Book Review: KEEPING MY BALLS IN THE AIR, Paul Elliott

After a staggering 60 years in the business, theatre producer Paul Elliott recently announced that he will be retiring from his company, Paul Elliott Ltd. However, he's leaving in style, releasing his memoir, Keeping My Balls in the Air, to celebrate his time in the industry.

Elliott is most recently known for producing Dirty Dancing on stage, but this is merely the tip of the iceberg for a gentleman who began his career back in 1958. He has produced or co-produced 1,040 shows worldwide of which 482 were pantomimes. He also recently received a special recognition award at the Olivier Awards ceremony for services to the industry.

His book consists of 200-something pages, crammed full of hilarious stories and anecdotes, greatly animated by Elliott's witty sense of humour. The tone of the book is very colloquial, so is an easy read, and documents his professional life dating back to when he started out as an actor and stage manager.

His climb up the production ladder seems to have been a combination of skill and luck - and he certainly got himself in plenty of trouble along the way!

There are name-drops aplenty; Elliott has had a very colourful career, working with many influential people who shaped his life. Some references are probably wasted on a younger generation, as I found myself Googling many of the people he mentions in his book.

That said, it would definitely be a recommended read for those wanting to become a producer. It's certainly not a 'how to' guide, but one that highlights the ups and downs of such a job role in a challenging industry.

Keeping My Balls in the Air launches on 24 June and will be available to buy at www.theatre-shop.com

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