Gavin Creel’s Beloved Al Hirschfeld Theatre Breaks Ranks To Join Broadway Light Dimming Tribute; Actors’ Equity Takes Stance On Growing Controversy

Greg Evans
·5 min read

The late Gavin Creel once expressed his love for a particular Broadway venue and the cast that had joined him there. “When I die, the Heavens will open and we’ll all go to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre – all the same people – and we’ll do [Hair] again,” the actor, who played Claude in the musical, said in an interview that has been widely shared on social media these last few days.

When the Broadway League announced Friday that only select theaters would take part in the tradition light dimming ceremony – 11, representing one venue from each theater owner – the Broadway community was both heartbroken and outraged that Creel wouldn’t be getting the full tribute with all venues taking part. The Eugene O’Neill Theatre, where Creel had starred in The Book of Mormon, later announced that it, too, would take part in the tribute (date still to be determined), and a Change.org petition started by Time Out New York theater critic Adam Feldman calling for the full, rather than partial, tribute quickly gained hundreds of signees, a tally that has grown in just a few days to more than 20,000.

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Now Creel’s beloved Hirschfeld has broken ranks with the League’s official roster by adding its participation in the tribute, a move that comes after numerous social media posters and Creel fans pointed out the actor’s special fondness for the venue where director Diane Paulus staged the Hair revival in 2009 (following a very successful run in Shakespeare in the Park).

The Hirschfeld, where Moulin Rouge! is currently playing, is the second venue not on the initial League list to, as one fan on social media put it, “go rogue” in joining the tribute, following the O’Neill (that venue said it was “inadvertently” left off the initial list.)

Today, the Hirschfeld and current tenant Moulin Rouge! posted the following statement on X:

“The Company of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and the Al Hirschfeld Theatre mourn the loss of Gavin Creel and will dim its marquee lights in his honor. His talent shone brightly and touched so many of us. We can still feel the love that Gavin and the company of Hair imbued into our theatre, and we honor the brilliant artists who played this space before us.”

The specific date of the marquee dimming tribute is being worked out by the League and Creel’s family members and friends.

Creel’s death from a rare and aggressive cancer at age 48 on September 30 immediately prompted a massive and continuing outpouring on social media of love and heartbreak from the Broadway community. The youthful death of the immensely popular musical theater actor caught many colleagues and fans by surprise. The numbers of posts and their depths of feeling continuing to pour onto social media remains astonishing.

Within hours of the League’s announcement of a partial tribute, distraught fans weighed in on social media demanding a full, rather than partial, dimming of lights.

And just yesterday, Actors’ Equity, the union representing stage actors and stage managers, weighed in, expressing concern “about the practice of dimming the lights of only a few theaters in memory of those we’ve lost. Everyone who receives the tribute deserves the full tribute.”

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 last 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.

Equity has reached out to the Broadway League to express its opinion on the matter.

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.

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