Attack of the Theater People (edition 2008)

by Marc Acito

Series: Edward Zanni (2)

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213	10	128,189	(3.67)	6
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:In praising �??the witty high school romp�?� How I Paid for College, the New York Times Book Review said, it �??makes you hope there�??s a lot more where this came from.�?� There is. In this hilarious sequel Attack of the Theater People, Edward Zanni and his merry crew of high school musical-comedy miscreants move to the magical wonderland that is Manhattan. It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being �??too jazz hands for Juilliard.�?� Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a �??party motivator�?� who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a �??stealth guest�?� at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed. Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the ei… (more)

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Member:	kg4jbj
Title:	Attack of the Theater People
Authors:	Marc Acito
Info:	Broadway (2008), Edition: First Edition, Paperback, 368 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	fiction, nyc

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Attack of the Theater People by Marc Acito

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Edward Zanni and friends are back. They're all out of high school now, all in college except for Doug, who is the lead singer in a band called "Almost Bruce" (Springsteen). After a bad audition, Edward is told he is "too jazz hands for Julliard" and his teacher recommends spending a year in the real world in order to experience life. He lands a gig as a party motivator, pretending to be a DJ on the British MTV. He is approached by good-looking Chad, who convinces Edward to find out company information and share it with him. Unaware this is illegal, Edward gets into heaps of trouble. This was a fun read, although not quite as funny as the first book "How I Paid for College". I still enjoyed it and will read the next when it comes out. (

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dorie.craig | Jun 22, 2017 |

Here we rejoin Edward, who has recently been kicked out of Julliard for being "too jazz hands." Broke and miserable, he meets up with a distractingly handsome man who may or may not be into insider trading. Meanwhile, his crew of high school friends are around, having their own adventures. Add Starlight Express, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band, gala bar mitzvahs, and the Music Man as protest art. Stir in a liberal dose of the 1980s, and you have yourself one hell of a story. Good times. (

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melydia | Jan 12, 2015 |

I'm really thankful to all of the people who posted reviews stating that they were disappointed in this book. They allowed me to go in with slightly lowered expectations, and let me enjoy this book a bunch. I'm thankful for having a chance to spend more time with these colorful characters and frequent musical theater jokes.

My only qualm with this book was the author's handling of AIDS. It kind of feels tacked on, like he wrote the story, someone pointed out that any story featuring a gay man set in the mid to late eighties has to mention AIDS, so he shoehorned it in. Or maybe this is more realistic, a young man trying hard to not think about the men dying around him, terrified of sexual contact with anyone but his childhood object of lust. I bounce around on this - in this moment, I'm leaning toward the "shoehorn" theory than the "realistic" (

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drhapgood | Jul 27, 2014 |

Amusing and fun follow-up to How I Paid For College. It's more convoluted and less believable than the first book, but it's cute. (

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satyridae | Apr 5, 2013 |

I think I need to read How I Paid For College first. Love the cover of this though.

bookczuk | Jan 12, 2011 |

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New York, New York, USA

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For Floyd, because no one laughs louder

First words

If you think about it (which I try not to), the very term is absurd: acting school.

Quotations

I watch a passel of enthusiastic students laughing, talking, talking, laughing. I feel older and tougher by comparison. Surely none of them has a probation officer.

Everyone should have at least eight friends. One for each day of the week, and a spare in case someone gets sick.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:In praising �??the witty high school romp�?� How I Paid for College, the New York Times Book Review said, it �??makes you hope there�??s a lot more where this came from.�?� There is. In this hilarious sequel Attack of the Theater People, Edward Zanni and his merry crew of high school musical-comedy miscreants move to the magical wonderland that is Manhattan.
It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being �??too jazz hands for Juilliard.�?� Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a �??party motivator�?� who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a �??stealth guest�?� at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed.
Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the ei

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