Alice Afire

Alice Afire: The Many Stages of Alice NielsenA Life in Song-vaudeville musicals grand opera and concerts in the golden age of live theatreStep into the luminous untamed world of Alice Nielsen-America's forgotten prima donna who once lit up every stage from San Francisco to London Broadway to Covent Garden. Born into obscurity Alice carved a singular path through the explosive entertainment revolutions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was a vaudeville dream a comic opera headliner a grand opera sensation and eventually a concert superstar in a time when women led no orchestras and rarely owned their careers.In Alice Afire the spotlight is returned to this dazzling and determined woman who crossed genres continents and class lines. Whether charming Boston's elite or thrilling Chautauqua crowds Nielsen's voice was both sublime and strategic-a key to freedom fame and artistic legacy.Drawing from rare recordings forgotten press and newly unearthed letters this biography reveals not only a life of brilliance and betrayal but also a behind-the-curtain view of the American stage when it was live loud and larger than life. If you love bold women musical history or the thrill of rediscovery Alice Afire will sing to you.