Required reading for parents of performing children - Rated 
Stage Mum is an honest, down to earth and entertaining read that also manages to touch on the serious issues that parents of "performing children" suddenly find themselves facing - often with very little support. I wish this book had been around when my daughter was cast in a West End show as I'd have been far better prepared for the chaos that took over our lives for 5 unforgettable months.
If your child has West End aspirations, or you have ever wondered about the lives of the children you see performing in professional theatre then do read this book. It is incredibly honest, both from the point of view of Lisa's feelings as a mother and in her descriptions of the day to day practicalities of having a child working in a show for half a year.
Stage Mum - Rated
Lisa has an honest and funny look at her experiences as a Stage Mum, writing about her daughter's run in the Sound of Music from auditions through to rehearsals, publicity, performances and "what Dora did next". She bravely analyses and confronts her fears about the industry's impact on child performers' lives long term, not settling for a glamorous celebrity filled description of the experience. Her humour, insight and frankness make this book a fascinating read for anyone, whether they have seen the BBC's "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria", Sound of Music on film or stage, or have contemplated and/or been a part of the world of stage parents.
Mrs Worthington? Who's she?! - Rated
Landmark revival "The Sound Of Music" at the London Palladium in 2006 may have chosen its leading lady by television vote, but the cast is larger than a single publicly-elected new star. With children a key feature of the show, how do producers find enough of them to keep Maria busy? Six-and-a-bit-year-old Dora Gee was one volunteer keen to become a Von Trapp... With trepidation, "mother superior" Lisa agrees to let her audition; this is their tale.
Subtitling her book "When showbiz happens to your child" rather than "Connie Fisher, My Part in Her Triumph" demonstrates just how seriously Lisa Gee took keeping her daughter's first stage experience in perspective. Deeply scared by "child star burns out in adolescence" stories and without any knowledge of the business herself, she prepares for the worst but instead is often pleasantly surprised.
Much of the appeal of this book is the immediacy of Lisa's writing. Even though we know Dora bags the part, the earliest chapters - all titled with quotes from the show's lyric - are a measured mixture of mundane family life dappled with the pleasure of anticipation and shadows of potential failure. We live in the same moment as the author, where every meeting, letter and email could "make or break" the fantasy... and the laundry still needs doing.
Interlacing descriptions of audition and rehearsal processes, seeing her daughter on stage for the first time, opening-night parties and settling into the run; Lisa interviews many in the business and considers objectively just how wise it is allowing your child to join a dropout apprentice nun's adopted brood for six months.
It certainly isn't the money. Dora was paid far less than the price of a decent stalls ticket each night, while the parents counted themselves lucky to get even a proportion of their own travel expenses paid. The true gain, as Lisa concludes by chatting with parents and professionals, is building confidence by channelling youthful energy and creativity into something good.
Lisa's maternal thoughts and feelings, observations and reflections are an informative perspective for anybody with a stage-struck child. In the future, Dora may choose West End stars or NASA ones. Either way, in this book she will have a highly readable and entertaining record of a very special adventure; a pleasure we are lucky to share.
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