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Talent like LANFORD WILSON’s would stand out anywhere.
Video of MARSHALL W. MASON discussing Lanford and the Cino HERE.
WILLIAM M. HOFFMAN interviews LANFORD WILSON, Parts ONE and TWO.
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Flyer, Lanford’s The Sand Castle, La Mama, 1965, starring CLARIS NELSON, WALTER HARRIS, JOYCE ARON, MICHAEL GRISWOLD, and JOHN KRAMER, dir. MARSHALL W. MASON.
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Wilsons were lucky for the Cino. DORIC WILSON’s four one-acts in 1961 cemented its image as a venue for new plays, and all but created the concept of Off-Off Broadway. LANFORD WILSON’s ten Cino plays, with frequent revivals, made him a superstar, and “What’s playing at the Cino?” a Village byword. Lance’s work raised the bar again and again, and helped to inspire unprecedented variety and fructfulness in Off-Off playwrights.
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Lanford’s legendary facility at playwrighting extended to other areas as well. He made the beautiful bead-encrusted Ferris wheel used in so many productions of his macabre Home Free. Here MICHAEL WARREN POWELL, a frequent collaborator, plays with it in the UK production.
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Lanford also made the cut-and-pasted poster for This Is the Rill Speaking, and memorable Christmas tree decorations for CLARIS NELSON.
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I kept rejecting Lanford’s poster designs for my first play as “too weak” or “too delicate.” In a rage, he slashed a stark “X” and said, “For God’s sake, is this what you want?” When I cried, “Yes!” he mused at it, then insisted on doing a hundred more to get “the right angry X.”
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Top to bottom, left to right are actor MICHAEL POWELL, director WILLIAM ARCHIBALD, actress MAYA KENIN, lighting designer CHUCK GOLDEN, and author LANCE WILSON. Photo: CONRAD WARD. August, 1964, on the set of Home Free.
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Lanford’s generosity to other playwrights is well-known. He insisted that my work be included in Collision Course, a dramatic revue in 1969. Here are Jack Larson, Lance, Terrence McNally, me, Jules Feiffer, Leonard Melfi, and Israel Horowitz at the Caffe au Go Go. Photo courtesy Jack Larson. (Lance and I both presented skits which we had created for the Cino.) The original Mark Taper forum version of “Colision Course” in Los Angeles had also contained skits by Cino playwrights Oliver Hailey and Sam Shepard.
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Lanford’s The Madness of Lady Bright, 1964, made NEIL FLANAGAN (right) the star actor of Off-Off Broadway, Lanford the star writer, and the Cino the throbbing heart of an unannounced, unplanned, unprecedented theatre movement. The equally revolutionary fact that it was the first conspicuous sympathetic (heroic?) dramatic treatment of a homsoexual–and a raving, effeminate stereotype at that–took second place to the world’s discovery of Lanford’s liquid, lambent, lyrical, lovely lnes, and his deft, playful sense of theatrical magic and manipulation. The play’s power and poetry made it impossible any longer to be casual about “doin’ a play.” There were new stakes of style, status, stunningness, stardom! (Photo: JAMES D. GOSSAGE)
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Lanford, like CLARIS NELSON, has had a long and fruitful relationship with director MARSHALL W. MASON. at the Cino, La Mama, notably at Circle Rep of which they were founders, and then far and wide. Left to right, Bill Hurt starred in The 5th of July Off-Broadway, Chris Reeve on Broadway, and Richard Thomas on screen. Center, Marshall directs. Photo from Marshall’s BOOK.
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Me and Lanford being interviewed for PBS at Phebe’s Bar in 1975 by producer Richard Barr.
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Jesus, look at that CAST!!!!!! (“Claris Erickson” was CLARIS NELSON’s “Don’t tell Equity” name.)
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Village Voice July 16, 1964
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MARSHALL W. MASON, LANFORD, Trish Hawkins, and Judd Hirsch on the set of LANFORD’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning play, “Talley’s Folly.”
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I really love this– he was so kind to me and helped me over a big hurdle in understanding. I only knew him when he was older so it is fun to see this. I love 5th of JULY but my favorite is REDWOOD CURTAIN. He captured the local and people of one of my favorite places on earth
Lanford Wilson is one of our favorite playwrights. We are producing Burn This at our theatre next month – it’s such an incredibly poignant script – one of the best we’ve done!
He never wrote a play we didn’t like.
Michael Downend & Karen Blomain
I’m so sad to hear of Lanford Wilson’s death today. I had the honor of directing Serenading Louie at Stages in Houston, TX some years ago and it was an incredible experience. The best theatre performance I’ve ever seen was the Broadway production of Burn This with Joan Allen and John Malkovich. His unique voice and vision will be missed.
I grew up in Lebanon, Missouri as well (b. 1972) — it’s a wish to meet Mr. Wilson… I’m a composer and would be interested to see if he would allow me to set one of his plays as an opera (which one, I’m not sure!) or if he might be interested to craft a libretto from one of Harold Bell Wright’s novels (Mr. Wright lived/worked in Lebanon before either of us were there!)
I’m in NYC and have been here since Oct 2000… but am moving to Dallas April 2011!
Tell me it’s possible to meet him!? it would be a great HONOR.
thanks,
Michael F
I have read great plays, and even assistant directed one in college. Now I find the one playwright/dramatist who I think can’t be beat…and he, too, is from Missouri (I’m from Poplar Bluff). My email address is c/o my husband, skritzberg@cox.net. beat…beat!
Ms. Kritzberg: if you will e-mail me your message for Lanford to rbrtptrck@aol.com, I will try to forward it to him.
I want a way to write/email or forward compliments to fellow Ozarkian, Lanford Wilson. Constance Kritzberg, 78 years old, retired reporter/editor/writer.
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