John Lahr
John Lahr
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
John Lahr is a renowned American theater critic, biographer, and essayist.
#### Birth and Death Dates
Born on September 23, 1941, in Boston, Massachusetts. No death date is available at this time.
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
American; Theater Critic, Biographer, Essayist
#### Early Life and Background
John Lahr grew up in a family of modest means, with his parents struggling to make ends meet during World War II. His father's love for the theater instilled in young John an appreciation for live performance. After dropping out of Harvard University, Lahr worked as a laborer before discovering his true calling: writing about theater.
#### Major Accomplishments
Lahr is best known for his work as the chief drama critic at _The Nation_ and has written extensively on the lives and careers of theatrical luminaries such as Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, and Joseph Papp. His biographies, including those of Harold Clurman and Sondheim, have become canonical texts in the world of theater.
#### Notable Works or Actions
_Making Movies_ (1975): A film about the making of Robert Altman's _Buffalo Bill and the Indians_
_Notes on a Cowardly Lion: Jerry Lester and the Birth of Late-Night TV_ (2000)
_The Years with Peter O'Toole_ (2012): An account of his friendship with the late actor
_Tarell Alvin McCraney, In Yonder Comes the Morning_ (2017): A profile of the playwright
#### Impact and Legacy
John Lahr's incisive and engaging writing has had a profound impact on the world of theater. His biographies offer intimate portraits that reveal the complexities of their subjects' lives, inspiring new generations of artists and writers.
Lahr's groundbreaking work as a critic continues to shape the conversation about live performance. He remains an influential voice in the theatrical community, known for his wit, erudition, and generosity of spirit.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
John Lahr's influence extends far beyond his own writing. As a masterful storyteller and astute observer, he has created a body of work that is both deeply personal and universally relevant. His dedication to sharing the stories of others has earned him a reputation as one of the most insightful and compassionate voices in theater criticism.
Quotes by John Lahr
'The New Yorker's' drama critics have always had a comparable authority because, for the most part, the magazine made it a practice to employ critics who moonlighted in the arts. They worked both sides of the street, so to speak.
'Angels in America' - which is composed of two three-hour plays, 'Millennium Approaches' and 'Perestroika' - proved to be a watershed drama, the most lyrical and ambitious augury of an era since Tennessee Williams's 'The Glass Menagerie.'
'Death of a Salesman' is a brilliant taxonomy of the spiritual atrophy of mid-twentieth-century white America.
A prose writer never sees a reader walk out of a book; for a playwright, it’s another matter. An audience is an invaluable education. In my experience, theatre artists don’t know what they’ve made until they’ve made it.
Although the ‘New York Times’ annually declares that Broadway is on its deathbed, news of its demise is greatly exaggerated. There’s a lot of life yet in the old tart.
When Elvis made his mass-media debut on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ – his notorious gyrations filmed only from the waist up – I fell off the family chaise longue with delight.
I go to the theatre expecting to have a good time. I want each play and performance to take me somewhere. Naturally, this doesn’t always happen.
Writers don’t always know what they mean – that’s why they write. Their work stands in for them. On the page, the reader meets the authoritative, perfected self; in life, the writer is lumbered with the uncertain, imperfect one.
Angels in America’ – which is composed of two three-hour plays, ‘Millennium Approaches’ and ‘Perestroika’ – proved to be a watershed drama, the most lyrical and ambitious augury of an era since Tennessee Williams’s ‘The Glass Menagerie.