Different Aspects

It will be no surprise that I quite like Mr Ball, why else would I be listening to his memoir?
He comes across so well, he truly might be the nicest man in showbiz.
Some amusing stories from his life/shows, which having seen a few of them were nice to see the back story.
An enjoyable listen, it had me smiling a good bit.
Great name dropping, and excellent showbiz stories.

While I’m not necessarily a huge fan of Michael Ball or musical theatre in general, I’ve always found Michael Ball hugely likeable and charismatic as a person. So when the opportunity came to listen to and review this audiobook I jumped at the chance.

I remember vividly the buzz around the original Aspects Of Love and Love Changes Everything belting from the kitchen radio every week for what felt like decades, I even remember the video, so it was a real treat to dive in and hear all about that time from Michael. Many years later I was lucky enough to see him in Les Mis with The Mammy on Londons West End (I should add that it was purely The Mammy’s choice and I went grudgingly, yet was enthralled and sobbing all the way through, I’m a huge embarrassment in the theatre, the type of person who has lovely elderly people sat around me consoling me - to the many, I am sorry and thank you) anyway he is a class act a true talent. But he also seems to be a genuinely lovely man, and I’m pleased to say that this shines from the book, even when he’s not being particularly lovely about people it’s delivered in the nicest way. It’s also a huge lesson on theatre, production, auditions, training and making a musical. I don’t think you’d have to be a fan to enjoy this actually it has a lot to hold the interest, and there’s a lovely bonus at the end of the audio.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, an easy 4 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Nice audiobook covering Michael Balls raise to fame after Aspects Of Love. Read by the author which I always prefer when listening to a memoir.

It’s no surprise that I loved this. As you can see, I’ve got the Festive Edition from Tesco, so was a little cheeky when I requested the audiobook from NetGalley but to have a chance to hear Mr Ball himself read his own words and tell his story was too much to resist. 🎧

I read along and annotated as much as I could but, at times, I just sat back and enjoyed the pure joy that is Michael Ball.
He was so vibrant, animated and you could hear the emotion in his voice. At times it was filled with sadness but more often than not, just full of pure joy, bringing (practically) every word to life.
The smile rarely left my face.

Michael is a gregarious and beautiful person who I would describe as having a joie de vivre.

A simple “ASPECT” (lol) I loved was the mimicking of having a telephone conversation. I can’t explain why, just did.

The memoir itself is wonderful, darling lol.
Full of interesting facts, anecdotes, theatre/musical terminology and so much LOVE, especially for his partner Cathy you can just hear how much he adores her and how beautiful, supportive and right (lol) she is. So magical. ♥️

An amazing book and gorgeous audio.
Plus, if you get the audiobook, there’s a little bonus material, too! ♥️

Michael leaves singing “Love Changes Everything” which made me smile even more! 🥰

Thank you so much, Bonnier Books & NetGalley, for the audiobook. I loved it! 🎧♥️

My thanks to Bonnier Uk publishers and NetGalley for an audio version of “ Different Aspects” for an honest review.
I was going to read this book in print , but when I got the chance to listen to it instead, something that I do very rarely, I leapt at the chance.
I find Michael Ball to be a very entertaining performer.He has a really likability, and a wonderful voice..The fact that he was narrating this definitely added to my enjoyment.
It was great to hear how he got to where he is now , both on and off stage.
Highly recommended

I was really keen to read this book as I am a big fan of Michael Ball and have seen him in concert a few times. I’ve not actually seen him in a musical yet though I’d love to. In this memoir, he tells of his musical career, strongly linking it with the musical Aspects of Love which turned him into a household name, particularly with the success of the song Love Changes Everything.

I chose to listen to the audio version of the book and I’m so glad I did. It’s narrated by Michael himself of course and it feels like you’re sitting having a cosy chat and catch-up with him. I did actually answer a few of his questions! You even get treated to a few snippets of singing which is a real treat.

As well as many anecdotes from his glittering career, you get a really interesting insight into exactly how a stage show is produced, mostly musicals of course. You hear about all the stages from the initial idea, through casting, rehearsals and the performances themselves. There’s a healthy dose of name-dropping of course, big names too. But you would hardly expect anything less given the people that Michael Ball has worked with over the years.

Michael comes across as sincere, warm and funny. For such a big star, he is very self-deprecating about his talent while acknowledging that he has been incredibly successful. I can see why he has the reputation as the nicest man in showbusiness as he seems to genuinely care for his co-stars and others who are involved in the shows he’s worked on.

Different Aspects is an entertaining, warm and funny book from a man who clearly loves his profession. As we are coming up to Christmas, I would say that this is a perfect gift for fans of Michael Ball.

I requested this book for my wife who is a big fan of Michael’s, so the review is basically hers, she loved it, especially as it’s narrated by the man himself

I love Michael Ball and Musical theatre so was really looking forward to this.
I really enjoyed it especially as it’s read by Michael himself.
Easy listen and an interesting insight into the world of theatre.
Obviously this mainly covered Aspects but gave lots of other information.
Also loved the extra little bit with Michael’s too 5’s
Thank you

Every actor, aspiring actor and theatre fan should listen to this incredible book.

This is not just the story of a glittering career; Michael talks about his fears, failures, stage fright and mental health, amongst the successes, stories and hilarious anecdotes.

I loved Michael’s (sometimes brutal) honesty but always, ALWAYS, with the utmost respect for his colleagues, whether they were Roger Moore or the company seafront.

The fart-induced corpsing had me crying with laughter 😂

A tale of made up lyrics, being rescued by a little old lady in the front row and twitching on the subway, which is narrated brilliantly by, of course, Michael himself, which really sets this apart.

The ultimate cheeky chappie who readily admits he loves meeting a celebrity, well, so do I, darling, and I want to meet Michael Ball!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Michael Ball and Bonnier for an ARC in return for an honest review.

**listened to the audiobook**

Now, I have to admit... I'm really not a fan of Michael Ball. I adore all things musical theatre, but Ball really greats on me, he comes across as very arrogant to me - plus I have had friends who have worked professionally with him, who have backed up my thoughts about him being arrogant. There were some great examples of this within the book too - Ball makes excuses after revealing that no one wanted to talk to him, or add him to a whatsapp group, saying is 'an age thing!' He also made a backstage toilet 'his own' even though it was initially a toilet for all of the company backstage. He also mentions when talking about the Aspects revival promo shoot, that he states its all about him! He also declares himself as someone who 'saves the day' and recovers scenes, when they went wrong, or when a fellow cast member would leave a prop on stage.
Not sounding particularly humble here - but hey, it's his book right?
Maybe it sounds more arrogant than it would than just reading the text, as Ball narrates the audio book himself.

However, this book was a great insight into the theatrical world rather than an insight into the world of Michael Ball (perhaps other books of his have done this - but don't go into this thinking it's a straightforward Ball autobiography.) I liked hearing how rehearsals went, and being let into a few backstage insights that haven't been spoken about before. I particularly loved hearing about the late Dame Gillian Lynne and her potty mouth!

Overall, I'm surprised to say that I did actually really enjoy the book as I liked the backstage look into the world of the theatre. Something that particularly interests me. Pleased I read it, and got a lot from it as a theatre fan!

I was a big Michael Ball fan when I was a child, so was intrigued to give this a listen. A great insight into the workings of theatre and into Michael’s life. He has a great sense of humour and I enjoyed listening to him read it himself. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

A really enjoyable audiobook giving lots of insight into the world of musical theatre and narrated by the lovely man himself.
Michael recounts how he came to love music and how his acting paved the way to him appearing in some of the most loved musicals of all time. There's plenty of interesting name dropping and lots of humour throughout making this a very pleasant read.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this audiobook.

This was my ultimate guilty pleasure, having Michael Ball read me his "Different Aspects" book. It was pure indulgence on my part. Having been to a lot of shows that he has been in including Aspects 2, it was interesting to hear the backstage stories and goings-on. 5/5 from me!

I love tales of 'back stage' and Michael Ball has a great story to tell. He's a terrific narrator too with a lovely witty sparkle in his tone which made the book even more enjoyable

Loved this biography audio book. Read by the author himself too. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Different Aspects by Michael Ball and Narrated by Michael Ball himself.
was a wonderful audiobook, is the magical memoir from the West End legend, Michael Ball and it just took my breath away. It was just beautiful for start to finish and I fell in love with his voice all over again!

Michael is the most fabulous storyteller and transports his listener into his world, you become apart of the audiobook. It was wonderful. I felt he was in the room with me sitting with a cup pf coffee having a friendly chat. Not many people in show business can do that........

A must audiobook full of cheer and laughters throughout. But be aware, you may cough on your coffee is some parts as it made me lol.
Just brilliant!