Kelly Bishop's memoirs are an easy read

It’s been a while since we had a book club at The AV Clubbut we have found just the right book to relaunch the format: The third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop, which debuted on Simon & Schuster on September 17. In her memoir, Bishop recounts her life in the entertainment industry, from her turbulent childhood to her beginnings as a dancer in the corps de ballet at Radio City Music Hall to her Tony-winning performance in the original cast of A choir line

After reading The third Gilmore Girl, AV Club Staff writers Mary Kate Carr and Cindy White sat down for a book club-style conversation about the book and what they learned from it. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Were you a fan of Kelly Bishop before reading the book? How much did you know about her beforehand?

MKC: Like many millennials, I know Kelly Bishop best from “Gilmore Girls”—I have seen it a few times and always watched it with my little sister, so it has a special place in my heart. Of course, I also Dirty Dancing. And I knew she rose to fame as a Broadway star, I was vaguely aware she had a Tony, but I had no idea of ​​the breadth of her stage career until I read. I know you're a huge theater fan, Cindy, so I assume you were perhaps a little more familiar before you read the book?

CW: “Gilmore Girls” was actually how I got to know her. I learned about her work in A choir line and her Tony win later. I had seen her in Dirty Dancing of course, but I didn't really get that character until I met her as Emily Gilmore. Maybe I was too busy paying attention to Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.

Were there any revelations in the book that particularly caught your attention?

I listened to the cast recording of A choir line a lot as a kid, which is a bit surprising looking back because it's quite a daring show. I always loved “At The Ballet,” but I had no idea how much of it was based on Bishop's actual childhood. It's pretty incredible to think of all the artists who have sung that song over the years and how they basically keep telling their story. It's a kind of immortality.

MKC: That is a really good point. I had no context at all for A choir line so this was all new to me. The way she describes the collaborative process that got the show off the ground sounds really exciting and unique, and the book is worth reading just for the insight it provides into such an important cultural artifact.

In general, though, I wouldn't say that the book itself contains many “revelations.” Although Bishop has clearly had a rich and varied career, she seemed reluctant, or perhaps simply indifferent, to writing salacious Hollywood exposés. Her anecdotes are usually fairly factual. For example, the most fascinating relationship in the book is that between her and Chorus Line

CW: I definitely agree. Michael Bennett was a giant of American theater and it seems like he wasn't often contradicted or turned down, so that was pretty brave of her. It was interesting how she described her arguments with him and often admitted that he was right. Like the story about how he wanted her to wear the nude leotard as Sheila and she thought it was for sex appeal but he saw it as a way to show the character naked and vulnerable. Speaking of which, there's footage on YouTube of her performing “At The Ballet” in the show. It's really interesting to rewatch when you know the backstory of that number.

MKC: Oh, I found this after reading the Chorus Line section, and it's such a necessary addition to the book. I think for those of us who know her as Emily Gilmore, it's hard to imagine Bishop as that kind of performer. Emily was so buttoned up. But Bishop does a good job in the book of drawing a thread through her career and identifying what attracted her most to roles – she likes playing sassy, ​​confident women, and that helped me make a connection between Sheila and Emily.

What did you think of the writing style?

MKC: Now, as much as I enjoy any kind of behind-the-scenes narration, I couldn't quite connect with the writing style. It's clear that Bishop is a straightforward, no-frills person, so the language is really clear and open. It makes the book really easy to read, but the prose doesn't necessarily jump off the page. I felt like some of these stories would be much better if she told them to you over a cocktail rather than writing them down.

CW: I had less trouble identifying with it than you did, I think. I liked that I could really hear her voice in her writing. Is it elegant, polished prose? No, but I felt like I was at that cocktail party and she was telling me these stories directly. And I agree that it was an easy read. Along with her voice, I think her personality comes through. You said she was a straightforward, no-frills person, and I got that too. I admire how strong-willed and self-determined she is. Even when she makes mistakes, she makes them confidently. She knows her talents and her limitations, and I have to respect anyone who has such a clear picture of themselves.

It's probably partly the benefit of hindsight, but reading it, you definitely get the feeling that Bishop has always known who she is and what she is capable of. It has clearly paid off in her career as she has found the right path for herself in the entertainment industry. I just always wish she would go deeper, no matter where, especially in the post-Chorus Line sections. She touched almost superficially on every important moment of her personal and professional life. Seven years “Gilmore Girls” she tells it completely on the fly and I don't really feel like I know much more about the creation of the show than before, which is a bummer for an autobiography called The third Gilmore Girl.

CW: Yes, there was not much “Gilmore Girls” Content as I expected, although I know it was only a fraction of her career. I was also a fan of Bun headsthe show she did with Amy Sherman-Palladino (who wrote the foreword to the memoir) after “Gilmore Girls”

Did the book leave you with questions that you wish had been answered?

CW: I have a lot of general questions, some of which you have already answered, and one very specific one. It mentions the night the cast of Hamilton celebrated the anniversary of the opening of A choir line at the Public Theater. I've watched the footage from that night many times on YouTube. So I went back and noticed that towards the end of the video, Bishop is standing next to Ariana DeBose, who was part of the ensemble at that point in the show's history. Bishop talks about giving advice to one of the chorus members who caught her eye during the show, a sort of passing of the torch moment. I still wonder if it was DeBose she said that to. It would have been poetic, since she later won an Oscar for her role as Anita in West Side Storya role that Bishop once played herself on stage. But in the book she doesn't tell us who it was.

MKC: This is hilarious, I ALSO immediately wanted to believe it was Ariana DeBose.

I think, as you said, gives us a good idea of ​​who Kelly Bishop is as a person, but a much more general look at her career. There could certainly be entire books just about her time working on Chorus Line or their time on “Gilmore Girls”. I feel like I've tried a little bit of everything, but I would have happily made a complete meal out of each of these experiences with her.

CW: That's a great summary. It's a quick and easy read, which is either a selling point or a con, depending on what you want from it. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we wrap up?

MKC: Despite all the disappointments I had with the book, I'm really glad she wrote it and we have this account of her amazing career! She's clearly a private person, so I found it very powerful that she chose to share difficult things about her childhood or her abortion. That touched me. It's wonderful to get an insight into the person behind the artist.

CW: Yes, she had an amazing life and I'm glad she was willing to share so much of it in the book.