In Shark Infested Waters, Michael Whitehall contrasts the glamorous image of theatrical life with the mundane realities of the business, while passing on some startling trade secrets along the way. A laconic raconteur of refreshingly unstar-struck theatrical anecdotes, Whitehall deftly sketches the social comedy of his eccentric background: growing up in suburban London in the 1950s, his schooldays at Ampleforth and his subsequent adventures as a prep schoolmaster — worthy of Evelyn Waugh himself — before becoming an actors’ agent. Whitehall represented some of the most famous names in British film, theatre and television, though he writes about them not as ‘celebrity icons’ but as idiosyncratic human beings, rejoicing in their foibles with a deliriously dry wit. Whitehall has an acute eye for the vanities and absurdities of show business. Shark Infested Waters is a charming, funny and piquant view of a world that continues to fascinate.
