, and humor, and a load of good advice.  And he cuts right to the heart of what we need to know – he doesn’t pad this volume with commentary just to increase the page length.

Some of what Sapio has to say seems like common sense (“Ensuring feasibility for production” or “follow directions when submitting to theatres”) yet the fact that he mentions these things is a reminder that there are many people who don’t follow the common sense rules and need these reminders.

I also liked that the book reaches out not only to playwrights, but to directors and dramaturgs, to remind them of the purpose of the workshop and how to approach a playwright, possibly nervous and defensive of his/her very personal creation.

This book should be required reading for playwrights at all levels and for every theatre that wants to produce new works.

Looking for a good book? Workshopping the New Play by George Sapio is an excellent resource and guide for anyone writing or directing or producing new plays.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Workshopping the New Play: A Guide for Playwrights, Directors, and Dramaturgs

author: George Sapio

publisher:  Applause Theatre & Cinema Book 

ISBN: 1495088227

paperback, 161 pages

WHEN BROADWAY WENT TO HOLLYWOOD – Ethan Mordden

Posted by Daniel on October 23, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

This book really really needs a sub-title to let the reader know what the focus is, because this is just a little bit misleading.  This book examines the transformation of the songs and the songwriters (music and lyrics) of the Hollywood musical when their work was being courted by Hollywood.  That’s just a little bit different concept than the generic ‘Broadway to Hollywood’ theme.

That said, author Ethan Mordden offers up some interesting tidbits that might make one pause to reflect if the reader is as interested in the ‘Musical’ as an art form, such as I am.  But given the tighter focus of the book, it’s a pretty narrow readership I would think.

While I consider myself a fan of the genre, I would not presume to think of myself as particularly knowledgeable about it, other than what I enjoy listening to and watching.  Mordden clearly has a passion and knowledge about the men (and women) who’ve made this journey and has done a respectable amount of research and condenses it to give the reader a rather thorough picture of how Hollywood capitalized on the Broadway respectability.

Mordden’s style is very casual and – well – unfiltered.  Mordden doesn’t separate fact from opinion very much, blending the one to the other, and vice versa.  Take, for instance, this passage:

“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” (the “you say eether and I say aither” song) isn’t especially innovative, but “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” Astaire’s solo, is masterly in the way the melody smoothes its way over startling harmonic changes. This is Harms creativity at its height, as far from Tin Pan Alley as a composer can get while respecting the limits of pop. Yet George does it so suavely that a Hollywood producer, by nature wary of too much New York “cleverness,” would be not dubious but entranced. Then, too, Astaire’s way with a song is as artless as his dancing is elaborated. This is pop music experimenting while pretending it isn’t.

Anyone want to pick out the fact from the opinion here?  Clearly Mordden is not afraid to share his opinion, but given his knowledge in the area, we bear with it, even if we don’t always agree with it.  He also comes up with little gems that make you appreciate his personal take while being annoyed with it at the same time.  Take this quick passage:

By the 1950’s, operetta had turned zombie in New York. Except for the sexy Kismet (and some might say Candide, though the latter scoffs at operetta’s essential component, romantic longing), the form was walking dead, still around after its life was over.

His snarky comments make it fun to keep reading. In writing about Camelot, Mordden comments:

Franco Nero, the Lancelot, also wanted to do his own singing, and let us say that, as a singer, he looked splendid … The only genuine vocal tone we hear from a lead is that of Gene Merlino, and he isn’t in the movie: he dubbed Nero.

One thing that was noticeable and rather interesting, was how we spend almost as much time on some of the talent that isn’t as well-recognized as we do with the big names in the industry.  Johnny Mercer and Frank Loesser and Harold Arlen get almost as much time as the Gershwins or Rodgers and Hart.

I learned a few things (I think) and I generally found this to be an interesting read and anyone wanting to know more about the transfer of Broadway musicals to the big screen should find this a valuable read.

Looking for a good book?  When Broadway Went to Hollywood by Ethan Mordden is a narrow-focused book on the song-writing teams of Broadway musicals and their work in Hollywood that will prove interesting to those already attracted by the topic.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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When Broadway Went to Hollywood

author: Ethan Mordden

publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

ISBN: 0199395403

hardcover, 272 pages