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Edward Zanni #2
Attack of the Theater People
In praising “the witty high school romp” How I Paid for College, the New York Times Book Review said, it “makes you hope there’s a lot more where this came from.” There is. In this hilarious sequel Attack of the Theater People, Edward Zanni and his merry crew of high school musical-comedy miscreants move to the magical wonderland that is Manhattan.
It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being “too jazz hands for Juilliard.” Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a “party motivator” who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a “stealth guest” at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed.
Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the eighties with an even bigger heart.
It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being “too jazz hands for Juilliard.” Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a “party motivator” who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a “stealth guest” at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed.
Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the eighties with an even bigger heart.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
27 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Marc Acito
6 books78 followersFor those who do not know me, I'm very famous. My debut novel, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater won the Oregon Book Awards' Ken Kesey Award for the Novel although I sometimes leave out the Oregon part to make it sound more important. It was also selected as a Top Ten Teen Pick by the American Library Association, though it still has not achieved my ultimate goal of being banned by irate fundamentalists. The New York Times chose College as an Editors Choice, it's been optioned for film by Columbia Pictures and is translated into five languages I can't read, though I can now say "cunnilingus" in Norwegian.
FUN FACT #1: My name is also an anagram for "A Comic Art," or "A Comic Rat," depending on how you feel about me.
I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on January 11, 1966, attended by Three Wise Guys. The couple who raised me deny it, but I suspect I might be the secret love child of Liza Minnelli and Peter Allen, which explains my effervescent personality and fondness for prescription medication.
FUN FACT #2: I am actually the second cousin once removed of Sandra Dee. As in "Look at me I'm..."
I grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, the small-town star of high school and summer camp musicals. Y'know, the guy who wore Capezio dance shoes and leg warmers to school. In my defense, it was the 1980s.
FUN FACT #3: In the ninth grade, I won the American Legion Good Citizenship Award. It's been downhill ever since.
Like my hero Edward Zanni, I, too, dreamed of going to acting school, though I didn't turn to a life of crime to pay for it. In my case, it was the prestigious music theater program at Carnegie-Mellon University, the oldest BFA acting program in the country. (I changed it to Juilliard in How I Paid for College because no one wants to read a book about a kid whose dream is to go to Pittsburgh.) That dream turned to a nightmare, however, when I was kicked out due to artistic differences: I thought I could act but the faculty didn't. But that's okay, because it eventually gave me the idea for my second book, Attack of the Theater People, which comes out April 15th, the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
FUN FACT #4: I cried when Leonardo DiCaprio froze to death.
I moved to New York, where I tried to find myself and instead found a blue-eyed charmer with the unlikely name of Floyd. Our first date was the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village, followed two days later by what turned out to be Liberace's final performance. Floyd and I have been together ever since. He's now the society columnist for Just Out, Oregon's gay newspaper, and a very loud tour guide at the Portland Art Museum.
FUN FACT #5: Floyd and I both have the same middle name, which is Evan.
I subsequently transferred to Colorado College, where I graduated in 1990 and went on to study singing in Europe on a Watson Fellowship. Upon my return, I clawed my way to the middle singing comic character roles with companies such as Seattle Opera, Opera Ireland and the Colorado Opera Festival. Despite being lauded for a "booming voice and rubber face," I decided instead to become a writer so I could work at home in bed, like hookers and Winston Churchill.
FUN FACT #6: I have had 36 jobs in my life, and almost as many hair-dos. Neither the jobs nor the hair-dos worked out very well.
I began my writing career with my syndicated humor column, "The Gospel According to Marc," which earned me poverty wages at nineteen alternative newspapers nationwide, as well as the sobriquet "the gay Dave Barry."
FUN FACT #7: When I met Dave Barry, he looked me in the eye and said, "Let's just get one thing clear: I'm the gay Dave Barry."
I still freelance, most notably as a commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered
FUN FACT #1: My name is also an anagram for "A Comic Art," or "A Comic Rat," depending on how you feel about me.
I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on January 11, 1966, attended by Three Wise Guys. The couple who raised me deny it, but I suspect I might be the secret love child of Liza Minnelli and Peter Allen, which explains my effervescent personality and fondness for prescription medication.
FUN FACT #2: I am actually the second cousin once removed of Sandra Dee. As in "Look at me I'm..."
I grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, the small-town star of high school and summer camp musicals. Y'know, the guy who wore Capezio dance shoes and leg warmers to school. In my defense, it was the 1980s.
FUN FACT #3: In the ninth grade, I won the American Legion Good Citizenship Award. It's been downhill ever since.
Like my hero Edward Zanni, I, too, dreamed of going to acting school, though I didn't turn to a life of crime to pay for it. In my case, it was the prestigious music theater program at Carnegie-Mellon University, the oldest BFA acting program in the country. (I changed it to Juilliard in How I Paid for College because no one wants to read a book about a kid whose dream is to go to Pittsburgh.) That dream turned to a nightmare, however, when I was kicked out due to artistic differences: I thought I could act but the faculty didn't. But that's okay, because it eventually gave me the idea for my second book, Attack of the Theater People, which comes out April 15th, the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
FUN FACT #4: I cried when Leonardo DiCaprio froze to death.
I moved to New York, where I tried to find myself and instead found a blue-eyed charmer with the unlikely name of Floyd. Our first date was the Halloween parade in Greenwich Village, followed two days later by what turned out to be Liberace's final performance. Floyd and I have been together ever since. He's now the society columnist for Just Out, Oregon's gay newspaper, and a very loud tour guide at the Portland Art Museum.
FUN FACT #5: Floyd and I both have the same middle name, which is Evan.
I subsequently transferred to Colorado College, where I graduated in 1990 and went on to study singing in Europe on a Watson Fellowship. Upon my return, I clawed my way to the middle singing comic character roles with companies such as Seattle Opera, Opera Ireland and the Colorado Opera Festival. Despite being lauded for a "booming voice and rubber face," I decided instead to become a writer so I could work at home in bed, like hookers and Winston Churchill.
FUN FACT #6: I have had 36 jobs in my life, and almost as many hair-dos. Neither the jobs nor the hair-dos worked out very well.
I began my writing career with my syndicated humor column, "The Gospel According to Marc," which earned me poverty wages at nineteen alternative newspapers nationwide, as well as the sobriquet "the gay Dave Barry."
FUN FACT #7: When I met Dave Barry, he looked me in the eye and said, "Let's just get one thing clear: I'm the gay Dave Barry."
I still freelance, most notably as a commentator for National Public Radio's All Things Considered
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
December 12, 2012
Geesh, did I hate this book. I couldn't even finish it, and I rarely, if ever, stop a book.
Because I am a big Manhattan theatre nerd, a friend of mine gave me the book, thinking I'd enjoy its theatre-centric hijinks. However, I found it cliched and forced. As a man well into my 30s, the "wacky antics" of a group of self-important early 20-somethings failed to amuse, even on a nostalgic level. The protagonist finds himself on a series of New York adventures that grow more contrived and preposterous with each passing chapter. It tries to be "Auntie Mame," but lacks the self-awareness to know what it's satirizing.
Reading this book was like listening to the inane dribble of a 22 year old chattering on and on about how wildly nutty their life is, and how lovably wacky their friends are, when in reality, they're completely conventional. You've got the strong suspicion they're lying to make themselves look more madcap than they could possibly ever be. In this novel, objects in the mirror are more exaggerated than they appear to be.
A staggering amount of my early 20s friends saw me reading the book and effused on how good it was. I suspect that's the target demo, since they currently like to imagine themselves living the wacky young New York theatre life. As a person who's been there, done that, the novel failed to offer me anything more than junior high-level reading.
As I said, I slogged my way as much as I could, but halfway through, I had had enough.
Because I am a big Manhattan theatre nerd, a friend of mine gave me the book, thinking I'd enjoy its theatre-centric hijinks. However, I found it cliched and forced. As a man well into my 30s, the "wacky antics" of a group of self-important early 20-somethings failed to amuse, even on a nostalgic level. The protagonist finds himself on a series of New York adventures that grow more contrived and preposterous with each passing chapter. It tries to be "Auntie Mame," but lacks the self-awareness to know what it's satirizing.
Reading this book was like listening to the inane dribble of a 22 year old chattering on and on about how wildly nutty their life is, and how lovably wacky their friends are, when in reality, they're completely conventional. You've got the strong suspicion they're lying to make themselves look more madcap than they could possibly ever be. In this novel, objects in the mirror are more exaggerated than they appear to be.
A staggering amount of my early 20s friends saw me reading the book and effused on how good it was. I suspect that's the target demo, since they currently like to imagine themselves living the wacky young New York theatre life. As a person who's been there, done that, the novel failed to offer me anything more than junior high-level reading.
As I said, I slogged my way as much as I could, but halfway through, I had had enough.
September 24, 2008
This book is a sequel to "How I Paid for College: a Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater," which was a book I LOVED. I was so excited that Marc Acito was bringing back the cast of that book. I wish Goodreads had half stars, because I'd give it three and a half.
Don't get me wrong, the book was good. It just wasn't as effortlessly good as "How I Paid for College." Everything had an air of being forced. Paula seemed a little too theatrical, Natie was a little too unscrupulous, Doug a little too handsome and dumb, Ziba was a little too smooth and unaffected and Marcus was a little too militantly Socialist. Only Edward really remained the same. Getting Dagmar in the story seemed really forced as well and relied on a lot of coincidence. The gang's legal shennanigans were just a little too much to be believed in the world that Acito created.
All that notwithstanding, Marc Acito continued to wow me with his charming writing and brilliance at capturing the character of Edward. Acito crafts a story so that even in improbable situations, there is always humor, quite often even laugh out loud humor. I love that these books take place in the 1980's because gawd knows I love to read about those crazy outfits and hairdos!
Don't get me wrong, the book was good. It just wasn't as effortlessly good as "How I Paid for College." Everything had an air of being forced. Paula seemed a little too theatrical, Natie was a little too unscrupulous, Doug a little too handsome and dumb, Ziba was a little too smooth and unaffected and Marcus was a little too militantly Socialist. Only Edward really remained the same. Getting Dagmar in the story seemed really forced as well and relied on a lot of coincidence. The gang's legal shennanigans were just a little too much to be believed in the world that Acito created.
All that notwithstanding, Marc Acito continued to wow me with his charming writing and brilliance at capturing the character of Edward. Acito crafts a story so that even in improbable situations, there is always humor, quite often even laugh out loud humor. I love that these books take place in the 1980's because gawd knows I love to read about those crazy outfits and hairdos!
August 18, 2009
Fiction. Edward Zanni gets kicked out of Juilliard, but he's still got to pay the rent. Almost a caper novel, but not quite tight enough to qualify; it's a sequel to How I Paid for College, and maybe that's why the characters aren't developed at all. Or maybe they were always this shallow. It's been a while since I read the first book so I can't say for sure. The real draw here is the writing, which is playful and smart. Unfortunately it can also be over the top and in poor taste. The characters are minorities, nerds, and queers, and accordingly some of the jokes made me wince, badly. It's the 80s in New York so be prepared for coke, big hair, AIDS, insider trading, and both internalized and externalized homophobia.
Three stars. The title is totally misleading, whatever this book is, it isn't an attack of anything, but it's good for a few laughs, even if it crosses the line more than is comfortable.
Three stars. The title is totally misleading, whatever this book is, it isn't an attack of anything, but it's good for a few laughs, even if it crosses the line more than is comfortable.
January 11, 2009
Mark Acito's follow up to "How I Paid For College". Very cute. It may not change your life, but it may change your mood for the better. One morning I actually spaced off my bus stop b/c I was in the middle of one of their capers.
July 20, 2022
Attack of the Theater People is a fun sequel to How I Paid for College. As irreverent and fabulous as it’s predecessor, this is a great read for lovers of Broadway. I wish Acito wrote more novels.
May 13, 2018
Acito writes in a very fast paced and easy to read manner. Unfortunately, some of the story is problematic and never finds peace in itself. I understand that the main character is grappling with his own identity, but the shadows of homophobia and racial stereotypes still lurk throughout.
June 10, 2011
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/...
I read the first in this series (How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater) in 2009 while we were at our beloved Sylvia Beach Hotel. In that book, Acito tells the story of Edward Zanni, who is so desperate to go to Juilliard that he and his friends--mostly theater people--resort to embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft, forgery, and blackmail to help him achieve his goals. It's over the top madcap farce with a theatrical twist.
Attack of the Theater People picks up the plot two years later, when Zanni has been kicked out of Juilliard for being too "jazz hands." He ends up becoming a party motivator for bar and bat mitvahs and business events, and soon he's participating in insider trading deals. It's not that Edward does not have any ethics...it's just that he can't keep himself from getting sucked into unethical and illegal arrangements.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first...at times it was just a bit too over the top for me. But what I found especially fascinating about this book is that since I read the first one, I learned that I know one of the inspirations for one of Edward's extremely loyal, creative friends. (Much of Acito's storytelling is based on his life experiences, obviously spun way beyond what really happened.) This put a whole new spin on the book for me.
I read the first in this series (How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater) in 2009 while we were at our beloved Sylvia Beach Hotel. In that book, Acito tells the story of Edward Zanni, who is so desperate to go to Juilliard that he and his friends--mostly theater people--resort to embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft, forgery, and blackmail to help him achieve his goals. It's over the top madcap farce with a theatrical twist.
Attack of the Theater People picks up the plot two years later, when Zanni has been kicked out of Juilliard for being too "jazz hands." He ends up becoming a party motivator for bar and bat mitvahs and business events, and soon he's participating in insider trading deals. It's not that Edward does not have any ethics...it's just that he can't keep himself from getting sucked into unethical and illegal arrangements.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first...at times it was just a bit too over the top for me. But what I found especially fascinating about this book is that since I read the first one, I learned that I know one of the inspirations for one of Edward's extremely loyal, creative friends. (Much of Acito's storytelling is based on his life experiences, obviously spun way beyond what really happened.) This put a whole new spin on the book for me.
February 21, 2015
So I picked this up purely for the goofy title - I didn't even know it was a sequel. And, in general, I like a good caper story. The fact that it was about theatre people just seemed like a novelty. But I have to admit, I was delightfully surprised. It actually was a fun caper story, with our leading guy not getting any breaks. But it also has moments of touching on why it is I love the theatre, about its transcendental power, and the people who would turn it into a profit-making machine or those who would turn it into a pretentious artsy-fartsy thing.
Interesting reading some of the negative reviews for this book and it seems to be mostly from people who really don't get theatre people. They did theatre in high school but "got over it" or they just don't spend time with artistic people. As someone who spends a lot of time enjoying and rolling my eyes at theatre people, this book is at home. They are weird, loud, quoting Shakespeare, busting out into song, but also real, people who have decided that middle America's notion of "normal life" would be for them more of a prison sentence and also understand that this thing called "normal life" is as much of a performance as being on stage. The characters are a collection of misfits that typify theatre kids who spent a long time being what was expected of them and finally gave up and are just their normal, crazy selves. And, like I do in real life, I enjoyed them and rolled my eyes at them.
Interesting reading some of the negative reviews for this book and it seems to be mostly from people who really don't get theatre people. They did theatre in high school but "got over it" or they just don't spend time with artistic people. As someone who spends a lot of time enjoying and rolling my eyes at theatre people, this book is at home. They are weird, loud, quoting Shakespeare, busting out into song, but also real, people who have decided that middle America's notion of "normal life" would be for them more of a prison sentence and also understand that this thing called "normal life" is as much of a performance as being on stage. The characters are a collection of misfits that typify theatre kids who spent a long time being what was expected of them and finally gave up and are just their normal, crazy selves. And, like I do in real life, I enjoyed them and rolled my eyes at them.
October 25, 2008
The cover is a beautifully and brilliantly painted homage to 80s Fantastic. The premise is also very interesting - about a young man who was kicked out of school because he is 'too jazz hands for Julliard'. It's also written by some guy that apparently worked/s at NPR. (This would be a selling point for me. I love NPR, and the books the recommend tend to interesting for me.) Supposedly there will be wacky and wild shenanigans about embezzlement, hot men, corporate espionage and finding oneself. However, after the first few chapters, all I found myself with was some wobbley sexual confusion of a generic bi/gay, possibly jewish guy with his too-cool-to-be-true friends whom he envies so greatly while stewing in his own genericism. Michael Chabon did it better with fewer, and prettier, sentences.
So I'm putting this book down for now. It's prose and premise is strong enough that I might go back to it, but the voice hasn't quite gripped me enough to make me pick it over other things during my limited time schedule.
So I'm putting this book down for now. It's prose and premise is strong enough that I might go back to it, but the voice hasn't quite gripped me enough to make me pick it over other things during my limited time schedule.
December 10, 2008
Acito is the funniest writer I've encountered in years, and I just can't get enough of him. (Maybe I should move to Portland?) This is the sequel to How I Paid for College, and it opens with Edward Zanni getting kicked out of Juilliard for being "too jazz hands." Out of money and out of work in NY, Edward lands a gig as a party motivator, getting 13 year olds to hit the dance floor at "bash mitzvahs," which OF COURSE leads to being a corporate spy, a little run-in with the SEC for insider training, impersonating a British MTV DJ and a Hasidic rabbi, and maybe, just maybe, getting together with Doug, who's headlining a Jersey "Almost Bruce" band (it's 1986, by the way). My god I love this author, Edward Zanni and his theater troupe of friends. OH! And Hannah is now BF with him and she graciously got me an autographed copy of this. Jazz hands!
August 24, 2008
This book was disappointing. I thought for sure that any book about a person kicked out of Julliard for being too "jazz hands" was sure to be roaringly funny. While there were some great one liners - and the description of Hands Across America and Starlight Express were priceless - the plot was stale and I didn't care about the characters. At all. In fact, I found myself distracted by their stupidity. While the characters were meant to be stereotypes of typical theater people (and in a way I really could relate), they were too absurd to be funny, ironic, thought provoking, or anything but plain annoying. I'll pass on future books by this author about this cast of characters. (This is the 2nd and not all loose ends were tied up so there is surely more to follow.) I'm still searching in my quest for a new laugh out loud book....when oh when will a new Pirates book be published?
January 29, 2009
I absolutely loved Attack of the Theater People ~ Marc's talent and ability to weave humor throughout each scene is a rare gift. On more than one occassion I embarrassed myself while reading in public places--with bursts of laughter ~ once, even causing seltzer water up and through my nasal passages ~ YEOW! But even more fun? ...
Talking to Marc for my author inteview show at http://www.wordstomouth.com. I'm almost done editing the show and will post it after my interview with William P. Young--THE SHACK--(awesome)--coming out in just a few days!
You can subscribe to the show on the website or on iTunes--either way, you won't miss Marc share his infectious humor.
Talking to Marc for my author inteview show at http://www.wordstomouth.com. I'm almost done editing the show and will post it after my interview with William P. Young--THE SHACK--(awesome)--coming out in just a few days!
You can subscribe to the show on the website or on iTunes--either way, you won't miss Marc share his infectious humor.
January 12, 2009
This follow-up to Acito's How I Paid For College is in the same fast-paced, jazz hands tradition of the first. Having been kicked out of Julliard, Eddie Zanni falls on hard times and must resort to Bar Mitzvah entertainment and ushering to make ends meet. Unwisely he lets himself be convinced to schmooze business secrets from partygoers in exchange for cash and allows his friend Natie to "invest" some of his money. Soon he finds himself under investigation and only the wildest acting by his eclectic assortment of friends will save him.
February 18, 2009
Initially, I was excited to read this book because I enjoyed the first one so much, but I was a little disappointed in the end. At times, it was very funny with some sophomoric humor (that I actually appreciated). It dragged a little at the end, and felt like the author was trying a little too hard.
February 20, 2009
Zippy and cute, but not as fresh or well constructed as Acito's first book. I think this one was over thought and over edited...
May 9, 2019
I started this book because I needed a lighthearted break from what I was reading, and it looked like this would be a hilarious romp of theater kid hijinks. So I felt a bit meh about it for a while after starting it because it wasn't delivering on my expectations. But the story picked up, and I really ended up enjoying it. There are some great theater kid hijinks throughout, and especially at the climax of the story. Worth finishing even though the plot kept taking unexpected turns, and I felt lost along the way. It all came together.
March 14, 2022
An entertaining sequel to How I Paid for College, bringing back all the key characters plus a few new ones. Eddie and his friends have moved on from high school but they get into more outlandish escapades trying to make extra money while living in New York City. It is told with sharp, sassy humour, filled with allusions to theatre (as the title suggests) and evoking life in the late 80s. The madcap plot, revolving around bar mitzvahs and insider dealing, is a little far-fetched but it doesn’t matter as it is told with style, humour and exuberance.
Read
June 2, 2020Edward Zanni, This Is Your Life! the Musical
In this follow-up to How I Paid For College, Edward Zannni not only gets kicked out of college but has the adventures required to season him up as an actor. Only, it's not the adventures he wanted. With his posse of best friends, and a couple of new ones, he once again commits criminal acts to pay for college, and take down a criminal. Oh, Edward. What are we going to do with you?
In this follow-up to How I Paid For College, Edward Zannni not only gets kicked out of college but has the adventures required to season him up as an actor. Only, it's not the adventures he wanted. With his posse of best friends, and a couple of new ones, he once again commits criminal acts to pay for college, and take down a criminal. Oh, Edward. What are we going to do with you?
April 30, 2019
Sad to say that this wasn't as entertaining as the first book. As much as I didn't mind the ridiculousness in the first book, I REALLY did mind it in the second. Most of the book was filled with crazy schemes that did not really interest me and it didn't pick up until 2/3 of the way in (when they actually went back to talking about theater). But at least it tore Starlight Express to pieces.
October 9, 2021
Even better than the first book because not only is it not tied down to a high school setting but it’s got the wonderful movie sequel / season 2 energy that makes everything much more vivid. We know these characters already, so instead of wasting time describing or getting to know them, we just get to see them be funny.
May 23, 2017
One of the only books (besides the other one in this series) I've read that truly reads like an 80's teen adventure movie. To fully enjoy this book you need to love theater, believe in magic, and have a little suspension of disbelief.
March 18, 2018
I read that people's main complaint about the Edward Zanni's series are the unbelievable events the characters go through. Nonetheless, whereas that madness continues in this second volume, because it is narrated in such a simple, clear style, it is very easily understable and the chaos ends up seeming pretty feasible.
January 6, 2020
I don't remember the first book this far fetched, or gratuitously explicit. The story was fun at times, and the characters were interesting for the most part, but to get me the book was more a chore than a delight.
August 25, 2023
A random, funny, funny-because-it's-random paperback I picked up at the thrift store this summer. The world of late 80's theater/NYC/Julliard/LGBTQ was relatable, nostalgic, and quite often hysterical. I'd never heard of the book or the author but now I want to read the first Edward Zanni book.
October 13, 2024
This was pretty much want I expected it to be. A fun read full of characters that are full of all the angst and drama of standard 20 somethings who think everything is so important. Ie: something we can all relate to, although I’m grateful I e never had the FBI/ SEC after me.
It was a fun read.
It was a fun read.
September 7, 2017
This was a bit of a slow starter, but once it got going, I really got sucked in. I think I actually ended up liking this one better than the first.
October 14, 2019
A little slow in parts, but worth it! I did get tired of Edward's crush on Doug. And Doug's not-quite-homophobia
July 3, 2020
This is a story that did not age gracefully. The cruel comments about the gay community and the AIDS crisis don’t feel great to read. It is a selfish portrayal.
November 21, 2010
I am so, so glad I had this book with me on a particularly nervewracking business trip I had to survive last month. It's perfect for those times when you need a laugh, but at the same time need to read about someone with problems far worse than yours. And Edward Zanni, aspiring actor and man of a hundred pseudonyms and just about as many bizarre jobs, certainly has his share of problems. This book felt unorganized in places, but the voice and humor carry the story, and it's always fun when one of Edward's odd friends pops up to complicate matters.
One warning: the back of the book gives away the majority of the plot. The last plot point noted in the summary happens about 3/4 of the way through the book, so if you're like me and you read the summary and all the back matter before hitting page 1, you're basically already aware of this novel's entire story before you begin reading. Ah well. There's still plenty of tension from scene to scene to keep the reader interested, and there is, of course, always the question of how certain plot points are going to come up and take shape.
When it comes to books about theater, though, I'm not really picky. I love the references sprinkled throughout, and the scenes that organically involve Broadway. The breathless way that Barbara Cook's one-woman show is described is wonderful. I get the feeling that Acito would have liked to have written a whole book of scenes like that (n.b. I would gladly read that book!), but was, perhaps, gently reminded that he needed to have a plot, as well.
Some quotes I liked:
and
One warning: the back of the book gives away the majority of the plot. The last plot point noted in the summary happens about 3/4 of the way through the book, so if you're like me and you read the summary and all the back matter before hitting page 1, you're basically already aware of this novel's entire story before you begin reading. Ah well. There's still plenty of tension from scene to scene to keep the reader interested, and there is, of course, always the question of how certain plot points are going to come up and take shape.
When it comes to books about theater, though, I'm not really picky. I love the references sprinkled throughout, and the scenes that organically involve Broadway. The breathless way that Barbara Cook's one-woman show is described is wonderful. I get the feeling that Acito would have liked to have written a whole book of scenes like that (n.b. I would gladly read that book!), but was, perhaps, gently reminded that he needed to have a plot, as well.
Some quotes I liked:
The actors who succeed here are the ones who are emotionally available, like Willow. Press a button and out come tears. I don't know how she does it. She's a human spigot. I'm more like Morales in A Chorus Line. I dig right down to the bottom of my soul and I feel nothing.
and
To call Starlight Express garbage is an insult to sanitation workers. A noisy, epilepsy-inducing assault on the senses, it is the Chuck E. Cheese of musicals, a show so astonishingly vapid it makes Cats look like A Lion in Winter.
January 14, 2013
The hilarious sequel to How I Paid For College: A Novel Of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater. It’s hysterical at times but you must, must, must read the other book first if you want to really get as much out of all the marvelous characters. It’s the 1980s and narrator, Edward Zanni has been thrown out of Julliard drama school for being too… dramatic and not, well, real enough. (His audition scene from the first book is a riot.) The books follows him as he ambles through a series of insane jobs (assistant to the world’s meanest agent, kiddie party host and fake British MTV host, Broadway usher, party facilitator and stooge for an insider trading scam). Of course, there are ridiculous plot twists and fool proof plans that fail spectacularly. Somehow the Shah of Iran, a Springsteen cover band, a teenage stalker and the SEC are all involved. It’s as much about the plot as it is Edward’s wonderful gang of friends who are in it through thick and thin and as diverse and fabulous a gang of characters as ever I would love to call my friends (and feel like I have) The whole thing takes place in the 1980s, a time I can remember both cringingly all too well and yet somehow fondly. It has a wonderful deja vu feeling to it.. Acito’s books remind me of who I wanted to be back in the day. Either you’ll be rolling in the aisles or it just ain’t you. Oddly, the author and I seem to have someone in common as he thanks an old cater waiter friend of mine in the book. Even odder, one of Edward’s schemes is almost the same situation our old friend found himself living through (trying to pull off). Small world, isn’t it?
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