No comments about Woyzeck (Oberon Modern Plays S.).

1 comments about On Board With the Duke: John Wayne and the Wild Goose.

1. Captain Bert Minshall was aboard John Wayne's classic 1942 136' minesweeper conversion Wild Goose for the last 16 years of the Duke's life. He says "The great, aging yacht was the actor's proudest possession as well as a much cherished floating retreat and playground. She was the sort of ship you'd expect John Wayne to own. . . big, rugged, comfortable, impressive. Few stars would have had the money or grit to take on such a formidable pain in the pocketbook. But to Duke, owning the Wild Goose capped a life that had been lived to the hilt. She was more than status symbol. . . she was an extension of himself."
   
   Capt. Minshall obviously had enormous respect for Wayne, his family, his career, and his vessel. The book is a well written and fascinating inside look at his adventures cruising the coast from Alaska to Mexico with the Duke.

5 comments about One Lifetime Is Not Enough.

1. Zsa Zsa Gabor's "One Lifetime Is Not Enough," is a terrific read. Zsa Zsa Gabor and co-author Wendy Leigh, provide an entertaining, fun, fast-paced book about the glamorous life of the charming, beautiful, spirited, witty, celebrated Zsa Zsa Gabor. I loved it and wish it had been much, much longer!



2. This autobiography of Zsa Zsa Gabor is great. I never usually read books but this one I coulden't put down. It is so interesting on how her life turned out to be! She shares her deep secrets in this whole book. I dont know why anyone woulden't like this book! THIS ONE'S FOR YOU ZSA ZSA! ~Always Lorraine~



3. I love Zsa Zsa's autobiography! I never read a whole biography in my life without falling asleep, but in this book I coulden't put it down. It was so interesting from start to finish! I am a huge fan of Zsa Zsa now from after reading this incredible book. She has been through so much drama. I hope you find my great review helpful:) ~THIS REVIEW IS DEDICATED TO ZSA ZSA GABOR!~
   ~Always Lorraine~



4. A possible rejected title for Zsa Zsa Gabor's autobiography: "All The Men I Slept With, And All The Gems They Bought Me." Gabor's biography "One Life is Not Enough" is as full of dishing as a kitchen sink, but after a while her gossipy revelations become boring instead of entertaining.

   Born to a rich Hungarian family, Zsa Zsa Gabor first got married at the age of fifteen, but left her husband after the death of her lover, Turkish leader Ataturk. Eight more marriages came after that, including George Sanders, Prince Frederick von Anhalt, and Conrad Hilton (yes, from THAT Hilton family). Not to mention a small army of lovers that included Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Frank Sinatra, and more.

   Gossipy memoirs are always a fun guilty pleasure, the sort of thing to tuck inside a weekly news magazine at lunch. Gabor reveals plenty of sexy details (including making out with Greta Garbo) that are above and beyond even what tabloids usually print, and she does in it a very straightforward, matter-of-fact manner.

   Unfortunately, her exploits start to get annoying. The word "diamond" is used constantly (we get it, Zsa Zsa -- you love diamonds), and there is little of Gabor's life except who she slept with and why. There isn't a great deal about her daughter or family... except when ex-hubby George Sanders married her sister Magda. Some of her stories are questionable -- like Sanders wanting to watch Gabor bed a Catholic priest, or Gabor sleeping with Sinatra to make him leave her apartment. And others raise weird questions (if she's so amazingly sexy, why did her husbands keep cheating?).

   Gabor gushes ad nauseam about her assorted lovers and husbands, few of which are actually around much. Initially, since her first lover was a god-king, it's an interesting tale. But when she gets to Hollywood, these guys mostly start to blur together. What's more, Gabor certainly was telling the truth when she said she liked being around men more than women -- her descriptions of women like Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly and any other beautiful heterosexual actress are pretty catty, to say the least.

   Zsa Zsa Gabor's autobiography starts off as a delicious gossipfest, but eventually deteriorates into a listing of the men she slept with and/or married. "One Life is Not Enough" is way more than enough.




5. This is one of those books that you're embarrassed to be seen reading, buying, or checking out of the library. Zsa Zsa has written the most egotistical book I've ever read! Some of it is SO hard to believe, such as the little chapter about the priest who wanted to break his vows for one night of passion with Ms. Gabor (to make it even more incredible, her husband allegedly encouraged her to accept, telling her that it was his fantasy to see her with a priest). But this book was great entertainment, like a saucy bit out of the National Enquirer. Despite the fact that it may have lowered my IQ a few points, it was worth the hours it took to read it. Great pictures, too, of the young Zsa Zsa, who was a great beauty back in the days.

5 comments about Mis-Directing the Play: An Argument Against Contemporary Theatre.

1. This book is a must-read for all directors for the stage. And playwrights should probably read it, too. And it would not hurt actors. And designers.
   
   So, everyone who works in theatre at all should read it.
   
   McCabe here approaches specific problems plaguing the theatre community with a clear, concise, and pragmatic eye. Absent are the artistic mumblings of people like Bogart (of "A Director Prepares") and the circuitous - if scholarly - musings of the Zimmermans and Shapiros. In "Mis-Directing the Play," McCabe documents repeated efforts by directors to rewrite texts rather than getting at the core of a writer's work.
   
   The fact is that all theatre stems from a text, from a playwright, and McCabe insists that directors must interpret this text rather than attempt to wield or rewrite it. He gives hard, fact-based advice and evidence, and he offers practical solutions to a lot of difficult directing questions ("How can I be sure I am following the writer's vision?").
   
   Some will bawk at McCabe's point of view and suggest that he is simply jaded and rambling, but they lack the focus and discipline required for McCabe's style of directing: a style that respects not only playwrights, but also the audience and theatre itself.



2. As an actor who has suffered through the idiocy of some directors' "concepts," an audience member who has winced at
   the willful misunderstanding of the text in some productions, and a director who tries very hard to direct the text, I loved this book.
   McCabe doesn't say it's bad to have a concept for a play--he rails against directors who direct the concept instead of the play; or worse, ignore the page entirely in order to produce 'an effect.'
   Sadly, too many grad schools are turning out exactly the kind of director McCabe abhors (despite Scott Miller's comments). I've seen university productions of 'Equus' where the director said he didn't want the audience to be thinking about the horses (!?), of 'Funny Thing/Forum' where new dance music was written for the courtesans and "Love I Hear" was turned into a solo with choral back-up, and 'Dracula' was given a newly written last scene to "add punch."
   This book needs to pair with Mamet's "True and False"--not as bibles of what to do, but as reminders of why we're doing it.



3. This is one of those books that just didn't need to be written. Its central point is terribly obvious and fairly unnecessary, and if the point HAS to be made (over and over), it could have been made easily in ten pages. After reading the book, I see that when McCabe talks about directors misinterpreting plays, what he REALLY means is directors interpreting plays differently than how HE interprets those plays. And he seems to have virtually no credentials to back up his rants. He hates dramaturgs, readings, workshops, backstory, blah, blah, blah. So who cares? I'm not sure why he's so angry and so bitter, but this horrific pandemic of rebel directors raping good plays, against which he rails, doesn't actually exist. Still, the book was interesting in some unexpected ways (sometimes for unintentional entertainment value) even though it holds no real value in any ongoing discussion of American theatre. This is really not worth the cover price...



4. This delightful, funny, thought-provoking book should be required reading for all directors, all directing students, and all lovers of the theatre. McCabe is very persuasive in his debunking of the idea of the theatre director as auteur, and illustrates his case with many first-hand accounts from recent productions. This book is a very enjoyable read, and will, I hope, be very important to theatre artists of the future. It made me re-think my own director/playwright collaborations, and I think I have some apologies to write.



5. Mis-Directing The Play provides an unusual assessment against the growing decadence which plagues modern stage directors, calling for a reorganization of the director's view of his role and examining directors' rights and concerns in play production. Any involved in directing or plays will find Mis-Directing The Play an intriguing approach.

5 comments about Gaborabilia: An Illustrated Celebration of the Fabulous, Legendary Gabor Sisters.

1. They forgot to mail it to me: once I called them, I got it FAST!



2. A great valentine to the wonderful Gabors! I especially enjoyed the information on Magda. The photographs are wonderful.



3. Unless somebody decides to sit down and write a Citadel Press-style "The Films of the Gabor Sisters" book, this is the most comprehensive collection of photos and memorabilia of Zsa Zsa, Eva and Magda one is likely to find readily available anywhere (I don't count the autobiographies written by Eva and Zsa Zsa, which are starting to get hard to find). The dedicated fan/author Mr. Turtu has brought together a splendid collection of B&W and color photos, movie posters, lobby cards, magazine covers and other artifacts of the beauteous, much-wedded Gabor sisters for the delectation of readers. As several other reviewers have said, this is exactly the sort of book you'll want to display on my coffee table - I'll have to clear some room on my own very crowded table to make room for it! Recommended without hesitation to any Gabor fan.



4. This tribute to the fabulous, witty Gabor sisters (and mother) is truly the ultimate fan's tribute. Practicaly everything in the book is from the author's personal collection. Bursting with photos, memorabilia, and classic quips, this book is a visual extravaganza with color and glamour everywhere, much like the excellent Gabors. Of course, the book, by its very nature, has a limited audience, and if you're viewing this, you're probably committed to buying the book, but let me encourage you: Get it now.
   

   Bottom Line: While short on biographical info (see "Such Devoted Sisters" for that), this book is full of frosting and glamour, the perfect tribute to the frothy Gabor family.




5. This is a great little book when you need a little glamourous inspiration in your life! The Gabors (all of them) were every inch stars: glamourous dresses, giant jewels, and witty quotes, such as "I ask myself more questions than Hamlet as I ponder which shoes to wear" (Eva) or "How many husbands have I had - you mean apart from my own?" (Zsa Zsa). I love it! This book celebrates the Gabors and their larger than life presence from the Hungarian beginning through their celebrity in Hollywood. In short, it is simply vonderful, dahling!

1 comments about Appreciating Dance: A Guide to the World's Livliest Art.

1. Achievable, comprehensive, well-paced. This is a small and affordable text which students enjoy, and is a good companion if you will be viewing many dance videos and movies in your course. The author gives questions for discussion, as well as an extensive list of suggested videos and movies. It works well with the PBS video series, Dancing.
   
   Students noted that it would be more helpful if the discussion questions were inserted at the end of each chapter rather than at the end of the book, but not an insurmountale problem.

No comments about The Enchanted Years of the Stage: Kansas City at the Crossroads of American Theater, 1870-1930.

3 comments about The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 1, 2004 - May 31, 2005 (Playbill Broadway Yearbook).

1. This was a great way to combine all the years performances into one book. I recommend adding the other two additions for a complete library.



2. This book is full of lots of information and great tidbits about last season on Broadway. The yearbook layout is fun and makes it easy to find what you're looking for. Good Times!



3. My favorite part of this yearbook is the scrapbook pages from each show with fabulous stories written by cast members about backstage rituals, opening night gifts, favorite lines or moments in the show, celebrity visitors, and exciting photos of the opening night parties, clowning around backstage, actors putting on makeup, etc. Reading the pages makes you feel not just like you've seen the show, but that you've been backstage and been on stage with the cast. On the "42nd Street" page, David Elder, who played Billy Lawlor, wrote his favorite moment in that show is: "Hearing the audience reaction during "We're in the Money" when I would hold the handstand. Also the audience's excited applause when the opening curtain would rise to show what looked like hundreds of tapping feet." From "Wicked:" "Shoshana Bean, the Elphaba with the trucker mouth, walked off the stage and trumpted a curse that would make Joan Rivers blush. As soon as it came out of her mouth, she turned to see (backstage visitor) Garth (Brooks) in his big old cowboy hat and dear Ms. Trish Yearwood with her girls. Elphaba turned a nice shade of green-red and said, gracefully, "Uh...I have to get out of makeup now." And from "Spelling Bee" Jesse Tyler Ferguson's favorite moment: "After I get eliminated from the Bee I give handshakes to each of the actors on stage as I exit. Dan Fogler always says something different to me. On the night of the first preview he said, "Welcome back to Broadway." On a night when the audience was really dead, he said, "You're always the lucky one." Celia always whispers, "I love you." If you love theater like I do, you'll love this yearbook.

5 comments about Tinder Box: The Iroquois Theatre Disaster 1903.

1. Virtually forgotten in the present era, the 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire killed more people in less than an hour than the celebrated Chicago Fire of 1871 which raged over the course of several days and destroyed much of the central district of the city. Thousands of people pass the site of the Iroquois tragedy on a daily basis without giving it a moment's thought. A combined theater and office building occupies the exact site of the Iroquois Theatre on Randolph Street today. The theater has been extensively remodeled and stages Broadway quality performances.
   
   As the author explains Iroquois fire was a disaster that could have been avoided. The construction of the building was not completed when the theater was opened to the public. The architect failed to incorporate significant fire safety features into the cost cutting design. In many instances, the building contractors had not finished their work: two examples, the rooftop venitalation system and the exterior fire escape, itself, were not even fully functional! The closed vents trapped toxic gases and smoke which asphyxiated audience members in their seats.
   
   The pennypinching theater owners failed to purchase adequate fire extinguishers to be placed throughout the building and assigned only one employee to act as fireman for the entire building. The supposedly fire resistant curtain was shoddy both in terms of the inexpensive materials substituted for asbestos and its poor workmanship. When put to the test, none of the stage hands knew how to operate the curtain and it jammed during its descent. Thus the fire could not be contained on the stage and it spread into the auditorium. Panicked patrons struggled to find their way out, but the emergency exits were not clearly identified and many of the doors were locked. As a consequence, many people were trampled to death in the confusion.
   
   The theater lacked a fire alarm and the ushers were not properly trained in emergency procedures (no fire drill had ever been conducted on the premises). Although the response of both the Chicago Fire and the Police Departments was praiseworthy, these heroes were summoned too late to render effective assistance to many of the theater patrons.
   
   The subsequent investigation of the disaster was even worse. Corrupt city building inspectors simply ignored numerous code violations. Over at City Hall, the politicians were too busy whitewashing their own neglect in the scandal to be bothered with searching for the truth.
   
   Anthony P. Hatch does a fairly effective job with the materials, but the text contains a few minor mistakes. I was sorry that Hatch never secured an interview with the late Bryan Foy (1896-1977), the son of stage comedian Eddie Foy. Bryan accompanied his father to the theater on that fateful day and was in the wings when the fire broke out. He later became a Hollywood film producer.



2. On December 30, 1903, the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago was crowded beyond capacity with theatergoers eager to see Eddie Foy in "Mr. Blue Beard". The well-written and well-researched "Tinder Box" by Anthony Hatch describes what happened that tragic afternoon when a spotlight short-circuited starting a fire that eventually killed over 600 people.
   
   Considering the fact that the fire happened over 100 years ago, with no living witnesses to interview and many facts have been lost in time, Hatch does an admirable job describing the events leading up to the fire, the fire itself, and the aftermath. He does an excellent job describing how the Iroquois came to be built and the haste with which it was built (it only took five months) and the shoddy workmanship involved, as well as how many officials were willing to turn their heads and ignore the many fire code violations at the Iroquois. His description of the crowded theatre the day of the fire is mind boggling; one victim in fact called the theater a fire trap as she went to her seat. There were over 500 more people than capacity in attendance; the exit doors opened in instead of out; and the person who was supposed to operate the fire curtain was a substitute who didn't know which lines actually worked the curtain. There was little done to help the audience and incredibly enough the actors continued to perform while the fire was burning. Hatch also gives descriptions of the fire victims and survivors, which make the tragedy even more real. Some of the ways people escaped the fire were incredible and there were many heroes that night. There were also many villains that night and Hatch describes they way people robbed some of the dead. Hatch also covers the aftermath of the fire including the trial and how the owners tried to blame the victims and how evidence was tampered with.
   
   Although Hatch did not write the book until 2002, he had started to research it back in the 1960's and at that time had interviewed a fireman who had fought the fire and a newspaper reporter who covered the fire. Those accounts helped make the scene of the fire real as I was reading the book. There was no spot photography at the time, so while there are pictures of the theatre before and after the fire, there are no actual pictures of the fire itself. But Hatch includes many drawings done at the time of the fire that show how horrible it was. He also includes editorial cartoons that show how much the fire touched the lives of people in Chicago. There is not a list of people who died in the fire because there was never an exact count of how many people did die.
   
   "Tinder Box" is a well-written account of a tragic event in Chicago's history.



3. I found the book very interesting. What a sad and tragic event! The author did a pretty good job considering how long ago it was. I would like to have known more but, due to the time period and the lack of modern technology and forensics noone may know the answers to the questions I had after reading this book. I guess I'm spoiled to computer generated re-enactments and "CSI"-type forensics. But why did some people stay in their seats knowing the place was on fire? How come the people, in their seats, died of burns or body trauma or suffocation? It looks like they would have all died of one or all three things but some people in their seats were burned to death while others were suffocated with no visible burns and others died of body trauma such as broken back or decapitation. One woman had no burns and was checked out by her doctor but she died 4 days later. Why? It was this sort of thing that kept niggling me after reading the book. The fire only lasted about 30 mins and yet the horror in that 30 mins! At times it was a little difficult to follow the chronology. To me, events were sometimes hard to place because the writing was a little erratic but a lot was going on in that 30 mins. I couldn't place when all the production crew was getting out vs. all the theater-goers who were sitting in their seats as though nothing was happening or stampeding the exits. But the author did give us personal stories to get us emotionally involved. It would be interesting to know how it affected the survivors for the rest of their lives. Did they talk about it with their families? Were they fearful? Did they ever go back into public buildings again? Were they afraid of fire? How long did they live after this event? Could the emotional or physical trauma have shortened their lives? All these unanswered questions may never be known but this book left me wondering.



4. It was the end of 1903, and many people were looking for entertainment for themselves and their out-of-school children. The new Iroquois Theatre was widely hailed as fire-proof, and the matinee performance of Eddie Foy in the musical fantasy Mr. Bluebeard sounded perfect. The theatre filled to capacity, and beyond, as people packed the standing room areas and prepared for a good time. However, when a sparking spotlight set a curtain on fire, the theatre proved to be a death trap, leaving some 600 people dead, mostly women and children.
   
   In the resulting investigation, it was found that the Iroquois was built without proper, legally required, safety features, and that city inspectors had been bribed with free tickets into turning a blind eye towards the theatre's many violations. However, when all was said and done, only one person was convicted of anything, a man convicted of robbing the dead! Just what happened on that December day in Chicago, what brought it on, and what was the result? Read this book to find out!
   
   Overall, I really liked this book. The author does a great job of explaining what happened to make the Iroquois a death-trap. And, I must say that I was surprised to see that even back then the theatre owners could hire themselves a sharp, unscrupulous lawyer, who would see to it that they were not held responsible for their actions...or perhaps I should not be.
   
   This is a very informative and highly entertaining book, one that I highly recommend to everyone. (By the way, the Iroquois Theatre disaster was the second worst in Chicago history, the sinking of the Eastland claimed some 844 lives.)



5. What was the deadliest disaster in Chicago. If you said the Chicago Fire of 1871 or the Eastland sinking, you are wrong. The Iroquois Theater Fire killed close to or over 600 people in 1903. Like the Titantic, the Iroquois was brand new, but the owners cut corners and the result was a fire trap. On a matinee performance during the Holiday Season of 1903, the theater was crowded with women and children watching a spectatular performance when a light started a fire. This fire ignited the overhead scenery in minutes. People panic brought people running towards the doors, many of which were locked. Hundreds died of fire, suffocation, and being run over by other people.
   
   If you are interested in the history of Chicago, this is a nice book to read. Many disasters have gripped Chicago. This one was one of the worst. Hatch provides a glimpse of the times in his book. He not only covers the disaster itself, but also some of the issues with theater management at the turn of the century. A nice read.

1 comments about My Purrfect Friend: I Could Live 9 Lives and Not Find a Better Friend Than You.

1. I have a friend that really enjoys the art work of Wysocki and did not know the book existed. She was thrilled with the gift. I would have liked more pages, but it still made a great gift.