1 comments about Mechanical Design for the Stage.

1. This is the best book ever written on mechanical design for stage applications... it covers so much! If you are designing and building any stage machinery then the book will pay for itself by helping you to solve problems in design before you are beating your fists against a piece of stage machinery that isn't working. What a helpful tool! A must for every technical director! Alan is a super genius!

1 comments about Red Light Winter: A Play.

1. Last year there was a producton of Red Light Winter performed at my school. I thoroughly enjoyed it because Adam Rapp has a talent for creating believeable characters. This play is set in Amsterdam. Hence "Red Light" Winter. It follows two friends vacationing and the prostitute they stumble upon. What ensues is highly entertaining and fun. I would recommend this play to anyone who wants to escape through a play. When reading this play I feel like I am in Amsterdam. A great read.

5 comments about The Way of the Belly: 8 Essential Secrets of Beauty, Sensuality, Health, Happiness, and Outrageous Fun.

1. From the reviews I expected a bit more from this book but for $14.95 and a DVD, it's decent. Some of it was fluff, but not all. They gave a few tips here and there on just about everything. But I would have liked to have seen more recipes in the book for both food and natural beauty products they make. I also wish they would have included photo illustrations for clothing, hair and make-up tips. Acutally I wish they would have included more make-up, hair and fashion tips period. The diet section was very basic also. That's how I would sum up this book, very basic.



2. This book and accompanying DVD are wonderful! The fun and positive text gets you ready to dance even before you get to the 3rd page! I love it and bought 3 more for friends who also went gaga over it. The Belly Twins are fantastic, talented, fun, gorgeous and excellent teachers!



3. This book is a delightful tour into the world of Neena and Veena, a place where fitness meets fashion meets fun, all with an underlying philosophy that is a wellspring of wellbeing. These two remarkable women are joyful and inspiring, and ideal role models for girls from nine to ninety.



4. Barring the DVD workout included in the back of this book, it is not about bellydance. It is about using the performance techniques of a bellydancer to improve yourself. This includes eating right so you have energy to perform, the idea that you are never out of the spotlight as long as you are seeable, and other important tips. It is well put together and very personable. I enjoyed reading it and applying some of the tips and tricks.



5. This book will improve every single aspect of your life, really. I purchased it 4 days ago, and I still can't put it down. Confidence, beauty, self discovery, fashion, health, intelligence and more are all right at your fingertips!
   
   With in depth coverage on every subject, this book goes above and beyond. It even includes an instructional DVD! I could not be happier. It has truly changed my life and my outlook on the world around me. I highly recommend it and I encourage you to check it out.
   
   [...]

1 comments about Divine Fire: Eight Contemporary Plays Inspired by the Greeks.

1. My favorite play was Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. I'm not sure if this is out in any other form, but certainly the book is worth buying just to read this play, which has the deftness and economy of a classic Greek text, and the emotional range and subjective depth of a modern classic. She's my favorite author of plays.

4 comments about Pygmalion and Major Barbara (Bantam Classics).

1. Before I read Pygmalion everythin I knew was, that is was connected to the musical 'My fair lady'. So first of all I was scared because musicals arer not the kind of entertainment I prefer. But while reading it the manipulation of a poor an first mentally weak girl in the name of science an in a sadistic and somehow abusing way kept me in suspense to go on reading. And beside that human-despising experiment a little love story evolved to a happy end. To conclude I want to justify the 'just' three stars: I don't like love stories.



2. Shaw masters satire in Pymalion his play with a double edged sword. A superficial examination of the play reveals it to be a self-rightoues lesson in grammar. But a deeper inspection shows it tobe a toungue in cheek comedy (albeit a critical one) that reveals much about the British society of the time (particularly linguistically speaking). Henry Higgin's unabashed condescending attitude provide many laughs while Eliza's emotion filled responses are also humorous and no less insightful. The prolougue although irritating to most, gives the play a unique voice and the epilogue although considered by many to be a literary fallacy says true to Shaw's style. I have only one complaint about this book that I can rant on about to no end, that fact that he say's English is the language of the Bible. Is English the lanuguage of Crime and Punishment or Metamorphosis because it was translated in English? Please, don't insult us. But aside from that it is a Brilliant play!



3. This was, all in all, a charming little book. I loved the Pygmalion and the manipulative male lead, Professor Higgins. Major Barbara, on the other hand, was as boring as could be. The preface? Don't even bother reading. It was absolute boredom, and completely unaffective on the reading of Major Barbara. The Pygmalion, while I did not particularly enjoy the epilogue (I'm a romantic), was very clever and yes, probably the real aspect of how things turn out. So, all being said, read the book! It is a delightful little sample of Shaw's work.



4. The worst thing I found was Shaw's ending epilogue after the Pygmalion. He went too far, too deep and too preachy in his imagination of how things were to turn out. His lengthy preface to Major Barbara may well reflect sentiments at the turn of the century, but he never looked at the question "whether he imagined the impoverished becoming like him or him becoming like the impoverished" when he talked idealistically against the tyranny of poverty. He showed no comprehension of basic economics, social evolution nor human nature. Had he lived longer, he might have seen it in the collapse of communism in eastern Europe. That is not to say Shaw was espousing communism, and it can be argued that the communism was an imperfect implementation of a perfect solution. The same then can be said of a lot of other things, including Christianity, the Church, the Salvation Army, nationhood, law enforcement as well as the judiciary. None set out to commit the sins they did. At the end of the day, helping feed a single individual may cause no more harm than helping no individuals but sitting down and espousing fine rhetorics and theories and ideals which lead to establishment of institutions modelled after them which affect thousands instead.

5 comments about Original Story By: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood.

1. I just finished reading this fascinating but maddening autobiography last night. There is no doubt about it - Arthur has quite a story to tell. His storytelling pulls you in, making you feel as if he's telling the stories directly to you. He's met or worked with virtually every major star of the past 60 years so he's definitely got tales to tell. However, after reading for awhile, I found several things off-putting. Early on, Arthur starts to regale us with endless stories of sexual conquests. He inevitably describes his partners as "handsome", "beautiful", etc. A few stories like this would have gotten the point across, but I eventually came to the conclusion that Arthur was very insecure about his attractiveness and had to make sure that we readers knew that he was very desirable (even if pictures don't seem to tell that story). Then there's the sexual encounter he has with an old friend and sex partner who was starring in a play that Arthur was directing - it was simply creepy to me. As I continued reading, it just seemed that Arthur wanted to dissect and criticize almost everyone he came across, especially those who had disappointed him, and on several occasions I thought he was incredibly unkind. His portrait of Jerry Robbins is one-sided at best and mean at worst - he definitely comes across as if he has an ax to grind with Jerry. His coldness upon Jerry's death struck me as amazingly hard-hearted, considering all that they had done together in their lives. Arthur also never seemed to turn that critical eye onto himself. He generally comes off as good in all encounters, while others are usually immoral, dishonest, etc. I also had the sense that Arthur might have embellished the details to help himself come out so well in his stories. (This is especially ironic, considering his comments about how Gypsy Rose Lee did the same in her autobiography.) If you're interested in Broadway and the movies in the second half of the 20th century, this is a great read. Just beware the shortcomings of the author.



2. 
   
   An 86-year-old friend who grew up in Beverly Hills and Hollywood, and who had her own works on Broadway, gave me this book for help with my writing (I'm 42). Laurents is remarkably inspiring, even when he doesn't necessarily intend to be. His stories about writing for the war effort, writing radio plays, mapping plots of popular films, and turning out work for deadline demonstrate a TREMENDOUS work ethic and a resilient willingness to write and re-write.

   ..., but gay lives weren't well documented in that era. Worse, "liberal" Hollywood was thought to be generally accepting, when in fact the opposite was true. Laurents was under enormous pressure to stay in the closet, as were most writers and stars.

   The narrative hops around a bit, but he's a gifted writer, and soon you'll settle in. If you want to be a screenwriter, read this. Some of the political nonsense that goes into making a motion picture still happens, even in 2003!

   Arthur Laurents is an amazing man whom I hope has a magnificent decade as an octogenarian. If his vibrant words are any indication, then in spirit he'll always be 33 and ready for the next adventure.




3. The best thing a book can have is the author's voice, and Laurents' autobiography certainly has his: argumentative, discrening, opinionated, political, sexy, candid. He has a bristly side to him and he doesn't hide it. And this makes his book seem genuine and compelling, not the kind of "I loved them all..we had a great time" gush that many older entertainment types write. His take on the blacklist is wonderful. His backstage stories about how his play ("Time of the Cuckoo") was a hit and his movie ("The Way We Were") got chewed up in the editing room are fascinating. And he doesn't hold back: Sydney Pollack comes off a clever swine, Jerome Robbins is shown warts and all. You may find that Laurents is the kind of man you might have trouble liking in real life, but you won't be able to put his book down. That's because he's a real writer with a voice...and it's in these pages. One of the best theatre books in quite a while, certainly the best since Neil Simon's first book. Seems like good playwrites make good memoir writers. Read this!



4. Now THIS is an autobiography! It is the story of a man, the last of his peer group, who, at 81, is healthy, athletic, sexual, productive in his craft, and in love. He is joyous and it reflects in his writing. Vitriol, if not burned away, has often been reduced to pithy one-liners that zing with word-play. Apathy seems to have replaced anger. Mr. Laurents is too busy living to show resignation or to bemoan the passing of relationships, so his book is vital, alive.

   He is blunt and ruthless and he shows us the sage as scrappy youth and unformed man as well as (bad)businessman and lover, plus playwright, director and Hollywood hack. He has little respect for the movie industry and when black-listed,was more relieved than aggrieved! He spares himself nothing, is quick to offer accolades and in stories that are pay-backs, with time and acoomplishment to back him up, chummy fact can be damning! He has a gift for knowing that someone loves and respects the famous people he mentions and he writes accordingly, whether he shares their regard or not, and even when a relationship has lapsed, if praise is due, he generously heaps it on.

   Incidentals are rampant. Some add to the whole, like how Geraldine Brooks' breast cancer led to her marriage with HUAC informer Budd Schulberg and how this impaced her friendship with Mr. Laurents, or how Lillian Roth's fight with alcoholism helped Mr. Laurents direct her in I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE. Other tidbits just make juicy reading, like the stoicism of Hal Prince learning to water-ski. It is so easy to link the vision of Prince dropping rather than veer out of the boat's wake, with his dogged direction of PARADE a few years back! It is fascinating to hear how life experiences made their way into his work, to hear the power 'stars' had to pervert an author's intent, and to see how some events became motivations or mere moments of dialogue in a play, while others became entire works. Sometimes, Mr. Laurents himself was unaware of where a line or a thought came from, and when he recognizes the origin, his delight is triumphant! Bad psycho-analysts become saccharine characters in admittedly mediocre plays, a handsome Jew in love with a Nazi becomes a portly Italian shopkeeper/love interest, and the Hollywood Witch Hunt becomes THE WAY WE WERE, before politics were 'expunged', Robert Redford collided with his role and the climax of the movie (not film) was edited out. (It seems Katherine Hepburn had a knack for turning her character into herself too, not the reverse!) Included too, is director Laurents' dealings with star-in-waiting Barbara Streisand, manipulative producer David Merrick, sweating co-star Elliot Gould, and costuming goddess Theoni V. Aldredge. He loved working with Jule Styne, Len Bernstein and Steve Sondheim and has high praise for master craftsmen Shirley Booth and Angella Lansbury. It was fascinating to hear him revisit GYPSY over the years as his role changed from author to director. Reading about Miss Lansbury performing the bows at the end of "Rose's Turn" was electric. I wish I could have seen an actual performance!

   There is over-lap between Laurents and the ballet world through Jerome Robbins, Nora Kaye, and Harold Lang, and superstar Erik Bruhn makes a moon-lit naked appearance. Robbins seems to be the only one of the four Laurents didn't sleep with, and I question his use of 'balletomane' as a verb! His friendship with Robbins runs as deeply as Nora Kaye's and Robbins plays a major part in the book, as friend, informer, collaborator on famous works, and betrayer. To hear his stories of W.W. II, where he wrote training films, gays in the military should NEVER be an issue. Actually, he finds handsome men all over the world and his search to not only accept what he is, but to prefer it, turns up in much of his writing. Too much so in fact, if there is anything to criticize about ths book. His exploits during the war read like fiction!

   Early on, he announces his intolerance of bigotry of any kind, especially against homosexuals, Negroes and Jews but I find this odd since he flatly dismisses his Bar Mitzvah as 'meaningless.' This is really the first book I've read that deals pointedly with McCarthyism and the Hollywood Witch Hunt. He voices what many must have felt, sharing freely his feelings of the time and his feelings now! Informers are pariah, yet some who informed remained Laurents' friend, some did not and we learn the whys of each, first hand. Judgments are presented factually along with consequences of decisions that were made.

   This book is a wealth of history but for those interested in fair play and looking at all sides of an issue, don't bother picking it up. This is Arthur Laurents' story, and I not only respect his right to tell it, I revel in it! Five stars for this one, and the moon has come out again!




5. If you live to be 82 years old and fortunate enough to have lived the life that Arthur Laurents has then you've earned the right to say what you damn well please. Arther Laurents does just that in his autobiography and in a very honest an entertaining style. Sit back and enjoy the ride, you just might learn something along the way!

1 comments about Little Women: Vocal Selections.

1. I love this book. It has every song in the show except for "Weekly Volcano Press" and Jo's reprise at the end "Sometimes When You Dream." The arrangements are on the hard side, and are in pretty odd key signatures, but it gives the feel of the show. I absolutely adore it--lots of songs for a great price. If you know how to play the piano well, (so that you can tackle the arrangements) this book will give hours of enjoyment!

1 comments about The Sanford Meisner Approach: An Actors Workbook (A Career Development Book) (A Career Development Book) (A Career Development Book) (A Career Development ... Book) (A Career Development Book).

1. Speaking as another graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse who actually studied with Sandy (as well as continuing to study with him in his private class after graduation), I had some reservations about Larry Silverberg's book. Acting is experiential, not intellectual. Larry Silverberg implies that Sandy's technique can be learned from a book and practiced by amateurs. That was never Sandy's intention. Learning the Meisner Technique is an organic process that requires the guidance of a trained teacher. Preferably, this should be someone whom Sandy actually trained as an actor and as a teacher.

   The problem with expressing "the reality of the doing" in writing seems almost self defeating. To put it bluntly, you've got to do the work. Sandy once said, "You know those books, AN ACTOR PREPARES and ACTING: THE FIRST SIX LESSONS? Tell you what, you learn to act and then read those books to see if they knew how to act." Read Larry Silverberg's book and SANFORD MEISNER ON ACTING to see if this is the Meisner Technique seems to suit you. Then you will need to make the commitment to study and learn first hand. Be warned, it requires talent and hard work.

   The vital issue is to acquire a viable technique to be able to work on a professional level. Sandy's technique is time proven, providing you learn from the right teacher. Above all, Sandy knew that acting can be painful at times and the actor's life is a hard one. However, he wanted acting to be a healthy process. "Acting is fun," he used to say, "don't let that get around." It becomes fun when you begin to know what you're doing.

   Just remember, that reading about the process is not the same thing as doing the work itself.

   For the record, Sandy Meisner was the greatest teacher of any subject that I ever encountered in my life. He was truly one of a kind.

No comments about Historic Photos of Broadway: New York Theatre 1850-1970 (Historic Photos.).

5 comments about The Wizard of Oz (BFI Film Classics).

1. This is an excellent comprehensive on the MGM classic, The Wizard of Oz. Rushdie is able to go into the innate symbolism of the film without becoming overly-sentimental or dry. He relates his own story growing up in the 1940's when the film first toured, and how it affected people during the war time. He then goes into the approaches to how the film was directed, the transitions from black and white to color, the personalities behind the actors and how it is the film remains irreplaceable to this day. This is a great book to pass on to a friend in the hospital, to cheer them up, or give to someone for a birthday. If you are a film-buff or collector of Oz, you will want a copy of this book. Pages are smooth and shiny, loaded with photos.



2. I really enjoyed this book. I had to read it for a film analysis and aesthetics class, along with many other BFI books, and it was my favorite one. I would have read it even if I weren't in the class -- Rushdie offers a personal take on a classic movie, and his reading (one that says youth is constantly looking for a technicolor world far away from their grounding, drab home life) is one easily relatable. I recommend it to any fan of Rushdie's, The Wizard of Oz and/or film.



3. One of the first long pieces Salman Rushdie wrote after the fatwa issued against him by the Ayatollah Khomeini, this charming little 1992 study of THE WIZARD OF OZ is one of their most charming in the BFI catalogue, and tells us perhaps more about the workings of one of the most important living novelists (himself a kind of wizard exiled from home) as it does about the 1939 MGM classic. The monograph consists of two halves: an extended essay on THE WIZARD OF OZ itself, and Rushdie's by-now famous short story "At the Auction of the Ruby Slippers," a fantasia on the famous early 70s purchase of one of the many pairs of slippers crafted for the film for what was then the unbelievable price of $15,000. The essay on the film brings up all kinds of intriguing departure points for Rushdie: he emphasizes its importance to his own imaginative work (the depiction of the Widow in MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN, he now realizes, owes much to the unforgettable appearance of Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West), offers surprising analyses of the film's treatments of exile and return, and compares it to the musicals of Bollywood. The essay disappoints only by being too short: you wish it would go on longer and tell you even more.



4. A great book for Rushdie -- one can feel the limitations perhaps set by the editors on him -- usually Rushdie runs on, but here all of his insight and enthusiasm is pared down into an economical essay one can enjoy in less than an afternoon. Oh, it's a wonderful book on the Wizard movie, too.

   Rushdie, as outsider/insider, helps one return to the joy of first seeing the movie; he also provides some of the more delicious gossip and facts about this movie -- unlikely as I am to ever read a full book the film, Rushdie captures surely some of its best behind-the-scenes stories (yes: midgets, sweating, original actors, and the slippers).

   This book is a great read: the author is able to remind us how so many good elements (the visual storytelling, Garland's voice, the lyrics, the political incorrectness) bleed together into this wonderful movie.




5. This is a beautiful and moving meditation on the meaining of The Wizard of Oz. Rushdie teases all the deep emotional resonances out of the film. The book is also visually stunning, with great stills. A great read. Thanks Salman Rushdie for sharing your thoughts and feelings.