Broadway Star Gavin Creel Passes Away at 48

Published: 30 September 2024 at 21:31

Entertainment

Gavin Creel, a Tony-winning Broadway actor known for roles in Hello, Dolly!, Waitress, and The Book of Mormon, died at 48 in his Manhattan home after battling a rare sarcoma. He was recognized for his performances in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hair, and Hello, Dolly!, the latter earning him his first Tony Award in 2017. Creel was a champion for community-building and advocacy while attending the University of Michigan. His passing was confirmed by his partner and representative.

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Gavin Creel (Wikipedia)

Gavin James Creel (April 18, 1976 – September 30, 2024) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Creel made his Broadway debut in 2002 in the leading role of Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie before starring as Claude in the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair, both Tony Award-nominated performances. From 2012 to 2015, he starred as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon; he received a Laurence Olivier Award for originating the role in the West End version of the musical and has played the role in the US National Tour and on Broadway. In 2017, he received a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Broadway's Hello, Dolly!.Other stage credits of his include La Cage aux Folles (2004), She Loves Me (2016), Waitress (2019), and Into the Woods (2022) on Broadway, Mary Poppins (2006) and Waitress (2020) in the West End, and the national tours of Fame (1998) and Into the Woods (2023). Primarily a theater actor, his most notable screen acting role is as Bill in Eloise at the Plaza and its Christmas-themed sequel.

Tony Shalhoub (Wikipedia)

Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( shəl-HOOB; born October 9, 1953) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Antonio Scarpacci on the sitcom Wings from 1991 to 1997. He later starred as Adrian Monk in the USA Network series Monk from 2002 to 2009, winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. For his supporting role as Abe Weissman on Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.Shalhoub has had a successful film career, with roles in films such as Quick Change (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Big Night (1996), Men in Black (1997), Gattaca (1997), Paulie (1998), The Siege (1998), Galaxy Quest (1999), Spy Kids, Thirteen Ghosts, and The Man Who Wasn't There (all 2001). He has also provided voice work for the Cars franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016). For his work on Broadway, Shalhoub won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Tewfiq Zakaria in The Band's Visit in 2018. Other Tony-nominated roles were in Conversations with My Father in 1992, Golden Boy in 2013, and Act One in 2014.

71st Tony Awards (Wikipedia)

The 71st Annual Tony Awards were held on June 11, 2017, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2016–17 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and was broadcast live by CBS. Kevin Spacey served as host.The musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 led the nominations with 12, while the play with the most nominations was A Doll's House, Part 2, with eight. At the ceremony, Dear Evan Hansen won six awards, including Best Musical, becoming the production with the most wins of the season. 23-year-old Ben Platt, who played the title character, became the youngest solo winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. 21-year-old Eva Noblezada received her first nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her Broadway debut as Kim in Miss Saigon, becoming one of the youngest nominees in Best Actress in a Musical category. The Bette Midler-led revival of Hello, Dolly! won four awards, and The Great Comet won two. The productions of plays Indecent, The Little Foxes, and Oslo each won two awards.The ceremony received mixed reviews, with many criticizing the performance of Spacey as host. Due to the sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey, the producers announced that it would not be submitted for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards. However, the show did receive a nomination for Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special.

Hello, Dolly! (musical) (Wikipedia)

Hello, Dolly! is a 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1954. The musical follows the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker, as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder.Hello, Dolly! debuted at the Fisher Theater in Detroit on November 18, 1963, directed and choreographed by Gower Champion and produced by David Merrick. It starred stage performer Carol Channing as Dolly Gallagher Levi, a role theatrical audiences of the world would forever associate with her. The show moved to Broadway in 1964, winning 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Channing. The awards earned set a record which the play held for 37 years. The show album Hello, Dolly! An Original Cast Recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. The album reached number one on the Billboard album chart on June 6, 1964, and was replaced the next week by Louis Armstrong's album Hello, Dolly! Louis Armstrong also was featured in the film version of the show, performing a small part of the song "Hello, Dolly!".The show has become one of the most enduring musical theater hits, with four Broadway revivals and international success. It was also made into the 1969 film Hello Dolly! by 20th Century Fox, which won three Academy Awards, including Best Score of a Musical Picture and was nominated in four other categories, including Best Picture at the 42nd Academy Awards.

Imelda Staunton Shines in the Revived Musical Hello, Dolly! at the London Palladium

Imelda Staunton stars as Dolly Levi in a revival of Jerry Herman's 1964 musical, Hello, Dolly!, at London's Palladium. The production, directed by Dominic Cooke, showcases a heartwarming blend of comedy and romance, with Staunton delivering a powerful performance. The story, centered around midlife bereavement and renewed love, features a colorful cast navigating social dynamics in 1890s New York. The show successfully balances humor and emotional depth, featuring notable musical numbers and charming choreography, though some scenic designs feel sparse.