In a year of great triumph and trials, the theatre community has mourned the loss of numerous icons and influences. Playbill commemorates those who passed in 2024, whose legacies stand as a reminder of how rich a life can be achieved in this business we call show.
Click through to read each luminary's full Playbill obituaries.
Martin McCallum
Lanny Flaherty
Lynda Gravátt
Edward Bond
Linda Balgord
Steve Lawrence
Christopher Durang
Richard M. Sherman
Janis Paige
Joseph Hardy
Jim Barry
Adam Epstein
Adrian Bailey
Whitney Blausen
Mimi Hines
Sandi Durell
Marvin E. Laird
Kyle Birch
Ira Bernstein (January 21, 1929 - December 21, 2023) * News of Mr. Bernstein's passing was not released until February 2024.
Early in his career, Mr. Bernstein worked as casting director on Broadway productions such as Guys and Dolls and Wish You Were Here. Over the ensuing decades, Mr. Bernstein managed and produced 44 Broadway shows ranging from 1966’s Wait Until Dark to the original 1975 production of Chicago. Later in his career, Mr. Bernstein managed the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles from 1984 until 1991, and he served two three-year terms on the Tony Nominating Committee, first in 2002 and then in 2014.
Glynis Johns (October 5, 1923 - January 4, 2024)
The South African-born Welsh actor, singer, and dancer—known for introducing Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” in A Little Night Music, also memorably played suffragist mother Winifred Banks in the film musical Mary Poppins.
Sarah Rice (March 5, 1955 - January 6, 2024)
Ms. Rice was best known for originating the role of Johanna in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which opened on Broadway in 1979. That same year, she received a Theatre World Award for her performance.
Anna Strasberg (April 16, 1939 - January 6, 2024)
The widow of the legendary acting teacher Lee Strasberg, Ms. Strasberg dedicated much of her life to maintaining her husband's Method technique following his death in 1982. A co-founder of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, she served as the artistic director of the company for many years.
Martin McCallum (April 6, 1950 - January 14, 2024)
A former President of the Society of London Theatre and member of the Broadway League, Mr. McCallum worked on more than 500 shows on Broadway and in the West End across his illustrious career. Mr. McCallum was employed by Cameron Mackintosh as his managing director and business partner for 18 years. There, he oversaw a period of significant expansion, with hits such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Miss Saigon drawing audiences worldwide.
Norman Jewison (July 21, 1926 - January 20, 2024)
In 1961, Mr. Jewison directed Judy Garland's comeback special, leading to him serving as executive producer and an occasional director for The Judy Garland Show. On the big screen, he directed In The Heat of the Night starring Sidney Poitier, which received seven Oscar nominations, winning five. Mr. Jewison received numerous accolades for his film adaptations of Fiddler on the Roof and Jesus Christ Superstar. Fiddler in particular became a breakout hit, winning three Oscars out of eight nominations, with Mr. Jewison receiving a nomination for Best Director.
Hinton Battle (November 29, 1956 - January 29, 2024)
Mr. Battle received an impressive three Tony Awards for originating three vastly varied yet equally bombastic roles in Sophisticated Ladies, The Tap Dance Kid, and Miss Saigon. He won Best Featured Actor in a Musical for all three roles, making him the most-awarded actor in the category's history.
Chita Rivera (January 23, 1933 - January 30, 2024)
Born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, Ms. Rivera was an icon of the stage, originating the role of Anita in West Side Story as well as Velma Kelly in Chicago. A 10-time Tony nominee, she received the Best Actress in a Musical prize for her performances in Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Rink, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
Cecilia Gentili (January 31, 1972 - February 6, 2024)
Born in Argentina before the Perón dictatorship descended for the second time, the politics of her home country colored much of Ms. Gentili's life, and her legacy as an activist. First coming out in 1984, Ms. Gentili received asylum in the United States in 2012, where she fought for the rights of undocumented immigrants, sex workers, and LGBTQIA+ people.
Ms. McKenzie burst onto the scene in 1988 with her Off-Broadway solo show Ethel Merman's Broadway, establishing the performer as perhaps the nation's preeminent Merman impersonator. Ms. McKenzie had a unique gift for recreating Merman's trademark in-your-face belt, but she was equally adept at recreating Merman's charm and sense of humor. She would continue to perform the show throughout career, including as recently as 2016.
Lanny Flaherty (July 27, 1942 - February 18, 2024)
Alternating his time between Mississippi and New York, Mr. Flaherty appeared on Broadway in Of Mice and Men, Sweet Bird of Youth, Inherit the Wind, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Requiem for a Heavyweight, in addition to numerous productions at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Steppenwolf Theatre. As a playwright, Mr. Flaherty wrote numerous works, including A-Birthing At Nubbin Ridge, Cedars Mark The Campground, Crisscrosscreeks, and Whilhom. His piece Showdown at the Adobe Model, presented at Hartford Stage in 1981, starred Oscar winner Henry Fonda in his final live performance.
Lynda Gravátt (May 24, 1946 - February 23, 2024)
Ms. Gravátt made her Broadway debut at 4 years old, appearing as a child in The King and I. Her childhood gravitas made her a favorite on local television, including on Joe Michael’s Kids. By nine, she had made her Carnegie Hall debut. As an adult, she became a founding member of Robert Alexander’s Living Stage/Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and a beloved member of the Off-Broadway artistic ecosystem, starring in countless plays, including The Old Settler, Crowns, Intimate Apparel, Miss Witherspoon, The Little Foxes, Skeleton Crew, The House That Will Not Stand, and more.
Edward Bond (July 18, 1934 - March 3, 2024)
A prolific writer and stalwart enemy of theatrical censorship, Mr. Bond was a controversial yet respected figure in the British dramatic arena, courting scandal throughout his career due to the visceral and often radical content within his work, while inspiring the following generation to create outside of the restrictions he had inherited from the previous generation. In all, Mr. Bond wrote 50 different pieces of anti-imperialist theatre.
Linda Balgord (February 18, 1950 - March 5, 2024)
Ms. Balgord was a favorite interpreter of Andrew Lloyd Webber's work, starring as the final Grizabella in the original Broadway production of Cats, and as Madame Giry in The Phantom of the Opera. She also played both roles in national tours. In 1996, Ms. Balgord was hand selected by Lloyd Webber to play Norma Desmond in the first national tour of Sunset Boulevard. Ms. Balgord was lauded for her performance as the silent film star, playing the role for the entirety of the tour's run.
Steve Lawrence (July 8, 1935 - March 7, 2024)
Born Sidney Liebowitz, Mr. Lawrence was the son of a Brooklyn cantor, trained for the stage from a young age. Finding easy pocket money singing for the songwriters in Manhattan's Brill Building, he was hired at the age of 18 by Steve Allen to perform on what would become The Tonight Show, alongside co-vocalist Eydie Gormé, with the pair marrying in 1957 and becoming an immensely popular vocal duo in America's midcentury.
Louis Gossett Jr. (May 27, 1936 - March 28, 2024)
The Coney Island-born son of a nurse and porter, Mr. Gossett got his start on Broadway before graduating high school. Starring in Take a Giant Step at 17, he enjoyed a robust stage career throughout the mid-century, appearing on Broadway in the original Main Stem productions of The Desk Set, A Raisin in the Sun, Tambourines to Glory, Golden Boy, The Zulu and the Zayda, My Sweet Charlie, Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights, and Murderous Angels.
Christopher Durang (January 2, 1949 - April 2, 2024)
One of the most popular playwrights of the 20th century, Mr. Durang's unique comedic flair, which often utilized absurdism and outrageous conceits, leapt to prominence in the latter half of the century. Although typically a writer of comedies, he did not shy away from complex cultural issues, with child abuse, Catholic dogma, and homosexuality figuring prominently within many of his works.
Carrie Robbins (February 7, 1943 - April 12, 2024)
Personally modest, Ms. Robbins' designs were anything but unassuming. As the designer for more than 30 Broadway productions, she devised the eye-popping '50s fantasy of the original production of Grease, the shimmering gowns of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and the transformative menswear of Yentl, among the many other shows in her arsenal.
Jay Kane (June 6, 1958 - April 24, 2024)
Mr. Kane's work as a receptionist and assistant at the Tantleff Office in the late 1980s led to a successful career as a talent agent, where he built a long-standing relationship with agent Alan Willig. From there, he joined HWA Talent Agency, which merged with the Los Angeles firm TalentWorks. He worked at TalentWorks for more than two decades, leading the New York office as he dedicated his life to finding new talent, and helping his roster to flourish in their careers, whether on stage, film, or television.
Thay Floyd (Exact birth and death dates unknown, death confirmed May 1, 2024)
On Broadway, Mr. Floyd understudied Eric Anderson as Cal in the original Broadway production of Waitress, where he became a fan-favorite ensemble member spotlighted during the song "When He Sees Me," as the color blind man. Mr. Floyd was also an accomplished drag artist, performing under the name KoKo Aviance. This expertise occasionally came in handy during Mr. Floyd's onstage career, such as when he played the Acid Queen in The Who's Tommy at the Berkshire Theatre Festival to great acclaim. As a leading member of the House of Aviance, KoKo Aviance was nominated multiple times for GLAM Awards, including Breakthrough Artist and Best Dance Performer.
Edgar Lansbury (January 12, 1930 - May 2, 2024)
Mr. Lansbury began his theatrical career working as scenic designer for the 1964 Pulitzer Prize-winning The Subject Was Roses, which was the first show he produced. It would also gain him a Tony Award, for Best Play. He subsequently produced numerous Broadway shows during his career, including the original and 2011 revival productions of Godspell, as well as the 1974 revival of Gypsy, in which his sister Angela starred.
Thomas J. Gates (January 11, 1973 - May 8, 2024)
A treasured member of the theatre community, Mr. Gates was a familiar face backstage at some of Broadway's biggest hits, working as a stage manager on Waitress, Newsies, and Hairspray. He also worked on the original Broadway productions of Brooklyn, The Visit, and High Fidelity, and on revivals of Finian's Rainbow, Noises Off, and Pippin. Mr. Gates was the production stage manager at Broadway's Illinoise at the time of his death.
Samm-Art Williams (January 20, 1946 - May 13, 2024)
Mr. Williams was actor, director, and Tony-nominated playwright of Home , his most well-known work, which was originally produced by the Negro Ensemble Company Off-Broadway. The subsequent Broadway transfer opened May 7, 1980 and closed January 4, 1981. Home received numerous accolades, including Tony nominations for Best Play and Best Actor for Charles Brown, an Outer Critics Circle Award, an NAACP Image Award, and the North Carolina Governor's Award. News of Mr. Williams' passing comes just days before the Broadway revival of Home begins previews (on May 17).
Richard M. Sherman (June 12, 1928 - May 25, 2024)
With his older brother Robert B. Sherman, the Sherman brothers wrote the soundtrack to multiple generations' childhoods, including the songs "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "A Spoonful of Sugar," "I Wan'na Be Like You," and “It’s a Small World." They also composed three Broadway musicals, including the stage versions of Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Janis Paige (September 16, 1922 - June 2, 2024)
Ms. Paige made her Broadway debut in the 1951 comedy mystery Remains to Be Seen, but she reached true stage stardom in 1954 when she originated the role of Babe in the musical The Pajama Game. When Ms. Paige was replaced by Doris Day in the musical's film adaptation, she returned to Hollywood, starring opposite Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in the 1957 musical Silk Stockings.
Jade Stice (August 8, 1970 - June 2024)
Ms. Stice made her Broadway debut in 1991 as an ensemble member in Miss Saigon. She was also a company member of the first national tour of Jekyll & Hyde. An Oahu native, Ms. Stice moved back to Hawaii after 15 years working in New York, and continued to perform locally. Ms. Stice and her sister, Dr. Ligaya Stice, co-founded the I'm a Bright Kid Foundation in honor of her former musical theatre teacher Ron Bright. The foundation worked to share Bright's legacy through the performing arts and arts education for new generations.
Joseph Hardy (March 8, 1929 - June 6, 2024)
Mr. Hardy's Broadway directing credits included Johnny No-Trump, Play It Again, Sam, Child's Play, Bob and Ray—The Two and Only, the original Broadway production of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Children! Children!, the original Broadway adaptation of Gigi, The Night of the Iguana, Diversions and Delights, and Romantic Comedy. Twice a Tony nominee, Mr. Hardy took home the top honor for his work on the original Broadway production of Child's Play, which all but swept the 1970 Tony awards, taking home five awards.
Ron Simons (November 30, 1960 - June 12, 2024)
Mr. Simons first theatre producing credit was the 2012 revival of Porgy and Bess starring Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis, leading to a decade-long career as a co-producer on numerous Broadway shows, winning Tony Awards as a producer for Porgy and Bess, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and Jitney. His other credits include producing on Ain't Too Proud, the 2012 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, Thoughts of a Colored Man, and the 2022 revival of for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.
Tony Mordente (December 3, 1935 - June 12, 2024)
Mr. Mordente was a favored dancer of Jerome Robbins, originally dancing the role of A-Rab in the Broadway and West End companies of the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents musical West Side Story. He was shifted to the role of Action for the 1961 film adaptation. Mr. Mordente and Chita Rivera were married in 1957, with daughter Lisa Mordente following a year later. Following West Side Story, Mr. Mordente understudied Conrad Birdie and served as assistant to Gower Champion for Bye Bye Birdie, before working with choreographer Michael Kidd for Ben Franklin in Paris and the ill-fated Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Jim Barry (July 17, 1955 - August 18, 2024)
The founder of "The Stoop on 44th," Mr. Barry was a treasured member of the community—as a longtime usher, he was one of the few ever-present fixtures in an industry that is rife with constant change. In total, Mr. Barry worked on 23 shows during his tenure at the St. James Theatre, having completed Illinoise's run at the venue prior to Sunset Boulevard's load in.
Norma Deull (September 8, 1933 - August 15, 2024)
Ms. Deull served as president of Clark Transfer, which her father co-founded, for over 30 years, leading the company until she passed. Clark Transfer is responsible for transporting the national tours of most major Broadway shows, as well as symphony orchestras, operas, ballet companies, popular music concerts, and other live entertainment.
Michael McDonald (October 15, 1963 - September 4, 2024)
Mr. McDonald was a treasured member of the theatre design community. Trained at Muhlenberg College, he was a familiar face throughout the regional and developmental circuit, working with American Repertory Theater, George Street Playhouse, the Zachary Scott Theatre, the Director's Company, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and Goodspeed Musicals. For six seasons, Mr. McDonald was one of the associate costume masters and the costume shop manager at the Public Theater, where he brought countless iconic productions to life between 1997 and 2011. In 2009, Mr. McDonald took Broadway by storm with his inventively redesigned production of Hair. Receiving both a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination, Mr. McDonald's costumes for the revival are now on display at The Museum of Broadway, where he was a co-curator.
James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 - September 9, 2024)
In 1969, Mr. Jones became the first Black man to win the Tony Award a Best Actor in a Play, for The Great White Hope. He won again in 1987 for Fences. He brought groundbreaking intensity—or gentility, as needed—to his roles, making him the rare performer to be an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner. And with the James Earl Jones Theatre on Broadway, Mr. Jones was only the second Black theatrical figure to have a Broadway theatre named after him.
On Broadway, Mr. Epstein's producing credits included The Life, A View From the Bridge, Amadeus, The Crucible, Hairspray, The Wedding Singer, and Cry-Baby. Those productions earned a total of 46 Tony nominations and 12 Tony Awards, including one for Epstein as producer of the 2003 Tony-winning Best Musical Hairspray—which later enjoyed life as a feature film, a live TV broadcast, and innumerable productions domestically and around the world.
Adrian Bailey (Unknown - September 22, 2024)
Mr. Bailey was a valued specialty dancer, making his Broadway debut in 1976 as a swing dancer in Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. For three decades, he was never far from the Broadway stage, appearing in Sophisticated Ladies, My One and Only, Legs Diamond, Black and Blue, Prince of Central Park, Jelly's Last Jam, The Who's Tommy, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Smokey Joe's Cafe, The Wild Party, La Cage Aux Follies, and Hot Feet. His final Broadway appearance came in 2008, when he performed in the ensemble of The Little Mermaid while understudying the role of King Triton. Mr. Bailey was injured after falling 20 feet through a trap door prior to the start of a performance, which caused him to suffer two fractured wrists, a broken back, a shattered pelvis, a fractured sternum, several fractured ribs, and a fractured foot.
Whitney Blausen (Unknown - 2024)
Trained at the right hand of Patricia Zipprodt during the original Broadway production of Pippin, Ms. Blausen was a favored costume designer throughout the 1970s, with her realism-entrenched work bringing to life The Changing Room, National Health, Mourning Pictures, Don't Call Back, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and Whodunnit, as well as the 1979 Off-Broadway premiere of Sam Shepard’s Seduced and the 1971 revival of Long Day’s Journey Into Night starring Geraldine Fitzgerald, Stacey Keach, and James Naughton. Her most robust legacy, however, comes from her work as the inaugural director of the TDF Costume Collection. When the collection was founded in 1974, it was Ms. Blausen who lept into action, organizing the collection's invaluable inventory. She single handedly supervised the facility’s move from Harlem to West 26th Street in 1976, and remained in her leading position until 1993, when Ms. Blausen left the collection to become an independent textile historian, writer, and researcher.
Maggie Smith (December 28, 1934 - September 27, 2024)
A treasured wit throughout her 50-plus years-long career, Ms. Smith was one of the most prolifically beloved British actors of her generation, winning two Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award, with six additional Olivier Award nominations under her belt. Ms. Smith is one of the few performers to earn the Triple Crown of Acting, which is denoted by having won a competitive Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony for performance, exhibiting a mastery of the big screen, stage, and television.
Ken Page (January 20, 1954 - September 30, 2024)
Mr. Page possessed one of the most recognizable voices on Broadway, with a booming resonance that demanded respect from the first note. Born and raised in St. Louis, Mr. Page began his career in the chorus of The Muny before coming to New York, where he quickly became the toast of the town as the Lion during the original Broadway run of The Wiz. From there, his Broadway career was varied, winning a Drama Desk award for his performance as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, performing in the original company of Ain't Misbehavin', introducing American audiences to the wise Old Deuteronomy in Cats, and performing in the revue It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues. In the recording booth, Mr. Page made an everlasting impact as the voice of Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton's classic stop motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Indelibly linked to the month of October ever since the films 1993 premiere, Mr. Page frequently reprised his role for Disney, providing fresh vocal lines for Halloween celebrations and video games as the spectral voice of spooky season.
Gavin Creel (April 18, 1976 - September 30, 2024)
Mr. Creel was a fixture of the theatrical community, noted for versatile acting performances in a career that saw him often alternate between comedy and drama, leading man and character actor. But performing was only one facet of Mr. Creel's life. Blessed with a virtuosic voice in every sense of that word, Mr. Creel also used his gifts as a skilled writer to be a devoted activist for the theatre community. On Broadway, Mr. Creel starred in Thoroughly Modern Millie; Hair; La Cage aux Folles; She Loves Me; The Book of Mormon; Waitress; and Hello, Dolly!—the latter of which earned him a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor. Mr. Creel also starred in West End runs of The Book of Mormon, Mary Poppins, and Waitress.
Mitzi Gaynor (September 4, 1931 - October 17, 2024)
Ms. Gaynor starred in a string of movie musicals, including the 1952 Eva Tanguay biopic The I Don't Care Girl and 1954's There's No Business Like Show Business. In 1956, she starred in a remake of Broadway's Anything Goes that largely diverged from the stage version while including many of Cole Porter's songs; Ms. Gaynor memorably performed the title number. She would see her biggest success with the 1958 screen version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, starring as Ensign Nellie Forbush. Ms. Gaynor was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.
Mimi Hines (July 17, 1933 - October 21, 2024)
In 1966, Ms. Hines replaced Barbra Streisand on Broadway in the original production of Funny Girl. Ms. Hines thrived in the role for 18 months, kicking off an impressive solo stage career; her husband and vaudeville partner Phil Ford also joined Funny Girl alongside Ms. Hines in the role of Eddie Ryan. Following the end of Funny Girl on Broadway, Ms. Hines hit the road, starring in touring companies of I Do! I Do!, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and Sugar Babies as well as productions of Anything Goes, Never Too Late, The Pajama Game, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, No, No, Nanette, and Sugar. She performed across the country in various solo nightclub acts, and toured the world for a year in the title role of Hello, Dolly!
Sandi Durell (August 26, 1940 - October 22, 2024)
Ms. Durell was a critic for more than 30 years, writing, reviewing, producing, and guiding the theatre community with an empathetic hand. A member of the Drama Desk Organization, the Outer Critics Circle Organization, and the American Theatre Critics Association, Ms. Durell was a part of the League of Professional Theatre Women, on the board of American Popular Song Society, and a part of Theater Resources Unlimited Advisory Board. In 2012, as traditional print theatre criticism began to creak under the pressure of digital expansion, Ms. Durell founded TheaterPizzazz.com, which offered a home masthead to independent theatre critics and analysts who had been swept out to sea following the closure of several papers.
Quincy Jones (March 14, 1933 - November 3, 2024)
Mr. Jones was one of the most prolific musicians in American history. Beginning his career in 1953 alongside jazz bandleader Lionel Hampton, Mr. Jones' extensive career stretched out over seven decades, bringing him 80 Grammy nominations, of which he received 28, making him the most awarded producer in Grammy history. In the theatrical realm, Mr. Jones was a driving force behind the 1978 film adaptation of The Wiz, for which he arranged the entire score and penned new songs "Can I Go On?" and "Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy's Theme)" for Diana Ross' Dorothy. Mr. Jones also makes a cameo appearance in the film, as the pianist in the Emerald City sequence.
Judith Jamison (May 10, 1943 - November 9, 2024)
Ms. Jamison began working as a choreographer in 1980. Her first ballet, Divining, premiered in 1984 with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with numerous other works to follow, including Forgotten Time, Rift, and more. In 1988, wanting to oversee her own group of dancers, Ms. Jamison founded The Jamison Project Dance Company. The company's performances included Ms. Jamison's last solo of her performing career. Then, in 1989, Ms. Jamison took over as artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater upon Ailey's death. In 1993, she choreographed Hymn, a tribute to Ailey.
Jay David Saks (January 24, 1945 - November 16, 2024)
As an audio producer for CBS Masterworks, RCA Red Seal (RCA Records), Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Mr. Saks was responsible for engineering and master recording many hundreds of titles, including major symphony orchestra and music hall performances across three continents, in-studio classical recordings, and cast recordings. Mr. Saks' Broadway cast recordings included A Little Night Music, Candide, Pacific Overtures, Rex, Porgy and Bess, The King and I, Starting Here Starting Now, Ain't Misbehavin', Sweeney Todd, 42nd Street, Follies in Concert, Into the Woods, Anything Goes, Legs Diamond, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Closer Than Ever, Guys and Dolls, Assassins, Putting It Together, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Ragtime, Chicago, Steel Pier, Once Upon a Mattress, Cabaret, Fosse, Marie Christine, Contact, A Class Act, Urinetown, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Avenue Q, Gypsy, The Color Purple, South Pacific, Merrily We Roll Along, Curtains, Man of La Mancha, and many, many more.
Kris Vire (August 23, 1977 - November 18, 2024)
A highly respected arts and culture journalist, Mr. Vire was born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas, studying at the University of Arkansas before moving to Chicago in 2001. Mr. Vire was a founding member of Gapers Block before joining Time Out Chicago, where he worked his way up from staff writer to the core editor over the course of a decade. In recent years, he served as the Arts and Culture Editor for Chicago Magazine, with additional freelance contributions to American Theatre Magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, Fodor’s Travel, The Guardian, PerformInk, and the New York Times.
Helen Gallagher (July 19, 1926 - November 24, 2024)
Ms. Gallagher won her first Tony in 1952 for her performance as the no-nonsense chorus girl Gladys Bumps in the 1952 revival of Pal Joey, starring opposite Harold Lang and Vivienne Segal. The very next year, she starred as the eponymous media darling in Hazel Flagg, kicking off an extended stretch of leading lady roles in Ms. Gallagher's ouvre. In The Pajama Game she played the quick witted secretary Gladys Hotchkiss, Guys and Dolls gave her room to stretch her comedic chops as Miss Adelaide, and in back-to-back revivals of Finian's Rainbow and Brigadoon, Ms. Gallagher played the lively lassies Sharon McLonergan and Meg Brockie, respectively. In 1966, Ms. Gallagher originated the role of Nickie in Sweet Charity, earning a Tony nomination. In 1969, she replaced as Agnes Gooch in Mame, but it wasn't until 1971 that her name would again be the toast of the town, winning her second Tony as well as a Drama Desk award for her performance as Lucille Early in the 1971 revival of No, No, Nanette. Her performance as the glamorous grand dame was universally celebrated, and Ms. Gallagher was, for a time, credited as one of the great harbingers of Broadway's revival boon.
Morgan Jenness (Unknown - 2024)
Jenness was one of the most respected dramaturgs in the industry, training hundreds of artists through their teaching efforts in addition to their work inside the rehearsal studio. For more than a decade, Jenness worked at The Public Theater, serving under both Artistic Director George C. Wolfe and founder Joseph Papp in roles ranging from literary manager to director of play development and associate producer of the New York Shakespeare Festival. As a teacher, Jenness served as a visiting artist and adjunct in programs at the University of Iowa, Brown University, Bread Loaf, Columbia, and NYU. Jenness fully served on the faculty at Fordham University at Lincoln Center, Pace University, and Columbia University School of The Arts, where they taught theatre history and adaptation.
Marshall Brickman (August 25, 1939 - November 29, 2024)
While working as creative consultant and producer for The Dick Cavett Show, Mr. Brickman met Woody Allen, who would become a frequent collaborator. The pair wrote the script for Sleeper, a science fiction comedy which hit movie theatres in 1973. They would later collaborate again on the screenplays for Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979). Annie Hall won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Diane Keaton, Best Director for Allen, and Best Screenplay for Allen and Mr. Brickman. While he may be best known for his work in film, Mr. Brickman wrote the books for Best Musical winner Jersey Boys and The Addams Family, both times working alongside Rick Elice. He also penned the book and contributed sketches for Straws in the Wind Off-Broadway. For Jersey Boys, Mr. Brickman and Elice were nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.
Mr. Laird made his Broadway debut as a musical assistant in 1964 for Ben Franklin in Paris. He subsequently provided dance arrangements and/or incidental music for such Broadway productions as Skyscraper, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Happy Time, Georgy, Broadway Follies, and Oh, Brother! He was also the vocal arranger and musical director for the latter two stagings. In 1980, he was the assistant conductor for Perfectly Frank. Mr. Laird also conducted concerts for a host of icons of stage and screen, including Joel Grey, Diana Ross, Cass Elliot, Dusty Springfield, and Goldie Hawn. But it was his musical relationship with three-time Tony honoree Bernadette Peters that was the most enduring and fruitful. In addition to decades of concerts around the world, including sold-out evenings at Carnegie Hall and London's Royal Festival Hall, he also conducted two of Peters' Broadway outings: the acclaimed revivals of Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy; and served on the music departments of Follies and Hello, Dolly! while Peters was starring.
Kyle Birch (January 27, 1998 - December 2, 2024)
Known for his performance as Usher in the West End production A Strange Loop, Mr. Birch was a rising force in the U.K. theatre scene. Originally a cover within the production, Mr. Birch took over the lead role to finish the run to great acclaim. Mr. Birch's other theatre credits included a tour of The Color Purple, Once On This Island at Southwark Playhouse, and I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire at Southwark Playhouse, which he performed in while also appearing in a London Palladium Bat Boy concert.
Bobby Garcia (September 15, 1969 - December 17, 2024)
Mr. Garcia was an award-winning director and producer across numerous international markets. As a director, he led 50 plays and musicals in Canada and throughout Asia, with major productions in mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore. In 1999, Mr. Garcia founded one of Asia’s most prolific theatre companies, Atlantis Productions/Atlantis Theatrical Group of Companies. He had an extensive working relationship with Lea Salonga, producing her concert and television specials Lea Salonga: 40, Lea Salonga: Playlist, Lea Salonga: Your Songs, Lea Salonga: The Broadway Concert, Lea Salonga: Songs From Home, Request sa Radyo, and Lea Salonga: Home For Christmas. In 2023, Mr. Garcia co-produced and served as a casting consultant for the Broadway run of Here Lies Love.
Mel Shapiro (December 16, 1935 - December 23, 2024)
Mr. Shapiro co-wrote the popular musical adaptation of Two Gentlemen of Verona, with John Guare and Galt MacDermot—which he also directed. The adaptation was an unexpected hit, winning the 1972 Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as Guare and Mr. Shapiro sharing the Best Book of a Musical win. As a writer off the stage, Mr. Shapiro wrote two of the most popular books in the theatre industry: The Director's Companion and An Actor Performs. Both texts are frequently given to directors and actors at the beginning of their careers, with many referring to Mr. Shapiro's text as their "artistic bible."
Linda Lavin (October 15, 1937 - December 29, 2024)
While Ms. Lavin was a beloved stage performer, to much of the general public she was known as the titular Alice on her popular sitcom. Ms. Lavin appeared on Broadway in It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, A Family Affair, The Riot Act, Something Different, Cop-Out, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Paul Sills' Story Theatre, The Enemy is Dead, Gypsy, The Sisters Rosenweig, Broadway Bound, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Hollywood Arms, Collected Stories, The Lyons, and Our Mother's Brief Affair. She won a Tony Award in 1987 for her performance in Broadway Bound.
