Sharman relives his musical journey (AAP)

At the age of 30, Jim Sharman had it all: an international career directing hit musicals and films, money rolling in and the world firmly in his grasp. But the Sydney born director gave it all away and returned home, spurred by a mission to invigorate local theatre and take it spinning into unchartered waters. A bumpy and exhilarating ride lay ahead for the director, who relives the journey with passion, insight and humour in his autobiography, launched by Geoffrey Rush this week. "As much of my work has been a reaction to the world I grew up and, at various times, engaged with, both in Australia and internationally, I wanted to represent it in a manner that reflected this experience in an individual, highly visual way," Sharman writes in the book, titled Blood and Tinsel. Sharman starts his story a century ago in the... [read full story]