Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1986 - 35

~OOK

REVI EWS

wid be adorned with tiaras, combs, jew'd pins, and ropes of pearls. In addition
descriptions of the jewelry itself, the
ok is filled with information about the
~ of real and artificial SlOnes and precious
:tals, and sophisticated developments in
:elling techniques, selling design, and
:istry in enameling and metallurgy. lore
Ipful 10 the designer than the author's
scriptions are the numerous pholOgraph
d plates of women showing how their
",elry was worn and how it complemented
~ fashions of their day.
Of these two books from the Costume
:cessories Series, Jewellery is the less sat'ying because of disharmony between the
(t and its illustrations, Although plates
~ placed in the appropriate hislOrical
apters, they are rarely correlated with the
(I. In fact, no effort is made by the author
use plate numbers 10 guide the reader 10
;ual illustrations of her descriptions. The
ok suffers as well because important delopments in the jeweler's craft of facetg gems and selling designs are nor accomnied by plates or diagrams, This absence
visual references and an incomplete glosry of terms make the book a difficult
urce 10 use.
Fans, however, is the more useful relrch 1001. There are occasions when the
(( needs a color plate, or when the plate
placed too far away from the textual ref:nce as in the case of a hand holding a
)sed fan like a cigarelle. The plate is
und on page 29 and the textual reference
on page 44. This, however, is rare. The
lies are usually directly juxtaposed with
~ corresponding text and the author carelly guides the reader 10 pertinent illustraIns by citing plate numbers. This thorgh approach makes Alexander's book an
'ective study on the use of such an enigHic accessory as the fan.
Andrea J. i'ouryeh
ew York

I..n International Dictionary of
heatrical Language Co-edited by Joel
apido, Edward A. Langhans, and James R.
, Brandon. Westport, Connecticut: GreenJod Press, 1985. ISB 0-313-22980-5,
:xi + 1032 pp., 595.00 cloth.
With an assemblage consisting of three
lilOrs, and over 50 cOI1lributing editors,
II1sulrants, and researchers, Greenwood
'ess has amassed one of the largest interllional dictionaries ever published in Eng,h. In fact, the edilOrs themselves tout the
ct that this collection is four times larger

Editor: T. Mikotowicl

conlinued frol11 page 30 .. ,

than any in the world IOday. The dictionary
alphabetically lists over 10,000 terms used
in the English-speaking world with an additional 5,000 terms derived from more than
60 foreign- peaking countries. All foreign
terms used, however, are included solely because they ha\'e appeared in English language publications. Term from the circus,
night clubs, and magic acts are nor included
in this volume. Also not included are terms
that are used frequently in the theatre, but
are not particular 10 il. The book di ffers
from other dictionaries of the theatre in that
it does not contain proper names (nor biographies), unless the proper name has taken
on a generic meaning over the years.
There are terms and phrases that deal
with the technical theatre, theories, and personnel, ranging from ancient through modern day. For example, Giacomo Torelli's
17th-century "chariot and pole system" of
stage scenery is included, as well as such
theoretical material as Richard Wagner's
concept of unity in production, "Gesamtkunstwerk," The reader can also find such
descriptions as a "cast iron comic," the
British definition of a boring comedian;
"big ham and egg man," a wealthy theatrical inveslOr; and a "motion man," an
Elizabethan puppeteer.
The Eastern theatre is represented as
well. The reader can look up such terms as
"Ramlila," the Hindi folk - pageant play
and, "Fu," the Chinese drama's villainous
comic character. In fact, there is a plethora
of terms from such theatrical forms as Japanese Kabuki and Bunraku, Javanese shadow plays, as well as a multitude from many
types of Asian performance.
The edilOrs have thoughtfully included
a brief citation at the end of many entries
10 lead the reader 10 other works on the subjecl. In the large bibliography IOward the
back of the book, the reader can find a full
reference listing.
Some of the problems with this volume
do not concern omissions (one can always
find those), but rather, the method of editing entries. For example, the reader finds
the entry "Are you decent?" which is defined as an "expression used at a dressing
room door instead of 'May I come in?'"
The reader is then referred 10 the entry "be
decent ," which is defined as "To be dressed."
There is also a third listing under "decent,"
which refers the reader back 10 "Are you
decent?" While some readers may appreciate the cross-referencing, others may prefer
it if the editors had consolidated such concepts inlO one entry, Another example is the
five entries concerning resistance lighting
equipmenl. The first entry is "resistance,"

an electrical term not particular 10 the theatre and therefore unnecessary, followed by
"resistance dimmer," "resistance board,"
"resistance dimmer board," "resistor, resislOr dimmer." The latter two entries refer
10 the previous two, all on the same page.
Surely, these could have been edited inlO
one entry, or two at mosl.

An Inremarional Dicrionary of Thearre
Language, however, can be used as a general reference of theatre jargon throughout
hislOry. Although there are no illustrations,
it can be a useful reference for the student,
scholar, professional, or aficionado. In addition, the reader can spend many enjoyable
hours thumbing through the pages exploring often arcane expressions used in the
theatre.
0
Tom Mikotowicl
ew York City

Books Received

Buildings for Music: The Architect, the
Musician, and the Listener from the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day by Michael Forsyth. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
MIT Press, 1985. ISBN 0-262-06089-2,
vii+371 pp., ill., $30.00 cloth.

Contemporary Canadian Theatre edited by
Anton Wagner. ToronlO: Simon and Pierre,
1985. ISBN 0-88924-159-7, 411 pp., ill.,
$19.95 paper.
The New York Thearrical Sourcebook 198586 Edition compiled and edited by the Association of Theatrical Artists and Craftspeople. New York: Broadway Press, 1985.
ISB 0-911747-04-4,525 pp. appendices,
525.50 paper.

Performing Arts Resources Volume 10
edited by Ginnine Cocuzza and Barbara
aomi Cohen - Stratyner. New York: Theatre Library Association, 1985. ISB
0-932610-07-2,69 pp., ill" $25.00 cloth.

The Roof Gardens of Broadway Theatres,
1883-1941 by Stephen BurgeJohnson, Ann
Arbor, r-.lichigan:
MI Press, 1985. ISB
0-8357-1693-7,241 pp., ill., 539.95 cloth.
Anyone lI'ishing ro reviell' one of these
books please contact:
Tom Mikotowiez, TD&T Book Review £dilor
345 IVebsler A venue, ApI. 4B
Brooklyn, Nell' York 11230

SITT Spring 1986 Theatre Design & Technolog\

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 1986