Happy Birthday Arthur Laurents! Laurents' first play, Home of the Brave, opened on Broadway in 1945, followed by many others. He wrote his first musical, West Side Story, in 1957, followed by Gypsy and others. His first screenplay was The Snake Pit in 1948, followed by others including Rope, Anastasia, The Way We Were and The Turning Point. His own play, Invitation to a March in 1960, was the first of several he directed. I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1961 was the first musical he directed, followed by others including La Cage aux Folles and Gypsy with Angela Lansbury, then Tyne Daly and most recently, Patti LuPone. He pased away in May 2011.
From the Broadway Beat archives today is rare interview with Arthur Laurents, interviewed by Sidney Myer, talking about GYPSY, Merman & More.
First reported by Deadline.com was the sad news that legendary director and writer Arthur Laurents has passed away at 93 years old, dying in his sleep. The Los Angeles Times has added a short statement from Jonathan Lomma, Laurents' agent at William Morris Agency who confirmed his death Thursday, saying that 'he died earlier this evening, peacefully in his sleep, at his home in New York City, after a short illness.' I the video above, watch as Laurents goes behind the recent 2009 revival of WEST SIDE STORY.
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