In January 1986, Mr. Bennett withdrew from ''Chess,'' giving the first public indication that he was ill. During the next year and a half, he withheld the nature of his illness from all but his closest associates, telling others that he had a heart ailment. Its headline: Michael Bennett, Theatre Innovator, Dies at 44. I had heard through the grapevine that he was dying, but nothing prepared me for seeing the finality of it in print. Well, no more Lubitsch, said Wilder. After earning a bachelors degree in biology from the University of Missouri in Columbia, he received his medical degree from its medical school. Michael has built a reputation of taking on Washington dysfunction and working with Republicans and . Backstage With 'Dreamgirls'. Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Bennett and lyricist Ed Kleban are portrayed in this partly fictionalized life story of Kleban, using some of Kleban's unpublished songs. It also changed Bennett immeasurably, and not for the better. The show won nine Tony Awards, including best direction and choreography for Mr. Bennett and best musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize, which Mr. Bennett shared, and the New York Drama Critics Circle award. It was heightened reality. Many Broadway houses were dark when it literally lit up West 44th Street (and the rest of the theatre district, too), becoming the Shuberts then-unheard of sole tenant for fifteen years. He was hurt pretty badly, and during that stay in the hospital he decided he wanted to be a doctor, Ms. Bennett said by phone. Funeral arrangement under the care ofRochester Cremation. Its headline: "Michael Bennett, Theatre Innovator, Dies at 44." I had heard through the grapevine that he was dying, but nothing prepared me for seeing the finality of it in print. Michael Bennett's passing on Friday, March 10, 2023 has been publicly announced by Brewer Funeral Home, Inc. - Lake Luzerne in Lake Luzerne, NY. Miss McKechnie returned several times to the Broadway cast. His beginnings as a dancer were most strongly reflected in A Chorus Line, which was made for and about dancers. His commercial luck changed with Neil Simon's ''Promises, Promises,'' a musical based on Billy Wilder's film ''The Apartment.'' It won nine Tony Awards and the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. As stated in the obit: From the 1966 A Joyful Noise through the December 1981 opening of Dreamgirls, he received Tony Award nominations for every musical with which he was associated, and won seven, an extraordinary statistic. Family and friends are welcome to send flowers or leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. He intended the number to be not about the routine, but rather the characters behind it. All his male collaborators mentioned above took home Tonys for Company, but not Bennett, whose crafty stylings were a bit too subtle for the average theatregoer. Published by Rochester Cremation - Greece on Mar. Updates? Bennett died from AIDS-related lymphoma at the age of 44. When Prince offered Bennett a co-directing credit on Follies, the results elevated him to an equal footing with a master. He quit school at sixteen when he was cast as Baby John in a tour of West Side Story across the U.S. and Europe. You have funeral questions, we have answers. As stated in the obit: From the 1966 A Joyful Noise through the December 1981 opening of Dreamgirls, he received Tony Award nominations for every musical with which he was associated, and won seven.. He married Judith Ann Schaefer. Wayne Art Center's Summer Art Camp - Watch Your Child's Art Come Alive & Thrive! In 1986, he was forced to sell it for $15 million due to stress-induced angina and the financial losses of the property. And to be built up as high as I was with 'Chorus Line,' and then to do 'Ballroom.' Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. I remember the day I met Michael in gym class in elementary school. He will be remembered as a prominent businessman,. It also changed Bennett immeasurably, and not for the better. Reflecting on that experience recently, and on the demise of the workshop system he had created, he said his own celebrity had partly sabotaged the privileged workshop setting. Upper Darby Police Tuesday night said they. [2][3] He studied dance and choreography in his teens and staged a number of shows in his local high school - Bennett High School in Buffalo, NY (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennett_High_School_(Buffalo,_New_York)) - before dropping out to accept the role of Baby John in the US and European tours of West Side Story. It was an emotional tribute to an artist who, through such shows as ''Company,'' ''Follies,'' ''Dreamgirls'' and ''A Chorus Line,'' left an indelible imprint on the comtemporary Broadway musical. [33] [34] Bennett's memorial service took place at the Shubert Theatre in New York City (the home at that time of A Chorus Line) on September 29, 1987. Then in 1985, he unexpectedly pulled the plug on an original musical titled Scandal that he had been workshopping for four years. Grandparents Timothy & Anna Weeks & Robin DeJesus, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins & friends. He married Judith Ann Schaefer. At eighteen, he made his Broadway debut in the chorus of Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Greens Subways Are for Sleeping (1961). Born October 4, 1947, in Monmouth, Illinois, Michael was the son of Frank and Evelyn Parrish Bennett. It puts to mind what was said between Billy Wilder and William Wyler upon leaving the funeral of their friend, the esteemed writer-director Ernst Lubitsch. Since the start of the pandemic, Dade County, Mo., where Greenfield is situated, has recorded 723 positive tests and 31 deaths, most of the fatalities nursing home residents, according to Pamela Cramer, the administrator of the county health department. "[24], Bennett was gay,[25] though he was romantically linked to a number of women. Michael Bennett, 44, creator of the musical ''A Chorus Line,'' died Thursday of an AIDS-related cancer in his home in Tucson. He had given. The British Library, London. '', Mr. Bennett's talent emerged in the 1970's, first in his collaborations with Hal Prince and then on his own as director, choreographer and producer. He most recently worked for Area Fabricators in Coatsburg until his passing. Michael Keith Bennett was born on Feb. 15, 1969, in New London, Mo., in the northeast part of the state. [14], He always collaborated with his assistant Bob Avian, who was a lifelong friend. The song also featured Margo Sappington, who would later choreograph the nude revue Oh! Still, he took over the troubled Seesaw, an ailing musical in its 1973 try out, and managed the rare feat of successfully overhauling it (firing so many people in the process, that those left standing felt like wounded war vets). It was devastating. Just before he was to have been graduated from Buffalo's Hutchison Central High School for Boys, he joined a company of ''West Side Story'' directed by Jerome Robbins (who had staged the Broadway production) and spent a year in Europe with the show. So he buckled down and launched something he would eventually have to call his own (much to his collaborators anger and confusion). ''. Mr. Bennett's debut as sole choreographer was ''A Joyful Noise,'' which opened Dec. 15, 1966, at the Mark Hellinger and closed after 12 performances. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Published on Wed, 08/25/2021 - 12:00am. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Bennett, Masterworks Broadway - Biography of Michael Bennett, Michael Bennett - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). this is not Sappington on the right, but her understudy Julane Stites). See the article in its original context from. Michael was such a great friend to our son Kyle and we have such wonderful memories. https://FamilySearch.org : 18 July 2022. Burial with military honors will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Camp Point. Contributions to the Theater. She survives. The $5,000 reward has now been increased to $10,000 for information. '' The show earned him his fifth Tony nomination. Michael believed in. They energized the action, driving it forcefully along. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. No more Lubitsch pictures.. Also, I dare you to try watching the clip again and NOT watch Donna McKechnie. He won seven Tony Awards for his choreography and direction of Broadway shows and was nominated for an additional eleven. He was 44 years old and had been suffering from lymphoma, a form of cancer, as a result of AIDS, his attorney, John Breglio, said yesterday. Also, please follow me here on Medium and feel free to email me with comments or questions at Ron@ronfassler.org. His death leaves only one family physician in Greenfield, Mo. [12] Bennett had another hit in 1981 with Dreamgirls, a backstage epic about a girl group like The Supremes and the expropriation of black music by a white recording industry. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. The final number, ''One,'' became Mr. Bennett's signature: a company of disparate individuals emerged a triumphant whole - the ''singular sensation'' of a glittering chorus line with top hats and canes. I am so sorry - I am sending you my most sincere thoughts and prayers . The show proved to be a major disappointment, failing to win critical or popular acclaim (though he and Mr. Avian won Tony Awards for the choreography). Since the start of the pandemic, Dade County, Mo., where Greenfield is situated, has recorded 723 positive. He was a graduate of. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. So now we'll find another.'' Memorial contributions may be made to Central Adams Fire Protection District. While such moments are uncommonly rare these days, I'm here to report that one popped up at the Imperial last night. His paranoia grew as his dependency did. I attended its opening night and found it charming, dynamic and even a bit thrilling, but the critics had their knives out and literally killed it. Mr. Bennett had become involved with the show through the Shubert Organization and its president, Mr. Jacobs, to whom he had been close since the early 1970's. [16] The show was sexually daring, but the conservative climate and the growing AIDS panic made it unlikely commercial material. [8] Bennett was invited to the sessions originally as an observer but soon took charge. Tune. Ways to honor Michael Bennett's life and legacy. No more Lubitsch pictures., When I opened up the New York Times on the morning of July 3, 1987, Bennetts obit was on the front page. I will always remember all the video games we played. [27] In the late 1970s, Sabine Cassel, the then-wife of French actor Jean-Pierre Cassel. This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Ballroom, Bennetts next musical was in the unenviable position of having to follow A Chorus Line, so it almost had to fail (and it didnt help that it was relatively understated). Much more. Bennett's next musical was a project about late-life romance called Ballroom. 1970 brought Company, where Bennett was able to work with collaborators who, like him, were at the top of their game: Stephen Sondheim, George Furth, Harold Prince and Boris Aronson. He later claimed that the worldwide success of A Chorus Line became a hindrance, as the many international companies of the musical demanded his full-time attention. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. 3rd National Fentanyl Rally & Illicit Drug Campaign - Everyone Welcome, Orchestra Concordia Free Community Concert. ''Follies'' ran for over a year and cultivated a strong following; nonetheless, it was a commercial failure. Author, playwright, director, actor, theatre critic and historian, his book, Up in the Cheap Seats, is available at Amazon.com. 1118 Long Pond Rd, Rochester, NY 14626. Recently, we had a lot of fun times playing laser tag. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. His death was a blow, not only because he was so damn young, but for how it effected those who loved his work so much. 8 Apr, 2023. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. It was also the occasion for his first work with Donna McKechnie, a dancer he would later call ''my favorite instrument,'' and to whom he would be briefly married. Harry Belafonte, the dashing singer, actor and activist who became an indispensable supporter of the civil rights movement, has died, his publicist Ken Sunshine told CNN. Michael Bennett committed suicide in the jail last year after expressing suicidal thoughts to deputies. Well, it's very interesting when you fall off that pedestal.'' Such a kind soul. It is sad to see him go and I will get to see him again someday. ''Henry, Sweet Henry,'' a musical based on the film ''The World of Henry Orient,'' opened Oct. 23, 1967, and also was a failure, but it earned Mr. Bennett his second Tony nomination. He took over Seesaw, an ailing musical while in its 1973 try out, and managed the rare feat of successfully overhauling it (firing so many people in the process, that those left standing felt like wounded war vets). Upper Darby Police Tuesday night said they found a person of interest in the case, but did not say if he was in custody or charged. ''I never got the pleasure working on a show that I had in 'Chorus Line,' '' he told The Times. The various phases of construction/rehearsal of the number are shown, and because the show is about professional dancers, the last performance of the song-and-dance routine has all the gloss and polish expected of Broadway production values. Michael Bennett, Small-Town Doctor Who Pushed for Masks, Dies at 52, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/obituaries/michael-bennett-dead-covid.html. He was also cherished by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins & friends. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. Tune's production of the Gershwin musical ''My One and Only'' and James Lapine's production of Mr. Sondheim's ''Sunday in the Park With George,'' among others. With a contemporary pop score by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, a wisecracking book by Neil Simon and Bennett's well-received production numbers, including "Turkey Lurkey Time", the show ran for 1,281 performances. The 2008 feature-length documentary Every Little Step chronicles the casting process of the musical's 2006 revival, with re-created choreography by Bennett's long-time associate Baayork Lee, and, in the course of the film, the saga of the original production is re-told as well, through the use of old film clips and revealing interviews from the original collaborators, including Lee, Bob Avian (who was the show's original co-choreographer with Bennett and the director of the revival), composer Marvin Hamlisch and the original's leading lady, Donna McKechnie.
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