Jon Robin Baitz, Stephen Sondheim, Tony Kushner come to defence of playwright David Adjmi

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A group of theatre community heavyweights — including Jon Robin Baitz, Stephen Sondheim, Tony Kushner, John Guare and Terrence McNally — have signed an open letter defending a playwright whose play parodying 1970’s sitcoms has been accused of copyright infringement by lawyers representing the TV show “Three’s Company.”

The collection of playwrights, theatre professionals and performers are backing David Adjmi, whose play “3-C” just ended its run at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre.

The play is about two girls — one a tomboy, the other a sexy ditz — and a guy who spontaneously become roommates in a rundown Santa Monica apartment after a wild party. They clash with a dislikable landlord who makes offensive, homophobic jokes. The playwright is exploring the idea of a culture avoiding hard issues and problems by retreating into sex and drugs

The law firm Kenyon & Kenyon, which represents DLT Entertainment, the owners of the long defunct TV sitcom “Three’s Company,” sent Adjmi a letter demanding that he cease further performances of the play anywhere. The lawyers claim that “3-C” is damaging to a proposed stage version of “Three’s Company.”

In their defence of Adjmi, the theatre professionals argue that Adjmi’s play is a “clearly and patently and unremittingly parody” and accused the lawyers of “bullying.”

“Specious and spurious legal bullying of artists should be vigorously opposed, and that opposition must begin first and foremost with all of us in the New York Theatre community,” the letter says.

Among those signing it are the writers Stephen Adley Guirgis, Kenneth Lonergan and Bruce Norris, directors and actors such as Martha Plimpton and Joe Mantello, and theatre leaders such as the Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Terry Kinney and Lincoln Center Theatre’s Andre Bishop.

Kenyon & Kenyon did not return calls or an email made after business hours Wednesday.

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Online:

The letter: http://www.theawl.com/2012/07/a-letter-from-the-theatre-community-regarding-david-adjmis-3-c