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Remembering Jerry Herman

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Shutterstock (6299379r) Jerry Herman Jerry Herman walks the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors, in Washington, on . The 2010 honorees are Merle Haggard, Herman, Bill T. Jones, Paul McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey Kennedy Center Honors, Washington, USA

We have lost another Broadway great.

Jerry Herman | Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Shutterstock

Jerry Herman, a famed composer and lyricist, passed away on December 26th, aged 88.

Born in Manhattan, Jerry grew up surrounded by music and theatre. His Broadway debut was a review named From A to Z, collaborating with other newcomers such as Woody Allen and Fred Ebb. His first full-fledged show was Milk and Honey in 1961, a show about American tourists visiting Israel. Jerry went on to write a catalog of successful shows including Hello, Dolly!, Mame, La Cage Aux Folles, Mack & Mabel, and Dear World, with some of these still frequently being revived and produced worldwide. Revues of his work include Jerry’s Girls and An Evening With Jerry Herman.

Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway

He is the only composer/lyricist to have 3 productions running on Broadway at the same time – Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and Dear World. He was the first of two composers/lyricists to have shows run for over 1,500 consecutive performances, and has been honoured by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jerry was the recipient of 3 Tony Awards (Best Score for La Cage, Best Composer/Lyricist for Hello, Dolly!, and a Lifetime Achievement Award), 2 Grammys (Best Score for Mame, and Song of the Year for Hello, Dolly!), was inducted into the NYU Musical Theater Hall of Fame, and is a Kennedy Centre Honoree.

His contribution to the theatre industry is evident, and he will be missed by family, friends, and fans alike.

Watch Jerry’s Kennedy Centre special below.

Gabi Bergman

Gabi Bergman (she/her) is a Melbourne-based performer and educator, and the current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AussieTheatre.com. She holds a double degree in Theatre Studies and Film/Screen Studies, along with a Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity in the arts, Gabi brings her deep love of storytelling to the stage, the page, and the classroom. A lifelong lover of theatre, she spends more on tickets than she’d like to admit. Her most prized possession is her ever-growing collection of theatre programs.