Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart

Moss Hart was not only a brilliant talent who wrote and/or directed some of the finest plays and musicals of the twentieth century, he also wrote, to my mind, the finest non-fiction book written about life in the theatre: ACT ONE. Unfortunately, he died before he could write the second and third acts. Stephen Bach has taken up the task of writing that book for Hart and he does it wonderfully--if, perhaps, a little more openly and honestly than Hart might have liked.A successful, leading playwright on Broadway when still in his twenties, Hart could never really reconcile himself to his humble origins nor to his family members, including his parents, who never quite "got" what their son needed or wanted or deserved and who never really found out how to live comfortably in his own skin with decades of huge successes.Mood swings of manic depression plagued him his entire life as did his confusion over his own sexual identity. He was also a man who could quite easily and conveniently "forget" some of those friends who had helped him when he was struggling, professionally and personally. Bach does not write a gossipy tell-all, but lets his readers know that Hart's life was not as sublime as it must have seemed by outsiders.The book is filled with myriad examples of what Broadway and Hollywood was like in the first half of the last century: why plays like ONCE IN A LIFETIME were hits and why others like LIGHT UP THE SKY were not. Why Hart's sense of timing most always seemed to serve him well: i.e. YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU coming at just the right time for a celebration of the individuality and originality of the American spirit. Celebrity after celebrity worked with Hart: George S. Kaufman, of course, and Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Lerner & Loewe, Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, George M. Cohan and Richard Rodgers, Judy Garland and Richard Burton. The list is endless. Bach writes imaginatively and with such great wit and force and strength that the reader is swept up in Hart's life, living it as fast and furiously as he must have. It is un-put-downable.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for anyone with an interest in legitimate theatre as an art.

Dazzler: Life and Times of Moss Hart presents the first full-scale biography of the playwright and director who made such an impact on Broadway's golden age, revealing his changing psychological state, his successes, and his struggles with sexual identity. The depth of examination will delight those who want more than a simple overview of his achievements.

Theater buffs have been waiting a long time for this book, and it's been worth it. In an age of tell-all hatchet jobs, Bach presents a sensitive, witty look at a complex man. You get the warts-and-all, but you come away admiring Hart and wishing you'd had the pleasure of knowing him. You also get a fantastic backstage trip through Broadway's most glamorous era, with all the personalities, intrigues and entanglements we love to read about. Many of us who read "Act One" felt we just didn't want the book to end. "Dazzler" made me feel the same way.

A great subject written in a breezy,informative manner.This book has it all.. heroes,villains,vamp women and life upon the wicked stage.If you can only read one book about one of the theaters great talents...read this one!

Picked up on this book after catching the ambivalent review in the NY Times. An insightful, entertaining and well researched account of a complex man.