Theatre

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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

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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

SHAKESPEARE ON PAGE AND STAGE – Stanley Wells

Posted by Daniel on October 12, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

There is no end to the number of books one can find on the works or study of William Shakespeare.  The name ‘Stanley Wells’ is certainly familiar to anyone who’s read critical essays on Shakespeare.  This book, Shakespeare On Page and Stage, is a collection of some of Wells’ essays on the Bard, his work, and performances of his work.

And mostly we’re left with: meh.

Some of these essays were interesting and from some I learned a thing or two, but the bulk of them really didn’t add anything to my knowledge or appreciation of Shakespeare’s plays.  The book collects essays in four basic themes: 1) Shakespearian Influences, 2) Essays on Particular Works, 3) Shakespeare in the Theatre, and 4) Shakespeare’s Text.

While most of this is not new information, I confess I did enjoy the ‘Influences’ section.  For some reason I am extremely interested in reading some of the source material for Shakespeare.  Was it inspiring, or convenient?  We’ll never know.

I also happened to be reading the essay “Staging Shakespeare’s Ghosts” at about the same time that I saw a production of Richard III in which the ghost were featured quite prominently, and so this particular essay really stood out for me.  I hadn’t really thought about it before, but the supernatural definitely plays a big role in many of Shakespeare’s plays.

There were a few essays that dealt with particular performances which held no fascination or interest for me.  A live performance is a fleeting thing, meant to be observed in the moment.  All the reports, the talk, the writings after the fact won’t make me appreciate what someone once did on the stage.

The entire last section, dealing heavily with Wells and his work as an editor, more-so than with Shakespeare’s work, held no appeal at all.

There’s a lot of material here in this book, and there’s bound to be something that will appeal to someone who has an interest in Shakespeare, but over-all this just doesn’t stand up to some of the other Shakespeare criticism I’ve read over the years.

This volume contains the following:

Introduction by Peter Holland
I. SHAKESPEARIAN INFLUENCES
1. Shakespeare: Man of the European Renaissance
2. Tales from Shakespeare
II. ESSAYS ON PARTICULAR WORKS
3. The Failure of The Two Gentlemen of Verona
4.The Taming of the Shrew and King Lear: A Structural Comparison
5. The Integration of Violent Action in Titus Andronicus
6. The Challenges of Romeo and Juliet
7. Juliet’s Nurse: The Uses of Inconsequentiality
8. The Lamentable Tale of Richard II
9.  A Midsummer Night’s Dream Revisited
10. Translations in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
11. The Once and Future King Lear
12. Problems of Stagecraft in The Tempest
13.‘My Name is Will’: Shakespeare’s Sonnets and Autobiography
4. Shakespeare Without Sources
15. Shakespeare and Romance
III. SHAKESPEARE IN THE THEATRE
16. Boys Should be Girls: Shakespeare’s Female Roles and the Boy Players
17. Staging Shakespeare’s Ghosts
18. Staging Shakespeare’s Apparitions and Dream Visions
19. Shakespeare in Planché’s Extravaganzas
20. Shakespeare in Max Beerbohm’s Theatre Criticism
21. Shakespeare in Leigh Hunt’s Theatre Criticism
22. Shakespeare in Hazlitt’s Theatre Criticism
23. Peter Hall’s Coriolanus
IV. SHAKESPEARE’S TEXT
24. On Being a General Editor
25. Editorial Treatment of Foul-Paper Texts: Much Ado About Nothing as Test Case
26. Money in Shakespeare’s Comedies
27. To Read a Play: The Problem of Editorial Intervention
28. The First Folio: Where Should We be Without it?
29. The Limitations of the First Folio
Afterword by Margreta de Grazia
Notes
A Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index

Looking for a good book? Stanley Wells is a noted Shakespeare scholar and his collection of essays, Shakespeare On Page and Stage, provides some insight into the playwright and his work, but nothing here is too earth-shattering or revelatory but instead is a rehash of knowledge but with Wells’ take on it.

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

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Shakespeare on Page and Stage: Selected Essays

author: Stanley Wells

publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

ISBN: 0198786549

hardcover, 300 pages

THEATER OF FEAR AND HORROR – Mel Gordon

Posted by Daniel on September 28, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

I’ve heard of the Grand Guignol of Paris and that it was horror or even depraved theatre, but I didn’t really know too much about it.  It’s not the sort of theatre taught in the local colleges.  The sub-title, I think, really gets it right when calling it a “grisly spectacle.”

Author Mel Gordon has thoroughly researched this popular French form of drama and given us a look at the performers, the stories, and the audience that is second only to having been to the Grand Guignol in person.

But what Gordon doesn’t do is analyze this theatrical form and explain why it was so popular.  There was a movement of Naturalism going on at the time, but France was also reeling from the violence of war.  Was this a means to take out some aggression toward aggressors? Was it a means to dull the senses toward horrendous violence?  Was it simply that some people respond in a positive way toward sadism?

Given the Grand Guignol’s penchant for grisly spectacle, I would have really liked to have gotten more information on their tricks and techniques for their mutilation of a body and the blood they managed to spill.  How long did it take to prepare and practice the physical aspects of these plays, compared with a more routine theatre rehearsal?

While we get a brief biography of the key players in the company, each of them is likely worthy of having their own biography.  I definitely wanted to know more about these people.  What drew them to this form of ‘entertainment’?

It does feel like there’s a fair amount that is NOT here in the book, that’s party due to the fact that there aren’t many books on this subject so when questions or interest arise while reading this, there aren’t many other sources to turn to for more information.  But what IS here tantalizes and informs nicely.  I enjoyed reading through the synopses of the many plays in the theatre’s repertoire.  Some made me chuckle at what seems silly now.  For instance:

NIGHT ATTACK
by ANDRÉ DE LORDE and M. MASSON-FORESTIER
A farce in two acts with the additional theme of Cuckoldry.
A woman comes to a police station late at night, distraught that her lover has just had a heart attack in bed. She asks the police chief to help move the body before her husband returns from a business trip. Since she is pretty, he agrees and they return to her home.
At the house, they attempt to move the lifeless body but the man awakens. As soon as the policeman starts to care for the sick man, the telephone rings. It is the woman’s husband calling to tell her that he will be arriving on a later train. With the approval of the woman, the officer attacks the ailing lover and drives him out of the house. The policeman takes the woman to bed.

It is a farce, so you can’t expect too much plot, and it’s probably not that different from many farces today.  This play is from 1903!

The book is packed with photographs – not for those with a weak constitution! – often what looks like publicity photos from the time…posed pictures of someone getting an eye gouged out or a naked woman being mutilated.  The book also contains two complete scripts – a two act drama, A Crime in the Madhouse or The Diabolical Ones by André de Lorde and Alfred Binet (from 1925) and a one-act drama from 1956, Orgy in the Lighthouse by Alfred Machard.  Having access to these two scripts is worth the price of the book alone!

I love theatre history and this book explores a theatrical form that isn’t often mentioned, yet thrived for nearly sixty years.  It is well worth reading.

Looking for a good book? Theater of Fear and Horror by Mel Gordon takes a look at the Grand Guignol in France – a theatrical art form that explores the darker side of humanity. It was a highly successful venture in its time and yet most history books and theatre historians don’t mention it.  You should read it.

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

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Theatre of Fear & Horror: Expanded Edition: The Grisly Spectacle of the Grand Guignol of Paris, 1897-1962

author: Mel Gordon

publisher: Feral House

ISBN: 1627310312

paperback, 220 pages