Out of character
£25.00The first memoir from the national treasure, critically acclaimed actress and much-loved Gavin and Stacey star.
Showing 1–12 of 13 resultsSorted by latest
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Shakespeare
£10.99Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig. Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green. Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head. These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare. Here, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra.
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The young pretender
£9.99Mobbed by the masses, lionised by the aristocracy, courted by royalty and lusted after by patrons of both sexes, the child actor William Henry West Betty was one of the most famous people in Georgian Britain. At the age of thirteen, he played leading roles, including Romeo, Macbeth and Richard III, in theatres across the country. Prime Minister William Pitt adjourned the House of Commons so that its members could attend his debut as Hamlet at Covent Garden. Then, as rivals turned on him and scandal engulfed him, he suffered a fall as merciless as his rise had been meteoric. The Young Pretender takes place during Betty’s attempted comeback at the age of twenty-one. As he seeks to relaunch his career, he is forced to confront the painful truths behind his boyhood triumphs.
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Masquerade
£30.00The voice, the dressing-gown, the cigarette in its holder, remain unmistakable. There is rarely a week when one of ‘Private Lives’, ‘Hay Fever’, and ‘Blithe Spirit’ is not in production somewhere in the world. Phrases from Noël Coward’s songs – ‘Mad About The Boy’, ‘Mad Dogs and Englishman’ – are forever lodged in the public consciousness. He was at one point the most highly paid author in the world. Yet some of his most striking and daring writing remains unfamiliar. As T.S. Eliot said, in 1954, ‘there are things you can learn from Noël Coward that you won’t learn from Shakespeare’. In Oliver Soden’s story-packed book, the master finally gets his due.
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A Dancer’s Dream
£8.99With exquisite illustrations from the incomparable Lizzy Steward – winner of the Waterstone’s Book Prize - A Dancer’s Dream is a glorious retelling of The Nutcracker, and the perfect Christmas gift.
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Stars and Spies
£10.99Here is a hugely entertaining and original history of the interplay between spying and showbiz, featuring Marlowe and Shakespeare, but focusing mostly on the twentieth century, the golden era of the Cold War and up to the present day.
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Shooting Martha
£9.99Celebrated director Jack Drake can’t get through his latest film (his most personal yet) without his wife Martha’s support. The only problem is, she’s dead. When Jack sees Betty Dean – actress, mother, trainwreck – playing the part of a crazed nun on stage in an indie production of The Devils, he is struck dumb by her resemblance to Martha. Desperate to find a way to complete his masterpiece, he hires her to go and stay in his house in France and resuscitate Martha in the role of ‘loving spouse’. But as Betty spends her days roaming the large, sunlit rooms of Jack’s mansion – filled to the brim with odd treasures and the occasional crucifix – and her evenings playing the part of Martha over scripted video calls with Jack, she finds her method acting taking her to increasingly dark places.
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Stars and Spies
£20.00Here is a hugely entertaining and original history of the interplay between spying and showbiz, featuring Marlowe and Shakespeare, but focusing mostly on the twentieth century, the golden era of the Cold War and up to the present day.
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Break a Leg
£9.99This is the story of amateur dramatics in Britain. In a triumphant mix of memoir, social history, interviews and manifesto, Jenny Landreth opens our eyes to am-dram and shows us a vibrant world that is a crucial part of our culture. Starting with the Mystery Plays of the Middle Ages, we move, via Shakespeare, to the Georgian aristocrats who built opulent private theatres in their own homes, then to the halcyon days of radical lefties taking political theatre to the streets, and on to the present day. Along the way, we visit several thriving theatres – across the country, and beyond our shores – and meet a cast of characters who tell us about the joy amateur theatre brings them.
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A Dancer’s Dream
£14.99Written by Katherine Woodfine, author of The Sinclair Mysteries, and illustrated by the incomparable Lizzy Steward, winner of the Waterstone’s Book Prize, A Dancer’s Dream is a sumptuous retelling of The Nutcracker. With Stunningly high-spec design, including two foils and a jacketed hardback, this irresistible book is the perfect gift for all would-be ballerinas everywhere and the perfect Christmas gift!Â
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London Theatres (New Edition)
£35.00Leading drama critic Michael Coveney invites you on a tour of over 50 of London’s most iconic and important theatres, with stories of the architecture and the productions which have defined each one. Sumptuous photographs by Peter Dazeley of the public areas, auditoriums and backstage areas complete the picture.
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Covering McKellen: An Understudy’s Tale
£8.99Punctuated with hilarious celebrity anecdotes, insightful travelling tales, and lessons for any aspiring thespian, David Weston deftly lifts the curtain on the Royal Shakepeare Company’s King Lear tour and reveals the chaos underneath.