As a student of the theatre (translation: I was a Thespian
in high school) (also, please note pretentious “re” spelling of theatre) I can appreciate the dedication and
craft that Steve Martin describes went into his stand-up act in his book Born Standing Up. I shouldn’t have been surprised, since I know
how much rehearsal goes into seemingly impromptu performances – both on the
stage and in business – but it was still kind of a surprise to learn how
studied his comedy was. Especially for a
guy with such a silly sense of humor.
If you are interested in comedy this is a quick, amusing
read. Though some parts are funny
because he is describing his act or a bit self-deprecating, it isn’t meant to
be a laugh out loud book. It is a rather
frank description of his 18-year journey as a stand-up comedian (and amateur
banjo player) that led to him being a “wild and craaaaazy guy!”
And, lady readers especially, this book does not dive into a
behind the scenes look at Father of the
Bride. The movie isn’t even
mentioned. So if you read this just be
prepared for that.
Theatre may be considered pretentious in the U.S. but to most other English-speaking peoples (Canada, Britain, Australia, and so on) around the world, it's just the way it's spelled. I didn't know we were coming across as pretentious so I might have to reconsider my stand on how much the Internet is going to push my Americanization. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI am rather proud of my worldly, sophisticated spelling! Thanks for reading, Debbie.
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