My Life, the Musical [Hardcover]

Emily and Phillip's relationship began because of one play: Aurora. Emily was at the theatre enjoying tickets she had received for her Bat Mitzvah, while Phillip was there alone to escape the family he felt he could no longer turn to.

From then on, the two became inseparable, the best of friends. The thing that continued to tie them together and give them joy in their lives was still the play that brought them together. However, rumors are starting to go around, first from their friend, Ian, and then from others, that the show might be closing.

How could this be? Aurora was something that they saw every Saturday. It was a huge part of their life. How could it be closing? And if it was true, then they wanted to see every single show until the end!

The only thing is: they need the money and a lot more then what they had been borrowing from Emily's grandmother. But Grandma Rose has her own secrets and needs the money for herself, as well. What are two theatre nuts to do?

This was a great story for anyone interested in young adult literature, but most especially for any fan of the theatre! The book started off a bit slow for me, but it soon became quite appealing!

Phillip and Emily's love for the play comes across exceptionally well and made me think about my own favorite play, Rent, coming off of Broadway. One thing I really loved about the book is that each chapter is named after a song from various musicals - and it always somehow ties into the chapter!

If you're looking for a book that combines the theatre, friendship, and the passion of being a fan, then this is the book for you!

Reviewed by: Lauren Ashley

My Life as a Musical by Maryrose Wood would make any teen sing out in joy! The novel is written so that each chapter title is a song from a well-known musical (the name of the musical, date it was published, and who wrote the music, lyrics and book are all presented within the chapter title as well). Organizing the plot by song title is clever not only because of the plot twists within each chapter, but because it is a device employed within each chapter by Emily and Phillip, the two main characters, as an ongoing test of their music theatre knowledge.

Teens need not be well versed (or even necessarily interested) in musical theatre in order to understand or appreciate the novel. Wood has only used musical theatre as a framework for the larger theme: the rich fantasy life of teens. Wood explores the difference between reality and fantasy for teens as her protagonists try to solve the mystery of who wrote the smash musical Aurora.

Phillip and Emily make their way to the city each weekend to watch Aurora. They are fixtures among the fanatics of the show (some of whom dress up a la Rocky Horror style) who queue in line for tickets that are released the day of the show. Phillip comes from a poor background with a cruel big brother and a mostly absentee single mother. He has found solace in watching Aurora weekly with his best friend Emily and with keeping a log of statistics on Aurora. Emily, whose quirky grandmother pays for the two teens' tickets each week, is so immersed in the fantasy life of Aurora and its surrounding websites and other fans, that she is unable to think of anything else.

In desperation, after discovering Aurora will be closing in only one week, Emily lies to her parents as to her nightly whereabouts and steals money from her grandmother in order to purchase tickets for each of Aurora's performances over the next week. Upon being found out, Emily's mother insists she have spiritual counseling with Rabbi Levin. Emily explains to Rabbi the allure of Aurora--that even though Emily sees herself as "a unique and spectacular individual, destined for a life of joy and achievement. . ." that by being part of the weekly Aurora audience "she was also an inextricable and beloved part of something much, much larger than herself" (195). Instead of chastising her, Rabbi Levin tells her, "It taught you that life is ephemeral--the moments happen and are gone, and we have to cherish each one as it passes . . . . It's what we do, who we are right now that defines us. Not our memories, not our fantasies--but this moment, now" (196). Emily, Phillip, Emily's grandmother, and the author of Aurora, all discover that actions they perform in the everyday living of life are what are truly important.

Junior and senior high students (as well as adults) would enjoy the fast pace and humor of this wonderfully uplifting novel.

It is fair to say Emily and Philip are obsessed with Aurora, a fictional musical that they see every weekend. They first met and bonded at a performance, making the show almost an invisible friend that helps tie them together. A few years later, the rumor mill grinds and sprinkles the teens with worry that their beloved show is about to close. Determined to find out if the rumors are true and finally uncover the identity of its mysterious writer, Emily and Philip accidentally find out some things about each other and about themselves which could unexpectedly test their friendship.

As a musical theatre performer who has yet to appear on Broadway myself, much less take in a show there, this book allowed me to live vicariously through the characters of Emily and Philip. Inspired in part by the author's own work as a lyricist, librettist, and performer, the story will speak to musical actors and aficionados as well as those bright-eyed city dwellers who appreciate the music and theatres that surround them. If only this book came with a soundtrack!