From the Archive: Arthur Laurents (1917-2011) interviewed in 2000 for his memoir, Original Story By Arthur Laurents. Hosted by Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff. Arthur Laurents was one of the giants of American culture. Laurents write librettos, including those for West Side Story, Gypsy and La Cage Aux Folles, he wrote several plays including The Time of the Cuckoo, his screenplays include The Way We Were, the Ingrid Bergman film Anastasia and The Turning Point. He also directed several shows on Broadway.