Customer Reviews

Theatres and Opera Houses (Masterpieces of Architecture)

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

 

 

This slim volume offers a nice overview of theaters from The Globe through New York's Lincoln Center. Good photographs, and interesting anecdotes and historical information. Not too deep or involving, but it offers some nice light reading for the theater and opera lover.

I bought this for a friend who likes opera and architecture. Would have liked even more information on modern, American theaters, but I'm pleased with the book.

This volume gives a good overview of the development of physical theater in the western culture. Some color photographs are included of seldom seen theater buildings such as Wagner's Beyreuth Festspielhaus. What is particularly annoying with the book, though, is the frequency of careless mistakes and misinformation. The famous Gutherie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is inexplicably said to be located in Minneapolis, Wisconsin. An obvious late Roman modification of the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens is attributed to the Classical era in Athens.If the reader can get through these and other mistakes, this book will at least provide some extraordinary photographs.

Far too many artist renderings, and though this was about vintage THEATRES AND OPERA HOUSES a particular theater I was looking for in San Francisco - the Orpheum - was completely missing. (Perhaps the building is too exterior-plain to warrant inclusion.) What's really needed is a comprehensive book, mainly of photos, of these fancy older theaters that are still standing and in use, both interior and exterior shots. Otherwise, it was nice to recognize other theaters I've been to, including the Bolshoi and the Maryinski, though another distressing element is how few interior photos are available, and I think the focus is literally on architecture, so they're serious about the title. Mainly there are exterior shots of standing buildings, with less attention paid to interior construction or decor. Accompanying text is included, of course, though i found some theaters with photos had no text to accompany the inclusion.

It's a good book about operas throughout the world. In my opinion it lacked more photograph's regarding each individual reference to an opera.