Leonard Melfi
Encyclopedia
Leonard Melfi is an American playwright
and actor
whose work has been widely produced for the American stage.
was generating enormous interest, Leonard Melfi was considered one of the most important artists working in the American theatre. Melfi's best-known work for the stage, Birdbath, was first produced in 1965 at La MaMa ETC in New York City
, under the direction of Tom O'Horgan
. When La MaMa's Ellen Stewart
first collaborated with actor/producer Leslie Irons to found Corner Theatre ETC
in Baltimore
, that theatre's inaugural production was Melfi's Birdbath. Melfi's first produced play, Lazy Baby Susan, was likewise staged at La MaMa during its inaugural season, in 1962. Melfi was also a contributor, along with John Lennon
and playwright Sam Shepard
, to the notorious 1969 Broadway musical Oh, Calcutta! In all, Leonard Melfi wrote over 70 plays of various length during the course of his lifetime.
, Melfi once quipped that he had developed his prodigious appetite for alcohol by "working in the family business." In a 1966 radio interview with WBAI's Janet Coleman he confessed "We always talked, and we always cooked together, and while cooking we drank. My father's father was a bootlegger and my mother's father made wine in the cellar...I was sort of doomed."
Melfi briefly attended the St. Bonaventure University
, followed by a tour of duty in Germany. Upon his discharge from the U.S. Army, he moved to New York City to pursue a writing career. His plays tended to portray social outcasts with dark secrets, spontaneously revealed in moments of great anxiety. Although Melfi never achieved the sustained success of many of his mid-60's peers, he co-wrote the screenplay for Lady Liberty, a 1972 film starring William Devane
and Sophia Loren
. He also appeared in the film Rent Control, in the role of Milton Goeller. A number of Melfi's later works were performed at the Theater for the New City
. After years of struggling with alcohol, Melfi moved into the single-room occupancy Narragansett Hotel at Broadway and 93rd Street.
On October 24, 2001, Melfi's niece tried visiting her uncle, only to be rebuked through a locked door. She tried again two days later, and grew very worried. The following day, paramedics arrived at the hotel and transported Melfi to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital
, where he died four hours later, of congestive heart failure
. Oddly, Melfi's body was somehow misplaced by hospital staff, only to be found four month's later in a potter's grave. After weeks of red tape his brother John Melfi had Leonards body exhumed and brought to Campbell Funeral Home in NYC. It was there the pine box was opened and John was able to verify that it was his brother Leonard. He then had Leonard transferred to DeMarco Funeral Home in Binghamton, N.Y. and after a complete funeral service including a mass he was buried in a family plot next to his sister In April, 2002. Memorial services were also held for the playwright on Sunday, May 5, 2002 at La Mama, following an April 17, article, published by the New York Times, describing the playwright's desperate and lonely final days. Although he was unable to attend personally, playwright Edward Albee
sent the following note which was read to the many who were present:
"Years ago, there were many serious and daring individuals in Greenwich Village
under 30 as well as young playwrights, myself included. It was a wild and vital time, and no one was more vital than Leonard."
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
whose work has been widely produced for the American stage.
Career
During the 1960s, when experimental theatreExperimental theatre
Experimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century as a retraction against the dominant vent governing the writing and production of dramatical menstrophy, and age in particular. The term has shifted over time as the mainstream...
was generating enormous interest, Leonard Melfi was considered one of the most important artists working in the American theatre. Melfi's best-known work for the stage, Birdbath, was first produced in 1965 at La MaMa ETC in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, under the direction of Tom O'Horgan
Tom O'Horgan
Tom O'Horgan was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar...
. When La MaMa's Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart was an American theater director and producer and the founder of La MaMa, E.T.C. . In the 1950s she worked as a fashion designer for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, and Henri Bendel.-Biography:Ellen Stewart was either born in Alexandria, Louisiana or Chicago,...
first collaborated with actor/producer Leslie Irons to found Corner Theatre ETC
Corner Theatre ETC
Corner Theatre E.T.C. was an American experimental theater in operation from 1968–1987, a not-for-profit cultural organization located in Baltimore, Maryland, which provided resources for new playwrights, designers, directors, actors, dancers, and other artists seeking alternative means and...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, that theatre's inaugural production was Melfi's Birdbath. Melfi's first produced play, Lazy Baby Susan, was likewise staged at La MaMa during its inaugural season, in 1962. Melfi was also a contributor, along with John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and playwright Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
, to the notorious 1969 Broadway musical Oh, Calcutta! In all, Leonard Melfi wrote over 70 plays of various length during the course of his lifetime.
Life and Death
The eldest child of Leonard and Louise Melfi, owner-operators of the Circle Tavern in Binghamton, New YorkBinghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, Melfi once quipped that he had developed his prodigious appetite for alcohol by "working in the family business." In a 1966 radio interview with WBAI's Janet Coleman he confessed "We always talked, and we always cooked together, and while cooking we drank. My father's father was a bootlegger and my mother's father made wine in the cellar...I was sort of doomed."
Melfi briefly attended the St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University is a private, Franciscan Catholic university, located in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students....
, followed by a tour of duty in Germany. Upon his discharge from the U.S. Army, he moved to New York City to pursue a writing career. His plays tended to portray social outcasts with dark secrets, spontaneously revealed in moments of great anxiety. Although Melfi never achieved the sustained success of many of his mid-60's peers, he co-wrote the screenplay for Lady Liberty, a 1972 film starring William Devane
William Devane
William Joseph Devane is an American film, television and theater actor.-Life and career:Devane was born in Albany, New York in 1937 or 1939 , the son of Joseph Devane, who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's chauffeur when he was Governor of New York...
and Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
. He also appeared in the film Rent Control, in the role of Milton Goeller. A number of Melfi's later works were performed at the Theater for the New City
Theater for the New City
Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading Off-Off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama...
. After years of struggling with alcohol, Melfi moved into the single-room occupancy Narragansett Hotel at Broadway and 93rd Street.
On October 24, 2001, Melfi's niece tried visiting her uncle, only to be rebuked through a locked door. She tried again two days later, and grew very worried. The following day, paramedics arrived at the hotel and transported Melfi to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
, where he died four hours later, of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
. Oddly, Melfi's body was somehow misplaced by hospital staff, only to be found four month's later in a potter's grave. After weeks of red tape his brother John Melfi had Leonards body exhumed and brought to Campbell Funeral Home in NYC. It was there the pine box was opened and John was able to verify that it was his brother Leonard. He then had Leonard transferred to DeMarco Funeral Home in Binghamton, N.Y. and after a complete funeral service including a mass he was buried in a family plot next to his sister In April, 2002. Memorial services were also held for the playwright on Sunday, May 5, 2002 at La Mama, following an April 17, article, published by the New York Times, describing the playwright's desperate and lonely final days. Although he was unable to attend personally, playwright Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
sent the following note which was read to the many who were present:
"Years ago, there were many serious and daring individuals in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
under 30 as well as young playwrights, myself included. It was a wild and vital time, and no one was more vital than Leonard."
External links
- Leonard Melfi IMDB page
- Leonard Melfi IBDB page
- La MaMa Official Website
- Online Reproduction of Steve Yeager's article (w/ links to photographs) about Corner Theatre "The Corner Theatre as a Cultural Oasis: Or will Yosemite Sam Find Happiness In The Vast Sahara Desert?"