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Gavin Creel, 1976-2024

 I had a crush on Gavin Creel from 2009 onward. I saw him in "Hair"--a musical I disliked--and I would listen, again and again, to "Let the Sunshine In." On Broadway, a haircut can be a dramatic event--and the trimming of Creel's character's hair, right before the show's upsetting climax--now makes me think of a similar effect that Victoria Clark used in "Kimberly Akimbo."


Creel grew up studying the recordings of Whitney Houston, and he released a naughty pop album, "Goodtimenation," that I played constantly.

I often dismiss, or half-dismiss, musicals, but "She Loves Me" is a perfect piece of writing, and Creel's performance (alongside Laura Benanti and Jane Krakowski) is charming. Because the production was captured on camera, you never have to wonder what to do if you're alone for a few hours. You always have the option to make a cup of herbal tea and watch Gavin Creel in "She Loves Me." This nation might regain its sanity if people would hear just this one bit of advice.

Stephen Schwartz wrote a lazy, clumsy love duet for "Children of Eden"; he liked it so much, he recycled it for "Wicked." I'm no great fan of "As Long as You're Mine," which steals blatantly from Sondheim's "Being Alive," and also from "A Heart Full of Love" (Les Miz). No matter. Gavin Creel's rendition is a guilty pleasure. I leave it here, for you.

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