Performing Arts Books - Page 2

Four Weddings and a Funeral: The Screenplay for the Smash Hit Comedy

Richard Curtis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 116 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

You have got to be kidding me... 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I've finally seen what people have said is the "best modern romantic comedy" around. They're joking? There might be that movie in this mess somewhere, but the script and editing kill it.
Charles (Hugh Grant) is a very attractive character and nicely written in his strengths (friendship, openness to the possibility of true love) and flaws (perpetually late, a complete lack of discretion). Carrie (Andie MacDowell) is less engaging. For someone supposedly so "experienced" (she lists 33 lovers), she apparently has no idea what she's doing in her relationships. She's attracted to Charles from the beginning but does absolutely nothing to encourage him other than invite him to have sex with her. (If Charles is a "serial monogamist" then she's a "serial monogamist" who cheats.) It makes one wonder how much is really there, how long before she's explaining to Charles that it just isn't working out, and there's this new guy who's now the one. After all, according to the script as shown, they've barely talked to each other.
The script is much too obvious. There are real clunkers of forced scenes including one where it feels like someone said "oh wait, we haven't made this person awful enough for what's about to happen to her so let's give her one really bitchy line." Charles's friends are a fascinating group, but only good acting prevents them from being cardboard stereotypes.
The film has no idea whether it's making meaningful statements about relationships or being a screwball farce. It could have been cut either way. As it is, it feels as deeply real and as cheaply funny as the unmoving waves in one backdrop.

Editorial Review:

Curtis's poignant, irreverent, and laugh-out-loud screenplay grossed more than $200 million wordwide and garnered Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. This book includes the complete script, plus scenes that were cut from the film, anecdotes, and observations from the author. Photographs.

The Master and Margarita (Oberon Modern Plays)

Mikhail Bulgakov

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 341 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A GIFT FROM THE GRAVE 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I found Mikhail Bulgakov's life terribly sad, as I progressed through this novel, realizing how much of it is autobiographical. Here was a brilliant man---the grandson of Priests, who was obviously quite theologically challenged in atheist Russia. His motif surrounding the existence of Jesus and the Devil, told through stories of Faust and Pontius Pilate, was obviously his personal desire to master the concept of good versus evil, in a culture of oppression, brutality, and subjugation, not to mention censorship---the slow death of a creative, freedom-seeking, artist.

A good deal of the read may appear to just be magical folly but on careful inspection, it is filled with deep, political satire and symbolism attacking Stalin's Communist Russia and the justifiable paranoia it bred. The ridicule, denouncement and exposure was nothing short of genius, as were the characters that carried out his themes, my favorite being the personification of the big as a pig, Vodka craving, Black Cat.

Bulgakov, was clearly before his time and it is sad he died at 48. His history shows a man who was broken by his inability of free expression. His determination to complete his works, in spite of censorship, is a testament to his spirit and perseverance---one of the strongest reasons that this book deserves to be read by all. I consider it a literary gift from the grave, carrying messages we must never forget.

Be warned that this is not a quick and easy read---at least it was not for me. I suspect that I've missed, or misinterpreted many scenarios that will read differently with a repeat read. Simply put, it's like trying to watch a ten ring circus---in more ways than one. But, you won't want to miss a single ring of action.

Editorial Review:

A mysterious stranger and his retinue have astonished the locals of Stalin's Moscow with the magic show to end all magic shows and have quite literally set the town alight. But what's the real purpose behind their visit?

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> ( D ) -> Dickens, Charles -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 160 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Without equal 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Everyone has their favorite version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Make this dramatic retelling yours. At about 2 hours, its perfect for listening in the car while running around during the holidays or on your MP3 player while putting up Christmas lights. I plan on listening to it every year from now on. Patrick Stewart gives voice to every character, including the narration, and gives the kind of performance which I have come to expect from an actor of his immense talents.

Editorial Review:

This hearty, robust adaptation, drawing vigor from the words of Dickens, “is intended for those who desire a play of reasonable length but not of unreasonable production de­mands,” writes Payne in his preface to this script.
 
“I have taken no great liberties with the original story… Although the characters in the original tale are numerous (and some did not make the transition), the actual number of performers needed to act this play does not exceed 18 or 20; the sequence of scenes, some 14 in all, are not overly elaborate. I rec­ommend simplicity… however, there is no absolutely ‘right’ way of producing a play from this script; while production sugges­tions are incorporated into the text’s direc­tions, they in no way preclude other ap­proaches. Dickens was an adventurous writer; we should be no less so in bringing his creations to the stage.”

Ziegfeld: The Man Who Invented Show Business

Ethan Mordden

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Any girl who twists her hat will be fired! – Florenz Ziegfeld

And no Ziegfeld girl ever did as she made her way down the gala stairways of the Ziegfeld Follies in some of the most astonishing spectacles the American theatergoing public ever witnessed.  When Florenz Ziegfeld started in theater, it was flea circus, operetta and sideshow all rolled into one.  When he left it, the glamorous world of "show-biz" had been created.  Though many know him as the man who "glorified the American girl," his first real star attraction was the bodybuilder Eugen Sandow, who flexed his muscles and thrilled the society matrons who came backstage to squeeze his biceps.  His lesson learned with Sandow, Ziegfeld went on to present Anna Held, the naughty French sensation, who became the first Mrs. Ziegfeld.  He was one of the first impresarios to mix headliners of different ethnic backgrounds, and literally the earliest proponent of mixed-race casting.  The stars he showcased and, in some cases, created have become legends: Billie Burke (who also became his wife), elfin Marilyn Miller, cowboy Will Rogers, Bert Williams, W. C. Fields, Eddie Cantor and, last but not least, neighborhood diva Fanny Brice.  A man of voracious sexual appetites when it came to beautiful women, Ziegfeld knew what he wanted and what others would want as well.  From that passion, the Ziegfeld Girl was born. Elaborately bejeweled, they wore little more than a smile as they glided through eye-popping tableaux that were the highlight of the Follies, presented almost every year from 1907 to 1931.  Ziegfeld's reputation and power, however, went beyond the stage of the Follies as he produced a number of other musicals, among them the ground-breaking Show Boat.  In Ziegfeld: The Man Who Created Show Business, Ethan Mordden recreates the lost world of the Follies, a place of long-vanished beauty masterminded by one of the most inventive, ruthless, street-smart and exacting men ever to fill a theatre on the Great White Way : Florenz Ziegfeld.

Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 492 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great suspense novel 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Warning: spoiler

A fantastic novel, that deserves a place next to "Wuthering Hights", "Great Expectations" or "Jane Eyre". Daphne Dumaurier's beautiful and rich writing style and amazing storytelling skills make this novel great fun to read. She handles the character development wonderfully well, in particular the overly sensitive and devoted heroine, the sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers, the despicable playboy Favell, and the gloomy and jaded Max de Winter.

The novel works on many levels. There are some elements of the old fairy-tales Cinderella (servant-girl marries nobleman) and Bluebeard (forbidden room, murderous husband), but with a different, surprising twist. It's also a story of growing-up, as the nameless heroine matures from a timid girl into a strong-willed woman during her various trials. The author brilliantly disguises the characters' motivations, so that the true causes of things remain a mystery until about two-thirds into the novel when the main crisis unfolds. We then realise that the heroine, who sees things through the lens of her own feelings of inferiority completely misses the truth, which is to her a shock and relief at the same time.

Not least, the lush, rich descriptions of the house and the surrounding Cornwell country-side, and linking of the natural elements with the mood of the story makes this novel a truly satisfying reading experience. You may not want to read another novel for a long time.

Also of interest to readers would be Alfred Hitchcock's film Rebecca, which faithfully recreates the novel, with an outstanding cast.

Editorial Review:

A girl is haunted by her own imagination and by the ghost of Rebecca De Winter in this reading of Daphne Du Maurier's novel.

The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet (Pictureback(R))

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

a little confusing 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This book is beautifully illustrated and the story is an abreviated version of the origional which is nice for young children. My only complaint is that the character "Clara" is called "Marie" which is very confusing to children (and adults).

important part of Christmas to many 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful.

In reference to the next review, Marie and Clara are not the same character. Marie is the little girl, and Clara is her doll.

Confusion about the character's name 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Although many versions of the ballet call the girl Clara, she is called Marie Stahlbaum in the original E.T.A. Hoffmann story and in some versions of the ballet. This retelling is lovely. The name "Marie" is not incorrect; it just refers back to an earlier version of the story.

amazing book! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I was in first grade in the late 80's and we were doing a unit on the nutcracker. We went to go see the play and did a lot of music, art and english activities related to it. I was enjoying it so much that my mom bought me a copy of this book, same cover and all. I really loved the illustrations in it, from the christmas decorations to the land of sweets to all the snow. I've misplaced my copy but if I ever do find it it's a keeper!

Editorial Review:

Illus. in full color. The magic of the beloved ballet is captured in this affordable edition. Art by a Caldecott Honor Book artist complements a succinct narration that is ideal for young children.  

Ran

Akira Kurosawa

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 211 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Ran Means Chaos 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Ran is Kurosawa's final masterpiece and my favorite Kurosawa movie. For me, Ran is more of an experience than a movie. It just seems so "real" to me. Directed when he was 75, the master director presents a cast of thousands and renders a mortal struggle of good and evil, fealty and betrayal, cruelty and kindness, & greed and generosity. An old man who has achieved power through war and treachery, deludes himself into giving up everything he has lived his entire life to accomplish to his ungrateful and ambitious sons. He is no victim. His final act of treachery is to betray himself. Kurosawa uses Shakespeare's King Lear as a loose foundation but combines elements of other Shakespare plays, noh and kabuki theater, and his own unique filmmaking. The result is a movie that is simultaneously familiar and wholly unique. Not Lear, not Shakespeare, not Japanese but completely Kurosawa.

Tatsuya Nakadai, who played the title character in Kagamusha so brilliantly, returns in another great performance as the king who unwisely divides his kingdom. The performances are uniformly excellent but Mieko Harada deserves special mention an evil, crafty Lady MacBeth type. The cinematography was done by longtime Kurosawa collaborator Asakazu Nakai. Ran was his last movie and the movie is beautifully shot as a magnificant epic. I don't usually mention film scores but the score composed by Toru Takemitsu could not be more perfectly suited to this movie. The final effect is that of a majestic, beautifully filmed, haunting, brilliant epic perfectly rendered by an expert cast and crew.

This profound and deeply satisfying film is one of the finest examples of the art of filmmaking in rendering a vision of life in the world. Profound, sweeping, exciting and tragic, Ran may not be Kurosawa's last movie butit is the perfect end to a brilliant career.

Wicked - Piano/Vocal Arrangement

Stephen Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Phenominal score 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Wicked is fabulous on every level. Just know that this score is not easy to play from if you are not a good piano player. Also as voice teacher, prepare yourself for a lot of students who will not be able to even touch the high belt required for some of these songs!

Check Out: Vocalize!

Editorial Review:

Nominated for a whopping 10 Tony Awards in 2005, Wicked is an undeniable Broadway smash! A prequel to the all-American classic The Wizard of Oz, this new musical is a character study of Elphaba and Glinda, school roommates who grow up to become the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, respectively. We are very proud to offer several songbooks featuring this delightful music, including a Vocal Selections book which contains the vocal line with piano accompaniment (00313268), and a Piano/Vocal Selections book, in standard piano/vocal format with the melody in the piano part (00313267). Songbooks feature a special section of color photos from the production, a note from composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and these fantastic tunes: As Long as You're Mine * Dancing Through Life * Defying Gravity * For Good * I Couldn't Be Happier * I'm Not That Girl * No Good Deed * No One Mourns the Wicked * One Short Day * Popular * What Is This Feeling? * The Wizard and I * Wonderful.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 262 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter"-Oscar Wilde 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Basil Hallward is an artist, who paints a portrait of Dorian Gray, a very good looking and naïve young man. The portrait is a masterpiece that in reality depicts Basil's feelings for Dorian, as well as, Dorian's youth and beauty.
Lord Henry Wotton, a seductive emotional predator and selfish pleasure seeker, is a friend of Basil who meets Dorian at Basil's house and gives him a philosophical speech about the fading nature of youth and beauty. Dorian whose greatest qualities are his youth and beauty pledges his soul to stay young and beautiful. As part of the deal Dorian Gray's portrait becomes the surrogate for the disgrace and aging of the real Dorian Gray.
Under the growing influence of Lord Henry over Dorian, the later embraces Hedonism and increasingly sinks into a sinful corrupt life and shows no regard for values or morals. A tragic event caused by Dorian's behaviors starts the projection of Dorian's ugliness and self -centeredness on the portrait. Dorian creates excuses and excuses himself with lame explanations for the tragedy and hides his portrait so he can't see the hideous transformation of himself reflected in his picture. As long as his beauty remains, he can ignore the changes in his portrait. It's interesting how Dorian tries to avoid his inner feeling of ugliness by trying to surround him self by beauty, and other beautiful distractions such as roses and music.

Basil's love for Dorian, which is likely a real life reflection of Wilde's love for Lord Alfred Douglas, causes Basil to defend and protect Dorian, even from his self destructive acts, until the last shocking event. I'm tempted to describe the ending event, but I won't deprive the reader from the pleasure of exploration and discovery.

Given the period when this novel was written, Wilde is artistically candid and courageous beyond belief. Wilde displays his usual wit, sarcastic playful ways and funny style, while he walks us through serious dilemmas like the supremacy of youth and beauty, homosexual feelings, repentance and murder. Wilde grabs the reader through the use of shocking events that not only criticize Victorian morality, but ironically displays a moral lesson about vanity and narcissism.

"The picture of Dorian Gray" is a wonderful piece of literature in which the portrait asserts itself as Dorian's conscience in a superficial society that places values on looks and wealth while ignoring the real value of humans. Simply, a one of a kind work.

Editorial Review:

HarperCollins UK Audio Classics presents abridged and unabridged readings of the world's favorite literary masterpieces. Among the distinguished readers are Christopher Lee, Derek Jacobi, Simon Callow, Linus Roache, Elizabeth McGovern, Terry Jones, Peter Firth, and Rufus Sewell. Each package of cassettes in the Audio Classics series is beautifully packaged and shrink-wrapped.

August: Osage County

Tracy Letts

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Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

"A tremendous achievement in American playwriting: a tragicomic populist portrait of a tough land and a tougher people."-Time Out New York

"Tracy Letts' August: Osage County is what O'Neill would be writing in 2007. Letts has recaptured the nobility of American drama's mid-century heyday while still creating something entirely original."-New York magazine

One of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history, August: Osage County is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest-and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. The three-act, three-and-a-half-hour mammoth of a play combines epic tragedy with black comedy, dramatizing three generations of unfulfilled dreams and leaving not one of its thirteen characters unscathed. After its sold-out Chicago premiere, the play has electrified audiences in New York since its opening in November 2007.

Tracy Letts is the author of Killer Joe, Bug, and Man from Nebraska, which was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His plays have been performed throughout the country and internationally. A performer as well as a playwright, Letts is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where August: Osage County premiered.