Adrian Vaux, who died at his home in Israel on September 21, aged 76, was a distinguished international stage designer.

After graduating from the Slade School of Fine Art and the Bartell School of Architecture, both in London, he served a brief stint at ABC Television before becoming head of design at the Mermaid Theatre under Bernard Miles. During that time, I worked as assistant to Adrian. He later moved to the Leicester Haymarket during Robin Midgley’s era, then departed for Israel.

Adrian worked for various theatres there, mainly the Habima, the national theatre in Tel Aviv, and the Cameri and Ohel theatres. He designed the sets for many works by Israel’s most famous playwright, Joshua Sobol, and for the opera The Rat Laughs. In addition, he designed some of the US and Far East tours of musicals for Cameron Mackintosh, notably Oliver! and Miss Saigon. Adrian was also an exhibiting member of the Society of British Theatre Designers, and created sets for the London-based fringe theatre company Foco Novo, under director Roland Rees, at the Roundhouse and the Royal Court.

He was in the middle of designing Mary Poppins for the newly rebuilt Habima when he was taken ill with cancer.

Adrian Vaux, who was born on May 30, 1936, died on August 21, aged 76. He leaves his wife of 40 years, the Israeli artist Edna Rosen Vaux, his sons Ben and Sam by a previous marriage, as well as his brother, the artist Marc Vaux.

Sheelagh Killeen