Customer Reviews

Mielziner: Master of Modern Stage Design

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Wow!!! Ms. Henderson has written an amazing book. Not only does it have the most beautiful color reproductions of Mielziner's work I've ever seen and in profusion, but she has also written a rich and detailed biography of Jo Mielziner.

I had been waiting for this book, but it exceeded all expectations. It is a invaluable history of modern American Stage Design, covering all the important personalities in fascinating detail, tracing the artistic progression and growth of American theater.

Anyone with an interest in American Theater in the 20th Century will benefit and be informed by this book. Her breadth of knowledge is astonishing and her digressions into side alleys are always informative and fascinating. She uses facts and figures to illuminate the shifting perspectives of the "business" of Broadway. And her analysis of design trends are intelligent and enlightening. (I would only quibble with her overly positive view of Mielziner's Architectural consulting.)

As a picture book it's great! As a biography it is marvelous! As a history of 20th Century Broadway Theater it is a must have.

Mary Henderson has given us an invaluable insight in the world of Jo Mielziner. So often the names of creative people who ensure that a production "works" are never known or easily forgotten by the viewing audience. The set and lighting designs of Mielziner for plays and shows like A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, South Pacific, etc. were considered brilliant and groundbreaking by the theatre world of his time. Mielziner also greatly influenced modern stage design (the East Room stage in the White House and the Denver Center Theatre, for example) and with his art and creative insight put his unique stamp on the world of modern theatre until this day. An overview of his work was long overdue. But Mary Henderson has given us far more than that. She has given us Jo Mielziner, the person, by providing fascination facts and photographs of Jo's private life. The many colorful prints of his designs and the enjoyable flow of the text make this book a "must have" and a wonderful gift for anyone interested in the history of 20th century theatre.

This glorious book is not only visually stunning, but thoroughly researched and extremely well written. The author offers not only a true portrait of the artist and the man, but also a comprehensive look at American theater and scene design in the 20th Century. Amazingly, it is also a good read. Any potential subject of a biography can only wish for a book this good. For anyone interested in the theater, this book is truly a must-have.

Mary Henderson has done a great job of cataloging Mielziner's life and work, but in the end that's all she has done. The book lacks a critical bite, at times seeming a little too biased towards its subject. Mielziner comes off as having flawless work, with any bad results being caused by narrow-minded or misguided collaborators.
The book also disappoints in that while it has many renderings, it lacks any ground plans, or sections, or other working drawings. It's very difficult to get a true sense of someone's design without seeing a ground plan. Perhaps they are not available, or maybe they didn't seem pretty enough to include.
To be fair, Henderson has done a great service to the theater community in writing this book, and while she doesn't give herself freedom to do close readings of Mielziner's designs, the comprehensiveness of her work does have its own value. It's too bad - in the end she has successfully argued her case of Mielziner as a seminal figure in theatrical design, but she doesn't follow through and give his work the critical assessment deserving of a true master artist.