Broadway lights will dim on January 7 at 6:45 p.m. for Jerry Herman, who died on Thursday at the age of 88, at the end of a year that saw at its beginning the death of Carol Channing, who was the first star of his biggest hit, “Hello, Dolly.” Eighty-eight is the number of keys on a piano, an instrument that the celebrated composer and lyricist started playing more than eight decades ago, and led to his first musical 65 years ago, “I Feel Wonderful,” which ran Off-Broadway at what is now the Lucille Lortel Theater. Of course, he’s better known for his Broadway hits.
Below are mementos from the shows, an hour-long interview with him just last year, and the list of his Broadway productions.
From A to Z (Apr 20, 1960 – May 07, 1960)
Milk and Honey (Oct 10, 1961 – Jan 26, 1963)
Hello, Dolly! (Jan 16, 1964 – Dec 27, 1970)
Ben Franklin in Paris (Oct 27, 1964 – May 01, 1965) Uncredited additional music and lyrics
Mame (May 24, 1966 – Jan 03, 1970)
Dear World (Feb 06, 1969 – May 31, 1969)
Mack & Mabel (Oct 06, 1974 – Nov 30, 1974)
Hello, Dolly! (Nov 06, 1975 – Dec 28, 1975)
Hello, Dolly! (Mar 05, 1978 – Jul 09, 1978)
The Grand Tour (Jan 11, 1979 – Mar 04, 1979)
A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine (May 01, 1980 – Sep 27, 1981)
Mame (Jul 24, 1983 – Aug 28, 1983)
La Cage aux Folles (Aug 21, 1983 – Nov 15, 1987)
Jerry’s Girls (Dec 18, 1985 – Apr 20, 1986)
Hello, Dolly! (Oct 19, 1995 – Jan 28, 1996)
An Evening with Jerry Herman (Jul 28, 1998 – Aug 23, 1998)
Barbara Cook’s Broadway! (Mar 28, 2004 – Apr 18, 2004)
La Cage aux Folles (Dec 09, 2004 – Jun 26, 2005)
La Cage aux Folles (Apr 18, 2010 – May 01, 2011)
Hello, Dolly! (Apr 20, 2017 – Aug 25, 2018)