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Non-fiction - It's Showtime - Christchurch City Libraries

Prepare to be dazzled by books about your favourite films, television shows, and theatre. Written by artists, industry experts, and entertainment buffs, these books relive the rise to fame of performers, let you in behind the scenes of theatre and movie sets, and introduce you to the creators and designers behind the lens. Share the highs, lows, tips, and gossip of those who entertain us. A Christchurch City Libraries list.

Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi

16 items

  • Showtime at the Apollo

    the Epic Tale of Harlem's Legendary Theater

    Fox, Ted, 1954-
    This graphic-novel-style history of the legendary Apollo Theatre details the ups and downs of the theatre from it's opening in the 1930s through to the to the 70s, exploring how it became the icon it is today.
    BookNew York : Abrams ComicArts, 2018. — 792.0973 FOX
  • Four-time Tony Award Winning actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein tells the story of his colourful life from growing up as an eccentric child to becoming the cultural icon he is today. Filled with lively anecdotes about his personal and…
    BookNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. — 792.028 FIE
  • Downton’s Lord Grantham, actor Hugh Bonneville in real life, delivers a wonderfully witty and charming memoir. Endearing and, in places, very funny, 'Playing under the Piano', is full of humorous anecdotes from Bonneville's stage,…
    BookNew York : Other Press, [2022] — 792.028 BON
  • A celebration of our Court Theatre's 50th Anniversary in 2021, telling the rather dramatic story from its founding in 1971 to the recent trials of earthquakes, terrorism attacks and the pandemic. Put together by author Felicty Price, and…
    Book[Christchurch, New Zealand] : The Court Theatre, 2021. — 792.0993 PRI
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber’s triumphant musical theatre career has graced us with popular shows like Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and School of Rock. Unmasked is a a weighty 500 page volume full of backstage detail…
    BookLondon : HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018. — 782.14 LLO
  • Wild and Crazy Guys

    How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever

    De Semlyen, Nick
    Empire Magazine editor Nick de Semlyen takes us behind the scenes of some of the biggest comedy films of the 1980s, telling the story of how the star comedians of the decade – Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jim…
    BookLondon : Picador, 2019. — 791.43 DE
  • The Lady From the Black Lagoon

    Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick

    O'Meara, Mallory
    The Creature from the Black Lagoon was one of Universal Studios’ most influential monster flicks, but what became of the ground-breaking woman who designed it? When Milicent Patrick returned to Hollywood from a promotional tour for the…
    BookToronto, Ontario : Hanover Square Press, [2019] — 791.433 PAT
  • Springfield Confidential

    Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies From a Lifetime Writing for the Simpsons

    Reiss, Mike, 1959-
    The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted series in American TV history, and its longest-serving writer, Mike Reiss, provides an inside look at the creation of the beloved yellow family. From the huge stars who said no to a guest spot…
    BookNew York : Dey St., [2018] — 791.457 REI
  • Miss D & Me

    Life With the Invincible Bette Davis

    Sermak, Kathryn
    In 1979, Kathryn Sermak, 23, fresh out of college and going by “Catherine,” was hired for the summer as a personal assistant to the ageing but formidable screen legend Bette Davis. She ended up staying on for 10 years, becoming a close…
    BookNew York : Hachette Books, 2017. — 791.43028 DAV
  • Iconic director David Lynch has always seemed as enigmatic as his works, the mysterious figure behind Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive. Lynch now pulls back the curtain with his own autobiography, co-authored by journalist…
    BookEdinburgh, [Scotland] : Canongate, 2018. — 791.43023 LYN
  • Young Queen

    the Story of a Girl Who Conquered the World

    Goebel, Parris, 1991-
    Inspirational New Zealand choreographer to the stars, Parris Goebel, got her big break choreographing for Jenifer Lopez as a 19 year old and has gone on to work with some of the biggest names in pop music. An immensely talented and…
    Book[Auckland, New Zealand] : Mary Egan Publishing, [2018]. — 793.3 GOE
  • In the era of Lion King, Rent, and The Producers, 90s Broadway was evolving. New York Post theatre columnist Michael Riedel takes us behind the Broadway sensations and the flops during a pivotal time for “The Great White Way”.
    BookNew York : Avid Reader Press, 2020. — 792.09 RIE
  • Exhaustive, extensive, a comprehensive history of the American movie musical spanning Fred Astaire to 2018's A star is born. Veteran film historian and author Jeanine Basinger takes an in depth look at this most American of art forms, the…
    BookNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2019. — 791.436 BAS
  • Actress and successful author, the late Carrie Fisher, spills her teenage self onto the pages of The Princess Diarist. As a nineteen year old, filming Star Wars as Princess Leia, she shares the diaries she wrote while working on the film.…
    BookLondon : Bantam Press, 2016. — 791.43028 FIS
  • The Platinum Age of Television

    From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific

    Bianculli, David
    Our fascination with television programmes has sometimes dominated our cultural life. David Bianculli's history of television is readable and interesting, weaving us an always evolving visual narrative of our time.
    BookNew York : Doubleday, [2016] — 791.450973 BIA
  • Forced into ballet at age 11, Li Cunxin dreamed that if he could somehow become a good enough dancer, he might not only serve Mao but help his family out of poverty. "We thought that if we followed Mao, we were all heading to paradise." He…
    BookCamberwell, Vic. : Viking, 2005. — 792.8 LI