From Library Journal: Those of us who, sadly, could not see eminent British playwright Sir David Hare perform his one-person play, Via Dolorosa, in London and on Broadway can take solace in this incredibly textured and revelatory document, which Hare calls "a diary of learning to act." In Via Dolorosa, written in 1998 following several trips to the Middle East, the 51-year old Hare (whose previous acting experience was as a teenager) plays the parts of over 30 Israelis and Palestinians he encountered. The journal begins with the first rehearsal in early August 1998 and concludes with his final performance almost a year later. The entries are imbued with the archetypal self-absorption and neurotic preoccupations familiar to actors and an intimate connection to the play that, at times, will distance readers unacquainted with it. But Hare is a playwright's playwright, and juxtaposed with the performance anxieties and textual intricacies are delightfully stimulating insights, connections, arguments, and ideas, as well as an abundance of anecdotal Royal Court theater-crowd stories. A stunning work; essential for theater collections in all libraries. --Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX , Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.