Master of Ceremonies

A Memoir

De: Joel Grey

Narrado por: Joel Grey

Joel Grey, the Tony and Academy Award-winning Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret, finally tells his remarkable life story.

Born Joel David Katz to a wild and wooly Jewish American family in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1932, Joel began his life in the theater at the age of nine, starting in children's theater and then moving to the main stage. He was hooked, and his seven-decades-long career charts the evolution of American entertainment - from Vaudeville performances with his father, Mickey Katz, to the seedy, gangster-filled nightclubs of the '40s, the bright lights of Broadway and dizzying glamour of Hollywood, and juggernaut musicals like Cabaret, Chicago, and Wicked.

Master of Ceremonies is a memoir of a life lived in and out of the limelight, but it is also the story of the man behind the stage makeup. Coming of age in a time when being yourself tended to be not only difficult but also dangerous, Joel had to act both on and off the stage. He spent his high school years sleeping with the girls next door while carrying on a scandalous affair with an older man. Romances with to-die-for Vegas showgirls were balanced with late-night liaisons with like-minded guys until finally Joel fell in love and married a talented and beautiful woman, started a family, and had a pretty much picture-perfect life. But 24 years later, when the marriage dissolved, Joel had to once again find his place in a world that had radically changed.

Drawing back the curtain on a career filled with showstopping numbers, larger-than-life stars, and even singing in the shower with Bjork, Master of Ceremonies is also a portrait of an artist coming to terms with his evolving identity. When an actor plays a character, he has to find out what makes him who he is - his needs, dreams, and fears. It's a difficult thing to do, but sometimes the hardest role in an actor's life is that of himself. Deftly capturing the joy of performing as well as the pain and secrets of an era we have only just started to leave behind, Joel's story is one of love, loss, hard-won honesty, redemption, and success.

©2016 Joel Grey (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This is an insightful, delightful adult listening experience about someone you may think you know. Surprises abound." ( AudioFile)

Quite the Master

Outstanding. Bravo Mr. Grey. If I'd had a nickel for every tear I choked back...

Life Well Lived, Tale Well Told

Story behind the brilliant performances. Well told personal story made interesting by the author's connection to great works and generational talent. A life well lived as well as a tale well told.

great

great narration, though I sped up the play back to 1.15
storyline is great also. give it a try

Sweet Sensitivity

Along with the usual coverage of his artistic career, Joel Grey weaves in the painful journey of being gay during a time when that could get you arrested and publicly shamed. He insists his marriage to Jo Wilder was sincere in its love, but it was still hiding. He gets to a point where he can embrace his identity full on, only to lose his 24 year marriage. Life is a cabaret, on and off stage. *Sigh* I was most impressed to learn, however, that his creation of the Emcee in the original stage production of Cabaret was all his own. Now immortalized for posterity in film, it is truly one of the great roles of cinema.

Legendary Autobiography

He loses a point for focusing on his sexuality more than his brilliant career. I feel like he had another book in him that could have provided all of the insights into his career that he seemed to leave out of this book. He was such a wonderful performer. It would have been great to hear about it more.