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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
I wouldn't say I was a super fan of Mr. Rannells - I haven't seen any of the roles he's most known for, and have largely just enjoyed his appearances on late night TV (... and the PBS broadcast of his Broadway show, 'Falsettos'). That said, I have always found him personable and very funny, and these are exactly the qualities he brings to this short volume of memoirs. Any person who has ever contemplated working amidst the bright lights of Broadway (guilty!) will recognize and sympathize with these stories of a naïve boy from the heartland making his way to the Big City in order to make it! The only unfortunate thing is that he ends this with his Broadway debut in the chorus of 'Hairspray', but hopefully there will be, at the very least, a second volume covering his triumph in 'The Book of Mormon' and beyond.
PS I found it hilarious that he lost out on a role in the infamously awful Rosie O'Donnell produced flop 'Taboo' because she found him (quote) 'too masculine' for the role! If anyone has come within ten feet of Mr. Rannells, one knows how improbable that is!!
PS I found it hilarious that he lost out on a role in the infamously awful Rosie O'Donnell produced flop 'Taboo' because she found him (quote) 'too masculine' for the role! If anyone has come within ten feet of Mr. Rannells, one knows how improbable that is!!
One of the best celebrity memoirs I've read. Usually I feel like they skate on the surface, a collection of humorous (or not) anecdotes about their life that leave you not feeling like you know too much more about the person whose memoir you've just read. Rannells doesn't do that.
Nor does he focus only on the subjects most people might know him from. In fact, Too Much Is Not Enough ends with Andrew's first role on Broadway, long before he achieved the larger fame he has now (though I still don't think he's a household name). There are no special behind-the-scenes tidbits about Book of Mormon, Hamilton, or Girls. There's an occasional reference, but the focus really is on his childhood, on his route to success and not on the success itself. While I signed up for this book because of what I knew him from, I think it was better for not being that.
Andrew Rannells tells his story in a roughly linear fashion, though sometimes diving back to tell stories for context. He doesn't attempt to cover everything, but there's a real sense of honesty to everything. I think that came from the way that he not only told stories about what he did but included his own analysis, thanks to therapy and self-reflection, about why he did what he did. The stories aren't just anecdotes; they're life experiences that had a massive impact on him and his development, ones he has clearly wrestled with as he went along. He's open about mistakes he made, sexual abuse, and grief. It's one of the few celebrity memoirs that really makes the author feel like a real, ordinary person, likely because it doesn't focus on his years as a celebrity. Rannells rarely name-drops, for example.
I listened to this on a whim, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Too Much Is Not Enough. I hope Rannells writes more of his story, because he's got a genuine knack for it.
Nor does he focus only on the subjects most people might know him from. In fact, Too Much Is Not Enough ends with Andrew's first role on Broadway, long before he achieved the larger fame he has now (though I still don't think he's a household name). There are no special behind-the-scenes tidbits about Book of Mormon, Hamilton, or Girls. There's an occasional reference, but the focus really is on his childhood, on his route to success and not on the success itself. While I signed up for this book because of what I knew him from, I think it was better for not being that.
Andrew Rannells tells his story in a roughly linear fashion, though sometimes diving back to tell stories for context. He doesn't attempt to cover everything, but there's a real sense of honesty to everything. I think that came from the way that he not only told stories about what he did but included his own analysis, thanks to therapy and self-reflection, about why he did what he did. The stories aren't just anecdotes; they're life experiences that had a massive impact on him and his development, ones he has clearly wrestled with as he went along. He's open about mistakes he made, sexual abuse, and grief. It's one of the few celebrity memoirs that really makes the author feel like a real, ordinary person, likely because it doesn't focus on his years as a celebrity. Rannells rarely name-drops, for example.
I listened to this on a whim, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Too Much Is Not Enough. I hope Rannells writes more of his story, because he's got a genuine knack for it.
I enjoyed this book!
This memoir has so much humor and heart and I was here for all of it. I do have a reason for knocking off some stars, but that just might be me . I am going to call this read 4.7 a solid read, and a great non fiction.
Recommend for
People who are actors who would like the learn about how another actor got started!
People who are fans of Andrew, either through his TV work, or his theater work.
A lover of non fiction
This memoir has so much humor and heart and I was here for all of it. I do have a reason for knocking off some stars, but that just might be me . I am going to call this read 4.7 a solid read, and a great non fiction.
Recommend for
People who are actors who would like the learn about how another actor got started!
People who are fans of Andrew, either through his TV work, or his theater work.
A lover of non fiction
Andrew Rannells is talented and lovely and hilarious! I’ve been waiting for this book since I read a selection from it in the Modern Love column in the Times, and he did not disappoint. This book was funny, sad, and honest and if you love Andrew, you’ll rip through it!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
The subtitle of this memoir (A Memoir of Fumbling Towards Adulthood) is appropriate and they should have left it there. Rannells confines his story almost entirely from when he was around 19 to 22. If you are looking for a midwest-kid-moves-to-the-big-city-to-follow-his-dream book, that is what you will get! If you are looking for a celeb-spills-all-about-fame book, you will be disappointed as the book ends just as Rannells books his first Broadway gig. Fans will probably enjoy it. It's a good gift for theater kids. But it's not a fit for folks who like to dive into big, messy, gushy memoir or who want a ton of humor.