A memorial tribute to the late Broadway star Gavin Creel is set to take place next Monday at the St. James Theatre, where he famously starred in “Into the Woods.” The event will be livestreamed online for viewers in the U.S. and U.K. to honor the beloved actor, who passed away on September 30 at the age of 48.
The livestream will be hosted by MCC Theater on its YouTube channel for U.S. viewers at 4 p.m. EST (9 p.m. GMT) and by The Society of London Theatre on its YouTube channel for U.K. viewers at the same time. Fans interested in attending the event in person were asked to email their name and contact information to [email protected].
It is important to note that the memorial will not be available for on-demand viewing once it concludes, so viewers are encouraged to tune in live to pay their respects to Creel.
In addition to the memorial tribute, Broadway will also pay homage to Creel by dimming all of its marquees on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:45 p.m. EST. This decision comes after initial plans for only a partial dimming were met with criticism from fans of the Tony Award-winning actor.
Gavin Creel was a highly respected figure in the Broadway community, having won a Tony Award for his role in “Hello, Dolly!” alongside Bette Midler. He also received nominations for his performances in “Hair” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” as well as winning an Olivier Award for his work in “The Book of Mormon.”
Creel's passing has brought attention to the tradition of dimming marquee lights in honor of deceased theater figures. While major figures typically receive a full dimming of all Broadway theaters, lesser-known individuals may only have partial dimming.
Following Creel's death, the Committee of Theatre Owners initially decided that one theater from each owner would dim their lights in his memory. However, after an online petition garnered over 23,000 signatures demanding full participation, it was ultimately decided that all 41 theaters would honor Creel with a full dimming of their marquee lights.
