New York — NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway musical veteran Gavin Creel, who won a Tony Award for “Hello, Dolly!” and was nominated for “Hair” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” died Monday of a rare and aggressive form of cancer. . He was 48 years old.
Publicist Matt Polk said Creel died at his home in Manhattan from metastatic melanoma peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma. I was diagnosed in July 2024.
Creel has been a talent in Golden Age Broadway revivals, but he also starred as Dr. in Sara Bareilles’ musical “Waitress” on Broadway in 2019 and in the West End in 2020. We also did modern performances such as the Pomatter station. He won the Olivier Award. “The Book of Mormon.”
Composer and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda recalled that Creel was his first king, George III, when the soon-to-be smash hit “Hamilton” was in workshop. -He has great charisma and talent and is loved by many, so it is inconceivable that he is no longer with us.”
Creel grew up in Findlay, Ohio, and graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music with a degree in theater. & dance. He toured and did regional work before landing his breakthrough role as Jimmy Smith, opposite then-fellow newcomer Sutton Foster, in the Broadway production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” He also appeared in Stephen Sondheim’s second musical, “Bounce,” directed by Hal Prince.
He played Jean-Michel in the 2004 revival of ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ and returned to Broadway as Claude Hooper Bukowski in the Public Theater’s 2009 revival of Hair.
Associated Press critic Michael Kuchwara praised: “Gavin Creel not only has a powerful voice, but he brings a kind-hearted poignancy to Claude, the most troubled member of the tribe. The person with the most backstory on the show is Claude. the growth of Queens’ traditional middle class; A complete fascination with all things British, expressed in the song “Manchester, England”; And an unsettling sense of duty that eventually leads him to be drafted and fight in the Vietnam War. Creel takes care of everything.”
He played Steven Kodaly in the 2016 Studio 54 production of “She Loves Me.” Next season, Creel will return to the 2017 blockbuster “Hello, Doll!” Directed by Jerry Jacks.
Creel became a leading voice within the theater industry by working to pass the federal Marriage Equality Act. He teamed up with friends Rory O’Malley and Jenny Kanelos to co-found the nonprofit organization Broadway Impact.
Off stage, he played the singing waiter Bill in the films “Eloise at the Plaza” and “Eloise at Christmastime” with Julie Andrews. In 2021, he was cast in Ryan Murphy’s miniseries ‘American Horror Story’ opposite Matt Bomer. His 2022 solo concert was filmed for the premiere episode of PBS’ “Stars Onstage at Westport Country Playhouse.”
In 2022, Creel was cast in the Off-Broadway concert production of Sondheim and James Lapine’s fragmented fairy tale musical ‘Into the Woods.’ Creel took on the roles of the Prince and the Wolf in Cinderella. The show later moved to Broadway, where it was extended several times and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
He is survived by his mother, Nancy Clemens Creel, and father, James William Creel. his sisters, Heather Elise Creel and Allyson Jo Creel; and his partner Alex Temple Ward.
