4 comments about Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins.

1. I picked this book up out of curiousity. Jerome Robbins was legendary aong those who enjoyed Broadway musical theater. His best known acheivement was probably "West Side Story". In any event, I figured a bit of time spent learning about Robbins' life would be interesting.
   
   Well, yes it was - and it was also a bit of a slog.
   
   Amanda Vail has produced a hagiography of Robbins. Considering that Robbins never did anything really, really, really nasty, that is no sin. However, it is a reflection of Robbins' narcissism that Vail had such massive archives to draw from. 539 pages of biography, followed by just less than 100 pages of notes and bibliography. No one can accuse Vail of inadequate research.
   
   The result is a mind-numbing recitation of what seems to be every day in the life of Jerome Robbins from birth to death. It isn't boring, but it won't be stimulating either unless you really, really are a Robbins fan who just can't get enough.
   
   For me, the reward wasn't in learning far more than I wanted to know about Robbins' sex life, but about his contributions to the development of American dance. Robbins truly was a genius and while perhaps overly detailed, this is the kind of thorough biography Jerome Robbins deserves.
   
   Jerry



2. If Jerome Robbins had only directed "West Side Story" that would have been enough to establish his legend on Broadway...if you read this wonderful biography by the very skillful Amanda Vaill you will discover that almost every production from the Golden Era of Broadway had the Robbins touch. Mr Robbin was also a member of the American Ballet Theatre and created many celebrated dance pieces. A complex individual, at times; a son of a bitch, he always got the best from his performers and his collaborators. West Side Story, High Button Shoes, Peter Pan, Gypsy, Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, The King and I, Fiddler=Robbins



3. My dance teacher raved about this book in class and so I had to buy it. I haven't read it all but it shows valuable insights into Mr. Robbins. Although he was a difficult person, he was a genius, as my dance teacher said, and so he was and he made dance so much bigger and better for us all.



4. The mercurial brilliance and personal shortcomings of choreographer extraordinaire Jerome Robbins are captured with equal amounts of compassion and objectivity in Amanda Vaill's comprehensive biography. His impressive resume represents some of the most arresting work in dance and theater - "On the Town", "High Button Shoes", "Call Me Madam", "Gypsy", "Wonderful Town", "Bells Are Ringing", "The King and I", "Peter Pan", "The Pajama Game", "Funny Girl", "Fiddler on the Roof", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". Robbins' most famous work is the stage and screen versions of "West Side Story", his legendary collaboration with composer Leonard Bernstein and then-prodigious lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Yet for all these accomplishments, he was reviled as much as he was revered. Stellar results notwithstanding, his vaunted perfectionism and Method-style approach were taxing to many, and it would often come under the guise of brutality and verbal abuse. Although Vaill's book is the third Robbins biography to be released in the last five years, hers reflects access to the subject's personal diaries before his death at age eighty in 1998, which lends the book a voice that one could easily imagine approximates Robbins' own.
   
   The author dives deeply into Robbins' childhood to seek answers to his personal dichotomy, and she pieces together a vivid if somewhat pat portrait of self-loathing. Robbins' mother comes across as a vindictive woman who used her deep-rooted insecurity as a lightning rod for attention, while his father seems weak-willed and foolish. The combination of their personalities already reinforces Robbins' incurable sense of self-doubt due to his shame over being both Jewish and gay. His resulting bisexuality gave way to a string of lovers of both sexes, though his most intense and enduring relationships were with men including a two-year affair with a young Montgomery Clift. Ironically, he was able to translate these passions into some of the most beautiful male-female duets in musical theater. It is in Robbins' professional triumphs and failures where Vaill's book soars highest. She meticulously documents the process of creating his ballet works, in particular, 1944's "Fancy Free" (the basis for "On the Town") and 1969's "Dances at a Gathering", and how George Balanchine acted as both supportive mentor and demonic taskmaster. Obviously, Robbins applied Balanchine's split-personality approach to his own work when he drove performers, whether chorus dancers or ego-driven divas, to tears with his exacting demands.
   
   In spite of his self-assurance in staging and choreographing specific scenes, he would remain steadfast in experimenting with endless versions of the same moment no matter how long it took to satisfy his vision. Feeding into the already rampant insecurities of his cast, Robbins would often have two or more people learn the same part and urge one to shadow the other as he did his solo. In rehearsing the Broadway version of "West Side Story", he would instigate gossip in order to raise the ire of the dancers playing the gang members. Such alienating, frequently self-serving techniques came at a price, for instance, he was fired from the film version of `West Side Story" in mid-production due to his insensitivity to the resulting budget overruns. The darkest moments of his life are almost a carbon copy of filmmaker Elia Kazan's, as they revolve around his guilt over his 1953 testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee and the seven people he named who apparently recruited him for the Communist Party. Vaill is insightful enough not to judge Robbins for this infamous act, especially ironic given the value he placed on loyalty throughout his career. Her extensive portrait of Robbins should satisfy not only those fascinated by his legendary life and career but also those interested in knowing one of the most profound influences on musical theater and ballet in the second half of the 20th century.

5 comments about An Ideal Husband (Dover Thrift Editions).

1. This book is a great nineteenth century literature of one of mi favourites writers ever . It makes a great picture of the english bourgeoisie of the century combined with humour, sarcasm and moral content. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



2. I love Oscar Wilde's penchant for reversals. This play is terribly good fun but makes you think at the same time. I want to see the play acted out on stage now that I've read it!



3. As a dish for Oscar Wilde's inimitable and devilishly sweet locution, "An Ideal Husband" accentuates adequately.  Like Roger Moore's 70's Bond flicks (before they became cartoons in the 80's), the play is saturated with the style, but very little of the substance from previous genius.
   
   The excuse for, more than the theme of, the play is the unforgiving and insincere moral code among the social elite of fin de siècle London.  Sir Robert Chiltern's otherwise ivory political career grew from selling a Cabinet secret to Stock Exchange speculator, Baron Arnheim, and Mrs. Cheveley, the since-deceased Baron's intimate, possesses the letter of documentation.  All she asks for the letter's destruction is Sir Robert's official support of the Argentine Canal Company, in which she has invested and he knows to be a swindle.  More than an end to his political career, he fears publication of the letter will end his marriage to his admirable, but morally unrelenting wife, Lady Chiltern.  As if to release his audience from any pretension of seriousness, Wilde presents Society's dandy, in the form of Lord Goring, as both his foundation of moral clarity and hedonic flippancy.  A string of one-liners and contrived plot twists later and we delight in what Wilde considers the proper end to any play or romantic relationship, a pleasing settlement.
   
   "An Ideal Husband" is the Daily Star, not the Financial Times. Wilde is truly genius when seriousness is woven through his works, and particularly when his seriousness is personal; but, here he is entertaining nonetheless. If you're just introducing yourself to Oscar Wilde, I recommend including this work after a more flattering introduction, lest you mistake Wilde as merely entertaining.



4. Chevely: "Sometimes. But it is such a difficult pose to keep up."
   
   Perhaps not so well known as "The Importance of Being Earnest," this has all the same banter, manners, and sharp-eyed look at the crumbling edge of the upper crust in Vistorian England. It pleases the attentive listener at many levels. Considered only as a stream of one-liners and clever quips, it delivers all you could ask for.
   
   But because it's Wilde, it's also a wild tirade against the mannered (sometimes ill-mannered) gentry. Behind that, it has a good deal to say about tolerance for the flaws of any fallible human - and Wilde could speak on human flaws with rare authority. And, like any truly great work, its examination of honesty (and dis-) reveals a good bit about today's world, a century later.
   
   I'm not normally a reader of plays. I don't have that inner ear that brings words on the page to life. Wilde gives me some idea what that experience must be like, and I'm grateful for it.
   
   //wiredweird



5. My very favourite of Oscar Wilde's plays. Choc-a-bloc with wit, and humorous repartee, it also is an intriguing story, and fascinating to see how it plays out. No wonder it is still popular 112 years after is first produced with recent productions on video/DVD doing very well.
   Member of Parliament Lord Robert Chiltern is blackmailed by the wicked Mrs. Cheverly, with a secret from his youth, leading to a crisis in his life, and in his marriage to the virtuous Lady Chiltern. It is up to his friend, the delightfully foppish Lord Goring to help extricate him. All is well that ends well, but not after much interplay and intrigue.
   Every word in this play is well measured out for one of the great masterpieces of English Drama.

5 comments about Paul Newman: A Life in Pictures.

1. This book has everything you ever wanted to see about Newman's life and you never dared to see.



2. Very well done. Many interesting photographs, large - and cover his entire career, very young and older... Text on his life, including his childhood is very well done, interesting, and enlightening. If you like Paul Newman, you will be very happy with this book.
   
   Cindy Mueller
   Chicago, IL



3. As a Actor, Family Man , CEO of Newman's Own Products .Mr. Paul Newman is a real professional and a remarkable person. This book captures him in all these and more of his great and quiet moments. The pictures are worth there weight in having this book. Paul Newman loves water can be seen threw some of his films. this book will make you view all of his films. A real man for all seasons.



4. Being that my husband and I are huge Paul Newman fans made this book a real family treasure. We've enjoyed his films over the years and seeing him on these pages brings back many fond memmories. I only wished that more of his photographs in character had been made available. Paul's various character roles were all so exciting like; Juan Carrasco, "Fast" Eddie Felson, and Ben Quick just to name a few. This edition was well worth the money and will be enjoyed for years to come.



5. As overseas pickups from France's Editions PHYB, the 'Life In Pictures' series make decent enough coffee table books though much of their success as a project truly depends on the subject at hand. By creating a compendium of photographs taken by various sources throughout one's early days and public career, the books are only as interesting as the photographic subjects they chronicle. For the Newman book, the chronology covers his early days in acting school, his famed long-term marriage to actress Joanne Woodward, starring roles in films like Hud, Paris Blues, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy, Winning and The Sting, to his passion as a race car driver and team owner at the 24 hours of LeMans, Daytona and the Long Beach Grand Prix. While Newman's sense of family, career highlights and philanthropic strains come though in the main, the whole history is rather shortchanged with a scant eight-page biography supplemented by selected quotes scattered throughout the book. While clearly meant to be a picture book, the images appear inconsistent and random (i.e. for the film for which he finally won the Oscar for Best Actor, Marty Scorsese's 'The Color of Money,' Newman is only represented in the book by the movie's one-sheet poster) and thus fail to paint nearly a compelling enough portrait of what is generally regarded as one of America's most revered actors. PHYB is coming with a similar 'Life in Pictures' edition this fall on Marilyn Monroe (also to be distributed by Chronicle in the US). One would expect that this kind of light-on-copy, heavy-on-pics treatment would be more well suited to that subject indeed.

3 comments about First Steps in Teaching Creative Dance to Children.

1. When faced with teaching children's dance classes for the first time almost 30 years ago, I was fortunate to have this. Now conducting classes for college dance students on how to teach creative dance for children, I require this as the textbook. Very accessible; pick it up and use it immediately or use the theory and modify the ideas to create your own classes. The author organizes the medium of motion clearly and includes plans for a variety of ages in classes that enable children to create student-centered explorations of qualities of movement that are truly DANCE. Teaching Dance: The Spectrum of Styles



2. Shipped quickly!!! Wonderful condition! I would buy from seller again!



3. First Steps in Teaching Creative Dance to Children is an excellent tool for the aspiring dance teacher. Mary Joyce prepares the beginning dance instructor and offers innovative ideas for seasoned teachers. As a dance educator, I have drawn on this text many times to spice up my lesson plans! I highly recommend this book to any teacher working with children as Joyce inspires adults as well as children to find the magic in creative dance.

4 comments about Dancing with the Stars: Jive, Samba, and Tango Your Way into the Best Shape of Your Life.

1. This is a great book if you love pictures of the stars and a list of great Ballroom Dance Music. Not a lot of content, though.
   Helen



2. I ordered the wrong product, however this book was in excellent condition and it was shipped to me very fast.



3. A great TV show deserves a great book, and this is it! The book is printed on heavy, shiny paper with tons of color photos that include almost every couple from Season 1 through last year when Apolo and Julianne won. The last part of the book is photo after photo of Alec and Edyta demonstrating the different dances. Not so interesting! Why were they chosen when there is a bevy of beautiful people to chose from, for example, Maksim, Julianne, etc. But anyway, if you love the show, you will love this book. There is some instruction, and text on the differences between the various dances. Watch the show! Buy the book! Both are a lot of fun.



4. the fastest mail delivery ever---pictures were very colorful----but did not show the dance steps for exercise

3 comments about Dramatists Sourcebook 24th Edition (Dramatists Sourcebook).

1. As a brand new playwright, I found this book extremely helpful. It contains listings for hundreds of theaters, contests, grants, and arts organizations, with a brief description of each. The handy index organizes the entries by specialty (musicals, adaptations, etc.), which only adds to the ease of using this book.
   
   In addition to the listings, there is a nice introduction which gives tips about submitting your script. I highly recommend reading that intro. before sending anything in the mail.
   
   As a first time user, I found this book to be a helpful resource, but lacking in a few aspects. It would be nice for them to write a little bit about literary agents. I also found some of the descriptions to be too vague or contradictory. However, I still recommend this book to anyone who doesn't want their scripts to be closet drama.



2. this is an essential resource for any playwright as it lists all the theaters and orgs that are interested in new work. it has complete information which allows the writer to research the theater by going to the web site to investigate the type of plays they perform. i dont know how writers would know where to submit plays if this book didnt exist.
   my only complaint is that this book took so long in getting published this year. i buy a new edition every year and the calendar for play submissions runs from sept thru aug. every month i would check to see if this book had been released and was unable to purchase it until january! which means i had missed deadlines for four months of contests -- one third of the book no longer valid. this book should be reduced 8% for every month the information becomes out dated. nevertheless, it is still a great resource as it has other information regarding grants, professional orgs -- and a writer should research potential theaters year-round, not only when they are conducting contests.



3. The Dramatist's Sourcebook is the most trusted guide and has been for working writers seeking publication, production, and theatre companies.
   
   As a dramatic writing student, all of my teachers, established writers, keep this book in their personal collection. E-mail addresses are accurate, mailing addresses never fail, and competitions are categorized in many ways.
   
   Wanna know a theatre specified for Asian/Children's/Experimental theatre? They have it organized alphabetically, indexed in the back of the book, and a full entry describing every theatre's mission and preferences for scripts.
   
   Plus Tony Kushner's introduction gives solid professional advice on how to read/use this guide.

3 comments about Public Speaking (7th Edition) (MySpeechLab Series).

1. This is a letter I wrote to the authors (to which they responded but I won't post it there b/c of copyright):
   
   --------------------------------------
   Dear Drs. Michael and Suzanne Osborn:
   
   As a student in my first public speaking class, I felt I was benefiting from this textbook and classroom activities. I read about ways to maintain one's credibility through thorough research and avoiding using stereotypes, which impedes the audience's ability to listen critically. Imagine my surprise then, when I came across pages 135-137, where some web sites are listed as resources to understand ethnic/racial/cultural diversity. Under the heading for "Asian American," I couldn't help but notice that the sites are Asian but seem to have little to do with the Asian American experience. I checked out these websites to be sure not to judge prematurely, but sure enough, these sites are all based in Asia! Surely there are plenty of resources for those who truly identify themselves as Asian Americans? It is insulting to me that one would equate the Asian experience with that of the Asian American one. Similarly misguided sites are listed under "European American." Again, those sites seem more to have to do with Europeans than actual European Americans. Perhaps you should have advised those working on this text to check their own stereotypes at the door. I was disappointed yet again when I read page 157, where you raised as an example of questions students might ask during topic briefings, "Why do Asian students often excel in mathematics?" Though I understand people often raise questions like these, it wouldn't hurt to have addressed the racist nature of this sample question. I find any comment based on racial stereotyping racist, be the comment intended to be positive or not.
   
   The above reminded me of yet an earlier example based on stereotypes. Where you discuss emotional reactions to words on page 87, you introduced a hypothetical case of one listener incensed over the speaker's use of the word "girls" to refer to women. In this case, it turns out the speaker goes on to say that "a program aimed at promoting more females is in effect," which seems to somehow suggest that it makes it all better. Though you probably did not intend for the women in the hypothetical case to be promoted without their own merit, it still sounds rather like the program in question encourages the promotion of someone based more on their sex to fill a quota than on merit, which I find intrinsically sexist.
   
   These awkward examples in the book only worked to distract me from critically reading the text, not to mention making me seriously question this book as a credible resource. I highly suggest you rethink these examples for your next edition of what could otherwise be a useful tool for those embarking on their first public speaking courses.



2. Finally, a text that deals with the fear of public speaking by dedicating a whole chapter to it. It doesn't come naturally, or at least easily for most people, unless of course, you're in the business. The Osborns give a whole chapter to the "First Speech." Although I feel this team was a little short on speech preparation techiniques as far as conducting interviews, what was offered was good enough to set up a solid base of testimonies for informative speeches. And although they did well in the in in-depth lesson outlining, the Osborns could've devoted more space to the Power Point presentation. This is increasingly necessary to win over audiences. A good Power Point presentation is the epitome of competent public speaking.
   I feel there could have been more detail on the delineation of small groups and subgroups. However, this team had good anecdotes and very colorful interpretation of language usage.
   I look forward to the 8th edition.



3. I used the text book for a "public speaking" course at California State University Hayward campus.

   The book does an excellent job of taking the reader through the steps in preparing public speeches. It contains numerous examples of speeches.

   The main thing I felt that the author did was to teach the reader a the step by step process of picking a topic, preparing an outline and delivering the speech it self.

   good luck to all potential public speakers!

No comments about Theatre in the Secondary School Classroom: Methods and Strategies for the Beginning Teacher.

5 comments about The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway.

1. I read this book first in the 1980s, while I was actually working in the theater (and I had met a few of the people talked about in the book). What I like about it so much is that Goldman expresses his opinions, especially about the fare on Broadway at the time (not so good), the deficiencies of some of the actors and actresses and his sweeping view of the whole milieu. I don't always agree with him, but he's so incisive that you gain enormous respect for him, particularly when he's writing about Judy Garland, Sandy Dennis and Tom Stoppard. Students of theater history should turn to this book to find out what a bygone era (before huge corporations and nonprofits took over Broadway) was all about.



2. William Goldman is not only a great screenwriter, but a wonderful writer of prose/criticism, as evidenced by "The Season," probaby the smartest, if not funniest, book ever written about the (sorry) state of Broadway. Here he tells you all you would want to know about the making of a Broadway show--all the compromises, betrayals, fits of ego, and under-the-table deals that keep the "fabulous invalid" (a phrase, by the way, that makes Mr. Goldman want to vomit) alive for another season. As a lover of theater, you may become depressed at the cynical machinations that go on to get what is, after all, usually pretty mediocre material to the stage; however, Mr. Goldman's prose is so crisp and entertaining that your spirit is ultimately lifted by his keen analysis. Although the patient is very sick, here's a doctor who has a prescription to offer. And all through the book, he does offer suggestions on how Broadway can better serves us, the theatergoers. Alas, the advice wasn't followed then (the late 60s), and it's not being followed today.



3. This book is it. It's just it. If you have any inclination at all to work in the theatre in any capacity, this book is required reading. Do not move to New York without it. I did, and I barely barely survived the few days it took me to find a copy. Order it now while you still have time! I'm serious!



4. This is an extraordinary book. It is written by an author with a first class mind and genuine curiosity about his subject. Whilst one may not agree with all of it, the writing is a delight and he does not shirk dealing with controversial issues such as the influence of homosexuality on the stage and the corrupt financial practices in relation to theatre tickets, etc. Even though it was written for the 1967-1968 season, it still resonates and viewed in retrospect, it provides crucial evidence relative to the aetiology of the culture wars.



5. William Goldman's groundbreaking book The Season is all it's cracked up to be and more. Though a number of the people he deals with are no longer with us, many of the shows have been forgotten, and the ticket prices are quite a bit higher, it's astonishing how much the Broadway of the late 1960s resembles the Broadway of today. The same problems, the same headaches, the same disappointments, and the same triumphs are all still a part of the Great White Way. No Broadway enthusiast should be without this book; The Season is a stunning history--and current events--lesson on Broadway theatre.

5 comments about This is Orson Welles.

1. THis book is a must, especially if you are in either Movies or TV.
   It's a text for making movies. I've learned more about movie making after I read this book than I have in the entire 40 years I've been in the business.
   
   John MoioThis is Orson Welles



2. I enjoyed this book very much. It's a good read, informative and entertaining. Fans of Welles will feel that they are sitting in on a conversation between him and Bogdanovich (who asks insightful and pertinent questions, not noticeably obseqious), and that's lots of fun. You learn things about movies and about Welles, and even his evasive responses are interesting.
   
   What nobody has mentioned so far is the photographs. There seems to have been some problem with the printing, and they look, in my copy at least, like 12th-generation photocopies: washed-out, grainy and almost indecipherable. Too bad, because there are a lot of them, some of them historic, and they are just really hard to look at. I don't understand it.



3. As the cover quip suggests, this IS a treasure trove of insights.
   I have been totally inspired by this man's conviction and boundless enthusiasm. His conception of theatre is unique and phenomenal, I dont think we will ever see his like again, not with the dumbing down of the world and aesthetics, etc.
   
   I understand the rawness and points of many a play thanks to this man. His voice is hypnotising and authoritive.
   
   Can genius like this ever see the light of day again?



4. has a very distinct voice. It has the voice of Orson himself.

   Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the book was the voyeuristic personal insight I was able to get from Welles and-despite his relatively passive role of interviewer-Bogdonovich as well. In this sense, is quite unlike the other required texts, and I do not read too much into the title of "author" that is loftily bestowed upon Bogdonovich and Welles. Through a brief surface comparison between this book and several other texts on Welles, it's clear that there is a great difference between a removed, historical opinion and a defensive individual discussing his own life. Although much could be said about Welles' misleading-albeit thoroughly entertaining-statements, I cannot fault a man for being unable to have sound perspective on his own affairs. I can only read the book as a historical text, but Welles was being asked questions about his life, and I cannot fault him for his oft-grandiose replies. The sheer nature of an interview such as this places an enormous amount of attention on Welles, so I can only smile pleasantly at his recurring ego, wondering if I could be any more impartial or less boastful in his place.

   Back to the question of authorship though.

   While I readily disregard comparisons between and, say, Thomson's due to their drastic differences in intent, tone and content, the strong yet shadowy hand of the omnipotent editor is ever present in all forms of biographical text. Cut this, change that, add this, move that. A book like Thomson's may greatly benefit from such professional revision, but in the cases of I felt as though the authorship accreditation was misplaced. "Edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum" should have graced the cover, replacing the names of Welles and Bogdonovich. Much like any documentary invariably guides an audience along a certain path, Rosenbaum has reconstructed the interviews amidst other such historical documentation in a very calculated and meticulous fashion. In this sense then there is no author at all, and I find it very difficult to discuss the book as a biography written by anyone.

   In truth, this may be one of the worst biography's one could possibly pick up if they wanted to learn more about Welles and his life, and I doubt I would call it a biography at all. As required course reading, I am wholly appreciative that I was given the chance to "hear" the words of Orson Welles as he spoke of his own creations, idly gossiping about other actors and filmmakers. Is it all truth? No, it is laughably biased, but it is the bias of Orson Welles, and definitely a very unique variation on accepted truth. If I can trust that Rosenbaum left the integrity intact, then Welles' half-truths are just as important to understanding the man than commonly accepted "whole-truths" by some biographer.

   Whereas can never stand on its own as an investigative biography of the filmmaker's life, it remains as the text that helped me to understand the man behind the myth above all others.




5. As one who had just completed a viewing of Ciitzen Kane on DVD
   (featuring the excellent audio commentary on the film by Roger Ebert & Rudy Behlmer) I turned to Frank Brady's excellent biography.This is Orson Welles completes my examination of this giant of film directorship. Over several years and in many locals the Falstaffian Welles shares his thoughts on film, his own movies and life with his devoted student Peter Bogdonovich
   (himself a talented director best known for "The Last Picture Show'). If you want to know what Welles really thinks and believes this book is the Rosetta Stone for your investigation!
   As Truffaut was able to discuss his life and films with Sir Alfred Hitchcock so does Peter B. do the same thing for Welles.
   After all the reading and studying of Welles the man emerges as a titanic force of nature whose undisciplined genius is a wonder to behold. Any fan of Welles or Cinema should add this excellent book to your library. Well Recommended!