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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

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 ''Henry, Sweet Henry'' is a musical with a book by Nunnally Johnson and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. Based on the 1964 novel '' The World of Henry Orient'' by Johnson's daughter Nora and the subsequent film of the same name, the plot focu ...

'' and working as a production assistant on projects like ''

I Do! I Do! ''I Do! I Do!'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt which is based on the Jan de Hartog play '' The Fourposter''. The two-character story spans 50 years, from 1895 to 1945, as it focuses on the ups and 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'', ''

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 Fo ...

'', ''

Seesaw A seesaw (also known as a teeter-totter or teeterboard) is a long, narrow board supported by a single pivot point, most commonly located at the midpoint between both ends; as one end goes up, the other goes down. These are most commonly found a ...

'', '' God's Favorite'', ''

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 dan ...

'', ''

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 ma ...

'', 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 other ...

'', 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 ...

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

, 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 s ...

'', '' The Witches of Eastwick'', ''

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 ...

'', 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 i ...

'', repeating the assignment for the Broadway productions of the latter two. He also staged '' Hey, Mr. Producer!'', 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 "t ...

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 The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

– ''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 in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. Winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000 ...

– ''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