Astonish Me!: First Nights That Changed the World

by Dominic Dromgoole

A SUNDAY TIMES BEST FILM AND THEATRE BOOK OF 2022

'Anyone in love with the arts will fall in love with this beautifully written and fascinating book' Kathy Burke

Astonish Me! is an adrenaline-charged rollercoaster through history's seismic first nights, exploring how individual artists can change and shape the story of culture - and allow us to see ourselves in new ways.

It tells of times when 'the air between people seems to alter' as art achieves profound change, across the globe and across history.

Dominic Dromgoole has created a radical and fresh canon. He begins in New York in 1963, as Lorraine Hansberry remakes American theatre and a nation's perception of race. And then, as the lights go up, we find ourselves in Renaissance Florence, watching Michelangelo's David being hauled into the Piazza della Signoria. The dust settles and we are transported to the birth of theatre in fifth-century Athens - and then to Paris to meet with Diaghilev and Stravinsky for the Rite of Spring. We witness kabuki's creation, as a radical women's performance, in Kyoto; the Sex Pistols shattering Thatcherite Britain at Manchester's Free Trade Hall; and watch as Hitchcock directs Psycho.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Music

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 27, 2022

Reviews

[historic_chronicles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Astonish Me! details the "first nights" that were of great importance to art and cultural history spanning across centuries of time.

Presented in bite-sized chapters, Dromgoole writes with a flowing prose highlighting original ideas that makes this the perfect book to dip in and out of.

Witty and thoroughly detailed, the author is truly very respectful to all the varieties of art discussed along with its creators and emphasises the importance of art in society.

As a lover of art and art history myself, I enjoyed this unique insight that Dromgoole provided with a "behind the scenes" perspective to appreciate artistic events even centuries after it happened. As in the title, it was indeed, astonishing.

Thank you to @profile.books for so kindly offering this book to be reviewed!

[Bookthesp1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dominic Dromgoole can write with such infectious enthusiasm and verve that one finishes reading him ready to rush off and pick up references; vibes and whole new worlds in a moment. His book about modern playwrights, The Full Room had that awestruck but critically alive and aware quality. Astonish Me is another wonderful book describing and anatomising a variety of firsts in the arts -first night performances; key zeitgeist moments and outstanding artists reaching their peak or going it alone in breakthrough revelatory artistic moments. My favourites is this excellently varied volume covering most art forms included the first piece on Lorraine Hansbury and the origins of her play, A Raisin in the Sun; a great piece on Ravi Shankar; Young British Artists and the Sensation exhibition and a lovely piece on Sarah Kane and Blasted. His latter piece on the Globe Shakespeare festival is very moving on the power of Shakespeare within that space. Each chapter has an iconic or atmospheric photograph to help set it up ( all referenced at the end) and I liked his Informal bibliography which had some great sources to reach for.
Overall, a wonderful book- real quality elegiac writing and a handy reference to inspired and inspirational works of true art. Highly Recommended.

[Dominic H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dominic Dromgoole's book on Shakespeare 'Will and Me' is a work of real passion, funny, insightful, honest and authentic. All of which qualities Dromgoole then brought to the Globe during his tenure as Artistic Director. Unfortunately I feel quite a lot of those listed qualities are lacking from his new book, a selected survey of notable 'first nights'. If feels to me as if, once the original idea occurred to him, Dromgoole has gone searching for examples which are outside of those he would instinctively turn to in order to generate eclecticism. That instantly consigns a lot of this book to a rather turgid stodge of worthiness, devoid of fresh perspectives. So for example Dromgoole has nothing new to say about the origins of Greek acting, his account of the first night of 'The Rite of Spring' is not as interesting (or accurate) as some recent writing, the origins of Monterverdi's 'Orfeo' are already well covered by very accessible writing by early music scholars. Even on 'home' territory such as the first night of 'A Raisin in the Sun' Dromgoole resorts to a sort of dutiful completism which lacks fluency and spark. Disappointing.

[Andrew Lynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

i fortunately never studied any Liberal arts courses when at uni. Unfortunately, i've just read a book by one of the worst kinds of liberal arts professors.

the majority of the subject matter here is something that did, as the title suggests, 'changed the world' starting strong with the statue of David and ending with Beyonce at Cochella. what goes on in between is some protentious twat picking his favourite bits of art or poetry or theatre and waffling on for 20 pages per events and most of the time, waffling on about stuff not even relevant to the actual event. he writes as if you are intimately aware with the subject matter or as if he is the master of the subject and the reader, his lowly and impressionable students.

i enjoyed the style of his writing, despite the above, with a dramatisation to events bringing and liveliness to the stories he tells. and most of the stories are compelling enough to make their own book. but i just couldn't stand reading someones opinions in what is framed as a research book.

[David Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulously researched and eminently readable account of some of the great artistic and cultural events of the past 3000 years. Dominic Dromgoole’s enthusiasm for his subjects shines through with pithy anecdotes interspersed among the main thrusts of the histories. A brilliant read from Thespis through to Beyoncé via Stravinsky and the Sex Pistols. The work of a cultural polymath.

[Toby Sutton-Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

An awful lot of information that's given to you in quite a short space of time that's presented in rather a random order. As you come to the end of each entry you find yourself wanting to know more, which I imagine is the whole point. If you're NOT looking to add more to your TBR I wouldn't recommend this!

[Raymond Huber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and entertaining look at how a great work of art emerges. Stand-out chapters for me are about four of my favourite works of art: Michelangelo's David; Handel's Messiah; Hitchcock's Psycho; Wilde's Earnest.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much underrated book about the stories behind first nights from all ages, since the statue of David to plays, Beyonce or the Fire Bird ballet. A true eye opener about taking risks in art that is so fun to read.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and interesting, but drags at times.

[Brian Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly stories, many of which I had not heard before. However, the author’s writing quality is not always the best.