title: Balancing Acts: Behind the Scenes at London's National Theatre
author:  Nicholas Hytner 
description: Hytner is indisputably one of the best theater directors in the worldhis approach to Shakespeare and the classics is compelling and nuancedHis grasp of low comedy is equally impressive[Hytner writes] fully realized scenes that are funny and immediate and ring true.<br /> Alex Witchel, <i>The New York Times Book Review</i><b><i><br /></i></b><br />This exquisitely written memoir of Hytners time running the National (2003-15), when he produced more than 100 new plays, is a revelatory exegesis of finding balance at all levels of artistic, technical, philosophical, and commercial production. The pages sparkle with luminaries with whom the author has workedThe elements Hytner so adroitly strived for in his stewardship of the National is manifested throughout this memoirThe theater crowd is the obvious audience for this book, but the intelligence, wit, and humor throughout expands the scope of readership to anyone interested in the arts.<br /><i>Library Journal </i>*starred review<br /> <br /> A detailed and stimulating look at the state of the art. [Hytner] is candid as he shares fun and intimate stories of working with such luminaries as Arthur Miller, Helen Mirren, Magie Smith, Tom StoppardHe wasnt always able to achieve his goals, and those failures are given just consideration and make for a captivating narrative.<br /><i>Publishers Weekly</i><br /> <br /> [A] witty memoirthe many backstage stories, as well as [Hytners] reminiscences about his flirtation with Hollywood, make this an entertaining reada pleasant peek behind the scenes during a transformative period of British theater history.<br /><i>Kirkus Reviews</i><br /> <br /> Vivid anecdotes about some of the greatest figures in modern British theater will delight any theater buff...[An] entertaining and insightful memoir.<br /><i>Shelf Awareness</i><br /><br />EntertainingHytner has a writers instinct for detail, drawing you into the room with luminaries such as Arthur Miller, John Gielgud, Alan BennettHe balances wit with intellectual gravitas, gossip with self-deprecation, and mischief with serious insight. <br />Sarah Hemming, <i>The Financial Times</i>(UK)<br /> <br /><br />Vivid, engaging, alive with anecdotes and continually invigorated by ideas.<br /> John Carey, <i>The Sunday Times </i>(UK)<br /> <i></i><br /> <i></i><br /> Absorbinga memoir melded with lessons learned from three decades at the hard end of the directing/producing business.The central dictum, repeated more than once, is that high-minded can also be showbiz gold, and the book aims to unveil the formula of this mysterious alchemy. It should be read not simply by anyone who has an interest in British theatre, but anyone interested in that oldest of questions: how you make art that sellsEngagingly openastute and unsentimentalHis insights on Shakespeare and Bennett are worth the price of the book alone. <br /> Andrew Dickson, <i>The Guardian</i>(UK)<br /> <br /> <br /> The qualities of Hytners writing are the qualities of his work as a director hes specific, hes detailed, hes witty and entertaining, and hes able to tell a good story.<i>Balancing Acts </i>is both history and illuminationHytner illuminates what a director does in a rehearsal room and he reveals both the ecstasy and the agony of staging large and ambitious shows with complicated sceneryYou dont have to be interested in theatre or even in culture to enjoy this book. <br /> Richard Eyre, <i>The Evening Standard</i>(UK)<br /> <i></i><br /> <i></i><br /> Hytner brings alive the pressures and rewards of running that concrete Oz on the South Bank and giving us brisk pen-portraits of actors.<br /> Benedict Nightingale,<i>The Times</i>(UK)<br /><br /><br />A tremendous book about life in the theatre  and theatre, and life. Honest, shrewd and heartfelt. A classic of its kind.<br />William Boyd, author of<i>Sweet Caress</i><br /><i></i><br /> <br /> <i>Balancing Acts </i>is fueled by the same clarity and intellectual pizzazz that are the hallmarks of [Hytners] productionsfull of handy tips for actors and directorsIts a wonderful book: stimulating, intelligent, gossipy, heartfelt, affectionate, honest and, perhaps above all, fun.<br /> Craig Brown, <i>The Mail on Sunday</i>(UK)<br /> <i></i><br /> <br /> Revelatory full of anecdotes about the terrifying art of bringing a play alive, and full of insight about the sheer daredevil tightrope act that running the National Theatre involves A vital reminder both of what theatre can do  and what is at stake if we take it for granted.<br /> Sarah Crompton, <i>Whats On Stage</i>(UK)<br /> <i></i><br /> <br /> Hytner has produced a rare thing: an absorbing memoirby a director-turned-arts-administrator... The insouciance of<i>Balancing Acts</i>is magic dust, sprinkled by a master Oberon.<br /> Anne McElvoy,<i>Standpoint</i>(UK)
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  The London Theatres
  
  
  This page copyright © 2004 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  
  
  
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  # The London Theatres
  
  
  ### By Henry James
  
  
  This page copyright © 2004 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com  
    
  
      
  
  Etext by Ian Hillman
  
  
  A PERSON taking up his residence in a foreign city is apt, I think,
  
  
  to become something of a playgoer. In the first place he is usually
  
  
  more or less isolated, and in the absence of complex social ties the
  
  
  theatres help him to pass his evenings. But more than this, they offer
  
  
  him a good deal of interesting evidence upon the manners and customs of
  
  
  the people among whom he has come to dwell. They testify to the
  
  
  civilization around him, and throw a great deal of light upon the ways
  
  
  of thinking, feeling, and behaving of the community. If this exotic
  
  
  spectator to whom I allude is a person of a really attentive
  
  
  observation, he may extract such evidence in very large quantities. It
  
  
  is furnished not by the stage alone,