Customer Reviews

On Singing Onstage (Applause Acting Series)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
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David Craig breaks down the sometimes overwhelming task/joy of performing songs into manageable chunks. His analysis of songs at the beginning of the book is priceless. After determining the Who-what why-when-where-how facts, the singer is guided through creating a subtext that personalizes and animates the performance, making it truly something worth watching/hearing. Highly recommended to singers of all genres, although Mr. Craig's focus is on musical theater. Answers the eternal question, "is this song (trip) necessary?" with a resounding "YES!"

This is indeed a very brilliant guide to singing onstage. However, I do not recommend it to novices. I remember having read this book when I was still a drama student in school, and not understanding most of what the great David Craig taught, because his methods are so painfully detailed(which is good, but not if you've never stood on a stage much before), and requires a good amount of maturity and self-awareness to achieve the desired results.

This book does not teach you about vocalising or their techniques. What it does is that it teaches you how to interpret the song through the lyric, the music, phrasing, and most of all, the subtext in your mind!

Having been a professional performer for more than a decade now, re-reading the entire book has been mindblowing, as it reaffirms and reintroduces me to the lessons that Experience has taught me. Oftentimes, I didn't even know that I possessed that piece of knowledge, until Craig puts it to the class in his always eloquent and witty way. He really does have a very persuasive way of luring the "real" you out, so we can all hear and watch YOU perform a song, and not the guy you are hiding behind. Singing becomes a much greater joy then, both for the singer and the audience, I promise you!

A must-read for singers and especially for actors wanting to get into musicals.

David Craig literally invented musical theatre performance training. He was the master. You may want to save this book until after you've read some others. It is highly technical and deals with performers on at a master level. His books and tapes are all we have left of this amazing teacher. But there was simply no one better.

If you are at all interested in singing on the theater stage, this book is a must. I recommend highly along with the nine hour video. Not something you will see on the usual market. Get it!