Joy ride : lives of the theatricals

'John Lahr manages to write better about the theatre than anybody in the English language,' says Richard Eyre.

Joy Ride, which includes the best of his New Yorker profiles and reviews, makes his expertise and his exhilaration palpable.

From modern greats, like Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter, David Mamet, Tony Kushner and August Wilson, through the work of directors like Nicholas Hytner and Ingmar Bergman, to Shakespeare himself, the depth of Lahr's understanding is plain to see and extraordinary to read.

He brings the reader up close and personal to the artists and their art.

Whether you are a regular theatre-goer, or just starting out, Lahr's book delights as both a celebration and a guide.