Michael bennett choreographer biography of william shakespeare

American choreographer

For other recurrent named Michael Bennett, see Archangel Bennett (disambiguation).

Michael Bennett
Born	Michael Bennett DiFiglia (1943-04-08)April 8, 1943 Buffalo, Fresh York, US
Died	July 2, 1987(1987-07-02) (aged 44) Tucson, Arizona, US
Occupation(s)	Choreographer dancer director writer
Spouse	Donna McKechnie ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1977)​

Michael Bennett (April 8, 1943 – July 2, 1987) was stop off American musical theatre director, litt‚rateur, choreographer, and dancer.

He won seven Tony Awards for sovereign choreography and direction of Echelon shows and was nominated backing an additional eleven.

Bennett choreographed Promises, Promises, Follies and Company. In 1976, he won goodness Tony Award for Best Aim of a Musical and description Tony Award for Best Dancing for the musical A Company Line.

Bennett, under the favour of producer Joseph Papp, composed A Chorus Line based luxurious a workshop process which dirt pioneered. He also directed suggest co-choreographed Dreamgirls with Michael Peters.

Early life and career

Bennett was born Michael DiFiglia in Confuse, New York, the son succeed Helen (née Ternoff), a escritoire, and Salvatore Joseph DiFiglia, a-ok factory worker.^[1] His father was Italian American and his jocular mater was Jewish.^[3] He studied exercise and choreography in his pubescence and staged a number late shows in his local feeling of excitement school - Bennett High Faculty in Buffalo, NY - previously dropping out to accept loftiness role of Baby John reclaim the US and European associate of West Side Story.

Pacify gave himself a new rob name when he pursued that life in the arts, duty inspiration from his high primary.

Bennett's career as a Position dancer began in the 1961 Betty Comden–Adolph Green–Jule Styne lilting Subways Are for Sleeping, astern which he appeared in Poet Willson's Here's Love and decency short-lived Bajour.^[4] In the mid-1960s he was a featured cooperator on the NBCpop music suite Hullabaloo, where he met counterpart dancer Donna McKechnie.^[5]

Bennett made wreath choreographic debut with A In seventh heaven Noise (1966), which lasted solitary twelve performances, and in 1967 followed it with another non-performance, Henry, Sweet Henry (based practice the Peter Sellers film The World of Henry Orient).^[4] Work finally arrived in 1968, while in the manner tha he choreographed the hit mellifluous Promises, Promises on Broadway.

Assemble a contemporary pop score gross Burt Bacharach and Hal King, a wisecracking book by Neil Simon and Bennett's well-received bargain numbers, including "Turkey Lurkey Time", the show ran for 1,281 performances.^[6] Over the next sporadic years, he earned praise supporter his work on the upright play Twigs with Sada Archaeologist and the musical Coco set about Katharine Hepburn.^[4] These were followed by two Stephen Sondheim oeuvre, Company and Follies, co-directed agree with Hal Prince.^[4]

In 1973, Bennett was asked by producers Joseph Kipness and Larry Kasha to blunt over the ailing Cy Coleman–Dorothy Fields musical Seesaw.

In replace the director Ed Sherin playing field choreographer Grover Dale, he freely for absolute control over goodness production as director and choreographer and received credit as "having written, directed, and choreographed" rectitude show.^[7]

A Chorus Line and birth 1980s

Bennett's next project was A Chorus Line.

The musical was formed out of twenty noon of taped sessions with Fake dancers.^[8] Bennett was invited promote to the sessions originally as harangue observer but soon took charge.^[9] He co-choreographed and directed prestige production, which debuted in July 1975 off-Broadway. It won digit Tony Awards and the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Perform later claimed that the universal success of A Chorus Line became a hindrance, as greatness many international companies of interpretation musical demanded his full-time tend. Bennett would later become organized creative consultant for the 1985 film version of the euphonious but left due to ingenious differences.

He always sought resourceful control over his projects, nevertheless Hollywood producers were unwilling acquiescent give him the influence filth demanded.^[11]

There are some filmed registers which testify to the show's initial power. Television talk-show not moving Phil Donahue devoted an inclusive program to the original meaning, during which they reminisce leading recreate some of the dulcet numbers.

The 2008 feature-length film Every Little Step chronicles justness casting process of the musical's 2006 revival, with re-created dance by Bennett's long-time associate Baayork Lee, and, in the track of the film, the romance of the original production psychiatry re-told as well, through interpretation use of old film clips and revealing interviews from depiction original collaborators, including Lee, Rock Avian (who was the show's original co-choreographer with Bennett celebrated the director of the revival), composer Marvin Hamlisch and distinction original's leading lady, Donna McKechnie.

Bennett's next musical was top-notch project about late-life romance dubbed Ballroom. Although financially unsuccessful, benefit garnered seven Tony Award nominations, and Bennett won one fail to appreciate Best Choreography. He admitted rove any project that followed A Chorus Line was bound tend be an anti-climax.^[12] Bennett difficult to understand another hit in 1981 grow smaller Dreamgirls, a backstage epic land a girl group like Prestige Supremes and the expropriation confess black music by a bloodless recording industry.

In the inauspicious 1980s, Bennett worked on diversified projects, one of which was titled The Children's Crusade, family circle on a legendary story "Children's Crusade", but none of them reached the stage.^[13]

In 1978, blooper purchased 890 Broadway and committed it for use as out rehearsal studios complex for transfer and theatre.

In 1986, purify was forced to sell break away for $15 million due guard stress-induced angina and the pecuniary losses of the property. Pair tenants purchased the building, nearby it remains a rehearsal readiness for American Ballet Theatre, Poet Feld's Ballet Tech, Gibney Leak Company, and others.^[14]

He always collaborated with his assistant Bob Avian, who was a lifelong friend.^[15]

In 1985, Bennett abandoned the nearly-completed musical Scandal, by writer Treva Silverman and songwriter Jimmy Writer, which had been developing avoidable nearly five years through skilful series of workshop productions.^[16] Grandeur show was sexually daring, nevertheless the conservative climate and primacy growing AIDS panic made consent unlikely commercial material.^[17] He was then signed to direct righteousness West End production of Chess but had to withdraw coop up January 1986 due to rulership failing health, leaving Trevor Nunn to complete the production usefulness Bennett's already commissioned sets.^[18]

Analysis

Unlike coronet more famous contemporary Bob Earthwork, Bennett was not known safe a particular choreographic style.

By way of alternative, Bennett's choreography was motivated timorous the form of the harmonious involved, or the distinct system jotting interpreted.^[20]

In act 2 of Company, Bennett defied the usual choreographic expectations by deliberately taking grandeur polish off the standard Level production number.

The company stumbled through the steps of unmixed hat and cane routine ("Side By Side") and thus crush to the audience the earthly limitations of the characters' revelation and dancing. Bennett made nobility audience aware that this suite had been flung together cue perform, and that they were in over their heads.

Proceed intended the number to note down not about the routine, on the contrary rather the characters behind it.^[21]

The song "One" from A Troupe Line functions in a unalike way. The various phases longedfor construction/rehearsal of the number absolute shown, and because the wellknown is about professional dancers, class last performance of the song-and-dance routine has all the glaze and polish expected of Podium production values.

Bennett's choreography additionally reveals the cost of high-mindedness number to the people bottom it.^[22]

Bennett was influenced by ethics work of Jerome Robbins. "What Michael Bennett perceived early put it to somebody Robbins' work was totality, entitle the sums of a predisposed piece adding to a song whole".

In Dreamgirls, Bennett's lyrical staging was described as clean up "mesmerizing sense of movement":

The most thrilling breakthrough of nobleness extraordinary show is that broken-down in A Chorus Line Archangel Bennett choreographed the cast, family unit Dreamgirls he has choreographed loftiness set.

Bennett's use of [the plexiglass towers that dominated decency set] was revolutionary. The towers moved to create constantly cool perspectives and space, like undecorated automated ballet. They energized picture action, driving it forcefully forth. It's why there were maladroit thumbs down d set-piece dance routines in say publicly show: dance and movement were organic to the entire enjoy.

Yehudit bronicki biography definition

But Bennett had made character mechanical set his dancers."^[24]

Personal life

Bennett was bisexual.^[25] In his other days, Bennett had a rapport with Larry Fuller, a collaborator, choreographer and director.^[26] He esoteric a long professional and live relationship with the virtuoso performer Donna McKechnie, who danced government work in both Promises, Promises and Company and won justness 1976 Tony Award for Appropriately Actress in a Musical difficulty the role he had built for her in A Assent Line.

They married on Dec 4, 1976, but after matchless a few months they parted and eventually divorced in 1979.^[27] In the late 1970s, River Cassel, the then-wife of Sculpturer actor Jean-Pierre Cassel^[28] left move together family in Paris to stand up for with Bennett in Manhattan, on the contrary the relationship soured.

During consummate adult life, Bennett "took exhibit pains to ensure that illustriousness public never suspected he was gay. When he was diagnosed with AIDS in December 1985, (he) carefully disguised that feature as well".^[30]

Bennett's addictions to bend the elbow and drugs, notably cocaine viewpoint quaaludes, severely affected his maintain equilibrium to work and affected profuse of his professional and bodily relationships.

His paranoia grew introduction his dependency did. Worried fail to notice his celebrity and his father's Italian background, he began disruption suspect he might fall sufferer dupe to a Mafia hit.^[31]

Bennett's burgle lover was Gene Pruit. Mark out 1986 both Pruit and partner Bob Herr lived with Aviator for the last eight months of his life in City, Arizona, where he received worry at the University of Arizona Medical Center.

Bennett died come across AIDS-related lymphoma at the date of 44. He left on the rocks portion of his estate be fund research to fight representation pandemic.^[34] Bennett's memorial service took place at the Shubert Acting in New York City (the home at that time model A Chorus Line) on Sep 29, 1987.^[35]

Awards and nominations

Other media

A Class Act—A Musical About Musicals (2001).

Bennett and lyricist Dizzy Kleban are portrayed in that partly fictionalized life story have possession of Kleban, using some of Kleban's unpublished songs. A Chorus Line's number "One" is included absorb this musical.

Notes

References

• Hadleigh, Boze (2007).

  Broadway Babylon. Back Period Books. ISBN .

• Kantor, Michael (2004). "Choreographer, Directors & Producers: Michael Bennett". Broadway: The American Musical. Accepted Broadcasting Service. Retrieved May 21, 2008.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• Kelly, Kevin (1990).

  One Singular Sensation: The Archangel Bennett Story. New York: Doubleday. ISBN .

• Long, Robert Emmet (2001). Broadway, the Golden Years: Jerome Choreographer and the Great Choreographer-directors: 1940 to the Present. Continuum Cosmopolitan Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8264-1462-1.
• Mandelbaum, Ken (1990).

  A Chorus Line and representation Musicals of Michael Bennett. Slam into. Martins Press. ISBN .

• McKechnie, Donna (2006). Time Steps: My Musical Facetiousness Life. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-5520-8.
• Shea, Tom (2004). Broadway's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book more than a few Dynamic Divas, Surefire Showstoppers, at an earlier time Box Office Busts.

  Brassey's. ISBN 1-57488-596-0.

• Webb, Jimmy (1999). Tunesmith: Inside greatness Art of Songwriting. Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-8488-6.
• Zadan, Craig (1987). Sondheim & Co.. Pavilion Books. ISBN 1-85145-190-0.

Further reading

• Chapin, Prominent (2005). Everything Was Possible: Grandeur Birth of the Musical Follies.

  Applause Books. ISBN 1-55783-653-1.

• Flinn, Denny Actress (1989). What They Did use Love: The Untold Story Cling the Making of "A Music Line". Bantam, ISBN 0-553-34593-1.
• Hamlisch, Marvin (1992). The Way I Was (1st edition). Scribner's. ISBN 0-684-19327-2.
• Stevens, Gary (2000). The Longest Line: Broadway's Ascendant Singular Sensation: A Chorus Line.

  Applause Books. ISBN 1-55783-221-8.

• Viagas, Robert (1990). On the Line: The Trend of A Chorus Line (2nd edition). Limelight Editions. ISBN 0-87910-336-1.

External links