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Summary: a fun look at life backstage
Review: this is a great book for anyone interested in any aspect of the theatre. It is an intimate look at the process, how actors live and work.
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Summary: Absolutely WONDERFUL book!!!
Review: This is a terrific book for anyone interested in the creative processes involved in getting a big Broadway musical on stage and what happens to the non-star names who are the backbone of any show - the people who support the stars and are the basis of the show.Jeff Denman is a wonderful writer. I read the book in one evening taking time only for dinner and actually read while eating. It is one of those "can't put down" books. There is an ease and polish to his writing that allows the reader to feel Jeff is talking to him/her instead of just putting words on paper. The narrative begins when Jeff is one of the principals in the last cast of "Cats" on Broadway going right through closing night. He takes the reader through auditions for "The Producers" that took place just before the closing and how he went from one show to the other. Then he details the rehearsal process, the out of town tryout and the New York opening. The closing section is the suspensful time he went through as the understudy for Matthew Broderick and going on for him during his vacation. It is so well written that it is possible to feel the nerves and tension he went through at this time. Jeff mentions his roots in Buffalo and doing productions in this area before going to New York. I was lucky enough to have been in a musical with him and know he is a terrific singer-actor-dancer, but I was unaware of what a good writer he is. If you would like to see him at work, he has a featured dance on the DVD "My Favorite Broadway, The Love Songs" (a lovely "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" partnered with Joan Hess) and can be seen throughout the DVD "Recording The Producers" about the recording of the cast album. (Watch during the tap sequence - Jeff has a distinctive pair of shoes so you can pick out his feet when no heads are shown.) This is a book that anyone who loves musicals and theater should add to thier library to get the perspective of how the supporting actors really make the show. It is a book that can and will be reread many times.
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Summary: Outstanding...
Review: What a wonderful glimpse inside the world of a working actor! I couldn't put this book down. I needed to know what was going to happen next. (I read it in one sitting - something I rarely do.) If you are curoius about what it takes to be in a Broadway show - this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding...
Review: What a wonderful glimpse inside the world of a working actor! I couldn't put this book down. I needed to know what was going to happen next. (I read it in one sitting - something I rarely do.) If you are curoius about what it takes to be in a Broadway show - this is the book for you.
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