Director Robin Phillips has passed away

[philly03]

Posted: 7/26/15 at 9:33pm

Director/set designer Robin Phillips has passed away at the age of 73. He is probably most known for directing (and set designed) the original Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway, the national tour of Aspects of Love and countless Shakespeare productions at the Stratford festival.

 

Robin Phillips has passed 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/26/15 at 10:16pm

Oh no! I actually admire his work a great deal on the original Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde. I think he made the show "work" better than anyone else has ever managed to. Under his direction the book was the best it's ever been and the orchestrations were the best they've ever been. The design was elegant while remaining simple, although I'd call it more deceptively simple. He managed to work out quite a few wonderful stage pictures in that little red box. The production outlasted all the nominated new musicals that season and the show, while flawed, holds a special place in my heart and a lot of that is because of his work on the show. May he rest in peace.

[TweetyPie2]

Posted: 7/27/15 at 8:26am

I remember him from the original "Forsyte Saga" series. 

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/8/15 at 9:32pm

When he was artistic director of The Citadel (where his Aspects premiered) in Edmonton he lived with his partner next door to my aunt.  I met him as a teenager numerous times and he was a very sweet, fascinating guy.  I didn't always like his work (though I did like his Aspects a lot,) but he undeniably had a lot of talent.  Unfortunately one of the things I remember about him is my grandma talking about when he did a production of Oliver! some people were upset that he would be working with boys--because of his sexuality (which wasn't based on *any* actual reports are charges just on closed minded Edmontonians gossiping.)

His designs tended to favour white--which worked sometimes and sometimes, for me, didn't, but he also had a way of making his productions feel very intimate even in large spaces (which especially worked well for Aspects--as gorgeous as the Maria Bjornson designs appeared to have been--I never saw the Nunn staging except in pics and on video--his approach benefited the show.)