In Memoriam: Romulus Linney

American playwright Romulus Linney died yesterday. I didn't know him well but I had met him a few times and he always impressed me as a man completely unafraid of speaking his mind -- both within the pages of his plays and in life. (Rare qualities in the world of theatre)

I remember the very first time I met Romulus was shortly after I moved to New York City. His wife, Laura Callanan, was an old friend of mine from high school and they very kindly were among the first people to welcome me to my new home city with an invitation to dinner in their home. I will never forget the unbridled enthusiasm with which Romulus waxed poetic about a CD he had just discovered. It featured the Berlin Philharmonic playing ABBA's greatest hits. He put the CD on and I was immediately convinced. Who would have ever guessed that lush full Germanic Romantic orchestrations of those 70s pop hits could be so arresting? But they were.

To this day, whenever I hear that CD (which I promptly bought shortly thereafter), I think of Romulus leaning back in a chair, pointing to an orchestrational detail with one hand, his other hand holding a drink.

Romulus Linney was never afraid of speaking out about what he saw as deficiencies in American theatre. This didn't make him the most popular man. But one certainly knew that if Romulus said he really liked something, you could be damned sure he wasn't just blowing smoke up your ass. He meant what he said. I'm sorry I never got to know him well as a friend. But I'm grateful for the few times I met him and for having enjoyed a few of his plays on various stages in New York.

Here's a link to his New York Times Obit.