BROADWAY TO DIM ITS LIGHTS
TONIGHT, MARCH 19TH
AT 7:45 PM
IN MEMORY OF CELEBRATED
COMPOSER, DIRECTOR, AND PRODUCER
MITCH LEIGH
The Broadway community mourns the loss of composer, director, and producer Mitch Leigh, who passed away on Sunday at age 86. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in his memory tonight, March 19th, at exactly 7:45pm for one minute.
Mitch Leigh wrote the music for Man of La Mancha, which won five 1966 Tony Awardsâ including Best Composer and Lyricist (Mr. Leigh and Joe Darion) and Best Musical. Richard Kiley won for Best Actor in a Musical. Man of La Mancha ran until 1971 with a total of 2,328 performances, followed by four revivals on Broadway. The show’s signature number, “The Impossible Dream (The Quest),” has been recorded by numerous artists.
“Mitch Leigh was a multi-faceted talent whether he was composing, directing, or producing for Broadway or Madison Avenue,” said Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of the Broadway League. “Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and fans of his work.”
Mr. Leigh was also nominated for a 1985 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The King and I starring Yul Brynner, and he produced the 1983 Broadway revival of Mame starring Angela Lansbury.
He wrote the music for several Broadway shows in the 1970’s including Cry for Us All, Home Sweet Homer and Sarava, and the incidental music for Too True to Be Good and Never Live Over A Pretzel Factory in the early 1960’s.
The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League’s 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers who present in nearly 200 markets in North America, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.BroadwayLeague.com, or follow The Broadway League on Twitter @TheBwayLeague or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BroadwayLeague. BROADWAY.ORG is the League’s new official on-line headquarters for Broadway in NYC and on tour. Download the free Broadway.org mobile app for iOS or Android, and the free IBDB mobile app for iOS or Android.
The Broadway League annually presents the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards,® one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry, with The American Theatre Wing.
Broadway theatres are filled with an exciting array of new and classic musicals and plays, providing the perfect experience for every audience. Great seats are available at every price point and are easy to buy online, by phone, or in person at theatre box offices. It's always the perfect time to see a show. Broadway performs every day of the week at multiple curtain times to accommodate every schedule.
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