We all love Andrea Martin, and this is an entertaining and unusual autobiography; really a collection of humorous essays instead of the "I was born a poor Armenian girl" story that many memoirs are.
Andrea was born a poor Armenian girl in Portland, Maine.
Yes, I thought she was Canadian as well, as she is so associated with SCTV and the Toronto scene. Starting on the stage in the 70's with shows like Godspell (with Eugene Levy, Martin Short and Gilda Radner), she performed in many shows before beginning a seven year run on SCTV. Filmed in a basement studio in Toronto and then Edmonton, the cast included Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas, John Candy, and Rick Moranis. They worked a steady and fast schedule with no time for previews or an audience to react to, they just went with what was funny and had a great time.
She includes a section on SCTV and her fellow cast mates, but the majority of the book is a mix of her life now, her family and friends, as well as the many acclaimed roles she has created over the years. I didn't know she has done so much theatre and was glad to learn about her success on Broadway in Young Frankenstein The Musical, winning a Tony for her Broadway debut in My Favourite Year and then again twenty years later for Pippin. I was surprised she turned down the lead role originating the Cat in the Hat in Seussical, and had her own TV show for a few episodes.
Aunt Voula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding - that's all I need to say. She has given us so many of those great characters, for so long. She was not only in the holiday horror movie Black Christmas (in 1974 along with Margot Kidder) but came back for the sequel in 2006. Such a rich and varied career!
Some sections don't work so well for me, like hearing about getting her hair done, her balcony tree being cut down, and how she feels about squirrels, but there are heartfelt and moving chapters as well dealing with eating disorders, health issues and friends passing away.
All these stories make up an entertaining overview of a fascinating woman. Swing from a trapeze in a play - sure! Have a 28 year old boyfriend when you are 57 - sure! She was even car jacked outside her home!
Autobiographies like this make you feel like you know them personally, and would be great to hear as an audio book read by the author. Reading Andrea's stories I can hear her voice already, she is so familiar to me. Talking about SCTV, I only needed to see the names Edith Prickley, Yolanda DiVilbis, and Perini Scleroso and I remembered the whole character.
Entertaining and unusual, it was nice to hear more from someone who can do, and has done it all in show business, and is ready for what comes next. A great Canadian actress.
2014 / Hardcover / 352 pages
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