Actor Nicholas Pennell: Risking Enchantment

by Mary Z. Maher

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1413738087
• ISBN13: 9781413738087
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: America Star Books
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

great book

I have admired Nicholas Pennell's work since I saw him in the Forsyte Saga when I was in high school. I was glad to be able to find out more about his carreer in a book where the author was not trying to sensationalize anything but just give the facts.

Compelling Close-up of a Theater Pro

This is a charming and readable biography of a man who dedicated himself not only to theater but to one remarkable theater in particular-the Stratford Festival in Ontario. Despite the beginning of a good career in London, Pennell, British by birth, once accepted a limited engagement with Stratford. Almost immediately he became fascinated with the theatrical opportunities that that repertoire company provided an actor, to say nothing of the rich dramatic offering it presented to an international audience. As a result, Pennell became a Canadian citizen and spent a professional lifetime acting and teaching at Stratford. His work took him elsewhere, including the United States, England, and the West Indies, but his base remained always at Stratford, where he quickly became and remained one of the stars of the company. Maher, who knew Pennell, bases her biography on his correspondence, interviews with his friends and associates, and interviews that Pennell himself granted to her and to others. The book is full of amusing anecdotes, as one always hopes to find in a book about theatrical personalities. It could also serve as a useful teaching aid for young actors because Pennell talks compellingly about the demands and techniques of acting. Finally, you don't have to know what has been going on in English-language theater since at least the mid-20 century to enjoy Maher's book. But if you do, it is even more fun. Henry Butterfield Ryan, July 29, 2005.