I was very sorry to read this morning of the passing of the great scenic designer Ming Cho Lee. A native of Shanghai, he died on October 23rd, 2020, at the age of 90.
He designed award-winning sets for dozens of operas and plays, including eight productions for the Metropolitan Opera. Among his Met credits were his classic BORIS GODUNOV (1974); the Sutherland/Pavarotti PURITANI (1976), a controversial but often striking LOHENGRIN (1976), and the 1985 KHOVANSCHINA with it’s stunning final tableau.
Ming Cho Lee also designed thirty productions for Joseph Papp at The Public Theatre. A wonderful article about his life and work, with images of his designs, may be found here.
During the years that I worked in the opera room at Tower Records, Ming Cho Lee was a frequent (and favorite) customer. Upon coming into the room, he would bow to me – and I to him – and then he would spend an hour or more browsing the shelves. We hardly ever spoke, but he would sometimes hold up a disc and I would shake my head, “yes” or “no”. He would stack up his selections on the counter, one by one, and when the piles got teeteringly high, he would do a sort-thru. I would then help him carry his purchases to the cashier. I always stood by until he left, so that we could bow to one another – “…until next time!” he would say quietly. I will always remember his twinkling eyes and wry smile.
One winter day, a couple of years after Tower closed, I took the train to New Haven to meet friends for lunch. Coming out of Union Station, I saw Ming Cho Lee, all bundled up, hailing a cab (he had taught at Yale for several years). I greeted him, and after a moment he remembered me. Surprisingly, as we had always been bowing acquaintances, he extended his hand and shook mine cordially.
Ming Cho Lee was such a calm, dignified gentleman; it was an honor and pleasure for me to have known him in this rather formal capacity.
Oberon's Glade 