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Warren Manzi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Warren Michael Manzi (July 1, 1955 – February 11, 2016) was an American playwright and actor, who was best known for the play Perfect Crime, the longest running play in New York City's history.

Early Life

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Manzi was born in Manchester, New Hampshire to a single mother of Italian descent. His family later moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he attended Holy Rosary School and Central Catholic High School.[1] He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and obtained a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama.

Career

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Manzi wrote Perfect Crime in 1980 at age 25, while an understudy for a role in Amadeus on Broadway.[2] Early reviews of Perfect Crime described it as confusing, and Manzi continually rewrote the play throughout the rest of his life.[1] Perfect Crime opened in New York City on April 18, 1987 and was performed over 11,800 times throughout Manzi's lifetime, becoming the longest running play in city theatre history.[1] Manzi also wrote One for the Money and The Queen of the Parting Shot.[3]

As an actor, Manzi appeared in the films The Manhattan Project (1986) and Nuts (1987).[3]

Personal life

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He was married to Ellen Margaret Michelin from 1995 to 1996, when she died of kidney failure.[1]

Manzi died of pneumonia aged 60 in 2016, in Lawrence, Massachusetts.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Marquard, Bryan (February 17, 2016). "Warren Manzi, at 60; wrote N.Y.'s longest-running play". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  2. ^ "Warren Manzi". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
  3. ^ a b c Fox, Margalit (February 14, 2016). "Warren Manzi, Whose 'Perfect Crime' Is New York's Longest-Running Play, Dies at 60". New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
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