Tony Stevens (born
Anthony Pusateri; )was an American
choreographer,
dancer and
director who worked with, danced with and directed many of
Broadway's and
Hollywood's best theatrecentric actors and actresses, including
Chita Rivera,
Martin Short,
Robert Redford and
Gene Kelly died from Hodgkin's lymphoma he was , 63..
(May 2, 1948 – July 12, 2011)
Early life and career
Stevens was born in Herculaneum, Mo. to a factory worker father and a mother who owned and operated a country store. He debuted on Broadway in 1969, dancing in "
The Fig Leaves Are Falling" (book and lyrics by
Allan Sherman and music by
Albert Hague). This was followed by roles in the 1970s productions of "The Boyfriend", and "
Irene" amongst others. Stevens quickly rose to prominence in his field, becomming assistant choreographer on the original production of
Bob Fosse's "
Chicago". Perhaps his most important contribution during this time however, was a series of taped workshop sessions with
Michon Peacock in which dancers laid their life stories bare. Those tapes eventually led to the text and subject matter of the internationally famous musical "
A Chorus Line".
Broadway and Hollywood
As well as performing in "
Hello, Dolly!" and "
Seesaw", Stevens was co-choreographer with
Gower Champion on "
Rockabye Hamlet" in 1976, choreographed the
Frank Loesser revue "
Perfectly Frank" in 1980, , Stevens also did choreography for the films "
The Great Gatsby" with Robert Redford and
Mia Farrow, "
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" with
Burt Reynolds and
Dolly Parton, "
Johnny Dangerously" with
Michael Keaton and "
She's Having A Baby" with
Kevin Bacon[2], among others. Some television credits include specials for
Mary Tyler Moore,
Cheryl Ladd, Disneyland's 30th Anniversary, and the
People's Choice Awards. He also performed in the film "
Tommy".
Modern Broadway
Always in demand, Stevens worked steadily on Broadway as trends and tastes changed. Off-Broadway he choreographed "
Zombie Prom", "The Body Shop", and directed and choreographed "Sheba". He also did the National tours of "
Dreamgirls" 1997 and 1998, and the 20th Anniversary Tour of "
Jesus Christ Superstar". Other cutting edge work included "
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare", the recreation of Bob Fosse's original choreography for "
Chita River; A Dancers Life on Broadway", staging numbers for Martin Short and
Nathan Lane on "
Late Night with David Letterman," and was currently developing the new musical "La Familglia".
[3]
Death
Stevens died in 2011 after battling
Hodgkin's lymphoma.
To see more of who died in 2010 click here
Tony Stevens (born Anthony Pusateri; )was an American choreographer, dancer and director who worked with, danced with and directed many of Broadway's and Hollywood's best theatrecentric actors and actresses, including Chita Rivera, Martin Short, Robert Redford and Gene Kelly died from Hodgkin's lymphoma he was , 63..
Stevens was born in Herculaneum, Mo. to a factory worker father and a mother who owned and operated a country store. He debuted on Broadway in 1969, dancing in "The Fig Leaves Are Falling" (book and lyrics by Allan Sherman and music by Albert Hague). This was followed by roles in the 1970s productions of "The Boyfriend", and "Irene" amongst others. Stevens quickly rose to prominence in his field, becomming assistant choreographer on the original production of Bob Fosse's "Chicago". Perhaps his most important contribution during this time however, was a series of taped workshop sessions with Michon Peacock in which dancers laid their life stories bare. Those tapes eventually led to the text and subject matter of the internationally famous musical "A Chorus Line".
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