Saturday, November 16, 2024

Broadway League Says Lights Will Be Dimmed at All Theaters for Maggie Smith, Gavin Creel, Adrian Bailey

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After a contentious social media war, the Broadway League has capitulated.

They will dim the lights at all theaters for Maggie Smith. Gavin Creel, and Adrian Bailey. No word yet on Ken Page.

The League says it will now re-evaluate their entire light dimming policy.

The dimming became an issue when they said that only some theaters would acknowledge the death of Tony winner and popular performer Creel. Fans were incensed. It didn’t help that Creel, who died at 48 after a quick illness, had once said he always hoped to meet up in the after life with all his castmates of “Hair!” at the Al Hirschfeld Theater.

Now the dimming of the lights of Broadway theatres in honor of Adrian Bailey will take place on Thursday, October 17, 2024. The dimming of the lights for Gavin Creel will take place on a date and time to be determined with his family.

Of course, any Tony winner or nominee of substance should be memorialized this way. Dimming is a matter of flipping a light switch for a minute or two. It’s not tough to do. But it’s also an acknowledgement of the Broadway community at large, and what makes it unique.

Smith is an international superstar with a huge theater resume. She was nominated three times for Tonys, and won in 1990 for “Lettice and Lovage” (still one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen). Creel’s resume includes a recent Tony for “Hello, Dolly!” Bailey appeared in 15 Broadway shows and had a huge following.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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