KEEPING MY BALLS IN THE AIR (The random memoirs of a theatre producer) – Paul Elliott
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Paul Elliott is well-known in theatrical circles especially for his amazing track record with pantomimes – although there is much more to the man than that. He has produced/co-produced some amazing hits and some equally amazing flops. But in true theatre producer style he picks himself up from the flops and carries on.
For nine years of my life in London I worked for a production company, so I do have first-hand knowledge of what is described in this book. Also, many of the names mentioned in the book I have met and therefore it brought back lots of good memories and a few not-so-good!
It is an accurate description of what goes on in the world of theatrical producers but I always wanted it to go that extra mile. There were a lot of ‘I won’t mention by name’ which, although I understand why, made the narrative slightly less interesting. And the chapter regarding Kim Cattrall left you wanting to know just why people wouldn’t work with her – you got the idea, but you wanted to know more. The episode with Cilla Black made me smile – I was beginning to think I was the only person who had seen that side of her (no spoilers here, you’ll have to read the book).
This will make a good read for anyone interested in the business or even thinking about becoming a theatrical producer, but I just can’t help thinking it could have been a lot juicier than it is. Can’t make my mind up as to whether that is because I have first-hand knowledge and know what really goes on behind those closed doors or whether I’m just one of those people who loves a good bit of titillating gossip. Either way, I did enjoy it.
Nick Wakeham
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