Attack of the Theater People [Paperback]

Marc Acito (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2008

In praising “the witty high school romp” How I Paid for College, the New York Times Book Review said, it “makes you hope there’s a lot more where this came from.” There is. In this hilarious sequel Attack of the Theater People, Edward Zanni and his merry crew of high school musical-comedy miscreants move to the magical wonderland that is Manhattan.

It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being “too jazz hands for Juilliard.” Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a “party motivator” who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a “stealth guest” at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed.

Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the eighties with an even bigger heart.

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE

“Acito has fantastic narrative chops....This is a book for mature readers that reminds us what a blast immaturity can be.” —People

About the Author

MARC ACITO’s debut novel, How I Paid for College, won the Ken Kesey Award for the Novel and was also selected as an Editors’ Choice by the New York Times. Acito is a popular contributor to the New York Times and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; First Edition edition (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767927737
• ISBN-13: 978-0767927734
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a cold glass of Tab on a hot summer afternoon!, April 30, 2008

By 

WRG "Webstercat" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Attack of the Theater People (Paperback)

Okay, I admit that since discovering Marc's work when a copy of his marvelous first novel, "How I Paid for College" floated past me, I have become a fan. I've learned over the years, that some folks need their literature grounded firmly in the real world, and I suppose this book is not for them. For those of us who can't help but twirl our umbrellas when caught in a storm, and like to trek to the top of the Empire State Building so that we can belt a few lines of "New York, New York...", this book is a gift. A hilarious tale of inspirations and espionage. A delightfully wacky roller-coaster of a novel which causes eruptions of laughter...nay, guffaws and cackles at almost every page. A book that gives us a break from the tedium and depressing sogginess of the daily news. I bought six and sent them to friends who need a bit of tonic. Until somebody invents Mulliner's-Buck-U-Uppo, we need to books like this to keep the divine silliness that is life in a proper perspective.
In short, it's pure comic gold!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WARNING: You May Break into Song Reading This Novel, April 24, 2008

By 

Bart King (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attack of the Theater People (Paperback)

Maybe you've heard Marc Acito on NPR. It's possible that you've even heard the guy sing; after all, he is both an opera tenor and "mental for Yentl." But most likely, you know Marc Acito from his first novel, How I Paid for College. As the blog entries above reveal, Marc has a bright wit, and this book amply reflects it.

Acito's novel relates the further adventures of Edward Zanni and his affiliated theater geeks. Having succeeded in their quest to get Edward into the Juilliard School, we now fast-forward to 1986, and Edward is sitting on his "jazz hands" after getting booted from the school of his dreams.

What follows are a series of (dare I write it?) zany misadventures that together, resemble the plotline of a well-done musical comedy. That is, the characters do break into song periodically, and the results are actually funny. As this vehicle suggests, there's plenty of ba-ba-ba-bing zingers and, it being the 1980s, there is even an insider trading scandal. Good stuff. REALLY good stuff.

Fun Fact: Marc was at a Chuck Palahniuk reading (Fight Club) when Palahniuk remembered reading Acito's byline on a humor column. He then recommended Acito to his literary agent, and a star was born... er, referred.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Acito Does It Again, April 22, 2008

By 

Andrew Yates "the college reviewer" (Springfield, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attack of the Theater People (Paperback)

Acito helps me recreate myself again with his sequal 'Attack of the Theater People.' Constantly on the edge of my seat, I kept telling myself I'd read "just one more chapter" until I finished the book less than two days after I'd gotten it.

Acito sparks the imagination in his book as he sends Edward Zanni back on another set of mind-boggling adventures using his theater skills as well as his best assets - his friends.

Exciting, suspenseful, and at some points mildly erotic, Acito has done it again with a great hit. I can't wait to read the next in the series!