Broadway To Dim Lights At Select Theaters For Gavin Creel While Petitioners Call For Full Tribute – Update
Select Broadway theaters will dim their lights for the late Gavin Creel at a date and time being coordinated with his family, the Broadway League said today.
Creel’s death from a rare and aggressive cancer at age 48 on September 30 has prompted a massive and continuing outpouring on social media of love and heartbreak from the Broadway community. The death of the immensely popular musical theater actor caught many colleagues and fans by surprise, and has left the industry reeling.
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Within hours of the League’s announcement, distraught fans weighed in on social media demanding a full, rather than partial, dimming of lights. A Change.org petition started by Time Out New York theater critic Adam Feldman was gaining momentum with thousands of signees just a few hours after its posting.
Once a date for the light-dimming has been determined, one theater from every theater owner on Broadway will participate in the traditional tribute, with 12 venues to include the Circle in the Square, Helen Hayes, Marquis, New Amsterdam, Samuel J. Friedman, Shubert, Stephen Sondheim, St. James, Studio 54, Todd Haimes, Vivian Beaumont and Eugene O’Neill theaters. (The latter venue, where Creel appeared in The Book of Mormon, was inadvertently left off the League’s initial announcement; “We are devastated by the loss of Gavin…,” the Book of Mormon said in a statement announcing its involvement in the dimming tribute.)
In its announcement today, The League did not indicate why a partial, rather than full, dimming is being planned.
“It is hard to fathom the loss of Gavin Creel,” said Jason Laks, Interim President of The Broadway League, in the announcement. “Not only was he an actor of the highest caliber, but he was also a committed activist and champion for so many causes both within and outside of our industry. Gavin gave of his whole self to our community, both in his performances and his charitable work. The Broadway community is lucky to have known him both as an actor and an individual, and to have benefited from the joy that he brought into so many people’s lives.”
Creel had undergone treatment at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering for metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma after being diagnosed in July. After his treatment at the hospital, he transitioned to hospice care at his home.
The League’s Committee of Theatre Owners determines the specific plans for the light dimming tributes. While the committee deliberations are not made public, the number of Broadway venues participating in light dimmings is generally viewed as reflecting the honoree’s influence, career span and even how recent a Broadway career has been.
This past March, the committee amended its previous decision regarding the actor Hinton Battle, expanding the number of marquee dimmings from select Broadway theaters to all 41 Broadway theaters. The initial decision to include only select theaters drew considerable backlash particularly from Battle’s fans and the theater community’s members of color.
Earlier this week, the League announced that select theaters would dim their lights on October 17 for the actor Adrian Bailey, who died September 22. Bailey, who appeared in 15 Broadway productions, retired from performing in 2008 following a devastating onstage accident.
Deadline has reached out to the League regarding the partial dimming plans for Creel and Bailey.
The League’s announcement comes hours after the Society of London Theatre confirmed that West End theaters would not dim their lights for Creel, who won a 2014 Olivier Award for his performance in The Book of Mormon. In a response to a query on X, the Society responded, “Sadly, it is not possible to dim the lights for all the brilliant people that have performed in the West End. Gavin will be remembered at the Olivier Awards in April. We share your admiration for his work as he was a truly wonderful actor and lovely human being.”
An Ohio native and graduate of the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Creel’s professional stage career began in 1998 when he performed in the national tour of Fame. In 2002 he made his debut on a Broadway stage at the Marquis Theatre when he originated the role of Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which he received his first Tony Award nomination.
In all, Creel appeared in 11 Broadway and touring Broadway productions, starring in several revivals of acclaimed musicals including from his Tony-nominated portrayal of Claude in Hair, his memorable turn as Steven Kodaly in She Loves Me, and his Tony-winning performance as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly!
Most recently, he performed in the wildly popular 2022 Broadway revival of Into The Woods, appearing in the dual roles of the Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince.
Other Broadway credits include La Cage aux Folles; The Book of Mormon and Waitress. Touring credits include Fame, The Book of Mormon and Into the Woods.
Creel also made significant contributions to the Broadway community through his charitable work and efforts as an activist. He co-founded the grassroots organization Broadway Impact, which focuses on amplifying support of marriage equality. In addition to his work with Broadway Impact, Creel was heavily involved with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Just one example of how Creel touched the lives of fans and colleagues alike:
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