All stories by Richard Sandomir on BroadwayStars

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Nathan Louis Jackson, Writer for the Theater and TV, Dies at 44 by Richard Sandomir

He wrote plays that tackled big issues like the death penalty and gun violence. He also wrote for series including the superhero saga “Luke Cage.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:55PM
Friday, July 28, 2023

Pamela Blair, an Original ‘Chorus Line’ Cast Member, Dies at 73 by Richard Sandomir

As Val, one of the dancers in the hit Broadway musical, she sang a memorable song explaining how she got work by enhancing her body through cosmetic surgery.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:04PM
Thursday, July 6, 2023

Jack Goldstein, a Savior of Broadway Theaters, Dies at 74 by Richard Sandomir

He helped secure landmark status for more than two dozen theaters in the 1980s, then initiated the design competition that led to a new TKTS booth.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:55PM
Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Robin Wagner, Set Designer Who Won Three Tony Awards, Dies at 89 by Richard Sandomir

He created sets for more than 50 of Broadway’s most celebrated productions, including “Hair,” “A Chorus Line,” “On the Twentieth Century” and “The Producers.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:02PM
Sunday, May 7, 2023

Adam Brace, Director of Ambitious One-Person Shows, Dies at 43 by Richard Sandomir

He worked with stand-up comedians to develop shows — one of which is headed for Broadway — that were more than just collections of jokes.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:36PM
Thursday, January 19, 2023

Arthur Duncan, Barrier-Breaking Tap Dancer, Is Dead at 97 by Richard Sandomir

One of the first Black regulars on a TV variety show, he brought tap to millions of viewers on “The Lawrence Welk Show” after Betty White gave him his first big break.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:49PM
Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Robert LuPone, Actor Who Became a Behind-the-Scenes Force, Dies at 76 by Richard Sandomir

After playing a critical Broadway role in “A Chorus Line,” he helped start the vibrant Off Broadway MCC Theater. TV watchers knew him from “The Sopranos” and “Law and Order.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:43PM
Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Chase Mishkin, Tony-Winning Producer of ‘Dame Edna,’ Dies at 85 by Richard Sandomir

She was nearly 60 when she began producing shows on Broadway. In 19 years, she had a hand (and her money) in 30 plays and musicals.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:18PM
Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Shauneille Perry Ryder, Pioneering Theater Director, Dies at 92 by Richard Sandomir

As a Black woman, she blazed a path Off Broadway with an intuitive grasp of “how a story should be told, particularly a Black story,” Giancarlo Esposito said.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:54PM
Monday, May 2, 2022

David Birney, Who Starred in TV’s ‘Bridget Loves Bernie,’ Dies at 83 by Richard Sandomir

The sitcom, about an interfaith marriage, drew criticism from Jewish groups and was canceled after one season. He fared better onstage than in television.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:18PM
Friday, April 8, 2022

Rae Allen, Tony Winner and TV Mainstay, Dies at 95 by Richard Sandomir

In a varied career, she had memorable roles in “Damn Yankees” and on “Seinfeld” and was nominated for three Tonys. She later became a director.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:54PM
Saturday, March 5, 2022

Tony Walton, Award-Winning Stage and Screen Designer, Dies at 87 by Richard Sandomir

He worked with the directors Mike Nichols, Bob Fosse and Jerry Zaks, winning three Tony Awards and an Oscar for “All That Jazz.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:33PM
Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Micki Grant, Groundbreaking Broadway Composer, Dies at 92 by Richard Sandomir

With “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope,” she became the first woman to write the book, music and lyrics of a Broadway musical.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:32PM
Monday, July 26, 2021

Elliot Lawrence, Award-Winning Conductor, Dies at 96 by Richard Sandomir

He led a big band, conducted on Broadway, collected Emmys and for nearly 50 years led the orchestra on the annual Tony Awards broadcast.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:06PM
Thursday, April 29, 2021

Anthony Powell, Oscar-Winning Costume Designer, Dies at 85 by Richard Sandomir

He was honored for “Travels With My Aunt,” “Death on the Nile” and “Tess.” He was also renowned for the outlandish outfits he created for Glenn Close as the evil Cruella de Vil.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:42PM
Thursday, February 25, 2021

Florence Birdwell, Singing Teacher to Broadway Stars, Dies at 96 by Richard Sandomir

She was a tough yet empathetic voice professor at Oklahoma City University for 67 years. Two of her students, Kelli O’Hara and Kristin Chenoweth, won Tony Awards.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 03:18PM
Friday, August 14, 2020

Billy Goldenberg, TV, Movie and Stage Composer, Dies at 84 by Richard Sandomir

He worked with Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley, wrote the theme music to many familiar series and accompanied Nichols and May and Bea Arthur on Broadway.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 07:48PM
Friday, May 1, 2020

Zev Buffman, 89, Prolific Producer From Broadway to Florida, Dies by Richard Sandomir

In his long career, he persuaded Elizabeth Taylor to make her Broadway debut in “The Little Foxes” and produced a memorable flop starring Muhammad Ali.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 05:32PM
Thursday, December 12, 2019

William Luce, Playwright, Dies at 88; Wrote ‘Belle of Amherst’ by Richard Sandomir

He specialized in one-character dramas, portraying luminaries like Emily Dickinson, John Barrymore, Lillian Hellman, Zelda Fitzgerald and Isak Dinesen.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:18PM
Monday, July 8, 2019

Martin Charnin, Who Helped Create ‘Annie,’ Dies at 84 by Richard Sandomir

He turned the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie” into a long-running Broadway musical and wrote the memorable lyrics to a score that included “Tomorrow.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 10:03PM
Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Roger Hirson, Who Wrote the Book for ‘Pippin,’ Dies at 93 by Richard Sandomir

For more than a decade, Mr. Hirson was known for writing for television, but meeting the composer Stephen Schwartz led to the hit musical “Pippin.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:48PM
Friday, May 3, 2019

David Winters, Energetic Dancer Turned Choreographer, Dies at 80 by Richard Sandomir

Inspired by Jerome Robbins, who cast him in the stage and film versions of “West Side Story,” he went on to create dances for Ann-Margret and others.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:24PM
Friday, March 22, 2019

Maya Turovskaya, Russian Critic and Documentarian, Dies at 94 by Richard Sandomir

Called “the Susan Sontag of Soviet aesthetic thought,” she wrote about film and theater and helped make a film that drew parallels between Nazism and Stalin.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 06:36PM
Friday, January 11, 2019

Verna Bloom, 80, Amorous Dean’s Wife in ‘Animal House,’ Dies by Richard Sandomir

She was best known for wildly different roles, in a frat house comedy and in the 1960s drama “Medium Cool.” She was also in films by Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:32PM
Friday, December 21, 2018

Peter Masterson, 84, a ‘Best Little Whorehouse’ Creator, Is Dead by Richard Sandomir

Mr. Masterson helped turn a magazine article about a bordello into a hit Broadway musical. He later directed the movie “The Trip to Bountiful.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:32PM
Wednesday, December 19, 2018

David Shepherd, 94, Dies; Nurtured Improvisational Theater by Richard Sandomir

As a founder of the Compass Players in Chicago, he helped create the world of improvisational comedy that is best known in the work of Second City

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:54PM
Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Jerry Frankel, Prolific Broadway Producer, Is Dead at 88 by Richard Sandomir

Mr. Frankel, a former dress manufacturer, produced more than 50 plays and musicals with various partners and won nine Tony Awards.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 01:18PM
Friday, October 26, 2018

Cicely Berry, Who Taught Actors Shakespeare’s Sound, Is Dead at 92 by Richard Sandomir

Using unorthodox methods (walk around a room, speak it together), she helped actors find their voices by feeling the weight and rhythms of the words.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 02:18PM
Friday, September 14, 2018

Peter Donat, Actor Who Played a Panoply of Roles, Dead at 90 by Richard Sandomir

Mr. Donat acted often on the screen and had a recurring role on “The X Files.” But he said he was most gratified by theatrical work.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:18PM
Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Craig Zadan, 69, Dies; Produced Musicals for Stage, Screen and TV by Richard Sandomir

A showman who helped put “The Sound of Music” on television, “Chicago” on movie screens and “How to Succeed in Business” back on Broadway.

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:18PM
Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Barbara Harris, Stage, Screen and Improv Actress, Dies at 83 by Richard Sandomir

Ms. Harris got her start with the Second City and went on to win a Tony Award and to appear in films like “A Thousand Clowns” and “Nashville.”

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 08:18PM