Tony Nominated Choreographer, Actor and Director Sammy Dallas Bayes Dies at 82

On Broadway, Bayes appeared in the original production of Fiddler on the Roof, before embarking on several tours and international productions of the musical,

By: Jun. 03, 2022
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BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Tony nominated choreographer, director, and actor Sammy Bayes has died at 82.

On Broadway, Bayes appeared in the original production of Fiddler on the Roof, before embarking on several tours and international productions of the musical, including London, Australia, and Japan.

In 1969, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his choreography for Canterbury Tales.

Following this success, Bayes choreoraphed "Heathen!" in 1972, did musical staging for "Shelter" in 1973 and "Rainbow Jones" in 1974, and served as the associate choreographer for the film version of "Fiddler On The Roof". He also choreographed the film version of "Godspell" starring Victor Garber in 1973

In 1989, Bayes assisted Jerome Robbins on his last Broadway show "Jerome Robbins Broadway" which was a compilation of Robbins' body of work in the musical theatre. Additionally, Sammy completed a book, at Robbins' request, that contains every step of the original "Fiddler" choreography.

Since the 1990s, Bayes served at the Orpheus Theatre in Oneonta, NY and the Leatherstocking Theatre Company in Milford, NY and was director for many of their productions including "West Side Story", "Oliver", "Chicago", "Funny Girl", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Footloose", "I Hate Hamlet", "Lend Me A Tenor" and many more.



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