In these four lectures Peter Hall reveals a lifetime of discoveries about classical theatre; Shakespeare; opera and modern drama. The central argument is that form and structured language paradoxically give freedom to power of thought and feeling; much as the masks of early Greek drama enabled actors to express extreme emotion. The mask may take many forms ndash; the precise language of Beckett and Pinter; the classical form of Mozartrsquo;s operas; or Shakespearersquo;s verse. Reprinted to form part of the Oberon Masters series; a brand new collection of attractive hardbacks on key themes within the arts written by leading lights in each subject. lsquo;The wisest and most stimulating short book about theatre since Peter Brookrsquo;s The Empty Space - Charles Spencer; Sunday Telegraph
#775637 in eBooks 2012-06-26 2012-06-26File Name: B008ET9FQE
Review
87 of 88 people found the following review helpful. Its a nightmare. to be sure -- dont waste your money!By D BatchelorA quick search of "Dave Thompson in Books" on shows that he punches out. er. "biographies" faster than the Octomom punches out babies. Alice Cooper is my favorite rock star and has been since I discovered him in 1989 (yes. Im one of the younger fans - I am three months younger than the Killer album).Needless to say. Ive been soaking up anything about Alice for over 20 years. Do I know everything? Absolutely not. Do I know more than the average fan? You bet. Do I know more than Dave Thompson? It looks that way.When I heard about this book. of course I wanted to read it. Within minutes of ripping the box open and flipping through the pages of Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare. a nightmare of my own set in - this book is fraught with factual errors that people will take as truth. And as a writer. I wont even get into the horrific editing oversights I found.A sampling of the errors I saw in this *cough. cough* "ultimate Alice Cooper biography":1. The book includes photos. the caption of one of which states. "Alice in concert not long after he gave up alcohol. December 2001." This is wrong. Alice gave up drinking for good around 1983. By 2001 hed been sitting quite comfortably on the wagon and was in fact driving.2. In listing the guest artists on Hey Stoopid. Thompson included "...Ozzy Osbourne. Rob Halford. Joe Satriani..." This is wrong. Rob Halford wasnt on Hey Stoopid unless they forgot to credit him in the liner notes. which I seriously doubt. What may be causing confusion here is that shortly after Hey Stoopids release in 1991. Alice co-headlined the "Operation Rock `n Roll" tour with Judas Priest.3. "Hey Stoopid was the last album Alice Cooper Rock Star would ever make. From hereon [sic -- FIRE THE EDITOR!!] in. he would simply be Alice Cooper..." I have no words. I am at a loss as to what this truly means. not to mention the grammatical error - and this isnt the only one in the book.4. "The birth of his third child and second daughter in January 1993..." This is wrong. She was born in December 1992.5. "...three decades after Vince Furnier was threatened with expulsion from the local school system for the crime of not cutting his hair. his son Damien was preparing to enter it..." This is wrong. Alices sons name is Dash. short for Dashiell.Apparently Dave Thompson is trying to make money by haphazardly collecting and assembling pieces of interviews from hither and yon. tossing in some pictures with suspect captions and calling it a book. Alice appears to be the latest in a long line of many. In short. do not waste your money on this attempt at relaying Alice Cooper history. If thats what you want. youll need Alices definitive biography "Alcohol and Razor Blades. Poison and Needles: The Glorious Wretched Excess of Alice Cooper. All-American" written by Jeffrey Morgan. included in Warner Brothers 1999 box set The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper (1). Good luck finding that - and no. you cannot have mine.1. The Jeffrey Morgan Story. Jeffrey Morgan: official biographer of Alice Cooper The Stooges. Retrieved August 12. 2012. from [...]6 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Mixed BagBy melodygoddessI thought I knew a lot about the original band period but this book tells stories Ive never heard before. I do recommend it. There arent a lot of books about Alice Cooper out there. It goes all the way up to the original bands induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. There are some great back stories.Alice cooper fans can play "Find the Factual Errors" game with this book.I wish the author had somebody check the facts.A couple Ill mention: page 160 - Dick Wagner is seen playing in the wings on the Billion Dollar babies tour. It wasnt Dick Wagner. It was Mick Mashbir. Dick did play on the album as a guest player.Page 179 - In the late 60s. Sound records wanted to sign the group if only they would drop the lead singer Vince/Alice. Who is Sound Records? I believe Mercury records was meant.Because of this and many other detail errors many fans have already stated they will not purchase this book. I can certainly understand that. Its too bad because 90% of the book is good and illuminating. Im glad I purchased it.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. its okayBy Spencer B. ClarkOverlong and loquacious. this bio goes to ridiculous depths to describe songs and attitudes. However. it does pair nicely with Golf Monster because we learn more about the other members of the band and a different point of view of the event where Alice broke off with the band (which Golf Monster gloms over and simplifies).
