Book Review: Name Dropping In The Wings – David Collison

NAME DROPPING IN THE WINGS – David Collison (Amazon ISBN: 9798576381876)

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

I love books that give you an insight to the workings of the backstage areas of the theatre – especially if there is a bit of gossip involved. So, I loved this book.

David Collison started his career in the 1950s, being thrown in at the deep end, as an ASM at the Arts Theatre Club in London. From there he worked his way up by hard graft to becoming the first theatre sound designer in the UK and worked on over 60 musicals in the West End and abroad. Through those experiences he can take us on a wonderful journey filled with ups and downs and gives those of us who know very little about the workings of the sound departments a real eye-opener.

Through my many years in the theatre I have always been fascinated by the sound dept. Most people think it is a case of ‘stick on a mic and twiddle a knob and Jack’s your uncle!’ but I have seen soundmen (and women) almost losing the will to live, so I am well aware of the trials and tribulations, although I’ve never personally gone through it. I was also around in the West End for a lot of the shows that David was working on and so can also vouch for the fantastic effect he had on the musical theatre. From footlight mics to high-end radio mics – he’s been through the lot. And, of course, the true art of the sound dept is to give you the impression that there is no sound dept at work. It should all appear totally natural!

I do think he has been quite gentle on some of the artists he had professional contact with through the years. I have had dealings with the same ones (and others) and I can tell you that they are even more egotistical than David lets on. Wait until I write my book!

The reason the book doesn’t get five stars is down to the proof reading. As lots of you who read many of my book reviews know, I used to proofread and therefore I get really annoyed when reading through a book that has either not been proof read or has been badly proof read, and I’m afraid this falls into one of those categories. Also, Patricia Routledge did not star in a musical called The Darling Buds of May – it was Darling of the Day and I am sure Charles Laughton, born and bred in Scarborough, would be amused to learn that he was actually American!

But, all in all, this is a great read and I would definitely recommend it.

Nick Wakeham