A PLAYER'S PLACE: The Story of the Actors Studio

by David Garfield ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1980

A sober, complete, somewhat dull history of N.Y.'s Actors Studio and its famed ""Method""--by a Studio member whose allegiance only occasionally seems to get in the way of a balanced presentation. Garfield naturally begins with the 1930s Group Theatre, with the varied influences (Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theater, Duse, Chaplin, Eugene Vakhtangov) on director Lee Strasberg and future Studio founder Elia Kazan. Some jargon does mar Garfield's discussion of the Method (""Concentration is essentially the obverse complement of relaxation""), especially when he explores distinctions between pure Stanislavski and the U.S. variations. And few readers will be intensely interested in eager rehashes of the ""Roshomon-like"" versions of old Group/Studio feuds: Strasberg vs. Stella Adler on Stanislavski; who did Kazan approach first about starting the Studio in 1947, Cheryl Crawford or Bobby Lewis?; why did Lewis resign in 1948? But once the Studio is under way--intended by successful director Kazan as a source of actors who'd speak his language, then gradually taken over by Strasberg--Garfield clearly records its development, firmly counters the stereotypes, plays down the limited involvement of such high-profiles as uptight James Dean and terrified Marilyn Monroe, and evokes the spirited class-work by Brando, Julie Harris, etc. And he doesn't shy away from the problems: Strasberg's personality defects; conflict between Kazan's vision of a school and Strasberg's vision of a theater (the chaotic Actors Studio Theatre produced ""decidedly mixed results and died,"" having fumbled the chance to introduce Albee's Virginia Woolf); and the fact that the U.S. method hasn't worked with the classics. Lots of tedious detail, no humor or sharp savvy--but a serious, well-researched study that spares us the gush and hype that made Cindy Adams' Lee Strasberg (p. 39) so hard to take.

Pub Date: June 1, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION