BEST REVENGE: How the Theater Saved My Life and Has Been Killing Me Ever Since Stephen Fife. Cune Press (www.cunepress.com ), $27.95 (240p) ISBN 1-885942-10-9; paper $17.95 -24-9 ~ In 1998, Fife was ecstatic when playwright Joseph Chaikin agreed to direct his adaptation of Scholem Asch's 1905 Yiddish play, God of Vengeance, in Atlanta. Chaikin, founder of the seminal Open Theater, was Fife's hero, but as rehearsals progressed, the icon developed feet of clay. This revelation, and Fife's acceptance of it, forms the book's core. Sprinkled throughout the chronicle of the production is Fife's autobiography, a humorous, cautionary tale of a struggling playwright. Starting in 1992 with the development of the Asch adaptation for New York's Jewish Rep Theater, Fife ably conveys the frustration of producing theater and the infuriating encounters with the egos involved. He bitterly writes about actor F. Murray Abraham and the JRT's artistic director Ran Avni. His revenge should have been the Atlanta revival, but as Sondheim wrote, Art isn't easy. Moreover, once Fife begins documenting his time in the South, he discloses every last detail, from his problems finding lodging to his confrontation with a restaurateur who forces him to eat the World's Greatest Humus [sic]. Most of these anecdotes are amusing, but even comic whining can get tiresome. When not being cranky, Fife shares keen insights into God of Vengeance and lovingly portrays the brilliant but disabled Chaikin, though this care markedly contrasts with Fife's nasty treatment of his ex-wife, current girlfriend and mother. Furthermore, he shamelessly name-drops, listing actors and directors with whom he's had peripheral encounters. Still, this is an amusing look at backstage antics for theater lovers. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
