Product Description

Modeled on the work of Victorian novelist Wilkie Collins, this serial cliffhanger follows Mason Devereaux, a once-great, hard-drinking British actor, who becomes involved in the case of an on-stage murder. Original.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1344745 in Books
• Published on: 1993-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 244 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Film critic Ebert's initial foray into fiction, which began as a syndicated newspaper serial, yields an entertaining if insubstantial farce. Mason Devereaux, a hard-drinking London stage actor of faded reputation, is given the chance to revitalize his career by assuming the title role in a West End production of The Phantom of the Opera . When his first performance is interrupted by a murder onstage, Devereaux is thrust into the unfamiliar spotlight of international celebrity. Soon, showbiz and media types from Tinseltown to Bucharest are clamoring to see and be seen with the world's reigning drunken thespian. This crush sweeps the hapless actor halfway across the globe, stopping along the way at Cannes, Disney World, the Betty Ford Clinic, the Oprah Winfrey Show and the broadcast booth at Wrigley Field. In the course of a mishap-plagued odyssey, he is twice kidnapped, drugged, cryogenically frozen and, finally, married. Ebert pokes good-natured fun at such American entertainment industry traditions as fawning Anglophilia, bloated excess and even the standard Hollywood ending. Equally amusing but far darker in tone are Juhasz's character illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Cute and Funny
This is a cute book, and Ebert certainly has a sense of the absurd and the ironic. The story takes poor Mason all over as he tries to set his life straight, while at the same time unravelling a mystery murder. Someone compared this book with the works of P. G. Wodehouse, but I felt a little let down on that aspect, with Wodehouse being preferable. And many of the things that happened to Mason seemed a bit too ridiculous and random to me, making it less ironic coincidence and more "Good God! How did *that* happen?!" And it is certainly as silly and light as it sounds. Still, not a bad read, if you enjoy the absurd and the comedic, especially British style, and certainly not lacking in strange plot twists.

Just a Warning: If you are considering buying this on the merit of its being about the Phantom of the Opera, think again. What little of the musical is mentioned here is inaccurately represented (perhaps purposely for copyright reasons?? Although, if that were the case, I would think he wouldn't be allowed to mention it so specifically at all) and plays no significant role.

A faded actor has a series of hilarious misadventures.
This is a FANTASTIC read. Film critic Roger Ebert is also a gifted weaver of the absurd and what-happens-next serial. Not only is the book hilariously improbable, Ebert also uses his passion for London and the eccentrics that populate it to great effect. The result is compelling, surprising, and always riotous. This book shows a side of Roger Ebert that readers of his reviews and fans of his popular TV show may not be familiar with. Do yourself a favor - buy this reasonably priced book, enjoy it, and tell your friends. It's a real treat!