Arts and Entertainment Books

There are thousands of biographies of Shakespeare. Picking which to read can be a challenge. "Shakespeare the Player," by John Southworth, is the third Shakespeare biography I've read. I recommend it highly for its passion, its premise and its detail. This book leaves you with an appreciation of, not just the writer of the most famous plays in the world, but the actors he wrote FOR and the roles he played IN. In a readable, well-organised presentation, Southworth turns Shakespeare the austere genius into Shakespeare the warm human being.

Shakespeare learned his craft by acting first and writing second, contrary to conventional treatments of his life. These are the points that struck my interest:
. Shakespeare the apprentice actor, playing roles in other writers' works, learning to be part of a team of players, learning to read an audience's reactions, learning to read fellow actors' abilities
. Shakespeare the company sharer, investing in his company when he had the experience and money, becoming a stakeholder whose written plays were part but not all of his substantial contributions to the success of the team
. Writing specific parts that fit specific actors
. Emphasis on time on tour as well as at home in London

Southworth is an actor and director who brings experience and research to provide supporting detail for his points:
. Superb familiarity with the plays and lines (making the most readable and engaging summary of Shakespeare's works I've ever seen)
. Examples of influences of lines from other Elizabethan plays, in which Shakespeare performed as an apprentice, on lines in his earliest written plays (showing influence on his development as a writer from his experience as an apprentice).
. Line by line comparisons of Sonnets and Plays (and discussing how Shakespeare's love for plays was greater than his love for poems)
. What roles Shakespeare would have played (kingly but not always the king; roles that allowed him to coach apprentices and influence performance tone and style of the overall play during rehearsal)
. What roles his fellow actors and apprentices would have played (roles for his fellow veterans, roles for the apprentices showing them off and developing them into experienced veterans in their own right)
. Queen Elizabeth's and King James' support for players in general and Shakespeare's companies in particular (and the differences in plays that the two respective monarchs preferred)

This book, and SHAKESPEARE OF LONDON by Marchette Chute, are the only works known to me on Shakespeare that emphasize his work as an actor-director. Once one is reminded that Shakespeare was one of the leading actors in the various companies in which he worked and for whom he wrote, much of his life and career arc make far better sense than they do in the usual biographies that concentrate exclusively on his writing, as if he sat every night in a rented room and generated page after page with no actors or theater in mind. It also supplies a very different picture of how the members of any given successful group of players spent the year, particularly in its demonstration that even players with a dedicated, available playhouse in London still necessarily spent a good part of each year on tour.

Any discussion of the details of any part of Shakespeare's life is necessarily 99% speculation and 1% ambiguous documentation. However, Southworth's guesses as to the roles taken or preferred by Shakespeare in his own plays are soundly based on Southworth's lifelong experience as an actor in many performances of most of the Bard's plays, and generally made sense to me. It would be fascinating to get some clearer idea of the roles he took in the plays of Jonson and Marlowe, and Southworth does make some guesses, at least for the Marlowe plays that had the most obvious influence on Shakespeare's own earliest plays.

Southworth pictures Shakespeare as a whole-hearted "man of the theater" from well before his hasty marriage until just a few weeks before his untimely death in his early 50s. It's a picture that is consistent with what we know about the Elizabethan and Jacobian theater, and which remains consistent with the few documents that place Shakespeare at any given spot at any given time, doing any specific thing.

In short, it's a highly-recommended eye-opener.

As an academic, I could resent the sometimes acerbic references to academics in John Southworth's Shakespeare the Player, but as an academic I learned more from this non-academic book than I have learned from many academic books on Shakeespeare. The book is written by aprofessional theater person, an actor/director, who has a thorough knowledge of Shakespeare's plays and of the interactions among casts and playwrights and stages and plays and performances. From this background, he proposes and credibly supports four lines of argument: a) that there cannot be any lost years in Shakespeare's biography: to do what he did, Shakespeare had to have had an extensive apprenticeship in the theater, and Southworth adds evidence in support of the theory that this was Leceister's company; b) that there is no credible evidence that Shakespeare ever retired from the theater, and much circumstantial evidence from theater lives to suggest that he did no such thing; c) that Shakespeare was primarily an actor/director in his own plays, and not primarily a playwright, in his own eyes and the eyes of his colleagues; and d) that the roles he chose for himself, roles like Iago in "Othello," were characterized by being somewhat detached from the action, frequency of appearance on stage even when not speaking, and often a kind of controlling relationship with the other characters. The style is clear, unpretentions and very readable, the presentation direct, knowledgeable and carefully argued with detailed and credible evidence. I found the book to be the most helpful single book in illuminating Shakespeare and his plays that I've read in the last ten years.

This Shirley Temple Scrapbook is really a wonderful little treasure for all the Temple fans out there. As the name bestows, this book is fully loaded with all kinds of images of Shirley Temple. These photos range from publicity shots to movie scenes to private photo collections. Many I've never seen before.

Additionally, there are interesting little tidbits about Shirley's experiences while filming her movies. Also, there is a cronological listing of all her movies starting from her Baby Burlesque material all the way till A Kiss For Corliss, which was released in 1949. There is a short listing of plot as well as all the characters, producers, and directors for each movie.

Overall this is a very a nice and thorough visual document of Shirley Temple's amazing career. Her sparkle is well evident in many of these photos and proof of why she was such a success and why you will really enjoy this wonderful scrapbook.

If you're looking for that "everything you need and want to know about Shirley Temple" book, then this is the one for you!

Carefully divided between Shirley's personal life and her film career, the book's clever design displays the abundance of fabulous photos and text as if it were truly a scrapbook.

Loraine Burdick helps us get to know Shirley Temple the child star, the teenager, the young adult, the mother, the wife, and the ambassador.

Whether you are looking for a fun book to leaf through or a solid front-to-back read about Shirley Temple, this book is a must!

The Shirley Temple Scapebook is not only a great picture book but it gives a good deal of interesting detail about Shirley's life. I love the way Loraine Burdick takes information from several other resources and books about Shirley and combines them to create a broader picture. Thus, leaving you to your own opinion. It is wonderful to look through the scrapebook and relive old memories. I think the book would be appealing to both adoring fans and those with only mild interest. However, how many people can resist Shirley Temple. Enjoy. I highly recommend the book.

Francis Albert Sinatra....what more needs to be said. His music will live on as long as their is men loving women and women loving men. This book is fabulous. I read it all in 1 day and reread it again. You will love this book if your a Sinatra fan like me.

Photographer, John Dominis and former editor of Life Magazine, Richard B. Stolley, collaborated and came out with this interesting book about the world's most famous and charismatic singer, the legendary Frank Sinatra. In 1965, it was a very good year for the "Golden Boy" when he turned 50 and gave Dominis full access to his professional as well as his personal life for Life Magazine's cover story. Thirty-seven years later, Dominis and Stolley came out with this 144-page hardcover, which consists of numerous black and white photos of Sinatra with other movie and music celebrities. These photos were taken from Life magazine's archives and never-before published. It also includes some notable articles and anecdotes about his famous and celebrated life.

There are a lot of little known facts about him revealed in this fabulous book. Sinatra as described by friends and co-artists was perfectionist, fearless, kinetic, generous, attentive to details and had an acutely sensitive ears. According to his friend and musical partner for more than four decades, pianist Bill Miller, "he would pick the tunes himself and position them on the albums." This is a perfect example of his being attentive to details. Another fact is a reference to his famous song "Fly Me To The Moon" (also sung on the movie "Wall Street") with Count Basie & His Orchestra that made history when it was beamed to the U.S. astronauts as they landed on the moon for the first time in 1969.

According to Stolley, despite Sinatra's flamboyant lifestyle, he used bathroom potions and powders right off the drugstore shelf. And he was one of the biggest tippers in the world. He was always loyal to friends and usually courteous to strangers. He was a 'party animal' and slept only five hours a night. He turned on music, read a while and finally falls asleep. He listened to music, mostly classical and never his own records. These are just some of the many interesting and little known facts about Sinatra indicated in this book. Dominis is a very good photographer and his black and white images are all stunning and eye-catching. Stolley did a great job on the captions and articles and made them reader-friendly.

For Sinatra buffs, it goes without saying that if you are interested in his music, you'd also be interested to know more about his life. And this book will give you more insights about him that you'll find to be noteworthy. Likewise, please check out "The Sinatra Treasures" and "Sinatra: An Intimate Collection" for more interesting must-reads.

I LOVE this book. It's a collectors item no doubt. Pics of Frank that you've never seen before. Classics with Frank and Jackie Gleason and Sammy Davis jr. Frank at his house, on the massage table, in private places never seen. You can tell he wasn't posing for these pics. All naturally which is why it is so unique. And the texts keeps you wanting to roll thru the book without putting it down. What a life he had! What a book this is!!

Michael Brandmeier

I love this book, the more I learn about Mr. Sinatra the more I fall in love with him...He was the epitome of class and of someone who lived life "his way". He set the bar high for other performing actors/singers and I think no other can match his genious aside from Lucianno Pavarotti....Excellent read!!

Of the plethora of books on Frank Sinatra that have been fighting for space on the shelves since his death, this is the best.

A wonderful essay by John Lahr chronicles his life, from the tough streets of Hoboken to a room in Beverly Hills shortly before his 80th birthday. A now well chronicled life, but captured by Mr Lahr in all its complexity and contradiction.

At the heart of this life was his great gift - singing. At the very end, in the Beverly Hills room, surrounded by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan (what were they doing there?) Steve Lawrence and others, he insisted on singing the solo. It was his right then, as it had been his right throughout his life. And he was undeniable.

A beautifully designed and produced book, it is adorned with a perfect selection of photographs to complement the essay. Look at the faces on page 102, completely transfixed by "The Voice" and see what James Agee called "an erotic dream".

A must have for Sinatra fans, and anyone fascinated by popular culture.

This is the best-looking coffee table book on Sinatra, with most of the first half based on an excellent essay by John Lahr. For a thorough look at the music, you want Will Friedwald's book, but this one is a classic photo tour of Sinatra's career from Hoboken to the world. I could spend a 1000 words on the pictures, but you can travel back to the 1950s with this one. The large format photos bring home the personality of the subjects, who include Nat Cole, Ava Gardner, Dean Martin, Count Basie and other music icons of the last century. Very enjoyable evening read, also.

My parents alerted me to this book. It's different, as the singers of today do not sing songs. They talk to a beat. Connie Haines sang with Tommy Dorsey's fine orchestra when Frank Sinatra was also a singer with his band. They did lots of duets together. I think that Helen Forrest and Connie Haines were the two best singers of those big band days. Her's is an interesting story that stresses her religious faith and how she overcame distress in her life. The photos are great, too. I understand she is still singing today with the same gusto. A friend recently saw her perform in Atlantic City with a World War II type review. Her good friend Jane Russell penned a foreword.

My parents alerted me to this book. It's different, as the singers of today do not sing songs. They talk to a beat. Connie Haines sang with Tommy Dorsey's fine orchestra when Frank Sinatra was also a singer with his band. They did lots of duets together. I think that Helen Forrest and Connie Haines were the two best singers of those big band days. Her's is an interesting story that stresses her religious faith and how she overcame distress in her life. The photos are great, too. I understand she is still singing today with the same gusto. A friend recently saw her perform in Atlantic City with a World War II type review. Her good friend Jane Russell penned a foreword.

I am the author of Snootie Little Cutie. Connie Haines is the best singer of the big band era. At seventeen she sang shoulder -to -shoulder with Frank Sinatra first in Harry James' band, and then they both joined Tommy Dorsey singing with the Pied Pipers, Buddy Rich, Jo Stafford, all members of the great showcase band. Connie lives in Florida and still performs. Her friend Jane Russell wrote the foreword. This book will transform you back to the Big Band Era with over 100 photos. Connie later toured with Abbott & Costello on their radio show, and also toured with Jane Russell, Rhonda Fleming, & Beryl Davis as Les Girls, singing bible songs on a nationwide tour. "You will learn a lot about this honorable, faithful, fun-loving, talented, crystal- chanddelier-loving Southern Belle," according to Jane Russell.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. I have read several other books about the Marx Brothers down through the years. I appreciated the fact that Mr. Marx is a former adoptee like me. He wrote about this aspect of his life and said some wonderful things about his family & friends. I appreciated reading what he had to say about growing up with his "real parents" (Harpo & Susan/the ones who were there for him). I also appreciated reading about the understanding of his parents as he learned about his biological family in this book entitled--Son of Harpo Speaks!: A Family Portrait My favorite quote in the book is one said by his sister, Minnie, when asked what she felt like being adopted to which she replied, "What does it feel like not to be adopted"? I am now interested in learning how to work with teen adoptees to help them understand their feelings and help adoptive-parents understand their kids better. Thank you, Mr. Marx, for writing a wonderful book full of surprises!

Authored by the eldest son of many people's favorite Marx brother, it gives us the inside story of not only Harpo's relationship with his son, but also the behind-the-scenes happenings in both men's lives and careers. Bill Marx writes his book with candor and humor, which makes the book a page turner from its opening words to the credits at the end. Illustrating the text are over 150 photos, ranging from the Marx Brothers' performances spanning many decades to family pictures never before seen by the public. Harpo, we learn, had a brilliant and zany wit that permeated every aspect of his life. If you didn't love him before reading this book, you will afterward.

I bought this book and ironically read it the week of Father's Day. Having read and reread Harpo Speaks I couldn't wait to hear what Son had to say about Dad. I say....Bill(Willie Mays) Marx, the accomplished music producer hits a walk off grand slam on what is,I think, his first book... His good friends gave him great advice....."people are interested in someone you are the world's leading authority on... the one ... the only.... Harpo Marrix!" If you ever had a father or laughed... this is the book for you.
p.s. Bill uses a rarely used literary technique of having present day conversations with the "spirit of Dad" throughout the book. The chats are short and sweet.. almost like talking to an angel.You'll love it.

I too, bought this book thinking it was light humor. It's much more than that even though I laughed out loud several times reading it. Much of the humor is dark and thought provoking. I saw my own predicament in many of the descriptions. I recommend it to any creative person.

I bought this book mostly as a kind of joke. Most of my friends and I classify ourselves as starving artists, so I thought this book would, at the very least, be an eery window into our lives.

What I got was not just a mildly amusing look at the life of the stereotypcal "starving artist," but in many cases, I was laughing out loud. Not only that, but the authors have infused wonderful accounts of real artists as examples for the various topics they discuss. Even though much of the advice is light-hearted and probably not meant to be taken too literally, there's a good portion of it that is as useful as it is entertaining.

What started out as a book I bought on a whim became a book that I have declared one of the best books I've ever read. Okay, that may be a bit melodramatic, but I'm an artist...aren't I entitled? ;-)

Bottom line? If you are an artist or know an artist who has ever struggled, GET THIS BOOK...if nothing else, you'll have a few laughs and your lack of success (and quarters for laundry) won't seem quite as grim.

A funny look a the nitty gritty issues of life mixed with facts about what the (now) famous did in similiar situations. Lots of fun (& sometimes helpful) suggestions for handling everything from critiques to living situations. Great fun to read!

Steve Irwin was a dedicated and thoroughly down to earth wildlife conservationist. He believed in what he did and he had a heart full of love and a healthy attitude towards life. Steve Irwin: The Incredible Life of the Crocodile Hunter thoroughly explores Steve's amazing life, from his childhood antics through to his adult relationships - including his wife Terry and their family. There are wonderful photos thru-out. Anyone who loved Steve, will enjoy having this book. Steve, you are missed. But the work you believed in goes on. Thank you.

Pam Dupre

The charismatic and highly animated Steve Irwin was compassion in action for the wildlife kindom. He revered all creatures great and small. His entertaining and captivating television specials were vital for alluring countless thousands of young viewers to learn to apprecaite nature and animal species. He interacted with crocodiles, snakes and dangerous animals to showcase that these species were vital to ecosystems and habitats. Steve Irwin did not kill animals. He was a warrior on behalf of wildlife. He was accidentally killed by a stingray. The latter are majestic and peaceful creatures. Steve Irwin would denounce any malcontent person who would mutilate and kill an innocent stingray. Thank God that Steve Irwin's wife and incredible daughter continue his campaign and advocacy on behalf of the animal kingdom.

A great book to pay homage to the greatest wildlife warrior ever.

I'm so glad that Brenda Buffalino has had a chance to put her interesting life in print for all of us to share...she is a treasure in the world of tap.....

If you love tap dancing you will love this book. Brenda's stories are totally inspirational as are her tap techniques and theory. The theory part is designed for those who have some experience with tap dancing.
One of the great things about this book is that much of the book covers the last 35 years of tap dance so the stories are all very recent and can easily be related to.
You won't want to put the book down once you start reading the tap dance stories section, its such a good read. When you get to the technique section you'll want to try the steps out.

With "Tapping the Source," Brenda Bufalino has given us a brilliantly titled and generously written professional memoir that opens a view into the personal impulses that have driven her creative process.

The book is divided into two sections. Part one is a memoir in the guise of "Tap Dance Stories;" part two, "Theory and Practice," is a master class for experienced tap dancers, but not to be skipped by the in, un, or less experienced, as Brenda continues the memoir even as she notates rhythms, and offers teaching tips.

Full disclosure: I count myself as one of Brenda's many friends, and my wife has produced her work in Seattle over the course of the years. From that vantage point I've been witness to a few of the events in this book, and have also been a willing audience for many of the stories. Brenda is an inveterate story-teller whose ideas, interests, and sources range vastly. A conversation with her, especially if it's a group event, is often like a tropical storm, and when she said she was writing a book I wondered how she'd be able to master the elements to a table as rigid as the page. Now, Brenda may be an improviser, but that's not to say she isn't disciplined, and she found the discipline for the book without sacrificing the art of the story. The book is a good read. It's witty, filled with tap history, opinionated, and touching in its personal reminiscences - most notably of her mother, her mystical involvement with people and place, and her long association with Honi Coles.

Brenda is an Artist, with a capital A. As a being she transcends her chosen forms. Her book will be purchased by dancers, but it's a book for artists, so if you are on the path, "Tapping the Source," is a useful map.

What a great book! I enjoyed reading this book and finished it in one sitting. I have had the honor of meeting Marco the Magi on a couple of occasions and have found him to be one of the most amazing people I have known. I work at Montserrat College of Art, one block from where Marco and Le Grand David perform and have watched them a couple of times with amazement. Marco has even opened his incredible theater to us and we have had three commencement ceremonies there and a couple of convocations at his other historic theater, the Larcom Theater.

I have always wondered, how on earth did he create something so amazing. Avrom has done a wonderful job of lifting the curtain and enabling the reader to understand Marco's life - and wonderful suprises. I strongly encourage those who have an interest in magic, theater, or leadership to read this book!

Brian Bicknell

Marco the Magi, an inspiration to immigrants everywhere. A book which takes the reader through time and hardship of a young man leaving his motherland with little other than the clothes on his back and to the present successful person he has become through the fruits of his hard work and sweat of his brow.

The reader will come to admire Marco as much as those who know him personally and know of his kind and generous heart.

The author, Avrom Karl Surath is not just an original member of Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company, but has also been a close personal friend of Marco's for over four decades. It is little wonder that he has been able to capture the true essesnce of this magnificent individual and of his accomplishments from childhood in Cuba to the present time as producer and director of the magic troupe from Beverly Massachusetts.

Through the years the author has had an opportunity to personally meet many of the people he has interviewed for the book and to be witness to many of the reuniting meetings between Marco and those friends he had been separated from for years.

Maria Ibanez
Miami, Florida

The Life of Marco The Magi - Researched and written over many years by Avrom Karl Surath, an original member of Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company, this book carries you through Marco the Magi's childhood and youth in Cuba up to the present time as producer and director of Beverly's famed magic troupe.

The author's research brought him in contact with members of the Cuban diaspora who were Marco's friends and members of his theater company when they were all beginning their lives in Cuba. The author was present when they rediscovered him in America fifty years later.The book recounts the revolution and the agony of Marco's forced exile. It covers his seven years of doctoral studies and friendship with Abraham Maslow at Brandeis University. It gives new perspectives on his founding of the Le Grand David stage magic ensemble. It shows how the genial magician has incorporated Maslow's principles in the colorful and often surprising life of the magic company over its thirty-year-plus history.

The book includes forewords by John Fisher, Dr. Ricardo Morant (Fierman Professor of Psychology, emeritus at Brandeis), and Luis Puello, a former student in Santa Clara, Cuba. Chapters contain interviews with Cesareo about how he conceived and directed the shows. It also includes interviews with Le Grand David about his role in the productions.

Pages 228 - Soft Bound