The Worst It Can Be Is A Disaster: The Life Story of Braham Murray and the Royal Exchange Theatre

(Paperback)

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The Worst It Can Be is a Disaster is the autobiography of Braham Murray, founding director of the Royal Exchange Manchester which in 2006 celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. With a foreword by Sir Tom Courtenay.

Born into a Jewish family, Braham Murray struggled against his parents' expectations that he should follow them into the world of commerce; instead he became at twenty-two the youngest artistic director in the country when he took over Century Theatre, a theatre company based in Manchester.

Detailing his relationships and the theatrical successes and flops along the way, the narrative takes us through his early years with Century Theatre, with the 69 Theatre Company, and the birth of the Royal Exchange Manchester in the heart of Manchester in 1976. Twenty years later, the theatre rose from the ashes of the IRA bomb brilliantly opening a new production on time just ten days after the bomb had destroyed the city centre.

The role and influence of the author's Jewish heritage and of his key collaborators - including Caspar Wrede and Michael Elliott - are explored in this illuminating and inspiring account of one of English theatre's great directors.

Braham's passion is sometimes overwhelming, sometimes annoying but completely inspirational. It's his passion that the Royal Exchange has thrived on, and this book is full of his passion for the theatre.' Robert Lindsay

Reviews

'Full of the most hair-raising, hilarious incidents, both amorous and theatrical.' Kevin Bourke, Manchester Evening News (September 2007) 'An ideal book to read in short sections and the helpful index makes it an essential for many bookshelves.' Reviews Gate (September 2007) 'one of the most accessible books written by and about a great man of the theatre His book is wonderfully readable and startlingly honest It is as great a life in the theatre and as good an account of what it takes to put on a show as I've ever read' Amateur Stage (November 2007) 'Murray's ability to recall all the productions with which he has ever been associated is amazingly detailed, as is his experience of working with some of the most famous names in the theatre of the past 30 years.' Manchester Metro News 'An engrossing and at times startlingly honest account of a life devoted to the theatre' The Stage

Author Bio

Braham Murray is the Founding Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre Company, Manchester.