Howell Binkley, considered one of Broadway’s headliners, died Friday, August 14 in North Carolina, his wife, Joyce, told the Winston-Salem Journal. He was 64 and had lung cancer.
Among his designs were the original Broadway productions of Jersey Boys en Hamilton for which he won the Tony Award in 2006 and 2016. respectively, he also took home an Olivier Award for the staging of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical in the West End of London in 2018.
His work can be seen in the Disney + movie of Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theater.
Binkley made his Broadway debut as the lighting designer before Kiss of a Spider-Woman in 1993, earned a Tony nomination for his work on the musical set in an Argentine prison. He continued to work with Avenue Q, In The Heights, Come From Away, en Ain’t To Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations, all Tony-nominated. He had a total of nine Tony nominations during his career.
Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Binkley attended the University of East Carolina before moving to New York City in 1978. In 1985, he and choreographer David Parsons founded the Parsons Dance Company, a modern company.
His resume also included Simmer: The Donna Summer Musical, Escape to Margaritaville, Prince of Broadway, Allegiance, Memphis, The Full Monty, and revivals of Gypsy, West Side Story, en Superstar of Jesus Christ. His overall scorecard has 52 Broadway shows. His work was also recently seen earlier this year in the world premiere of Fly by La Jolla Playhouse.
Online tribute submitted for Binkley:
