The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes is an anthology of theatrical anecdotes comprising four-hundred years of world theatre history, from Shakespeare to the present day, edited by "lifelong theatre-lover Gyles Brandreth in the Oxford tradition."[1]
| The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes | |
| Author: | Various |
| Language: | English |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| Italic Title: | force |
| Editor: | Gyles Brandreth |
| Genre: | Art History |
| Pages: | 832 |
| Isbn: | 978-0-19-874958-5 |
| Congress: | 202934896 |
The book is "[d]ivided into eight sections, each headed with a Shakespearean quote," which is followed by "a brief selection of quotes about audiences and critics...before a return to stories about playwrights, producers and directors." The Daily Express noted a single error, which consisted of identifying David Kelly as a "charming, wiry, one-armed Irish character actor." In reality he had two arms, however he did play Albert Riddle, a one-armed character in Robin's Nest.[2]
Christopher Hart, from Literary Review, called "[t]he inclusion of some of the recollections...baffling," and noted that Brandreth is "reliably funny."[3] Yorkshire Magazine's Sandra Collard noted that the reader "need[s] to be an avid reader and an even more avid theatregoer to appreciate even a soupçon..of anecdotes," and noted that "[t]he prologue of the book is a mini masterpiece in itself." As the book's release was during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Collard stated that the book "perhaps [makes you] feel sad at the demise of such a wonderful and necessary thing as live theatre."[4] Paula Donnelly, for The Daily Express, noted that "with theatres closed because of the coronavirus, [it] is about as close to a play we can get at the moment – and it is well worth the admission price." Writing for The Sunday Times, Simon Callow opined that "[Brandreth] has put the theatrical profession and theatregoers everywhere heavily in his debt...[having] provided an alternative and very human history of the theatre."[5] The Spectator's literary editor Sam Leith described it as "a doorstopping compendium of missed cues, bitchy put-downs and drunken mishaps involving everyone from Donald Wolfit to Donald Sinden."[6]
Brandreth gave his first show on 10 October 2020 promoting the book at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, which, even though labelled "sold out" only had a quarter of the seats full under government restrictions and "[Brandreth] signed book and autographs from the edge of the stage from behind a four-foot square Perspex screen."[7]