Original Story by: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood

Rating:
Summary: Another Piece Of the Puzzle
Review: The history of entertainment in the US is a fascinating maze of economics, innovation and, not least of all, personality and talent. For me, what Laurents does best here is to fill in some of the missing pieces, elaborate and embellish the already legendary story of Broadway and especially the musical theatre from the 50s and beyond. It is enriching to get another point of view on the making of such influential shows as West Side Story and Gypsy. It is also daunting to learn how many and in what ways swollen egos spoiled or shaped the creative process and result. Laurent's anger at those who squealed during the HUAC witchhunt is palpable and his frankness about his and others' sexuality is...well...titillating but sometimes quite silly. His outspokenness would have been socially uplifting 30 years ago. Today, it seems to echo those who have already gone before him. This is a book that needs to be added to musical theatre history especially for those of us who believe in the musical theatre (and not in the mind-deadening nonsense on Broadway and in the West End today).

Rating:
Summary: Laurents should stick to writing scripts and screenplays.
Review: While Original Story By does contain a number of interesting anecdotes and some fascinating backstage information on a number of the shows and movies he was involved with, it remains ultimately inaccessible. Arthur Laurents writes in a very stream of conciousness style, which makes following the exact timeline of events and productions difficult. Also, because he is effectively covering his life more than his work, some of your specific questions about his work may be glossed over or ignored altogether. If you have interest in Arthur Laurents, you may want to skim this book for interesting information, but don't count on finding everything you're looking for.