1 comments about Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?.

1. Here is a play that conflates the rhetoric of war into bite size pieces and shows us that one war, particularly as we Americans get involved in them, is all wars. Churchill's staccato lines, and disjointed dialogue is not for everyone, and her play presses our continuity buttons, but this two person dialogue between an allegorical Uncle Sam and an allegorical Guy who is drawn to Sam's cockiness underscores how the language of war is a language of insanity.

No comments about Management and the Arts, Fourth Edition.

5 comments about The Art of Film Acting: A Guide For Actors and Directors.

1. It is a great book for any actor who wants to do stage and film acting. Ever since I've read the book I've booked two films in a matter of weeks. My acting has improved dramatically! I'm not kidding. I learned to come out of myself and see what's around me. It sounds simple and it is simple! Comey gives us techniques to observe what's around us, hence we're less nervous, and we perform better. His technique makes acting more fun, less mind work, though I do feel you still need to do the homework, but then when you're there you just have to let it go and respond what's in front of you. Trust me, it works. I checked this book from the public library and now I'm going to have to buy it myself. Good luck and hope the best in every actor!



2. When something arouses passion in us, we are sometimes lucky enough to sleep with it. That is exactly what I have done with Jeremiah Comey's "The Art of Film Acting". The book rests on my nightstand, and I frequently turn to it for inspiration and knowledge. I have never found a more direct, simple and understandable explanation for this very complicated art known as acting. And if teaching art is so difficult, how does Mr. Comey make it seem so easy? I have a bachelor's degree in acting and more than 30 years in the business. It took me this long to find my "bible". This amazing book could also be titled "The Art of Teaching". Thank you, Maestro!



3. As an actor who is very comfortable on stage, I've always been surprised by my difficulties in front of the camera. This book not only identified what I was doing wrong but has given me very helpful and practical ideas about how to work in the medium of film. What a great find!



4. Loved this book! The author's writing style is easy to understand. A lot of the book is an actual script of what happened in his class - the students dialog and his (the teacher). The students read scripts with each other and he instructs/helps them improve their acting. Highly recommended for the beginning actor!



5. Jeremiah's ability to convey such a clean and concise approach to film acting is endlessly refreshing, especially to the working actor overhwhelmed by the endless masses of techniques and methods out there. He strips acting down to its very essence and truth through his emphasis on being in the moment and on developing ones skills of observation and listening. His simple wisdom reminds us of what we already know-- what we knew as children and chose to forget-- the endless wonder of a human face, the natural expression of unjudged emotion, how to live openly in the present without expectation, to trust unwaveringly in the given circumstances. Truly a great work and one every actor, director, artist or film enthusiast should have. I will read this book again and again and I do not doubt that one day it will be a staple in any serious actor's collection. Excellent.

5 comments about The Iceman Cometh.

1. I am a cinema person, but I do love Eugene O'Neill's work, mainly because there has been 3 film adaptations of his work, and all 3 have been marvelous. This is arguably his greatest play, a marathon of sadness, despair, and disillusionment. I loved how a reviewer said that this play couldn't be written today, as people think we're so cool and cynical that there is no earnestness and sincerity anymore. I agree with that to some degree, but after 20 years or so of smug detachment (similar to the Larry Slade character, who has placed himself, like he says, in philosophical detachment, content to watch the cannibals do their death dance, even though Larry still feels something), we might be in line for some real sincerity. I hope. Is that just a pipe dream?
   
   I have to object, though, to the cover. It has a cute little ice truck on it, giving an erroneous impression that this play is about Mr. Ice and his cute little truck. Hopefully, all those who buy this play will know what they are in for. It isn't a cute tale about an iceman, for sure. It's one of the greatest American plays ever written.



2. [Cue music]
   You wanna go where people know,
   people are all the same,
   You wanna go where everybody knows your name . . .
   [Music fades]
   
   O'Neil's play, "The Iceman Cometh" is a 1912 version of "Cheers", that is if Sam was a bitter old agoraphobic, Norm and Cliff were disgraced military officers, Carla and Rebecca were prostitutes, Woody was a pimp, Frasier was a disenchanted former anarchist, and the bar was a dark, destitute hellhole in the slums of Manhattan where drunks go to wallow in their own self-pity. Ok, perhaps it's the antithesis of "Cheers". However, O'Neil performs a brilliant job in delivering a potent tale of a cast of characters and their broken dreams and hopes.
   
   Throughout the play, O'Neil explores the idea of "pipe dreams" and their role in providing hope to an otherwise miserable life. Although these pipe dreams will never be fulfilled and the dreamers know it, it at least provides some rationale for their existence. The drunks are most happy when deluding themselves into believing their pipe dreams. Only when they are forced to confront these and break their own dreams are they at their most miserable and depressed. Indeed, the one who forces the patrons of the bar to confront their pipe dreams, Hickey, is the most hated and reviled, for he forces them to strip bare their lives and realize their own cesspool of existence.
   
   The theme of death pervades throughout the play. Larry, the grand philosopher, is the one who preaches the most about death. Yet, he still hangs on to life, albeit by drowning his sorrows in cheap whiskey. When Hickey comes, he attempts to deliver the patrons from their miserable lives to achieve a fleeting resurrection, yet his efforts are futile, as the patrons soon return to their zombie-like drunken stupor. Hickey, who himself has a dark secret, is viewed as the Grim Reaper. The bar, itself, is referred to as a morgue and mausoleum, and for good measure, as the drunks there are dead inside and merely waiting to die.
   "The Iceman Cometh" is a depressing look at the wasted lives of alcoholics and their miserable pipe dreams. And although it is set nearly a century ago, the same issues prevail today. This is a great little play to read and dissect.



3. Being a person who doesn't read a ton of plays, I enjoyed Iceman very much. Focusing around a bar full of broken dreams and dreamers in Manhattan, O'Neill's dark classic tells a story that is really present in most people - that of living off of dreams but never following them with actions.
   
   Interestingly, though, the story goes without resolution in a clear way, allowing the readers (or viewers) to decide for themselves whether the characters "pipe dreams," and their own, are worth persuing, or simply worth dreaming about.
   
   Perhaps the most interesting part of this play is the cast or characters. Ranging from war veterans to anarchists to travelling salesmen, an eclectic cast to find in the same room at any time, it is fascinating to watch each and every characters sets of values completely break on from act I to act IV. This is particularly relevent in regards to the anarchist tramp, Hugo, and his desire to drink wine under the willow trees.



4. The dreams (and illusions) of the very wretched of the earth are different from those of you and I. Or are they? This is the true subject matter of Eugene O'Neill fine play. Very little action, lots of drinking, lots of dreaming, lots philosophizing by the bedraggled cast of characters in a low down gin mill to boot do not sound like the makings of a great American play. But they are. The narrowly focused story line turns into a microcosm of the underside of American society in the early part of the 20th century. These are not the `robber barons' of historic fame but the jetsam of the early stages of industrial society. These are the ones that cannot cope, for one reason or another, with the new ways and seek solace and comfort in the back streets of urban society. For lack of a better word these are what Karl Marx called the lumpen proletariat. Not Jean Genet's hardened rough and ready sailors, pimps and male prostitutes but on the margins nevertheless. In neither case will they will not make the revolution. But the have their dreams too and O'Neill is there to chronicle them.
   
   Between shots of whiskey the denizens of this small world exhibit all the emotions, contradictions, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of life that the rest of us `normals' have to face. Except, for dramatic effect, these flophouse devotees get their noses rubbed in it by one Harry Hickey- traveling salesman and sport- formerly chief denizen of the `resort' who now has gotten `religion' and wants to spread his newfound `glad tidings'. Spare us from the Hickeys of the world-a little dreaminess and a couple of illusions never hurt anyone. Did they? Although in O'Neill's hands the dialogue is a little stilted and the characters are a little stereotyped (the seemingly obligatory house philosopher, renegade anarchist, token immigrant, day workers, runaway with a hidden past, Irish cop and floosies) and wooden the point he is trying to make gets across just fine. This is a must read on your American drama list.
   



5. O'Neill's intense play, The Iceman Cometh, is a character-driven philosophical rumination upon the entwined nature of hope and self-deception. To participate in forgetfulness, it seems, we must be willing to indulge our lies and those of our pals. If we do this perhaps we can enjoy the moment with a laugh, a tease, and another free drink: some of the ways of reaching deep into ourselves and thumbing our noses at the rage and guilt that fuel us...and perhaps the only way to stay sane.
   
   The characters are memorable, archetypes abound: we have the old philosopher and his eager student (who reminds Hicky so much of himself), the general, the captain, the white/black gambler, the pimp, the revolutionary, the whore, Jimmy Tomorrow, and that last curse of Pandora's box, Hope; in this case Harry Hope. These deadbeats and washouts live off of Hope--literally--without his generosity we couldn't imagine them lasting long, out in the cold. We're continously brought back to love and freedom: why does love always prevent freedom here?
   
   All the characters are hopelessly stuck, having given up on life completely and existing only by grace of their pipe dreams--the various ways they've conjured up past or future glory, finding meaning anywhere but here, anytime but now. Good naturedly, they tease each other but each knows that his existence continues only by virtue of his fellow drunks.
   
   Once a year they are treated to the attentions and generosity of their wayward friend, Hicky, an always-on-the-move salesman and born psychologist gifted with the ability to size a person up, play to his vanities, and procure a sale as gratitude. Hicky indulges himself in this periodical binge, eager and happy to become what he really is, a lover of drinks and drunkenness, teases and jokes. But this year, as Hope turns old, something is amiss. Hicky's late and when he finally shows up he seems a good natured, if bad mannered, Messiah convinced it's his duty to wake his old pals to reality. He wants them to admit and then relinquish their lies and pipe dreams. With a wink he jabs them in the heart, seeing right through all their clever dreams. If they'll do what he's done, as he commands, then they'll enjoy the peace and contentment that he's found on the other side of lies and drunkenness. Hicky's motivations are mysterious but we're given more and more clues to the awful deed that sparked his transformation into the sober minded, lie eschewing prophet that he's become. We also learn that behind his peace and contentment is a sort of mad dog rage and self repudiation that allows him to see through everyone and everything, including his own sorry self. Though he wants nothing more than to help, at the end he realizes his mistake as all his friends are now unhappy and incapable of becoming drunk, so he permits his pals to write him off and return to their drunken pipe dreams.
   
   As an exercise for the imagination, it's interesting to replace Hicky with Nietzsche (Theo-dore Hick-Man from Hick-town, son of a minister), his all loving, all forgiving wife with God (Evelyn, Elevyn, Y-elevn?, J.C.), the world renouncing philosopher who awaits death with Schopenhauer, and Hope with, well, hope. Doing so makes The Iceman Cometh an especially Nietzschean play, something like... Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
   
   The film with Lee Marvin as Hicky is quite good, now I'd like to see the Kevin Spacey version.

2 comments about Ozu: His Life and Films.

1. Well there doesn't seem to be much info about this book here so for those of you who are wondering what s going on, I'll list the table of contents.
   1 - Introduction
   18 - Script
   105 - Shooting
   159 - Editing
   186 - Conclusion
   193 - Bibliographical filmography (to 253)
   Those of you who are familiar with Richie's other stuff such as the Inland Sea will be happy to hear that in this book he combines his critical and writing gifts with a fairly pragmatic approach to his task.
   Don't be overly wary of ramblings about transcendental this and that - certainly such notions do rear up but only in the context of technical discussion - e.g. in a discussion of the cut away shots to the vase at a crucial moment in Late Spring. Which isn't to say that Richie doesn't consider the social & moral aspects of Ozu's work at some length. This is obviously necessary for such a morally concerned artist as Ozu, and such topics highlight Richie's greatest strengths as a writer.
   This book includes numerous excerpts and stills from production materials, shot sequences etc, which are mostly interesting and relevant; in fact if I had a criticism, I wouldn't mind a few more explicit examples (and counter examples from the work of other directors) especially in the discussion of composition. The Biographical Filmography section briefly covers all his films, mixed in with a fairly straightforward biography. Also recommended on the biographical front would be the docos included on the Criterion DVDs. Especially, "I lived, but..." which comes with the 2DVD Tokyo Story set .
   In other words, for the English speaking reader, it would be hard to imagine a better match between subject and author. Highly recommended for any Ozu fans.
   The back cover shows a youthful, exuberant Richie animatedly chatting with Ozu during the filming of Late Autumn in 1960. Ozu sits quietly, holding a cigarette...



2. I saw this book (chinese edition)several years ago when I was almost 35 years old. It really shocked me!The author is so remarkable in understanding and interpreating the family in OZU films which is so real and convincing.Following the Mr.D. Richie, I, as a chinese, began to try to undersatnd the root of chinese family through a series of the OZU's films. I agree with author that the transcentalism for traditional Japanese and Chinese which the author express in the final charpter lies in the "everyday life world"and that I believe is quite different from western transcentalistic approach.This book is excellent....

5 comments about No Applause--Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous.

1. In the last five years, three unrelated books, the subject book, together with Seriously Funny by Gerard Nachman and Comedy at the Edge by Richard Zoglin, have been published which, together, comprise the history of American comedy since the American Civil War. All of them have their merits, but No Applause - Just Throw Money (NAJTM) is the best of them.
   
   It is not just that vaudeville is broader than comedy alone and the vaudeville era was a lot more interesting in show business history than the periods that followed it. The other virtue to NAJTM is that, while the other books try to capture an age by induction - focusing on the lives of a handful of performers and drawing universal conclusions - NAJTM discusses the era and illustrates the author's points with references to individual performers. The result is that the uniqueness of each act, its independence and individuality is honored.
   
   And unique and independent and individualistic they were! What a wonderful collection of oddballs, tyrants and crackpots and what a talented, original and creative bunch as well. As one surveys modern entertainment - the intellectual wasteland that comprises theater, television and, especially, American cinema today, one longs to slip into the Palace for just one day to see this bunch walk the boards one more time.



2. From 1881 to 1932 vaudeville was the center of American show business, and modern-day vaudevillian Trav S.D. details its history and impact from early to modern times in a survey which traces the big names of vaudeville and the attraction and representation of its shows. Vaudeville was the first major American equal opportunity employer, and it allowed even immigrants easy access to American culture: chapters trace major players, acts, and influences.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. Like the History Channel on TV -- Trav S. D. certainly brings the history of vaudeville to life in this book!! His knowledge and storytelling is akin to sitting in the parlor listening to tales of a bygone era from your grandfather or favorite wise old uncle who himself lived through it! He leaves you smiling, laughing and always wanting to hear and read more.
   
   If anything, the only thing found missing and lacking was in regards to what Trav calls "The New Vaudeville." Back in the early `70s was a bloke by the name of Roy Radin, who did his part in bringing vaudeville shows back to the masses. In Roy Radin's Vaudeville Review, which toured the country appearing in auditoriums, college campuses, and virtually anywhere the venue could be set up -- Many thousands of people, yours truly included, had their chance to meet the likes of Milton Berle, Donald O'Connor, Georgie Jessel and other great stars of the illegitimate stage up close and personal. These vaudeville shows were a great success for the time they ran; although Radin himself as it turns out would end up a mostly forgotten about and very tragic figure in the history of entertainment.
   
   Hoping Trav could've given us some further background and more insight into Radin's touring follies would've made this whole vaudeville story that much better. Perhaps though, when and if the book comes out in paperback, he can/will go back and include some of these tales for us. Nevertheless...
   
   Final Analysis: Do throw money at this book and this author. You'll get more bang for your bucks! And find yourself thoroughly entertained and greatly informed along the way!



4. A terrific book, incredibly comprehensive and very well researched. Written with a sly sense of humor, the intro and background is really complete and wonderful, and the middle section about the heyday and performers is great reading. The last quarter strays into a great deal of opinion from Trav's own finely-honed Vaudeville sensibility; but all the same, it is a fabulous book, absolutely big time. I really appreciated that Trav gave us a lot of reading about the acts and actual performing. (Many books and info sources don't - concentrating more on the Managers and the business end.) As another said, if you want a book about Vaudeville, this is the one.



5. Well-researched and scholarly work, but written with a deft sense of humor. If you could only own a single volume about American Vaudeville, this is it.

2 comments about Electric Guitar Construction: A Guide for the First-Time Builder.

1. This book certainly is useful for an aspiring luthier to have on one's bookshelf as it walks one through building a solid body guitar. I'd recommend buying a discounted or used copy though, since other books in a comparable price range tend to give more information. The price probably has to do more with being a Hal Leonard book with glossy cover and color photography, then being a comprehensive guitar building grimoire. Martin Koch's book may be a better buy though the difficulty curve may be a bit higher.
   
   However to Hirst's credit, his book is geared toward the aspiring luthier with limited woodworking experience.



2. This book is a glossy well illustrated guide to building an electric guitar.
   It has lots of wonderful tips and great pictures of guitar making.The book has terrific information on tone woods,Pickups,and guitar wiring.
   The one critism I have of this book is that it reads in parts like a commercial for STEWMAC I agree that they are great suppliers of guitar parts and and and all the tools anyone would ever need to build a guitar.Does the author really have to appear wearing one of their branded aprons.
   Do your self a favour buy the Melvyn Hiscock book it is a little more comprehensive and is written with a bit of humour and style.

1 comments about Running Theaters: Best Practices for Leaders and Managers.

1. I plan on having every employee in my building read this book. I have found no other book that is actually insightful and informative about my sometimes lonely & always hard-fought profession - running a non-profit performing arts center. It was truly wonderful to hear other voices on the subject, especially those who are established leaders in the field. The author has provided invaluable information on doing just about everything my staff and I do on a day-to-day basis; we all think we're doing our best, but this book helped me see other ways of doing my job that might make time spent at work more efficient and (maybe, just maybe) less stressful. I highly recommend this book to anybody involved in operating a theater.

5 comments about Everyman and Other Miracle and Morality Plays (Dover Thrift Editions).

1. Brush up on your olde English and add this classic to your library.



2. Please ignore the ignorant reviews casting Everyman off as boring and in need of serious revision. You must understand the history behind the play. It came out of a period when plays were written to reform the audience, and were largely theological. You must notice the allegorical way of thinking derived from the medeival faith which believed everything in the world had a moral meaning. When you look at it from the standpoint of a medeival audience it is a delightful way to learn important messages. However, diadactic plays can sometimes be tedious to a modern audience. Do not let that push you away. Enjoy a piece of history that has a great deal to teach its modern audience.



3. as many of you who will buy this book most likely have already read it. Whether the story of a man attempting redemption sparks your interest or not will probably sway you away from this book. This piece was written circa de 1485, that's a 500 year gap so obviously the allegories used won't probably make you automatically relate. But the pure idea that this story has survived so long and is still being praised today is quite an achievement. This is for anyone who wishes to have a basic edition of Everyman, for anyone who wishes to delve into one of the best examples of a morality play. Do not take it for what it is, open your mind to ideas then the whole concept of Everyman will expand. To fully grasp this book you will need to read and think about it, it's best when taught in a highschool or college forum. Also do not be quick to slap on christian beliefs on this, true that it IS a christian morality play, it is better to think of the elements in a universal way. But once again, outdated allegories, dictated religoius beliefs, and the modern day imagination will probably sway most readers away, and i'm glad, they wouldn't have understood all the big words anyways. :) Recommended for ages 16+



4. I found the play to be quite absorbing to read. Everyman is the explanation of medieval norms-this morality play does not work as a universal moral story. As such, this play is valuable to any historian studying the moral code of the middle ages.



5. Okay Mr. "I love Everyman", I also am an AP High school student and am portraying Everyman in our High School production of the Everyman and trust me, the story is reptitious, boring, anti-climatic and fails to actually captivate an audience unless drastic revisions are incorporated. The morals are good, but the lines are superficial.

5 comments about Fences (The August Wilson Century Cycle).

1. Fences is a fantastic play by August Wilson. It expresses very real emotions and language, and it is an enjoyable read.



2. My daughter had to read this book as an English class assignment and at times would ask for my input- I had never read any of August Wilson's work -I read the book so that I'd be able to discuss the book with her. I'm really glad I did but a bit sad that I'd just gotten around to Mr. Wilson's work. I enjoyed this book and will make it a point to read others.



3. The play by August Wilson is about a family life filled with happiness, sad and selfish moments. I chose the book named Fences because this book let me learn a lot on how relationships change between married couples and parents to sons. In the play, a man name Troy Maxson is the household of the family. He wants his son to play basketball in the college and he puts lot of hope on him, but one day he changes his mind about the dream. He thinks his son will not able to go to college; they always have fought on something. Troy always talks to his friend On Friday night. He wants to let people know he is the leader and can do anything he want. One time he has done something that makes his family hate him so mach because he destroy the family. Do you want to know what happen? Go to find out more and you can discuss with me. No one cares about him any more even his best friend. My family always had argument on something that cause us to get bad temper, no one in the house was happy about what was going on. People see each other everyday, but then their relationship will change, either good or bad, depending on how you see the situation. I always hear arguments in my house that makes me feel sad; I don't know what to do. The only thing I do is pretend nothing happen. Troy and his son have argues on something, then they change to not talk anymore and his son never come to see him anymore. So different people have different feeling on their emotion.



4. Interesting play. Good for a summer-reading assignment. I enjoyed the plot but it did end up being a bit depressing.



5. This book was okay. the pages were yellowing and some lines were highlighted, but it was as expected.