Robert Avedisian (December 26, 1937 – January 21, 2021), professionally known as Bob Avian, was an American choreographer, theatrical producer and director.

Biography

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to an Armenian family in December 1937, Avian spent his early career dividing his time between dancing in such

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

shows as ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'', '' Funny Girl'', and '' Henry, Sweet Henry'' and working as a production assistant on projects like '' I Do! I Do!'' and ''

Twigs A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a tree or bush. The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the twig bark are ...

''. He first met Michael Bennett when they both appeared in the European tour of ''

'' in 1959, and over the course of the next two decades the two collaborated on '' Promises, Promises'', '' Coco'', ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...

'', ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

'', '' Seesaw'', ''

God's Favorite ''God's Favorite'' is a play by Neil Simon, loosely based on the Biblical Book of Job. It was produced on Broadway in 1974. Production Produced by Emanuel Azenberg, the play opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on December 11, 1974 a ...

'', ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...

'', ''

Ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic ...

'', and ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others,G ...

'', Avian's first credit as a solo producer. Additional Broadway credits include '' Putting It Together'', ''Nowhere to Go But Up'' and the 2006 revival of ''A Chorus Line'', which he directed. In

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

's West End, Avian choreographed ''Follies'', ''

Martin Guerre Martin Guerre, a French peasant of the 16th century, was at the centre of a famous case of imposture. Several years after Martin Guerre had left his wife, child and village, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with Guerre's wife and so ...

'', ''

The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...

'', ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...

'', and ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

'', repeating the assignment for the Broadway productions of the latter two. He also staged ''

Hey, Mr. Producer! ''Hey, Mr. Producer!'' was a concert honoring theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh, performed in June 1998 as a benefit for the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) and the Combined Theatrical Charities. Staged by Bob Avian, it was pr ...

'', the

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...

tribute.

Personal

Avian was openly gay and survived by his husband Peter Pileski, and his sister, Laura Nabedian.

Awards and nominations

;Awards *1976 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography – ''A Chorus Line'' *1976 Tony Award for Best Choreography – ''A Chorus Line'' *1979 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography – ''Ballroom'' *1979 Tony Award for Best Choreography – ''Ballroom'' *1997

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Best Choreography – ''Martin Guerre'' ;Nominations *1979

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The award goes to the ...

– ''Ballroom'' *1982

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially hono ...

– ''Dreamgirls'' *1982 Tony Award for Best Musical – ''Dreamgirls'' *1991 Tony Award for Best Choreography – ''Miss Saigon'' *1995 Tony Award for Best Choreography – ''Sunset Boulevard''

References

* *Kelly, Kevin(1990),''One Singular Sensation: The Michael Bennett Story'', Zebra, *Mandelbaum, Ken (1990), ''A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett'', St. Martins Press, *Stevens, Gary (2000), ''The Longest Line: Broadway's Most Singular Sensation: A Chorus Line'', Applause Books, *Flinn, Denny Martin (1989), ''What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of "A Chorus Line''", Bantam, *Viagas, Robert (1990), ''On the Line - The Creation of A Chorus Line'', Limelight Editions,

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Avian, Bob 1937 births 2021 deaths American theatre directors American choreographers American theatre managers and producers American male dancers American people of Armenian descent Drama Desk Award winners Film directors from New York City Tony Award winners LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT theatre directors 21st-century LGBT people