Skip to navigation | Skip to content

George Furth

Published Monday 18 August 2008 at 16:45 by Patrick Newley

George Furth, the Broadway actor and playwright who wrote the books for the Stephen Sondheim musicals Company and Merrily We Roll Along, has died, aged 75.

Company, which starred Elaine Stritch, became one of Broadway’s biggest successes when it opened in 1970 and won unanimous acclaim from the critics. Furth won a Tony Award for his book and the show was equally successful in London, when Stritch reprised the role at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

Merrily We Roll Along closed after just two weeks in New York, but later became a cult hit. Maria Friedman starred in the Leicester Haymarket Theatre production in 1992.

Furth also collaborated with John Kander and Fred Ebb for the 1977 musical The Act, which became a vehicle for Liza Minnelli. Furth died on August 11.

SEARCH THE STAGE

Also in Features [RSS]

Obituaries round-up
Veteran actor Peter Bartlett was a stalwart of the BBC Radio Drama Company…
David Lloyd Meredith
David Lloyd Meredith had a distinguished stage career, notably as a key…
John Ringham
Character actor John Ringham appeared in more than 100 television dramas and…
Peter Gordeno
Dancer and choreographer Peter Gordeno was one of the most popular figures in…
Ian Collier
Actor Ian Collier had a long career in television and was well known for his…
Tracy Rogers
Tracy Rogers had a successful career as a singer and actress on the West End…
Mark Shivas
Former BBC head of drama Mark Shivas produced some of British television’s…
Peter Copley
Veteran actor Peter Copley’s career spanned television as well as West End…
Eileen Herlie
The distinguished British stage and screen actress Eileen Herlie won…
Joyce Windsor
The name Joyce Windsor may not be instantly recognisable to the general…

Content is copyright © 2008 The Stage Newspaper Limited unless otherwise stated.

All RSS feeds are published for personal, non-commercial use. (What’s RSS?)