Why I Love Books About Theatre People

Earlier today, I picked up a book by the actor, Joseph Cotton. If you’ve seen CITIZEN KANE, THE THIRD MAN, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, PORTRAIT OF JENNIE or any number of his other films you’ll recognize the name. His book is titled VANITY WILL GET YOU SOMEWHERE and it is an autobiography. But although he is likely best remembered for those films I mentioned, he began his career in the theater. His accounts of working for David Belasco, the legendary producer and director; his memories of starring in radio and helping to found the Mercury Theatre with Orson Welles; his stories of acting with Katherine Hepburn, his co-star in the Theatre Guild premiere of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY—all of these filled me with joy. As I set the book down to make my supper, I was struck by a thought: what was it that made these books so tantalizing to me?

I can’t remember the first biography I ever read but I know I’ve been reading them since I was in Junior High School. That’s when I was bitten by the acting bug (see my earlier blog, The Day I Knew I Wanted To Be An Actor) and, once I was, I wanted to know everything I could about this new found obsession, especially the people, the actors and actresses, who had made their lives on the stage. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and our public library was stocked with a large collection of plays and books about every aspect of the theatre. I inhaled the plays. I used to take three or four out at a time, devour them and return them for a new batch within a day or two. I was able to work my way from Albee all the way through to Williams with alacrity. But the biographies were a different story. These I would take my time with, savoring each one. In trying to think why that was, it occurs to me that part of the attraction was that they all shared a very similar trajectory, not unlike the one my own career has followed.

Usually the biography (or autobiography) would start with an account of the performer’s family and birth. I hav to admit I was happy to get past these pages because I wanted to get to the part that really excited me—when the attraction to the acting began. How did they get involved? Did they always know they were destined for this or did they stumble into it? What was their first part? Were they successful right away or did it take a while for them to be noticed? What did it FEEL like?

Eventually, they would decide that they were going to BE an actor (or, occasionally, a director). Then began the arduous years of seeking opportunities and meeting like-minded aspirants, many of whom would, themselves, become famous. I loved to read about the hardships, the disappointments, the struggle and sacrifice because I knew that at some point the turning point would be reached. There would be a show and a role and a blazing triumph that would push them forward in the profession and for a while they’d be on top of the world.

There is something so exhilarating about sharing in those first successes. Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in THE GUARDSMAN. Julie Harris in A MEMBER OF THE WEDDING. Marlon Brando in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Kim Stanley in BUS STOP. Jose Ferrer in CYRANO DE BERGERAC. Geraldine Page in SUMMER AND SMOKE. Jason Robards in THE ICEMAN COMETH. And so many more. In a single night, with a single performance, everything changed for them, forever.

I was thrilled when the careers were going well and sobered when those careers—inevitably—began to wane. Actors who had been at the very top of their profession would, all too soon, be forgotten. I was always tempted to put the book down before the story was finished but invariably forced myself to see it through to the (often) bitter end.

And I learned what I realize is an important lesson for any actor. The theater is always evolving and there will come a point when you will no longer be able to evolve with it. When—not if—that happens and you can no longer keep up, it’s better to step away while it’s still your choice to make.

Does that seem sad? I don’t think so. It’s just the way of things. But thanks to these biographies and the stories they contain, these amazing, magical, brilliantly gifted people live on.

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