Select Broadway Theatres to Dim Lights in Honor of William Finn

The Broadway In Memoriam Committee has announced that a select group of theatres will dim their marquee lights on Tuesday, June 17 at 6:45 PM in a special individual tribute to William Finn, the Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist behind Falsettos and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Participating venues include The Hayes Theater, The Broadhurst Theatre, The Gershwin Theatre, The Walter Kerr Theatre, The Circle in the Square Theatre, and The Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Finn, who passed away on April 7, 2025, at the age of 73, was previously honored during a group dimming ceremony held June 10, in which all 41 Broadway theatres dimmed their lights for one minute. That ceremony marked the launch of a new quarterly initiative aimed at collectively honoring members of the Broadway community, following past controversies over inconsistent recognition. The inaugural June 10 tribute also commemorated Marshall Brickman, Richard Chamberlain, Athol Fugard, Helen Gallagher, Gene Hackman, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, Merle Louise, Ken Page, Joan Plowright, Tony Roberts, Charles Strouse, and Lynne Taylor-Corbett.

Now, just one week later, Finn becomes the first individual to receive a solo marquee dimming under the new group dimming framework—an exception made, according to the Broadway In Memoriam Committee, for artists whose contributions represent “a profoundly significant and lasting impact on Broadway.”

Still, the Committee emphasized that the quarterly group ceremonies “do not preclude a more traditional solo affair,” nor do they prevent individual theatre owners from honoring artists as they see fit.

A beloved composer, lyricist, and librettist, William Finn was best known for his groundbreaking work on Falsettos, which earned him Tony Awards for both Best Book and Best Original Score in 1992. His singular voice, blending heartfelt vulnerability with biting wit, also shaped works such as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which he composed the music and lyrics. Finn passed away on April 7, 2025, at the age of 73.