Margy Newman Dies; Creator of Playhouse

Margy Newman, who formed and guided the Westwood Playhouse into the significant theatrical showcase it has become, died over the weekend of cancer.

Her husband, Arnold, said she was 68 and died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Mrs. Newman, with producer Leonard Blair, (and later on her own) took over the 500-seat theater in what once was the Masonic Club of UCLA on Le Conte Avenue in 1974. In June, 1975, the playhouse opened with “The Little Foxes” starring Burgess Meredith, Carroll O’Connor and Lee Grant to greater acclaim for the theater’s sight lines and acoustics than for the performance itself.

It had been a labor of love for Mrs. Newman, who was first attracted to things theatrical when she was a student out of Canton, Ohio, and attending the Mme. Daykarhanova School for Stage in New York City.

She had married young and subordinated her aspirations to those of her first husband, an actor.

Years later, when three of her four children (including former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Laraine Newman) became involved with the Groundlings, a comedy improvisation group in Los Angeles, she helped them look for an appropriate theater. By the time she came across the playhouse, the Groundlings had already found a home and she became interested in taking on the Westwood herself.

On the strength of her credit and business acumen (Mrs. Newman was also a successful home and kitchen designer), the financial arrangements were approved, and her wish to bring theater to the Westside was realized.

In the three years that Mrs. Newman helped guide the theater, it offered such local premieres as “When You Coming Back Red Ryder?” by Mark Medoff and “P.S. Your Cat Is Dead” by the late James Kirkwood.

Both Mrs. Newman and her husband, a Los Angeles businessman, found themselves investing heavily just to keep the Playhouse alive. But, despite some artistic successes, Mrs. Newman opted not to renew her lease.

However, the Playhouse itself continues as one of the more successful mid-size theaters in the area.

Besides her husband and daughter, Laraine, she is survived by another daughter, Tracy Dean, two sons, Steven and Paul, and four grandchildren.

A memorial services is scheduled Monday at 8 p.m. at the Coronet Theater, 466 N. La Cienega Blvd.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Plato Society of UCLA’s general fund, 1083 Gayley Ave., Los Angeles 90024. Checks should be made out to the Regents of the University of California.