Arthur Laurents

Arthur Laurents
Bernard Gotfryd · Public domain · source
Name	Arthur Laurents
Birth date	July 14, 1917
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Death date	May 5, 2011
Death place	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Playwright, screenwriter, director, novelist
Years active	1938–2011
Notable works	West Side Story; Gypsy; The Way We Were; Auntie Mame; The Turning Point

Arthur Laurents Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, screenwriter, and director whose work spanned Broadway, Hollywood, and television from the 1940s into the 21st century. He became prominent for shaping mid‑20th‑century American musical theatre and for screen adaptations that engaged with social themes, collaborating with major figures in theatre, film, and publishing.

Early life and education

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Laurents grew up amid the cultural milieu of New York City, influenced by immigrant communities and the literary milieu of the Lower East Side. He attended local public schools before studying at Cornell University and later trained at the New School for Social Research, where he encountered writers and dramatists associated with Eugene O'Neill's legacy and the modern American stage. During his formative years he was exposed to the theatrical scenes of Broadway, the Group Theatre, and the evolving circles around Lincoln Center and the American Theatre Wing.

Playwriting and screenwriting career

Laurents began writing for Columbia Pictures and other studios in the late 1930s and 1940s, contributing to screenplays at a time when the Motion Picture Association of America and studio systems shaped American cinema. He wrote stage plays and adapted works, intersecting with playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Harold Pinter via the broader theatrical community. His early plays and scripts placed him among contemporaries linked to the postwar American drama movement, including Clifford Odets, Lillian Hellman, and William Inge. Laurents also adapted novels and biographies for the screen, engaging with producers at Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and independent houses linked to figures like David O. Selznick and Hal B. Wallis.

Work in musical theatre

Laurents is best known in musical theatre for his book work on landmark productions that redefined the book musical. He crafted the spoken structure for West Side Story (with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim), a project developed through collaborations with choreographer Jerome Robbins, director Robert Wise, and producer Harold Prince. He also wrote the book for Gypsy with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim for the starring vehicle of Ethel Merman and later revivals featuring Tyne Daly and Patti LuPone. His stagecraft linked him with librettists and directors active at The New York Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, and Arena Stage, influencing writers such as Tom Stoppard and Maury Yeston who studied American musical form. Laurents' work on book musicals impacted adaptations staged at The Kennedy Center and in West End productions overseen by companies like the Royal National Theatre.

Film and television contributions

Laurents wrote screenplays for films including adaptations of popular novels and stage works, collaborating with actors such as Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, and Barbra Streisand. Notable film projects included the screenplay for The Way We Were, produced by Ray Stark and starring Robert Redford, and adaptations connected to directors like Elia Kazan and George Cukor. In television he contributed teleplays during the network era for NBC, CBS, and ABC, and worked with producers from anthology series influenced by Playhouse 90 and Producers' Showcase. His film work intersected with screenwriters and composers active in postwar Hollywood, including Irving Berlin adaptations and projects with executives at MGM.

Personal life and activism

Laurents was publicly identified with the cultural and political currents of his time, engaging with artists and activists associated with the LGBT rights movement and the wider artistic communities tied to Greenwich Village and institutions such as the Actors' Equity Association. He navigated the pressures of the Hollywood blacklist era, maintaining friendships with figures from the American Communist Party milieu while defending artistic freedom alongside writers like Dashiell Hammett and Irving Howe. Laurents' personal relationships and public stances connected him to performers and directors from Broadway and Hollywood who were active in civil rights and later gay rights advocacy, including contemporaries such as Zero Mostel, Al Hirschfeld, and Edmund Wilson.

Later years, awards, and legacy

In later decades Laurents revisited and revised his works for revivals on Broadway and tours in the West End, collaborating with revival producers associated with Roundabout Theatre Company and directors who staged productions at Lincoln Center Theater. His contributions earned recognition from institutions such as the Pulitzer Prize‑connected theatrical community, the Tony Awards voting body, and critics at outlets rooted in the New York Times and Variety. Laurents mentored younger dramatists whose careers intersected with writers of the American musical revival, leaving archival materials to repositories like the Library of Congress and university theatre collections at Yale School of Drama and Columbia University. His legacy endures in the continuing performance histories of works produced at Radio City Music Hall, regional theatres such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and international stages where directors cite his structural innovations.

Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:Screenwriters from New York Category:American theatre directors