Best Selling Books by Marc Acito

A deliciously funny romp of a novel about one overly theatrical and sexually confused New Jersey teenager’s larcenous quest for his acting school tuition It’s 1983 in Wallingford, New Jersey, a sleepy bedroom community outside of Manhattan. Seventeen-year-old Edward Zanni, a feckless Ferris Bueller–type, is Peter Panning his way through a carefree summer of magic and mischief. The fun comes to a halt, however, when Edward’s father remarries and refuses to pay for Edward to study acting at Juilliard. Edward’s truly in a bind. He’s ineligible for scholarships because his father earns too much. He’s unable to contact his mother because she’s somewhere in Peru trying to commune with Incan spirits. And, as a sure sign he’s destined for a life in the arts, Edward’s incapable of holding down a job. So he turns to his loyal (but immoral) misfit friends to help him steal the tuition money from his father, all the while practicing for his high school performance of Grease. Disguising themselves as nuns and priests, they merrily scheme their way through embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft, forgery, and blackmail. But, along the way, Edward also learns the value of friendship, hard work, and how you’re not really a man until you can beat up your father—metaphorically, that is. How I Paid for College is a farcical coming-of-age story that combines the first-person tone of David Sedaris with the byzantine plot twists of Armistead Maupin. It is a novel for anyone who has ever had a dream or a scheme, and it marks the introduction to an original and audacious talent.

In praising “the witty high school romp” How I Paid for College, the New York Times Book Review said, it “makes you hope there’s a lot more where this came from.” There is. In this hilarious sequel Attack of the Theater People, Edward Zanni and his merry crew of high school musical-comedy miscreants move to the magical wonderland that is Manhattan. It is 1986, and aspiring actor Edward Zanni has been kicked out of drama school for being “too jazz hands for Juilliard.” Mortified, Edward heads out into the urban jungle of eighties New York City and finally lands a job as a “party motivator” who gets thirteen-year-olds to dance at bar mitzvahs and charms businesspeople as a “stealth guest” at corporate events. When he accidentally gets caught up in insider trading with a handsome stockbroker named Chad, only the help of his crew from How I Paid for College can rescue him from a stretch in Club Fed. Laced with the inspired zaniness of classic American musical comedy, Attack of the Theater People matches the big hair of the eighties with an even bigger heart.

This play recounts the story of two chinstrap penguins who meet in the Central Park zoo. They partner, adopt an egg, and raise a chick together. Based on the temporarily banned book, ''And Tango makes three,'' by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.

Edward Zanni heeft zijn middelbare school afgerond en verheugt zich op een aangename vakantie, waarna hij naar de toneelschool zal gaan. Vader zal alles betalen. Maar vader hertrouwt met een dure vrouw, en denkt er daarna heel anders over. Edward en zijn vrienden spannen samen om methodes te verzinnen waarmee ze het collegegeld kunnen bemachtigen: diefstal, chantage, vermommingen, niets is te gek om ervoor te zorgen dat Edward zijn acteursdroom kan gaan najagen. De meest absurde optie blijkt overigens het zoeken van een baan te zijn. Dat valt nog niet mee: Mensen zijn zo overgevoelig wanneer het om details gaat. Een kleine vleeswond bij een pekinees is al voldoende om ontslagen te worden als hondenkapper, zelfs als je het haar kunstig over het litteken weet te kammen. Hoe ik mijn collegegeld betaalde is een uiterst humoristisch verhaal dat zich nog het best laat omschrijven als een kruising tussen de humor van Tom Sharpe en Evelyn Waugh en het beste wat Hollywood op comedygebied te bieden heeft.''

17 år gamle Edvard har en divadrøm, eller kanskje heller et kall, om å havne i rampelyset. Fram til sommeren 1983 har han steppet seg gjennom livet som en krysning av en forvokst Peter Pan og en uimotståelig Fred Astaire. Denne sommeren må hans trofaste, men ikke helt lovlydige venner løse et akutt pengeproblem. Kreativiteten blir tatt i bruk i jakten på penger. Vennegjengen jakter også på hverandre, og vi får vite mer om hvem som er forelsket i hvem og hvorfor, og være med på en både leken og alvorlig biseksuell finne-seg-sjæl-skildring.