Play Groups Books

I needed a quick copy of this play, and found it at Amazon, of course. Quick service. Great play.

Mediocre garbage by the same guy who wrote "Driving Miss Daisy". Yet another mediocre play about Southern jews. There is probably a great book or play to be written about jews in the South, but this isn't it

The Last Night of Ballyhoo is a powerful piece of drama. We see this powerful genius in its ability to draw laughter and tears from an audience in a single dizzy breath: who can forget Lala's burst of kleptomania, or Sunny's candle-lit Shabbat prayer in the final scene? I was blessed to take part in a community theater production of this play as Lala Levy; as a result of this opportunity, I and the cast came to know intimately the characters of Ballyhoo, and through them we lived the larger whole. From an actress' point of view I can tell you that the striking beauty, quick wit, and profound themes of this play can scarce be rivaled. However, whether one approaches this play as a reader, audience member, or actor, one will become more sensitized to the prejudices that ever haunt our race - the fear of "the other kind," be they separated from us by "the Elbe" or some less tangible distinction. Along with the characters of Ballyhoo we discover anew that there is no "us" and "them" - only "us."

I have read and had the oppurtunity to see this beautiful piece performed. Alfred Uhry knows how to write characters that come to life so you feel like you know them. This play is wonderful and keeps wanting to more about the people of it.

Alfred Uhry strikes again with his second work examining racism and anti-semitism in the American South. In a clever twist, the playwright focuses on the prejudice of Jews of German decent against "the other kind" meaning Jews of Slavic decent. This infinitesimally subtle difference in ethnicity represents a world of difference in Southern Jewish society.

Exploiting the significance of such a minor distinction, Mr. Uhry expertly exhibits the lunacy of every type of racism.

This is the fourth play I have read by August Wilson, the other three being "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," "The Piano Lesson,"and "Fences" - the latter two won Pulitzer prizes. This play deals with the same social issues concerning black Americans that are standard in the plays of Wilson. Of the four I have read, this one is unique in that it is set in Chicago and not Pittsburgh. I must say, as good as this play was, the story did not have as many dimensions as the others I have read, and therefore, not as complex - making less room for character development. To be fair, this was one of Wilson's earlier plays, and perhaps he was still trying to develop the social element in his plays. My biggest praises for the play is that it is very funny at times, more so than the others with which I am familiar. Also, as a musician myself, I liked the setting of the play (a recording studio.) I must say, however, that the dramatic conclusion of the play was a little overdone and puzzling.

This play brings out the struggles of the African American musical artist,how they had to claw, bite and even fight each other and also be strong to get any recognition. How their talents were exploited by the white man for their own self gradification. Ma Rainey was a strong black women whom could have helped her band members, but at times I think she only thought of her on selfish needs. I hate to say but her attitude is typical of some artist today, all about them selves and not about helping their fellow man. However I think Mr. Wilson brought out her desire to help others and her determination to get her way in the matter of her nephew, but I think it was at the wrong time and at the expense of the band member. The tragedy at the then end was very shocking and unexpected. A good read, but not one of my favorite August Wilson plays.

I would welcome suggestions to the analysis of August Wilson's " Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at secondary school level. The book is too powerful but sometimes my students have difficulties in understanding its strenght.Sorry this is not a review, it's a cry of "Hellllp".

I am 41 years old. In my computer ages only go up to 12

This play is set in a studio during the early days of sound recording. Ma Rainey's back-up band awaits the overdue arrival of the so-called Queen of Blues, discussing their lives and arguing about the music scene and their places in it. The white studio execs are practically tearing their hair out over Ma's tardiness and the demands that she is sure to make when she arrives. When she finally comes, she is every bit as demanding and overbearing as we expect, but also very perceptive-she is well aware that black artists are being exploited by the very record company people who continually urge her to be "reasonable" about the amount of money that she "wastes" on personal demands while recording the music that makes them so rich.

Although it features very good dialogue and some fine monologues, nothing much happens dramatically during the course of the play. There is an explosive finale, but it feels contrived and overdone, as though Wilson didn't know where to take his characters after all of the talking stopped.

Recognized as a great American playwright with numerous awards, August Wilson has brilliantly chronicled the black experience through decades. Depicting the 1920s, he wrote "Ma Rainey" in 1982.

The scene for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", takes place in a recording studio in 1927 where two white music executives are making a record with blues singer, Ma Rainey and a group of musicians.

Because the focus is on four male band members. it may take a while to try to put a face with each character, but within a short time, you grasp who the characters are - their values, beliefs and fears.

Ma Rainey's tone of voice is profound and nobody can push her around. Some critics report that Ma Rainey was exploitive and abusive to her band members, but I certainly did not get that impression. She was just tough and she knew how important her role was in blues music! Ma Rainey didn't take any crap from the white executives or anyone.

The dialogue interweaves with Ma's performance onstage and the band members during rehearsals. Their identities evolve and it's clear who and why they are as they share their experience with racist America and we then know their role in a racist society and industry.

A dramatic ending caps the story when the most bitter player reacts violently when another member steps on his shoes. To me, the incident seemed unjustifiable to provoke such a violent reaction by another member. It appeared out of place.

If you have an interest in the work of a great playwright or another interpretation of black experience through the decades, read more from this amazing man.

this is a short play - i read it in about an hour. it's okay, nothing that great other than it's based in pittsburgh and if you live here you can pick up some of the flavor. it's not exactly uplifting, but some of the characters are good.

In my opinion I feel that Wilson's FENCES is his best play. I've read THE PIANO LESSON and SEVEN GUITARS. August Wilson is an EXCELLENT playwright who truly captures the African American struggle with such humor, satire, irony, hope, and sadness. This was a good read, but not one of his best to me.

August Wilson is the greatest American playwright. Not the greatest living American playwright, but the greatest, period. His best plays stand comparison with the best work of Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams. No American playwright has produced such a consistent body of work, and no American playwright has attempted a cycle with the scope and ambition of his series of plays. Wilson's subject is the Great Migration, the story of the African-Americans who emigrated from the southern states to the cities of the industrial North and their slow construction of satisfactory lives in the difficult and changing world of 20th century America. Wilson has written 10 plays on this subject, one for each decade of the 20th century, amounting to a fictional history of African-Americans in the urban North. This is, however, history from below. Wilson's heroes are garbagemen, short-order cooks, day laborers, self-taught musicians, and street vendors. One of his great gifts is his ability to use common speech in a way that is consistently interesting, frequently eloquent, and often powerful. He gives poetic voice to people usually regarded as inarticulate and invests ordinary struggles with real but not exaggerated significance. The African-Americans of Wilson's plays are a doubly uprooted people. Uprooted initially by the grievous trauma of slavery that sundered their connection with their native traditions, the emigrants fleeing the Jim Crow south and its brutal racism are uprooted also from their homes, families, and the traditions developed in the aftermath of slavery.
Wilson's overall story is the reconstruction of African-American identity and family life in the cities of the North over the course of the 20th century. Wilson's plays often feature protagonists whose sense of identity and families have been damaged greatly by the oppressions of racism and the atomizing effects of the industrial economy of the North. Over the course of the cycle, Wilson shows characters re-establishing a sense of connection with their ancestors, even back to Africa, and gradually developing the family ties to sustain them. Wilson repeatedly uses supernatural elements in his work, particularly as a device to advance his theme of the importance of developing a sense of historic connection with ancestors, including those originally abducted from Africa. This could easily be hokey, but his matter of fact use of these elements is very effective. Another recurring theme is the importance of music, particularly the Blues tradition developed by African-American musicians, which he sees as a vital and creative force in African-American life, often carrying truths across generations. Some of the most affecting parts of Wilson's work are his demonstrations of the direct and indirect destructive effects of American racism on family life. Even more powerful are those scenes in which his characters overcome these obstacles to reaffirm family connections.
Not all of Wilson's plays are outstanding, but all are at least very good. Readers will differ on their favorites. In my opinion, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Fences, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom are outstanding. The rest vary from excellent (The Piano Lession) to the very good. Cumulatively, they are a really impressive achievement. Mention must be made of the fact that Wilson has been aided by outstanding collaborators. Wilson's plays usually go through a series of versions before the final version emerges. Wilson has had the benefit of working with unusually talented directors, notably the gifted Lloyd Richards, who was responsible in large measure for recognizing Wilson's talent. Wilson has benefited also from the existence of a whole generation of remarkably talented African-American actors. These people made it possible for Wilson to realize his vision. We have all been the beneficiaries of the work of Wilson and his collaborators.

August Wilson's play "Seven Guitars" had its Broadway premiere in 1996. The play follows seven African-American characters, both male and female, in Pittsburgh in 1948. The first scene opens after the funeral of one character, and the play then moves back in time to tell his story.

There is a lot of excellent material in this play. Wilson expertly weaves in songs, humor, one character's recipe for turnip greens, and a funny discourse on the difference between Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi roosters. One character, Floyd, is a talented musician, and his arc offers a perspective on African-American artistic aspiration.

Probably the most memorable character in the play is Hedley, a hardworking entrepreneur who is tormented by rage and lust. His dialogue is particularly rich, as he invokes Toussaint L'Ouverture, Marcus Garvey, and traditional African-American biblical interpretation. Overall, "Seven Guitars" is a frequently compelling play with well-written dialogue.

Although not quite on a par with "Fences" or "The Piano Lesson," Wilson's story of a blues musician and his companions in the late '40s is still a compelling read. As usual, he creates music in the language of his characters, all of whom are distinctly drawn.

"Seven Guitars" recounts the fate of a Pittsburgh blues musician, Floyd "Schoolboy" Barton, who scores a hit record in Chicago, but falls short of capitalizing on his success, either with his music, or with his on-again, off-again love, Vera. Along the way, we meet his musician friends, Canewell and Red, his crusty neighbor Louise, the seductive young visitor Ruby, and the mysterious Hedley, who orates on Marcus Garvey, Ethiopia and Buddy Bolden while he goes about his job butchering chickens for sale on the streets of Pittsburgh.

The play's vibrancy springs not only from the characters' plain-spoken poetry, but from Wilson's knowledge of blues, folk legends, superstitions and from his vivid recreation in print of a particular place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which he has managed to turn into a place of literary myth.

As in "Fences" and in his play set in the '60s, "Two Trains Running" Wilson relies strongly on a character verging on and descending into madness. In "Seven Guitars," it's Hedley, and the way you feel about the play will be determined in part by your reaction to this character and how Wilson uses him. For me, Hedley's motivation was a bit too murky, and his most important act at the end of the play did not mesh well with the motivation Wilson developed for Floyd, the ambitious bluesman. Because of this problem, "Seven Guitars" lacks the powerful thematic punch of "Fences" and "The Piano Lesson."

Still, this play makes a fine addition to Wilson's dramatic cycle that explores African-American life through the twentieth century. The play confirms his place as one of the great voices in the American theater.

I have never read Ms. Wasserstein before, but was intrigued. Unfortunately, I found that however great her essays or plays may be, they do not translate well in audio CD. The first 3/5 CDs are largely devoted to "fluff" topics, and the humor is very tongue in cheek. But, I found none of it terribly funny--sort of the usual worn out jokes regarding datable men, apartment renovation, lunch with one's mother, trying to diet, etc. Easy to skip over fluff in a book, but not so easy on a CD. This is made even more problematic by the audio CD format. You cannot fast foward on the CDs; there are no internal "chapters". So, if you take out the CD from your car or computer, be prepared to lose the first 30 minutes you listened to and have to start all over again next time. Crazy! Never seen a CD like this before! The computer indeed shows everything as one giant track... Also, each of the 5 CDs has less than an hour on it. Seems like more could have been squeezed in... they need to fix this if they re-issue these.

I do think overall the CD set is worth purchasing for the last 2 CDs, which are candid accounts of her sister's battle with cancer, and her own fertility procedures, and the eventual arrival of her daughter. For those of us hoping to have a child in advanced years, and fascinated by Ms. Wasserstein's ability to do it at 48, it's a fairly sobering tale. It's not even clear to me from the rather long account of the fertility treatments, which occurred over many years, whether Ms. Wasserstein was the genetic mother of the child, or if she ultimately used egg donation to achieve the pregnancy. It is also clear she spent a fortune on all the procedures. Moreover, the delivery and aftermath of it were obviously trying for the author and her entire family, although there are moments of levity in the account.

This collection of essays Wasserstein wrote for newspapers and magazines, including the NYTimes and The New Yorker, also includes one new essay, the hilarious and deeply affecting "How I spent My Forties."

All the essays are strong, and many have moments that made me laugh out loud. Even though there are 35 essays across the 235 pages, this book does have a bit of a narrative thread to it, which provides the book's greatest pleasures. Her essays about her beloved sister Sandra, who battled cancer, and her own efforts to have a child form the emotional core of the book. Wasserstein feels that, as you get older, life becomes sadder and more humorours, citing her sister's pleasure at the weight loss caused by chemo. This is a terrific collection.

The title, by the way, comes from the first essay, a New Yorker humor piece in response to that brief period when it seemed everyone (Tom Stoppard, Madeleine Albright, even "New Yorker" Hilary Clinton--the NY Post ran a headline that said something like OY VEY, HILARY'S JEWISH) was discovering their jewish roots. So Wasserstein "discovered" her episcopalean roots. It's a funny essay in an excellent collection.

I bought this book for light reading while traveling this summer. I understand that most of the pieces were put together for publications like New Yorker, Harper's, etc. But really, I think we could live without all the gratuitous name-dropping and constant self-loathing references to her weight problem. In addition Ms. Wasserstein makes it clear, through her sublimated anger, that she carries a grudge because she didn't realize her true potential as a female until she was grown. Hey, me too! It's the same old song, having to re-learn the rules of life as a woman with brains. Hey, me too! Get over it. If she would just get on with the stories, without the long and tedious set-up they might be amusing. But the road she takes us on is an old one. We women have all been down that road and back. Life goes on... Too bad she uses such references as crutches to prop up a lack of cutting edge wit and wisdom. Dorothy Parker, she ain't. This was a book I had a hard time picking up.

Wendy Wasserstein's essays are thoughtful, smart, poignant, sometimes riotously funny, and kind. Like their author they are approachable and unpretentious. She explains in her Preface, " I seem to write continually about politics, the arts, and women's equality. But I am not ashamed of my concurrent interest in real estate, diet, and my mother." It is at the confluence of her dozen or so passions that one is so helplessly and happily drawn in.

Wasserstein's many concerns - all delightfully described - range from the ridiculous (dieting, Manhattan real estate, Hollywood stars) to the sublime: family (especially Mom and sisters), friends, personal history, New York theater (she adores it, and has since childhood), the importance of art to education and to life. "For children, the arts are not simply icing on the cake. They are a way of including everyone in a joint, and joyous, venture." In addition: love, loyalty, and the terrific inner (and outer) life of their author. She has a lot of great friends, and they say some very funny things sometimes. She has never married, and has a take on that state of affairs that is a pleasure to read.

Wasserstein chronicles the harrowing (because premature and complicated, necessitating many good doctors and a group of supportive friends ) birth of her daughter - and the months following - in " Days of Awe: The Birth of Lucy Jane," a piece that is at once poignant, full of information, and at times, so funny as to provoke a side ache.

The Wasserstein family of origin is a constant source of humor and is reflected upon with tenderness that is never cloying - just full of love.

I loved this collection and marvel at the ability of its author to talk so smartly and passionately about herself, to care deeply about improving the world, and to work toward that end - while at the same time conveying quite clearly to the reader that when she's through, she'll be right there - in order to hear what might be your own very interesting story. A great read.

This book contains 25 essays, collected from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and a variety of other sources, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein. The book takes us on a funny yet touching roller-coaster ride from the devestating loss of a loved one to the joy of childbirth. Wasserstein is a very human narrator whose humor and heart allow her to take the most personal situation and make it into a universal truth.

Few works by John Webster have survived, but two - The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil - have been staged frequently in recent decades. Many readers may remember the young John Webster as a darkly comic figure in that delightful 1998 romantic comedy, Shakespeare in Love. In expressing his admiration to Shakespeare for his gruesome play, Titus Andronicus, the boy observes: "I like it when they cut heads off. And when the daughter was mutilated with knives". I laughed with those around me, as I had some inkling of John Webster's dark reputation, but I had not actually read, nor seen a performance of his plays.

Despite Webster's dark and dismal view of human nature, I found The White Devil to be considerably less gruesome than Titus Andronicus and definitely less shocking. There are some poisonings, stabbings, and stranglings, especially in the final act, but what makes Webster's play truly memorable is the continuous intrigue, deceit, and betrayals.

The White Devil has elements of a revenge play, but the motivations of the characters are more varied and complex. In her introduction to the New Mermaids edition, Christina Luckyj illustrates how Webster adapted to the stage an actual murderous event that occurred in Italy some years earlier. Paolo Giordano, Duke of Brachiano, and the beautiful Vittoria Corombona, as well as others in this play are not entirely fictional.

The second act presents the initial murders, the poisoning of Isabella, wife to Brachiano, and the killing of Camillo, husband to Vittoria, in two dumb shows representing conjurer's images of the actual murders. These silent displays are said to have a somewhat haunting impact on the stage.

Despite no evidence of involvement in Camillo's death, Vittoria is placed on trial for her adulterous affair, is found guilty, and confined to a house of convertites, a house of penitent whores. The murder of Camillo and Isabella goes unpunished, although some do suspect the Duke of Brachiano.

Brachiano's chief rival, Francisco De Medici, the Duke of Florence, quietly plots to have Brachiano and his followers killed. He cleverly tricks Brachiano into effecting the escape of Vittoria. The two are quickly married in a lavish ceremony. Soon thereafter Brachiano and Vittoria are excommunicated by the new Pope, the former Cardinal Monticelso, another long time rival of the Brachiano.

Plots and counterplots collide in act five resulting in the deaths of nearly all key characters. Most die loquaciously, expositing on their guilt and thoughts of divine punishment.

The White Devil does not offer the dramatic impact of a Shakespearean tragedy, nor the tight focus characteristic of most Elizabethan revenge plays. This play's fascination is the continuous intrigue and deception, the plots and counterplots, and the complex motivations of Webster's dark characters. Four stars to The White Devil.

For those of you who saw "Shakespeare In Love," you will probably remember John Webster as the 13 year old boy who was obsessed with blood and death. John Webster's plays came out about the time William Shakespeare was putting out his final plays. Hazelton Spencer says this of John Webster: "Even Webster's most lyrical verse is preoccupied with decay and death." But if we are willing to move past this, John Webster's writing is actually quite impressive. Act 1 begins with the banishment of Count Lodovico. Interestingly, Lodovico tells of the evil Bracciano. (Why not? It would seem people of an evil nature would know each other.) And through the testimony of his judges, we are introduced to the evil behind Lodovico. We later meet the diabolical Bracciano himself. He is having an affair with his friend Flamineo's sister Vittoria. Not surprisingly, Vittoria has a nightmare about a massacre. We later see that Cornelia (the mother of Vittoria and Flamineo) does not care for them. In Act 2, we meet the Cardinal. We are allowed to respect him in that he is no flatterer. Webster then shows us the division between the diabolical Bracciano and the at least moderately virtuous Francisco. (Francisco is of course angered that his sister Isabella is being mistreated by her husband Bracciano.) But Bracciano's untainted son Giovanni breaks the tension with some comic relief. With the use of magical images, Bracciano sees his murder plot against his wife Isabella and Vittoria's husband Camillo come to pass. But Lodovico sees the death of Isabella, and he will return before long. Onto Act 3. The Cardinal suspects that Vittoria had something to do with her husband's death. We know that it was not Vittoria's fault, but how sorry can we feel for her? If she was this intimate with the diabolical Bracciano, how ignorant could she have been (unless she was very obtuse) to the evil she submitted herself to? The Cardinal sentences Vittoria to life as a nun. During the trial, Flamineo is frightened that his part in aiding the affair will come out. And Lodovico makes his return. He loved Isabella (even though she would not submit to having an affair with him), and Lodovico will avenge her. (Perhaps Webster was trying to use contrast between Isabella and Vittoria to limit our sympathy to Vittoria.) Onto Act 4. The Cardinal informs Francisco of his sister's murder. Francisco of course wants revenge. While we have no real reason to dislike the Cardinal or see him as a bad person, it is interesting that the Cardinal has a book of criminals. Can we doubt for a moment that Lodovico is listed in it? (But like Shakespeare and Dickens, Webster is really skilled at creating fully 3d characters as opposed to Hollywood heroes and villains.) Isabella's ghost appears to Francisco. (Probably to make sure Francisco will not hesitate in his revenge.) Bracciano and Vittoria meet again, and while Vittoria is reluctant, she and Bracciano marry. Act 4 ends with the Cardinal becoming Pope. After rebuking Lodovico, the Cardinal approves of him joining in Fracisco's revenge. Perhaps here, Webster is pointing out a 'terrible truth' that Hollywood can't figure out. As people, we are not 100 % good or evil. And while the cardinal is a virtuous person, he agrees to the revenge on Bracciano even to the point of employing the evil Lodovico. And while we know Lodovico is evil, we probably will applaud him if he contributes to Bracciano's comeuppance. Onto Act 5. Bracciano and Vittoria marry. Disuised, Francisco finds his way into Bracciano's territory. Well, Fracisco and Lodovico succeed in killing Bracciano. But things are not quite over. Giovanni is sad over his father's death. Vittoria (Bracciano's widow) is in charge for the moment. And Flamineo thinks he can get some money out of his sister. (Why not? He aided her in her affair. Vittoria probably has access to money now.) Bracciano's ghost appears to Flamineo foreshadowing his downfall. Interestingly, in John Webster, ghosts appear to the people who were close to them as opposed to their enemies. The play ends in the massacre of Zanche, Flamineo, and Vittoria by Lodovico. (Undoubtedly, Francisco and Lodovico wanted them dead as well to avenge Isabella.) Giovanni to some extent restores orders and Lodovico tells Giovanni that Francisco was involved. Lodovico can be punished, But what can Giovanni do to his uncle Francisco? Francisco is also a duke. Overall, its a good play, but you do have to have a tolerance for brutal scenes as well as passages preoccupied with death.

After you read this, read The Duchess of Malfi, considered Webster's masterpiece. You cannot go wrong with the Revels editions of these plays.

For those of you familiar with my writing, you know I cherish the works of Marlowe, Shakespeare, Milton, Hawthorne, and Dickens. Well, I now have a 6th favorite. Lodovico is frighteningly demonic. 1st he participates in the murder of Isabella, then he participates in the revenge of Isabella! Poor Isabella is memorable as a picture of innocence. Vittoria is an interesting woman. She is not exactly a picture of innocence, but she does carry herself well, and she faces her death with as much dignity as possible. Webster also draws the dissension between Francisco and Bracciano well. Bracciano is captivating with all of his ambition. Francisco is memorable as the good and decent man prompted to fury by the death of his innocent sister. The harsh tones between Cornelia and her son Flamineo are dramatic. Bracciano's son Giovanni is well drawn. First he is an innocent young man, but his lines reveal his good character. Then we see him after he has lost both his parents. Finally, he flips the tables on everyone and restores order. Cardinal Monticelso is also captivating. He is a very careful character who probes the situations without losing his sense of reason. And we need not be surprised when this careful character is promoted to Pope Paul IV. What's left? Only striking images, only well constructed passages, only pure terror side by side with beauty etc. My only complaint about this play is that Webster combines 2 wonderful final touches that would be wonderful by themselves, but do not combine well (in my opinion). Lodovico's delight in his massacre does not (in my opinion) mix well with Giovanni's sudden rise to power and his sudden crush of the situation. In my opinion what makes Edward III's restoration to order in Marlowe's "Edward II" so dramatic is the pure terror the 17 year old king instills in his enemies. At this point, I would like to thank all of you who found my reviews helpful.

For those of you who read my reviews and use them to try to understand literature, I owe you an apology. I made a slight error in my review of this, and I will correct it now. For those of you who know me, I cherish the writings of Marlowe, Shakespeare, Milton, Hawthorne, and Dickens. I now have a 6th hero. The opening is quite captivating when through testimony we learn of Lodovico's evil. Webster also grabs our attention with the affair between Vittoria and Bracciano. Despite the questionable qualities of these 2 characters, they are easy to like. He also draws the division between the virtuous Francisco and the ambitious Bracciano well. Cornelia is memorable as the mother who despairs over the actions of her children Flamineo and Vittoria. Isabella is fine as a picture of innocence. The Cardinal is captivating as one of the most careful characters in the play,and we need not be surprised when he gets elected Pope. Bracciano's son Giovanni is drawn well. Through an early appearance, we get a look at his character. We then see him in mourning after he has lost both his parents. Finally, we see him restore order after the massacre has fully unleashed. Lodovico is fine as a picture of ambition. (The mistake I made was that I named Lodovico in the murder of Isabella. He was innocent of her murder. But it is possible to wonder if his affair with her 'Bracciano's wife' triggered Bracciano's affair with Vittoria. Ofcourse, the affair between Bracciano and Vittoria triggers the events of this play.) Webster also offers us horrifying and yet beautiful passages, chilling omens such as the ghosts of Isabella and Bracciano, and pure suspense. My only complaint about this is that Lodovico's delight in his massacre does not mix well with Giovanni's sudden rise to power and his restoration of order. In Marlowe's "Edward II," the 17 year old Edward III fills his enemies with pure terror when he gains control of the situation. Once again, I apologize for my error, and I wish to thank all of you who found my reviews helpful.

As we watch Rita become educated, we are able to see the effects of education on both Frank and Rita. In a world that idolizes education as the ultimate means to improving quality of life and as a benchmark of success, the play is a challenging question about the true worth and effects of education, especially institutional education. I highly recommend this for anyone who's ever asked whether a graduate degree would truly be a good idea.

I'm exactly Willy Russell's age. I wonder how much of Willy he's invested in Frank, the male half of this 2 character play. There's more of me in him than I am comfortable exploring. That's unfortunate because I've been assigned the first scene of Educating Rita as an acting class exercise. It's quite a good play, really; better than 3 stars perhaps but not quite worthy of 4. It's a polemic from 1980 in which Russell unburdened himself of some of his views about the working class; that alone seems a little quaint from this side of the Pond and the Millenial divide. The fact is that Rita is a wonderful character, a true heroine. She is a classic Shavian philistine on her way to becoming a realist which as any student of Shaw knows is the highest form to which humans may aspire. I wish I was meant to play Rita. Unfortunately, Frank feels more like a foil than a character, at least after 2 readings of the play. Ben Kingsley said, after Nasty Beast, that you have to find something in even the most despicable character which you love in order to play him. Good luck. Frank is pathetic. He lives behind walls designed to protect him from having to live. The walls of academia, for one, the walls of the pub, for another. Finally there are the walls of books in his University office behind which he hides his whiskey bottles. So fifty-something Frank meets twenty-six year-old Rita. Although he is a catalyst in her great awakening, he fails to have one of his own. Unlike Bill Murray's character in Lost in Translation, he lacks the insight and the decency to understand that this relationship, regardless of how much it does for him, simply cannot be. As a result the play seems to end on a very hollow, sour note. Or am I missing something?

Willy Russell wrote a play about a woman who tries to find herself by being educated.Her name is Rita. She reads a lot of books and with the help of her professor Frank she is also able to understand them. She becomes independent, she leaves her husband and changes her life completely. At the end she doesn't need her teacher any longer and they go separate ways. The tragic point of the play is that Rita can't really improve her life inspite of all education. She can't go back to her former life, but she hasn't a new one yet. Frank is going to Australia, after loosing his job, because he is an alcoholic.

The play is interesting, but there are a lot of authors mentioned who make the whole text a bit difficult to read. It has been written in dialogues and threw the whole play there are only Rita and Frank talking to each other. We can recommend the book.

(two students) Aarau, Switzerland

The play "Educating Rita" is quite a good one. It's interesting to follow Rita's change and her new experiences educated by Frank.

At the beginning Rita doubt herself and is absolutely not satisfied with her life. Till she meets Frank.She becomes more and more independent and self-confident. And so she finally leaves her husband and starts her life new. At the end she also leaves Frank because she doesn't need him any longer. Frank is lonely now; he has lost a good friend and his job too, because of his alcool- problem.

She has changed her life, but she isn't happier with her new life, because she can't go back and she doesn't arrive to manage her new life.

( two Swiss students

Another thrift shop bargain that I picked up by chance. Like most people I've seen the movie with Michael Caine and Julie Walters but I wanted to see what they "play" version was like with only "Rita" and "Frank" seen at any given moment.

It is actually quite enlightening, the discourse is perky and colourful and the other characters we verbally "meet" in the play are only one dimensional in the sense they are talked about but never seen by the audience. However this does not make them any less real and we soon start to believe in their existence even though we never get to see them in the flesh.

This particular Longman book is quite good in that it gives a sturdy and interesting preface from Willy Russell himself, along with a fairly comprehensive glossary at the end and a reasonable study programme, rather basic if you are a graduate student but still useful for anyone who is a literature buff, be they beginner or expert.

Not bad for a book that cost less than a dollar is all I can say!

All the paperwork said the music was English. We ordered English but we got a Spanish version instead. We will still order from you in the future but we have to take the time and money to purchase another one. Please be more careful when grabbing the product off the shelf. Muchas gracias.

My daughter heard this at VBS and I love the cd too. It has great music and isn't annoying like some kids cds.. Excellent purchase.

Our vacation bible school used this program this last summer. My day care children LOVE the CD. Very catchy tunes. For the younger ones that are not able to attend bible school yet - they received the CD for Xmas. I was worried I would not be able to find it - but good ole Amazon had it in stock.

They are using this CD from the Avalanche Ranch theme at my child's VBS. This CD is so much fun! With a mix of fun songs about God along with some more reverent ones; it is such a nice CD! It is worth the shot and you will love it! (Note: The more upbeat songs follow a country music-type style.)

After participating in an Avalanche Ranch Vacation Bible School, I was excited to find the CD available at Amazon! The songs are up-lifting, fun to sing, and bring back wonderful memories of all the kids singing and square dancing to the music!

There is lots of interesting information in this biography of a somewhat forgotten woman, but it reads more like a dissertation than an engrossing story. The challenge for a biographer is to bring his or her subject to life, and unfortunately the facts are not enlivened in this volume.

I guess it took the Roman Church 500 years to rehabilitate, integrate, and neutralize a troubling voice from the past. Mercedes de Acosta had no such qualms and reincarnated Jehanne in the person of Eva le Gallienne in the 1925 production of Jehanne d'Arc.

Robert Schake's " That Furious Lesbian": The Story of Mercedes Acosta is a sustained effort to peel away the recurring labels that obliterate the magnificent other that was Mercedes.

Schanke's re-creative efforts, stemming in large part from Mercedes' poverty driven sale of her "Aspern Letters" to the Rosenbach Library, are well worth the attention of those still capable of amazement before those bolides which burst through Victorian conventions into a new century.

De Acosta has long needed an biography since her own autobiography "Here Lies the Heart" often feels fictional. While Schanke gets the facts and corrects some of the autobiography's inaccuracies, he does not ever convince one that this was a story worth telling. The vitality and outragousness of her own book makes de Acosta a compelling figure, but the recitation of facts in this one does not.

This book has a hard task: telling the life story of a mediocre writer best known for who she had sex with. And while the book does not make a strong case for de Acosta being worth the attention, it is quite facinating for anyone interested in gay history. In addition, the figures arround Mercedes (such as her sister, Garbo, Poppy Kirk) emerge as intriguing in a way that de Acosta does not.

This is an interesting account of her life. I found that there is even more information at the author's website - take a look and you'll learn more about this woman...There is a paperback coming out soon so check out the site and come back to get the paperback!

www.mercedesdeacosta.com

Schanke's previous book on the stage actress Eva Le Gallienne was a knockout, and this one suffers in comparison. Perhaps the character of Mercedes was just too hard to pin down, and this may not be Schanke's fault. Acosta's work seems slight and dated, and no amount of cutting and pasting is going to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. This leaves her as a curiosity, a woman who must have been something in her prime, when so many gorgeous women succumbed to her; and then as a victim of what we would now call "erotomania," desperately clinging to the hope that someday Garbo would smile on her again, even though she must have known that "outing" Garbo in her insipid memoir "Here Lies the Heart" (which Le Gallienne heatedly called, "The Heart Lies and Lies and Lies") wasn't the way to curry favor with such a private individual. The last chapters of the book are pathetic in extremis, it's almost hard to believe Mercedes stayed alive from week to week she was so poor and abject, having no money of her own and totally dependent on charity from others. She was like Job in every way except, of course, genitally. But then again Job was probably pretty annoying too. Schanke does a fine job putting together the pieces of a fabulist's life, jigsaw pieces from many different puzzles.

The book was trash. It had no plot, no story, and no action. I couldn't wait to put it down it was so bad, but I had jury duty and there was nothing else to do. I wish I had brought a different book. PLEASE DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE SAME SITUATION!!! THIS BOOK IS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I find it quite amazing that readers find themselves capable of disregarding a playwright's work simply because they have read what could well be a bad edition! This edition of Lorca's Yerma and Blood Wedding is definitely not among the best I have read; others do more justice to the original works. Obviously, much of the content and passion is lost upon translation. I have had the privilege of reading most of Lorca's work in Spanish and must say that he is indeed one of the most influential and talented playwrights (and poets) of our time. Lorca's work is infused with the beauty and passion of the Spanish people and culture and it is quite difficult for us considerably less emotional Americans to understand, let alone feel the intensity of such power; again, this has a lot to do with reading it in English.

This is one of Lorca's most interesting plays, in which a dominant and strict mother controls the lives of her daughters. Many themes are expressed in this play: social pressure, love, dominance, etc.

I read the review of comyking@home.net and I think that you need to develop literary skills(An education perhaps?!). Maybe then you will undrstand what literature is about. Yerma and La casa de Bernada Alba are two of the most fascinating books I have ever read. They depict the life and frustrations faced by females in an era when chastity, "social stauts and appearance" influenced a woman's life. I think these books are extremely interesting and insightful. One must have an exceptional literary background to appreciate this type of literature.

Mr. Bianculli is a fun read and clearly a master of his domain. This book is a must have for any television fan or student. Keep it by the TV set and beat your family members in triva contests. Run don't walk to pick up a copy.

Mr. Bianculli is a fun read and clearly a master of his domain. This book is a must have for any television fan or student. Keep it by the TV set and beat your family members in triva contests. Run don't walk to pick up a copy.

It's a shame this book has such a dull title because it's really
a wonderful book! I have several shelves filled with television
reference books, but this one takes pride of place. True to its
title, the book is organized in the form of a dictionary, with A
to Z entries on individual shows, from "ABC World News" to
"Zorro." Not only is it stuffed with useful information on the
history of television from 1945 through 1995, it's great fun to
read. David Bianculli is that rarest of all TV addicts--a man
with an IQ number higher than the number of cable channels he
gets. He seems to know everything there is to know about every
show ever aired and can comment authoritatively on all of them.
Here he has selected 500 programs (both series and individual
events, such as the O.J. Simpson "Bronco" miniseries) that have
had the greatest impact--for better or for worse--on our culture
and explains why. All this has to do with his conception of
"teleliteracy"--the awareness and appreciation of TV's most
popular and meaningful offerings.

In other words, this book isn't strictly about the best and worst
in television history (though Bianculli offers tons of examples
of both), it's about the shows that have made the greatest
impression on our consciousness--the shows that live on our
memories, that have changed our language, and have shaped our
culture.

Perhaps I expected too much from this book. I had thought it would be a valuable reference for anyone who appreciates television and its history. Instead, the book is aimless drivel about nothing but the author's own opinions, not to mention his revolting and juvenile puns, appearing seeminly on every other line.