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. Email to a Friend 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.