Bob Abelman

Theater Critic Asher Kaufman is back on the stage again, this time in a minor role in Sweeney Todd. The play had opened in Taos and was going to complete it’s run in Cleveland, home of its sister theater. But this time, things did not go as planned: The knife the barber used was real and the elaborate set became the scene of a grisly murder soon after Act 2 began.
When the chief investigator, Detective Brandstätter, she needed more information about how theaters operate, Asher realized he could use his stage and journalism connections to help her solve the case..
MURDER CENTER STAGE is very well-written and very clever. Laughs galore, insight into the inner workings of theaters and productions, and a plausible plot. The culprits are not readily obvious and the ending promises another Asher Kaufman novella.… (plus d'informations)

Asher Kaufman enjoyed his job as a theater critic for a weekly paper. “Originally the paper catered to the immigrant population, addressing relevant issues within a conservative and often Orthodox Jewish perspective.” One day his boss suggested that he write a story from the performers’ perspective rather than the audience’s in order to increase readership. Asher had previous acting experience. His biggest fear was anything by Shakespeare, especially after a disastrous high school experience in “Macbeth” Long story short: He ended up getting a minor role in As You Like It at a local professional theater.

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE FRIGHT is a well-written, short, witty, chronicle of that experience including how a cast and crew come together to work on a production, especially with a member who has previously reviewed their performances in print.

Abelman answers the questions that people should have been asking like how did actors in Shakespeare’s time learn their lines and when and why did becoming a professional newspaper critics originate?

He also discusses whether or not the playwright’s words and actions should be changed: “Censoring the play is always more dangerous than staging it.” In matters of suppression or censorship, to be or not to be should never be the question.”

Novel perspective and definitely worth the read.… (plus d'informations)