Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse were likely the greatest actresses of the late 19th/early 20th century. The author provides an excellent dual biography of Duse and Bernhardt, contrasting their remarkably different acting styles. Rader not only details their rivalry, but offers great insight in interpreting the art of these two great actresses. This is a must read for any fan of the theatre.

I had always heard of the name Sahra Bernhardt but not of Eleonora Duse. the author takes you through both of their lives and how not only do they perform the same roles at times but also have the same lovers, and playwrights maybe that was because of the time period I don’t know but I found this to be very interesting.
You get a look at their background how they goy into acting and how both of them would have an effect on the future of acting each style being different yet later people would want to copy each of theirs. A very good book and one that is very much worth the time to read.

You can tell a lot of research went into this book about the rival between Sarah Bernhardt and Elenora Duse. I must say I appreciate Elenora's more natural acting over Sarah's over dramatic acting.

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Playing to the Gods: Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, and the Rivalry That Changed Acting Forever
NEW YORK THEATER SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 LEAVE A COMMENT EDIT
Sarah Bernhardt remains the most famous stage actress of all time, the subject of the play Bernhardt/Hamlet on Broadway. But during her lifetime she had a rival, Eleanora Duse. The two didn’t just compete; they represented opposing views of what acting, and the theater, should be, according to “Playing to the Gods: Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, and the Rivalry that Changed Acting Forever” (Simon and Schuster, 277 pages) by Peter Rader.

The author makes much of the two divas’ contrasting acting styles, Bernhardt with her extravagant flourishes, Eleanora spare and still, willing to turn her back to the audience, and have moments of silence. Or as Rader at one point succinctly describes the difference: Sarah posed. Eleanora paused.


Eleanora Duse as Cleopatra in 1887

Sarah Bernhardt as Cleopatra 1890
In 1895, when Bernhardt was 51 and Duse was 37, they each starred in different productions of the same play “Magda” in London theaters that were across the street from one another. George Bernard Shaw declared Bernhardt’s acting “childishly egotistical,” Duse’s “the best modern acting I’ve ever seen,” and pronounced that the Italian actress had annihilated the French actress in the role. “Annihilation is the only word for it.” Some three decades later, the year Bernhardt died, Charlie Chaplin would make a similar judgment, after seeing Duse during her final American tour, in Henrik Ibsen’s “Ghosts” in Los Angeles: “Eleanora Duse is the greatest artiste I have ever seen. Her technique is so marvelously finished and complete that it ceases to be a technique…Bernhardt was always studied and more or less artificial.”

On the other hand, critic Max Beerbohm said the exact opposite about the divas’ performances in “Magda,” finding Duse “a great egoistic force” and appreciating Bernhardt’s “majesty, awe and beauty.”

The author delights in the divas’ mutual efforts to upstage and sabotage one another.

Duse took Bernhardt’s signature role of Camille to Washington D.C., where she was feted by President Grover Cleveland and moved from the theater pages to the front page, where Bernhardt had resided for decades. Shortly afterward, Bernhardt performed Camille, in Paris, in the stripped down, simplified manner that was Duse’s trademark.

Duse took Bernhardt’s manager. Bernhardt took Duse’s lover, the poet Gabriel d’Annunzio. He exploited both women, getting them each to agree to perform his debut play, Bernhardt in Paris, Duse in Italy

Bernhardt lent Duse the theater she owned in Paris to perform without charging rent, making a grand show of her largesse – but then arranged for a spotlight to shine on her box seat during the Duse’s performance so that her fellow theatergoers would divide their attention between the diva on stage and the diva in the audience

When they finally met each other in 1897, “the two women grasped each other so tightly,” remarked the Count who had arranged the encounter, “that it looked like a mad wrestling match.”

But the bulk of “Playing to the Gods” is a dual biography of two fascinating women, largely unfolding their separate stories in alternating chapters. For all their rivalry, and the supposed contrast in their styles both on and off the stage, the truth is they had enough in common so that it becomes hard to keep straight which cad abused which diva, and who made which triumphant tour. Although they were 14 years apart in age, and the teenage Duse had idolized the world-famous Bernhardt, the life and times of Sarah Bernhardt and Eleanora Duse seem to merge; the author suggests their rivalry resulted in their influencing one another’s acting. They even died within a year of one another, Bernhardt in 1923, Duse in 1924.

Both of their stories offer a glimpse into the life of a serious and beloved stage actress of the 19thcentury, .(The clever title refers both to the sense of the Divine that infused the artistry of both women, especially Duse, but also to the industry term for the seats in the very back of the house.) Together, according to the author, they also helped elevate the public’s respect for women in the theater, and increased opportunities for those who came after them: The number of women who declared their profession as “actress” rose from 780 in the 1870 U.S. Census to 15,432 in 1910.

Still, there’s plenty that is distinctive about each performer.

Few readers will object to a rehashing of Bernhardt’s familiar eccentricities. She paraded around her pet alligator, owned a chimpanzee named Darwin, and indeed traveled with such a menagerie that she included a zookeeper on staff during her tours. She boasted of having bedded a thousand men, including Napoleon III, which helped launch her career, and Edmond Rostand, playwright of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Bernhardt made a point of performing what were called “trouser roles.” She’s best known now for essaying the title role of Hamlet, but she launched her career portraying a man, and, nearing 60, became a national icon of France by starring as the 21-year-old heir to the throne of Bonaparte in Rostand’s L’Aiglon.

The illegitimate daughter of a courtesan, who herself dabbled in the family profession, Bernhardt became what the author claims to be the first modern celebrity. If that is so, she might also be the first actor-activist. Bernhardt, a target of anti-Semitism her whole life, not only stood up for the falsely accused French officer Alfred Dreyfus. She is said to be the one to convince Emile Zola to write “J’Accuse,” and indeed (according to a riveting if suspect account in the book) protected him from an angry mob outside his home.

The author speculates why Bernhardt’s name lives on, while Duse’s far less so. Bernhardt was savvy about publicity; Duse was usually press shy. (On the eve of a tour of the United States, Duse declared “I intend to adhere to my resolution, even in a country like America, where, I am told, exaggerated advertising is absolutely necessary. I believe there is in the United States a public that is cultured, educated and impartial, and that is the only public which interests me.”) Bernhardt created a larger than life persona on stage and off. Duse “dissolved” into her roles.

One can make too much of these differences, though. Duse got plenty of publicity during her lifetime; she was the first woman that Time Magazine put on its cover. It was in homage to La Duse, as she was called, that Americans created the word “doozy,” as in “that’s a doozy” –which the author defines as “measuring something outstanding and thoroughly unique”

Duse popularized Henrik Ibsen, and embodied the naturalistic style of acting he championed. Ibsen is said to have named the main character of “A Doll’s House” after Eleanora.

Whatever the reason why Duse is no longer the household name that Sarah Bernhardt remains nearly a century after their deaths, “Play to the Gods” benefits from her relative obscurity. We feel enlightened by her life and by her view, such as the spiritual roots of her acting. “The theater sprang from religion,” she’s quoted as saying. “It is my greatest wish that somehow, through me, in some small way, they may be reunited.”

For all of the author’s pronouncements about acting, little of which feel fresh or insightful, it’s most refreshing for him to quote La Duse saying: “I have never known and will never know how to act. These poor women in my plays have so entered my heart and my head…I stand by their side, with them.”

“... in the summer of 1895, the Duse-Bernhardt rivalry would reach its apogee in an extraordinary theatrical event: both actresses booked to perform across the street from one another in London—in the very same play.”

This book is about the rivalry between two of the most famous actresses of the 19th century. Their careers continued into the early 20th century when they were elderly and ill, but still fascinating their devoted audiences.

Sarah Bernhardt was an eccentric French diva who was also a courtesan and sculptor. She studied acting when “...it was considered frivolous at the time, even harmful, for an actress to ‘feel’ the part she was playing.” She portrayed characters in a ritualized manner and loved the lushness and grandeur of the theater. Bernhardt played both female and male roles, including Hamlet when she was in her 50s. She knew how to handle critics. When American clergy condemned her portrayal of the courtesan Camille she responded “Monseigneur: I am accustomed to spending $400 on publicity when I bring an attraction to your city. But since you have done the job for me, I am sending you $200 for your parish’s needy.”

Italian actress Eleonora Duse was more than a decade younger than Bernhardt. She was not formally trained but ultimately took on, and excelled at, some of Bernhardt’s signature roles, such as La Dame aux Camélias. Duse avoided publicity, and is probably not as well known as Bernhardt today. The author did a good job of describing what was unique about the actresses. Of Duse he wrote: “Each moment seemed like a spontaneous creation, unpremeditated and unrehearsed. On a different night, she might play the same line in an entirely different way. And it was clear she knew how to create the space between the lines: the pauses, the glances, the character’s inner thoughts, which seemed almost audible. Then there was the novel concept of the fourth wall, an invisible barrier between Eleonora and her audience, which made her appear to be unaware of anyone but the actors on the stage. It was revolutionary.” Her acting was a strong influence on Konstantin Stanislavski, the proponent of method acting. She also influenced Bernhardt, who loosened her acting style a little to keep from being left behind.

Although there was a rivalry it was pretty gentle. There was no cat fighting going on, even though the actresses shared plays, playwrights and lovers. This book was entertaining and informative, but it was definitely not like an episode of Real Housewives of Wherever. I recently read a novel about Bernhardt but I liked this book much more. “Ultimately they would each have an extraordinary impact: one would leave an enduring mark on the theater, the other would live in our imaginations forever. The path to this legacy, however, would be marked by high drama and low blows.”

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this. I studied theatre at university and have always had an interest in Sarah Bernhardt, though I had never heard of Eleonora Duse. This riveting book follows the lives of both actors, theatre in the early 20th century and how they both infuenced theatre in a way that changed it forever.
Their personalities and relationships make them captivating figures in history and their relationship with each other, the way they impressed and repelled each other, is fascinating.
I have also developed an interest in other artists of this time through reading this book.
It's also written and researched very well.
Highly recommended.

I found this book incredibly fun to read. The relationship/rivalry was interesting and while I felt the book was a bit slow to start I stuck to it and enjoyed it. I am not much of a drama reader especially between two women but the dynamic was what intrigued me. I never knew that historical actresses went through the drama that they did so it was a bit eye-opening to see everything that was done between these two are what you still see in today's tabloids. 4/5 Recommend!

Sarah Bernhardt. Eleonora Duse. Most people are familiar with Sarah's name, even if they don't know why she is famous. Only a few dedicated history or theatre buffs probably know the name of Eleonora Duse. But at one time their rivalry was watched and reported internationally and the art of acting, as we know it today, largely came about through this clash of theatre titans.

Biographer Peter Rader has written an excellent account of both actresses, their history, their rise (and fall [and rise again]) in the theatre world, their extremely different approaches to acting, and their rivalry.

Sarah Bernhardt is likely one of the first actors to understand that the press/media could be put to good use and that there really was no such thing as 'bad press.' She became bigger than life and made sure that the media, everywhere she went, knew of her 'oddities' such as traveling wit a tiger or sleeping in coffins. These things got her attention and attention meant curiosity, and curiosity meant ticket sales to the shows she was performing. But odd as it seems, Sarah's art of acting was based on a style that today we would dismiss as wooden with huge gestures and, as was the style of the time, required very specific poses to suggest very specific moods and reactions.

Most of today's actors are familiar with, and generally study a style of acting known as the Stanislavski Method (or just "The Method" as in "Method" acting). Stanislavski developed that style from watching Eleonora Duse. Duse, a fair bit younger than Bernhardt, 'felt' her characters and became the characters rather than just displaying canned poses.

While it might seem strange to us today, Sarah's style of acting was considered most appropriate, while Eleonora's was shocking and disturbing to many. But Eleonora had her supporters (including theatre reviews such as Oscar Wilde) and the two great actresses would clash many times, including a time in France when they would appear in the same role, in the same play, in theatres across the street from one another.

This really was an engrossing, fascinating read. Rader captures a really pivotal time in the theatre world, commanded by two women - one largely forgotten despite the fact that it was her style that we still see today.

Although it might seem like this has a very specific interest (acting) I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in biographies or history as Rader really captures a lot about this time period (mid-to-late 1800's to the early 1920's).

This had me wanting to learn more about both women and I've watched the very few YouTube videos of their few movies.

Looking for a good book? Playing to the Gods by Peter Rader is a tremendous biography of two actors whose styles clashed as one method of acting was on the way out and another was just coming into fashion. But this is more than a book about acting and two famous actresses, it's also a book about the struggle and rise of two women in an era when women weren't allowed to take leadership roles.

The book is nicely illustrated with photos.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Peter Rader, Simon and Schuster, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. A generation apart Sarah Bernhardt and Eleanora Duse came from two different schools of acting methods. Sarah was very expressive with few pauses; Eleanora was quite, using few hand gestures and would pause so long some would think she forgot her lines. Both were quite effective and celebrated actresses. However the only one heard about today is Bernhardt, although it's Duse's legacy that's viewed on camera today. Interesting. I found this book a necessity for all of those waiters who are really actors, and anyone else out there interested in the stage. Knowing where one's craft originated can never be a bad thing. Definitely a history lesson here.

Thoroughly entertaining and informative dual biography of Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse, two of the most celebrated actresses of the 19th century. In chronicling their lives and careers, the author also explores the evolution of modern theatre and acting styles, plus the rise of celebrity culture. You can’t help thinking both women would have been keen social media users. A host of minor characters make an appearance and reading the book is to immerse yourself in the theatrical world. The narrative does jump about a bit too often, sometimes making it hard to keep the chronology straight. And the author’s stylistic tic of using the word “prior” for absolutely everything that happens in the past irritated me almost beyond endurance. But overall these are relatively minor quibbles and I very much enjoyed this fascinating and intelligently written book.

Sarah Bernhardt is one of the most legendary names in the world of the theater. She was the first global superstar actress, renowned for her beauty and talent on both sides of the Atlantic. Her performances were considered iconic, once in a lifetime experiences to behold. Her fame has transcended centuries; even today, lovers of the stage know her name and have heard of her exploits.

And yet … she had a rival. A rival whose naturalistic approach to acting bore a much closer resemblance to the modern theater than any of the highly stylized work being presented by Bernhardt. A rival who might have been even better. Eleonora Duse’s name has been lost to history, unfamiliar to all but the most devoted of theater historians, but in her heyday, she stood shoulder to shoulder with Berhardt’s greatness.

Peter Rader’s “Playing to the Gods: Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, and the Rivalry that Changed Acting Forever” takes a deep dive into this once-storied and largely-forgotten chapter of theater history, looking at the relationship between two women who ascended to the greatest heights of their profession, but took drastically different paths to get there.

In all the ways that matter, Sarah Bernhardt was the O.D. – original diva. She was brash and eccentric and fully empowered at a time when women were expected to be none of those things. She embraced the status that her talents gave her and wielded it forcefully and without regrets. She toured all over Europe and traveled to North and South America, giving command performances everywhere she went and making the modern equivalent of millions of dollars. She was considered to be the finest actress in the world, having imposed her mastery over the pose-driven traditional acting style that had long been the standard.

Eleonora Duse viewed the stage very differently, both in how she valued it and how she stood astride it. To Duse, the stage was almost a holy place, an arena through which the grace of the universe might flow. Eschewing the usual posing and posturing, Duse approached her roles from the inside out, channeling the spirits of her characters to create quieter, more intimate performances. She strove for genuineness and empathy rather than the bombast brought to the table by Bernhardt and the rest of the theatrical world.

Their lives were intertwined for decades; both women yearned to be viewed as the clear superior. Bernhardt sought to maintain her place in the sun, while Duse desired a chance to sit solo in the spotlight. Such disparate styles springing from comparable talents led to the choosing of sides – there were few who were on the fence in this particular debate.

“Playing to the Gods” follows both women through their careers, alternating between Bernhardt and Duse as they do battle by proxy, treading the boards all over Europe and beyond, all of it culminating in the fateful London faceoff of 1895, in which both women were in the same town, performing the same role in the same play (Marguerite Gautier in “La Dame aux Camelias” – known in English as “Camille” – by Alexandre Dumas, fils). After that, the rivalry cooled somewhat, though both women continued working into the 20th century.

Sarah Bernhardt put an indelible stamp on theatrical history; few stage actresses have ever achieved her level of fame and notoriety. She traveled with a veritable zoo of exotic animals and was a brazen and unapologetic shill for products. She was a performing icon before there was really any such thing as a performing icon. And her name lives on – even casual fans of the theater are at least vaguely familiar.

Eleonora Duse, however, may have contributed more to the actual craft than her better-known rival. Her internal, empathetic style was a precursor to the more modern styles championed by legendary teachers like Constantin Stanislavski and playwrights like Henrik Ibsen. Her emotional self-mastery opened the door for realism on stage – something altogether new by the standards of the day.

“Playing to the Gods” is compelling enough due to the story it tells, but Rader goes the extra mile; not only does he capture the details of each woman’s performative life, but he also mines the personal as well. Excerpts from correspondence, bits of juicy gossip, tales of affairs and exploits romantic and otherwise – it’s all here, all of it capturing a vivid snapshot of the mutual orbit held together by the gravity of these binary stars. Both women were larger than life – one from the inside out, the other from the outside in.

Lovers of theater and theater history will devour this book, an entertaining and immaculate look at a time that in many ways served as the primordial beginnings of the modern stage.

I know very little about theater and its vast actors and actresses but I know art and Sarah Bernhardt has been known to me since I saw Alphonse Mucha's work for her theatrical posters of Gismonda. His illustration of her propelled his career and brought attention to his door so I've always remembered her but Eleanora Duse, is, well was now, a complete unknown to me. 

I do not regret that my lust for the cover brought me to this book, actually I am very thankful that I got to read this because Radar did more than just write about two actresses; he provided an in-depth look at who they were based from facts and misconstrued truths that they themselves perpetuated via gossips and rumors. Radar went beyond the women and into their past which also meant he took the reader into the countries history and world to get a better understanding of these women, their lives but even better their craft.

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this DRC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions listed are my own.

A light and gossipy account of the careers and rivalry of Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse, the late 19th century actors. While Rader relies on previously published sources and some primary source materials, I nevertheless found his frequent fictionalizing of events troublesome for a book marketed as non-fiction. His descriptions of women are also problematic, as are his attributions of motive and emotion, and his repeated use of "Jewess" to describe Bernhardt which, lacking a note in the introduction or elsewhere as to why he chose to use it, has a strong whiff of antisemitism about it.

Such an intriguing topic! I remember grabbing this review copy months ago and being excited to read about something I wasn't even aware of. Maybe it's an odd choice, considering that I mentioned that I barely even go to theatre – but I think Playing to the Gods is even more relevant. After all, we don't just see acting in the theatre anymore – acting has crossed over into the cinema and shows, so basically, it monopolizes most of our free time right now. What would the world be like, if what we saw in movies was acting with pathos, poses and loud voices?

I couldn't have picked a better timing to read The Town in Bloom either – because Mouse, the main character, fails at acting mostly because she likes acting 'in the old way' – she follows Sarah Bernhardt's, one of the actresses from Playing to the Gods, style. Had Mouse tried the theatre at least 50 years back, she might have been accepted. But the way we understand acting right now has been mostly shaped by the Italian actress Eleonora Duse, who thought that to act, one has to transform into the character and become them emotionally. That radically differed from the acting style of all the days up to that point. So Playing to the Gods doesn't just talk about the rivalry of the two actresses – it talks about how acting as a concept has changed at the end of the 19th century and how it became part of our current culture.
However, it's also not fair to say that it's just Eleonora Duse who shaped the way our entertainment works right now either – without Sarah Bernhardt, we might have never had Madonna, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga or other personality-marketing based cults – that's something Sarah Bernhardt invented. The rivalry between the two women is certainly interesting to read about, and Peter Rader writes it in an almost fiction-like style, so you won't have trouble following the story at all. It's one of the best nonfiction books I've read this year. Definitely recommended!

I thank Simon & Schuster for giving me a free copy of Playing to the Gods in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.

A fascinating study of the lives of two doyennes of nineteenth century theatre which also gives fascinating detail on the history of France and the development of acting techniques as theatre became more realistic. Both Eleonora Duse and Sarah Bernhardt were multi-faceted, interesting women, and their rivalry was clearly major in developing their individual talents and theatre as a whole. That said, my favourite moment is probably when Duse's horrible lover sends a copy of his tell-all to Bernhardt, and Bernhardt scorns it - a moment of solidarity in the broader context of their professional and personal competition.

As I have always been interested in the theatre and in acting (have done some myself) I was really intrigued by this book as it was supposed to play up the differences in their acting styles. It did actually what was promised, but it turned out that those differences could be summarized fairly quickly and there really wasn't enough information for an entire book on this subject. So I enjoyed the beginning chapters, but really didn't see a real reason to continue.

This is a well-researched and captivating story of Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse, two of the most renowned actresses of all time.

Bernhardt was a true eccentric. A chimpanzee travel companion, a champagne drinking alligator and rumors that she slept in a coffin were only part of the story. Duse was the opposite. She fully immersed herself in her work, fully becoming her characters.

The rivalry was beyond anything that had been done before. These women were competitive...in every aspect...with each other. Lovers, playwrights, and roles. There was nothing they wouldn't do to destroy the other.

This is a must read for any theater fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Mark Twain once said, 'There are five kinds of actresses, bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses -- and then there is Sarah Bernhardt'. The very name still fascinates many people. This charismatic and beautiful actress was courted by royalty, inspired works of art and stunned her eager audience with her antics, such as travelling with a chimpanzee named Darwin, having a pet alligator which drank champagne and sleeping in a coffin. She loved publicity.

Eleanora Duse was the opposite of Sarah in several ways. The shy actress kept away from publicity, was rather reclusive, and she liked a more natural form of acting rather than Sarah's artificial posing, which was rapidly becoming dated. However, she was just as ambitious, if not more, seeking to grab the limelight from the 'Divine Sarah' at every opportunity.

This is an enjoyable book to read, sympathetic to both great women, but not sentimental and always interesting. It is a must-read for history and lovers of the arts!

I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

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BookFilter Review: Catnip for theater buffs. This dual biography tells the story of two of the greatest stage actresses in history: Sarah Bernhardt (the Divine One, asa good at self-promotion as she was at acting) and Eleanora Duse, the self-effacing artist who pioneered modern acting as we know it. It's a juicy, delightful story. Both women came from hard scrabble backgrounds with the French Bernhardt the daughter of a courtesan and the Italian Duse the daughter of itinerant actors (of a sort). Bernhardt was a genius at marketing and merchandising -- running her own theater company and putting her face on everything from fans to face cream. Her scandalous exploits were headline news all over the world and Bernhardt played the press like an impresario. Duse preferred not to speak to the press at all, saw acting as a spiritual act more akin to mysticism than commercialism and disappeared in her roles. Bernhardt was a STAR -- always the same in every role. Duse was an ARTIST -- devoted to the role and the emotions of her characters. Bernhardt was the last of the great posers, the actors who took specific, detailed positions on stage to evoke emotions, all of it worked out in advance, all of it mechanical and always, always winking at the audience. Duse was the first of the true actors as we know it today, influencing Stanislavski and his method acting (which she embodied before it had a name) and delivering subtle, nuanced acting that thrilled everyone from Charlie Chaplin on down. They circled each other warily, they competed for lovers and roles (always valuing the roles over lovers) and it peaks with an insane scene where they both appeared in London across the street from each other...playing the same role in the same show. Duse would leap to her feet every time Bernhardt came on stage (effectively upstaging her) while Bernhardt had a special light installed in her box so she would be lit like an angel while watching Duse (thus effectively upstaging HER). Just when you're ready to start casting the season of TV's "Feud" that might be devoted to this rivalry, author Peter Rader digs further. He shows how Bernhardt rose to the challenge of Duse and deepened her craft (while never really abandoning it). He also gives her credit for brave public stances like when the Jewish Bernhardt stood tall during the Dreyfuss Affair or championed France and its cause during WW I while touring the US or even better when going to the trenches to selflessly entertain the troops and making the most of the amputated leg she endured late in life to gain their trust and affection. Druse also shows new commitment to her art and a willingness to learn from Bernhardt's media savvy. And they both explored silent cinema late in life, proving their relentless desire to explore their craft in that new medium. That's all to the good for Bernhardt since she may have won the battle (we still know her name) while Druse so clearly won the war when it came to acting. Rader is strongest on the specifics of their lives, a little weaker when he goes astray (such as wrongly saying Marlon Brando's appearance in A Streetcar Named Desire was his Broadway debut. (It was actually "I Remember Mama" some three years earlier, followed by four more shows before "Streetcar.") And if I hear one more historic figure dubbed the first celebrity I may throw up my hands in surrender. Suffice to say the term is too nebulous for anyone to hold and Bernhardt certainly deserves the accolade of being a worldwide celebrity and ahead of her time in branding. And rest assured anyone who loves theater, acting in general or strong women from history will enjoy "Playing To The Gods" very much. -- Michael Giltz

Before I read "Playing to the Gods" I haven’t heard about Eleonora Duse. It was fascinating to read about her role in the creation of modern acting. Of course I knew about Sarah Bernhardt, the great diva’s success and eccentrics, but I was able to learn much more about her early life and career from this book.

The author wrote a fascinating account about lives of two great actresses and the rivalry between them. But what’s even more interesting the book shows the emergence of modern acting, as we know it today. Eleonora Duse was a dedicated artist, who gave the spectators an unique experience of seeing real emotions on stage and connecting with something universal and authentic. Both Sarah and Eleonora had many lovers and affairs that moved their careers forward. The author wrote a lot about their love affairs. Some of the details were quite embarrassing, especially the behaviour of an Italian writer and poet Gabriele D'Annunzio. Let me tell you… he was a total nutcase.

Sarah Bernhardt reached an unimaginable celebrity status. What’s more she single-handedly invented the notion of celebrity. Her successful life and world-wide recognition changed the way that actors were perceived. Before Sarah Bernhardt actors were treated like outcasts and prostitutes. What I enjoyed most about Sarah Bernhardt’s life was that she succeeded against huge odds. She was a daughter of a courtesan, she never knew her father. She had a horrid stage fright. Her acting abilities were harshly criticised at the beginning. She wasn’t remarkable at the acting school. Spectators complained that her voice was weak, her face looked ugly from a distance and she was too thin. Despite it all… she succeeded with flourish!

Overall, "Playing to the Gods" makes a fascinating read. It is a must read for people excited about the history of theatre, lives of famous actors and acting in general.

I received "Playing to the Gods" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.