Category Archives: Book/Media Reviews
TLA Celebrates Book Awards Winners in New York
Hello TLA Members and Friends! TLA had a busy Fall, with some wonderful events in New York, including the annual Book Awards ceremony, which was held at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on October 14th. We began the evening with some mingling and refreshments (including snacks generously donated by Grandaisy Bakery). […]
Book Review: Some Enchanted Evenings: The Glittering Life and Times of Mary Martin
Some Enchanted Evenings: The Glittering Life and Times of Mary Martin David Kaufman New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2016 ISBN 978-1250031754 420 pp. David Kaufman brings readers a lively new journey through the career and personal life of an iconic star who enchanted audiences for decades both on stage and via the small […]
Theatre Library Association Announces 2015 Book Award Winners!
The Theatre Library Association is proud to announce the TLA Book Award winners for English language works of scholarship on theatre, film, and broadcasting, published in 2015. The 2015 George Freedley Memorial Award for an exemplary work in the field of live theatre or performance will be awarded to Terry Alford for Fortune’s Fool: The […]
Book Review: Then and Now, a Memoir
Then and Now: a Memoir Barbara Cook with Tom Santopietro New York, NY: Harper, 2016 ISBN 978-0062090461 256 p. The word “legend” is applied with casual abandon these days. A recent New York Times ad hailed Idina Menzel as a “legend” with all of two Broadway shows under her belt. Taking nothing away from […]
Book Review: A Girl’s Got to Breathe: The Life of Teresa Wright
A Girl’s Got to Breathe: The Life of Teresa Wright Donald Spoto Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2016 ISBN 978-1628460452 263 p. Movie and Broadway stars come in all sizes and shapes. A rare few excel both on screen and the live stage, all of which makes the strange case of Teresa Wright (1918-2005) […]
Book Review: The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built
The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built. Jack Viertel New York, NY: Sarah Crichton Books, 2016 ISBN 978-0374256920 336 p. Even long-time Shubert Alley denizens will be entertained and enlightened by veteran producer/dramaturge Viertel’s keen yet charming explication and analysis of the inner workings of a typical Broadway musical. The […]
LAST CALL FOR 2015 TLA BOOK AWARD NOMINATIONS
Hello from the TLA Book Awards Committee! For the past several months we’ve been receiving nominations and submissions for the TLA Book Awards, honoring English language works of scholarship on theatre, film, and broadcasting, published in 2015. We’ve also been busily dispatching the submitted books to our jurors, who’ve already started the review process. But […]
Book Review: Master of Ceremonies, a Memoir
Master of Ceremonies: A Memoir Joel Grey, with Rebecca Paley New York, NY: Flatiron Books, 2016 ISBN 978-1250057235 256 pp. In this outstanding autobiography, the Tony- and Academy Award-winning actor shares his eventful life on the stage and beyond. His slow but steady road to stardom is engagingly described, including candid discussion of his equally […]
Book Review: Why Theatre Matters: Urban Youth, Engagement, and a Pedagogy of the Real
Why Theatre Matters: Urban Youth, Engagement, and a Pedagogy of the Real Kathleen Gallagher Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 2014 ISBN 978-1-442-62694-2 320 pp. The mere title of Kathleen Gallagher’s new book, Why Theatre Matters, impelled me to read it immediately. Gallagher, who is not a theatre practitioner herself, but a pedagogic and […]
Book Review: Joy Ride: Show People and Their Shows
Joy Ride: Show People and Their Shows John Lahr New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co., 2015 ISBN 9780393246407 592 pp. This engaging collection of profiles and reviews written by John Lahr for The New Yorker during the past twenty years will indeed be a joy ride for those interested in theatre and, […]