John Dexter

John Dexter (2 August 1925 – 23 March 1990) was an English theatre, opera and film director, described in a 100th anniversary tribute as "one of the towering directors in the English-speaking theatre in the second half of the 20th century".

Dexter's first great success was his premiere production of Roots at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in May 1959, which brought Joan Plowright to prominence. He went on to direct Toys in the Attic (with Wendy Hiller, 1960) and Saint Joan (1963). In 1964, he was named Associate Director of the National Theatre of Great Britain, and in July produced Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

That year, he also directed Othello, with Sir Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith and Frank Finlay. and Pygmalion, the latter both with Diana Rigg and Alex McCowen, the Shaw later issued on 2 LPs by Argo. When he left the National Theatre, the critic Kenneth Tynan, asked who might replace him, replied "no one can replace John Dexter.

At the Metropolitan Opera (where he was Director of Production from 1974 to 1981, then Production Advisor from 1981 to 1984), Dexter mounted new productions of Les vêpres siciliennes (with Montserrat Caballé, 1974), Aïda (with Leontyne Price, 1976), Le prophète (with Marilyn Horne, 1977), Dialogues des Carmélites (1977), the first production there of Lulu (1977), Rigoletto (with Cornell MacNeil and Plácido Domingo, 1977), Billy Budd (with Sir Peter Pears, 1978), The Bartered Bride (with Teresa Stratas and Jon Vickers, 1978), Don Pasquale (with Beverly Sills, 1978), Don Carlos (with Renata Scotto, 1979), Die Entführung aus dem Serail (with Edda Moser, later Zdzisława Donat, 1979), Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (1979) and the triple-bills (both designed by David Hockney) of "Parade" (Parade/Les mamelles de Tirésias/L'enfant et les sortilèges, 1981) and "Stravinsky" (Le sacre du printemps/Le rossignol/Œdipus rex, 1981).

For the Paris Opéra, he staged Les vêpres siciliennes (1974) and La forza del destino (1975).

In Zurich, he produced Nabucco in 1986, his last operatic production.

Life

In 1978, the Hamburg-based Alfred Toepfer Foundation awarded Dexter its annual Shakespeare Prize in recognition of his life's work. John Dexter died in London during heart surgery; he had also been afflicted with poliomyelitis and diabetes. His acerbic and witty autobiography, The Honourable Beast, was published posthumously, in which he wrote of his "Fury for perfection...."

Broadway productions The Threepenny Opera (1989 revival) M. Butterfly (1988) The Glass Menagerie (1983 revival) One Night Stand (1980, "never officially opened") The Merchant (1977) The Misanthrope (1975 revival) Equus (1974) The Unknown Soldier and His Wife (1967) Black Comedy/White Liars (1967) The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1965) Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) Chips With Everything (1963)

Awards and nominations