Arts and Entertainment Books

Christa Ludwig's powerful performances of Carmen, Ortrud, the Dyer's Wife, and others are treasured memories of many opera lovers and record collectors (including me!). And so it's most welcome to have her memoirs and even more so because of her refreshing directness and candor. She tells about her career with honesty, humor, pride, and humility. A very nice selection of photos are especially welcome to those of us who enjoyed her onstage.

Regina Domeraski's translation is an admirably smooth-flowing narrative that lets Miss Ludwig's personality come through clearly.

Most highly recommended.

Christa Ludwig was, in my opinion, the greatest German mezzo of her time, in both opera and lieder, and, as someone else says in an opera review on Amazon, the greatest Elektra that never was and the greatest Brunnhilde that never was. And she is also, as you can see from her engaging book "In My Own Voice," a person of wit, honesty, an exuberance for life, and and with an ability to talk about her gifts and her life that both recognizes what she has and puts it in perspective. As she quotes from the Schubert lied "Geheimnis," in the close of her book:

So geht es auch dem Sanger,
Er singt, erstaunt in sich;
Was still ein Gott bereitet,
Befremdet ihn wie dich.

So it is also with the singer,
He sings, amazed at himself;
What in silence a god made,
Amazes as well as you.

Ludwig talks about her early life, born into a singing family, in Nazi Germany. She takes us through her career, but she tells us much more than a recital of what she sang, when and where. The most fascinating part of this book for me was the description of each of her major operatic roles - which ones she especially enjoyed, the joys and the challenges (and the roles she would like to have sung). She doesn't indulge in gossip, and is generous about her colleagues. She talks about conductors, houses, preparation, and the often lonely and difficult life of a singer.

And she shares with us her introspection about herself and her art. "Was it worth it? What was the meaning?" I am so greatful to be able to read about Christa Ludwig "in her own words."

Christa Ludwig is inarguably one of the greatest singers and musicians of this or any time. A mezzo-soprano who also made at least one classic recording of a great soprano role (Beethoven's Leonora in FIDELIO), Mme. Ludwig was, in addition, a probing and insightful recital and concert artist. Mme. Ludwig's memoir, expertly translated by Regina Domeraski, reveals a deeply committed artist who is also a human being who has lived a full life, and has no reservations when it comes to talking about either. If you have read any of Mme. Ludwigs's numerous interviews, you will know that she is a frank, uninhibited, witty and no-nonsense person. She is as comfortable talking about Harry Belafonte in Carmen Jones as she is talking about Schubert and Brahms lieder. Very few autobiographies by celebrated opera singers tell you as much about their subject as this one does. If you've read this far, you'll want to have it. Trust me....

Carole Zucker has just given us the finest book ever written on British actors.'In the Company of Actors...' is an entertaining, informative and thorough investigation into the lives and craft of some of Britain and Ireland's most popular and accomplished thespians. This particular book is so far away from the standard "actor's biography" that it would be futile to compare it to any other publication around today. It simply stands apart on all level. It is most certainly destined to become a classic. Meeting with such famous figures as Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, Nigel Hawthorne, Stephen Rea and Miranda Richardson (among others), the author is cleverly dissolving herself into the background of the interviewing process, thus allowing the actors to really open up and to freely speak about what constitutes acting for theatre, film and television. Zucker succeeds in creating a climate of intimacy never before reached (in any given interview), and her book will make you feel like a privileged reader with a direct access into the minds of these extremely talented people. There are even moments of self-revelation which makes 'In the Company of Actors..' a brillant excercise in deep social interaction. It is an impressive display of professional savoir-faire on the part of Mrs. Zucker and a major contribution to acting studies as a whole. For the aspiring actor, the book also offers a lot of insights into the business. Whether it be Stephen Rea explaining the differences between the Irish, British and American film industries, or Academy Award nominee Janet McTeer discussing the difficulty of being a woman actor (in a male-dominated world), the book covers all bases from all angles, and no stones are left unturned. Subtely broaching theoretical and practical concerns about acting, 'In the Company of Actors...' is accessible to both, the neophyte and the acting student. If you are interested in knowing more about this wonderful and crazy profession, do yourself a favor and go buy this amazing book now!

Don't let the "reflections" of the title throw you: this is no drowsy academic tome. This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in actors and acting. Many of the subjects are relatively unknown on this side of the Atlantic, but if you care about the process of real acting, this book will take you in, chapter by chapter. Critic Kenneth Tynan said "The study of actors should be a full-time task, worthy of the same passionate scholarship which lepidopterists devote to butterflies." What we have here is that passion's result, and Carole Zucker has given voice to the butterflies.

Carole Zucker has just given us the finest book ever written on British actors.'In the Company of Actors...' is an entertaining, informative and thorough investigation into the lives and craft of some of Britain and Ireland's most popular and accomplished thespians. This particular book is so far away from the standard "actor's biography" that it would be futile to compare it to any other publication around today. It simply stands apart on all level. It is most certainly destined to become a classic. Meeting with such famous figures as Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, Nigel Hawthorne, Stephen Rea and Miranda Richardson (among others), the author is cleverly dissolving herself into the background of the interviewing process, thus allowing the actors to really open up and to freely speak about what constitutes acting for theatre, film and television. Zucker succeeds in creating a climate of intimacy never before reached (in any given interview), and her book will make you feel like a privileged reader with a direct access into the minds of these extremely talented people. There are even moments of self-revelation which makes 'In the Company of Actors..' a brillant excercise in deep social interaction. It is an impressive display of professional savoir-faire on the part of Mrs. Zucker and a major contribution to acting studies as a whole. For the aspiring actor, the book also offers a lot of insights into the business. Whether it be Stephen Rea explaining the differences between the Irish, British and American film industries, or Academy Award nominee Janet McTeer discussing the difficulty of being a woman actor (in a male-dominated world), the book covers all bases from all angles, and no stones are left unturned. Subtely broaching theoretical and practical concerns about acting, 'In the Company of Actors...' is accessible to both, the neophyte and the acting student. If you are interested in knowing more about this wonderful and crazy profession, do yourself a favor and go buy this amazing book now!

I went to acting school with Richard King. In 1948, we were both involved in a play, "Elizabeth the Queen" by Maxwell Anderson, starring Jane Cowl as a visiting star, at the Pasadena Playhouse. I was her stand-in, playing the Queen until Miss Cowl arrived. Dick was stage manager. His book gives the fascinating story of her life, all the Broadway events happening around her for all those years before World War II. Dick knew her well until she died. The only problem is that he typed it himself and no one edited it for spelling. But ignore that, it's FASCINATING!

A must read biography of this important but nearly forgotten early 20th Century Actress. King captures the feel of the period in his prose style and the style of the actress in his imagery. Broadway of the teens, twenties and thirties is lovingly recreated. This is a book no theatre buff or scholar will want to miss.

A fine piece of scholarship about this neglected early 20th century actress. King has caught the spirit and feel of the theatre during this important period when American playwriting was coming into its own and acting was moving from the declamatory style to the ultra realism of today. Kings carefully researched book should be in every theatre buffs library.

I've read this JC one and the Justin one and they are both awesome! They are short and sweet and have cute pics in them! Also they have just enough info to want to read agian and agian!!

I have this little book and have to admit that it is really pretty neat. There are cute little pictures and a little bit of information not really found elsewhere. All in all it is really cute. All 5 of them are!!

I THINK JC IS SO FINE SO THE MINUTE I LAID MY EYES ON THE BOOK I NEW I HAD TO HAVE IT. BOY, OH BOY WAS I RIGHT. IT WAS A SHORT,CUTE,INFORMATIVE BOOK THAT PROVIDED INFORMATION NOT FOUND ELSEWHERE.I LOVED IT, AND ADVISE EVERY GAL AND GUY TO READ IT.

Jean Howard was married to the famous Hollywood agent Charles Feldman and as such was a friend of movie stars and celebrities from the 30's through the 50's. She was also an inspired photographer who roamed freely among Hollywood stars taking portraits of the celebrated and famous while they were at home, at parties, and completely at ease. This book is a pictorial record with her own text of those "golden" years with marvelous photographs and fascinating stories about glamorous stars in Hollywood.

This is a wonderful tribute from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the stars who appear in it. What a wonderful book for anyone who truly loves this era and it's stars. If you love movie star photographs and you want to see some great ones with great captions...this is the book for you because you won't see these anywhere else since this is truly Jean Howard's Memoir. She gets up close with the stars in person not as a studio photographer, but as an insider and it really shows. This is a true capture of a time gone by and the wonderful stars that made it memorable even for those of us who hadn't yet been born when it was happening. This book spans all generations for those of us who love the classics and best of all the classic movie stars who can't be matched.

This book is incredible! I picked it up to do a high school project about six years ago and I still sit down and flip through it once a week. This book has kept me interested in classic movie stars and their lives. Jean Howard was an actress and was married to Charles K. Feldman, a producer. However, she eventually became a photographer and was able, because of her insider status, to get really great photos. There are pictures of EVERYONE from Norma Shearer (in her 50s) to Natalie Wood (in her 20s). My favorite pics are the ones of Linda Christian being fitted for her wedding gown to marry Tyron Power, Marilyn Monroe, Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier, and many, many more. This book is wonderful...I can not recommend it highly enough!

Jerome Robbins was a hard act to follow. Deborah Jowitt's Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance should be placed upon every public library shelf, alphabetically, before William Shakespeare, for only he could. Robbins is to 20th Century American Modern Dance Theater what Shakespeare was to the Elizabethan Stage, an author of infinite variety, a man for all ages.

Ms. Jowitt gives us a scholarly blueprint for amateur, musical theater lover, and balletomane; one that should be made available to all engaged in the academic pursuits of the Arts, Letters, and Sciences. Jerome Robbins, legendary theatrical genius, is brilliantly extolled in exacting detail and rendered with the loving care of a biographer dedicated to communicating this great artist's "message." He was the least difficult of men. All he wanted was boundless love.

Deborah Jowitt's Jerome Robbins is written in a trenchant prose style, a cross between WCBS TV celebrity correspondent Walter Cronkite's You Are There, and Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Her tone is one of a high-powered sports newscaster delivering to her audience a polished blow-by-blow description of celebrity "plays." These are not professional precision ball passing reports; they are larger than life descriptive interactions of 20th Century Show Business's great personalities Robbins knew and loved.

Jowitt presents us with an eyeful. It were as though she uses a high definition, technicolor, movie screen attached to a time machine to fly us, like a motion picture director's crane, throughout multiple three dimensional scenes Jerome Robbins choreographs, before our eyes. In Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance, Deborah Jowitt has delivered a state-of-the art biography that goes beyond the intricate prose of great fiction.

Jowitt instantaneously captures "the moment," and translates into words that in effect rolls a continuous major motion picture before us, without skipping a beat. One can almost hear the music that Robbins brilliantly illustrates. Jowitt delineates visions of Robbins forging The Great White Way for talented choreographers to follow: Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, Twyla Tharp.

Jowitt's dance training and choreographic practice is revealed in her ability to poetically describe Robbins at work. "...he excelled at the artificed use of the apparently accidental. When a moment in a Robbins ballet looks contrived, it can be because one is not simply moved by it but aware of how the choreographer calculated its effect...."

A culmination of five years of writing, and an historical perspective of thirty-five years of looking at the dance, Deborah Jowitt has emerged as America's Dean of 21st Century Dance; following in the tradition of a great poet's translation of classical ephemera, the work of Edwin Denby, a chronicler of The New York City Ballet. Her Jerome Robbins is a masterpiece. Deborah Jowitt's Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater, His Dance should remain on the public library shelf beside William Shakespeare's The Complete Works for all time.

All in all, I'm touched by Deborah Jowitt's well meaning and comprehensive biography of Jerry Robbins. She digs under the surface of his ballet and Broadway work and finds a whole lot more than I had ever imagined. Again and again she returns to the paradox of the name, how "Jerry Robbins" was a fake, all-American and showbizzy place name for the real, suffering, inward, outcast Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz, and how Robbins could never be happy knowing this. He loathed himself from the inside out and the outside in: no wonder he treated others so terribly. Deborah Jowitt's years of research into the Robbins papers, those revealing scrapbooks and journals, have really paid off, for although I think in general Greg Lawrence's biography better in most ways, Jowitt's contains innumerable examples of revelation right from the horse's mouth, scraps of diaristic strip-tease that really pay off in almost every case. We can see how, in Gypsy, there had to be a strip-tease number in which three women explain, "You Gotta Have a Gimmick," because Robbins realized early on that was the path to artistic greatness--not the gimmick per se, but the emotional and psychological undressing.

Along the way Jowitt sketches in many portraits, some of them ravishingly done. Leonard Bernstein has never seemed so much himself before. John Kriza, the gadabout dancer from Ballet Theater days, seems as "Fancy Free" as the roles he created in Robbins' early work. Jowitt's greatest "creation" as it were is Tanaquil Le Clercq, the tragic, French-born ballerina who came down with polio while Balanchine's fourth wife. Le Clercq is the real heroine of the book: everything we think about, oh, say, Audrey Hepburn was really Tanaquil Le Clercq gone commercial: gorgeous, radiant, utterly chic, loveable, wildly talented in many different areas. I had just barely heard of her before and now I want me my Tanaquil Le Clercq! I'm going to have to go down to the Robbins Foundation and watch some primitive kinescopes of her. Jowitt actually saw her dance and has apparently never gotten over it. Her next book should be all about "Tanny"!

I did think that Jowitt is a bit sklmpy in her treatment of the HUAC thing. Growing up, I got the sense that Robbins' naming names made hum utterly despised. Even I, as a child of five, knew what he had done made him scum. And yet you never get a sense of what it was like for Robbins living, if not with guilt, then with the simple fact that thousands of people abhorred him. Likewise I think Jowitt isn't exactly the right person to write about Robbins' sex life, and when AIDS enters the picture, she seems bound and determined to avoid the glum subject once and for all. Finally, her lack of editorializing is all very well, but I for one do not believe that the later, experimental work is on a par with INTERPLAY, THE GUESTS, THE CAGE, AFTERNOON OF A FAUN or THE CONCERT. Why not? We don't get an explanation. It was the sixties, pretty much, and Robbins started taking the drugs and stopped wearing suits. But there must have been more to it. WATERMILL is no picnic.

Any valid bio of Robbins would have to result in a narrative of the development of dance and musical theatre in America, since the 1940s. While Jowitt gives us the, often sad, milestones in this man's life, her major thrust throughout this long and always exciting book is on his work. She delves into virtually every creation of his, including his generally poorly received occasional forays into non-musical theatre. Detailed attention is given to both concept, creation and execution of his prolific endeavors. Her in depth analysis of each of his works, often quite technical, VIVIDLY recall many great performances of these masterpieces.
While not necessarily for those with a casual interest in dance, the facts of his life, as well as the cavalcade of his shows and ballets, makes for a read that is always more than just factual. Interestingly, Jowitt seems never to editorialize on Robbins' work. But then again, why attempt to laud a universally acclaimed genius ?

Bought this for my sister who is the HUGE Depp fan. She loved it!

I knew very little about Johnny Depp before reading this book, but thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. There are photos galore and an amazing amount of information for a man so young. I immediately began renting discs of his movies to see that versatility the book keeps talking about. Sure 'nuff! It's there. Depp is an amazing actor. After watching his movie "Chocolat", though, I realize he's an even better musician. Now I understand why music is one of his great loves. Bravo, author Wallace!

This Bio by Stone Wallace is one of the very best I have read and I have read nearly all of them. Straigtforward and to the point. Written in a nice flowing way-learned a lot I didn't know and read the book in one sitting. It was that good.

The photos were fantastic! The written material was very interesting and the fact that Johnny's own words were included made the material much more interesting and memorable. I truly enjoy having this book and look forward to adding more Johnny Depp books, DVD's , etc. to my collection.

Bought this for my sister who is the HUGE Depp fan. She loved it!

Book is very enlightening on Johnny Depps career. Shows how he has broadened his career as an actor. Photos were great. Looking forward to more of his movies and acting career.

Blues music fans who enjoy solid writing and insights will relish JOOK RIGHT ON: BLUES STORIES AND BLUES STORYTELLERS, a survey of blues life from oral stories collected by person for thirty years, told in blues musicians' own words. Pearson interviewed over a hundred such musicians, and JOOK RIGHT ON introduces their experiences in sections that cover learning blues music and styles, working in the blues world, and living the blues. The first-person narrations provide an intimacy third-person reporting could never equal and make JOOK RIGHT ON an important addition to the vast realm of blues literature.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

"Jook Right On" is described by the author as a "blues quilt," a collection of anecdotes told by blues men and women. Loosely organized by subject, the result is a closely interwoven chorus of authentic voices that achieves the honesty and clarity of the blues itself.

You may not recognize half the names of the storytellers, but you cannot help but know their humanity.

Years ago, Barry Lee Pearson wrote about the storytelling tradition that is a big part of blues music. In his first books, he documented and presented good stories by numerous blues players. This book is widens the scope of his previous work. It is a collection of numerous stories from well over 25 years of his own research. After an interesting introduction, the book consists of stories about a range of factors that are relevant to the blues musicians' lives. He includes interview material from some fairly prominent blues musicians, but many of the musicians are not the more famous artists. They all offer important histories and memories about playing, and it's interesting to read about their accounts of blues legends such as Sonny Boy Williamson, Howling Wolf, Robert Johnson, and other better known players. The stories are compelling reading. I especially like the descriptions of how the blues players got their start, and I found it especially interesting how many of them had parents who discouraged them from playing. There are also great descriptions of jook joints, house parties, and life on the road, all of which provide a fine context for understanding blues. It is particularly interesting how the stories are simply presented as interesting texts. Many of them read like great short stories and have an inherent interest on their own. If readers want to find more about the music and musicians, they can consult the excellent bibliographic materials that Pearson provides.

"The life and shocking story of the icon who danced her way to fame and infamy in Paris."

I used this book for a class I taught about Josephine Baker. The images collected here give such a good representation of Ms. Baker's life, and the three long essays in the book helped me understand her better. I would love to see this exhibition personally, but since I can't do that the book makes a good substitute. La Baker was quite a woman!

Incidentally the recently released DVDs of her movies are interesting too.

The life of Josephine Baker is one of the most incredible success stories in American history. Born into a poor but vibrant district of St. Louis, as a child she took her first steps toward becoming an incredible dancer by dancing in the streets for pennies. At age 13, she ran away to join a traveling road show, and at age 16 was the star dancer of a show that toured the country. She moved to Paris to join a musical review called La Revue Négre. So great was her success that, at age 20, she was the toast of Paris, and soon after, the toast of all Europe.
Ernest Hemingway said of her "(she is) ...the most sensational woman anybody ever saw. Or ever will. Tall, coffee skin, ebony eyes, legs of paradise, and a smile to end all smiles." Baker even took lessons in dancing from the great ballet master Balanchine who, as it turned out, learned more from her than she from him!
Josephine Baker, Image and Icon is a tribute to this incredible African-American who had little or no formal education, but earned her place in history through sweat and perseverance and an incredible talent. It is a book made beautiful by the images of Baker herself, as shown by original theatrical posters, photographs, drawings, prints and paintings of Baker made by some of the most celebrated artists of the period. The book is a rich profusion of color and movement, much like the dancing for which Baker was celebrated.
The book had its origin in the mind of the Director of the Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis, Olivia Lahs-Gonzales. After two years of searching for art and ephemera that would best show the life and times of Baker, Gonzales mounted an exhibition at the Sheldon Art Galleries by the same name, with exhibits drawn from collections public and private across the United States and Europe.* The book itself was the natural outcome of what was shown at the gallery.
In the book, Josephine Baker and her life and times is further defined by three scholarly and highly readable treatises. Bennetta Jules-Rosette, the author of "Two Loves: Josephine Baker in Art and Life," writes of the inventing of the image of Baker and the preserving of her as an icon. Olivia Lahs-Gonzales offers a commentary on Baker in the context of the modern woman. Tyler Stovall, author of "Paris Noir, African-Americans in the City of Light," describes Paris and the Jazz Age, and the place of Baker in the black Montmartre.
Baker not only danced and sang her way into the hearts of Paris, Europe and the world, but capitalized on her fame by taking on other tasks, such as combating racism in all its aspects. She adopted 12 children of all races and religions--her "rainbow tribe"-- and installed them in an immense French chateau. And, most incredibly, she took on the dangerous role of a courier in the French underground during the Nazi occupation, for which she received the French Légion d'Honneur.
If there ever was a book that defined and embodied its subject in its pages, it is Josephine Baker in Art and Life. It is a book that belongs in the library of everyone who loves Americana in its finest manifestation.

*The exhibition has now moved on to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, where it remains until March 18, 2007