born Feb. 5, 1938, New York, N.Y., U.S.
U.S. dramatist.
After studying at the Yale School of Drama he began staging short plays in New York City. In 1971 he earned critical acclaim for his farcical play The House of Blue Leaves . Two Gentlemen of Verona (1972, with Mel Shapiro), a rock-musical version of William Shakespeare 's comedy, won him Tony and New York Drama Critics Circle awards. His later works include Six Degrees of Separation (1990; film, 1993) and Four Baboons Adoring the Sun (1992).