Crabtree, Howard

Costume designer, librettist, and performer Howard Crabtree (1954-1996) created unique costume designs for several cabaret and Off-Broadway productions during the 1980s and 1990s before his untimely death from AIDS.

Born in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, Crabtree briefly attended Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City and later worked with the Missouri Dance Theatre as a dancer and choreographer. In 1976, he moved to Las Vegas for more career opportunities. The costumes and classic Vegas showgirls he encountered there had a lasting impression and their influence can be found in his productions. He first arrived to New York in 1978 and found work in a summer theater in Long Island, but soon moved to Canada to pursue ballet. In 1979, he joined the City Ballet of Toronto (later the Atlantic Ballet Company), and remained for the next five seasons. In addition to becoming a principal dancer, Crabtree choreographed many pieces and designed costumes for productions, including The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, and Alice in Wonderland. During the mid-1980s, Crabtree returned to New York and worked in the wardrobe departments of several Broadway shows. While working backstage at La Cage aux Folles, he and a friend, Drew Geraci, created a cabaret act called Howard and Drew Meet the Invisible Man. The director was Mark Waldrop, with whom Crabtree formed a partnership under the name Figment Productions in 1988. The two began work on Whatnot, in which four actors, including Crabtree, played a multitude of roles in a variety show. The next show conceived by Crabtree and Waldrop was When Pigs Fly, a cabaret extravaganza with seven performances at the Duplex Bar in June 1991. This experience prepared them for the larger scale production that followed, Whoop-Dee-Doo of '92, which had a brief engagement at the Actor's Playhouse. After refining the libretto, and shortening the work's name to Whoop-Dee-Doo!, the revue returned to the Actor's Playhouse for eight months in 1993-94 and then went on the road to Boston. During this time period, Crabtree and his companion, Danny Gates, moved from Manhattan to a farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where they hosted weekend-long drag parties for friends and used the property's barn as a workshop to develop new costumes. The success of Whoop-Dee-Doo! led to an even more outrageously designed show that built upon, and used the same title as the earlier cabaret act, When Pigs Fly. Unfortunately, Crabtree's health was in decline, which forced him to have a reduced role in working on the show. All of his strength went into building the costumes, but he died a few days after completing them and several weeks before the show opened at the Douglas Fairbanks Theater. The show lived on after him; it played Off-Broadway for two years and won several awards, including a special OBIE citation for the work of Crabtree and the creative team.

From the description of Howard Crabtree papers and designs, 1968-1997. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 123007324

Howard Crabtree was born on November 5, 1954 in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Named after his father, Crabtree's childhood nickname "Bud" or "Buddy" became part of his stage name for many years. He earned the distinction "most musical" in his senior high school class, and attended college for a year (1973-1974) at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City. Crabtree stayed in Kansas City for the next two years working with the Missouri Dance Theatre as a dancer and choreographer. In November 1976 he and his first significant boyfriend, Troy Sharp, moved to Las Vegas for more career opportunities. An ensemble role in Folies Bergère soon followed. The costumes and classic Vegas showgirls he encountered there had a lasting impression and their influence can be found in his productions.

After moving to New York City with another boyfriend (Buddy Vest), Crabtree worked in restaurants while going to auditions. In the summer of 1978 he had two roles at the Gateway Playhouse on Long Island – in the chorus for Pippin, and as Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show . Six months later, in March 1979, he moved to Canada to pursue ballet. He joined the City Ballet of Toronto, and stayed with this company for the next five seasons. In addition to being a principal dancer, Crabtree choreographed many pieces, and designed costumes for productions such as The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, and Alice in Wonderland .

During the mid-1980s, Crabtree returned to New York and worked in the wardrobe departments of several Broadway shows. While working backstage at La Cage aux Folles, he and a friend, Drew Geraci, created a cabaret act called Howard and Drew Meet the Invisible Man . This was Crabtree’s first club act, and they earned rave reviews for their performances at Don’t Tell Mama's. The director of Howard and Drew was Mark Waldrop, with whom Crabtree formed a partnership under the name Figment Productions in 1988. The two of them began work on Whatnot, in which four actors, including Crabtree, played a multitude of roles in a variety show. This show opened the 1990 season for the Off-Off Broadway organization Musical Theater Works, at the Theater at Saint Peter's Church.

The next show conceived by Crabtree and Waldrop was When Pigs Fly, a cabaret extravaganza with seven performances at the Duplex Bar in June 1991. This prepared them for the larger scale production that followed called Whoop-Dee-Doo of ’92, which had a brief engagement at the Actor's Playhouse on Sheridan Square. After refining the libretto, and shortening the work's name to Whoop-Dee-Doo!, the revue returned to the Actor's Playhouse for eight months in 1993-94 and then went on the road to Boston. During this time period, Crabtree and his companion, Danny Gates, moved from Manhattan to a farmhouse in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They hosted weekend-long drag parties for their New York friends, and used the property's barn as a workshop to develop new costumes.

The success of Whoop-Dee-Doo! led to an even more outrageously designed show that built upon, and used the same title as the earlier cabaret act When Pigs Fly . Unfortunately, Crabtree's health was in decline due to AIDS, and this forced him to have a reduced role in working on the show. All of his strength went into building the costumes, and he died a few days after completing them, on June 28, 1996. The show lived on after him, though, by playing on Off-Broadway for two years and winning several awards.

From the guide to the Howard Crabtree papers and designs, 1968-1997, (The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.)