Razzle Dazzle 'Em: New Yorker Profiles of Show-Biz Legends

by John Lahr

Overview

In Razzle Dazzle ‘Em, John Lahr, the lead theatre critic for The New Yorker for 21 years and a multi-award-winning biographer, captures the essence of some of Hollywood’s most influential actors and directors. This compelling collection of pen portraits offers a rare glimpse into the minds of those we see on screen. In this volume, Lahr’s profiles of Helen Mirren, Ethan Hawke, Viola Davis, Sean Penn, Julianne Moore, Todd Haynes, Cate Blanchett, Sam Mendes, Claire Danes, Judi Dench, Mike Nichols, Emma Thompson, and Al Pacino, spanning from 2000 to 2022, are brought together for the first time alongside Lahr’s award-winning essay Petrified, on stage fright. Showcasing the voices of these industry titans, Lahr masterfully explores the triumphs, challenges, and artistic processes that define the careers of these 'show-biz legends’.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848227330
Publisher:	Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd
Publication date:	12/09/2025
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.88(h) x (d)

About the Author

John Lahr was the lead theatre critic at The New Yorker between 1992 and 2013. He is the only biographer to have won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism twice and was awarded a Tony Award for his Elaine Stritch at Liberty, which he co-authored. Previous publications include Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton (1978) and Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh (2014), which won The National Book Critics’ Award for Biography.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1 The Reign of Helen Mirren; 2 The Shape-Shifter: The protean career of Ethan Hawke; 3 Act of Grace: Viola Davis aims to alter how African-Americans are seen; 4 Citizen Penn: The Many missions of Sean Penn; 5 The Sphinx Next Door: The Julianne Moore Paradox ; 6 The Director’s Cut: How Todd Hayes rewrites the Hollywood playbook; 7 Disappearing act: Cate Blanchett branches out; 8 Showman: Sam Mendes and the art of directing; 9 Varieties of Disturbance: Where do Claire Danes’s volcanic performances come from?; 10 The Player Queen: Why Judi Dench rules the stage and screen; 11 Making It Real; How Mike Nichols re-created comedy and himself; 12 Acting up: Emma Thompson’s third act; 13 Caught in the Act: What drives Al Pacino?; Epilogue