Musser, Tharon (b. 1925), lighting designer. One of the American theatre's most prolific and skillful lighting designers, Musser has lit dozens of plays and musicals in New York and regionally. She began as a stage manager then started lighting dance concerts. Her Broadway debut was the moody lighting for Long Day's Journey Into Night (1956), and over the years she would demonstrate her talent for everything from brash Broadway musical lighting, as in
Tharon Musser
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Tharon Myrene Musser (January 8, 1925 – April 19, 2009)[1] 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.[2]
Musser was known for her work on the musicals A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls. A Chorus Line was the first Broadway production to utilize a completely computerized lighting console instead of the manually operated "piano boards."[2]
Musser graduated from Berea College in 1946 and attended Yale University, obtaining her MFA in 1950. Her first Broadway lighting credit was José Quintero's staging of Eugene O'Neill'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, Shinbone Alley, Once Upon a Mattress, Here's Love, Any Wednesday, Golden Boy, Flora, The Red Menace, Kelly, Mame, Hallelujah, Baby!, The Fig Leaves Are Falling, Applause, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Creation of the World and Other Business, The Sunshine Boys, A Little Night Music, Mack and Mabel, The Good Doctor, Pacific Overtures, The Act, Chapter Two, They're Playing Our Song, Ballroom, 42nd Street, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Jerry's Girls, The Odd Couple, Biloxi Blues, 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 for her design of Children of a Lesser God. She was honored as a USITT Distinguished Lighting Designer in 1996.
Musser received an Eddy Awards from Entertainment Design in 2000. At the 2007 United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Musser was honored with a tribute to her career. To celebrate this event, USITT published a detailed book honoring her life, artistry and career as an American lighting designer.[1]
Death
Musser died on April 19, 2009, aged 84, from complications of Alzheimer's disease in Newtown, Connecticut in the company of her long-time partner Marilyn Rennagel. [3]Two nights later Broadway theatres dimmed their lights to honor her.[4]
References
- ^ a b Notice of Tharon Musser' death, Live Design Online, April 19, 2009
- ^ a b Martin, Douglas."Tharon Musser, Stage Lighting Designer, Dies at 84",The New York Times, April 21, 2009
- ^ Obituary for Musser
- ^ Tharon Musser, Lighting Designer for ‘Chorus Line,’ Dies at 84 - Bloomberg.com
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | A Chorus Line, musical (Classical Work) |
| Follies, musical play (Classical Work) |
| Dreamgirls [Original Broadway Cast] (1982 Album by Original Broadway Cast) |
 | What is the age of a Musser marimba model 21? |
| Could you show me a picture of Ludwig-Musser drums manufactures production plant? |
| Musser where did the mussers migrate from? |
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tharon Musser". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- A Chorus Line, musical (Classical Work)
- Follies, musical play (Classical Work)
- Dreamgirls [Original Broadway Cast] (1982 Album by Original Broadway Cast)
- Dreamgirls [Original Broadway Cast] [Special Edition] (2006 Album by Original Broadway Cast Album)
