Writing in Restaurants

Mamet, David

ISBN 10: 0670811408 / ISBN 13: 9780670811403

Published by Viking, 1986

About this Item

Signed and inscribed by Mamet on the colophon page. ; 160 pages; Signed by Author.

Seller Inventory # 122561

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Writing in Restaurants
• Publisher: Viking
• Publication Date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670811408
• ISBN 13: 9780670811403
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Temporarily putting aside his role as playwright, director, and screen-writer, David Mamet digs deep and delivers thirty outrageously diverse vignettes. On subjects ranging from the vanishing American pool hall, family vacations, and the art of being a bitch, to the role of today's actor, his celebrated contemporaries and predecessors, and his undying commitment to the theater, David Mamet's concise style, lean dialogue, and gut-wrenching honesty give us a unique view of the world as he sees it.

Reviews

Mamet believes the proper function of the actor or playwright in our "dying" civilization is to get to the heart of what is essential in all of us and establish a communion among listeners. He feels that most acting today is mechanical because of society's demand for reassurance that nothing will change, that we are safe. In these short, hard-hitting essays, the well-known playwright (American Buffalo, etc.) delves into the collective mentality of the American theater, which, he maintains, acts as a brake on the creativity of producers and dramatists. Mamet looks at the hidden politics of the theater, how actors are manipulated and controlled by directors. He rails against the electronic amplification of the live stage. Among the themes explored are why radio is a great training ground for writers, theater as an arena for dreams and the subconscious, Tennessee Williams's dramatic mission, and the craze for fashion as a symptom of the middle class's sterile lifestyle and loss of the ability to fantasize.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The title of Mamet's first collection of essays and speeches certainly doesn't suggest the themes of commitment and excellence. Nevertheless, if a collection of 28 essays on a variety of topics can be said to have an overarching theme or themes, then surely commitment and excellence sound clearly. These essays, apparently written over a considerable span of years, treat topics ranging from radio drama through middle-class fashion trends to the Academy Awards and the use of amplification in theaters. In nearly all of them, however, Mamet finds his way back to his twin themes. Some of the most rewarding efforts are "Radio Drama," "Acting," and "Notes on The Cherry Orchard ." Mamet's sense of humor is also evident. Libraries that have his dramatic works will also want this. Theodore O. Wohlsen, Jr., Connecticut State Lib., Hartford
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.