John Lithgow, New York Book Signing “Drama”

Award-winning stage and screen actor, John Lithgow, will be making a special appearance in New York next month to sign copies of his memoir, “Drama: An Actor’s Education.”

To television audiences, Lithgow is probably best known for his roles as Dick Solomon on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, and The Trinity Killer on Showtime’s Dexter, for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy. His stage career has been long and varied. Lithgow made his Broadway debut in David Storey’s The Changing Room, his performance earning him a Tony and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. His other stage performances include starring roles in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Retreat From Moscow, Sweet Smell of Success, M. Butterfly, Requiem for a Heavyweight, Beyond Therapy, Spokesong, and the revivals of Anna Christie, A Memory of Two Mondays, and All My Sons. On the silver screen, Lithgow has always been a versatile actor, from his chilling role in Raising Cain to his title role in the family comedy Harry and the Hendersons. It might surprise you to know that Lithgow is the author numerous children’s books. His memoir “Drama” is set to hit bookstores on September 27, 2011.

Book Signing Event

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From the Publisher
In this riveting and surprising personal history, John Lithgow shares a backstage view of his own struggle, crisis, and discovery, revealing the early life and career that took place out of the public eye and before he became a nationally known star.

Above all, Lithgow’s memoir is a tribute to his most important influence: his father, Arthur Lithgow, who, as an actor, director, producer, and great lover of Shakespeare, brought theater to John’s boyhood. From bedtime stories to Arthur’s illustrious productions, performance and storytelling were constant and cherished parts of family life. Drama tells of the Lithgows’ countless moves between Arthur’s gigs—John attended eight secondary schools before flourishing onstage at Harvard—and details with poignancy and sharp recollection the moments that introduced a budding young actor to the undeniable power of theater.

Before Lithgow gained fame with the film The World According to Garp and the television show 3rd Rock from the Sun, his early years were full of scenes both hilarious and bittersweet. A shrewd acting performance saved him from duty in Vietnam. His involvement with a Broadway costar brought an end to his early first marriage. The theater worlds of New York and London come alive as Lithgow relives his collaborations with renowned performers and directors, including Mike Nichols, Bob Fosse, Liv Ullmann, and Meryl Streep. His ruminations on the nature of theater, film acting, and storytelling cut to the heart of why actors are driven to perform, and why people are driven to watch them do it.

Lithgow’s memory is clear and his wit sharp, and much of the humor that runs throughout Drama comes at his own expense. But he also chronicles the harrowing moments of his past, reflecting with moving candor on friends made and lost, mistakes large and small, and the powerful love of a father who set him on the road to a life onstage.

Illuminating, funny, affecting, and thoroughly engrossing, Drama raises the curtain on the making of one of our most beloved actors.

“John Lithgow’s memoir is more than an insider’s view of his craft. The portrait of his father is as finely articulated as it is heartfelt, and the account of the young actor’s struggles with his too-young, too-early first marriage is both moving and candid. I loved this book.” (John Irving )

“This book has all the drama we’ve come to expect from John Lithgow, the alternately dark, tender, romantic, dangerous, deranged actor we find in Drama, which is also a family tale of the richest variety. A great read.” (Mary Karr )

Source: barnesandnoble.com