Summer is a great time to be reading theatre books, at the park, at the beach, or in your air conditioned apartment. I just completed reading two biographies which I thoroughly enjoyed: RAGE AND GLORY--THE VOLATILE LIFE AND CAREER OF GEORGE C. SCOTT by David Sheward, c.2008. I was lucky to have seen Scott in two of his most impressive roles on Broadway--as Willy Loman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN and as the Clarence Darrow character in INHERIT THE WIND(his last Broadway show).
The other book I just finished is A HELL OF A LIFE, an autobiography by Maureen Stapleton who I got to see only once on stage in A GLASS MENAGERIE. The book is often a howl.
What connects these two books is the excessive amount of drinking and swearing that these two stars engaged in.
I know that this kind of thread is on the Board from time to time, but I felt it was a good time to update a list of theatre books.
I suggest you look under features on the left side and click on Books Database. It is a new feature on this site and has a large list of books. It has *new* in red next to it.
Free For all: Joe Papp, The Public Theater and the Greatest Theater story ever told.
Finishing the Hat -- Sondheim
I Got the Show Right Here -- Cy Feuer
Second Act Trouble -- Steven Suskind
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Even the paperback is suprisingly expensive. It looks like it's out of print, Amazon is only listing it available from outside sources.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Another (very emphatic) vote for Free For All. One of my favorites, and great for summer, especially with everything about the creation of Shakespeare in the Park. I love that book so much, and I'm sure I will return to it many times in the future.
I also really like Max Stafford Clark's Letters to George. It was recommended to me by an actor friend when I was looking for some good texts on directing, but it's a very fun read.
Just received "Everything Was Possible" in the mail today and ordered "Colored Lights." AFter those I'm looking forward to working through more on everyone's list.
I'm currently reading The Theater and its Double by Antonin Artaud. Its a great read- and should be on the bookshelf of every theater professional. IMO.
Dramamama611: you can purchase a good used copy of Helene Hanff's UNDERFOOT IN SHOW BUSINESS for under $3.00 on Amazon.com. I have purchased used theatre books often and have never been disappointed in their condition.
I have ordered many of the suggested books on this thread already and hope to start with EVERYTHING WAS POSSIBLE since I will be seeing FOLLIES in December. The only other production of FOLLIES that I have seen was in London in 1987. I loved that production even though it has been trashed by some members of this Board.
Loved "Not Since Carrie", and just began "Second Act Trouble".
Another few favourites of mine are "Act One" by Moss Hart, "Ghost Light" by Frank Rich, "Showtune" by Jerry Herman, and my all time favourite "Timesteps: My Musical Comedy Life" by Donna McKechnie.
"The 54th Street[theatre] had a rep as. . .where old musicals went to die." -Smaxie
William Goldman's The Season it is a fantastic book. I love Ruth Gordon's books, specially the first one My Side. Really fascinating and a good chance to learn about the early 20th Century New York theater scene.
Just finishing "On Broadway: Art and commerce on the Great White Way" by Steven Adler. Very interesting read and even more interesting to see how some things have changed since it was published in 2004. I like how it explains thing so you can easily understand them.
Oh, and Elia Kazan's huge but compulsively readable bio A LIFE.
"It's now rather very common to hear people say 'I'm rather offended by that'. As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more than a whine. It has no meaning, no purpose. It has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that'. Well, so f**king what?"--Stephen Fry
Check out A Dead Man's Memoir: A Theatrical Novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. It's a semi-autobiographical novel that follows a writer who is on the verge of committing suicide when one of his plays is picked up by a theatre company that is a thinly veiled portrait of Stanislavski and the Moscow Art Theatre. It has since been adapted for the stage by a few different playwrights (I did a production of it in grad school, called Black Snow and adapted by Keith Reddin).
And for any future theatre majors you might as well pick up a copy of The Empty Space by Peter Brook, as well as some of the major acting texts such as Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting, On Acting by Sanford Meisner, and Stella Adler's The Art of Acting, to name a few.
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joined:5/27/06
Posted: 7/3/11 at 05:42am