Playwright, lyricist, dancer, and director Joel Paley died suddenly January 11, at the age of 69. The news was first reported by the New York Times. Mr. Paley's death comes only six weeks after his collaborator and husband Marvin E. Laird's passing on December 2, 2024.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mr. Paley first met Mr. Laird in 1976 while dancing with the all-male parody dance troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The troupe, which was set to appear on Shirley MacLaine's television special Where Do We Go From Here?, crossed paths with Mr. Laird in his capacity as music director. It did not take long for the professional to veer into the personal, both in terms of their relationship and their creative collaborations.
During the rehearsal period, Mr. Paley showed Mr. Laird his personal pet project: a script adapting Maxwell Anderson's The Bad Seed into a musical. Only one problem? Mr. Paley didn't compose. Mr. Laird agreed to come on as composer, and what was initially titled Seedy soon transformed into the smash hit Off-Broadway dark comedy Ruthless!
The 1992 award-winning musical comedy famously spoofed Broadway musicals from Gypsy to Mame (as well as iconic films such as All About Eve) through its retelling of 8-year-old Tina Denmark, who will do anything to play the lead in her school play. The work's original Off-Broadway production famously counted then-youngsters Laura Bell Bundy, Britney Spears, and Natalie Portman in its company.
Mr. Paley served as the show's book writer, lyricist, and director, winning him the 1993 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics, with the production bringing home the 1993 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. Mr. Paley and Mr. Laird later collaborated on The Yiddish are Coming…! The Yiddish are Coming…!, which played regionally throughout North America.
In 2015, Ruthless! was revived Off-Broadway. At the revival's opening night, Mr. Paley proposed to Mr. Laird (after 38 years together), describing matrimony as the natural next step "now that our child is alive and well and kicking." The pair married November 1, 2015.
Outside of Ruthless!, Mr. Paley served as Bea Arthur's personal assistant, including a brief stint as choreographer for her television show Maude. He wrote nightclub acts for both Abbe Lane and Donna Pescow, directed sketch comedy show She TV, and directed numerous regional and road tour productions, including Barbara Eden and Rita McKenzie in an all-female tour of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple.
While Mr. Paley was predeceased by Mr. Laird, he is survived by his sisters, Barbara Paley Cohen and Sheryl Beegal. Information on a public memorial is forthcoming.