LAUGHTER AND GRANDEUR The fourth volume in the Stage by Stage series, this scholarly but accessible book”written in clear compelling prose”brings to life the many worlds of the Baroque period. The fourth volume of the Stage by Stage series fills a gap in the history of theater”until now there has never been a wide ranging study of theatre in the Age of Baroque, the exciting period from the last decades of the 17th century to the early years of the 19th. Here is a graphic, broad, yet closely studied account of what happened on stage above the sputtering, smoky footlights”a mere two rows of candles”and behind the scenes; who were the leading playwrights and performers, composers and singers, choreographers and dancers, some of whom were deemed immortal, and others once famed, then forgotten, but now restored to their rightful places. Wide in scope, it is packed with tales of a host of kings and players, crafty cardinals and opprobrious bishops, tormented dramatists and joyful dancers.