'Equus' and 'Amadeus' playwright Peter Shaffer dies at 90

LONDON (AP) — British playwright Peter Shaffer, whose durable, award-winning hits included "Equus" and "Amadeus," has died. He was 90.Shaffer's agent, Rupert Lord, said the playwright died Monday while on a visit to southwestern Ireland with friends and family.Born in Liverpool in 1926, Shaffer made his London and New York stage debut in 1958 with simmering domestic drama "Five Finger Exercise," directed by John Gielgud. He had a huge hit in 1964 with "The Royal Hunt of the Sun," a spectacular imagining of the Spanish conquest of Peru that was staged by Britain's newly founded National Theatre.Shaffer went on to write many of his plays for the National, from where they often moved on to commercial West End runs and Broadway.For much of his long career Shaffer achieved the often-elusive goal of combining commercial and critical success, writing thoughtful, cleverly crafted plays that became box-office hits in London and New York.In 1965, the National Theatre staged Shaffer's farc
http://read.bi/1X7tf35