Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To-Do List
West Side Story Takes a Hilarious Turn in This Romantic Comedy
Feb 3, 2009
Have you ever wanted to be famous so badly you’d do almost anything? Seventeen-year-old Jessica knows what that’s like. As an aspiring actress stuck in the middle of a nowhere New Mexico town, she knows something huge needs to happen for her to get her big break.
Then Jessica discovers that Jordan Hunter, the new boy in her school, is the son of famous movie actor Christopher Hunter. Jessica’s sure if she can get Jordan’s dad to come see her perform in her high school play, he’ll introduce her to all his Hollywood friends and put her on the path to glory and fame. Simple, right?
Well, maybe not. For starters, Jordan doesn’t want anyone to know who his dad is. Plus, Jessica’s starting to fall for Jordan. Is she willing to manipulate him to get what she wants?
Not Your Typical West Side Story Play
Soon though, Jessica has to deal with a new set of problems. Her drama teacher Mrs. Shale worries she won’t get the funding to put on their school play– until Jessica lets it slip that “Christopher Hunter’s son” would be perfect for the lead. Suddenly Jordan’s the most popular boy in school and Mrs. Shale’s ready to cast him as Tony in West Side Story. Too bad this also means Jordan is furious at Jessica for revealing his secret.
Then things get weirder. Jessica’s friend Kate writes an editorial claiming West Side Story is offensive to minorities and glorifies violence – making Mrs. Shale eliminate all reference to gangs and Puerto Ricans in the play. Paranoid actors feel other cast members are sabotaging the play. And Jordan’s dad visits the school, making Jordan recruit Jessica into a madcap plan to get his divorced parents back together.
But all that’s nothing compared to what happens on the school play’s opening night, where nervous actors, a shaky script, and personal vendettas combine to produce one of the most disastrous plays in history – which just happens to be filmed by news crews all eager to cover the acting debut of Christopher Hunter’s son.
Forget glory and fame! Can Jessica somehow salvage the play and, more importantly, her relationship with Jordan?
One of the Funniest Janette Rallison Books
Art truly imitates life in Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List, which was partly based on an experience the author’s daughter had with community theatre.
“Her drama group was putting on West Side Story – and the teacher became concerned that it wasn’t politically correct,” said Janette Rallison over a January 16, 2009 phone interview. “So she didn’t let them say words like ‘fight,’ ‘rumble’ or even ‘Puerto Rican!’ It was a bizarre play – so it was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to write about that in a book!’”
From this initial inspiration, Rallison crafted an entertaining novel about a school play that’s every actor’s nightmare – and every comedy lover’s dream. The book’s characters are well-drawn with (appropriately enough) dramatic personalities that fuel the story’s comedy. Jessica’s first person narration is particularly entertaining, with several ironic asides and self-deprecating observations that keep the reader laughing throughout the story.
But the story’s real payoff is the events that take place on-stage and behind the scenes during the school play’s opening night. Suddenly all the plot threads Rallison teased the reader with in earlier chapters come together in a spectacular disaster that has to be read to be believed.
Don’t cheat yourself by skipping to the end though. Like all good comedy, the book’s set-up is just as good as the punch line.
Rallison, Janette. Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List. New York: Walker & Company, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-8027-9682-0
Learn about Janette’s experiences as a visiting author in Author Visits Encourage Student Literacy and more about her writing career at the Official Website of Janette Rallison.
Also read a review of Janette's new book at Review of Just One Wish by Janette Rallison.
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