Stage Mum
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More About the Author
Product Description
Susie Boyt, Independent (July 4, 2008)
"a thorough and engaging account of what it is like to have your daughter play Gretl in the West End Sound of Music"
Time Out (July 3, 2008)
"an honest, well-observed and very funny account of Gee's adventures in theatreland"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Landmark revival "The Sound Of Music" at the London Palladium in 2006 may have chosen its leading lady by television vote, but the cast is larger than a single publicly-elected new star. With children a key feature of the show, how do producers find enough of them to keep Maria busy? Six-and-a-bit-year-old Dora Gee was one volunteer keen to become a Von Trapp... With trepidation, "mother superior" Lisa agrees to let her audition; this is their tale.
Subtitling her book "When showbiz happens to your child" rather than "Connie Fisher, My Part in Her Triumph" demonstrates just how seriously Lisa Gee took keeping her daughter's first stage experience in perspective. Deeply scared by "child star burns out in adolescence" stories and without any knowledge of the business herself, she prepares for the worst but instead is often pleasantly surprised.
Much of the appeal of this book is the immediacy of Lisa's writing. Even though we know Dora bags the part, the earliest chapters - all titled with quotes from the show's lyric - are a measured mixture of mundane family life dappled with the pleasure of anticipation and shadows of potential failure. We live in the same moment as the author, where every meeting, letter and email could "make or break" the fantasy... and the laundry still needs doing.
Interlacing descriptions of audition and rehearsal processes, seeing her daughter on stage for the first time, opening-night parties and settling into the run; Lisa interviews many in the business and considers objectively just how wise it is allowing your child to join a dropout apprentice nun's adopted brood for six months.
It certainly isn't the money. Dora was paid far less than the price of a decent stalls ticket each night, while the parents counted themselves lucky to get even a proportion of their own travel expenses paid. The true gain, as Lisa concludes by chatting with parents and professionals, is building confidence by channelling youthful energy and creativity into something good.
Lisa's maternal thoughts and feelings, observations and reflections are an informative perspective for anybody with a stage-struck child. In the future, Dora may choose West End stars or NASA ones. Either way, in this book she will have a highly readable and entertaining record of a very special adventure; a pleasure we are lucky to share.
Subtitling her book "When showbiz happens to your child" rather than "Connie Fisher, My Part in Her Triumph" demonstrates just how seriously Lisa Gee took keeping her daughter's first stage experience in perspective. Deeply scared by "child star burns out in adolescence" stories and without any knowledge of the business herself, she prepares for the worst but instead is often pleasantly surprised.
Much of the appeal of this book is the immediacy of Lisa's writing. Even though we know Dora bags the part, the earliest chapters - all titled with quotes from the show's lyric - are a measured mixture of mundane family life dappled with the pleasure of anticipation and shadows of potential failure. We live in the same moment as the author, where every meeting, letter and email could "make or break" the fantasy... and the laundry still needs doing.
Interlacing descriptions of audition and rehearsal processes, seeing her daughter on stage for the first time, opening-night parties and settling into the run; Lisa interviews many in the business and considers objectively just how wise it is allowing your child to join a dropout apprentice nun's adopted brood for six months.
It certainly isn't the money. Dora was paid far less than the price of a decent stalls ticket each night, while the parents counted themselves lucky to get even a proportion of their own travel expenses paid. The true gain, as Lisa concludes by chatting with parents and professionals, is building confidence by channelling youthful energy and creativity into something good.
Lisa's maternal thoughts and feelings, observations and reflections are an informative perspective for anybody with a stage-struck child. In the future, Dora may choose West End stars or NASA ones. Either way, in this book she will have a highly readable and entertaining record of a very special adventure; a pleasure we are lucky to share.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ever thought of putting your promising child on the stage? Then buy this book before you do. A grippingly accurate account of the dos and don'ts of child acting from the point of view of a parent who initially had no idea that her darling daughter would make it to the West End stage.
Charting the rise of Dora's stardom with an incisive and thoughtful wit, Lisa Gee tells us how it is with a stunning self awareness and an honest eye trained on the pitfalls lurking in the wings.
A must read. Superb.
Charting the rise of Dora's stardom with an incisive and thoughtful wit, Lisa Gee tells us how it is with a stunning self awareness and an honest eye trained on the pitfalls lurking in the wings.
A must read. Superb.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Stage Mum is an honest, down to earth and entertaining read that also manages to touch on the serious issues that parents of "performing children" suddenly find themselves facing - often with very little support. I wish this book had been around when my daughter was cast in a West End show as I'd have been far better prepared for the chaos that took over our lives for 5 unforgettable months.
If your child has West End aspirations, or you have ever wondered about the lives of the children you see performing in professional theatre then do read this book. It is incredibly honest, both from the point of view of Lisa's feelings as a mother and in her descriptions of the day to day practicalities of having a child working in a show for half a year.
If your child has West End aspirations, or you have ever wondered about the lives of the children you see performing in professional theatre then do read this book. It is incredibly honest, both from the point of view of Lisa's feelings as a mother and in her descriptions of the day to day practicalities of having a child working in a show for half a year.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
for parents of children with "jazz hands"
Lisa Gee comes across as wholly likeable, in this charming, insightful and realistic romp through the audition, rehearsal and performance cycle of having a child in a big, West... Read more
Published on 26 May 2009 by Melanie Gow
Only for other stage mums
I had high hopes of this book but actually I think the only people who would be truly interested in it are other stage mums, and that would be mostly for getting tips. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2008 by Anastasia Brown
Stage Mum
Lisa has an honest and funny look at her experiences as a Stage Mum, writing about her daughter's run in the Sound of Music from auditions through to rehearsals, publicity,... Read more
Published on 7 July 2008 by Cathy J
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