Memorial for gay Broadway star Gavin Creel to be live-streamed in UK and US

A memorial service for the late gay Broadway star Gavin Creel is set to be live-streamed in the UK and the US. 

The world of musical theatre is grieving after the loss of the American Horror Stories actor, who died on 30 September after being diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer. 

He was diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, in July, and his death was announced by his partner, Alex Temple Ward, through a publicist. Creel was 48.

The actor’s loved ones announced a memorial for the star on 2 December at the St. James Theatre, New York City. The event will start at 4 p.m. Eastern Time and is open to the public. There is a capacity of 1500 attendees at the event.

For those unable to make the memorial service in person, MCC Theater will live stream the service on its YouTube channel for fans based in the US. The group presented Creel’s original musical Walk On Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice at the Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater from November 2023 to January 2024. 

In the UK, the Society of London Theatre will livestream the event on its own YouTube channel. Note that the celebration of Creel’s life will not be available to view following the event. 

In another tribute to Creel’s legacy, Broadway will dim its lights on 3 December, the day following his memorial at 6.45 p.m. Meanwhile, MCC Theater will also dim its lights at the same date and time.

The Broadway League planned only a partial dimming of the lights for Creel, but fellow performers like Rachel Zegler, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Audra McDonald, and others protested the decision. 

Time Out New York theatre critic Adam Feldman launched a Change.org petition in light of the initial announcement, which garnered more than 23,000 signatures. The Committee reversed its decision on 9 October, announcing that a full tribute would be planned.

For details on admittance to the celebration for Gavin Creel at the St. James Theatre, attendees are asked to email their name and contact details to [email protected]. Those wishing to donate in his memory are suggested to give to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. 

If this story has affected you, call the National Bereavement Service on 0800 0246 121 in the UK, or 0191 656 3201 for international callers. Advisors are available Monday-Friday 9 am-6 pm and Saturday 10 am-2 pm.