{"product_id":"understanding-alan-bennett-peter-wolfe-9781570032806","title":"Understanding Alan Bennett","description":"\u003cp\u003eA study of the actor, director, playwright, and lyricist famous for \u003ci\u003eTalking Heads\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Madness of King George\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn August 1960 four young men who never planned to have show business careers launched a revue in Edinburgh comprising skits and parodies, songs and monologues, on subjects such as nuclear holocaust, the cold war, and capital punishment. The review, called \u003ci\u003eBeyond the Fringe\u003c\/i\u003e, made instant celebrities of the group -- Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller, and Peter Cook.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf this now legendary troupe, Bennett had the most dubious professional future in the mid-1960s. yet in January 1992 this theatrical genius had two plays running in London's West End and had recently acted in one of his own teleplays. His suite of monologues, \u003ci\u003eTalking Heads\u003c\/i\u003e, was also opening in London's Comedy Theatre.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Alan Bennett\u003c\/i\u003e, Peter Wolfe conveys Bennett's originality, complexity of thought, and creative vigor while examining Bennett in his various roles as actor, director, playwright, and lyricist. Wolfe's book illustrates Bennett's success was no fluke. Signaling his theatrical eminence have been numerous awards and professional honors. His double bill \u003ci\u003eSingle Spies\u003c\/i\u003e won the Olivier Award as England's best comedy for 1989. The casts of his plays, starting with \u003ci\u003eForty Years On\u003c\/i\u003e in 1968, have included such luminaries as Sir John Gielgud, Sir Alec Guinness, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Alan Bates, and Daniel Day Lewis. His screenwriting earned \u003ci\u003eThe Madness of King George\u003c\/i\u003e a nomination for an Academy Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBennett's ability to write scripts at once funny and sad has lifted him to heights occupied by very few of his peers. \u003ci\u003eUnderstanding Alan Bennett\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates a writer whose instinct for artistic choices has helped him succeed on his own terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Peter Wolfe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1570032807\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781570032806\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of South Carolina Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/31\/1999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.88lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.28h x 5.33w x 0.99d","brand":"Peter Wolfe","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44124884828415,"sku":"9781570032806","price":41.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c75713d5-e1ae-4af1-8670-29c978721dd3.jpg?v=1687439388","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/understanding-alan-bennett-peter-wolfe-9781570032806","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}