A beloved Broadway stage director was killed Wednesday morning when he was struck by a New Jersey Transit train bound for New York during rush hour.
Thomas J. Gates, the production director of the Tony Award-nominated musical “Illinois,” died at 9:12 a.m. near the South Orange, New Jersey, train station, according to reports. northjersey.com.
He was 51 years old.
The train that hit Gates was scheduled to arrive at New York’s Penn Station at 9:42 a.m.
The newspaper said there were no injuries among the 60 passengers and crew members on the train.
Gates’ death occurred two weeks after “Illinois” made its Broadway debut at the St. James Theatre.
“Tom was the heart of Broadway Illinois and a beloved friend and collaborator. We will greatly miss his husband Rick, another member of the Illinois community.” said. I have written In a statement regarding X.
“These two wonderful humans have guided our company’s journey from the beginning. We dedicate our Illinois run to Tom and his loving memory.”
Grammy Award-winning musician and actress Sara Bareilles, who co-starred with Gates in 2021 in “Waitress,” called Gates “trustworthy.” Generous. Loving.Inspirational “caring” person instagram tribute following the news of his death.
“He was the first in and the last out. He was the stage manager for many shows over the years and took care of countless others…but I was the first… He is the only person who took care of me when we created the show together. Today is an indescribably tragic day for so many reasons. I can’t even begin to describe it. He will be missed and loved. I hope he knew that.”
Gates worked on 11 Broadway productions for 22 years until his death.
Gates began appearing on Broadway in August 2002 when he was appointed assistant stage manager for “Hairspray,” according to . Flyer.
His first role as lead stage manager on Broadway was in the 2006 play “High Fidelity.”
Wednesday night’s show at the St. James Theater in midtown Manhattan was canceled due to a “tragedy within the ‘Illinois’ community.”
“We apologize for the inconvenience. All tickets for canceled performances will be refunded at the original point of purchase,” the musical said. stated in a statement.
“Illinoise” is based on Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 album of the same name and was created by director/choreographer Justin Peck and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Jackie Sibleys Drury.
The dance musical was a huge success off-Broadway at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan, and moved to the St. James Theater on April 24, according to The New York Times. Flyer.
The performance runs until August 10th.
Just last week, “Illinois” nominated It won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design, and Best Orchestration.
