Break A Leg: A Memoir

by Peter Sheridan

"We're going to make a play out of our own lives and we're putting it on in three weeks. Now let's get started...." ** As a new memoir from acclaimed playwright and director Peter Sheridan, Break a Leg tells the story of his life in the theater, and meanwhile touches on so much more. ** "'We need a play that gets under the skin...' she said. 'Something to unsettle the British public.'" ** Break a Leg is not just about Sheridan's life, but also about the wider culture and politics of Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s. The theater, seen through Sheridan's eyes, can do much more than entertain - it can itself be a vehicle of social change. Honestly confronting his emerging problems with panic attacks and alcohol, and blending social history with memoir, Peter Sheridan's story is written in gutsy fresh prose that captures the reader's attention from the first page. ** "...it wasn't just any story but OUR story we were telling. We were giving value and meaning to our struggle - the courts, the social welfare system - and we were doing it in a way that pricked the conscience of the audience and entertained them...."

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Peter P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my favorite Peter Sheridan book, delving, as it does deeply into the weeds of his theatrical journey, with more details than I could ever have needed. That said, it has its moments and the inimitable Dublin sensibility that made 44 and 47 Roses so very enjoyable.

[Dermot Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forget who said that nostalgia is longing for a place that you would never go back to but in the case of Dublin theatre in the 70's and 80's, I'm sure that the author could only agree. Dublin theater owes a debt to the Project Arts Center, of which the author was a founding member. Without the Sheridans and the other passionate rebels of the time, I'm not sure what the city would have produced as an alternative to the Abbey and the Gate and the perennial pantos and imported musicals in the Gaiety and the mixed bag that was the Olympia, which sufficed for what theatre had on offer at the time. The author writes of the era with an honesty, an anger and a fondness, all mixed into a lovely prose that engages as much as it enrages; which is no mean feat, at all. I was sorry to see it finish as I wanted to read on and find out what happened next: America, is it? I do hope that the author is busy at work on the follow-up.

[Sheena Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Anyone with any interest in the Dublin theatre scene, or even just an interest in Dublin in the 60s, 70s and 80s should read this book. My only complaint was that it ended quite abruptly. I wanted to read more! Highly recommend.