Customer Reviews

The Mystic in the Theatre: Eleonora Duse (Arcturus Books, Ab108)

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The spirit of Eleonora Duse fills this excellent little book. Eva Le Gallienne, a master in her own right, clearly loves Duse, and she unapologetically deifies her. Weaving together histories, analyses, personal recollections, quotes, reviews, and theological musings, Le Gallienne creates a vivid image of the woman, and made me mourn that I could not see her myself. She even addresses that, responding to a young actor with the same complaint (with pity). But I did feel, after reading the book, that I had connected with Duse in some small way; In this, Le Gallienne is an actor on the page, guiding her audience to the character without forcing it upon them.

The message I got was that Duse was a person first. Other actors are full of life when on the stage, and switch off once the curtain falls. For Duse, theatre was an extension of her life. Her craft (so strong that she seemed to have none) and her spirit filled the stage, but no more than it filled her life.

I recommend this book to all actors- this book was written with us in mind- but also to all artists. It is one-sided, yes, but it is not meant to be an objective account. It shows some of Duse's flaws, but tone is always one of love.

Lee Strasberg of The Actor's Studio said that it would be another
100 years before the theatre world would see another actor like
Eleonora Duse. She could sit on the stage, say nothing yet command
the house.The book is very well written by an artist who knew Duse,
and renders her into a mystic who had full control of all her faculties,
and would morph into or become her characters, forgetting self, like Hedda
Gabler. Great book for theatre buffs and working actors. I have a theatre
group in NYC and use it for my lead actors. Seller here was very good.
Where we get the saying,"It was a doozey!"

Wonderful theatre book. A real insider's understanding of a famous subject. Unusual insight into a creative theatre legend.