PARCEL ARRIVED SAFELY: TIED WITH STRING

The autobiography of the celebrated British entertainer.

Singer and actor of stage and screen, Crawford is best known for his work in Phantom of the Opera and Barnum. This OBE-winning actor and opera star who worked with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Gene Kelly, and Frank Sinatra tells the story of his remarkably shy and self-conscious childhood. The scene of this nervous 21-year-old's first time with a woman could have come right out of his long-running play No Sex Please—We're British: He didn't quite know what to do, but he knew he wanted to play the part. "Bugger this . . . this is the Sixties! I want to be Mod." In correct cockney, he strikes the right pose and gets his heart broken. Gifted with a strong soprano voice, however, Crawford jump-starts a career in show business with a role in Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera. Many American theater and movie fans who recognize his voice from show tunes and movie scores will be surprised to learn that Crawford has made gold and platinum solo albums. Fortunately, Crawford never fully outgrows his vulnerability, and remains genuinely likable while hobnobbing in Vegas with Sammy Davis Jr. or sharing a villa with John Lennon. Like character actors in the States who get trapped by roles in hit television series, Crawford is so good in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em that he eventually has to wonder, "How do I get rid of him?" He and his family discover that fame can be a pain in the bum. There are some exotic memories from trips to Australia and an earthquake in Bali, but most of the recollections are backstage meetings with older stars like Chita Rivera and Lucille Ball, along with more recent Broadway luminaries like Tommy Tune, Bernadette Peters, and Joel Grey.

Yeah, baby! He's no Austin Powers, but a Michael Crawford fan might find this highly readable. (Doubleday Stage and