Born Arthur Lee Koenig in Manhattan May 10, 1937, Mr. Kopit would eventually take his stepfather s surname. While studying engineering at Harvard University, Kopit began trying his hand at playwrighting, ultimately making his professional debut with
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma s Hung You in the Closet and I m Feelin So Sad. After the piece won a Harvard playwriting contest, it enjoyed a hit 1962 Off-Broadway run in a production helmed by Jerome Robbins that would also play a six-week Broadway engagement the following year. Arthur Kopit
Written to re-shape the largely false narratives around cowboys and Native Americans in the early days of the American West, Mr. Kopit s
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.