Limelight

Poems on thespian themes, presented both straight up and in comics format.
Instructional purpose plays a strong second fiddle to artistic expression in this book. LaTulippe opens with 23 verses embedded into expressive scenes of theatrical production, from first auditions and rehearsals to curtain calls. She then repeats the same poems on plain backgrounds before closing with analytical notes on each one’s mostly varying poetic forms and rhyme schemes, followed by a glossary of theater terms. The author even color-codes each of the six “Acts,” or sections, to differentiate them and adds a bit of history with visual references to period scenery and costumes. Writing with an easy fluidity in a variety of forms, from pantoum to roundel, tercets to couplets, she lets the anthropomorphized theater building, stage, piano, and costumes present their own experiences while capturing the potential of theater to engage actors and audiences emotionally: “Costume ripped / can’t find a pin. / Makeup’s dripping / down my chin. / Who took my wig? / Is that my prop? / What if we’re / a giant flop?” In Gonzales’ equally fluid art, a multiracial cast and crew work hard together, from sign-ups to final bows.
A sparkling show, stuffed with theatrical tributes.
—Kirkus Reviews

“Doors swing open. Step inside/ where dreams and fantasies reside,” LaTulippe (The Crab Ballet) writes in this fond graphic novel homage to community theater and the myriad merging components necessary to produce a show. Utilizing mask poems told from the POVs of the book’s numerous subjects, the author gives voice to the different processes, objects, and individuals that make up a full production, including the audition (“To get the part—/ first get through me./ I’m your nightmare./ I’m your dream”), a pair of tap shoes (“Toppity tuppity tippity TAP!”), the crew in blackout (“Like panthers we slink,/ completely in sync”), the yearning understudy (“if only she’d sneeze”), and the applause itself (“I surge./ I rise./ I roar”). Each separate piece combines to form a cohesive, enthusiastic narrative that’s centered on a musical revue of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, which Gonzales (the Carlos Gomez series) depicts in buoyant full-color illustrations and lively, movement-filled paneling. Child actors and crew are shown with various skin tones as they fret, work, and emote. Concludes with transcriptions of the poems sans artwork, descriptions of the poetic forms used, and a glossary of theater terms.
—Publishers Weekly

In a book with an incredibly specific subject matter from LaTulippe, it would be easy to think this collection of poems would lose readers who are not deeply interested in the world of the stage. However, this is not the case. At its core, this is a series of love letters to an art form. There are so many pieces to making a theatrical production a reality, and each one is treated with dedication in these pages. Even the casual audience member will be captivated by the descriptions of each piece of the puzzle. From the writing of a script to the flypersons, the pit orchestra to the marquee outside—every aspect both scene and unseen (pun intended) is appreciated. Those less acquainted with theatrical terminology have nothing to fear; a glossary of theater terms is part of the back matter. For readers for whom poetry is a fascination in itself, the author explains each form presented, as well. Gonzales’s limited color palette helps guide the eye across panels. The characters are illustrated with diverse skin tones and hair textures. VERDICT A graceful homage to theater as both a space and an art form, lovingly broken down to its individual parts to give each its moment in the spotlight.
—School Library Journal