Take Your Shirt Off and Cry

A Memoir of Near-Fame Experiences

By: Nancy Balbirer

Narrated by: Nancy Balbirer

Without sparing the embarrassing details, Balbirer chronicles the two decades she spent as a struggling actress in the trenches of show business. From the searing purist tutelage of David Mamet at NYU Drama School ("In show business, women who are lucky enough to find employment are asked to do only two things in every role they ever play: take your shirt off and cry") to her bizarre 1 AM Saturday Night Live audition for Lorne Michaels, Balbirer recounts her sometimes disappointing, sometimes painful, and always bizarre adventures.

Among the stories in Take Your Shirt Off and Cry is "Friendly Fire," which is about Nancy's friendship and eventual falling out with a good friend who went on to become a huge star with a top-rated sitcom. Fame may not have knocked on her door, but it certainly slept on her couch. Take Your Shirt Off and Cry is an utterly engaging, deeply personal, and absurdly comic memoir from a one-of-a-kind talent.

©2009 Nancy Balbirer (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Over dramatic!

What would have made Take Your Shirt Off and Cry better?

Writing and performance were irritating. Had to abandon it.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Will try a biz book.

What didn’t you like about Nancy Balbirer’s performance?

Too dramatic.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Hmm, can't think of any yet.

Any additional comments?

Waste of a credit.

Loved it

There are plenty of books out there about famous, successful people in show business. I found this book, about a woman in the entertainment trenches, who was successful in her own way, but never reaching the top, extremely interesting. I definitely recommend this book as you will take a ride alongside Nancy as she experiences what it’s like to try to make it in a very tough business.