Masking Unmasked
Eli Simon
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
2003 Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 1403962952

Four Approaches to Basic Acting. Hey, you can act -- really you can act!

Sr. Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Let me say at the outset, I don't know the ABCs or for that matter DEFs...XYZs of acting.

However, I am a fan of both movies & the theatre. Sean Connery, Al Pacino & Jack Nicholson from Hollywood, & Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal & Kamalhassan from India are some of my favorite stars -- & I have spent hours in the cinema halls, before the television -- enamored & awed by their acting. I have heard about the theatre legends like Sir Lawrence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, & Sir Alec Guinness -- but have not had the privilege to see them on stage.

What was the secret of their acting prowess? The greasepaint was one factor, the histrionics another element -- but what made them click was something more -- a fine blend of histrionics, emotions, sentiments, & something ... more.

Eli Simon's Masking Unmasked steps here to the rescue -- it's not your off-the-block regular guide on acting -- what it is is an incredible study into the laws of acting, giving impetus on how an actor inhabits a character, imbibes its authenticity, & at the same time a touch of individuality.

For me, a lay reader with no base in acting -- some of the technical jargon -- Full-Face Masks, Clowning, Half-Face Masks, etc. etc. proved sometimes a little too heavy -- I am not saying that I didn't understand it at all, just that students of acting, or connoisseurs of the study of acting will appreciate this book more than the lay reader.

One thing is sure, any teeny-weeny thought I had about acting being simple & anybody-can-do-it, Masking Unmasked brought me to reality -- I was (assertive-pause, long breath, sob! pause, short breath, sob!) WRONG (emphasis added).
(01/18/04)

Narayan
2004©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org