No comments about Richard III (The Annotated Shakespeare).

5 comments about From Assassins to West Side Story: The Director's Guide to Musical Theatre.

1. I'm a major fan of Scott Miller's books, and this one is no exception. It is readable, well thought out, and filled with perceptive analysis of 16 classic musicals. His fresh insights frequently open my eyes to key aspects of shows I have known for years. Or at least I thought I knew them! If more directors took Miller's ideas to heart, it would prevent countless run-of-the-mill productions from boring theater goers year after year. I'll admit that Miller's attitude towards Sondheim's works borders on adoration (for example, I don't believe ASSASSINS was nearly as important as he makes it sound), but that is hardly a vice. If you love musical theater, you owe it to yourself to spend some time with this book. If you stage musicals, you owe it to your casts and customers to read anything and everything this man has written on the subject. (I especially recommend his equally fascinating DECONSTRUCTING HAROLD HILL.)



2. This is one of the most humorous, honest and delightful books about theatre out there. Whether you want to learn about theatre or you know it all....... this book is for you!



3. At last -- a book about musicals where the author doesn't spend half his time trying to impress us and the other half making factual errors. This is one of the few books I've read on this subject that is just good, interesting, solid info. This guy knows his stuff and he makes it all easy to understand. I've been a lover of musicals all my life and still this book taught me a lot.



4. As a bi-continental director (London, New York, and Los Angeles), I was delighted to find that Miller doesn't have an American prejudice in his work -- in fact he highly respects the work non-American directors have done on American classics and that's quite refreshing. His books (this one and "Deconstructing Harold Hill") are the best examples I've seen of serious considerations of important, interesting musical theatre, yet with a sense of fun and joy, and with a devilish penchant for denying conventional wisdom when it doesn't make sense. In fact, he makes cases (in both books) for changing the conventional wisdom on a number of American classics. These terrific books are must-reads for both the theatre professional and the rabid fan as well -- both are inestimable treasures.



5. This is the single most intelligent and entertaining book I've ever read on musical theater. Its only flaw is that the author's personal politics sometimes creep into the text -- still he admits from the beginning that his analyses are subjective and perhaps this is unavoidable. Still, each chapter contains such gems, such unexpected treasures of insight and understanding, and such a contagious enthusiasm and sense of humor. The amazon.com review is right -- it's the only textbook I've ever read that I can read just for fun -- and yet it's also an outstanding textbook.

5 comments about Balancing Act: The Authorized Biography of Angela Lansbury.

1. Hello Ms. Lansbury:
   
   I just wanted to tell you how much enjoyment your performances have given my wife and I, over the years. Oh, and your decision to move to Ireland after your house in Malibu burned down: Brilliant! I grew up in Santa Monica, where there was too much money and too many drugs... So many kids my age (I was born in 1954, and graduated from Santa Monica High in 1972) had their lives destroyed by drugs. Los Angeles and Hollywood are terrible places to raise kids! You are so very lucky, to have raised a beautiful son and daughter, and to have had a husband who loved you, for so many decades. I only hope that my wife and I can enjoy over 50 years of marriage, as you and your spouse successfully did! Best wishes to you and your family. [...]



2. If you are an Angela Lansbury fan like I am, you will love this book. It tells of her family, her marriage, children, her days at MGM, her talks and encounters with movie stars, her movie career, Murder She Wrote and after. It is a well-written book not trashy like the Kitty Kelly biographies or sugar coated. I enjoyed reading this book. A GREAT READ.



3. This authorized biography of Angela Lansbury is interesting and well-written...but she was a part of the project, had final say over what was and wasn't included, and left SO MUCH out! Her personal life is covered much better in the other two unauthorized biographies of Angela Lansbury. But what really floored me in this one was her descriptions of "fan psychology" and the way she talks about teenagers who looked up to the character she portrayed in shows like "Mame." She describes the kids' adulation of her in terms of being "a tragedy." While one fan clearly became out of control in terms of following her around and pestering her, the rest of us - legions of us - didn't. Hello! What's so tragic about children looking up to, and being inspired by, a responsible celebrity?



4. With angela Lansbury's cooperation, the author was able to construct the life of the star and her dreams without being intrusive into episodes of her life. He truly respected the subject and the star rewarded him with candor. it is too often that authors choose biographies to sensationalize a life. In this case, the author told it straight but with humanity and dignity and affection for a woman of icnredible talent and character.



5. This is one of the finest celebrity biographies that I have ever read. Actress Angela Lansbury is profiled with candor and wit in Martin Gottfried's "Balancing Act". Gottfried conducted countless interviews with the star herself of whom he says, "No biographical subject could have been more cooperative.", and many, many of those who knew her and worked with her. The book details her early life in London, her arrival in America during WWII, and her first film, at MGM, where they promptly decided to change her name to "Angela Marlow". The book writes with candor about her first failed marriage and her Hollywood years into the late forties, when she married Peter Shaw (and the marriage is still going strong). In the early fifties, she gave birth to her son Anthony and daughter Deidre Shaw, and in the late sixties, with her Hollywood career in a slump, she bounced back on Broadway in her Tony-Award winning title role in the musical "Mame". The book is at its most exciting when detailing her Broadway career, and not just with "Mame", but with her three other Tony-Award winning roles in "Dear World", "Gypsy", and "Sweeney Todd". And after Broadway, Lansbury conquered television with her ever-popular "Murder, She Wrote" series. Since then, Lansbury has enjoyed steady acting and puttering in her rose garden. Many humorous anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories told by Lansbury concern stars like Ingrid Bergman, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Bea Arthur among them. She is a rueful raconteur and thrilled with her extraordinary professional and personal life. With the color and gusto of "Balancing Act", Angela Lansbury is profiled up close and personal and, as always, absolutely great!

No comments about Duck Hunter Shoots Angel.

5 comments about Breaking into Commericals: The Complete Guide to Marketing Yourself, Auditioning to Win, And Getting the Job, 2nd ed..

1. This is an easy to read, excellent reference book for anyone starting out in commercials. I read Terry's book, took a couple of workshops and booked several commercials. It has everything you need to know in order to be prepared to walk into an audition.



2. Okay... seriously...this woman knows how to break an industry down. This book is the ABC's of the television commercial industry. Terry Berland goes from headshots to the extreme selection process to how much you can make on residuals. If you plan on making it in commercials, (by the way-"If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail."- Quoted by Ms. Berland) buy this book NOW!



3. i thought this book was great but i wish it had a section on not blinking, the how-tos. I'm taking a TV Commercial class and was told i blink a lot. If anyone has any advice or can point me in the right direction, i would appreciate it.



4. I have been doing commercials for over 50 years, and I'm always seeking that "extra edge." "Breaking into Commercials" is by far the best book I've ever read to give that "extra edge" to seasoned talent, or to those that are just beginning. It is the most comprehensive guide to give the beginner confidence, and refocus the experienced to a winning career boost.
   This is a must to read. Do yourself a favor and put one in your car and one next to your bedstand. Having this book is giving yourself a raise.



5. After reading Terry's book I feel so much more confident going into auditions - because she gives you the tools to prepare you for whatever the casting director throws at you - whether it's working with a product or a partner or having to improvise a scene. I feel prepared.

No comments about Powwow.

3 comments about Making Musicals: An Informal Introduction to the World of Musical Theater.

1. Everything which is written in that book of Tom Jones is completely and utterly true. It is somehow consoling to read that everybody in this "bloody" business has to go through the same scenario, every time over and over again. Facing this fact it is the only way that you will take all your energy together and start all over again with a new project. When you are many years in showbusiness you can only confirm what is written in this book. When you are just starting, then it might happen that young people rather tend to think they can do better and avoid some of the bad experience. But, as in life, you have to go through bad experience and bump you head against the wall, too, in order to learn.
   We are actually in a new project now. There are people with experience in this project and younger people with less experience. With the help of this book and in workshops we try to convince the young ones that the principles of making a musical project and the procedures are always the same and must not be neglected otherwise you will fail.



2. Tom Jones' MAKING MUSICALS is taken from a series of lectures Jones gave for a class in writing musicals. I found this little book very interesting and full of good advice. Jones doesn't pretend to tell you everything you need to know to write a musical or give specific techniques to write a hit. He's merely passing on what he has learned in his very long career as a writer of musicals. (He started in the 50s writing nightclub revues before hitting paydirt with the American theatre's longevity champ, THE FANTASTICKS, which ran an astounding 42 years.) He gives a brief overview of the history of musical comedy and some basics about getting started on writing your own musical. A lot of this information is available in other books, but what really sets Jones' book apart is the chapter on collaboration. Mr. Jones ought to know a thing or two about collaboration since he and composer Harvey Schmidt had a collaboration that lasted from the 1950s into the 21st Century, when Schmidt chose to retire. Jones tells how to choose a collaborator as well as how to make a good collaboration last. This chapter ought to be mandatory for all aspiring collaborators. (I wish I had read it before my own ill fated attempt at collaboration!) While hardly comprehensive, this is an excellent little book. Four stars.



3. Finally, an insider has published a book giving a first hand account of the process of writing a musical. While the first half of the book covers the history of the American Musical very nicely, the second half does a superb job of guiding us through the difficulties in writing a musical.

   Tom Jones leads us through what makes a musical, what the difference between lyrics and poetry is in song writing, and makes suggestions regarding how to find a collaborative partner and how to get your work produced.

   I consider this to be a required text for anyone considering a collaboration on a musical.

No comments about Produced By . . .: Balancing Art And Business In The Movie Industry.

2 comments about Stage Management Forms and Formats: A Collection of over 100 Forms Ready to Use.

1. great book for forms when you're in a hurry or an excellent base for creating you own. every form you could need blank and ready to copy at 8 1/2 by 11.



2. This book is a wonderful time-saver and teaching tool, especially for less experienced stage managers. It includes templates for all production forms that can be photocopied directly from the book for rehearsal use. It's also a great starting point for those who prefer to create their own forms on a computer. It includes helpful descriptions of how to use each form, as well as examples.

No comments about The Faber Pocket Guide to Ballet (Faber Pocket Guide).