Eugene Lee, my dear friend and collaborator for 40 years, thought by many to be the greatest theatrical designer not only of his generation but also of his century, died on February 6 in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 83, with his wife and partner in his attainments, Brooke, and sons, Willy and Teddy, beside him. He was the resident designer of Saturday Night Live from its very start to earlier this month.
Eugene was born in Wisconsin with a twin brother, Tom. They’d invented and spoken their own language till they were seven. Eugene and I, soon to set off for a job in Africa, were having a cup of tea one morning at his hotel in London, when, looking out the window at a flurrying snowstorm, which seemed to have brought that great city and its citizens to a standstill, he remarked, “They wouldn’t have a problem if they’d grown up in Wisconsin.”
