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Rating: 
Summary: Oh so readable
Review: Loved Martin Jarvis's acting stories. It's a lesson to some of us who might have thought, in our dreams, that it's all champagne and roses. This elegant Brit warns that it ain't as easy as he and some of his fellow performers make it look - life on stage and screen can be full of downs as well as ups. Jarvis's sense of adventure makes the book a page-turning treat. His Hollywood tales are nothing short of compelling, not to say hilarious. And I have never read a better account of what it is like to be on stage in some of London's most noted theatres. A beautifully written autobiography, bursting with fun, information and wise thoughts about acting. I recently had a good time in the theatre watching this British star play the title role in the Lloyd Webber/Ayckbourn 'By Jeeves, on its way to Broadway. Look out NYC. Will Jarvis be writing about his adventures on the Great White Way? Hope so.
Rating:
Summary: What's good on the page is even better when the author reads
Review: The virtues of Martin Jarvis's breezy, insightful and well-crafted autobiography have been noticed here and elsewhere. I can report that the pleasure to be derived from it is increased ten fold by listening to Martin Jarvis reading it. The voice is beautifully modulated, and apparently undamaged by forty years of theatre, TV, film and radio work. Not only is the text beautifully read, but there are also many demonstrations of Martin's Jarvis's uncanny ability to mimic and adopt other voices. You'll not only hear what Sir John Gielguid, Sir Alan Ayckbourn and Harold Pinter say, you actually believe they are there, speaking to you. Even the great radio actress Marjorie Westbury, to whom Martin Jarvis pays a high tribute, is somehow heard again in Jarvis's reading. There is also a Polish film director, and a Hollywood agent whose impersonations you will never forget. Whether you're a theater enthusiast, an admirer of Martin Jarvis's work, a budding actor, or just someone who likes to be amused and entertained, you'll find this audio book set to be a great investment.
Rating:
Summary: What's good on the page is even better when the author reads
Review: The virtues of Martin Jarvis's breezy, insightful and well-crafted autobiography have been noticed here and elsewhere. I can report that the pleasure to be derived from it is increased ten fold by listening to Martin Jarvis reading it. The voice is beautifully modulated, and apparently undamaged by forty years of theatre, TV, film and radio work. Not only is the text beautifully read, but there are also many demonstrations of Martin's Jarvis's uncanny ability to mimic and adopt other voices. You'll not only hear what Sir John Gielguid, Sir Alan Ayckbourn and Harold Pinter say, you actually believe they are there, speaking to you. Even the great radio actress Marjorie Westbury, to whom Martin Jarvis pays a high tribute, is somehow heard again in Jarvis's reading. There is also a Polish film director, and a Hollywood agent whose impersonations you will never forget. Whether you're a theater enthusiast, an admirer of Martin Jarvis's work, a budding actor, or just someone who likes to be amused and entertained, you'll find this audio book set to be a great investment.
Rating:
Summary: A witty and wise acting life
Review: This autobiography by versatile British actor Martin Jarvis answers just about every question you've ever wanted to ask concerning the mysteries - and absurdities - of his profession. Whether he is writing about his experiences in Royal National Theatre productions with Sir Peter Hall or the intense atmosphere on the set of James Cameron's Titanic, Jarvis is never less than spellbinding. He is fascinating, too, about the detailed work that has gone into his many starring roles in the plays of Alan Ayckbourn, Harold Pinter and David Hare. And the account of his Theatre Royal Hamlet is a comic classic. His pen portraits of Sir John Gielgud, Robert Duvall, Angela Lansbury, Leonardo di Caprio, Kate Winslet, and the incomparable Dame Judi Dench leap from the page with a glittering perception. I adored the stories about the author's introduction to Hollywood - the character of the hysterical manager, Travis, has to be read to be believed. But beneath the humour, Jarvis' elegant prose conveys an extraordinary sense of the value and worth of being an actor. He is moving, too, as he takes us back to his beginnings at school in South London and his early successes (and failures) at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I particularly appreciated the tales of student work with Anthony Hopkins, Mike Leigh and Patrick Stewart. This is the best book on the secret world of actors since William Redfield's brilliant 'Letters from an Actor'. I wholeheartedly agree with Dame Judi's assessment, displayed on the cover of this unmissable paperback: "Marvellously written - I laughed and Laughed!"
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