Tharon Myrene Musser (January 8, 1925 – April 19, 2009)
[Notice of Tharon Musser' death, ''Live Design Online'', April 19, 2009]
was an American
lighting designer who worked on more than 150
Broadway productions. She was termed the "Dean of American Lighting Designers" and is considered one of the pioneers in her field.
[Martin, Dougla]
"Tharon Musser, Stage Lighting Designer, Dies at 84"
''The New York Times'', April 21, 2009
Musser was best known for her work on the musicals ''
A Chorus Line'' and ''
Dreamgirls''. ''A Chorus Line'' was the first production of Broadway to use a fully computerized
lighting console instead of manually operated "piano boards".
[
]
Biography
Musser was born in Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
in 1925.
The daughter of a clergyman, she often recalled that her family couldn't afford electricity, so she grew up with candles and gaslights. She graduated from Berea College (Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
) in 1946 and later attended Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
, obtaining her MFA in 1950. Her first Broadway lighting credit was José Quintero's staging of Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...
's '' Long Day's Journey into Night'' in 1956 at the original Helen Hayes Theatre.
She designed on Broadway from 1956 to 1999 and her long list of credits include ''Li'l Abner
''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn b ...
'', ''Shinbone Alley
''Shinbone Alley'' (sometimes performed as ''archy & mehitabel'') is a musical with a book by Joe Darion and Mel Brooks, lyrics by Darion, and music by George Kleinsinger. Based on the album ''Archy and Mehitabel: A Back-Alley Opera'', which in ...
'', '' Once Upon a Mattress'', '' Here's Love'', '' Any Wednesday'', '' Golden Boy'', '' Flora, The Red Menace'', ''Kelly
Kelly may refer to:
Art and entertainment
* Kelly (Kelly Price album)
* Kelly (Andrea Faustini album)
* ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap
* "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland
* ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...
'', '' Mame'', '' Hallelujah, Baby!'', ''The Fig Leaves Are Falling
''The Fig Leaves Are Falling'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Allan Sherman and music by Albert Hague. It was inspired by Sherman's 1966 divorce following 21 years of marriage.
Production
The musical opened on Broadway at the Broadhurs ...
'', ''Applause
Applause ( Latin ''applaudere,'' to strike upon, clap) is primarily a form of ovation or praise expressed by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences usually applaud after a performanc ...
'', '' The Prisoner of Second Avenue'', '' The Creation of the World and Other Business'', '' The Sunshine Boys'', '' A Little Night Music'', ''Romantic Comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...
'', '' Mack and Mabel'', '' The Wiz'', '' The Good Doctor'', '' Pacific Overtures'', '' The Act'', '' Chapter Two'', '' They're Playing Our Song'', ''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 ...
'', '' 42nd Street'', '' Brighton Beach Memoirs'', ''Jerry's Girls
''Jerry's Girls'' is a musical revue based on the songs of composer/ lyricist Jerry Herman.
Production history
Created by Herman and Larry Alford in 1981, the show originated as a modest presentation at Onstage, a nightclub located in the Theate ...
'', '' The Odd Couple'', ''Biloxi Blues
''Biloxi Blues'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. It portrays the conflict of Sergeant Merwin J. Toomey and Arnold Epstein, one of many privates enlisted in the military stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi, seen through the eyes of E ...
'', '' Lost in Yonkers'', '' The Goodbye Girl'', and '' Laughter on the 23rd Floor''.
Musser won her first Tony Award for Best Lighting Design in 1972 for '' Follies'', followed by Tonys for ''A Chorus Line'' in 1976 and ''Dreamgirls'' in 1982. She was nominated for ''Applause'', ''A Little Night Music'', ''The Good Doctor'', ''Pacific Overtures'', ''The Act'', ''Ballroom'', and ''42nd Street''. She also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for ''Dreamgirls''.
In 1980 Musser was nominated for a Drama Desk Award
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 honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...
for her design of '' Children of a Lesser God''. She was honored as a USITT Distinguished Lighting Designer in 1996.
Death
Musser died on April 19, 2009, aged 84, from complications of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...
in Newtown, Connecticut in the company of her long-time partner Marilyn Rennagel.
Bloomberg.com
References
External links
*
Tharon Musser designs and papers, 1945-2000 held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
A brief history of stage lighting by Larry Wild at Northern State University
Theatrical Lighting Database - Tharon Musser's technical drawings, light plots, and notes for A Chorus Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musser, Tharon
1925 births
2009 deaths
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
Deaths from dementia in Connecticut
Lesbian artists
LGBT people from Virginia
American LGBT artists
American lighting designers
Artists from Roanoke, Virginia
People from Newtown, Connecticut
Tony Award winners
Berea College alumni
20th-century LGBT people