Gielgoodies! The Wit and Wisdom: The Wit and Wisdom of John Gielgud (Oberon Modern Plays)

By: Jonathan Croall

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Synopsis: ‘John Gielgud was not just a great actor: he was also a formidable wit, a brilliant raconteur – and a very naughty boy.’ – Simon Callow from the prologue. This delicious feast of ‘Gielgoodies’, compiled by Gielgud’s biographer, reveals a less well‐known side to this celebrated man of the theatre: his lightning wit, his love of scandal and gossip, his wicked delight in putting down his fellow‐artists, his relish of bawdy humour. Full of startling new material, drawn from many unpublished letters and Jonathan Croall’s extensive interviews, the book also celebrates the man who dropped a thousand bricks. Gielgud’s excruciating gaffes were legendary, and here are both the famous and the unknown, collected in all their glory. Whether committed backstage, in the wings or in rehearsals, on film sets or in television studios, they bring this merry and much‐loved man vividly to life.