4 comments about The Theatermania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings.

1. Temptation arises to call this volume "indispensable," but in reality "The Theatermania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings" is no more indispensable than the near-500 show recordings in my library. Do I really "need" any of them? No, but I sure as heck get a lot of enjoyment from them.
   
   As I do from the book. No, it's not complete. In addition to recordings mentioned in another review, other omissions include such rarities as AMEN CORNER (1983); ANGEL (1979); ARABIAN NIGHTS (1964); Oscar Strauss' THE CHOCOLATE SOLDIER (1958 Studio Recording); DESERT SONG (1950-something Columbia recording with Nelson Eddy & Dorretta Morrow); Julius Monk's 1960 revue DRESSED TO THE NINES; EARL OF RUSTIN (1971); Rodgers & Hart's EVER GREEN (1998 Studio Cast); Al Carmine's THE FAGGOT (1973); THE FIG LEAVES ARE FALLING (1960); GONE WITH THE WIND or SCARLETT (1972); THE GOOD COMPANIONS (1974); THE GOOD OLD, BAD OLD DAYS (1972); HEARTBEATS (1994 Pasadena Playhouse); I LOVE YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT (1994 Studio); IN CIRCLES (1959 - Al Carmines' music/Gertrude Stein's poetry); IT AIN'T NOTHING BUT THE BLUES (1999); JOY (1970); and A JOYFUL NOISE (1966).
   
   Then there are two recordings of THE MERRY WIDOW (1964 Lincoln Center) & (1962 Studio Cast/Columbia); MOLL FLANDERS (1993); PEACE (another Al Carmines work/1968); PICKWICK (1963); PROM QUEENS UNCHAINED (1991); Marc Blitzstein's REGINA (1949), SCRAMBLED FEET (1979); SHERLOCK HOLMES (1989); THIRTEEN DAUGHTERS (1961 Honolulu Cast); A THURBER CARNIVAL (1960); TO BROADWAY WITH LOVE (1964); TOMFOOLERY (1980); TOM JONES (1964); VALMOUTH (1958); VANITY FAIR (2001); VERY WARM FOR MAY (1939); and - get this - THE YEARLING (1965).
   
   Reasons? Some of these shows never played in New York and some of the recordings are quite rare and probably not available to the reviewers.
   
   At any rate, the book is "nearly" indispensable to me for several reasons: (1) It has turned me on to some excellent recordings like HONK! (available from the Music Theater of Wichita's web site); Cole Porter's NYMPH ERRANT; AVENUE Q, the New York production of STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW, & the Pearl Bailey/Cab Calloway HELLO, DOLLY! (available from Archiv Music's web site - as are the long-deleted original Broadway cast recordings of SILK STOCKINGS and WILDCAT); and a few more I've put on my wish list. (2) Often a review supports my opinion, such as my minority review of the 1974 CANDIDE revival. (3) Sometimes a review is in contradiction to my impression of the recording, and it's interesting to see where and why we differ. (4) It's good reading. COCO: "Hepburn's singing makes Lauren Bacall sound like Joan Sutherland; she ends up in a statistical dead heat for the title of least vocally qualified star in Broadway musical history." (David Barbour) OH! CALCUTTA!: "Given that numerous scores by Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and Jerome Kern remain unrecorded, the existence of this album - and its reissue on CD - is outrageous. . . . Only one of the selections, 'I Like the Look,' sounds like a theater song; I mention this because it's the last track on the disc, so you'll probably never hear it." (David Wolf)
   
   There have been a lot of shows since 2004 when this volume was published. It would be great to have "TGTMTR, Vol. 2." I'd like to know what Gerard Allesandri thinks about the Carnegie Hall SOUTH PACIFIC. I'm definitely in the minority on that one.
   
   Highly recommended for all of the fanatics out there! We rule!!!



2. "The TheaterMania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings" is a truly comprehensive compilation of Broadway cast recordings and movie soundtracks, from the well-known to the super-obscure (many of the listings are as yet unavailable on CD). The reviews come from a wide variety of well-known sources (including Peter Filichia, Matthew Murray, and "Forbidden Broadway" creator Gerard Alessandrini) and yet all manage to be informative and frequently quite witty. The face that so many people were involved with the book does lead to some head-scratchers, though, particularly with regard to recent recordings ("Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables" are given low marks, while Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King" are heavily praised--opinions, I know, but unusual ones) and the star ratings that sometimes don't seem to match up with the reviews themselves (why do some reviews identify nothing overtly wrong with a recording, yet only give it 2 stars?). Still, whether you're searching for the best recording of "Show Boat" from the myriad available or an album of that obscure flop show from 1953, this "Guide" is a must-have.



3. Let's face it: any book about Musical Theater recordings is going to be purchased by a Musical Theater fanatic- you and me.
   This book isn't for people who just picked up the double-CD of RENT because the national touring company just played in their hometown. If we're looking for the Ultimate Guide to Musical Theater Recordings...sorry folks, this ain't it.
   What's surprising is that this book is comprised of mini-reviews by many different experts in the field: Peter Filichia, Ken Bloom, Gerard Allesandrini, etc. This perhaps explains the disjointed feeling one gets perusing thru it.
   On the "+" side, the book DOES cover musicals available in both LP and CD format- sadly, there's way too many shows currently not available as CD's, so it's great that this book informs the reader as to the availility of the item. But this "+" also creates the biggest "-"...this book is thoroughly incomplete.
   Example: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR has had many recordings. But while the editor gives us a review of Paul Nicholas in the 20th Anniversary London production, he fails to give us one for the ORIGINAL London production starring Nicholas(either CD or LP)- surely the 1st stage version in England, one of its longest running hits, deserves a review of its own.
   Similarly, on ANOTHER Andrew Lloyd Webber show SONG AND DANCE, there's no mention of the 2nd recording of the London cast, starring Webber's-then wife, Sarah Brightman(which served as a soundtrack to a televised production). Neither mentioned is a 2-LP cast album from Germany. And as for the Broadway recording starring Tony-winner Bernadette Peters...her last note in "Unexpected Song" is SOOOO hideous, I wince every time I hear it- several of the reviews make similar comments about singers in other shows, yet this one will haunt my dreams forever... how'd they miss it? Let alone her bizarre "British" accent...
   It's a given that a review is subjective to the person doing the writing. However, the 16 contributors here each seem to have different agendas- some focus on the show itself, instead of the recording it received. Some pick one or two of the recordings of the show, but fail to mention the dozen other recordings of it(like SUPERSTAR, ANNIE warrants a review of a British studio recording, but NOT the original London cast album). CHESS warrants a review of a Danish tour, but the Swedish cast and Gottenburg concert cast aren't mentioned.
   Not all reviews are credited to their authors...I found it amusing that several of them echoed sentiments in some of the spoofs created by Gerald Allesandrini for his long-running and constantly updated FORBIDDEN BROADWAY reviews(the many CDs of which have critiques here), who is one of the reviewers.
   But also disturbing is some of the negative reviews for shows hailed by the public. Shows like ALW's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and LES MISERABLES are panned, yet their recordings are amongst the biggest sellers internaionally, and each has spawned dozens of international cast recordings. The ground-breaking rock musical HAIR warrants only star each for both it's off-and-on Broadway recordings("those productions were deplorable in that they featured lots of substandard singing..."), yet the reviewer raves about the "bomb" film soundtrack...HUH?
   Collecting Musical Theater recordings is a unique and specific hobby, and with the advent of eBay and other on-line auctioning services, have opened doors for those of us hunting for the unique and rare preservation of a beloved musical. Stores like Footlight Records in New York and Dress Circle in London have provided the devoted Musical Lover gems of long out-of-print recordings. If only THIS guide had: a). Provided WAY-more reviews of OTHER recordings of the specific shows covered, and b). Provided a guideline to the reviewers on what grounds should be covered in these critiques. The all-too-often trashing of popular musicals can be very irritating to the reader- we fanatics are definately snobs in our likes and dislikes, but degrading a generally well-loved musical for the sake of contraversy does not endear one to this book.
   Unfortunately, two books that provided some great reviews are long out-of-date: Kurt Ganzl's THE BLACKWELL GUIDE TO THE MUSICAL THEATER ON RECORD is the best of the bunch- while I don't care for Mr. Ganzl's obsessions with Operettas and musicals pre-dating the 30's, he's extremely thorough, covering almost ALL recordings of a particular show, with campy and witty remarks about each- as this was published back in 1990, I wish the author would come out with a new edition. Also good is Editor Mark Walker's GRAMOPHONE: MUSICALS GOOD CD GUIDE(2nd Edition)...not nearly as complete with the amount of recordings available, but provides things like cast members, running times and catalogue numbers. Both are listed on Amazon.com. Also, check eBay for issues of Max O. Preeo's sadly-lamented SHOW MUSIC- this publication ran for many years as a privately funded magazine which was picked up the Goodspeed Opera Company in CT, and then dropped a couple of years ago. During its tenure, it provided comprehensive international coverage of Musical Theater Recordings, as well as interviews and features- it's a shame Mr. Preeo doesn't come out with a book on the subject.
   If you're not discriminating, this generic guide might satisify... but we'll have to wait longer for a truely GOOD guide on the subject.



4. As a person who loves Broadway musicals, yet lives on the West Coast, oftimes the soundtracks to certain shows are my only option. I've also discovered that I tend to be more lenient when listening to a show I've seen than to one I have not.
   
   I wouldn't qualify as a aficionado, but I have seen my share of shows, and own a few dozen CD's.
   
   This book is exactly what I wanted: a guide of theater (and theater-based) recordings, that separates wheat from chaff.
   
   Alphabetical by title, each show's iteration is given a review. Recordings by various casts (Broadway, London, etc.) are synopsized and critiqued.
   The reviewers know their audience: the book is written for us, not for them, if you catch my meaning.
   The reviews themselves are short, concise...I almost wanted a little more, but I'm going to make that a compliment and not a criticism; they cover a LOT of ground here. It looks like they got everything up to 2001.
   
   One of the more valuable functions this book performs, is comparing the innumerable variations on certain shows (like "Oklahoma!" or "My Fair Lady"), enabling a fan to pick the one best suited for their interests.
   More importantly, the subsequent film versions of Broadway shows (and occasionally the antecedent film version) are also covered. It's interesting to see how certain shows improve upon themselves, while others clearly lose that "something" that characterizes the singular Broadway experience.
   Even more valuable is the curiosity factor: I've found easily a dozen discs I now need to have. The writing is engaging enough that you'll want to seek out either completely different versions of your favorite shows (including some you did not know that were newly remastered or expanded) or simply new shows you've always wanted to hear, but never got around to them.
   
   Soundtracks to films without accompanying Broadway musicals are not covered, nor should they be in this book; it's title is the "guide to musical theater recordings", not "film soundtracks".
   
   There are a few idiosyncrasies. Some shows that I'm pretty sure have film versions (like "On The Town") do not mention the film soundtrack. Perhaps it's unavailable. The movie soundtrack for "Fame" is not reviewed, but the musical is.
   The soundtrack for "Footloose" is covered, though, as are both "Beauty and the Beast" and "Lion King", both non-musical film predecessors.
   This is a micro-quibble, at best.
   
   The bottom line is that this is a well-written, comprehensive, entertaining book of reviews about a specific genre. I honestly don't think they could have done it any better.

5 comments about Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square.

1. "The Hollywood Squares" debuted before I was born, but I was able to enjoy the last 3-4 years of the original run. This book is a very detailed and fascinating look back at the origins of the show, including Peter Marshall's pre-"Squares" career, the stars I grew up with and the jokes I was too young to understand, the behind-the-scenes work done by the show's writers and crew members, and who really came up with the "because chiffon wrinkles" line. In addition, a CD of the long-out-of-print "Zingers from The Hollywood Squares" album is included. People who don't have tapes of the original show or don't want to watch low-quality copies on YouTube will have fun hearing some of the show's funniest quips from Paul, Wally, Rose Marie and the gang. This is highly recommended for any "Squares" fan, even if you missed out on the original version.



2. In the late sixties and seventies, Hollywood Squares was my favorite game show. It combined some of the best jokes ever heard on television with questions that really made you think. Unlike many of the current shows that use only `B' class celebrities, the biggest and best stars appeared on Squares. Even older stars such as Gloria Swanson, Bob Hope, Glenn Ford and Henny Youngman all made at least one appearance on the show.
   Peter Marshall hosted the show for all sixteen years of its original run and this book is his recollection of the most memorable moments. It is not a true tell-all book; there are times when he uses the "who shall remain nameless" phrase. One of the more interesting problems that Marshall had as host was trying to get the stars, especially the comedians, to shorten their monologues. In fact, he points out that one of the most difficult stars was Jackie Mason. Not because he had an attitude problem or that he wasn't funny, but because his jokes were too long.
   It is obvious that Peter Marshall truly enjoyed his job hosting Hollywood Squares. He clearly had a lot of fun and that the overwhelming majority of the stars were easy to deal with and also had fun doing the show. That was one of the characteristics that made it so appealing. In the era of celebrity nastiness and bickering, this book is a pleasant reminder that it wasn't always that way.



3. Peter Marshall(Joanne Dru's Brother) did a superb Job writing his book along with a small biography of his life and career as a game show host.Hopefully,he might someday write or encourage a biography of his sister, the beautiful and reknowned actress Joanne Dru.It would be a labor of love and a beautiful tribute!!So spread the word!!I'm sure that a publisher somewhere, especially in her home state of West Virginia would love to publish it!!



4. An interesting document, and ok in the absence of other records of the time. It's too bad that Bill Armstrong (Squares writer, producer, legendary wit, broadly reputed source of Paul Lynde's best lines, and co-author Adrienne Armstrong's ex-husband) didn't live to have his name on a better book about a period he knew and could have described better than anyone. Unfortunately, Bill Armstrong perished, and others published.



5. Game show host Peter Marshall sheds some light on the famous game show and you can't lose with this much information to draw on. However, there are some missing goodies.

   We are treated to a somewhat humble biography about Peter Marchall, but it's mostly forgettable fluff. Every celebrity from the show is listed in the voluminous Index with a select handful being recognized with a page or two of biographical information. Most notable are Rose Marie, Dolly Parton, Vincent Price, Alice Cooper, Wally Cox, Milton Berle, Ruth Buzzie, Jonathan Winters and, of course, Paul Lynde. Marshall mentions tons of jokes that each celebrity has aired with some funny personal facts as well. The jokes are truly funny, but we learn that most of them were not written by the stars and no credibility is given to those that did. You might think that some interesting personal trivia would be exposed, but Marshall is very protective of his gang. Even Paul Lynde's widely known personal sexual life is ignored, covered by Marshall's proclaimed naivety and replaced with a story about Paul's devotion to his dog.

   It's still a great quick read full of jokes and some vintage pictures form the sixties and seventies. One of the highlights is a CD included that has 45 minutes of jokes from the television show. It's not Dolby Surround Sound by any means, but the point is the jokes and delivery and they are real side-splitters.

   Example: Q: What fictional character ran around screaming, "I'm late, "I'm late"? Paul Lynde: That was Alice, and her mother's sick about it.

No comments about Brahms - A Listener's Guide: Unlocking the Masters Series (Unlocking the Masters).

No comments about Unfriendly Witnesses: Gender, Theater, and Film in the McCarthy Era (Theater in the Americas).

2 comments about Zaida: Belly Dancing for Older Women.

1. Zaida doesn't tell you HOW to dance but more how to change your attitude as an older woman and ENJOY dancing. Very freeing.



2. Zaida's book is GOOD!
   I could identify with much of what Zaida expressed. I would defintely buy this book again. This is not an elaborate "how to learn to belly dance" book (I learned belly dance 30 years ago-Greek/Turkish, Egpytian and Moroccan styles) it is more of a how to live with Joy and dance in your life. Would like to read more from Ms Carter in the future.

3 comments about Beautiful Mornin': The Broadway Musical in the 1940s.

1. The American musical on Broadway is invented in the 1920s, suffers an artistic setback in the financially oppressed and conservative 1930s, but at last reflowers for good in the 1940s. This is called the Golden Age of drama and music bonded together. Before, it was fit but primitive; it has become rich and sophisticated and has status, a powerful economic base, and became known globally important, like Coca Cola. The musical is American: democratic, fast-moving, and innovative.
   
   They started as "revues" with a multitude of stars, like Jane Froman from Missouri, Ray Bolger, Jimmy Durante, Jackie Gleason, Ilka Chase (seems I remember seeing her on a game show in the 50s), Emmet Kelly, Ed Wynn, and Eddie Cantor. Eddie was in "Banjo Eyes" and was nicknamed such because of his outlandish makeup a la Al Jolson in the minstrels. Eddie was my star member of the Fisher Notes, the Eddie Fisher fanclub. Cantor is the person responsible for discovering Eddie in the Catskills and making him known to the teenbobbers of America. In the early 40s, Carol Channing was Dolly in "Hello Dolly" (one of Chuck's favorite songs to play) and Ethel Merman, the one with the very loud voice, was Gypsy Rose Lee's Mama in "Gypsy." She went from "Girl Crazy" in 1930 to "Gypsy" in 1959. A long career on Broadway and in the movies/
   
   Some of the best songs came from this era: "Wunderbar," "So In Love," "Happy Talk," "This Nearly Was Mine," "Brush Up Your Shakespeare," and "A Cockeyed Optimist" are some examples of the variety in the Broadway musicals. The greatest was "Soliloquy" in 'Carousel,' and "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" from 'Oklahoma,' formerly the drama named "Green Grow the Lilacs." 'South Pacific' won the Pultizer Prize for drama but had some fantastic musical numbers. I loved the Irish 'Brigadoon' of the lost Shangrila which comes alive only one day each year. I loved Howard Keel as he appeared in 'The Vagabond King,' and Gene Kelly in 'On The Town.' 'Finiagan's Rainbow' was another Irish tale with jolly songs. "Only Make Believe" in 'Showboat' was moving and real. And who could ever forget 'Kiss Me Kate." There were black musicals totally like 'Carmen Jones,' and 'Cabin in the Sky.'
   
   Helen Morgan was great in 'Showboat" (Howard Keel was the male star in the movie) and Mary Martin shone as nurse Forbush in 'South Pacific.' These are just a few of the music shows we will always remember, as those songs are still played on the radio today. The Forties on Broadway was just the beginning as things picked up considerably in the Fifties, and these were made into Technicolor movies for us who loved music to enjoy in air-conditioned comfort.



2. Ethan Mordden's theater-related writing has been on a steady decline, especially in this verbose and increasingly obtuse decade by decade series on 20th century Broadway musicals. It has reached a point where once can learn more about musicals from Mordden's fiction. Come on Mr. Mordden -- we came to expect much more from you than this kind of tired rehash.



3. Ethan Mordden is my favorite author of all time -- his breadth and depth of knowledge and critical acumen are utterly unsurpassed among writers on vintage American popular culture. In this book as in all of his others, the way he can, in a few quick, masterful strokes, make you feel like you are at an obscure, unrecorded musical which now exists only as yellowing files in a few libraries is nothing less than astounding. His combination of erudtion, wit and insight never fail to take my breath away. The decade-by-decade series of which this book is the third helps make life worth living, this one helping make sense of a particularly challenging ten years in musicals' history. Near the end, Mordden does indulge in some nervy speculations that could use some more backup, though. Was homophobia really the reason WHERE'S CHARLEY didn't get a cast album? If Porter's music for KISS ME, KATE was so good because he knew the score would be preserved on a record, then why didn't he keep writing at this level afterwards? Since SOUTH PACIFIC came at the end of the decade, we'd like it to be an apotheosis of the developments over that time, but would we really say that of this fine but chunky piece of work if it had come along in 1945? If the invention of the cast album was really why shows started running longer, then why have runs continued getting even longer since? Yet Mordden is such a treasure that one simply takes these as questions you wish you could take up with the master. Overall, no one writing in his bailiwick even approaches him; this book, like all of his work, is a national treasure.

No comments about Poi Spinning: A Jam-packed Guide.

5 comments about Love, Lucy.

1. I picked this book up on a recommendation from someone who used to work on the I Love Lucy Show (Dann Cahn). It was fantastic! Written by Lucy herself, it really focused on her feelings and thoughts early on. Once I started I couldn't put it down.



2. Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball was an autobiography she wrote but never published. Her daughter Lucie found the manuscript and decided to publish it almost a decade after her mother's death. Lucille Ball was a comic gem, she did everything so perfectly. This book is good but some of the parts seem empty so I can't give this book 5 stars. Ball talks about her modeling days, how she met and fell in love with Desi Arnaz, her hit t.v. show and becoming a businesswoman when she was highly criticized for being too tough. Check this good summer read out sometime, enjoy!



3. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Lucy fan. Knowing that it is an autobiography makes it more interesting. You can almost hear her voice as you read through the lines. Her life wasn't all roses. Lots of pictures for us to enjoy. Get the book. You won't put it down.



4. I quite enjoyed this one. It is Lucy's "lost" autobiography--that is, it was only discovered and published after her death in 1989. It was found tucked away in the files of her former attorney, discovered when her children were processing her estate. Apparently, Lucy had begun an "as told to" book by dictating for two years to a talented secretary who transcribed her tapes and even traveled to her hometown to interview her childhood friends for their memories. The resulting product is the history of Lucy from her birth in 1911 to Christmas of 1962. It is written in the present tense, and many of the readers who knew her commented that it was in her "own voice." When Lucie got to listen to the tapes, she even discovered that her mother had been accurately quoted for once! A warm picture emerges of an ambitious but essentially normal comedienne who was very family-oriented and hard-working. Her father died before she had a chance to know him, but she was raised lovingly by her mother and maternal grandparents. She goes through stints of modeling and starring in movies, about which time she meets Desi Arnaz. He played the Cuban firecracker to her more low-key character, and the sparks flew. They went on together to produce the most beloved television show of all time and to rule over the empire of Desilu Productions. But they found themselves not too compatible in the end--he was working too hard and given to explosive rages, and his drinking and many infidelities didn't help matters any. He humiliated her publically on many occasions, and that was why she eventually wanted a divorce. But she remained fond of him, and put this book away because she was afraid that its revelations would hurt him. She went on to meet and marry Gary Morton and found happiness with him for many years until her death. But Gary is only a small part of this book--you walk away struck by what Lucy and Desi achieved together that neither could have achieved alone.



5. Lucille Ball abandoned this book in 1964, out of concern that its contents would hurt Desi Arnaz. She then forgot about it (as did everyone else in her life, it seems), and it sat neglected in a box of papers until the mid-1990s. This is a phenomenal book, and easily the best I've read so far regarding Lucille Ball.
   
   Love, Lucy should be read along with other biographies in order to get a balanced perspective (Miss Ball tends to be a bit circumspect, though not as private as I expected her to be, regarding her own shortcomings and her private life), but on the whole it is a fascinating glimpse into a legendary life when it was far from over. She had only recently divorced Desi Arnaz and was in the heart of working on The Lucy Show at the time she abandoned the project, and was still terribly active in the running of Desilu.
   
   Lucille sometimes remembers things in a way that makes her seem a bit more moral than she really was. She doesn't discuss running wild and being naughty in her teen years, but since she had young children of her own at the time of the writing of Love, Lucy, I don't suppose I should have expected her to do so. Who wants to display their shortcomings to their kids and then say "don't do that!"
   
   What is most beautiful about this book is the discussion of her love of Desi Arnaz and their marriage. Even though the marriage didn't survive, they adored one another and continued to do so until the ends of their lives. The quote that made me laugh out loud, and I could HEAR Lucy saying it was "It was not love at first sight; it took five minutes."

3 comments about Dance Me a Story: Twelve Tales from the Classic Ballets.

1. The ballet...thrilling stories set to music and told through the beauty of dance. Jane Rosenberg brings her love of the ballet, and both her writing and illustrating talents to Dance Me A Story, a marvelous collection, presented as a fascinating introduction for young and old alike. Listen to the intriguing and magical stories of Cinderella, Coppelia, Don Quixote, La Fille Mal Gardee, Firebird, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Petrouchka, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and La Sylphide. Each narrative is written in an engaging and easy to read style. The scenes are set, the action well described, and the stories easily understood. Ms Rosenberg's exquisite and detailed artwork brings the drama and grace of each dance to life on the page, and together word and art capture the imagination and send it soaring. Perfect for youngsters 10 and older, or as a read aloud for younger children, Dance Me A Story opens the door to the enchanting world of the ballet, that is sure to whet the appetite and send you on your way to the grandeur of a live performance. The orchestra tunes, the audience is seated, a hush falls over the house as the conductor raises his baton, the curtain opens, and the performance begins in all its splendor...



2. The ballet...thrilling stories set to music and told through the beauty of dance. Jane Rosenberg brings her love of the ballet, and both her writing and illustrating talents to Dance Me A Story, a marvelous collection, presented as a fascinating introduction for young and old alike. Listen to the intriguing and magical stories of Cinderella, Coppelia, Don Quixote, La Fille Mal Gardee, Firebird, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Petrouchka, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and La Sylphide. Each narrative is written in an engaging and easy to read style. The scenes are set, the action well described, and the stories easily understood. Ms Rosenberg's exquisite and detailed artwork brings the drama and grace of each dance to life on the page, and together word and art capture the imagination and send it soaring. Perfect for youngsters 10 and older, or as a read aloud for younger children, Dance Me A Story opens the door to the enchanting world of the ballet, that is sure to whet the appetite and send you on your way to the grandeur of a live performance. The orchestra tunes, the audience is seated, a hush falls over the house as the conductor raises his baton, the curtain opens, and the performance begins in all its splendor...



3. Dance Me a Story is a fabulous book for any dance teacher to have. It features twelve tales from the classic ballets including, Cinderella, Coppelia, Don Quixote, La Fille Mal Gardee, Firebird, Giselle, The Nutcracer, Petrouchka, Romeo and Juliet, The sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and La Sylphide. The book provides information about the music and choreograpers of these ballets and it is a fun and informative way to teach children and young adults a little bit about the history of the classical ballet.

1 comments about Communication Counts: Getting It Right in College and Life (Foundations of Effective Oral Communication).

1. It is important to note that this book is NOT the four color edition pictured in this advertisement. This is a black and white book that was used for one semester at Indiana State University and is not the latest edition. While the book contains the student manual for the basic course at Indiana State University, if it is used many of the needed sheets in the manual have been torn out and used by the previous owner.