He was famous for writing "Sunrise, Sunset."
Thursday night at 8, Broadway theaters will stage their own sunset when they dim their lights to honor composer Jerry Bock, who died Nov. 3 at 81.
Bock helped define and shape musical theater in the 1950s and '60s, Broadway's "Golden Age."
He grew up in Flushing, Queens, and went on to write some of the most enduring shows and hit songs, many with lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who recalled their 13-year collaboration as "wonderful."
Bock's shows took you on a journey -- and, oh, the places you'd go: czarist Russia in 1905 ("Fiddler in the Roof"), 1890s New York's red-light district ("Tenderloin"), city hall ("Fiorello!"), a shop around the corner in 1930s Budapest ("She Loves Me") and the Garden of Eden ("The Apple Tree").
That final locale is a fitting place, as stars remembered Bock as "a gentle angel" and a man with a heart as big as heaven.
"Jerry Bock was a great artist and one of the kindest people I ever worked with,"says Boyd Gaines, who won a Tony for the 1993 revival of "She Loves Me."
"When I was auditioning, I was so nervous when I had to sing (I get apoplectic), that I would invariably forget where I was, and Jerry and Sheldon would just smile and sing out the right notes and words and put me back on track. The big emotional heart you hear in Jerry's music always seemed in sync with who he was as a person."
Harvey Fierstein, who replaced Alfred Molina as Tevye in the 2004 revival of "Fiddler on the Roof," told Playbill.com that Bock's response to his audition was a tipping point.
"When I finished," said Fierstein, "I looked up to find Jerry Bock wiping away tears and nodding toward me.
That's when I knew I could play Tevye. Jerry Bock was a gentle angel whose friendship I treasured."
Marc Kudisch played the snake and other parts in the 2006 Broadway revival of "The Apple Tree." He recalled Bock as "sweet and supportive and gregarious. He was thrilled to see his show being done again. It was an amazing experience working with one of the architects of musical theater. I'm Jewish. Before I knew what 'Fiddler on the Roof' was, I knew the music to it. I thought it was written for Passover. There was always so much heart in his music."
Thursday night at 8, Broadway theaters will stage their own sunset when they dim their lights to honor composer Jerry Bock, who died Nov. 3 at 81.
Bock helped define and shape musical theater in the 1950s and '60s, Broadway's "Golden Age."
He grew up in Flushing, Queens, and went on to write some of the most enduring shows and hit songs, many with lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who recalled their 13-year collaboration as "wonderful."
Bock's shows took you on a journey -- and, oh, the places you'd go: czarist Russia in 1905 ("Fiddler in the Roof"), 1890s New York's red-light district ("Tenderloin"), city hall ("Fiorello!"), a shop around the corner in 1930s Budapest ("She Loves Me") and the Garden of Eden ("The Apple Tree").
That final locale is a fitting place, as stars remembered Bock as "a gentle angel" and a man with a heart as big as heaven.
"Jerry Bock was a great artist and one of the kindest people I ever worked with,"says Boyd Gaines, who won a Tony for the 1993 revival of "She Loves Me."
"When I was auditioning, I was so nervous when I had to sing (I get apoplectic), that I would invariably forget where I was, and Jerry and Sheldon would just smile and sing out the right notes and words and put me back on track. The big emotional heart you hear in Jerry's music always seemed in sync with who he was as a person."
Harvey Fierstein, who replaced Alfred Molina as Tevye in the 2004 revival of "Fiddler on the Roof," told Playbill.com that Bock's response to his audition was a tipping point.
"When I finished," said Fierstein, "I looked up to find Jerry Bock wiping away tears and nodding toward me.
That's when I knew I could play Tevye. Jerry Bock was a gentle angel whose friendship I treasured."
Marc Kudisch played the snake and other parts in the 2006 Broadway revival of "The Apple Tree." He recalled Bock as "sweet and supportive and gregarious. He was thrilled to see his show being done again. It was an amazing experience working with one of the architects of musical theater. I'm Jewish. Before I knew what 'Fiddler on the Roof' was, I knew the music to it. I thought it was written for Passover. There was always so much heart in his music."
No comments:
Post a Comment