MRS OSCAR WILDE AND BIOGRAPHIES and AUTOBIOGRAPHIES of ACTORS
CONSTANCE by Franny Moyle (John Murray £20). The tragic and scandalous life of Mrs Oscar Wilde. Not her scandal, but her husband’s. The familiar story of his fall is told from the wife’s point of view, drawing on her unpublished letters. Strongly motivated, she wanted to protect their two boys.
COVERING McKELLEN by David Weston (Rickshaw £8.99). An Understudy’s Tale. Here is a diary for actors and directors; though it is unlikely that either the actors or director Trevor Nunn, who were actually involved in the RSC’s King Lear and The Seagull, are going to be exactly thrilled to read his scathing description of what went on back-stage and on-stage during a very long, world-wide tour.
LEE EVANS: THE LIFE OF LEE (Michael Joseph £20). Working class kid makes good. His manic energy and his manic insecurity are on a grand scale and he has always put them both to great comic use; and audiences have always warmed to his vulnerability.
THIS CHARMING MAN: The life of Ian Carmichael by Robert Fairclough (Aurum (£18.99). Carmichael was perfect casting on TV for Bertie Wooster and Lord Peter Wimsey. His film fame rests on I’m All Right Jack.
MILLIGAN’S MEANING OF LIFE (Viking £20). Eddie Izzard has described Milligan as the Godfather of Alternative Comedy. I always found his general Behaviour and ad-libbing on stage more disturbing than funny. Norma Farnes, Milligan’s manager, has collected Milligan’s scripts, poetry, cartoon sketches, parodies, fiction, memoirs, letters and photographs to compile “an autobiography of sorts.”
PETE POSTLETHWAITE: A Spectacle of Dust (Weidenfeld and Nicolson £20). Postlethwaite is probably best remembered for his performances in such films as Distant Voices, Still Lives, In the Name of the Father, The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off. There are fascinating accounts of his early days in rep and a moving account of his early death at 64.
COMEDY RULES by Jonathan Lynn (Faber and Faber (£14.99) takes the reader on a journey from the Cambridge Footlights to Yes, Prime Minister. Lynn, always good for a laugh, provides a master class in comedy, for actors, directors, and for audiences, too.
A DANCER IN WARTIME by Gillian Lynne (Chatto & Windus). The highly successful choreographer remembers her younger days and her memoirs will have a special appeal for dance aficionados.
EDY WAS A LADY by Ann Rachlin (Matador (£16.99). The lost memoirs of Ellen Terry’s daughter, Edith Craig (1869-1947) will be of interest mainly to theatre historians
DRESSING MARILYN (Goodman £20). Do we really need any more books on Monroe? But Andrew Hansford has found a new angle and describes the stunning creations which William Travilla styled specially for her .
ELIZABETH TAYLOR Queen of the Silver Screen by Lloyd (Andre Deutsch £14.99) is very superficial and only for fans.
NAKED AUTHOR by Alison Baverstock (Bloomsbury £14.99) is A Guide to Self-publishing and useful for anybody thinking they might like to try.
YOU DON’T LOOK THAT OLD by Rickard Fuchs (Prion £9.99). Fuchs is evidently Sweden’s best selling doctor-author-stand-up comedian, but what he has to say about old age feels, in translation at least, very stilted and very heavy-going.
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Campaigns & Issues
Caring Britain: One in four take on role of carers as “Sandwich Generation” rejects care home option for elderly parents
Notions of a selfish society are cast aside today as new research reveals that the 45-60 age group is shouldering the responsibility of looking after elderly parents. Despite active levels of family engagement, all but a minority find it hard to have the conversation about long-term care needs, and for most, care homes are not an option.
News
Graham Norton invites the nation to Party for Parkinson’s for The Queen’s Jubilee
Popular BBC TV Presenter and arguably the nation’s favourite party host, Graham Norton, has issued a rallying cry – urging everyone to Party for Parkinson’s this summer.
Familiar with glitzy nightlife and besquinned party gear, Graham is channelling his love of social occasions into backing a new campaign aimed at helping people with Parkinson’s by sprinkling a little party magic across the UK.
Whether it’s a barbecue, street or house party, Parkinson’s UK alongside Graham, hopes to encourage people to turn their gatherings into a real cause for celebration by helping to raise funds for the charity.
Competitions & Fun
Win a pair of tickets to South Pacific
This breathtaking and lavish Lincoln Center Theatre production reinvented Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical.
It swept the 2008 Tony Awards, played for two years to sold-out houses on Broadway and was televised across America.
Reader Offers
You could win one of three superb weekend breaks in Silver Travel Advisor’s “Best of British” Diamond Jubilee celebration this month
Silver Travel Advisor is a friendly website packed with advice, tips, information and honest reviews written by and for silver travellers (aged over 50).
A team of advisors are on hand to answer queries (for free), and you can share your own experiences too.
It’s time to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee this month with an amazing British prize draw:
Win a two night stay for two people at Flackley Ash Hotel , Rye, East Sussex
Health & Wellbeing
Volunteering is good for your health, but undervalued
Older people who volunteer are less depressed, have a better quality of life and are happier with their lives, according to a new study published by leading older people’s charity, WRVS.
At a time when older people’s health is at risk because of cuts to services, increasing volunteering amongst older people offers a new route to improving their wellbeing. However, despite the pressing needs of their older populations, many local authorities have failed to grasp this opportunity.
Property & Finance
Older people need specialist housing
Britain’s housing market is failing to meet the needs of the elderly, despite a rapidly-ageing population and a growing demand for retirement housing, a charity has warned. Housing charity Shelter has found that if demand remains at current levels supply would have to increase by over 70 per cent in the next 20 years in order to keep up.
The report explored the housing options available to those over 55 - a group that will make up one in three people in England by 2030.
Lifestyle
Grandparents better than nurseries
Young children looked after by their grandparents often develop better than those who are placed in nurseries, researchers have found. Spending time being cared for by family members leaves children more emotionally secure with wider vocabularies, the study said.
The research indicated that middle class families are more likely to use relatives to provide care while less affluent families often send their children to nurseries.
Travel & Leisure
Families take grandparents on holiday
Many families will be packing more than suitcases into their cars for this year's summer holidays - they will also be making room for grandma and granddad.
That's the finding of a major holiday parks group, Best of British, which reports a growing trend for couples with kids to join up with grandparents for holidays.
Obviously as Editor you will have had many letters of thank-you's and well-done's, so please count this as one more from a convert to your excellent paper.