Arthur Laurents

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Arthur Laurents bigraphy, stories - Playwright, theatre director, screenwriter

Arthur Laurents : biography

July 14, 1918 – May 5, 2011

Arthur Laurents (July 14, 1917 – May 5, 2011) was an American playwright, stage director and screenwriter.. The Daily Telegraph. May 6, 2011.

After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S. Army during World War II, Laurents turned to writing for Broadway, producing a body of work that includes West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959), Hallelujah, Baby! (1967), and La Cage Aux Folles (1983), and directing some of his own shows and other Broadway productions.

His early film scripts include Rope (1948) for Alfred Hitchcock, followed by Anastasia (1956), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), The Way We Were (1973), and The Turning Point (1977).

Theatrical career

Soon after being discharged from the Army, Laurents met ballerina Nora Kaye, and the two became involved in an on-again, off-again romantic relationship. While Kaye was on tour with Fancy Free, Laurents continued to write for the radio but was becoming discontented with the medium. At the urging of Martin Gabel, he spent nine consecutive nights writing a play In 1962, Laurents directed I Can Get It for You Wholesale, which helped to turn then-unknown Barbra Streisand into a star. His next project was Anyone Can Whistle, which he directed and for which he wrote the book, but it proved to be an infamous flop. He later had success with the musicals Hallelujah, Baby! (written for Lena HorneLaurents, p. 93. but ultimately starring Leslie Uggams) and La Cage Aux Folles (1983), but Nick & Nora was another flop.

In 2008, Laurents directed a Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, and in 2009, he tackled a bilingual revival of West Side Story, with Spanish translations of some dialogue and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. While preparing West Side Story, he noted, "The musical theatre and cultural conventions of 1957 made it next to impossible for the characters to have authenticity."Jones, Kenneth (July 16, 2008). . Playbill. Following the production’s March 19 opening at the Palace Theatre, Ben Brantley of the New York Times called the translations "an only partly successful experiment" and added, "Mr. Laurents has exchanged insolence for innocence and, as with most such bargains, there are dividends and losses."Brantley, Ben (March 20, 2009). . The New York Times. The production is on a national tour (2011-2012) with direction by David Saint, who was Laurents’ assistant director on the Broadway production. The Spanish lyrics and dialog have been reduced from about 18% of the total to about 10%.Berson, M. (January 8, 2012). . Seattle Times.

Work

Writing

Musicals
  • West Side Story – 1957 – Tony Nomination for Best Musical
  • Gypsy – 1959 – Tony Nomination for Best Musical
  • Anyone Can Whistle – 1964
  • Do I Hear a Waltz? – 1965
  • Hallelujah, Baby! – 1967 – Tony Award for Best Musical
  • The Madwoman of Central Park West – 1979
  • Nick & Nora – 1991
  • Untitled Musical (About a love affair) – 2011 – A production is planned for 2013 via continuing work by the composer, Joseph J. Simeone
Novel
  • The Turning Point – 1977; New American Library (New York City);
Plays
  • Home of the Brave – 1945
  • The Bird Cage – 1950
  • The Time of the Cuckoo – 1952
  • A Clearing in the Woods – 1957
  • Invitation to a March – 1960

Directing

  • Invitation to a March – 1960
  • I Can Get It for You Wholesale – 1962
  • Anyone Can Whistle – 1964
  • Gypsy – 1974 – Tony Nomination for Best Direction of a Musical
  • The Madwoman of Central Park West – 1979