No comments about Reckless and Other Plays.

5 comments about My Life.

1. A dancer and visionary far ahead of her time, Isadora's story is told in such an intimate personal voice that you feel as if she's confiding in you. She lived her life so vividly that it takes on the color and bravado of a mythic odyssey. Isadora inspires me to fully inhabit my artist's soul and to allow the purity of my heart to infuse every breath, every step. Life is a dance to be danced, a charmed and poignant tale unfolding. Play the part in full heart, she seems to be telling us, play it well.



2. I first read this book after seeing Ken Russell's film "The World's Biggest Dancer" in the 1960's The film is, unfortunately, lost. I fell in love with the myth of this fabulous woman and was impressed with Vanessa Redgrave's portrayal of her in Karel Reisz's "Isadora" also hopelessly lost I believe. This is not a great work of art: it has episodes of naively underwritten material tailored into whole paragraphs of wonderful philosophy of a futuristic world when art and beaty supercede greed and material gain. The ghost of Isadora haunts this book; a woman broken by personal tragedy writing these words in the last years of a life that, by any standards, was extraordinary. I keep it on my shelf along with Nijinsky's "Life" both books testimony to the inability of words to express the emotions of genius



3. Easily one of the best conversations I have had without speaking. Isadora speaks directly to her reader with a passionate and intense language. There were points when I was reading that my inner voice was yelling back in agreement, empathy or appreciation. I found this woman intelligent, hilarious and dramatic. I felt as though I had made a friend. Though she was not a trained writer, she has been able to share herself very openly in the written language. I think this is a must read for any woman (or man).



4. An autobiography is a way of looking inside a person's mind. We have no real right to expect objectivity or "the long view" on any given subject.

   Isadora Duncan's autobiography is a terrific example of the above. She was a hugely talented, flamboyant individual who chose to march to her own drummer from an early age. She is passionate in her descriptions of her inner life, her career and her lovers and changed the whole concept of "The Dance", breaking away from ballet (which she considered ugly and contrived) and inventing what we'd call "modern dance".

   She was a fantastic dancer, but as a writer she is far too interested in her own inner world. The people around her float by as a succesion of badly defined cardboard cutouts, and one visited city sounds much like any other. After a while this DOES get rather boring. The lack of dates (such as "that was in 1925" or whatever) or a neatly defined chapter structure means that it's pretty hard to keep track of the passage of time. In the end, reading this book becomes a bit of a struggle: it's like being stuck in a someone's rather boring dreamworld.

   Her sollipsism is (at times) a bit of a hoot and her inability to perceive the world for what it is provide the reader with occasional bits of unintentional black comedy.

   An example: after deciding that ancient Greece was the mother of all art, Isadora sunk a great deal of her money in trying to rebuild a Greek temple. Her family spoke no Greek but lived for months amid the ruins, performing dances and wearing togas while getting cheated by the local villagers. She also formed a chorus of Greek urchins to perform ancient music and was later disappointed when during a tour, the urchins begin growing up and staying out late and coming home drunk.

   A more human writer would have managed a bit of irony, a touch of sympathy for these common, simple people caught up in the mad American artist's vision, but Isadora never quite manages it. Sadly, it is precisely this sort of self-centered and humourless viewpoint that makes this book so stodgy.

   On the positive side, however, one DOES get a really good idea of what Isadora Duncan was like and how she saw her art and one can't really ask for more from an autobiography.




5. As a keen fan of autobiographys this book automatically appealed to me. although I had not heard of Isadora's profound infleunce on the world of art or dance, the reviews on the book sold it for me. I thouroughly enjoyed her abstract and sometimes perplexing stories about her up- bringing. However as her travels with her family increased i found her to be quite selfish and single-minded in regards to her career. This i felt led her story, although a biography, to become quite a monotonous and tedious read. In her favour I would say that the book is written in an honest and frank manner.

1 comments about The Colossal P. T. Barnum Reader: NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT IN THE UNIVERSE.

1. Let me preface this review by saying that it will center entirely on the using the book in a college-level course. I used this as an assigned text in U.S. history survey in 2007. Frankly, I did not know how students would react to or engage with Barnum. They enjoyed the book and the sparks flew in our classroom discussion. I think this text works much better than Barnum's autobiography as an introduction to Barnum's historical significance. The only small criticism I will make of the book is that it would be even better (for classroom use) with a longer introduction that expands on Barnum's life, career, and historical context. James Cook has written brilliantly on these points, so perhaps a second edition will include a longer introduction. I prepared one lecture to fill in some of these gaps. Also, the first selection, "Adventures of an Adventurer" is very difficult for undergraduates to grasp, so I just omitted it from the assigned reading.

3 comments about Young Women's Monologs From Contemporary Plays: Professional Auditions For Aspiring Actresses.

1. Great selection of monologues, and a strong suit is that some of the material is new to the readers. Another reviewer said some of the monologues "weren't from plays." That's a huge misunderstanding. They are ALL from plays, just some of the scripts haven't been picked up for major production yet. But that means these monologues are fresh, intriguing, and were selected based upon the quality of the writing and characterization instead of "name brand recognition" -- meaning plays everyone can access, meaning directors and producers just might be sick of hearing them. (NOTE: Don't EVER audition for a musical singing "Tomorrow" or "Corner of the Sky.") Always go for the fresh and new in theatre; the element of surprise in the material always works in your favor in auditions. You won't be compared to anyone else's delivery. Good book to have for any serious-minded female performer, and even the "Young" in the title is a misnomer; actresses of all ages deserve to scour this one for great audition and acting class pieces.



2. They loved the monologue that my daughter used at her NYU college audition---there were many good ones to choose from. The best selection I have seen in one book!



3. I needed a monologue book with monologues from plays, so I thought this would be perfect. It is pretty good, but a good portion of the monologues are not from plays - they are original. The ones from plays are good though. This book has something for every age and every emotion.

No comments about Figured Harmony at the Keyboard: Part I (Figured Harmony at the Keyboard).

3 comments about Fool for Love & the Sad Lament of Pecos Bill.

1. This script was needed by my son in a hurry, and I got it super fast. He was very happy with it, and I was very happy with the price and speed of shipping. Fantastic play, by the say.



2. In Fool for Love , Sam Shepard analyzes the complicated relationship between May and Eddie who are involved in a love-hate, fascination-repulsion 15-year-long relation which is once more in the `on again' phase.
   Set in a low-budget motel room on the edge of the Mojave Desert, May and Eddie play out an unpredictable encounter. Traveling close to 2,500 miles to come back into her life, Eddie attempts to once again declare his faithfulness and commitment to the unconvinced May, who tells him: "You gotta give this up. You've been jerking me off like this for fifteen years. Fifteen years, I've been a yo-yo for you". May screams for Eddie to leave yet pleads for him to stay upon his repeated exits. Through their arguing, the chemistry and history the two have shared becomes apparent and it is obvious that the characters are deeply in love. "We've got a pact...we've made a pact", Eddie said to May. "You know we're connected, May. We will always be connected...that was decided a long time ago", he added.
   A bottle of tequila blends the couple's arguing into the narration of a story that deepens on May and Eddie's past revealing how the two were already completely in love when the truth was learned about their true relationship. At this point of the play, Shepard had gotten illusion and reality finely combined that it takes a while to understand that the Old Man observing, and occasionally interacting with the characters, is just their distant father's ghost.
   Shepard has done an amazing job in this play managing illusory conversations naturally flow within the real ones. May and Eddie seem to have both independent and joined conversations with the Old Man.
   A fourth character, Martin comes into the story, as the shy, naive date of May to reminds us that the conversation between the protagonists is "real". As Eddie, now drunk, continues his story of how he came to know May, the old man yells for him to stop the story, but ends up discovering facts of his own past as well -- which confused me since his presence is not real but illusory only.
   The fact that at the end of the play, the motel gets burned down by Eddie's mistress, -- as May refers to her -- May is forced to move away again, suggesting us that the vicious cycle in which the characters live, will be repeated once again following what Eddie once told May: "You'll never get rid of me. I'll track you down no matter where you go".



3. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get different results. We learn of Eddie, Mae, their father, and a "Man" (Martin) coming for a date blind to the status of the relationship of his date and her brother and their father. I am a Senior at Lindenwood University in St. Charles Missouri, double majoring in Theatre and Mass Communications. This April, I will be directing "Fool For Love" as my senior project. This play, as analyzed in a previous modern drama class and in my current working analysis, is highly identifiable with anyone who has ever been involved in a severely dysfunctional relationship that won't go away. Mr. Shepard creates four intricate and powerful characters sharing both realistic and ethereal existances.

1 comments about The Tempest With Audio CD (Sourcebooks Shakespeare).

1. This is a worthwhile edition of "The Tempest" in spite of its flaws, omissions, and limitations. The "Note from Series Editors" lays out clearly its unique features and gives some helpful hints on how to get the most out of them. The CD included provides at least two and sometimes three versions of ten passages taken from four productions, ranging from a 1962 recording with Donald Wolfit to a recent recording with Ian McKellan. The illustrations are numerous and include photographs taken from a score of modern productions, though a few of these are so small that it's impossible to see much detail.
   
   Though Derek Jacobi narrates the CD, his critically acclaimed Prospero is here represented only by a single photo in the book; he is never heard as Prospero. Richard Preiss, the text editor, in his introductory essay on the history of the play in the theatre, refers to John Gielgud as 'the greatest modern interpreter of the role', yet there is not even a single appearance of Sir John either audially or visually. And not one of the many songs in the play is on the CD.
   
   The layout of the book is very attractive. The text of the play is on right-hand pages, the glosses, production notes, and illustrations on the left. Different typefaces are used for stage directions (italic), character names and speech headings (all caps), and speeches (plain); along with plenty of white space, this makes the text easy on the eye. Preiss explains in a note "About the Text" that all versions of this play are ultimately based on the version in the Shakespeare Folio (1623). I noticed several misprints and some omissions of a word or two, the most serious of which is the omission of two short speeches between what in this edition are lines 70 - 71 of Act Two, Scene One:
   
   GONZALO
   This Tunis, sir, was Carthage.
   [ADRIAN
   Carthage?
   GONZALO
   I assure you, Carthage.]
   ANTONIO
   His word is more than the miraculous harp.
   
   Most of the commentary is clear and helpful, but at least one note on the words 'So, you're paid' in this scene is so completely muddled that it would take up too much space in this review to unmuddle it.
   
   There is also a gaff in the narration on the CD. Sir Derek is made to refer to the character of Ferdinand as 'the usurping Duke of Milan's son' - he's actually listed correctly in the Dramatis Personae as 'son to the King of Naples.'
   
   Preiss's essay on stage history is only one of several included to supplement the commentary on the play. There is an essay on the rehearsal of the play by inmates as part of the Shakespeare Behind Bars program, supplemented by excerpts from interviews with two of the inmates who played Prospero and Miranda on the CD. There is also a survey of the play's influence on the arts and popular culture. Some pretty obscure items are included here, like an opera by Havely, and some pretty dubious ones, like 'Gilligan's Island', while, perhaps inevitably, some more interesting or relevant items are not. Also included is a brief account of Shakespeare's life and times, and a discussion on 'Speaking Shakespeare.' On the CD is a recording of a voice coach working with an actor on a soliloquy from the play.
   
   But whatever it's shortcomings, this edition of 'The Tempest' is informative and even entertaining and has much to offer to anyone interested in getting to know the play or getting to know it better.
   

5 comments about Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind.

1. As a burlesque performer myself (a.k.a. Shaboobie Boobarella), it was a rare treat to open this beautifully presented book and see my sisters in all their glory! It endorses WHY women choose to enter the world of burlesque and how ultimately empowering and creative it is. Michelle Baldwin also takes us through a history of burlesque - from Lydia Thompson and Her British Blondes to the spunky and modern women of today.
   
   Thoroughly researched, she introduces us to the 'neo-burlesque' movement that began in the 90's and highlights many performers and their perspectives and aesthetics. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to work with several of these performers and they certainly deserve to have the chance to shine in ths book.
   
   I very highly recommend this book for anyone with even a fleeting interest in burlesque. I hope that I have the opportunity to give Michelle Baldwin a big hug and kiss some day! XXXOOO



2. I may be biased, since I appear in this book, but if I weren't proud to be a part of it I wouldn't recommend it!
   
   Michelle does a wonderful job of describing the energy and glamour of the New Burlesque scene, with tons of color photographs to emphasize the passion this rediscovered art inspires. While striptease, even retro striptease, is nothing new, the current New Burlesque scene brings it into a fresh environment where the performances take on a new meaning and a new sense of pure joy. Whether you're a fan of girls who make you wriggle or girls who make you giggle, you'll love the performances of the ladies in this book--and the gentlemen, too!



3. Not only does this book serve as delicious eye candy, but the author does an amazing job interlacing facts with true experiences capturing the crazed phenomenon of burlesque revival. I really admire the energy that comes across in Baldwin's writing it makes me want to go out and try it! I would recommend this to all of you feminists out there who also like showing a little leg.



4. As a costuming student, amateur burlesque researcher, and preformer, I was excited to see someone devote a book exclusively to new burlesque. The book has some cute pictures and a few quotes from some of the rising stars of the scene, but unfortunately, the overall content is shallow and the structure is jumbled. The format of the text is too jumpy to really provide a reader with a timeline and often repeats itself. Some rigorous cutting-and-pasting would have helped immesely on that front, but the more suble deficiency is the lack of academic analysis or critical commentary. It reads like a high school book report, merely stating facts and names, but not tying them together. Almost anyone could have researched and written this book by simply looking at a few burlesque troupes' websites. In fact, I wonder if that is what happened.
   Until a more thorough text is published, get your history lessons from reviews in journals and magazines; the recent media blitz has got you covered. As for images, almost all the new burlesques soloists and troupes have lovely websites with gorgeous studio portraits and fun live snapshots.



5. Burlesque
   
   Sexy, hot and very feminine!
   
   This book could have been written by a history professor but it has a certain panache that can only say Michelle Baldwin has felt what burlesque was and IS!
   
   Glamor! Showwomanship! Laughter! Burlesque is entertainment, glitz and glamor!
   
   The greatest showwomen of the 20s - the 70s - knew how to use it and really get people interested and excited.
   
   Burlesque- intelligent, sexy, rowdy & fun!
   
   Want to connect with herstory and what's going on now? Glamor! Fashion! art! comedy! glitz! what a wondeful world!
   
   and catch Michelle in person (I did at the Tattered Cover LODO in Denver - the Professor of everything wonderful! She's smart, she's educated! and she can really make you want to enjoy all that is Burlesque~ ) Wow! Incredible! What a total turn-on! A joy for every Girl & Boy!
   
   Neo-Burlesque - all that is Sexy, Women and FUN!
   
   Cheers,
   
   (...)

5 comments about Period Costume for Stage & Screen: Patterns for Women's Dress, 1800-1909.

1. This is an excellent book for the THEATRICAL costumer. It has scaled down patterns. Suggestions on how to design for and work with a production director or producer. Recommendations on how to "fake" a look for a period so that it will appear correct AND be easy to get in and out of. Notations on points to consider.... i.e.: is this a stage production where the garment will only be seen at a distance? is this a screen production where certain portions of a garment will be super sized on a movie screen?...those sort of scenarios are played out and hashed over. For the historian, interested in period accuracy, this will probably not be of any practical use. This does however give insight into how to get modern fabrics and trims to look convincing. For the intermediate or advanced seamstress. For the daring beginner who isn't afraid of a challenge.



2. This and all the other Jean Hunnisett Period Costume titles can be ordered directly from the publisher, Players Press, Inc., Studio City, CA for ONLY $59.00 each.



3. I found this book educational and stimulating. Perhaps it's best feature was the combination of historical detail with instructions for practical application. The patterns can be a bit confusing, as can some of her terminology. Both of those hurdles can be overcome with a little patience. This is not a book for the beginning costumer, but I was able to utilize it very well at an intermediate level. For anyone interested in stage costuming technique I'd say this book is a must. It also contains detailed and illustrated instructions for fitting a bodice. WaHey!



4. i just recieved this book and i love it. I noticed that a couple of things were different because it was an english print but i thought it is one of the most resourcful books to have. i love to make period clothing from the victorian age and this book was a good source for me on clothing from that period.



5. I believe that Jean Hunnisett has some of the best resources available to the modern dressmaker. I have been trying to find ways of making dresses of certain periods and this book takes a person step-by-step through how to make clothing; from corsets to crinolines to the actual dresses themselves. She shows how to make a variety of styles from one pattern and actually has scaled models of the patterns that are needed to make the articles of clothing. The only information that is not provided in the book is how and where to modify the pattern to make is fit someone that does not have her size. But with common sense and a little patience a person can figure it out. This book is a must for any costume designer or even the intrigued dressmaker looking for a challenge

2 comments about Tom Stoppard: A Faber Critical Guide: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers, Travesties, Arcadia (Faber Critical Guides).

1. Having read a review that made me aware the play texts were *not* included, I was overjoyed to find this valuable resource. Stoppard's plays are filled with literary, historical and political references that are so easily missed, and this critical analysis and resource of references was invaluable to my study of TRAVESTIES. I will be exploring all of the other works soon!



2. You would think from the title that this was a collection of four of Stoppard's best plays with some commentary. The plays are NOT included, which, for me, made this book worthless.