Synopsis
Gathers interviews with F. Murray Abraham, Stockard Channing, Hume Cronyn, Jim Dale, Colleen Dewhurst, Judith Ivey, Madeline Kahn, Swoosie Kurtz, Frank Langella, and Liv Ullman
Reviews
This provocative collection is adapted from conversations held between leading theater actors and Broadway producer/director Black that were originally conducted before an audience at the New School in New York City over a period of two years. Black ( The Actor's Audition ) invited two actors for each evening of the series--with the exception of Tony Randall, Eli Wallach and Liv Ullman, who each appeared alone--and questioned them about their formal drama training, their stage and film experiences and their skills. Included in the 18 evenings represented here are a probing discussion with Jessica Tandy and her husband Hume Cronyn about their acting techniques; Eli Wallach's thoughts on method acting; and a lively conversation wtih Maureen Stapleton and Beatrice Straight, who shared their memories of working with playwright Tennessee Williams. Brief biographies of the participants accompany each discussion. Photos not seen by PW. Fireside Theatre Book Club featured alternate.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Drawing on his two-year series of public interviews with top thespians conducted at N.Y.C.'s New School, Tony Award-winning producer Black conveys the work behind theater's ``magic''--the motivation and training of actors, the mechanics of production, and the essential role of the audience. While Black devotes separate chapters to Tony Randall, Eli Wallach, and Liv Ullman, the rest of his text features that special chemistry of intelligent pairing that characterized his interview- series. Subjects include, among others, Joel Grey and Julie Harris; Christopher Reeve and Elizabeth Franz; William Hurt and Lois Smith; Madeline Kahn and Christopher Walken; Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy; Frank Langella and Judith Ivey; and Zo‰ Caldwell and Colleen Dewhurst, whose death during the writing of the book inspired an epilogue emphasizing acting as a collaboration between the actor and the audience--which is an implied presence in the interviews themselves. While the topic of Black's series was how actors convince audiences that they are other than themselves (i.e., the nature of theatrical illusion), the discussions here--which interweave Black's personal narrative with his subjects' dialogue and some Q&A--reveal how actors are motivated to become professional; how they train; how they prepare for a part; how they feel about themselves, their audiences, and their fellow actors; and what they think about more philosophical issues, such as the relative merits of talent, technique, training, and teaching. Each discussion is exceptionally articulate and interesting, and Black, representing the audience, conveys winningly how important it is for audiences to believe in the uses of illusion. An insightful psychology of actors and audiences that offers inspiration for young actors and an absorbing read for those who love the theater. (Thirty-four photographs) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
This is the perfect browsing book for theater lovers. It is a series of public interviews, held over several seasons at the New School in New York between the author and some of the most experienced and versatile actors on the American stage. Mostly in pairs, the actors talk about their craft, how they create character, and the connection the theater creates among actors and audiences. These people are passionately committed to--and lavishly articulate about--their art. So, if your patrons would like to spend a few minutes really tuned in to artists like Colleen Dewhurst, Hume Cronyn, Christopher Reeve, Julie Harris, or William Hurt, among others, discussing things they know, and love, and believe in, this should be in your collection.
- Thomas E. Luddy, Salem State Coll., Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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