Mae West

Mae West
Author: Jill Watts
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2003-04-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780195347678

"Why don't you come up and see me sometime?" Mae West invited and promptly captured the imagination of generations. Even today, years after her death, the actress and author is still regarded as the pop archetype of sexual wantonness and ribald humor. But who was this saucy starlet, a woman who was controversial enough to be jailed, pursued by film censors and banned from the airwaves for the revolutionary content of her work, and yet would ascend to the status of film legend? Sifting through previously untapped sources, author Jill Watts unravels the enigmatic life of Mae West, tracing her early years spent in the Brooklyn subculture of boxers and underworld figures, and follows her journey through burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway and, finally, Hollywood, where she quickly became one of the big screen's most popular--and colorful--stars. Exploring West's penchant for contradiction and her carefully perpetuated paradoxes, Watts convincingly argues that Mae West borrowed heavily from African American culture, music, dance and humor, creating a subversive voice for herself by which she artfully challenged society and its assumptions regarding race, class and gender. Viewing West as a trickster, Watts demonstrates that by appropriating for her character the black tradition of double-speak and "signifying," West also may have hinted at her own African-American ancestry and the phenomenon of a black woman passing for white. This absolutely fascinating study is the first comprehensive, interpretive account of Mae West's life and work. It reveals a beloved icon as a radically subversive artist consciously creating her own complex image.

Word Searches For Dummies

Word Searches For Dummies
Author: Denise Sutherland
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2009-05-11
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 0470453664

A travel-friendly puzzle-packed book that keeps the brain in shape One of the best ways to exercise the mind is through word and logic games like word searches and Sudoku. Studies have shown that doing word searches frequently can help prevent diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. Word Searches For Dummies is a great way to strengthen the mind and keep the brain active plus, it's just plain fun! This unique guide features several different types of word searches that take readers beyond simply circling the answer: secret shape word searches, story word searches, listless word searches, winding words, quiz word searches, and more. It provides a large number of puzzles at different levels that will both test and exercise the mind while keeping the reader entertained for hours.

The Complete Book of 2000s Broadway Musicals

The Complete Book of 2000s Broadway Musicals
Author: Dan Dietz
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017
Genre: Musicals
ISBN: 9781442278004

In this book, Dan Dietz examines in detail every musical that opened on Broadway during the 2000s, including Avenue Q, Billy Elliott, The Full Monty, In the Heights, Jersey Boys, Mary Poppins, Next to Normal, The Producers, Rock of Ages, Spamalot, Spring Awakening, The 25th An...

The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases

The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases
Author: Martin H. Manser
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008
Genre: English language
ISBN: 9780816070350

Provides pronunciations, origins, and meanings for words and phrases from foreign sources, ranging from everyday terms to words in the news and the specialized languages of cooking, music, the arts, and the law.

The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals

The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals
Author: Dan Dietz
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 597
Release: 2015-09-03
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1442251662

The 1970s was an exciting decade for musical theatre. Besides shows from legends Stephen Sondheim (Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, and Sweeney Todd) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita), old-fashioned musicals (Annie) and major revivals (No, No, Nanette) became hits. In addition to underappreciated shows like Over Here! and cult musicals such as The Grass Harp and Mack and Mabel, Broadway audiences were entertained by black musicals on the order of The Wiz and Raisin. In The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals, Dan Dietz examines in detail every musical that opened on Broadway during the 1970s. In addition to including every hit and flop that debuted during the decade, this book highlights revivals and personal-appearance revues with such performers as Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Bette Midler, and Gilda Radner. Each entry includes the following information: Opening and closing dates Plot summaries Cast members Number of performances Names of all important personnel including writers, composers, directors, choreographers, producers, and musical directors Musical numbers and the names of performers who introduced the songs Production data, including information about tryouts Source material Critical commentary Tony awards and nominations Details about London and other foreign productions Besides separate entries for each production, the book offers numerous appendixes, including a discography, filmography, and published scripts, as well as lists of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, black-themed shows, and Jewish-themed productions. A treasure trove of information, The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals provides readers with a comprehensive view of each show. This significant resource will be of use to scholars, historians, and casual fans of one of the greatest decades in musical theatre history.