Book Description

Television's sauciest and sexiest program is nothing less than a national phenomenon. Now, after four wildly successful and critically acclaimed seasons, the show's winning formula of sex, glamour, humor, and candor is available in a one-of-a-kind, elegant, and uniquely entertaining hardcover book.

Sex and The City: Kiss and Tell is the ultimate fan bible, offering a comprehensive behind the scenes guide to NYC and its most fabulous foursome -- the friends and boyfriends, the bar rooms and bedrooms, the infatuations and fashions. Packed with information and photos not available anywhere else, it will fascinate and delight its readers with wholly original material from the show's stars, producers, writers, costume designers, and more.

It includes all-access passes to the sets, production offices, and wardrobe closets at the Silvercup studios; an insider's tour of the sets;and a detailed map of the bistros and boutiques where Carrie and friends sip, shop, and seduce. Each of the show's major players are interviewed, offering revealing, intimate biographies and sharing the true life stories that inspire every episode. An elegant, beautiful edition with an exclusive introduction from Sarah Jessica Parker herself, this book is every bit as intoxicating as the pink Cosmopolitans sipped by Carrie and friends at Manhattan's chichest hot spots. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

WOW!
This book is a real gem! It's packed with tons of photographs and inside information about the series. There are interviews with all of the cast that are interspersed throughout the book. There are wonderful photographs of the fashions, the locations, and of the cast. HBO and the cast thoroughly endorsed this book and it shows. Every episode of the past four seasons is discussed and all the tidbits of information are there. What a delight for the fan of this show. And the beautiful pink cover of the book is just to die for. This book is lots of fun that you'll be pouring over for hours and hours.

What Sex and The City fan WOULDN'T find this book fab?
My roommate brought this book home and although I myself had been skeptical to purchase it, I'm glad she did because it's so fabulous, I'm thinking about getting one for my own collection.

First of all, if you're a big fan of this hit HBO series, then you'll absolutely love this book. Each of the 4 female characters on the show are spoken about in detail by their counterparts (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis). In addition to that, the actresses themselves have their own little bio as well as how they became involved in the show in the beginning.

In addition to the girls themselves, there's detailed pages on each characters' style (from wardrobe to home furnishings to the men they choose).

So as not to leave any SATC fanatic unfulfilled, they've even got sections devoted to the SATC men (Mr. Big, Aidan, Steve, Trey, etc.) and the actors bios that play them on the series.

Overall, the book is filled with brilliant, four-color photographs and designed with style (that reflects the show itself, nonetheless). A great stocking-stuffer for girlfriends (especially if they're an avid watcher).

What was this?
This book could be the absolute worst piece of garbage I have ever seen in my life. I was so angry after reading this, that I flipped my car into a river. Well, actually that had nothing to do with the book, I was just drunk. But still, this book makes The Rock's biography look like War & peace.

Almost Perfect!
Would've been perfect had there been more photos and info of the entire 6th season. Lots of behind the scenes info that will appeal to the SATC fan. I know I'm being greedy but I wouldn't mind if they add more photos if they will revise it again. Also, more info from the vantage point of the other stars please.

Must Have Book! I'd give it 100 stars if I could!
Great book, low price! Cheaper on here then at the bookstore (...) I just had to have it when I saw it at the store! Here's what it includes:-Full episode recaps and summaries! Seasons 1-6 (Part1)-Many colorful pics and behind the scenes info!-Pics of all the men the girls have slept with and (not slept with!) -Lots of commentaries!-Quiz at the end (for true fans!)-And much much more!Must Have for any Sex and the City fan! Very good reference guide to look for those special episodes that are hard to find (since the series is 94 episodes long) ... Read more

Book Description

A classic in its field since its original publication, The Technique of the Professional Make-Up Artist is now revised, updated and paperback for a new generation of professionals.This encyclopedic resource covers all of the current studio make-up methods and lab techniques, with text and art contributions from some of the leading experts in the industry.

The author explains clearly and precisely the differing approaches to stage-lit, audience-attended television taping; studio-lit, no-audience taping; live television with natural outdoor lighting; live stage make-up ; and the innumerable techniques and methods of film make-up. In addition to detailing the basic, day-to-day 'paint and powder' procedures that are the bulk of any professional make-up artist's work. He also describes exciting new visual effects that can be achieved using puppetry, digital computing, and electronic coloration.Included in this paperback edition are:
* Revised make-up charts for men and women
* New special effects make-up photographs
* New information on contact lenses and dental work
* Updated information on film types
* Revised appendices.

Vincent J R Kehoe has been working in the professional make-up field since 1940.He has been in charge of make-up for more than 3000 major television, film, and stage productions, and was head of the make-up departments for CBS-TV in New York and the NBC Hallmark Hall of Fame series.His previous books include Special Make-Up Effects (Focal Press), The Technique of Film and Television Make-Up, and Photographic Make-Up for Stills and Movies, and he has written several articles on advanced make-up research for the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).As president and director of the Research Council of Make-Up Artists since 1963, Mr Kehoe designed and produced the entire Color Process line of RMCA Professional Products.He lives in Somis, CA.

A classic text updated for the next generation of make-up artists.
Covers all studio methods and lab techniques.
Contains information on many types of exciting new visual effects. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

For the established Professional
This book is for a more established professional, and not for one interested in the fashion industy. It was very hard to understand to me since I am a novice at applying makeup. This book is not worth the price.

Thie book is more for the stage artist.
This book had excellent tips on lighting and the angles of the face, but I didn't find enough information on application of makeup for daily wear. I was looking for a book that would help me with tips - much like a professional makeup artist that was doing your makeup for a special event. The book contained period makeup and total transformation character makeup information. I liked Kevin Aucoin's Face Forward and Making Faces better.

One of the Three Best Books for Any Make-Up Artist
Mr.Kehoe presents his work in a pricise format. He covers just about anything you want to know in the art of make-up application, not just the trend in fashion/beauty. All the topics are covered: Lighting, character make-up, age, period, monster, bald caps, lab techniques, special effects, hair and beard laying, just to name a few. This book contains lots of illustrations and photos. Even for the make-up artist who only wants to persue a career in the fashion industry this book is a must read.

FOR PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIST
THIS IS THE BIBLE FOR PROFESSIONAL

Quite Artificial
This isn't the exact look in a book that I was looking at, though it was quite fine just not my style. Buy MAKING FACES by Kevyn Aucoin! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Feast for Lovers of Great Acting
At last an insightful appreciation of the art of acting by one of the profession's foremost practitioners and teachers, which can be enjoyed not only by actors but by lovers of great acting.If you've ever marvelled at a performance, Larry Moss tells you why.With wit and clarity, as good a writer as he is an actor, he takes you inside the actor's mind so you understand the choices that enter into the shaping of a memorable characterization.And his range of references is remarkably eclectic and star-studded -- Groucho Marx, Bette Davis, Dustin Hoffman, Clint Eastwood, Uta Hagen, Robert Preston just to mention a few of the hundreds of performers whose work he illuminates, on stage, screen, television, in musicals, tragedies, slapstick and sitcoms.Nothing escapes his discerning eye.

A great tool for playwrights, too
As is obvious from the testimonials given by well-known actors -- on this Amazon screen (above), and on the back cover and introductory pages of the book -- Larry Moss has no shortage of fans.However, I think it's important to note that this book has value for anyone working in theater and film, not just actors.

As a playwright, I think it's critical that we writers seek to understand how actors and other professionals do their work.Theater (and film) is a collaborative medium, requiring the talents of many people in order to fully realize the potential of a story.By gaining a better knowledge of how directors, designers, actors and others use their skills to bring a play or film to life (on the "back end," if you will), I can write pieces (on the "front end") that interest, inspire and challenge them -- and, as a result, have a stronger effect on audiences.There's nothing worse for a writer than writing something, in isolation, that we think is the greatest thing since tuna casserole, only to have it completely incomprehensible -- or worse, uninteresting -- to actors, directors and, as a result, audiences.

In this search for information, Moss's book is one of the few that I've discovered that offers insights into the actor's process in clear, reasonable language, that makes the necessary connections between the actor's work and the writer's text.I have no doubt, after reading this book, that I will be that much more effective as a playwright, better able to create a solid foundation for those who choose to bring my work to life.

A True Visionary
Larry Moss has a unique gift to help actors enlarge the vision of their craft and the purpose of their professional development. Larry is on a mission to help cleanse the toxic emotions and personal wounds that incapacitate and keep actors from developing their true potential. This is a book every actor should keep by their bedside and slowly mediate on key passages that speak a freeing message to them. This book is also for those who love great theatre and film acting. It will help them appreciate the enormous sacrifices actors make to honor the writer and create moving art that enables us to see the depths of the wonder, the beauty, and the dark fragility that mark our human condition.

A MASTERPIECE!!
The Intent to live is an illuminating book on the craft of acting. Mr. Moss gift for writting down his approach to acting is nothing less than inspiring. He has put down on paper what many others have tried, but failed in some respect. Larry Moss expresses his thoughts on the craft of acting with simplicity,clarity,humor,truth,humanity,and passion. I highlly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this most humane craft, and art.
I believe this book is one of the most insightful,and inspiring books on acting ever written.
Thank you Larry Moss. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Modoc is the joint biography of a man and an elephant born in a small German circus town on the same day in 1896. Bram was the son of an elephant trainer, Modoc the daughter of his prize performer. The boy and animal grew up devoted to each other. When the Wunderzircus was sold to an American, with no provision to take along the human staff, Bram stowed away on the ship to prevent being separated from his beloved Modoc. A shipwreck off the Indian coast and a sojourn with a maharajah were only the beginning of the pair's incredible adventures. They battled bandits, armed revolutionaries, cruel animal trainers, and greedy circus owners in their quest to stay together. They triumphed against the odds and thrilled American circus audiences with Modoc's dazzling solo performances, only to be torn apart with brutal suddenness, seemingly never to meet again. Hollywood animal trainer Ralph Helfer rescued Modoc from ill-treatment and learned her astonishing story when Bram rediscovered her at Helfer's company. His emotional retelling of this true-life adventure epic will make pulses race and bring tears to readers' eyes.--Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (97)

Best show & Elephant on earth - Best book on earth
"Modoc is a love story, a gut wrenching saturday afternoon kind of love story that should not be attempted without a full box if tissues within easy reach."- Detroit free press This quote is on the front cover of Modoc and is definetly true. Modoc is the best yet saddest book i have ever read. i have read a lot of books and Modoc is the only one in which i have actually cried in. This book doesn't even have to be for animal lovers to like. Modoc shows how close animals and people really are and how smart animals really can be. Modoc is a story of a boy named Bram and his elephant Modoc and the journeys he and the boy have together. some sad, some exciting, and some just plain fun. i reccomend this book to anybody of any age i am only 11 years old and still truly enjoyed this book. It is truly the best book i have ever read.

heartwarming, breathtaking, and wonderfully written for all
Modoc has to be the most amazing story ever told about one's love for the animal kingdom. I was astonished with the retold accounts throughout the text........always reading on to find out what happened next to Bram and his beloved Modoc. I can honestly say it is my favorite book of all time for it touched my heart and actually did bring tears to my eyes as I completed it aboard an airline. I've handed it down to my sister to be read to my 6-year-old nephew. He's intrigued with the story and loves hearing it aloud. It's a book for all ages indeed!

Awesome book!
I normally dont like reading books at all. I always catch myself thinking about different things like whats going on in my life, and not remebering anything that i just read. When i read Modoc, i caught myself thinking about other things, however those other things were everything thats been going on in modoc's life other than my own.

Fascinating Story
This is truely one of the best books I have ever read. It is a touching and poignant story of the relationship between a boy/man and his elephant. No other story that I have read has captured the bond between human and animal as convincingly as this. Other reviewers are too hung up on the accuracy of the author's claim that the story is true. He clearly states at the beginning that there is a certain amount of "hearsay" and poetic license taken with the story. I could not put this book down. It hooked me from the beginning and didn't let go until long after I had read the book. This book begs to be made into a movie. Don't miss it.

AN ENDEARING STORY FOR ALL
This is the most touching and beautiful story I have ever read. I am grateful to Ralph Helfer for telling it. I would recommend the book to everyone. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Best Astaire Book
Probably the best book on Fred Astaire's career, this has everything, including frame-by-frame analyses of each of his dances. Mueller is obviously a fan, and sometimes finds things to praise in films that are actually pretty dull ("The Sky's the Limit," "Belle of New York"). But unlike most movie books, this one is fully thought-out, beautifully written, and just about exhaustive. Even the footnotes and appendices make entertaining reading. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Simply the Best!!!
Just the idea of having "Our friends" all gathered in this nice looking book along with 10 years of happiness makes me realize what a wonderfull job they did by making us all happy and forget about our problems every thursday night during the past 10 years.
This book is a great way to inmortalize them for ever in our hearts!!! thank you FRIENDS!!...we'll never forget you guys.

Just what fans need!!
Just the idea of having "Our friends" all gathered in this nice looking book along with 10 years of happiness makes me realize what a wonderfull job they did by making us all happy and forget about our problems every thursday night during the past 10 years.
This book is a great way to inmortalize them for ever in our hearts!!! thank you FRIENDS!!...we'll never forget you guys.

A Great Book 'Til the End
This book was terrific! It is the perfect collector's edition for any FRIENDS fan. It includes great interviews from the cast and creators of the show. Also, it has beautiful pictures and summaries from all ten seasons. My personal favourite part was the unforgettable quotes on life and love that we've heard throughout the years.

Friends Forever
The book is really excellent. If you are a true fanatic fan, this is the book for you. The pictures are so cool and wonderful. This is a book that you can have the "friends" all the time and forever! Truly a collector's item.

COLUMBUS OHIO....TEMPER FIT
This is an excellent book, the only reason why your's didn't ship for so long is because the Manufacturer provided the wrong information to amazon.com and all of the bookstores in the United States...This book is to be released at the end of this month....So look for it soon....Unless you were totally cheap and got super saver shipping...Then go ahead and cry for an extra week ... Read more

Book Description

Finally, a book as glorious as its subject: this lush showcase for everyone who loves musicals covers the 101 most influential, popular, and enduring Broadway shows--all of which have toured the country and been performed in theatres large and small everywhere. Each listing includes expert commentary that sets the play in historical and cultural context, plus features on the creators and performers, plot synopses, cast and song lists, production details, backstage anecdotes, and more. Four or five beautifully reproduced photographs from each show--the majority never before published--accompany the text and make the shows leap off the page. Appendices and special features include cast albums, poster artists, revivals, guilty pleasures, Off-Broadway musicals, notable flops, and much more. ... Read more

Book Description

When movies replaced theatre as popular entertainment in the years 1910–20, the world of live drama was wide open for reform. American advocates and practitioners founded theatres in a spirit of anticommercialism, seeking to develop an American audience for serious theatre, mounting plays in what would today be called "alternative spaces," and uniting for the cause an eclectic group of professors, social workers, members of women’s clubs, bohemians, artists, students, and immigrants. This rebellion, called the Little Theatre Movement, also prompted and promoted the college theatre major, the inclusion of theatre pedagogy in K–12 education, prototypes for the nonprofit model, and the notion that theatre is a valuable form of self-expression. Composing Ourselves: The Little Theatre Movement and the American Audience argues that the movement was a national phenomenon, not just the result of aspirants copying the efforts of the much-storied Provincetown Players, Washington Square Players, Neighborhood Playhouse, and Chicago Little Theatre. Going beyond the familiar histories of the best-known groups, Dorothy Chansky traces the origins of both the ideas and the infrastructures for serious theatre that are ordinary parts of the American cultural landscape today; she also investigates the gender discrimination, racism, and class insensitivity that were embedded in reformers’ ideas of the "universal" and that still trouble the rhetoric of regional, educational, and community theatre.

An important piece of revisionist history, Composing Ourselves shows how theatre reform, in keeping with other Progressive Era activism, took on corporate, conservative society, but did so in ways that were sometimes contradictory. For example, women constituted the majority of ticket buyers and the bulk of unsung labor, yet plays by women were considered inferior. Most reformers were comfortably middle class and sought change that would eliminate the anomie of modernity but not challenge their privileged positions. Chansky deliberates on antifeminist images of women theatergoers in literature and cartoons and considers the achievements and failures of the Drama League of America, a network of women’s clubs, following up with a case study of the playwright Alice Gerstenberg to point out that theatre history has not fully realized the role of women in the Little Theatre Movement. Even as women were earning the majority of degrees in newly minted theatre programs, their paths were barred to most professional work except teaching. Chansky also considers a blackface production of a play about rural African Americans, which was a step towards sympathetic portrayals of minority characters yet still a reinforcement of white upper- and middle-class perspectives. The volume is complemented by fifteen illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Ha! Take THAT, Broadway!
After years of people saying that I HAVE to see Jeckyl and Hyde or whatever other retread soundalike is currently in favor, along comes Bat Boy! The songs are witty and interestingly composed. The vocal arrangements are strong and the best part is that it's done completely straight...it's left to the audience to find the humour.

Fabulous Script for Everyone!
After I read this play, I immediately fell in love with this story. The characters, music, and theme are so wonderful. Now Bat Boy is my favorite musical ever!

Bat Boy Script
This is a script for an amazing off-Broadway musical: Bat Boy. In the musical, a half-bat/half-boy is discovered in West Virginia and taken by the local vet's family. He learns to talk and struggles to be accepted into the small community. He eventually falls in love with the vet's daughter, but it doesn't work out (interspecies relationships usually aren't a good idea).

This is a very witty script. There are jokes everywhere in the text. The music is also amazing. The actual musical composition and the lyrics are both spectacular.

As a horricomedy, Bat Boy not only makes you laugh, but also makes you stop and think. I'd reccommend this script for anyone who likes parody, comedy, or musical theatre. ... Read more

Book Description

The first multi-volume history of the American theater to have been published, The Cambridge History of American Theatre is an authoritative and wide-ranging history of American theater in all its dimensions. It recognizes changing styles of presentation and performance, and addresses the economic context that conditions the drama presented. Volume One brings together the work of ten major authorities on American theater and drama. Like each of the three volumes, Volume One includes an extensive overview and timeline followed by chapters on specific aspects of American theater up to c. 1870. ... Read more

Book Description

In this book, Napier takes an irreverent, but constructive look at the art and practice of improvised scenes. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A Deeper Look at Improv
This book is well written, easily read and full of very useful tips for the serious improviser. Improvisation is all about making connections and you can't help but make more connections to this art form after reading this book. The more experience you have as an improviser, the more you will get out of this book. It's like an improv booster shot.

Insightful, But Cynical

This book has an "Annoyance Theatre" feel to it-it's fresh and insightful, and seductively anti-establishment. The author serves up a cynical new spin on old improv technique, and even slams improv's "old guard" in the process.

If you're a sassy, cynical improviser who knows everything (which includes every improviser on earth) you'll be hypnotized by the book's "bleeding edge" tone.

But the rebellious "us vs. them" tenor of Napier's book is so sexy, so enticing, that you may miss the irony: Napier slams the improv establishment, (but he *is* the establishment, having formed his own theatre, and having lead Second City to a rebirth.) Napier thwarts the concept of formal technique and methodology, (but then proceeds to lay down his *own*.) Napier dismisses old improv rules as observation-turned-dogma, (but then serves up several pages of his *own* observations.) Sure, the advice is great, but why does he still talk like Sparticus leading a slave rebellion? He's already king. The enemy is imaginary.

IMPROVISATION does fall short as a complete reference. It ends up being more like a book of "best practices for seasoned improvisers." New improvisers will end up feeling like they just got kicked in the junk.

I wish this book shared his real anti-establishment vision:
x What's the next wave for this art form?
x What is improv's future impact on the theatre, TV and other scripted media?
x Is there any way to unite the improv theatre community, rather than divide it into "us vs. them?"

Think you know everything there is to know about improv?
So, you know all "the rules," you've been improvising for years, you think you know all you need to know, and yet you find your work stagnant?

This book will help you re-examine why and how you improvise. Mick Napier is quite simply the finest improv instructor today. He's taken the torches of Del Close and Martin DeMaat and is moving improvisation forward. If you think Spolin, Halpern and Johnstone wrote all that can be written about improv, you're sadly mistaken.

This is, quite frankly, the best hands-on guide to improvisation you will ever read.

Praise from a cynic
Improv books tend to fall into three categories:

(1) New ideas poorly articulated (Improvisation for the Theatre for example - the bible of improv that is impossible to read cover to cover)

(2) Books that cover old ground in an easy to read way that is effective for someone trying to learn improv (Keith's second book, my own book: The Ultimate Improv Book [hopefully ;>])

(3) Books with 'improv' in the title that are more collections of games or (worse) exercise-teaching plans without any learning outcomes.

This book does not fall into any of those categories. I'm amazed it was published.

It's a book for people who already know improvisation. But Mick argues that the most accepted ways to teach improvisation are not only ineffective, they are COUNTER effective.

And he makes a great argument.

I had already started on the path he lays out (I've no longer teach 'blocking' off the top, instead concentrating on reducing fear and encouraging failure), but I have not gone nearly as far as he suggests (Not teaching blocking ever). It's a bold step and I am going to try it in the next class I teach.

In short, who should buy this book?

(1) If you are already an improviser. You've been trained (somewhere) and are looking for a challenging new way to look at your crafty

(2) You are an instructor who is looking for a new way to teach (not new games, but new principles)

Who should also buy this book:

(1) If you are buying your first improv book. Buy this book, but also pick up one of the standards - know what you are not learning - if only so you can discuss it with other improvisers (I know Mick would not suggest this, but we don't agree on everything)

(2) If you are set in your ways and figure you know the right way to do improv - buy this book and see if you can open your mind a little. I would be interested to hear counter arguments to Mick's ideas.

I am calling all my improv friends and telling them to buy this book. It's the first book with something new to say in a long time.

Congratulations Mick. I wish you had written this book earlier.

Edward J Nevraumont
Co-author: The Ultimate Improv Book

this is a good book
if you want to buy this good book, you should go to annoyanceproductions dot com and follow the links for buy mick's book. you will end up back here at amazon, and annoyance productions will get a small percentage from the sale to go towards their new theater. ... Read more

Book Description

The Tony Award-winning musical,
now adapted into a lavishly illustrated book

Into the Woods is the imaginative account of what happens when the lives of new and old fairy-tale characters dramatically and humorously come together. Cinderella, Jack (of bean-stalk fame), Little Red Ridinghood, and the Baker and his Wife set out for the forest on a quest to find "happily ever after." Along the way they meet Rapunzel, a Wicked Witch, a lascivious Wolf, vengeful Giants, a couple of charming Princes, and their own destiny. With wit and wisdom, the authors have given us a parable about the loss of innocence, the joys and sorrows of adulthood, and the price paid for getting the things you really want. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Perhaps the Greatest Musical Ever Written... Now in a Book!
Into the Woods...How can you forget the name and all of its characters if you've seen it before, and if you have not, then it includes such timeless fairy tale names as: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), Little Red Riding Hood, and many others. James Lapine's brilliant script and Stephen Sondheim's astounding score are all in this book! Don't miss out on reading this fantastic book with your kids or for pleasure! This book is great for pleasure reading or if you are looking for an amazing musical to put on. Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down! And if you liked the book...you won't hesitate to buy the video of the original Broadway cast and the CD or cassette! Having all 3 mentioned items and watching, listening, and reading over and over still isn't enough! You will love it too.

Plays Capture 6th Grade Interest
This is a wonderful play to introduce students to music, theater, Sondheim, and fairy tales. In my class we read many of the original Grimm Fairy Tales (Dover Ed.) and the Perrault Fairy Tales (Dover) discussing the tales, but also color symbolism, different forms of magic, totems, threshold creatures, etc. Pretty heady stuff for sixth graders, but they LOVE it! Finally we read this wonderful interconnection of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Baker and His Wife, Little Red Riding Hood, and more while they are on a quest tale to get things to undo spells. Everyone takes parts and it is AWESOME!! The book is certainly not just for kids, there are very dark themes underlying all of the "fun". These can be discussed and its great to see kids find more to a story than its literal meaning. The VHS tape is then shown, which can be ordered here. This is a taping of the Broadway stage production and is mesmerising. Students think it's awesome. (I do suggest previewing, though. The wolf certainly is "untamed nature" and his coat stops just above what probably should be hidden in a mixed group of sixth graders. :) We just fast forward those three minutes.) This is a great unit. If you would like more info, please contact me via e-mail. This is wonderful stuff, though certainly not Disney!!

A MUST for any lover of this show...
I cannot mention how much I loved this book. I recently finished a production of this show and we gave this book as a gift to the production crew members. After looking through it, most of the cast placed their own orders. Not only is it a new way to look at this great story, but there are also small pieces of insight into certain characters and situations that you do not get anywhere else.
Every illustration in this book is exquisite...I would frame any of them. My favorite is of the pulling out of Rapunel's hair by the Baker's Wife. The illustrations are just like the show, funny where they should be (Little Red in the Fur) and grim where they should be (Rapunzel's death).
This is a great and rarely seen collector's piece, as well as a great gift for anyone with a love of the show.

this is an awesome show!
I was involved in a production of this show and I just have to say that so far, it's one of my favorite shows out of all the ones that I've been involved with. The music is enchanting and the story is one that we should all carry in our hearts:Everywhere we look, we are affected by or are affecting someone else by the choices that we make. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the show.

I Love Into the Woods...
This book is great to have before seeing the show or listening to the soundtrack... you'll completely understand what's happening in the story. I should also say, just in general.... Into the Woods is back on Broadway now, and I just saw it yesterday on its opening day with front row seats in the orchestra. I was worried the new production might not surpass the original, and that I would be disappointed since I love love Bernadette Peters and all... but it really blew my mind! The set and costumes were so much more appropriate, more fairytale-esque. There were lyric and staging changes, a little more dancing around, and Milky-White was alive this time which made her like another character. The musical has a lot of catchy tunes but also a good storyline, and though there is a lot of symbolism that if seen literally might not be appropriate for kids, they usually are too young to notice or understand it at all. So anyone can see it, and everyone finds it funny, everyone likes it. And the current production is better than you could have dreamed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Painting With Light was the first book on cinematography written by a major Hollywood cameraman. Published in 1949 and now put back into print, it is one of the best and most unusual books in the field. Written with good humor and full of helpful diagrams and photographs, it is certainly the most entertaining. Its technological discussions are dated, but Painting With Light remains relevant because its primary focus is on light itself and the many complex ways the camera crew can manipulate it. This new edition contains a biographical introduction by Todd McCarthy, who describes how the man who shot the strikingly colorful ballet sequence in An American in Paris also helped define the stark, haunting style of the film noir. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Excellent Book for Professionals
I really had to laugh when I read the review of one film school student who was looking for books on lighting that explained how to do lighting "fast, cheap, and beautiful." In that statement lies the failure of todays film schools, and the genius of "Painting with Light".

In filmmaking we are faced with the same Paradigm that faces all industries. The pyramid = Fast, Good, and Cheap. Each of these occupies its own corner of a standard triangle. But here in lies the rub, you can only choose two: good and fast, fast and cheap, cheap and good, etc.

"Painting with Light" comes from an era were most of Hollywood understood this paradigm. Most people in Hollywood, particularly those in "Key" positions knew that good, if not great, lighting took time, and often time took money.

It's an excellent book for those that wish to know more about the general technical requirements of film. Along with "The 5 C's of Cinematography". I would also reccomend, if not require, this book for any aspiring indie filmmaker. Want to make a movie that competes with the majors? Learn what the majors know, and forget what they taught you in film school.

THE BASES FOR THE BASICS IN CINEMA/VIDEOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUE
FILM AND TV NEED TO RETURN TO THE FUNDAMENTAL BASICS IN LIGHTING, IF FOR NO ORTHER REASON THAN TO KNOW HOW TO DEPART CREATIVELY. THE CURRENT TREND IS MORE LIKE AMATURE HOME VIDEO TREATMENT BUT ON A HUGE EXPENDATURE. THERE IS NOTHING OUT OF DATE FOR TRUE ART! GOOD TASTE IS SORELY LACKING. Cordially, A Michigan Filmaker.

A Must for Cinephiles but not for future Professionals
As a student of film-making, I was somewhat dissapointed by this text. Although it is a wonderful resource for classic film-making technique, it is painfully out of date. I am searching for a book on cinematography which emphasizes creative approaches to lighting, and, what I call "guerilla lighting technique". In other words, fast, cheap, and beautiful. Not everyone has a access to a Hollywood budget and studio shooting conditions. THere is more to lighting than just key, fill, and backlight. Perhaps a book on Troubleshooting?

Probably the best book on lighting
This book is an excellent source of information on lighting, from the basics to refining the most professional scenes.

This book is a time capsule from the era of Film Noir
I have had a photocopy of a photocopy of this book for about seven years, so I was understandably extatic to learn of the recent reissuing of this long out of print and much sought-after title. For decades, critics have discussed Film Noir as the apex of American film in terms of style as well as content. And Academy Award winner John Alton has long been hailed as perhaps the most important cinematographer of his era. Such was his passion for the art and craft of cinematography that he wrote a book on the subject at a time when such books just were not being written. Painting With Light has great verve and wit, and serves as a very practical how-to exploration of cinema- tography as it existed at the time. But, as such, it is now also a fascinating slice of movie history. In the end, however, I believe it is most valuable as a tool to help the modern cinema- tographer rediscover the texture and mystery brought to the screen in an era when films pulled you in instead of trying to leap out at you. The book co ... Read more

Amazon.com

The forty-two exercises detailed in this comprehensive guideprovide both the instructor and the student a "user-friendly" workshop structure. It may be used forboth beginning and advanced courses of Directing for Theatre. The basic concepts ofdirecting are learned progressively. The approach is totally experiential. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

works best as a textbook
Mr. Converse has written with this helpful introductory course, a fine textbook for introducing one to the craft of directing. When viewed in that context, this book serves its purpose well. Having used this text in conjunction with William Ball's superb book "A Sense Of Direction", in the directing class I teach, I have found Converse's excercises to be helpful and precise (if rather dry) in building craft. Especially helpful is Converse's chapters on blocking and creating pictures. His suggestions and activities designed to teach one how to communicate and direct traffic are most helpful. If one is looking for a great read, this is not the book to use. For that I again suggest Ball or Clurman's fine "On Directing". But for some "hands on" activities in the dramatic classroom or for the director just starting out on their own, this will work just fine- as long as you have someone else to bounce your ideas off of.

A user-friendly directing book
In 10 years of teaching high school drama, this is the first book where the theory of directing is embodied in a series of lessons which can be taught sequentially or mixed and matched. I have used the open scripts in acting class with junior students and amended the lessons to my own ends in picturization, focus, tempo, pathway, subtext and a myriad of other directing skills which need to be built upon.

Exposes you to a series of exercises that help
This book is simple, concrete, and to the point. It will help you develop various directing techniques, and it will leave the rest up to you. Its purpose is not to try and train you into some special type of director, but to give you the basic technical skills that will allow you to find your own artistic style. It is most certainly a great book to start with, and its exercises would likely help more advanced directing students hone their skills.

Too technical, no feeling...
I worry this book may cause new directors to develop bad habits. It is absolutely director cenetered and ignores actors and how to work with them. For seasoned directors it contains nothing new if you already know how to mount an intellectually consistent, well-staged production. The approach to directing in this book takes away all actor creativity, advocating the director as monarch rather than teacher. Several year ago I saw a production of Mr. Converse's THE TEMPEST. It was 4 hours long, featured added material which was introduced to enforce a strained concept. The actors did not seem to understand what they were doing or why. They were like square pegs forced into round holes. And the actor playing Prospero was simply painful to watch. The visual imagery was very nice but the show was terribly over-produced and over-directed...EXACTLY what I would expect to see from the person who wrote this text. He obviously practices what he preaches. If this is the style of directing you advocate, and some do, this is the book for you. But to compare it to Viola Spolin is simply outrageous. Better to just buy her "A REHEARSAL GUIDE FOR DIRECTORS" if you like her "IMPROVISATION FOR THE THEATRE." This book can not touch her sensitivity to directing the performer as opposed to directing the play.

Accessible, challenging "problem projects" teach directing.
Wonderfully practical and insightful, this book sensitizes students to the components of stage direction -- narrative curve, rhythm, space, etc.- to create better directors and actors. Each exercise takes one to two fifty minute periods. The quality of your students's work improves immediately. I use this as the cornerstone of my high school class on directing; however, it would be just as useful for serious middle school students and college students. I love this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Winner of the 2003 Pulitizer Prize for Drama

. . . there are many kinds of light.
The light of fires. The light of stars.
The light that reflects off rivers.
Light that penetrates through cracks.
Then there_s the type of light that reflects off the skin.
_Nilo Cruz, Anna in the Tropics

This lush romantic drama depicts a family of cigar makers whose loves and lives are played out against the backdrop of America in the midst of the Depression. Set in Ybor City (Tampa) in 1930, Cruz imagines the catalytic effect the arrival of a new "lector" (who reads Tolstoy_s Anna Karenina to the workers as they toil in the cigar factory) has on a Cuban-American family. Cruz celebrates the search for identity in a new land.

"The words of Nilo Cruz waft from the stage like a scented breeze. They sparkle and prickle and swirl, enveloping those who listen in both specific place and time . . . and in timeless passions that touch us all. In Anna in the Tropics, the world premiere work he created for Coral Gables_ intimate New Theatre, Cruz claims his place as a storyteller of intricate craftsmanship and poetic power."_Miami Herald

Nilo Cruz is a young Cuban-American playwright whose work has been produced widely around the United States including the Public Theater (New York, NY), South Coast Repertory (Costa Mesa, CA), Magic Theatre (San Francisco, CA), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theater (Princeton, NJ) and New Theatre (Coral Gables, FL). His other plays include Night Train to Bolina, Two Sisters and a Piano, Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams, among others. Anna in the Tropics also won the Steinberg Award for Best New Play. Mr. Cruz teaches playwriting at Yale University and lives in New York City.

Reviews (7)

All plays are meant to be seen, not read.
There is a review here about this play being better to see than to read. This should be true of all plays, since that's their purpose. In fact, if you really enjoy reading a play, in the same exact way you enjoy reading a novel- it very likely may not be a good play & should in fact be a novel instead.

Having said that, I believe Anna in the Tropics is a great and beautiful play. Reading it I can see how wonderful it would be to see on the stage; watching these very real characters go through their vulnerable journeys; I enjoyed my copy thoroughly.

Escape to a Different World
Take a break of a few minutes from your life and venture into the colorful world of this Florida cigar factory. The story is hardly new. It is a story about love, family, and change. A warm and inviting play that will make you wish that you worked in an old fashioned cigar factory.

A well-made play with a Chekovian atmosphere
I saw this play on Broadway and later directed a staged reading of it in a University setting... it's really a lovely piece and grows on you the more you work with it. There are no weak parts -- seven strong characters all have significant roles (Eliades is a cameo, but can be doubled by Palomo). The setting (a cigar factory in 1929 Tampa) is unusual, as is the situation (the lector reads classic literature to the workers as they hand-roll cigars). While some of the script uses phrases that suggest classic Latino "magical realism", the real magic is in the experience of a group of people becoming lost in a piece of literature, as the Russia of Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" lives again in Florida. There is an abundance of romance along with social realism, as the cigar-rolling machines threaten a traditional way of life.
This play is best performed in an intimate space -- I recommend Spanish guitar music for the scene changes and comfortable seats for the audience to relax and soak up the language and Caribbean atmosphere of this poetic drama. It works on a lot of different levels and would be great to read in a classroom or use as the basis of a term paper. (I'm writing one now.)

A nice read, better to be seen
I was quite excited to read this play after hearing the playwright speak and read excerpts from it. However, I found out that this is a play better suited to be seen than read. Reading it cannot possibly capture the rhythm of the Cuban characters speech that Cruz has aptly recreated. [I should know, as I live in Miami] Cruz had done a lot of research on Ybor City, but it seemed to not come through as vividly as one might think. [I've been to the charming little city] Sure, one could easily find historical data that points to the lectors and Cuban cigar makers: but that is information easily found and known. Still, there are lines that are just plain beautiful and make the reader stop and say "Hmmm..." But in this writer's opinion, Cruz' "Beauty of the Father" is much more poetic, deeper, and beautiful. Maybe the Pulitzer should have gone to that one.

For this, a Pulitzer?
I have lived in Tampa most of my thirty eight years on this planet so I am instantly attracted to anything in The Tampa genre.
However, this play will put you to sleep. Its a pity because the Ybor City district of Tampa is ideally suited for a play especially one dealing with the history of cigars. Buy Nitol instead! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not just Family Fun...
Sarah Kane is anything but family friendly. Her plays are raw, brutal, and yet beautiful in an ironic way. She takes all of the hate that exists in this world and uses it to show us the beauty that can come from the ruble of a blown up building. There is no way to actually describe Sarah Kane to you to make you want to buy her book. I was forced to buy it because of a class at my college, but I don't think I'll be selling this one back. I never thought I would enjoy a play such as Blasted. If you want to understand what my review actually means, buy the book, read a couple of her pieces and then read this again. I'm sure you will understand then.

BRUTAL BUT BEAUTIFUL!
One of the strongest women writers that lived, she revolutionized theatre and her death was unfortunate robbed theatre of her potential. A Great collection of her complete work at a great price. Cleansed was my favorite in the collection. Her work is so poetic, stark, honest, painful, and brutal.

Traumatic, funny, devastating
These are the most electric scripts to arrive in a long while. Sadly, the source was snuffed in 1999. Kane's writing is at once repellent and seductive. "Blasted" is exceptional, riffing on Beckett blatantly, but still signature of a visionary voice: inyerface, exuberant, filthy, poetic, profound. As a debut, it is truly remarkable. "Phaedra's Love" and "Cleansed" push the envelope past the hyper-real into lightning-bright brilliance, and with thunderous emotional depth. How does one stage this stuff? Kane's challenging work sets the imagination--and ultimately, the soul--on fire.

A true poet of the theatre
Sarah Kane's plays present the horrors which characterize the world of the late 20th century. The plays contain scenes of incredible brutality. Ordinarily, I avoid violence in books, plays and films but these plays haunt me with the beauty of their generous humanity. Her last two plays--Crave and 4:48 Psychosis are beautiful poems of hopelessness. If you are interested in contemporary theatre, YOU MUST READ SARAH KANE. The story of her life and death, while unspeakably sad, should not overshadow the extraordinary talent of this gifted writer and remarkable human being. ... Read more

Book Description

Theoretically, the actor ought to be more sound in mind and body than other people, since he learns to understand the psychological problems of human beings when putting his own passions, his loves, fears, and rages to work in the service of the characters he plays. He will learn to face himself, to hide nothing from himself -- and to do so takes an insatiable curiosity about the human condition.
from the Prologue

Uta Hagen, one of the world's most renowned stage actresses, has also taught acting for more than forty years at the HB Studio in New York. Her first book, Respect for Acting, published in 1973, is still in print and has sold more than 150,000 copies. In her new book, A Challenge for the Actor, she greatly expands her thinking about acting in a work that brings the full flowering of her artistry, both as an actor and as a teacher. She raises the issue of the actor's goals and examines the specifics of the actor's techniques. She goes on to consider the actor's relationship to the physical and psychological senses. There is a brilliantly conceived section on the animation of the body and mind, of listening and talking, and the concept of expectation.

But perhaps the most useful sections in this book are the exercises that Uta Hagen has created and elaborated to help the actor learn his craft. The exercises deal with developing the actor's physical destination in a role; making changes in the self serviceable in the creation of a character; recreating physical sensations; bringing the outdoors on stage; finding occupation while waiting; talking to oneself and the audience; and employing historical imagination.

The scope and range of Uta Hagen here is extraordinary. Her years of acting and teaching have made her as finely seasoned an artist as the theatre has produced. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Total Must-Read
If you are a serious actor, you cannot claim skill without having read this classic. It will blow your acing mind.

actors, students, all must read and re-read this book
All I can say is that this is simply the most wonderful, intelligent, helpful and frank book on acting. Uta Hagen was a talented performer and teacher and every actor MUST own this book.

More like an updated edition, yes
My own acting teacher, who has herself been a student of Ms. Hagen's, has suggested that Ms. Hagen actually prefers that students of acting refer to this book rather than her previous one ('Respect for Acting'), because in it, not only does she expand on the ideas presented in the earlier work, but she also actually revises some of the ideas she presented in the first book.

Great follow up to Respect for Acting
After having read Respect for Acting, I had discovered that Ms Hagen had written another book. Immediately I went out and bought it. While I found it every bit as fascinating as the first I must say a lot of it is repeats from the first book. Even some of the wording is the same. That said, it is still a wonderful read. her ideas are more concise, her craft more honed, and her expansion well worth the cover price. I especially liked the first chapter where she discusses The Actor's World. Here she goes into a bit of history we all would be better off to know, and she tells a little more about herself. When she talks about the McCarthy hearings, and in particular her radio speecah afterwards, I was moved to tears. Her words on Edwin Booth have sparked my interest in him and the "Golden Era of the Actor." Uta has done it again. Now if only I could meet her.

More Like a Second Edition
Although the synopsis found above suggests this book is entirely new, looking at it as a second edition to her first acting book, RESPECT FOR ACTING, is probably more accurate. It is still full of the tangible practice techniques an actor needs, but it has been updated with additional sections her previous book didn't include. RESPECT FOR ACTING was separated into three parts: One-The Actor; Two-The Object Exercises; and Three-The Play and the Role. In A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR there are four parts: One-The Actor; Two-The Human Techniques; Three-The Exercises; and Four-The Role. Hagen doesn't simply rehash what she wrote in her first book; she's refined her techniques and expanded them. The two of her books used in conjunction might be the only reference books an actor needs on the craft of acting. First rate writing from one of the most revered and respected actresses to ever take the stage. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Dishing Hollywood: Recipe for Success
I highly recommend Dishing Hollywood The Real Scoop on Tinseltown's Most Notorious Scandals. Laurie Jacobson really knows her stuff and serves up heaping portions of scandal and intrigue of Hollywood's most notorious stars. I have read all of the author's books and Dishing Hollywood is Jacobson at her best. Jacobson brilliantly spins tale after sordid tale, "sprinkles" famous film quotes throughout each chapter and "tops" off with a recipe of the star's favorite dish (or, in some cases, their last meal!). Dishing Hollywood is a tasty treat, and I can't wait for Jacobson's next book!

Whatta Dish! A Collection of Hollywood Scandals Du Jour
I fortuitously fell into this little gem the day after xmas.....a belated "BEST" present to myself.
While I already own Jacobson's two other books and hold her in high regard, this book proves that she is only getting better as a film historian and writer.
She assumes a slick, quasi-cinema noir persona in her narrative and mixes in a Sandra Lee-like easy 'recipe' that takes a not too subtle slam at each of the scandals/stories she relates. The vanity of the 'dish' (aka scandal/tragedy/hard luck story) only enhances the general readability of this book. This is a novel approach that makes an already interesting product even more appealing. I kept thinking that the author did a terrific job with the material she was presenting.
Aside from the kidding around, this book is really rather fair and factual. The author knows her stuff and relies on knowledgeable sources to substantiate or refute claims made in the book.
My only criticism of this book is that I wish it had been longer and had covered some other stories that I find interesting and want to know more about. Hopefully there will be a follow-up to this book which will do that.
Anyway, this is a very good read and worth the $ and time spent reading it.

A shocking and lurid collection
Organized around the theme of food to the extent of featuring choice recipes with each biographical entry, Dishing Hollywood: The Real Scoop On Tinseltown's Most Notorious Scandals by television writer and producer Laurie Jacobson is a compelling look into more than forty tabloid-worthy exploits of Hollywood's stars ranging from the early twentieth century down to the present day. A shocking and lurid collection guaranteed to add spicy conversational anecdotes to one's Hollywood themed cooking, the recipes are as fun as the scandals are fascinating.

Wet your chops on this!!!
Fabulous book full of infamous celebrity events and some unknown ones as well. From Marilyn to Divine, the book is packed with juicy info. Their last meals,favorite foods,what they ate before they knocked someone off. It's all here, great read.

Damn! All that tragedy can make a girl hungry!
Rumors and myths about the some of the worlds most beloved stars shattered! Murder! Scintillating debauchery! Drug abuse!
And recipes too!

Jacobson pulls you in and takes you for a ride around the tawdry side of Tinseltown. Before you know it the book is done like a guilty cookie binge but alas you are left with the everlasting recipes. So moo down some more!

Whip up some goose liver pate and pretend you are Monty Clift. Fading away, hoping he will have his old beautiful face back up in heaven before La Liz had to save him in the wreck that smashed it.
Or wish a peaceful rest for the sweet Sharon Tate and her poor unborn baby over some cheese enchiladas. Sharon's last meal..

But that's just the book! Jacobson's writing style is a gas.
Imagine sitting down with a cigarette girl working Ciro's and having her tell alllll about Gary Cooper and his huge uh, salamie. (I'll save the thrills for the book.)
Unknown facts she's got but shy she's not!
Get this book! There is nothing else like it! ... Read more

Book Description

Used to teach beginning acting on more campuses than any other text, Acting One contains twenty-eight lessons based on experiential exercises. The text covers basic skills such as talking, listening, tactical interplay, physicalizing, building scenes, and making good choices. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great book from an insightful author
I have read through Cohen's "Theatre" and "Ac