Most people's first glimpse of Tim Curry was probably as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the "sweet transvestite from Transylvania," in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But as Curry's delightful memoir, Vagabond, shows, the British actor's prolific career began with his 1968 debut in the London stage production of Hair.
With a strong, affable voice, Curry warns readers not to expect a gossipy tell-all, an assertion he sticks with as he frankly recounts his life but never gives hints about his loves. Actors, he notes, were "considered rogues and vagabonds" during William Shakespeare's time. That could easily describe Curry's childhood and profession, careening from project to project. He was born in Cheshire in 1946, and his family's frequent moves due to his father's work as a Royal Navy chaplain taught him "the scope and powers of my own imagination." His father died from pneumonia following a stroke at age 45, when Curry was 11. His often-distant mother didn't allow him or his 15-year-old sister, Judy, to attend the funeral. He later discovered theater at boarding school.
Curry enthusiastically reminisces about his stage, screen, and voice acting career (13 pages of credits shows just how active), offering insight on iconic roles (Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Pennywise, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) without preciousness, and approaching the smallest or most villainous roles with equal aplomb. He also discusses bouts with alcohol and drugs, as well as the 2012 stroke that caused him to use a wheelchair. When he does mention other figures in show business, it is with respect and gratitude, a recurring theme of this highly entertaining memoir. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer