Joe Papp: An American Life

by Helen Epstein

Self-made impresario, controversial producer, contentious champion of human rights and the First Amendment, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival, and unquestionably the most dynamic force in American theater in the last quarter century, Joseph Papp (1921–1991) changed forever America's cultural landscape. He was the first to demand and to provide—against enormous odds—free Shakespeare to the public, and the first to pioneer colorblind casting and minority-group theater. He discovered and showcased at the Public Theater playwrights like David Rabe, John Guare, and Vaclav Havel; directors like Michael Bennet and James Lapine; actors like Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Denzel Washington; and produced such classic American plays as Hair, Sticks and Bones, Streamers, The Normal Heart, and A Chorus Line, the longest running musical in Broadway history. Joe Papp offers readers a compassionate, unsparing portrait of a complex man who inspired both anger and admiration, but whose far-reaching impact on American theater remains unsurpassed.

Genres: Theatre, Biography, Nonfiction

592 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 1994

About the author

Born in Prague.
Grew up in New York City.
Graduated Hebrew University in Jerusalem
Graduated Columbia Journalism School
Taught at NYU Journalism
Now live outside Boston, MA

Reviews

[Beth Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I found Helen Epstein's biography highly effective in communicating Papp's phenomenal idealism and passion, fueled by a refusal to take No for an answer. His misdeeds–more precisely, his personal betrayals–are reported as fully as his heroic feats on behalf of the American theater. The Reader is given a full sense of an extraordinary, albeit flawed, human being.

A poor Polish Jew who grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, Papp fell in love with Shakespeare in grammar school. For the adult Papp, Shakespeare was an ever-fixed mark that looked on thundering tempests and was shaken not one iota. Every actor, director, and playwright in America should acquaint themselves with Papp's epic feud with Robert Moses which culminated in the permanent establishment of the New York Shakespeare Festival. You think you have problems trying to build a theatre company?!? Not many dared to contradict Robert Moses, but Papp thought nothing of contradicting and contravening anyone who would prevent him bringing Shakespeare to the disenfranchised. It is worth reading the book just for the extracts of Papp's letters to various NYC bureaucrats. More chutzpah hath no man.

Papp was an activist acutely aware of the anomalies of some of his policies (e.g., transferring shows to Broadway). Yet he managed to construct an enduring theatrical institution literally out of dirt, breath, and toil, at a time when New York City was on the brink of financial collapse. He was the Bernie Sanders of American theater.

Epstein's insightful recounting of Papp's personal tragedies and his struggles with depression pull us closer to the man. She has some writing ticks that I found annoying and, at times, distressing. But it's the message and the man that will stay with me for a long time to come.

[Jason Mellin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly thorough read of an incredibly complicated man. Arguably too thorough for easy reading, but I think the biographer realized there would never be another person in a position to do so deep a dive on him. I wound up admiring his work very much and being quite pleased I never had to work for him. Worth the read, Papp had a much deeper effect on American theater and culture at large than I knew.

[Liz Wollman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm actually only halfway through this one, but think that I am going to need to shelve it for the time being. This is a terrific book, really, but one that I think really only serves theater fanatics and scholars. It's one of the most densely written books I've come across in a while. Not to say the prose is tough--it's just so...damned....detailed. Every single letter Papp wrote to--well, to just about everyone is included, as is every administrative step he took with the Public. The result is a rather slow, dry read that has been helpful for research purposes, but not all that thrilling. So I think I'm done, at least for now.

[Blake Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be one of my favorite books.