SEVEN STAGES

An essential for the heavily stage struck reader, featuring historical information written in the conversational tone associated with pleasure reading. The book's seven sections are biographical profiles of some of the names basic to theater conversation: Marlowe, the playwright: Moliere, actor-manager-satirist; the incomparable Mrs. Siddons; Verdi, and his wedding of good music to great theater; Jenny Lind, the epitome of dedication in performance; Irving, another actor-manager; and Anna Pavlova, the dance perfectionist. It is illustrated with photographs and reproductions of painted portraits. It emphasizes careers over private lives, is well written, and very difficult to put down once started.