Take care, be kind, be considerate of other people & other species, & be loving.
John Lithgow
I loved this book. Writing a memoir can be a treacherous task. I have been writing mine for the past 3 years,using this little spot on the Internet. I have been tempted, on occasion, to rewrite my life, as if I could do it all over again, seeking to justify prior actions, even the unjustifiable. But instead, I have been offering up the truth. Some memoirs withhold so much they drain the story of all interest.
Professional actors have an additional challenge: their fame gathers an audience, but their skill stirs skepticism.
John Lithgow's Memoir- Drama could be read as a one-man show. A theatrical performance. Filled with many photographs, Drama brings you through Lithgow's theatre career in great depth. If you love the theater, you'll enjoy this book immensely. It dissects the many characters he has played, gossips other cast members, talks about the preparations for productions, & brings you through to opening night & beyond.
Admirably, Lithgow gives it all, displaying himself, flaws & all. The first 1/3 of the book, I thought he seemed like a perfect boy who never gave trouble; but later, a frail human side shows through, & the author shares the things he learned about himself along the way, including drug use, nervous breakdowns & adultery. Lithgow & I seem to have a great deal in common, except his story is wrapped around a successful career, with Tony wins & Oscar nominations. Mine goes from supporting roles in regional theatre, some commercials & tiny parts in TV & film, to last summer’s solo show in my back garden- The Seven Ages of Steve.
Drama begins & ends with recollections of his father Arthur Lithgo, an actor, director & producer of note, has an ongoing place in his son's development.
Like me though, Lithgow does not hold back featuring his own failings & failures. He holds the view that to an artist, everything in life can be used to advance understanding. He is smart leave his own ego’s needs out of the picture until there is a payoff, usually at his expense.
Serendipity placed him at Harvard at the zenith of the Camelot moment. He could not have known that he was experiencing the end of an era. His first freshman semester was jarred by the Kennedy assassination in Dallas; his final senior semester was bracketed by the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
His memories of Harvard are warm but not sentimental: "However you responded to the pressures of the place, one thing was clear: to thrive at Harvard, or even to survive there, you must stake out some domain where you can succeed, & move into it like an invading army."
Lithgow’s combination of drive & desire to learn & develop are the trough-line of the book, which focuses on his early years of struggle & accomplishment. Though the chronological thrust of the book ends with the late 1970s, he intersperses subsequent developments throughout. It was at this point that he found happiness in a marriage that has endured the subsequent 3 decades.
The Husband & I saw Lithgow on Broadway in the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. We loved the show & his performance was delicious. He has been a favorite sense we saw him in The World According To Garp. I recommend this book highly. Lithgow's messages are of broader reach. Drama shares the wisdom of a master of the art of living.
Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug.
John Lithgow
I loved this book. Writing a memoir can be a treacherous task. I have been writing mine for the past 3 years,using this little spot on the Internet. I have been tempted, on occasion, to rewrite my life, as if I could do it all over again, seeking to justify prior actions, even the unjustifiable. But instead, I have been offering up the truth. Some memoirs withhold so much they drain the story of all interest.
Professional actors have an additional challenge: their fame gathers an audience, but their skill stirs skepticism.
John Lithgow's Memoir- Drama could be read as a one-man show. A theatrical performance. Filled with many photographs, Drama brings you through Lithgow's theatre career in great depth. If you love the theater, you'll enjoy this book immensely. It dissects the many characters he has played, gossips other cast members, talks about the preparations for productions, & brings you through to opening night & beyond.
Admirably, Lithgow gives it all, displaying himself, flaws & all. The first 1/3 of the book, I thought he seemed like a perfect boy who never gave trouble; but later, a frail human side shows through, & the author shares the things he learned about himself along the way, including drug use, nervous breakdowns & adultery. Lithgow & I seem to have a great deal in common, except his story is wrapped around a successful career, with Tony wins & Oscar nominations. Mine goes from supporting roles in regional theatre, some commercials & tiny parts in TV & film, to last summer’s solo show in my back garden- The Seven Ages of Steve.
Drama begins & ends with recollections of his father Arthur Lithgo, an actor, director & producer of note, has an ongoing place in his son's development.
Like me though, Lithgow does not hold back featuring his own failings & failures. He holds the view that to an artist, everything in life can be used to advance understanding. He is smart leave his own ego’s needs out of the picture until there is a payoff, usually at his expense.
Serendipity placed him at Harvard at the zenith of the Camelot moment. He could not have known that he was experiencing the end of an era. His first freshman semester was jarred by the Kennedy assassination in Dallas; his final senior semester was bracketed by the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
His memories of Harvard are warm but not sentimental: "However you responded to the pressures of the place, one thing was clear: to thrive at Harvard, or even to survive there, you must stake out some domain where you can succeed, & move into it like an invading army."
Lithgow’s combination of drive & desire to learn & develop are the trough-line of the book, which focuses on his early years of struggle & accomplishment. Though the chronological thrust of the book ends with the late 1970s, he intersperses subsequent developments throughout. It was at this point that he found happiness in a marriage that has endured the subsequent 3 decades.
The Husband & I saw Lithgow on Broadway in the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. We loved the show & his performance was delicious. He has been a favorite sense we saw him in The World According To Garp. I recommend this book highly. Lithgow's messages are of broader reach. Drama shares the wisdom of a master of the art of living.
Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug.
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