Stop the Show!: A History of Insane Incidents and Absurd Accidents in the Theater

The first book from Schrieber, a theatre professional and columnist for the LA daily Entertainment Today, has a fun idea that doesn't quite hit its mark. A collection of theater anecdotes meant to be both bizarre and funny, the execution suffers from an overload of voices, inside jokes and lame commentary. At over 250 pages, the short tales-most less than a page each-tend to blend together. And while the better anecdotes feature stars such as Katherine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier, Schrieber has relied on far too many stories from and about virtual unknowns, presumably Schreiber's friends and acquaintances, whose gossipy stories may play well at parties but fall flat on the page. Schrieber's biggest misstep, however, is his own faltering humor; too often, he uses obvious, glib irony to pad out or wrap up tales: after an actor forgets all her lines, another goes to the hospital at intermission, and another falls down a flight of steps on-stage, Schriber quips, ""But other than that, opening night was an utter success."" Though it frustrates, theater lovers will get a few chuckles from this book, and perhaps some stories to pass along over cocktails.