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 Design for Living: Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
Margot Peters
In this new biography, Margot Peters catches the magic of Lunt
and Fontanne -- their period, their work, their intimacy and its
contradictions -- with candor, delicacy, intelligence, and wit.
Hardcover, 394 pp. $45.00.
 Michael
Gambon: A Life in Acting
Mel Gussow
This is the first book devoted to the actor who has created a judicious blend
of high-definition performances on the British stage and a wide range of award-winning
television and film roles. New York Times writer Mel Gussow interviewed Gambon
on many occasions, and those conversations comprise the majority of this book.
Gussow also draws insights from some of the people who have worked with Gambon
including the playwrights Dennis Potter, Alan Ayckbourn and Harold Pinter,
directors Peter Hall and Deborah Warner, and the highly acclaimed actor Simon
Russell Beale. Softcover, 231 pp. $26.95.
 John
G: The Authorised Biography of John Gielgud
Sheridan Morley
John Gielgud has no place in the history of 20th century British theatre for
the simple reason that he was that history. In a career spanning almost 80
years on stage, screen, radio and television, he effectively reinvented Shakespeare
for the modern stage; he was the first great Hamlet of our time; with his brother
Val he virtually created the BBC radio drama; decades before the founding of
of the National Theatre or the RSC, he pioneered the idea of a resident classical
company in the West End. He made stars of Alec Guinness and Paul Scofield as
well as hundreds of other actors, directors and designers; from Peter Brook
to Peter Greenaway, he worked with all the visionary artists of his time. John
G is the story of one remarkable man in his time, playing many parts across
a lifetime of 96 years, in private and in public. The definitive portrait of
one of the most loved actors of the 20th century. Hardcover, $57.95.
 The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi
Andrew McConnell Stott
Joseph Grimaldi was the most celebrated of English clowns. An innovator, an acrobat, a comic genius, treasured by the fashionable set and the provincial public alike, his clowning brought national celebrity, enormous fees, a social circle that included Lord Byron and William Hazlitt and a biography written by the young Charles Dickens. But underneath the stage paint, Grimaldi struggled with depression, and his life was blighted by tragedy. This sparkling biography paints a vivid and colourful portrait of the superstar of Georgian pantomime, and of the wider theatrical scene in London at the time. Softcover, 433 pp. $20.00.
 Jerzy Grotowski
James Slowiak & Jairo Cuesta
Jerzy Grotowski was a master director, teacher and theorist whose work extends beyond the conventional limits of performance. This book combines an overview of Grotowski's life and the distinct phases of his work; an analysis of his key ideas; a consideration of his role as director of the renowned Polish Laboratory Theatre, and a series of practical exercises offering an introduction to the principles underlying Grotowski's working methods. Softcover, 182 pp. $24.95.
 The Hammersteins
Oscar Andrew Hammerstein
The Hammersteins presents a multi-layered portrait of the family whose name has become synonymous with musical theatre. Complete with personal and professional highlights, as well as scandals and tragedies, and illustrated by a rich collection of photographs, programs, patents and more, this volume is at once a deeply personal story of a prolific family who made New York the centre of the theatrical world, and changed an art form forever. Hardcover, 236 pp. $41.95.
 Hampton
on Hampton
Alastair Owen
Since his acclaimed first play in 1966, Christopher Hampton has amassed over
50 credits in theatre, film and television. From his best-known play, Les
Liaisons Dangereuses, to personal and critical favourites like Total
Eclipse and Tales from Hollywood; from his films
as writer-director (Carrington) to his work as screenwriter-for-hire
(The Quiet American), Hampton eloquently and entertainingly
discusses a career which puts him among Britain's most prominent but least
predictable playwrights. Softcover, 262 pp. $35.00.
 Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune
Stephen Citron
Drawing on extensive interviews with Jerry Herman and his theatrical colleagues,
collaborators, and close friends, this revealing biography tells the full story
of Jerry Herman's life and career. Stephen Citron provides insights into Herman's
music and lyrics -- including voluminous examples from each of his musicals --
in a way that is instructive, edifying and entertaining. Hardcover, 338 pp. $45.00.
 A Fiery Soul: The Life and Theatrical Times of John Hirsch
Fraidie Martz & Andrew Wilson
Legendary giant of Canadian theatre.
John Hirsch arrived in Winnipeg in 1947, a 17-year-old Hungarian orphan of the Holocaust, knowing no English. Ten years later, he co-founded the Manitoba Theatre Centre, establishing a model for regional theatres across North America. He went on to direct award-winning productions in Los Angeles, New York, Stratford and Toronto - everything from Guys and Dolls to The Tempest - and to work with actors like Len Cariou, Martha Henry, Anthony Hopkins, and Maggie Smith. Notorious for his fiery temper, budget - blowing sets, and artistic risk-taking, he had a stormy four years as CBC's head of TV drama in the 1970s (high and low points include King of Kensington and Peter Lougheeds lawsuit over The Tar Sands), and an even stormier tenure as Artistic Director at the Stratford Festival from 1981 to 1985. He died in 1989 of AIDS. Softcover. $22.00
Praise for John Hirsch:
"In life and on stage, John Hirsch knew how to corrupt his audience with pleasure. Swift of mind and of gesture, Hirsch was a dazzling director - playful, witty, and daring; as a friend and collaborator, he was some kind of rabbinical Hungarian mensch. Unforgettable." - John Lahr, Senior Drama Critic, The New Yorker.
 Artists in Exile
Joseph Horowitz
Decades of war and revolution in Europe forced an intellectual migration during the last century, relocating thousands of artists and thinkers to the United States. For many if Europe's premier performing artists, America proved to be a destination both strange and opportune. Artists in Exile explores the impact that these newcomers had on American cukturem and that America had on them. Softcover, 458 pp. $22.99.
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Where There's Smoke
Scenes
From My Life
Etienne Decroux
Kander and Ebb
