My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies

April 11, 2011
In this lively romantic dramedy, Zadoff (Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have) uses a high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream as a backdrop for one teenager's coming-of-age. Ever since his father's death, sophomore Adam Ziegler has sought refuge in his school's theater department. As a techie, responsible for set construction and lights, Adam is part of a small but tight-knit group, forbidden by unwritten custom from interacting with the actors, "unless it's absolutely necessary." Then he meets Summer Armstrong, an actress willing to defy the rules, and an unlikely friendship slowly develops into something deeper. But in true Shakespearean fashion, Adam may have to choose between friends and romance. As the production descends into chaos, courtesy of a tyrannical student designer and a director in the throes of a midlife crisis, Adam struggles to keep it all together. Zadoff captures the confusion, torn loyalties, and overwrought drama of teenage lifeânot to mention student theater. All the world's a stage, indeed, and these players earn their applause. Ages 12âup.

July 1, 2011

Gr 7-9-Being alone on the catwalk of his high school theater suits Adam Ziegler very well. Since his father's untimely death two years earlier, he wants to avoid all social contact. However, during production week of A Midsummer Night's Dream, he encounters Summer, a lovely young actress who, despite the unwritten rule that techies and actors don't mix, seems to be interested in Z-zits and all. Derek, the arrogant student production designer, does his best to thwart his efforts, but when Z manages to save the show, he finds the courage to overcome his fears and step out of the shadows, both literally and figuratively. Fast-paced and filled with humor, Zadoff's latest title is sure to appeal to fans of Glee and other performance-based TV shows. However, while the beginning of the novel introduces some interesting characters, including a maligned girl-techie and an over-the-top gay director, Mr. Apple, the story quickly descends into melodrama: Mr. Apple has a career crisis and walks out; incompetent Derek has a meltdown when the lights all blow, and fast-thinking Adam manages to save the day. And of course, "all's well that ends well." While the language is far less raw than that in David Stahler, Jr.'s Spinning Out (Chronicle, 2011), another novel that revolves around a high school theater scene, it is also less thought-provoking, and many of the characters, especially the adults (except for Z's mother), are stereotypes. The short chapters will appeal to reluctant readers, but the story is basically fluff and not worth the price of admission.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, The Naples Players, FL

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