Customer Reviews

Theater Geek: The Real Life Drama of a Summer at Stagedoor Manor, the Famous Performing Arts Camp

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...but Mickey Rapkin got the honor, and he got it right.

As a key member of the staff at Stagedoor Manor for 24 years (1979-2002), I can tell you that the number of times I heard the phrase, "God, you could write a book about this place" was rivaled only by the number of lifelong relationships I found there. In "Theater Geek," Mickey has found the true heart of the place I still think of as home. He wisely observes the welcoming warmth and generosity of spirit that makes Stagedoor Stagedoor. It would have been so easy to have made this book a collection of gossipy and bitchy anecdotes. Mickey mostly eschews these in favor of some insightful and very true observations on the homey, down-to-earth and all-embracing world that Stagedoor creates for its collection of misfits known as theater geeks. I mean, there are enough edgy anecdotes to keep you laughing, but Mickey understands that the place didn't and doesn't operate on cynicism and rivalry. It operates on people of a mutual quirk - love of theater - who come together for the summer each year, leaving behind their misunderstanding school, and sometimes, home lives. They come to a non-judgmental and loving place where everyone can find acceptance if they embrace it.

If you've never heard of Stagedoor Manor, this book will bring you into a world of achievement, disappointment, soaring emotions, painful laughter, dreams realized and dreams unrequited. You will look at the process of creating theater with a whole new appreciation. You will also be delighted that someone has written something that sings the praises of young people eager to learn, possessed of an extraordinary work-ethic, supportive of each other, and strangely moral, despite plenty of the typical summer camp immoralities!

If you are a Stagedoor veteran, you will find out things about the place and the people who made it tick that you likely never knew. You will roar with laughter as favorite anecdotes are finally immortalized in print, and you will shed tears of reminiscence remembering the thrills and emotions that only Stagedoor could evoke.

Mickey Rapkin did what we all joked about doing - he "wrote the book". And boy, we're all very grateful that he has written a hugely entertaining book that truly does justice to the long and colorful history of Stagedoor Manor.

Mickey so carefully captures the history of Stagedoor Manor that I actually had to put the book down at one point because I was crying. It's a carefully written, thoughtfully constructed love letter to Stagedoor Manor - the greatest performing arts camp in the world!

From the playwright/performer Charles Busch to playwright Nicky Silver to composer Jeanine Tesori to actors Robert Downey Jr, Jon Cryer, and Natalie Portman -- Mickey carefully lays out the history of Stagedoor's creation...and then gives us all an inside peek at a summer at Stagedoor Manor.

I can't (and won't) hide how much I love this book! It's just beautiful!

BUY IT for any kid who has ever loved theater!

As a lover of all things musical theater, I thoroughly enjoyed Rapkin's tell-all about Stagedoor Manor. I attended a different theater summer camp (also mentioned in the book), and it was wonderful to relive those moments again. Learning about the history and development of the camp, as well as following three campers in their last year, brought back some great memories - a great book for anyone who loves musical theater or summer camp!

What a great book! I enjoyed reading it on my Kindle for iPhone (though I think some of the pictures were missing in that edition).

The author balances the historical aspects and a fly on the wall insight into the camp today with finesse. Being a theatre geek myself, I connected with these kids and yearned to go back in time 15 years and attend the camp myself.

A must read to self-proclaimed theatre geeks!

It was a wonderful book and I enjoyed every page. I attended Stagedoor and related to alot of what Mickey wrote in the book. I loved that he included pictures. I am so proud to be part of this Camp.

This is a good book -- we're not alums of Stage Door Manor and after reading this book and seeing the accompanying documentary, I'm not even sure I care to send my kids there. However, the book delivered exactly what I was looking for -- an inside look at what makes the camp tick along with its history. That's what I wanted -- to know what we were getting into if we do send our children there -- not many summer camps have been written about to this extent.

That said, I wouldn't exactly call it a page turner on its own. None of the stories included are overly compelling and this is after all, just a summer camp -- in the end not so terribly unlike other summer camps, except that talent scouts might attend your kid's show. If my kids weren't thinking about Stage Door manor as an option I probably wouldn't have stuck with it, but considering their interest, I figured it was worth giving it a go until the last page.

I give it a true thumbs up for parents considering the camp and heck, I'd even give it a moderate thumbs up if you've got the spare time to read it for no reason other than entertainment value.

Even if you're just an enthusiastic consumer/supporter of theatre, this book will be a fun peek behind the curtains.

this item was purchased for my daughter - she loves the book and we received it as listed - new and on time. thanks!!

Really enjoyed this look at a young "child" of the theater. Well written, Mickey.
And, thanx to Josh Groban for posting about it.

I BOUGHT THIS BECAUSE MY DAUGHTER IS AN ALUMNAE OF THE CAMP AND LOVED HER TIME THERE.