Gavin Creel: UK live stream of memorial celebration announced, West End to dim lights on 3 December [Updated]

A live-stream has been confirmed for the memorial celebration of Broadway and West End actor Gavin Creel, who died on 30 September 2024 in Manhattan, aged 48.

The memorial will take place at the St. James Theatre in New York City on Monday 2 December 2024 at 4pm local time (9pm in the UK).

The memorial celebration will be open to the public, with family and friends of the Broadway star honouring the Tony Award-winning actor at the event.

Performers taking part in the memorial are to be announced. To receive details about admittance to the celebration at the St. James Theatre in New York, please email your name and contact information to this address.

Gavin Creel died from metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, which he was diagnosed in July 2024.

The family has requested that any gifts in Gavin Creel’s memory be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The Society of London Theatre has also confirmed that four London theatres will dim their lights in Gavin Creel’s honour on Tuesday 3 December 2024 at 7pm, the same day that Broadway will also dim its lights.

Four West End theatres where Gavin performed will dim their lights: the Prince of Wales Theatre, Prince Edward Theatre, Gielgud Theatre, and Adelphi Theatre. See below for more.

Gavin Creel Memorial Service – Live Streams

The memorial will also be live-streamed in the US and the UK, although will not be available to watch as view on-demand after the memorial.

UK live stream

The Society of London Theatre is streaming the event on their YouTube channel on 2 December, at 9pm UK time.

US live stream

In the US, MCC Theater will stream on their YouTube channel at 4pm EST.

Gavin Creel – Dimming Broadway’s lights

The time and date has been set for Broadway to dim its lights in honour of Gavin Creel. The marquee of every Broadway theatre will dim its lights on Tuesday 3 December 2024, at 6.45pm, to remember Gavin Creel.

The Society of London Theatre has also said it will dim the lights of London’s theatres, in co-ordination with Broadway – see below.

Last month, the Broadway Theatre Owners Committee confirmed that it would be dimming all Broadway theatre lights in tribute to Creel.

The decision to dim all Broadway lights was made by the Committee, which comprises of representatives from major Broadway theatre owners, including Nederlander, Shubert, ATG Entertainment, Disney, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theater Company, Second Stage Theatre, and Circle In The Square.

Previously, it had been announced that only one theatre from every theatre owner on Broadway was to dim their lights, including the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, Circle in the Square, Helen Hayes, Marquis, New Amsterdam, Samuel J. Friedman, Shubert, Stephen Sondheim, St. James, Studio 54, Todd Haimes, and Vivian Beaumont theatres. The Al Hirschfeld Theatre also planned to dim its lights.

However, a vocal campaign followed, canvassing the League to reconsider, and to honour Creel with a full Broadway dimming. The Broadway Theatre Owners Committee has now said that it is reviewing their current dimming policy and procedures.

The Broadway League has traditionally announced to the press the dimming of the lights on behalf of the Broadway Theatre Owners Committee. However, future Broadway Theatre Owners Committee announcements about dimming the light will now be made by an external PR agency.

Jason Laks, Interim President of The Broadway League, said in a statement back in October: “It is hard to fathom the loss of Gavin Creel. Not only was he an actor of the highest caliber, but he was also a committed activist and champion for so many causes both within and outside of our industry. Gavin gave of his whole self to our community, both in his performances and his charitable work. The Broadway community is lucky to have known him both as an actor and an individual, and to have benefited from the joy that he brought into so many people’s lives.”

In Toronto, the marquee lights of the Royal Alexandra and Princess of Wales Theatres were dimmed on 2 October 2024, at 8 pm Eastern time, in memory of Gavin Creel. Gavin made his national tour debut at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Fame and returned in The Book of Mormon after winning an Olivier Award.

Dimming the West End’s lights for Gavin Creel

In London, the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), the trade body for London’s West End Theatres, initially put out a statement on 4 October 2024 saying that, “Sadly, it is not possible to dim the lights for all the brilliant people that have performed in the West End. Gavin will be remembered at the Olivier Awards in April. We share your admiration for his work as he was a truly wonderful actor and lovely human being.”

The statement was made via a tweet on X.com responding to a question from a theatre critic and blogger.

However, The Stage then reported that SOLT had backtracked due to pressure from theatre owners, producers, and theatregoers, and that the West End theatres that Gavin performed in – the Adelphi Theatre (where he starred in Waitress), the Prince of Wales Theatre (The Book of Mormon), the Prince Edward Theatre (Mary Poppins) and the Gielgud Theatre (Hair) will all dim their lights.

The Society of London Theatre confirmed on 25 November that the four West End theatres will dim their lights in Gavin Creel’s honour on Tuesday 3 December 2024 at 7pm, the same day that Broadway will also dim its lights.

Maggie Smith & Adrian Bailey: Broadway lights

Recently, Broadway has dimmed its lights for British stage and screen legend Dame Maggie Smith. The lights were dimmed last week, on 7 November 2024 in New York. Read more here.

Broadway also recently dimmed its lights for actor Adrian Bailey on 17 October 2024; Bailey died on 22 September 22 aged of 67 following a fall at his home.

Candlelit vigil for Gavin Creel in London

On Sunday, 6 October 2024, a candlelit vigil to commemorate the life of Gavin Creel took place in London, at the Actors’ Church in Covent Garden.

Actor Marisha Wallace said in a statement on social media ahead of the event that, “London was Gavin’s second home and he did four shows in the West End. Book of Mormon, Hair, Waitress and Mary Poppins. We will get together and share our beautiful memories of our friend. Fellow castmates, crew, friends and fans please come.”

Gavin’s extensive Broadway and West End credits included Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hair, Into the Woods, a Tony-winning performance in Hello, Dolly, and an Olivier Award-winning performance in The Book of Mormon in London.

There has been an outpouring of tributes from former colleagues, friends, family and fans since the tragic news about his death.

Cameron Mackintosh, who produced Creel in Hair and Mary Poppins, and who owns the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward and Gielgud Theatres, and Sonia Friedman, who produced Creel in The Book of Mormon, both made heartfelt tributes about Gavin Creel.

The family has requested that any gifts in Gavin Creel’s memory be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

UPDATES: First published 2 October 2024 with news of the Actors’ Church vigil for Gavin Creel and Toronto theatres dimming their lights; Updated 4 October 2024 2.19pm with news from SOLT; Updated 4 October 2024 4.53pm with news from Broadway; Updated 4 October 2024 6.01pm with news of London theatres dimming lights; Updated 7 October 2024 with Al Hirschfeld Theatre added to the list of Broadway theatres; Updated 9 October 2024 with news that all Broadway theatres will dim their lights; Updated 5 November 2024 with news of a public memorial service for Gavin Creel, and also amendments to who announced the dimming of the lights; Updated 11 November 2024 with a date for Broadway’s dimming of the lights; Updated 26 November 2024 with news of the live stream of Gavin’s memorial service

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Main photo: Gavin Creel. Photo by Matt Murphy