Dick Gallagher (October 16, 1955 – January 20, 2005) was a

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and composer, best known on the

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 Un ...

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

scene.

Early life

Gallagher graduated from the

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

School of Music and received a master's degree from the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univers ...

.Jones, Kenneth
"Dick Gallagher, Award-Winning Off-Broadway Composer and Musical Director, Dead at 49"
playbill.com, January 24, 2005

Career

He played the piano for performers at many New York City venues, such as Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, the Oak Room at the Algonquin, Rainbow & Stars, and the Carlyle. He was the musical arranger for many performers, including Liza Minnelli and

Karen Akers Karen Akers (born October 13, 1945) is an American actress and singer, who has appeared on Broadway, and in cabaret and film. Early life Akers was born Karen Orth-Pallavicini in New York City on October 13, 1945. Her immigrant father, Heinnick C ...

. For many years he was the arranger, accompanist and conductor for

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of F ...

, and with writer-director

Scott Wittman Scott Wittman (born November 16, 1954) is an American director, lyricist, composer and writer for Broadway, concerts, and television. Life and career Wittman was raised in Nanuet, New York, graduated from Nanuet Senior High School in 1972 and a ...

created several shows for LuPone. He was the arranger and musical director for two Lupone shows on

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 ...

: ''Matters of the Heart'' (2000) and ''Patti LuPone on Broadway'' (1995). Gallagher co-wrote scores for several musicals: * ''Have I Got a Girl for You: The Frankenstein Musical'' (with Joel Greenhouse and Penny Rockwell, 1986) * ''What Not'', which won the 1990 Richard Rodgers Production Award * '' Whoop-Dee-Doo!'' (1993), which was nominated for the 1993 Outer Critics Circle Award and won the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical Revue * '' When Pigs Fly'' (1996), which was produced internationally after an extended run Off-Broadway, and won the 1996

Outer Critics Circle The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

award for Best Musical Revue, and the Drama Desk Award for Best Off-Broadway musical He also wrote the title song for the

Charles Busch Charles Louis Busch (born August 23, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, playwright and drag queen, known for his appearances on stage in his own camp style plays and in film and television. He wrote and starred in his early plays Off-off- ...

play ''You Should Be So Lucky''. and wrote the music for two musicals for the theatre company TheatreWorks/USA: ''Gold Rush!'' (with David Armstrong and Mark Waldrop) and ''A Christmas Carol'' (with David Armstrong and Mark Waldrop). He received the MAC Award, Musical Director of the year, in 2004.Gans, Andrew
2004 MAC Awards Announced; Mason, Sullivan, DeRoy Among Winners"
playbill.com, May 18, 2004

References

External links

Listing, Internet Off-Broadway DatabaseBiography with photo
* https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/DICK_GALLAGHER.jpg {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Dick American male composers American male songwriters 1955 births 2005 deaths Place of birth missing Place of death missing 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers American male pianists 20th-century American male musicians