For the non-scholar, perhaps the most entertaining parts of the book are the little anecdotes and tidbits of trivia that fill the pages. Walter Kerr's three-word review of I Am a Camera is an example: "Me no Leica." Fosse's attempt to get prim reactions from actress Marisa Berenson by whispering crude remarks in her ear is another. Fosse, he tells us, was unable to sit down during the film's editing because of an epic case of hemorrhoids.
While these kinds of things may not be as significant for the student of film or theater as his explanation of why Hal Prince chose Jill Haworth over Liza Minnelli for the original Sally Bowles, or his comparison of the performances of Joel Grey and Alan Cummings as the Emcee, they are the kinds of things that stick in the mind of the casual reader.
Still more than likely, this is a book that will appeal to a limited audience. Film buffs, Broadway musical mavens, Liza Minnelli fans: this is a book for you. For the more general audience, in spite of the entertaining bits and pieces, it may be a case of more than you really want to know.
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