More Theater Monday - Gavin Greel

Mom - When I heard that Gavin Creel had died. it hit especially hard. Although I was not a friend or relative of his or someone who knew him really well or whom he knew at all, it only took one brief encounter at a stage door seven years ago more or less to see the kind of person he was and to know that he would always hold a special place in my heart. 

We were at the stage door of Hello Dolly. My daughter was about 12 years old. When Gavin approached us before my daughter even said a word, he smiled at her and said "I'm Gavin. What's your name?" It may not seem like much, but the way he said it was so kind and sincere that we just loved him from that moment on.

We jokingly started calling him "Best Friend Gavin Creel." Of course, I knew he probably wouldn't remember the encounter if we ever had a chance to speak with him again. However, that didn't matter because I knew in my gut if we did he would be just as warm, welcoming, and kind as the first time. 

Hearing all the heartfelt things people said about Gavin after he died just verified everything I knew to be true about him and the kind of person he was. Will Swenson, an actual friend of his who appeared with him in the revival of Hair, said that after Gavin died everyone he knew thought they had been his best friend. However, that feeling wasn't only reserved for those who actually knew him everyone who encountered him came away feeling as if he were their best friend even if the friendship only existed in their own head as writer, David Gordon, talked about in an article on Theatremania.

Gavin was beautifully memorialized at the St. James Theatre on December 2, 2024. There was lots of laughter and smiles along with plenty of tears. It started off with the sound of Gavin's voice singing "Put on Your Sunday Shoes" from Hello Dolly and ended with his Hair co-stars singing the show's finale alongside a recording of Gavin. Both were especially gut-wrenching. 

Between the two, his sisters and some of his closest friends including Celia Keenan-Bolger and Sara Bareilles shared reminisces about him and more. There were pictures from his life on and off stage. There was more music too from Broadway Inspirational Voices, Kelly O'Hara, and others. It was one of the honors of our lives for my daughter and I to attend this deeply touching tribute. 

Gavin was one of a kind in the best possible way. With his death, the world lost a kind heart, a bright light, and innumerable joy. Neither it nor we will ever be the same. 

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday

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