Lamar Alford (October 11, 1944 – March 29, 1991) was an American actor and singer.
Early life
Wilkie Lamar Alford was born on October 11, 1944, in Troy, Alabama. He was the youngest of five children (Fletcher, Franklin, Bertha, Stella, and Lamar), and his father was a
Baptist minister.
Alford began taking voice lessons in New York City at age 19, and later sang as a tenor with the New York City Opera.[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Individual: Lamar Alford". Accessed August 22, 2018.]
Repertory theatre
Alford first appeared in a production at La MaMa in 1969. He appeared in multiple Eyen plays that year, including "Four No Plays by Tom Eyen" with the Theatre of the Eye Repertory Company.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Four No Plays by Tom Eyen". Accessed August 22, 2018.] He also appeared in excerpts from the "Four No Plays" presented alongside excerpts from
Why Hanna's Skirt Won't Stay Down and
Who Killed My Bald Sister Sophie, both written and directed by Eyen. Eyen dedicated this production to the "West Village raid of June 26, 1969", which would later be known as the
Stonewall riots.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Moments from Why Hanna's Skirt Won't Stay Down, Who Killed My Bald Sister Sophie?, and the Four No Plays (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.]
He also appeared in Eyen's Caution: A Love Story[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Caution: A Love Story (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] and Hurricane of the Eye[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Hurricane of the Eye (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] at La MaMa in 1969. That same year, he appeared in Edward de Grazia's The Americans as directed by Martin Brenzell at La MaMa.[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Americans, The (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] He also appeared in Donald Julian's In Praise of Folly as directed by Marshall W. Mason[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: In Praise of Folly (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] and Ching Yeh's Wanton Soup,[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Wanton Soup (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] both at La MaMa in 1969. Alford also wrote the music for Adrienne Kennedy's A Rat's Mass, and appeared in the production at La MaMa in 1969[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Rat's Mass, A (1969a)". Accessed August 22, 2018.][La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Rat's Mass, A (1969b)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] and again in 1971.[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Rat's Mass, A (1971)". Accessed August 22, 2018.]
Acting
Lamar made his Broadway debut as Lamar in the 1971 musical
Godspell,
and sings the solo on the song "All Good Gifts" on the original cast recording.
[ Godspell recording]
Music composer
In 1970, he appeared in and composed the music for a production of
Arden of Faversham and
Alfred Jarry's
Ubu Roi as directed by
Andrei Serban at La MaMa.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Ubu and Arden of Faversham (1970)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] That same year, he appeared in and composed the music for Paul Foster's adaptation of
Heimskringla as directed by Ching Yeh at La MaMa.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Heimskringla (1970)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] He also wrote the music for Antoine Bourseiller's production of Joachim Neugroschel's
Baudelaire! at La MaMa in 1970.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Baudelaire! (1970)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] In April 1970, Alford directed a benefit performance called
Bang Too (following a 1965 benefit called
BbAaNnGg) at La MaMa. The 1970 benefit featured performances by John Vaccaro's Playhouse of the Ridiculous,
Sam Shepard, and
O-Lan Jones, among many others.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Special Event: Bang Too (1970)". Accessed August 22, 2018.]
Playwright
Alford's own play,
Thoughts, was produced at La MaMa in 1972, 1973, and 1974. The 1972 production featured performances by
Mary Alice and
Jeffrey Mylett, among others.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Thoughts (1972)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] The 1973 production featured a similar cast.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Thoughts (1973)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] Neither Mary Alice nor Mylett appeared in the 1974 production, but Andre de Shields was added to that year's cast.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Thoughts (1974)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] The Jarboro Company took the play on tour to
Venezuela in 1974.
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Tour: Jarboro Company in Venezuela (1974)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] Alford was also
Music director for several productions at La MaMa. These included Wilhelm Pevny's
Sprint Orgasmics as adapted by Gitta Honneger and directed by Gotz Fritsch
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. " Production: Sprint Orgasmics (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] and Andy Robinson's
Spring-Voices as directed by
Joel Zwick,
[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Spring-Voices (1969)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] both in 1969.
In 1975, he appeared in a production of Bertolt Brecht's Good Woman of Setzuan as adapted by Eric Bentley and directed by Andrei Serban, with music by Elizabeth Swados.[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Good Woman of Setzuan, The (1975)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] He appeared in that play again at La MaMa in 1978.[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: Good Woman of Setzuan, The (1978)". Accessed August 22, 2018.] He also appeared in Serban and Swados' "Fragments of a Trilogy: The Trojan Women and Electra" at La MaMa in 1978.[La MaMa Archives Digital Collections. "Production: 'Fragments of a Trilogy: The Trojan Women and Electra (1978)'". Accessed August 22, 2018.] These Serban/Swados productions were all with the Great Jones Repertory Company.
Morehouse College
In 1982, he became dramatist-in-residence at Morehouse College, a historically black college in
Atlanta. At Morehouse, he founded the Kings Players, a theatre group.
Death
Alford died at the age of 46 on March 29, 1991, at Crawford Long Hospital.
External links
