Book Review: Behind the Scenes: The Dramatic Lives of Philip Burton by Angela V John. Reviewed by Simon Williams

Valley boys SIMON WILLIAMS Behind the Scenes: The Dramatic Lives of Philip Burton By Angela V John Parthian Books £25 The clue to Angela V John’s intriguing odyssey is in its catchy subtitle, The Dramatic Lives of Philip Burton. Lives – not life; each of them distinct and intriguing. Philip Burton’s childhood was a triumph over poverty in South Wales. Then there’s a glittering career in the theatre and at the BBC (the golden age of radio drama). Later, Burton (1904-95) had success in America as a performer, writer, director and lecturer. Throughout the narrative runs an affinity with his protégé and adopted son, Richard Burton, né Jenkins, prophetically nicknamed Rich. Richard admitted, ‘He didn’t adopt me – I adopted him.’ There is no one better qualified than Angela V John to give us this loving insight into these two extraordinary Burtons. It’s a love rooted in her knowledge of...

I’m afraid this isn’t one of our four free articles available in full, which are set out in the first two rows of the ‘Magazine’ page.
Please click here to find them.

To buy a digital version of this issue for just £2.99, click here