Ethan Mordden Comes to the Drama Book Shop in New York for Free Talk and Book Signing

On Wednesday, September 19, at 6 p.m. Ethan Mordden is coming to the Drama Book Shop in Manhattan for a free talk and book signing that should be a lot of fun. Mr. Mordden is a fairly well known gay writer who has chronicled a number of cultural movements in less dramatic and more honest fashion. Mr. Mordden was originally from Pennsylvania but his time growing up in both Venice and Long Island have helped to create the more full picture of who he is. Beginning his career as a music director in both regional and off-Broadway theatre was a great start which got him hooked on the business, but he hung up his hat to concentrate on his fiction work as well as his non-fiction books, specifically his work on the long storied era of classic theatre.

Enter Mr. Mordden's latest book "All That Glittered: The Golden Age of Drama on Broadway 1919-1959." First published this past April, his book chronicles the likes of Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill as this was the period when the two were at their most creative. But far from an homage to one or two writers, this book deals with all the legends of the period. Classic actors such as Laurence Olivier or Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontaine were performing their most memorable, talked about, studied, and imitated roles that have cast a lasting history in the world of the performing arts which continues to be sought and taught to this day.

Attempting to recreate a lost time in history, Mr. Mordden does a great job invoking some of the most powerful and long impersonated roles, characters, actors, playwrights, and directors from this now lost era. If you're a fan of Amanda Wingfield then you should hear about her from the voice of Mr. Mordden. He is able to pinpoint not only the time in the life of the playwright but he goes deeper and recreates the life of The Glass Menagerie star, Laurette Taylor.