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A review by theatretenor
A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke
5.0
Gosh this book had me captivated from page 1. It’s not often I buy a book I want to read and then actually read it right away! It happened to work for this book.
Ethan Hawke can WRITE. Who knew?! Not me! He has written three other novels, but he hasn’t written one in 20 years until A Bright Ray of Darkness.
Let’s be clear - this book is SO autobiographical. I found myself stopping to google so many things about Ethan and saying, “Did this thing really happen to him?!” And yes it did a fair amount of times.
But more than that, and I’m sure there was probably something cathartic to him about writing this, he also focuses on his life on stage. Particularly doing Henry IV on Broadway and playing Hotspur. He goes into the head of the actor and what they feel. What they feel on stage and off stage and in rehearsals and it just filled me up as I am also an actor! Unfortunately not for Broadway, but still. I connected so hard with his actor feelings and even parts of what it’s like to live your life while being an actor. I feel some of those things. And even all that aside, just to get a glimpse into his actor brain and how he feels and how he prepares and how he gets into character and into a scene. I was into it. As with googling his life, I found myself researching the play Henry IV because while I’ve done two Shakespeare shows I don’t know squat about Shakespeare’s history shows cause they seemed boring and inaccessible to me.
Ok, I’m done. I’m just rambling. I suck at reviews. It was fucking good and I fucking loved it, ok?!
Ethan Hawke can WRITE. Who knew?! Not me! He has written three other novels, but he hasn’t written one in 20 years until A Bright Ray of Darkness.
Let’s be clear - this book is SO autobiographical. I found myself stopping to google so many things about Ethan and saying, “Did this thing really happen to him?!” And yes it did a fair amount of times.
But more than that, and I’m sure there was probably something cathartic to him about writing this, he also focuses on his life on stage. Particularly doing Henry IV on Broadway and playing Hotspur. He goes into the head of the actor and what they feel. What they feel on stage and off stage and in rehearsals and it just filled me up as I am also an actor! Unfortunately not for Broadway, but still. I connected so hard with his actor feelings and even parts of what it’s like to live your life while being an actor. I feel some of those things. And even all that aside, just to get a glimpse into his actor brain and how he feels and how he prepares and how he gets into character and into a scene. I was into it. As with googling his life, I found myself researching the play Henry IV because while I’ve done two Shakespeare shows I don’t know squat about Shakespeare’s history shows cause they seemed boring and inaccessible to me.
Ok, I’m done. I’m just rambling. I suck at reviews. It was fucking good and I fucking loved it, ok?!