Rating: 
Summary: Makes You Want To Get Up There And Do It!
Review: Without sounding overly zealous or emotional, I would like to say that I literally could not put this book down. I found it in a local Barnes and Noble, and while I didn't originally intend to buy it, I found while perusing it in the cafe that I didn't have a choice. So I walked out with it, finished the first half that night, and read the other half the next day. Recently, I loaned the book to a friend of mine, and I can't wait until she gives it back, as I would really like to re-read certain parts.As a long-time admirer of the musical "Follies", I found this account to be perhaps the most fascinating one I've ever read that was connected with any sort of performance or film, and to me, it is comparable only with Aljean Harmetz's "Wizard--The Making of The Wizard of Oz" for its sheer, fact-wealthy, you-are-there quality. As a production assistant/gopher involved with the project, author Chapin took exhaustive notes and kept copious journals which documented everything from start to finish, and it is from these resources that he has produced this tome. It is to his credit that he makes all of this history sound as fresh and exciting and relevant as if it all happened six months ago instead of over thirty years ago. I disagree with other reviewers who carp about the fact that Ted Chapin isn't a writer. Who cares? In an instance like this, it is truly what he says that is important, not how he says it. And much of it he says very well indeed. This is not, as some reviewers have pointed out (and others seem to have lamented) a dishy soap opera meant solely to entertain. It is, instead, a mature, fully-realized, and intelligent recording of the events surrounding the genesis, rehearsal, and performance of a landmark Broadway musical. This is not to say that the prose is short on human interest; on the contrary, it is everywhere in the book. It is contained in such small things as Chapin's recounting of how, in an age without computers readily at one's disposal, he had to type up lyrics on an IBM typewriter using several carbons at a time. On a larger scale, there are practically minute-for-minute reviews of the first performances in Boston and New York, including which actors botched lyrics, lines, and dance steps during those jittery times. As has been mentioned in other reviews of "Everything Was Possible", all personalities of everyone involved in this show are revealed clearly and honestly, though never cruelly. This is also to Chapin's credit. I must admit that I didn't like everyone he wrote about and neither will most other readers. In particular, I disliked Alexis Smith (she comes across as being as cold and unpersonable, for the most part, as the character she played), Fifi D'Orsay (I've worked in community theatre with prima donnas like her, and they are a pain in the a**), and Michael Bennett (though a brilliant choreographer, he appears to have been more than a little temperamental and arrogant). On the plus side, Dorothy Collins shines warmly as the show's "den mother", Ethel Shutta amuses as the crusty but decent elderly veteran, and Yvonne DeCarlo is simply unforgettable, whether struggling with a tap number, belting out the irresistable show-stopper "I'm Still Here" (which she had to learn at breakneck speed when it replaced her original solo, "Can That Boy Foxtrot!")or flirting with young Chapin. Perhaps the most telling evidence of the indelible impact that this book has had on me is that it just makes me want to do what all the creative personnel involved in "Follies" were doing. As an amateur actor/singer, this account was a real treat for me, and I look forward eagerly to my next audition. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to those with an interest in any type or facet of show business, whether or not they are fans of the musical "Follies" itself. Everyone--actors, writers, directors, choreographers, costume designers--can learn something from this. And in my opinion, they couldn't pick a better model to learn from than this thoroughly well-crafted commemoration of a masterpiece of musical theatre. My deep thanks to everyone who took part in it, and in particular to Mr. Ted Chapin, for taking the time.
| 
