1 comments about Boy Loses Girl: Broadway's Librettists.

1. Boy Loses Girl allows Hischak to continue his uninterrupted writing of exceedingly mediocre books on musical theatre. In this book, he purports to celebrate the often-unsung writers of Broadway's greatest book musicals, but he doesn't seem to understand that merely synopsizing their work won't make us like them any more.
   
   As Hischak explains, he has organized the librettists into roughly chronological order (even though the chapter on Dorothy Donnelly and other early women librettists comes after the chapters on Harbach, Hammerstein, and Kaufman), and a standard chapter gives a little biographical information on the writer and then delves briefly into each show he worked on. Any analysis Hischak offers is extremely shallow and is usually limited to a sentence or two. Sometimes Hischak repeats himself several times, as when he talks about George M. Cohen's innovations to the libretto after just about every Cohen show he talks about, or when discussing Harburg's love of satire after every Harburg show. Couldn't Hischak have given a few in-depth examples, rather than glossing over everything?
   
   An even bigger problem with this book is Hischak's confused premise. He wants to celebrate the libretto of the Broadway musical. That's fine. But sometimes, it seems he wants to do this independently of the score, and that is just wrongheaded thinking. As any Broadway scholar knows, the book of a musical is there to structure and support the score. It is incredibly important, yes, but it was never meant to be taken apart from the score. That doesn't mean that some librettos don't bear scrutiny apart from the score; merely, that one shouldn't try to analyze the innovation in the libretto seperate from the rest of the show.
   
   In Hischak's defense, sometimes he realizes this. Which makes me wonder if this book was a rush job, and he just didn't get around to adding all the insightful commentary he had prepared. Unfortunately, I don't have the space that Hischak had in his book, so I can't offer many specific examples that I spoke of in my criticisms. But look through the book in a bookstore or a library, and you'll soon understand why I can't recommend this book. It's a shame, too, because I think that analyzing the great librettists of the American Musical Theatre is a great idea (much like Hischak's Through The Screen Door was a great idea poorly realized, but that's another subject.) Really, this book is simply a missed opportunity. The great book on Broadway librettists has yet to be written.

5 comments about The Cheerleading Book.

1. This book is pretty good review however, I would recomend getting the book called: Ultimate Cheerleading ISBN 0-590-38651-4 Its better! Take it from a Cheer coach! Kim L.



2. this book has nothing about lijke how to get on a sqaud any tips...u actully get what u pay for. If u buy it from amazon.com u get the pom pons!



3. This book shows motions, jumps, and cool cheer routines. This book is a great supplement to any cheerleaders library of cheerleading books.

   This book also comes with pom pons, so you can practice using pom pons when cheering.




4. This book was a great reference for my daughters who are interested in trying out for cheerleading. The week long cheerleading try-out camp at school is pretty intense and with this book at least they will be able to learn some basics.



5. I have been cheerleading for several years and just starting coaching. Being a first time coach I figured that this book would have given me new ideas and reminded me of things that I forgot, but I learned nothing from this tiny book. When I say tiny, I mean 119 small pages of just space being taken up by really boring material. If you already know the basic motions, don't buy it. If you done a couple chants before, these chants are just unoriginal and just not exciting. We are cheerleaders! We're not suppose to put people to sleep. They give you examples of some cheers with motions, but its so boring. The jumps that they show you in here, you could figure out for yourself. BUT if you are a beginner and you want to know how to do some stuff, go for it, but don't try out with this material. You'll put the coaches and the team to sleep. This is no good. Anybody could have whipped this book together in an hour. Lame, lame, lame.

3 comments about The Art of Teaching Ballet: Ten Twentieth-Century Masters.

1. This is a wonderful addition to the literature on ballet. The auther makes her apologies in the beginning for not being able to include some noteworthiy teachers, but the ones she was able to cover are great. The information provided gives us valuable insight into the aesthetic principles of these great dancers and teachers. This should be useful to all dancers, whether they teach or not. Some very esoteric facts can be found here as well, such as why Balanchine likes the fingers and hands held the way he does and why many don't like it that way. I had taken some classes with a Mr. Schabel and discovered his claim to fame in these pages. The Great Jean Babilee is even discused. You might also get some good ideas for further reading in this book as I did.



2. Every ballet teacher must own this book. You will gain enormous insight into how 10 master teachers pass on the art of ballet to their students. You may not be drawn to the teaching styles of each teacher but you will learn something from everybody. Each chapter begins with a short essay in which Ms. Warren weaves what she learned from interviewing the master teachers about how they developed their method of teaching with specific accounts of what she observed in their classes. Each chapter concludes with "Classroom Quotes," the order of exercises in a technique class, and the pedagogical lineage of the master teacher. At the end of the book, Ms. Warren includes several exercises constructed by each of the master teachers. For non-teachers, this book will give you renewed appreciation for the work that goes into making a dancer.



3. Two years ago, we purchased this book for our son for his 16th birthday for several reasons. The major two were that his own ballet teacher -- Larry Long -- was one of the teachers written about in the book. Also, he had taken classes with the author one summer, loved her as a teacher, and continually referred to her previous book -- Classical Ballet Technique. After we purchased the book, he discovered that several teachers with whom he had either taken classes or about whom he had heard were also covered in the book. He enjoyed the book because of the biographies of each of the teachers and because of the descriptions of their techniques and classes. He assumes that if he ever teaches he will enjoy rereading the book to see the information from a different perspective. We, his parents, have enjoyed it because we have little knowledge of the world of ballet and it gave us more insight into it. Of course, our favorite chapter was the one about his teacher as we learned more of his background, many of the people we knew were mentioned, it gave us greater insight into his teaching style, and the pictures were great. However, the other chapters were very informative and helpful to parents of a serious ballet student. (Since we had no background in ballet, it helped us understand the field a little more.)

2 comments about Women Who Charmed the West (Women of the West).

1. As with her previous six or seven non-fiction books about women, this one deals with the most famous and infamous actresses to entertain in America's Wild West. Anne Seagrave once again brings to life some of the colorful characters from United States history. The legendary actresses included in this volume include Lillain Russell, Sarah Bernhardt, Maude Adams, Helena Modjeska, Adah Isaacs Menken, Lillie Langtry, Caroline Chapman, Laura Keene, Annie Oakley, Florence Tamara, Corabella Knight, Blanch Bates and the stunningly beautiful and energetic Eva Tanguay as well as a few of their male friends such as William F.(Buffalo Bill) Cody and Diamond Jim Brady. This reviewer was only aware of a few of these historically important actresses, although several more recent actresses have adopted their famous names. This book paints a word picture of just what it was like to be a woman entertainer in this era of history. Actors of both sexes were regarded as "immoral, sinful, loose" and held in the lowest regard by the same public that often flocked to see their performances. Women weren't even allowed to attend theatrical performances until 1850 when a few respectable women began to ignore society's scorn by going to the theater. East coast society held actresses in contempt. It was the western United State Frontier that welcomed these talented actresses with open arms, friendly smiles, and lots of money. San Francisco became known as the theatrical capital of the West. It wasn't until the early 20th Century that actresses began to be accepted into the mainstream culture by other women. This series of books is published by a regional press that is interested in preserving local history. Each of these thin books is easy to read because they are made up of a series of articles or chapters on individual characters complete with biographical sketches and illustrated with historic photos. They are much like lively chapter-length obituaries and in many cases are the most comprehensive source of information about the people portrayed. This reviewer would also recommends four of the other books by this author including "Daughters of the West," "Soiled Doves: Prostitution of the Early West," "High Spirited Women of the West," and "Women of the Sierra." These books serve as a very valuable resource to the pioneer women who helped make the United States what it is today.



2. Just love these books. Have read all of them I think. This is an easy way to enjoy history, without the fiction.

No comments about Laughing Stock.

No comments about Essential Self-Defense: A Play.

1 comments about Little Shop of Horrors.

1. One of Menken's timeless masterpieces, the songs of "The Little Shop of Horror" cover many aspects of music - from good ol' fashioned Rock'n'Roll in the theme song to some serious blues in "Feed me" and rather heavy chords in "Don't feed the plants" A must have for all Menken fans, it gives one the opportunity to view his early work, in this case, the 80's. Ony of my friends has a copy and in fact I've used it more than he has so now I'm looking for my own copy! Get this!

2 comments about Film As Film: Understanding And Judging Movies.

1. I am scraching my head...at the previous reviewer, Perkins is one of the most brilliant and repected film critics alive. He is difficult...but so is most anything worth doing in life.
   
   Perkins doesn't introduce concepts with astheticly pleasing headings, and entertaing pictures, then explain what each one means, and why its important...I am sure the "dummy's" guide books have done that already along with a 1000 others.
   
   Perkins is one of a few critics who have transformed films for me and many others. I am so surprized and sad that so few have reviewed this important work.



2. While I'm sure students of film and film theory will find this book a valuable resource, a novice to the genre should probably seek out another book. Mr. Perkins does not elucidate the topic of film theory, but instead takes a heavy handed approach to the subject and leaves those unfamiliar with the subject scratching her head.

5 comments about Musical Stages: An Autobiography.

1. (Note: Portions of this review have appeared in lesser detail elsewhere.) Simply stated, Richard Rodgers is America's finest composer. In our history, no other composer's music equals the consistent and prolonged quality, innovativeness, range, and sublime beauty of his compositions. Rodgers'exquisite, unforgettable melodies are crafted with such subtle ingenuity and sophistication that they never lose their freshness or their appeal.

   Rodgers' musical genius was matched in two legendary partnerhips, the first with lyricist Lorenz Hart, and the second with librettist-lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers' collaboration with these two gifted men elevated and transformed musical theater into a true and distinctive American art form.

   There is a knee-jerk tendency by a few so-called musical "experts" to site Gershwin as the greatest American composer. But discerning authorities and audiences know better. The ENTIRE BODY of Richard Rodgers' work stands the test of time better than Gershwin's, or for that matter, better than the music of Berlin, Kern, Porter, and Arlen, all gifted composers.

   Rodgers' music is universally admired and respected generation after generation among all kinds of audiences. Few, if any of his compositions sound dated which cannot be said for a significant portion of Gershwin and other composers' music.

   Rodgers' music is written so brilliantly that it seems organic, as if nature itself had perfectly strung together a series of notes which sound no less than heavenly, and which seem as if they could not have been structured in any other way. In some of Gershwin's music, particularly "An American in Paris" and "Porgy and Bess", the music seems stilted, grandiose, even pretentious.

   You never get that feeling with a Rodgers' composition. His music always has a quality of lightness, fluidity and sponteneity something missing in portions of Gershwin's music. Some of Gershwin's music feels leaden and redundant unlike Rodgers' works.

   The breadth of Rodgers' range as a composer was limitless. And no other composer was better than Rodgers in translating character and plot into music. Here is a man who wrote scores perfectly suited to shows as diverse as "Oklahoma", "Pal Joey", "Carousel", "Sound of Music", "Cinderella", "King and I", "No Strings", etc. The list is impressive.

   "Musical Stages" offers a detailed account of Rodgers' life and his incomparable career. In it, you will meet Rodgers' two most famous collaborators the undisciplined, gifted, and lovable Lorenz Hart, and the idealistic, eloquent, and reliable Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers also reveals behind the scenes stories about Mary Martin, Yul Brynner, Gertrude Lawrence, Julie Andrews, and other luminaries of the musical theater.

   This autobiography should be required reading for fans of musical theater and popular music.




2. I reviewed that book a few years ago,but i feel i could give a better review of it now.Let me be objective here by saying that RICHARD RODGERS was the best AMERICAN composer of the previous century.This book of memoirs gives you a real insight of the music business at the time of mister RODGERS.The anecdotes are very accurate;they show the good and the bad aspects of the music business.RICHARD RODGERS learned early in his career that you are always as good as your last success,and that producers are the kings of BROADWAY.The best example of this is that even with all the hits he had,RICHARD RODGERS never could give ALLEGRO a second chance on BROADWAY.A show that failed is almost never revived again.The man has a lot to say about creativity;the way one must always stand tall even in adversity.One of the most moving passage of the book is the retreat of LORENZ HART and his death at the age of 47.RODGERS certainly knew the value of a partnership.That he could work with both HART and HAMMERSTEIN demonstrates how good he was.Nobody in the history of AMERICAN music has done it better.Out of the 40 shows that he created,10 have become classics of the repertoire.That's quite a feat.If RODGERS was the best,it's simply because he was the most passionnate and the most talented;a perfect combinaison.In my book,there will never be enough revivals of his shows.Buy this,you'll become a fan too,this is guarantee for a lifetime of musical pleasures.



3. Please read my review preceding this one too. Today is November 4, 2001, and the Emmy Awards have just been telecast on CBS. To close the show, the magnificent Barbra Streisand sang a tribute to the unfailing courage and spirit of the American people whose lives have been inalterably changed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

   Of all the great American songs which could have been chosen to comfort and hearten the American people, the one Streisand sang was "You'll Never Walk Alone" composed by the incomparable Richard Rodgers from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, "Carousel". The poetic, inspirational lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II are superbly matched by the sheer eloquence, beauty and emotional power of this soaring ballad. "You'll Never Walk Alone" is one of those songs that once heard, can never ever be forgotten.

   Coincidentally, airing opposite the Emmy awards tonight was the PBS special "American Masters, Richard Rodgers: The Sweetest of Sounds" a documentary on the music and career of Richard Rodgers.

   In a way, tonight's televised events were a double tribute to a man who was an American genius. He was in my opinion the greatest composer of popular music ever. I venture to say that his entire body of work stands the test of time better than the music of any other great American composer including Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, or Kern, etc.

   I don't think that any of these other supremely gifted American composers could have demonstrated the prolonged and consistent brilliance and unbelievable range that Rodgers had. Here is a man who wrote songs as varied and memorable as "Manhattan", "If I Loved You", "Lady is a Tramp", "Edleweiss", "My Romance", "Mountain Greenary", "Mimi", "Hello Young Lovers", "Oklahoma" which incidentally is now the official anthem of the state of "Oklahoma", "My Funny Valentine", "Shall We Dance", "Bewitched", etc., etc.

   It seems impossible that one man is reponsible for so many different styles and such a consistently high level of artistry and ingenuity over many decades. And yet Rodgers was.

   Rodgers has touched and illuminated audiences generation after generation. He has given people music which is infinitely accessible, yet sublimely crafted. Simply stated, no other composer can equal Rodgers' accomplishments and the impact of his musical legacy.




4. There are a handful of composers of American popular music whose body of work is revered generation after generation. Kern, Arlen, Gershwin, and Loewe come to mind. But at the top of the list is Richard Rodgers.

   In my opinion, Rodgers is the greatest songwriter in the history of Broadway and popular music. His range was simply astonishing. He could write jubilant, folksy music as in "Oklahoma" or jazzy sophisticated tunes as found in "Pal Joey". He could create soaringly romantic melodies such as those in "The King and I" or inspirational and spiritual ballads as presented in "Carousel". Many of his songs have become popular standards as well.

   Rodgers adapted brilliantly to a variety of subject matter. And the longevity of his illustrious career is enviable. "Musical Stages" not only chronicles Rodgers' life and work, but it is also an overview of the development and maturation of American musical theater to which Rodgers contributed mightily.

   In this autobiography, you will get to know some of the true giants of American popular music in particular Rodgers' two lyricists: the impish, undisciplined, yet lovable genius Lorenz Hart and the wise and idealistic Oscar Hammerstein II. Both of these men wrote many of the best lyrics ever composed for Broadway or popular music.

   You'll also meet acting luminaries such as Yul Brynner, Gertrude Lawrence, and Mary Martin among others. "Musical Stages" is a rich addition to any theater and popular music buff's library. Read it with delight!




5. Since RICHARD RODGERS is my favourite AMERICAN composer ,i could have killed to have that book, and i was not disapointed.One of those few autobiographies that are completely honest.You learn about his family upbringing, his complex relation with LARRY HART,the way he and OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN worked together ,and the way both were affected by the failure of ALLEGRO.You also discover that most movie producers didn't really care about music ,and that RICHARD was glad to go back to BROADWAYin 1935.It is also interesting to read the introduction of his daughter MARY, saying that she likes what other people likes about him:his music, but she also adds of course i loved him.RICHARD RODGERS was probably a very private person, who was in a way forced to live a public life because of his profession.

1 comments about All Sondheim, Volume 4.

1. This is a fine collection of the songs of Broadway's most celebrated
   composer-lyricist, Stephen Sondheim.
   His music has been consistently superior to any and all who have ever written a Broadway musical, particularly those of his contemporaries.
   His works have been performed all over the world for decades now, a
   clear indication of the admiration and respect due to a composer of
   the highest caliber and genius of Stephen Sondheim.