Pull Back the Curtain and See Vaudeville
586041
Wow! I don't know what I was expecting when I requested this galley from NetGalley, but I don't think a mystery was even on my radar. I was both surprised and intrigued.
Kristy takes you behind the curtain of a vaudeville illusionist. We learn about Wren and her experiences as an apprentice to the great Harry Houdini. Wren has a gentle faith that draws you to her immediately. You cheer for her and cry with her.
Kristy brings the vaudeville time period alive. The sights, sounds, are vivid and real. I enjoyed this book tremendously and highly recommend it!
2287124
I stumbled upon this show late one night while flipping channels. Mr. Izzard's sort of three-quarters drag getup caught my attention, along with the fact that he was performing in French! The program was almost over (don't worry--only the encore was performed, and only partially, in French), so I immediately set my TiVo to record the next showing. After seeing the whole thing, I loved it so much I bought the DVD.

Mr. Izzard's comedy is for people who know a lot about history, politics, art, language and human nature. The best lines have all been quoted here already (at least the ones in English--his French rendition of a few of the show's best bits is hysterical, even if you only speak very basic high school French). But zingers aren't the point of this show. It's a wise, humanist look at western history and culture from a wonderfully odd, if informed, perspective. It's worth owning because, unlike most standup, it bears repeated viewing, revealing new gems each time.
3334070
It was great to see so many of these acts in their prime!

I used to watch the Midnight Special most of the time but I have admit I didn't see all of them. And since it was so long ago (close to 25 years - my god where does all the time run away to?) I wouldn't remember most of them anyway!

Video was very good and sound was not half bad. If you can pick these up for 10 to $15 and was at least a teenager during the late 70's or early 1980's you will enjoy these. Of course you will probably not like every single act but it will be worth it anyway. Besides, your musical tastes may be at least a little different plus it was fun to see even those who I didn't care for - even if it was to make fun of them!

I've played these, for the most part, outdoors on my 10 foot screen. That way it's more like being there and you can crank the sound a little higher as well.

I would rate this one 8.0 to 8.50 - fun to watch and I enjoyed them a lot. Recommended!
770225
This is smart comedy, the kind that comes back around on itself later in the performance. The show is laid out in 3 parts: the 1st half is the Old Testament, the 2nd half is the New Testament and the encore is the Book of Revelation. It's quirky, and a mild appreciation of British humour will help to make it even funnier.  If you don't like British humour, he's still funny, but you might find some parts a little out there or just stupid.  I didn't.  This guy is hilarious.  He is a cross-dresser though, so if you have issues with that, you'll need to get past it to really enjoy the performance.
4653689
Although an old taping, this is a favorite in our home.  Own both the DVD and the CD.  In today's world, would miss seeing the ladies perform, as it appears the current performers  are all gentlemen.  And, of course, the loss of Dawn Sears would be an unfillable roll.
3507366
Over the centuries, entertainment has evolved from court jesters in palaces of kings to today's standups on Comedy Central. In between came sometimes all-encompassing modes of entertaining audiences of all sizes and backgrounds. Vaudeville was the all-important link between minstrels and circuses of the early 1800s to radio and television. While this is not a comprehensive history (see Joe Laurie, Jr. for that), A Pictorial History of Vaudeville enables the reader to see the faces and costumes of the top acts in vaudeville, and so it serves as an ideal complement to Joe Laurie, Jr.'s Vaudeville: From Honky Tonks to the Palace. I certainly would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of entertainment, or in becoming entertainers themselves.
3886740
Even if you're just an enthusiastic consumer/supporter of theatre, this book will be a fun peek behind the curtains.
623815
This is a cute short film from the Great Depression era. It's easy to imagine a theatre full of rumpled children laughing at the slapstick gags and irrepressible  pandemonium. 4 yr. old Shirley Temple has a minor role, but she's a dimpled dynamo in banana curls. Watch her steal the antics-filled radio show segment with her sparkling Satchmo impression on tiptoe. Lots of wacky mayhem served up with squirting donuts, a one-room schoolhouse and a side of radio days nostalgia.
4742498
This is great because it is so unpretentious-- a crowd pleasing musical farce based on Al Capp's popular comic strip.  The gorgeous 50's pin-up style women are especially true to their source (and Julie Newmar really earns the name "Stupefyin' Jones").  Leslie Parish makes a luminous Daisy May, and Peter Palmer is the biggest, brawniest baritone Abner you could imagine.  Mammy and Pappy are also great, but the weirdest impersonation has got to be Eagle-Eye Fleagle-- that guy moves like a cartoon!  The plot is as kooky as one of Capp's Sunday half-page strips.  Kind of corny but lively, with very athletic dancing by various hillbilly-clad young Broadway performers.  The only flaw is its stagey-ness and flat lighting with multiple shadows on the studio floor.  Still, with Gen. Bullmoose, Marryin' Sam (Stubby Kaye), Mooshine McSine, the Scraggs and a lot of plot convolutions, it is a very satisfying fable.
289707
Here's a quick review.  I loved the performances on here.  Its great to see Emo Phillips in rare form.  You have Monty Python, Beyond the Fringe, Spitting Image, and many others.  You have music performances by Sting, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, Chet Atkins, and Lou Reed.  Yet, it shows that this is not the complete films when you have one of the best performers not even shown on stage: Billy Connolly.  I loved his material from the Secret Policeman's Ball from 1979.  Its a shame that he has been almost redacted from the films except for a prominent mention in the featurette on the fourth disc.  This is pretty much the biggest reason why it doesn't deserve five stars in my opinion.  Had they had the decency to include the Big Yin, this would be a sure-fire five star.  If you ever see the full 1979 concert on VHS, you'll see what I mean.
1951443
I haven't seen the show Wicked yet, bit I am aware that the show is currently playing in Chicago, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, my family actually did have tickets to see this show, but we coudln't go the night that we had tickets for, and still haven't see it sinmce, so I don't know when I will see the show, even through I won't see the orginal cast, but it opened here, with the idea to keep it here as long as people liked it, and didn't get tired of it playing here, it actually opened wqith a different cast, that plated until mid June, which then had closed for 10 days, and opened with a Chicago cast. Kristin Chenoweth was apart of the orginal broadway cast, when it opened in New York, at the end of 2003, and they recored this cd and brought it. I bought a copy, but let me warn you that while the is 2 hours and 43 minutes, with a 15 minute intermission, the cd is 71 minutes long, but I also own a copy of Monty Python' Spamalot, and All Shook Up, and both are shorter then 60 mintues, so if you are in a hurry and want to hear the orginal broadway cast, those 2 cds will be better to listen to if you only have an hour to listneing to a broadway show. Stephen Oremus, who later did All Shook Up, that played in Chicago in Previews before oepnning offically in New York, is the Conductor and Director, but I think he is the musical director of the show, but I bet it would have been nice to see the broadway show with the orfinal cast, but it opened in New York, and that would be a far place to see the show. If you can spear 72 minutes of your life, then I urge you to take a listen to this show. But if you are in that much of a hurry then I reccoemend Spmalalot (if you also wanted to hear famous people's voices) or All Shook Up, Spamalot is almost 53 minutes long, and All Shook Up is almost 59 minutes long. But these are some good cds to listen to of the broadway cast, and that would be the orginal cast.
3979760
This is a well known comedy of the silent era starring Collenn Moore.  It you haven't figured it out, Ella CInders is a modern Cinderella story.  The main character through a phony beauty contest gets a ticket to Hollywood to become a star, only to find out that the role she was promised does not exist.  Yet she manages slowly and accidentally to get ahead.  In other words, it is a satire of Hollywoodd (90 years ago but in msny ways of Hollywood ever since) and the glamour surrounding it.  It is easy to see that it was no accident that Colleen Moore became a star
562160
Its like reading a funny Penthouse forum article with Tokyos red light district as the background. I highly recommend it to comedy fans and perverts.
4954264
George Carlin was a pioneer in comedy. Along with Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder, Carlin helped change the text of comedy. Challenging the Status Quo by not playing safe with material, Carlin made people listen and think. Class Clown is great for those of us who were around in the 1970's We can remember and relate to the majority of the material. It is a must have CD for any collector of proper comedy, but if you are a novice I suggest you go for Carlin's later stuff. This recording speaks of the Vietnam war, so if you are too young to remember 'Nam then this CD may not be for you. A nice walk down memory lane with many laughs, but not for everyone.
1147699
You have to have a very open sense of humor to enjoy this type of show. It could easily offend some audiences.
1946461
understand, ye who walk into this theater, that without a clear awareness of the object absurdity of human existance, you will not be amused.  this statment by one of few true masters in the art of film is a flawed masterpiece of black humor.  if you have ever looked at life around you and for a moment thought about how ridiculous it all is then i highly suggest you expose yourself to this gloriously honest manipulation of the senses.
1650124
Some acts are extremely funny, some are annoying and obnoxious. Just depends on your sense of humor, but you can only laugh so much