( b. Nov 01, 1925 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA - d. Mar 14, 2010 New York, New York, USA ) Male
Carmen Capalbo, a theater director and producer whose revival of “The Threepenny Opera” in the 1950’s became one of the biggest hits in Off Broadway history, and who directed the premiere of Eugene O’Neill’s “Moon for the Misbegotten” on Broadway in 1957, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 84.
With Mr. Capalbo directing, “The Threepenny Opera” opened at the Theater de Lys (now the Lucille Lortel) on March 10, 1954, to rapturous reviews. It ran for 96 performances but closed to make room for another production.
In 1956, departing from its practice of honoring only Broadway productions, the American Theater Wing awarded a special Tony Award to “The Threepenny Opera.”
The following year, Mr. Capalbo took his talents to Broadway, where he directed the premieres of “The Potting Shed,” by Graham Greene, “The Cave Dwellers,” by William Saroyan, and “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” with Franchot Tone and Wendy Hiller in the starring roles.
Carmen Charles Capalbo was born on Nov. 1, 1925, in Harrisburg, Pa., where he began acting with a community theater as a child and became its assistant director at 13.
