Carrie CourogenRecensioni

The biography Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood's Hidden Genius by Carrie Courogen shows Carrie's undying appreciation for the work of Miss May.

I know you're asking yourself "Who in the world is Miss May?" and you wouldn't be the only one. Before reading this biography, I had never heard of Elaine May, but when I saw this offered by St. Martin's Press and read the description, I was interested in finding out. Being a movie and TV lover, I am fascinated by those in the Hollywood industry, and this biography reads like a novel, I could hardly wait to pick it back up again. There were a couple of sections where it kind of lagged, but Elaine's career had times where it lagged, so that seemed appropriate.

From Elaine's time on-stage as the undisputed Queen of Improv and her partnership with Mike Nichols, to her time directing, and being the go-to script doctor for anyone having script issues, May had a very long career...out of the spotlight. To her credit, movies and TV wouldn't be the same if Elaine May hadn't made her way from stage to movies and back to the stage. Nichols and May were highly sought after in the era of Jack Parr, and their on-stage improv sketches (written mostly by Elaine) paved the way for comedians and Saturday Night Live.

She was a prolific writer during her entire career, and even though industry people would come to her to fix their scripts, being a perfectionist she could never fix her own. You wouldn't know it, but she had a hand in some of the most popular and well-loved movies of all time. Ever heard of Labyrinth? Tootsie? Dangerous Minds? She put her stamp on those scripts to create what we know today.

During her enduring career, she worked with some of the best actors in the business. She gave Charles Grodin his start on-stage. Marlo Thomas was her best friend. She worked with Peter Falk and Dustin Hoffman; teamed up multiple times with Warren Beatty. She was well-loved but was also very hard to work for. One of the first female directors, her need for the perfect take made things go way over schedule and made for long days.

Towards the end of her career, she had a hand in The Birdcage (the first major movie to feature a gay couple) and Primary Colors. But you probably won't find her name attached to most things she worked on because she didn't want credit for a lot of it. Because of the highs and very lows of her career, she didn't like being in the spotlight. Critics were extremely harsh towards her once Nichols and May broke up their act, and she wanted to fly under the radar. The title of this book comes from a biography on a Nichols and May album where she wrote "Miss May Does Not Exist." And for the most part, she doesn't.

All in all, this is a love story to the greatness that is Elaine May. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, and I'm glad I chose this one. Elaine was such a fascinating woman, from being a genius ahead of her time to changing the comedy landscape, her contribution to Hollywood and the stage should be known...even if she doesn't want to and doesn't exist.

Thank you to @StMartinsPress and @NetGalley for both a digital review copy and physical copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.