Sandy Wilson, the author, composer and lyricist whose winsome, nostalgic and tuneful pastiche of 1920s musicals, “The Boy Friend,” made a stage star of Julie Andrews and later a movie star of the model Twiggy, died Aug. 27 in Taunton, England. He was 90.
His agent, Nick Quinn, confirmed the death.
“The Boy Friend,” first staged in 1953, was the grand slam of Wilson’s theatrical career. It ran for more than five years in London and had a respectable run of 485 performances on Broadway with 19-year-old Andrews making her U.S. debut in the lead.
The success of “The Boy Friend” made Wilson the rage of theater circles in London and New York. He was dubbed the next Bright Young Thing.
Achieving fame and riches at 30, he said the rest of his career seemed like a long denouement.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.