“WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT A CIRCUS MUST HAVE" -- Marvin Spindler

“WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT A CIRCUS MUST HAVE" -- Marvin Spindler
Horses, Camels, Ponies, Donkeys and Dogs Coming to 18 American Cities ...

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Columbia U Fancies my Flower Drum Songs

So now and then, you get a little high from somebody in ivy league quarters noticing your work and taking the time to recommend it to others.

I discovered in the November-December issue of Columbia College Today, an upbeat nod to my new book, Flower Drum Songs: The Story of Two Musicals.

Book reviewer Laura Butchy (class of '04) calls it "intriguing."

That's a neat word. My deepest dread at the typewriter is being called "plodding." So far, I've escaped that indictment -- although an Amazon.Com ranter threw about every other derisive dart my way. These self-annointed on-line experts are so opinionated, so full of themselves -- heck, they remind me of myself.

Reviews --- any kind of reviews -- are hard to come by. So far, the critics have handed my history of the two Flower Drum Songs (the 1958 original and he 2002 rewrite) respect, some a little more. From Stage Directions: "This is fascinating reading."

The web is more than a snakepit of virtiol. In fact, I have the on-line world to thank for the only two really in-depth reviews of my book, both written by highly qualified New Yorkers who know their stuff. From www.talkinbroadway.com -- "Valuable ... worthwhile ... should be included in any comprehensive Rodgers and Hammerstein bibliography." And there's another extensive writeup from author Ken Mandelbaum on www.broadway.com.

To check out the full Columbia review, go to:

http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/nov_dec06/bookshelf2.php

Here is my publisher's website: www.mcfarlandpub.com

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