Robert Heide, Playwright, Passes Away at Age 86

By Magie Dominic

L-R: John Gilman, Magie Dominic and Robert Heide in 2019 at Clampart Gallery, NYC. Photo courtesy of Magie Dominic.

Robert Heide, playwright and friend, passed away on December 17 in New York City. He spent the last year and a half of his life at Isabella Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care under the care of a nurturing and attentive staff.

Heide’s life was rich with theater, and his career spanned decades. His scripts, photographs, programs, and other papers, including materials pertaining to Caffe Cino, are with Special Collections and University Archives, at Rutgers University. It was at the Caffe Cino in the mid 1960s that Robert and I met, and our friendship spanned six decades.

Robert Heide was born in 1939 in Irvington, New Jersey, received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, in 1962, and moved to New York City. He began working with The Living Theatre; and his first two plays, Hector and West of the Moon, were produced at the New Playwrights’ Theatre. Heide was befriended by Joe Cino, owner of Caffe Cino and one of the dominant figures of the early Off-Off-Broadway movement. Cino encouraged Heide to continue his writing and his first play at the Caffe was The Bed, a drama in which two men sit in a bed and argue without purpose. The play became a cult classic, and was filmed by Andy Warhol. Other Heide plays include Why Tuesday Never has a Blue Monday (1966), which won a National Catholic Theatre Award in 1969, At War with the Mongols (1970), which premiered at Brecht West in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Suburban Tremens (1978) and Crisis of Identity (1986).

In addition to his work in theater, Heide wrote about modern culture. With John Gilman, he wrote several books, including: Dime-Store Dream Parade: Popular Culture, 1925-1955; Cowboy Collectibles, Cartoon Collectibles; and Starstruck. His books on the state of New Jersey include Greetings from New Jersey and O! New Jersey! With Gilman he also wrote Mickey Mouse: The Evolution, The Legend, The Phenomenon!  In 2017, his book 25 Plays was published by Fast Books with a forward by Michael Townsend Smith.

In an interview with West Village Originals, January 2018, Heide said “Some people like you, some don’t. It’s your human life that’s important; who you are and who your friends are. And I understand that human beings are not perfect. We all have a darker side and feel doubt. I recently reread Kierkegaard who suggests taking a leap into blind faith and to focus on positive life. I think that’s good advice!”

Robert Heide was an accomplished author, and I can confirm that he was a devoted enthusiastic for half the artists of Greenwich Village.