American composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the score for the musicals ‘Hello Dolly’, ‘La Cage aux Folles’ and ‘Mame’, has died in Florida at the age of 88.
Herman made his Broadway debut in ‘From A To Z’ in 1960. In 1964 producer David Merrick brought him in ‘Hello Dolly’. The Broadway production ran for 2,844 performances and won 10 Tony Awards.
Jerry began work on ‘Mame’ in 1966. The show starred Angela Lansbury. He would work with her again on ‘Dear World’ (1969).
1983’s ‘La Cage aux Folles’ broke ground as one of the first contemporary productions to feature a gay couple. It won a Tony for Best Musical in 1983 and two more for Best Revival of a Musical in both 2005 and 2010.
The musical ‘Jerry’s Girls’ was based on the songs of Jerry Herman. Australia’s The Production Company produced the musical for Melbourne in 2015.
The Production Company performed Mame in its first season in 1999 and again in 2008. The company also produced Hello Dolly for its 2017 season.
Herman’s ‘Hello Dolly’ by Louis Armstrong ended a 14 week run for The Beatles at the top of the US chart with ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘She Loves You’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’.
‘If He Walked Into My Life’ from ‘Mame’ by Eydie Gormé won a Grammy for Best Vocal Performance, Female in 1967.
Jerry Herman was awarded The Kennedy Honors in 2010 along with Sir Paul McCartney, Merle Haggard, Oprah Winfrey and Bill T. Jones.
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