Customer Reviews

The Improvised Play: The Work of Mike Leigh (Methuen Theatrefile)

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This is a remarkable and insightful book detailing the extraordinary work of a truly important theater artist of the 20th century. Mike Leigh created his own highly developed method of improvisation for creating character and dialogue. He has used these methods to "devise" a remarkable body of work for both stage and film, whose hallmark has been extraordinarily detailed acting. Concise, provocative, and thoughtful, this book changed the way I thought about improvisation and character development. If you have become a fan of Leigh's film work, such as "Naked" or "Secrets And Lies", this will explain the method behind the remarkable performances he elicits from actors. If you live in the NYC area and have seen any of Scott Elliot's work with The New Group, you will have a greatly enhanced appreciation for the remarkable plays Leigh devised. This book is an important and sadly neglected document tragically out of print.