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Last modified on Mon 12 Apr 2021 13.35 EDT
It was the fate of Arthur Kopit, who has died aged 83 from progressive dementia, to be labelled in theatrical dictionaries as a serious and inventive playwright who rarely achieved popular acceptance. His biggest success came as the librettist of the Broadway musical Nine (1982) – a classy elaboration of Fellini’s classic movie 8½ – with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston.
But he made his name as a shooting star in the off-Broadway theatre of the early 1960s alongside Edward Albee, Jack Gelber and the Living Theatre, placing his marker with the outrageous, surreal Freudian capriccio Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Bad (directed by Jerome Robbins and starring Hermione Gingold and the newcomer Sam Waterston).
Arthur Kopit, Whose âOh Dadâ Shook Up the Theater, Dies at 83
A three-time Tony nominee, he first became known for avant-garde works, many of them christened with rambling titles, that sparked spirited reactions.
The playwright Arthur Kopit with the cast of his play “Wings” in 1978. Constance Cummings, second from left, won Tony, Drama Desk and Obie awards for her performance as a woman who has had a stroke.Credit.Jack Mitchell/Getty Images
April 3, 2021Updated 11:00 a.m. ET
Arthur Kopit, the avant-garde playwright who thrust Off Broadway into a new era with the absurdist satirical farce âOh Dad, Poor Dad, Mammaâs Hung You in the Closet and Iâm Feelinâ So Sadâ and earned Tony Award nominations for two wildly different plays, âIndiansâ and âWings,â and the musical âNine,â died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 83.
Arthur Kopit dies at 83; playwright was a Tony nominee, Pulitzer finalist
By Anita Gates New York Times,Updated April 3, 2021, 3:38 p.m.
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This Jan. 1990 file photo shows playwright Arthur Kopit in Los Angeles.Nick Ut/Associated Press
Arthur Kopit, the avant-garde playwright who thrust off-Broadway into a new era with the absurdist satirical farce âOh Dad, Poor Dad, Mammaâs Hung You in the Closet and Iâm Feelinâ So Sadâ and earned Tony Award nominations for two wildly different plays, âIndiansâ and âWings,â and the musical âNine,â died Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 83.