GAVIN CREEL

Gavin Creel’s association with MCC Theater started with his appearance at our annual MISCAST Gala in 2005. It was the first of many performances at MISCAST where he was always much anticipated and his duets with Aaron Tveit became the stuff of legend, particularly their 2016 iconic rendition of “Take Me or Leave Me” from RENT, still gloriously available on YouTube.

For all Gavin’s generosity in performing at MISCAST over the years, it was his own show WALK ON THROUGH: CONFESSIONS OF A MUSEUM NOVICE that made him part of the family at MCC. It says everything about Gavin that the prompt for his first fully written and composed creation was a commission from The Met museum, a cultural institution of which he felt unworthy and that intimidated him. And yet he turned that fear into a glorious exploration of what it means to be affected by another human’s art.

Gavin’s presence in our building was an ineffable joy. In the summer of 2023, he, Linda Goodrich, Madeline Benson, Chris Peters, and Scott Wasserman spent a two-week workshop developing the orchestrations and sounds of the show. Rehearsal was always open to anyone in the building. We were welcome to come and go as we saw fit, on one condition: They kept a rack of silly clothes and a box of wigs that they dressed up in every day, and if you wished to visit, you must put on something funny as well. It was creative playtime in its most playful essence but, in true Gavin fashion, it was also wildly productive and informed much of what audiences heard when the show moved into production.

Gavin did not just welcome us into his room, he explored every nook and cranny of our home on 52nd Street. He learned the name of every single member of our staff; he wanted to know everything about what you did and did not hesitate to call out people by name and thank them at every possible opportunity.

And then there was our field trip. It was a Friday night in early November in the middle of rehearsals. Gavin made an arrangement for the company of WALK ON THROUGH and staff from MCC to all join him after rehearsal at The Met. He gave us a guided tour of the art featured in the show, along a path carefully planned so that we would discover many of the pieces the same way he had first seen them. His relationship to each of these works of art was visceral, physical, and filled with a sense of searching and discovery. He spoke about each piece with thought and care. He shared what he felt the moment he first saw them, and how those relationships had evolved upon repeated visits. There was an unforgettable moment when we turned into the room with Thomas Hart Benton’s wraparound mural “America Today” and Gavin practically vibrated with the energy of this jazz age masterpiece. The way it embraced its viewer was his inspiration for the WALK ON THROUGH audience experience he wanted to create. He also (and we don’t think he would mind us sharing this) made sure to point out to all of us which of the statues had the best butts.

One of our partners in presenting WALK ON THROUGH, Jenny Gersten, arranged for a cooler of refreshments to arrive outside. After we had toured the museum, we all gathered on the chilly steps of The Met and cracked something open, laughing, giggling, engaging, and probing. We were refreshed and energized on that brisk evening by the way Gavin had shared the magic of The Met and his time in this great city.

The rapport that Gavin shared with the company of WALK ON THROUGH was extraordinary. He made true partners of his director, Linda, and his fellow performers Madeleine, Chris, Scott, Corey, Ryan, and Sasha. The energy of each of those performances was electrifying. The house was small, a little more than 100 seats, and tickets were hard to come by, so we were all acutely aware of how privileged we were to see the show multiple times.

Monday was hard around here as the news spread through the office. We hugged and cried and remembered how Gavin was kind, generous, and thoughtful.

And we reflected—how the only thing Gavin feared more than his doubts was not facing them, and how he turned that into enormous courage. In so many ways, Gavin had nothing more to prove. A renowned and award winning performer at the top of his game–why would he ever open himself up to the attention and vulnerabilities that come with writing for the theater? And a musical about himself at that?

WALK ON THROUGH was a lesson in the power of curiosity to inspire creation and healing. It is unimaginable that he is gone, but it is selfish to wish for more when he handed each of us so much already. He subtitled his show “Confessions Of A Museum Novice”. Gavin reminded us that we are all novices in this world and we thrive when we open our eyes, we step forward, and we walk on through.

Gavin, thank you for everything.