Lahr, John 1941-
Overview
Works: | 168 works in 716 publications in 3 languages and 18,824 library holdings |
---|---|
Genres: | Biographies Criticism, interpretation, etc Diaries Drama Portraits Reviews Handbooks and manuals Study guides Biographical films Comedy films |
Roles: | Author, Editor, Author of introduction, Bibliographic antecedent, Other, Interviewee, Collector, pre, Originator, Interviewer, Performer, win, Contributor |
Classifications: | PR6065.R7, B |
Publication Timeline
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Most widely held works about
John Lahr
- Prick up your ears by Stephen Frears( Visual )
- Ellyn Polshek collection of materials about Yip Harburg by Ellyn Polshek( )
Most widely held works by
John Lahr
Tennessee Williams : mad pilgrimage of the flesh by
John Lahr(
Book
)
28 editions published between 2014 and 2015 in English and held by 1,888 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Here, celebrated drama critic John Lahr gives intimate access to the mind of one of the most brilliant dramatists of his century, whose plays reshaped the American theater and the nation's sense of itself. This astute, deeply researched biography sheds light on Williams's warring family, his guilt, his creative triumphs and failures, his sexuality and numerous affairs, his misreported death, even the shenanigans surrounding his estate. With vivid cameos of the formative influences in Williams's life, this book is as much a biography of the man as it is a trenchant exploration of his plays and the tortured process of bringing them to stage and screen. Lahr explores how Williams's relationships informed his work and how the resulting success brought turmoil to his personal life. Lahr captures not just his tempestuous public persona but also his backstage life, where his agent Audrey Wood and the director Elia Kazan play major roles, and Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Bette Davis, Maureen Stapleton, Diana Barrymore, and Tallulah Bankhead have scintillating walk-on parts. This is a theater biography like no other.--From publisher description
28 editions published between 2014 and 2015 in English and held by 1,888 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Here, celebrated drama critic John Lahr gives intimate access to the mind of one of the most brilliant dramatists of his century, whose plays reshaped the American theater and the nation's sense of itself. This astute, deeply researched biography sheds light on Williams's warring family, his guilt, his creative triumphs and failures, his sexuality and numerous affairs, his misreported death, even the shenanigans surrounding his estate. With vivid cameos of the formative influences in Williams's life, this book is as much a biography of the man as it is a trenchant exploration of his plays and the tortured process of bringing them to stage and screen. Lahr explores how Williams's relationships informed his work and how the resulting success brought turmoil to his personal life. Lahr captures not just his tempestuous public persona but also his backstage life, where his agent Audrey Wood and the director Elia Kazan play major roles, and Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Bette Davis, Maureen Stapleton, Diana Barrymore, and Tallulah Bankhead have scintillating walk-on parts. This is a theater biography like no other.--From publisher description
Notes on a cowardly lion : the biography of Bert Lahr by
John Lahr(
Book
)
24 editions published between 1969 and 2017 in English and Undetermined and held by 1,748 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Lahr's professional career and his complex private life are seen as an organic whole in a work that, combining immediacy with genuine perspective, is important both as a personal portrait and as a contribution to theater history
24 editions published between 1969 and 2017 in English and Undetermined and held by 1,748 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Lahr's professional career and his complex private life are seen as an organic whole in a work that, combining immediacy with genuine perspective, is important both as a personal portrait and as a contribution to theater history
Prick up your ears : the biography of Joe Orton by
John Lahr(
Book
)
62 editions published between 1978 and 2016 in English and held by 1,520 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Story of murder/suicide of playwright Joe Orton and his lover, Ken Halliwell. When Orton, after years of unsuccessful collaboration with Halliwell, breaks away and achieves fame and fortune on his own, Halliwell cracks, hammers Orton to death and then kills himself
62 editions published between 1978 and 2016 in English and held by 1,520 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Story of murder/suicide of playwright Joe Orton and his lover, Ken Halliwell. When Orton, after years of unsuccessful collaboration with Halliwell, breaks away and achieves fame and fortune on his own, Halliwell cracks, hammers Orton to death and then kills himself
Coward, the playwright by
John Lahr(
Book
)
30 editions published between 1982 and 2014 in English and held by 1,519 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In five dexterously argued chapters, John Lahr investigates all the major plays and many of Noël Coward's lesser-known pieces
30 editions published between 1982 and 2014 in English and held by 1,519 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In five dexterously argued chapters, John Lahr investigates all the major plays and many of Noël Coward's lesser-known pieces
The Orton diaries : including the correspondence of Edna Welthorpe and others by
Joe Orton(
Book
)
50 editions published between 1985 and 2013 in English and held by 1,020 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich, and happy is surely going against nature." When Joe Orton (1933-1967) wrote those words in his diary in May 1967, he was being hailed as the greatest comic playwright since Oscar Wilde for his darkly hilarious Entertaining Mr. Sloane and the farce hit Loot, and was completing What the Butler Saw; but less than three months later, his longtime companion, Kenneth Halliwell, smashed Orton's skull in with a hammer before killing himself. The Orton Diaries, written during his last eight months, chronicle in a remarkably candid style his outrageously unfettered life: his literary success, capped by an Evening Standard Award and overtures from the Beatles; his sexual escapades - at his mother's funeral, with a dwarf in Brighton, and, extensively, in Tangiers; and the breakdown of his sixteen-year "marriage" to Halliwell, the relationship that transformed and destroyed him. Edited with a superb introduction by John Lahr, The Orton Diaries is his crowning achievement
50 editions published between 1985 and 2013 in English and held by 1,020 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich, and happy is surely going against nature." When Joe Orton (1933-1967) wrote those words in his diary in May 1967, he was being hailed as the greatest comic playwright since Oscar Wilde for his darkly hilarious Entertaining Mr. Sloane and the farce hit Loot, and was completing What the Butler Saw; but less than three months later, his longtime companion, Kenneth Halliwell, smashed Orton's skull in with a hammer before killing himself. The Orton Diaries, written during his last eight months, chronicle in a remarkably candid style his outrageously unfettered life: his literary success, capped by an Evening Standard Award and overtures from the Beatles; his sexual escapades - at his mother's funeral, with a dwarf in Brighton, and, extensively, in Tangiers; and the breakdown of his sixteen-year "marriage" to Halliwell, the relationship that transformed and destroyed him. Edited with a superb introduction by John Lahr, The Orton Diaries is his crowning achievement
Up against the fourth wall, essays on modern theater by
John Lahr(
Book
)
13 editions published in 1970 in 3 languages and held by 834 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
13 editions published in 1970 in 3 languages and held by 834 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Astonish me : adventures in contemporary theater by
John Lahr(
Book
)
7 editions published in 1973 in English and held by 712 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
7 editions published in 1973 in English and held by 712 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Automatic vaudeville : essays on star turns by
John Lahr(
Book
)
22 editions published between 1984 and 1985 in English and Undetermined and held by 679 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In this collection of essays, biographer and critic John Lahr examines the present-day cult of fame and its effects on some of our brightest stars
22 editions published between 1984 and 1985 in English and Undetermined and held by 679 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
In this collection of essays, biographer and critic John Lahr examines the present-day cult of fame and its effects on some of our brightest stars
Life-show; how to see theater in life and life in theater by
John Lahr(
Book
)
14 editions published between 1973 and 1989 in English and held by 602 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
14 editions published between 1973 and 1989 in English and held by 602 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Sinatra : the artist and the man by
John Lahr(
Book
)
16 editions published between 1997 and 2018 in 3 languages and held by 579 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
The artist and the man: Sinatra epitomized control and he raged uncontrollably, destroying friendships, love affairs, and a plate-glass window or two; he won fans around the world across three generations, created an unparalleled body of recorded work, and almost single-handedly invented the postwar American swagger and "the image," Lahr writes, "of perfect individualism."
16 editions published between 1997 and 2018 in 3 languages and held by 579 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
The artist and the man: Sinatra epitomized control and he raged uncontrollably, destroying friendships, love affairs, and a plate-glass window or two; he won fans around the world across three generations, created an unparalleled body of recorded work, and almost single-handedly invented the postwar American swagger and "the image," Lahr writes, "of perfect individualism."
A casebook on Harold Pinter's The homecoming by
John Lahr(
Book
)
15 editions published between 1971 and 1974 in English and Undetermined and held by 562 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
15 editions published between 1971 and 1974 in English and Undetermined and held by 562 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Light fantastic : adventures in theatre by
John Lahr(
Book
)
12 editions published between 1996 and 1997 in English and held by 546 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A collection of essays written by one of the drama critics for The New Yorker magazine, discussing comedians, playwrights, musicals, and productions in the international world of theatre
12 editions published between 1996 and 1997 in English and held by 546 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A collection of essays written by one of the drama critics for The New Yorker magazine, discussing comedians, playwrights, musicals, and productions in the international world of theatre
The autograph hound by
John Lahr(
Book
)
15 editions published between 1972 and 2013 in English and held by 546 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Hailed as a & ldquo;tour de force & rdquo; by the New York Times, this irresistible novel captures John Lahr & rsquo;s madcap genius Meet Benny Walsh: busboy at the Homestead restaurant in New York City by day, compulsive autograph hunter by night. Known for going to extraordinary lengths for a much-coveted signature, Benny is also tangled up with an actress and fellow autograph hound named Gloria, and drawn into an embittered battle with his archenemy, a headwaiter with a grudge. Lahr & rsquo;s acclaimed debut novel captures one wild week in Benny & rsquo;s life. It is an introduction to a brilliantly drawn and determined character who will stay with you long after the final page
15 editions published between 1972 and 2013 in English and held by 546 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Hailed as a & ldquo;tour de force & rdquo; by the New York Times, this irresistible novel captures John Lahr & rsquo;s madcap genius Meet Benny Walsh: busboy at the Homestead restaurant in New York City by day, compulsive autograph hunter by night. Known for going to extraordinary lengths for a much-coveted signature, Benny is also tangled up with an actress and fellow autograph hound named Gloria, and drawn into an embittered battle with his archenemy, a headwaiter with a grudge. Lahr & rsquo;s acclaimed debut novel captures one wild week in Benny & rsquo;s life. It is an introduction to a brilliantly drawn and determined character who will stay with you long after the final page
Show and tell : New Yorker profiles by
John Lahr(
Book
)
7 editions published between 2000 and 2002 in English and held by 527 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"In Show and Tell, John Lahr reinvents the celebrity profile to get at the essence of performance. Lahr's profiles probe some of the most compelling, elusive, and irresistible public personas of our time, among them: Woody Allen, David Mamet, Ingmar Bergman, Frank Sinatra, Roseanne, Irving Berlin, Bob Hope, Mike Nichols, Wallace Shawn, Arthur Miller, and Neil LaBute. In these, and the moving autobiographical portraits of his father, Bert Lahr, who was the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, and his mother, a former Ziegfeld girl, Lahr charts the geography of fame."--Jacket
7 editions published between 2000 and 2002 in English and held by 527 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"In Show and Tell, John Lahr reinvents the celebrity profile to get at the essence of performance. Lahr's profiles probe some of the most compelling, elusive, and irresistible public personas of our time, among them: Woody Allen, David Mamet, Ingmar Bergman, Frank Sinatra, Roseanne, Irving Berlin, Bob Hope, Mike Nichols, Wallace Shawn, Arthur Miller, and Neil LaBute. In these, and the moving autobiographical portraits of his father, Bert Lahr, who was the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, and his mother, a former Ziegfeld girl, Lahr charts the geography of fame."--Jacket
The diaries of Kenneth Tynan by
Kenneth Tynan(
Book
)
14 editions published between 2001 and 2005 in English and held by 523 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Irreverent, indiscreet, wildly funny, sad, shocking and inspiring, the legendary diaries of Kenneth Tynan are above all compelling literature. For over three decades, on both sides of the Atlantic, Tynan was at the hot center of the theater and film worlds. He knew everybody; and everybody wanted to know him. His diaries - so resplendent with griefs and gossip - bear superb witness to the fame he courted and the price he paid for it."--Jacket
14 editions published between 2001 and 2005 in English and held by 523 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
"Irreverent, indiscreet, wildly funny, sad, shocking and inspiring, the legendary diaries of Kenneth Tynan are above all compelling literature. For over three decades, on both sides of the Atlantic, Tynan was at the hot center of the theater and film worlds. He knew everybody; and everybody wanted to know him. His diaries - so resplendent with griefs and gossip - bear superb witness to the fame he courted and the price he paid for it."--Jacket
Dame Edna Everage and the rise of Western civilisation : backstage with Barry Humphries by
John Lahr(
Book
)
15 editions published between 1991 and 2001 in English and held by 460 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
An insider's account of a great clown and a great act. Lahr takes us backstage at London's Theatre Royal with Barry Humphries, and into the weird and wonderful world of his show-stopping creation--Dame Edna Everage. Dame Edna--a character so real to the public that her autobiography, My Gorgeous Life, appeared on the nonfiction list--actively invites speculation about reality and fantasy, male and female. Hilarious and malign, polite and rude, highbrow and very low, the character Barry Humphries inhabits is a bundle of contradictions. John Lahr, the son of another comic genius, takes us behind the scenes to investigate how a provincial dandy from Melbourne transformed himself into one of the most unlikely megastars of today. In showing the connection between Humphries's comedy and the life it parodies, Lahr goes beyond reportage to an exploration of the nature of comedy.--From publisher description
15 editions published between 1991 and 2001 in English and held by 460 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
An insider's account of a great clown and a great act. Lahr takes us backstage at London's Theatre Royal with Barry Humphries, and into the weird and wonderful world of his show-stopping creation--Dame Edna Everage. Dame Edna--a character so real to the public that her autobiography, My Gorgeous Life, appeared on the nonfiction list--actively invites speculation about reality and fantasy, male and female. Hilarious and malign, polite and rude, highbrow and very low, the character Barry Humphries inhabits is a bundle of contradictions. John Lahr, the son of another comic genius, takes us behind the scenes to investigate how a provincial dandy from Melbourne transformed himself into one of the most unlikely megastars of today. In showing the connection between Humphries's comedy and the life it parodies, Lahr goes beyond reportage to an exploration of the nature of comedy.--From publisher description
Showcase. plays from the Eugene O'Neill Foundation by
John Lahr(
Book
)
9 editions published between 1969 and 1970 in English and held by 443 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
9 editions published between 1969 and 1970 in English and held by 443 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Joy ride : show people and their shows by
John Lahr(
Book
)
4 editions published between 2015 and 2016 in English and held by 407 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A collection of profiles and reviews from "The New Yorker" reveals details of the lives of contemporary dramatists as well as their sources of solace and inspiration, including Arthur Miller, Wallace Shawn, Harold Pinter, and David Mamet
4 editions published between 2015 and 2016 in English and held by 407 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
A collection of profiles and reviews from "The New Yorker" reveals details of the lives of contemporary dramatists as well as their sources of solace and inspiration, including Arthur Miller, Wallace Shawn, Harold Pinter, and David Mamet
The great American life show : 9 plays from the avant-garde theater by
John Lahr(
Book
)
9 editions published in 1974 in English and Undetermined and held by 327 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
9 editions published in 1974 in English and Undetermined and held by 327 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
Grove Press modern drama : six plays(
Book
)
3 editions published in 1975 in English and held by 292 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
3 editions published in 1975 in English and held by 292 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
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- Orton, Joe Author Creator
- Williams, Tennessee 1911-1983 Author
- Lahr, Bert 1895-1967 Performer Author
- Coward, Noel 1899-1973 Interviewee Author
- Price, Jonathan 1941- Editor
- Sinatra, Frank 1915-1998 Singer
- Tynan, Kenneth 1927-1980 Author
- Weegee 1899-1968 Photographer
- Woodfield, William Read Photographer
- Willoughby, Bob Photographer
Useful Links
Associated Subjects
Actors American drama Australia Australian wit and humor Authors, English Celebrities Comic, The Composers Coward, Noel, Drama Drama--Technique Dramatists Dramatists, American Dramatists, English Dramatists, English--Biography England England--London Entertainers Examinations Fame Film critics Gay couples Gay dramatists Great Britain Halliwell, Kenneth Humorists, Australian Humphries, Barry, Impresarios Jealousy Lahr, Bert, Lahr, John, Literary agents Literature Mentoring in the arts Murder New York (State)--New York Orton, Joe Performing arts Ramsay, Margaret, Same-sex partner abuse Sinatra, Frank, Singers Suicide Theater Theater and society Theater critics Theatrical producers and directors Tynan, Kenneth, United States Williams, Tennessee,