McKittrick Hotel

If you're looking for a complicated dissertation on what it takes to be an actor, then The Understudy, a novel by Ellen Tovatt Leary, is not for you. Though if you happen to prefer something which combines elements of a Harlequin romance ("her heart plunged like an elevator that slipped its cable") and a virtual love letter to the theatre, get set... for an enjoyable read. The Understudy - Cover Artwork: Harrison Houlé Nina Landau, a 32 year-old New York actress, has toiled for more than a decade in stock, regional and Off-Broadway venues, but has yet to make her Broadway debut. However this may all change when she lands an audition for a new comedy set to open on the . Trying out for the female lead, she is instead offered the chance to understudy the role; along with playing a minor character with only one line. At first Nina is hesitant about taking such a part, which she see as beneath her, but after fervent urging from her close friends, she agrees. Leary toiled for years in the theatre trenches and clearly knows of what she writes. She taking the story, with the starting point the terror that comes from an important audition - a process Nina refers to as being led to the gallows - to the frantic yet controlled chaos of the rehearsal process, all the way to a Broadway opening night and beyond. Each step along the way filled with dozens of details about the theatre. Such as insights on theatrical superstitions - i.e. never quote from Macbeth or even say the title aloud - to an exploration of the different techniques actors use to understand their characters. As well as a discussion of just how important the job of an understudy is to the production at large. All of this information delivered in an easy, conversational manner, without ever feeling tedious or overly descriptive. Hand-in-hand with this intricately crafted atmosphere is Nina's budding romance with Matt Ryland, the show's leading man. A known name in television circles, he and Nina are instantly attracted to one other. While Nina has a string of ...Read More