Martin Fried; Theatrical Director Emphasized Fun in Shakespeare

Martin Fried, 62, theatrical director who worked with Lee Strasberg at New York’s highly respected Actors Studio. To persuade audiences of his theory that Shakespeare is fun, Fried organized offbeat presentations of the Bard’s work, including “Lovers and Lunatics” in 1990. He knitted scenes from various Shakespearean plays, he explained, into a theme of love and lunacy so that audiences would know what they were going to see, even if they had trouble with Shakespeare’s language. Fried viewed the production as a teaser, designed to make people want to see more Shakespeare. A native New Yorker, Fried grew up in orphanages, worked as a short-order cook and taxi driver, was a prizefighter and served in the Navy. Studying acting with Strasberg, he became a protege and even moved in with the Strasberg family. Fried acted in “The Best Man” on Broadway but soon focused on directing. He shifted easily from Broadway to off-Broadway and regional theater, directing such varied plays as “Daphne in Cottage D” with Sandy Dennis, “The Natural Look” with Gene Hackman and “Hughie” with Ben Gazzara. Actors respected Fried for letting a play speak for itself rather than re-creating it in his own way. On March 28 in New York of an aneurysm.