With no Tony Awards this year to honor those Broadway stars and workers who have passed away, a new In Memoriam video directed by actor Raúl Esparza is picking up the mantle. The eight-minute video, called Broadway Remembers, with vocal performances by Esparza and Sierra Boggess pays tribute to more than 100 people from the theater community who June 2019 between December 2020.
Among those remembered: Diana Rigg, Terrence McNally, Nick Cordero, Diahann Carroll, Roger Berlind, Hal Prince, Rebecca Luker, Nick Cordero, James Lipton and Valerie Harper, and many others.
“As we ring in a new year, it felt important for us to celebrate the lives we’ve lost these past many months,” said Esparza. “Normally, we have the occasion to collectively mourn at in-person memorial services, funerals, and once a year at the Tony Awards, with the official in memoriam segment. This year all of that proved impossible, so this is an opportunity for us to process our grief and give these towering figures one final ovation.”
Broadway Remembers, with music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, the video was produced and conceived by Mike Karns, a Broadway producer and social media manager, and Steven Tartick, exec creative director of Broadway’s RPM advertising and marketing agency. The video features music production by Benedict Braxton-Smith, graphic design by Remy Kass, motion design by Pan Wenquan, and editing by Harry Tuman.
For a comprehensive list of those Broadway lost this year, or to make additional suggestions, go here.
Watch Broadway Remembers above.