ldquo;Not a mirror but a magnifying glassrdquo;mdash;such; in the poet Mayakovskyrsquo;s words; was the theater of Vsevolod Meyerhold. The first to insist on the primacy of the directorrsquo;s role; indeed the first to conceive of it as a role; this passionately dedicated Russian director tore down the fourth wall and forced the actors and audience together into one inescapable community of experience.Yet Meyerhold recorded few of his theories in writing; and the intensity and brilliance of his work must be recaptured through the actors and artists who helped create the performances. Focusing on Meyerholdrsquo;s postrevolutionary career; Paul Schmidt has assembled in this book journals; letters; reminiscences; and; of special interest; actual rehearsal notes that build a fascinating; intimate picture of Meyerhold as a theorist and as a man.Included are Meyerholdrsquo;s frantic notes to his teacher; friend; and becirc;te noire Stanislavsky; detailed descriptions of how he trained his actors in ldquo;biomechanicsrdquo;; and memories by such students as Eisenstein and such friends as Pasternak and Ehrenburg. One chapter deals with Meyerholdrsquo;s never-realized conception of Boris Godunov; while another describes his direction of Camille; which starred Zinaida Raikh; his wife; and which played its 725th and last performance on the day Stalinrsquo;s government liquidated Meyerholdrsquo;s theater. Paul Schmidtrsquo;s introduction and headnotes enhance our understanding of Meyerhold as a pioneer of modern theater.
2014-12-09 2014-12-09File Name: B00QV9XY84
Review
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful. A Detailed Story of the Winter Dance PartyBy Bill EmblomAuthor Larry Lehmer has provided readers with a very detailed story of the events that led up to the deaths of early rock and roll stars Buddy Holly; Ritchie Valens; J. P. Richardson; and pilot Roger Peterson. Individual chapters are provided on each individual and a thorough description of the various cities the rock stars visited during the Winter Dance Party in the Upper Midwest beginning in January of 1959. Due to inadequate bus transportation with little or no heat; the three singers decided to charter an airplane from Clear Lake; Iowa; to Fargo; North Dakota; for their next performance in Moorhead; Minnesota; to arrive early and get some needed rest. The crash of the airplane was due to poor flying conditions and the inadequate skills of the pilot in flying by instruments. The author explores other theories such as a fight on the plane or; incredibly; Buddy Holly shooting the pilot. Author Lehmer also provides a great deal of information on the airplane that was used and what has become of the arenas the singers used for their performances in each of the visited cities. Numerous photos of the singers during this Winter Dance Tour and of the crash site are also provided. Some readers may feel they are being told more than they want to know about this subject; but the author has done an incredible job in covering this story of this incident and what rock and roll was like during the late 1950s.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Highly Readable; Touching Account of the Winter Dance Party TourBy Valerie J. WoodThe Day the Music Died is quite frankly; to date; the most touching; comprehensive; detailed and complete account of the ill-fated Winter Dance Party tour that Buddy Holly; Richie Valens; and J.P.(The Big Bopper) Richardson embarked on in January 1959; which resulted in the well known plane crash that took their lives; as well as that of the young pilot; Roger Peterson. It tells the story of each of the singers--wildly popular Buddy Holly; age 22; young Richie Valens; who was touring with his chart topping hit; Oh; Donna; and the Big Bopper; of Chantilly Lace fame. The Winter Dance Party tour became a grueling road trip from hell; as the singers were booked on ancient (even for 1959!) buses that broke down; had no heat; and allowed for little or no rest in-between gigs. Author Larry Lehmer has done an outstanding job of recounting the trip with a comprehensive view of the individuals involved. It gives an excellent feel for the personalities and the events involved; particularly for someone like me who was only a couple of months old at the time of the crash. There are several excellent bios of Holly and Valens out there; and they also do a good job in recounting the entire lives; The Day the Music Died concentrates on the Winter Dance Party and the crash and discusses the various theories involved as to what caused it.The author has done an amazing job of capturing the essence of the persons involved; as well as the sequence of events leading up to The Day the Music Died.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great Book!By Charles Mays IIIThe author did a tremendous amount of research on this book.It fully covers the Winter Dance Tour and brings to life again the Big Bopper;Buddy Holly and Richie Valens. The author also explores the possibility that Hollyshot the pilot and maybe was even flying the plane!
