PARCEL ARRIVED SAFELY: TIED WITH STRING

Now for the first time Michael Crawford tells his life story. By turns hilarious, revelatory and desperately sad, here is the autobiography of the man whose successes, such as Hello Dolly, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, and The Phantom of the Opera, have made him a national institution.
Crawford's infectious enjoyment of stage work illumines his account of his early struggles to make a name for himself in the business, and his early failures with girls are lifted by his abiding sense of the absurd. Both in his private life and his work, he begins a lifetime's habit of pratfalls that he would later turn to good use in the character of Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. His talent for mimicry makes the great personalities in his life come alive on the page, not only the Dickensian characters of his childhood but also many of the people he has worked with, including Benjamin Britten who taught him to sing, John Lennon - with whom he shared a villa - and Oliver Reed, Michael Winner, Barbra Streisand, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

The autobiography of the celebrated British entertainer. Singer and actor of stage and screen, Crawford is best known for his work in Phantom of the Opera and Barnum. This OBE-winning actor and opera star who worked with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Gene Kelly, and Frank Sinatra tells the story of his remarkably shy and self-conscious childhood. The scene of this nervous 21-year-old's first time with a woman could have come right out of his long-running play No Sex PleaseWe're British: He didn't quite know what to do, but he knew he wanted to play the part. Bugger this . . . this is the Sixties! I want to be Mod. In correct cockney, he strikes the right pose and gets his heart broken. Gifted with a strong soprano voice, however, Crawford jump-starts a career in show business with a role in Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera. Many American theater and movie fans who recognize his voice from show tunes and movie scores will be surprised to learn that Crawford has made gold and platinum solo albums. Fortunately, Crawford never fully outgrows his vulnerability, and remains genuinely likable while hobnobbing in Vegas with Sammy Davis Jr. or sharing a villa with John Lennon. Like character actors in the States who get trapped by roles in hit television series, Crawford is so good in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em that he eventually has to wonder, How do I get rid of him? He and his family discover that fame can be a pain in the bum. There are some exotic memories from trips to Australia and an earthquake in Bali, but most of the recollections are backstage meetings with older stars like Chita Rivera and Lucille Ball, along with more recent Broadway luminaries like Tommy Tune, Bernadette Peters, and Joel Grey. Yeah, baby! He's no Austin Powers, but a Michael Crawford fan might find this highly readable. (Doubleday Stage and Screen Book Club) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.