＂This is a beautiful overview of the mind and spirit of Eugene Lee. It’s messy, unpretentious, spontaneous and full of joy?an utterly original designer who has worked successfully in more venues, mediums and esthetics than any scenic designer in American history.＂?Oskar Eustis
＂Over the years whenever I felt the show [Saturday Night Live] has lost something, a feeling that we have wandered off our original principles?I turn to Eugene to restore the balance. He is the keeper of the flame with me?the true heart of the show.＂?Lorne Michaels
The Adventures of Eugene Lee takes us through the personal artistic journey of one of the major scenic designers of our time, with stops along the way in Rhode Island; NBC studios; Broadway; Texas; London; Alberta, Canada; and The Great Karoo, South Africa. Designed by Lee himself, this autobiographical scrapbook is illustrated with hundreds of photographs, sketches, diagrams, and models from his personal archives.
It also provides an inside look at numerous collaborations with some of theater’s major artists and Lee’s designs for SNL and theater productions including Wicked, Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, and Sweeney Todd. There are side trips and stories as well, covering his beloved sailboats, VW bug, carriage house design studio, and even his ＂flops.＂
Eugene Lee has been Saturday Night Live’s production designer since 1974 and resident designer at Trinity Rep since 1967. An adjunct professor at Brown University, Lee has received numerous awards, including three Tony Awards, American Theatre Wing’s Design Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Elliot Norton Award, Pell Award, and an induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
