And Promenade Home: An Autobiography

by Agnes de Mille

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301 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

About the author

Known innovative Agnes George de Mille, an American, choreographed musicals, such as Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945).

Alicia Alonso performed in his Fall River Legend .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_d...

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the eleventh book I read during quarantine. I loved this book, which has been on my shelf for quite a while. I wanted to read this book because I heard that in it, De Mille recounts in detail her work on the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus. I have long been a great fan of the work of Kurt Weill, and from listening to the cast album of One Touch of Venus, I became a great fan of its star Mary Martin. I am actually a little obsessed with Mary Martin, who, if she is remembered at at, it is as the flying star of Peter Pan or as the unsophisticated American nurse confronting war and love in South Pacific. I remember a long time ago seeing an interview with Martin's son, actor Larry Hagman, in which he said: "On stage, my mother had the ability to make everyone watching her fall in love with her." The only recording of Mary Martin's that is able convey the ineffable charm she had is One Touch of Venus. I recommend that everyone seek out this album and fall in love with Mary Martin yourself. De Mille also provides a wonderful description of working on the 1944 Johnny Mercer musical Bloomer Girl. This aspect of the book would have been enough for me to give this book five stars.

This book has so much more to offer. Agnes De Mille is a wonderful writer. A woman of great courage and intelligence, she shares the reality of being a Broadway dancer during the 1940s. Anyone who ever lived in New York or ever wanted to live there will be fascinated by her descriptions of the city in the midst of WWII. She recounts her whirlwind courtship and marriage to a handsome young soldier, and how she moves to Hobbs, NM for ten weeks to live with and learn to know her new husband before he is shipped overseas. Her descriptions of New York as a city full of wives collectively praying for the safe return of their husbands is deeply moving, especially because it is so completely unlike the New York we think of today.

De Mille holds staunch feminist views at a time when this was not common. She is committed to making her own way in the world and following her own creative passions in search of self-fulfillment. At times, even her forward-thinking husband doesn't approve, but she always holds true to her beliefs. She works to improve conditions for dancers, a profession then regarded in public opinion as akin to circus acrobats. She stands up for racial equality and, without specifically naming it, gay equality.

De MIlle's resolute honesty and astute insight is often inspiring. I could easily fill this review with quotes, but I will share one piece of advice De Mille received from her grandmother: "Never destroy any aspect of personality, for what you think is the wild branch may be the heart of the tree." De Mille's life embodied this advice, and if you read this memoir, you may be inclined to do so as well. If you did, be assured that you would have Agnes's full approval.

Highly recommended.