Pages: 305
Release Date: 2007
Synopsis
(by me) Sadye is dying to let the Bigness out of her. Her outlet: Wildewood Academy, where prospective Broadway actors prepare by acting in plays, auditioning and taking cool-sounding classes.
The thing is, Sadye and her best friend Demi (who is her gay best friend) have a difference of talent- a big difference. Demi soon becomes the star of every major show while Sadye gets stuck in the worst play (as in the play for mediocre) and no speaking parts in the other plays. Even though she loves being at Wildewoode, she feels behind all the rest of the talented people at the school. Will Sadye find a way to let out the Bigness inside her before she gets consumed by jealousy of the other very talented students at Wildewood?
My Opinion
Three words: I loved it! By reading ‘Dramarama’, I discovered a world I barely knew: the beginnings of a Broadway career. I mean, this is the girl whose theatre exposure consists of singing ‘Tomorrow’ with the choir during our elementary school production of Annie. Yeah, I wished I was the redhead playing the lead, but let’s face it- I have no singing and dancing, not to mention, acting ability.
‘Dramarama’ is like a backstage pass to your favourite show where you can see all the action, the hard work, and the faces of the performers when their back is turned away from their audience. It’s an eye-opening peek at things very few people will experience, and it’s definitely a must-read if you’ve ever wondered how someone can be phenomenal enough at singing, acting, and dancing to make it to Broadway.
Rating: 5/5. Restating the self-created metaphor above, Dramarama was just that backstage pass for me. I love the realistic, flawed characters, the drama (both real-life and in plays) and the transcripts of dialogues, which made conversations even more interesting to read. Drama love for me!