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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 30 april 2019
'Children of a Lesser God' writer Mark Medoff dies at 79

By MARK KENNEDY there were no roles for deaf
Associated Press actresses," Frelich recalled.
Mark Medoff, a provoca- "He said, 'OK, I'll write a play
tive playwright whose "Chil- for you.' He did. He went
dren of a Lesser God" won home and wrote 'Children
Tony and Olivier awards of a Lesser God.' He want-
and whose screen adapta- ed to write a good play."
tion of his play earned an Medoff was co-founder of
Oscar nomination, has died the American Southwest
in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Theatre Company and
He was 79. head of the Department of
Medoff died Tuesday in Theatre Arts for nine years
a hospice surrounded by at New Mexico State Uni-
family, according to his versity, where he taught for
daughter, Jessica Bunch- years. He helped form the
man. He had been battling Creative Media Institute for
both multiple myeloma, a Film & Digital Arts in
cancer, and renal failure, 2005.
she said Wednesday in a "When the Creative Media
family statement. Institute was just getting go-
Medoff wrote 30 plays and In this April 8, 2004 file photo, playwright Mark Medoff, left, and actress Phyllis Frelich pose for a ing, Mark told the faculty,
wrote, produced or direct- photo in New York. 'Look, we can sit around
ed 19 movies. He found his Associated Press and talk about how to
greatest success with "Chil- teach people to make mov-
dren of a Lesser God," the "He had a way of making it weren't for him. RIP Dear Goddess," is about the last ies, or we can just go make
tale of a troubled love affair every creative heart with Mark." days of Marilyn Monroe. movies,' which reflected his
between a speech teach- whom he worked feel as A Broadway revival last "Everything I do probably philosophy across life," said
er and a deaf woman who if their work, or their part year of "Children of a Lesser starts more from a social- Amy Lanasa, a friend who
struggle to overcome the in his work, was the single God" starred Joshua Jack- issue impulse than any- now heads the institute, in
communications gap be- most important thing to son and Lauren Ridloff, a thing else," the playwright the family statement. "Why
tween their two cultures. him in the moment. In turn, former Miss Deaf America told The Associated Press sit around talking about
Phyllis Frelich won a Tony in hundreds of writers, actors, who earned a Tony nomi- in 2004. "I went to a psy- it when you can get up
1980 for her Broadway por- directors and creatives all nation. chologist when I was 18 or and take action or create
trayal of Sarah Norman, the over the world consider Medoff's work often tack- 19 and he said I was the first something?" Medoff's oth-
deaf woman at the heart Mark Medoff a mentor," the led social issues, from ani- kid he'd ever met who was er works include the plays
of the play, which ran for statement said. mal testing and AIDS in the rebelling against a happy "The Wager," ''The Hand of
almost 900 performances. It Matlin tweeted on Wednes- play "Prymate," to Ameri- childhood. So when I start- Its Enemy," ''The Heart Out-
was later made into a mov- day: "Mark Medoff, the bril- can myths and disorders ed writing, I began to ex- right," ''The Majestic Kid"
ie, which won an Academy liant mind behind the Tony in the Obie-winning stage propriate social issues and and the screenplay for the
Award for actress Marlee Award winning play, 'Chil- work "When You Comin' quickly roped myself out of HBO movie thriller "Apol-
Matlin, who co-starred op- dren Of A Lesser God,' has Back, Red Ryder" to pover- my angst." Medoff was in- ogy." He also penned the
posite William Hurt. passed at 79. He insisted ty in India in his screenplay spired to write "Children of 1978 Chuck Norris action
Medoff was a caring advis- and fought the studio that for the 1992 film "City of a Lesser God" after meet- film, "Good Guys Wear
er to many in the business, the role be played by a Joy." His 2015 play, "Marilee ing Frelich and her hus- Black" and the black com-
according to the state- deaf actor; I would not be and Baby Lamb: The As- band, Robert Steinberg, a edy "Refuge" starring Linda
ment. here as an Oscar winner if sassination of an American lighting designer. "I told him Hamilton in 2010.q

Metropolitan Opera fetes Placido Domingo golden anniversary

By VERENA DOBNIK stage before the empty learn; he was always the
Associated Press 4,000-seat house, surround- most respectful, the most
NEW YORK (AP) — Placido ed by dinner guests and loving and passionate per-
Domingo has starred on joking, "for once, I'm here son in the room."
the stage of the Metropoli- and I don't have to sing!" In terms of vocal longevity,
tan Opera for a whopping He noted that the inter- he added, "he's a miracle."
50 years - and is still singing, national competition he Domingo is currently ap-
amazingly, at age 78. started, Operalia, means pearing in his 52nd main
On Sunday, the Met liter- that in just about every op- role at the Met - as Ger-
ally turned the tables and era house in the world, he mont in Verdi's "La Traviata"
threw a dinner on the same encounters its winners who - among 151 global career
stage for the Spaniard's have become stars he still roles, and counting.
golden anniversary. Guests mentors. The lifelong tenor now sings
included soprano Renee Nezet-Seguin, a French- as a baritone, appearing in
Fleming and the compa- Canadian about half Do- top theaters.On Sunday, he
ny's new music director, mingo's age, remembers remembered his Met debut
Yannick Nezet-Seguin. conducting the tenor some a half century ago, when
"I have been lucky with years ago "and every day he was suddenly called to
a healthy throat and the he was the first arriving to replace an ailing singer. Tenor Placido Domingo poses for a photo against the backdrop
passion for what I do," Do- work, he was coaching Domingo shouted back, of himself as a younger singer as Verdi's "Otello," Sunday, April
mingo said, standing by his younger artists, coming "Well, you'll be hearing me 28, 2019, at the Metropolitan Opera, in New York.
Associated Press
table in the middle of the to rehearsals, wanting to tonight!"q