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Title details for Leading Lady by Charles Busch - Available

Leading Lady

A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy

by Charles Busch
ebook
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A poignant, deliciously anecdotal account of a talented artist's Oz-like journey in the worlds of Off-Broadway, Broadway, and Hollywood

The Tony Award-nominated writer of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife and the long-running hit Off-Broadway play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, and a Sundance Festival award winner, Charles Busch has created a unique place in the entertainment world as a playwright, LGBT icon, drag actor, director, and cabaret performer, with his extraordinary gift for both connecting with and channeling the leading ladies of show business.

In wonderfully readable chapters, by turns comic and moving, Charles writes how ever since his mother's death when he was seven, he has sought out surrogate mothers in his life. In his teens, Charles moved to Park Avenue in Manhattan to live with his Auntie Mame-like Aunt Lil, who encouraged and nourished Charles' talents and dreams, and eventually he discovered his gifts for writing plays and performing as a male actress.

Busch also shares his colorful and sometimes outlandish interactions with film and theatrical luminaries including the hilarious comedian Joan Rivers (who became a mother figure to Charles after Aunt Lil's death), Angela Lansbury (who attended her first Passover seder with Charles), Rosie O'Donnell, Claudette Colbert, Valerie Harper, Kim Novak, and many others.

Full of both humor and heart and featuring rare photos, Leading Lady is for readers of entertainment books as well as anyone who enjoys real-life stories of artists who break the mold, ditch the boundaries, and find their own unique way to sparkle.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 12, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781637744154

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781637744154
      • File size: 31279 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from July 1, 2023

      Busch, a prolific and award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and actor, has written an absolutely captivating memoir. A born raconteur, Busch spins enthralling tales into short, buoyant chapters. Occasionally the chronological storytelling is interrupted with flash-forward chapters, which sweep readers off to dine with Claudette Colbert, interview Liza Minnelli, ghostwrite for Joan Rivers, or run into Kim Novak at an event. After the death of his mother, the author was taken under the wing of his Aunt Lil who moved him into her Manhattan apartment and enrolled him in an arts high school. Later, Busch found his artistic voice by writing his own plays and casting himself as the lead woman. His play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom ran for five years and brought him acclaim; two other plays--Psycho Beach Party and Die, Mommie, Die!--were later adapted for the screen with Busch as their leading lady. He writes with great fondness about his Tony-nominated hit, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, and with honesty about his "miserable" experience working on the Broadway flop Taboo, produced by Rosie O'Donnell and starring Boy George. VERDICT This joyful, upbeat, and witty memoir will likely capture the hearts of theater and movie buffs.--Kevin Howell

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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