Joe Layton

Joe Layton, born Joseph Lichtman on May 3, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York, was an American director and choreographer whose career spanned Broadway, television, film, and international stage productions. He died on May 5, 1994, in Key West, Florida, at the age of 63.

Layton began his professional life as a performer, appearing on Broadway between 1943 and 1953 in productions including Oklahoma!, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Wonderful Town. His work as a dancer in Wonderful Town in 1953 marked one of his final performing credits before he shifted his focus to directing and choreography. During this transitional period he also appeared in the ensemble of the original live television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in 1957, starring Julie Andrews, though his participation went uncredited.

His choreographic work on Broadway earned him two Tony Awards for Best Choreography. The first came in 1962 for No Strings, a production starring Diahann Carroll, and the second in 1969 for George M!, which starred Joel Grey. He also received Tony nominations for Best Choreography for Greenwillow in 1960 and Barnum in 1980, along with nominations for Best Direction of a Musical for No Strings in 1962 and Barnum in 1980. His Broadway choreography credits additionally included The Sound of Music, featuring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel. Barnum also brought him Drama Desk Award nominations for both Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical.

Beyond the stage, Layton built a substantial television career. In 1965 he won an Emmy Award for Conception, Choreography and Staging for My Name Is Barbra, the special that marked a new chapter in Barbra Streisand's public profile. That project initiated a four-part collaboration with Streisand that continued with Color Me Barbra in 1966, The Belle of 14th Street in 1967, and Barbra Streisand ... And Other Musical Instruments in 1973, the last of which earned him an Emmy nomination. He also directed and produced television specials for Paul Lynde, Hal Linden, Richard Pryor, and Olivia Newton-John.

Layton conceived and directed Broadway concert productions for Bette Midler in 1975, Diana Ross in 1976, Cher in 1979, and Harry Connick Jr. in 1990. His 1976 collaboration with Diana Ross extended to her one-woman international concert tour, An Evening with Diana Ross, for which Ross received a Special Event Tony Award for the concert's engagement at The Palace Theater. His film work began with his role as dance director on Thoroughly Modern Millie in 1967. He later executive produced the first film adaptation of Annie in 1982 and reunited with Midler as choreographer on For the Boys in 1991.

His international directing work included the 1972 West End and 1973 Los Angeles productions of Scarlett, a musical stage adaptation of Gone with the Wind, and the 1985 world premiere of the Jule Styne musical Pieces of Eight in Edmonton. He choreographed a ballet titled Grand Tour for The Royal Ballet in London. In 1984 he was among three choreographers credited with staging the opening and closing ceremonies of the 23rd Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He also served as director of Paul Green's outdoor symphonic drama The Lost Colony from 1964 to 1984.

In 1985, Layton directed and choreographed a revival production of Aloha: A Musical of the Islands, written by Eaton "Bob" Magoon and Sir Robert Helpmann, at His Majesty's Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand. The production starred Derek Metzger and Hollywood actress Patricia Morison, with Derek Williams serving as orchestrator and musical director. Though well reviewed, the production closed earlier than planned and subsequently moved to the purpose-built Aloha Showroom in Honolulu, Hawaii, where it ran until the Gulf War curtailed its tourist audience. Beginning in 1989, Layton relocated to Honolulu, where he also directed a revival of Magoon's 13 Daughters at the Hawaii Theatre.

In his personal life, Layton married actress Evelyn Russell in 1959. She predeceased him in February 1976. The couple had one son, Jeb James Layton. Layton spent his final years suffering from AIDS and died at his home in Key West, Florida, in 1994. His papers, covering the years 1931 to 1992, are held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.