William and Jean Eckart
Encyclopedia
William and Jean Eckart were a husband-and-wife team of theatre designers in the 1950s and '60s. They designed sets, costumes, and lighting for many productions, including Mame, Here's Love
, Damn Yankees
, Once Upon a Mattress
, The Fig Leaves Are Falling
, and The Golden Apple
.
William Eckart was born October 21, 1920 in New Iberia, Louisiana
and died on January 24, 2000 in Dallas, Texas
, aged 79. His wife Jean was born on August 18, 1921 in Glencoe, Illinois
and died on September 6, 1993, aged 72.
The couple received three Tony Award
nominations: for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Fiorello!
and Best Musical (as producers) for Once Upon a Mattress in 1960 and
for Best Scenic Design for Mame in 1966.
The couple taught at Southern Methodist University
after their Broadway careers ended.
In 2006, a book entitled The Performing Set: The Broadway Designs of William and Jean Eckart by Andrew Harris was published. It includes sketches from every show the Eckarts designed.
Here's Love
Here's Love is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson.Based on the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, it tells the tale of a skeptical little girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. When the real Kris Kringle inadvertently is hired to represent jolly St...
, Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
, Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
, The Fig Leaves Are Falling
The Fig Leaves Are Falling
The Fig Leaves Are Falling is a musical with a book and lyrics by Allan Sherman and music by Albert Hague. It was inspired by Sherman's 1966 divorce following 21 years of marriage....
, and The Golden Apple
The Golden Apple (musical)
The Golden Apple is a musical adaptation of parts of each of the Iliad and Odyssey epics of Homer, with music by Jerome Moross and lyrics by John Treville Latouche...
.
William Eckart was born October 21, 1920 in New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
and died on January 24, 2000 in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, aged 79. His wife Jean was born on August 18, 1921 in Glencoe, Illinois
Glencoe, Illinois
Glencoe is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 8,723. Glencoe is located on suburban Chicago's North Shore. Glencoe is located within the New Trier High School District. Glencoe is regarded as one of the most affluent suburbs on...
and died on September 6, 1993, aged 72.
The couple received three Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations: for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Fiorello!
Fiorello!
Fiorello! is a musical about New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, a reform Republican who took on Tammany Hall. The book is by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott, drawn substantially from the 1955 volume Life With Fiorello by Ernest Cuneo, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock...
and Best Musical (as producers) for Once Upon a Mattress in 1960 and
for Best Scenic Design for Mame in 1966.
The couple taught at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
after their Broadway careers ended.
In 2006, a book entitled The Performing Set: The Broadway Designs of William and Jean Eckart by Andrew Harris was published. It includes sketches from every show the Eckarts designed.