Some kept their own records.
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You could enter the store hopeful and leave feeling punched in the stomach.
He was wrapped in a heavy shawl sweater that hung too loosely.
His cheekbones cast shadows.
You had only to see him to understand what was happening.
Its not just inaccurate death notices that are the enemy of historical precision; its the passage of decades.
Most of those deaths were not recorded in newspapers, but they were not forgotten.
That itself is a precious and rapidly dwindling resource.
Some entries were apparently just reminders to himself: Mark.
That name right there, Orrin Reiley, Viola says, underscoring an entry with his finger.
He was in the cast ofYou Cant Take It With Youat the Plymouth Theatre with Colleen Dewhurst in 1983.
Dewhurst had liked him and was deeply affected by his loss.
She eventually spearheaded the formation of Equity Fights AIDS, one of the two organizations that merged into BC/EFA.
His death was what moved her to activism, Viola says.
He knew his stuff, and if you didnt, he could be fierce.
He was a fascinating little creature.
Jobriath died of AIDS-related illness in the Chelsea hotel in 1983, little remembered.
So many young men, but none of them were dying of AIDS.
Kieran was like,Oh, there is a story here thats in danger of being lost forever.
In 2016, Turner was diagnosed with cancer and had to postpone work to begin chemotherapy.
Six years later, as the film was underway, his cancer returned.
Tisdale sometimes feels overwhelmed by the breadth of the story its telling.
Is a thousand a safe estimate for those who died?
Its probably low, she says.
Still, thats the ensemble ofWicked,dying twice a year for 20 years.
All the hopes and dreams they had, all that their families have lost.
All the communities that were lost, all the work they had yet to do.
At the time of Turners death, a handful of interviews remained on his wish list.
Its something Viola thinks about a lot.
Most of them were not born when the annual benefit began 33 years ago.
How do we reach them?
Do we take them toThe Normal Heart?
Do we show themHow to Survive a Plague?
We take a stab at give them a sense of what we sprang from.
That is human nature.
For over a decade, Neufelds list sat dormant in the BC/EFA offices.
There was only one copy, kept in a file drawer in case it was ever needed.
A few years ago, it finally was.
Below, he started jotting down names of people hed known, performed with, played for.
He searched his memory for the services he had attended and sung at.
Id go to his apartment in the West Village and record for him.
He added around 125 names over the next five years.
Most, but not all, of the lost friends were victims of AIDS.
Every December on World AIDS Day, he posts the names on social media.
People are always saying, Well, thats morbid, McAssey says.
I look at those names and they make me smile.
We would have Thanksgivings together the people who couldnt go home.
These were people I laughed with.
We had the best times before the horrifying times.
And he still thinks about the people whose names arent there.
I dont know how many times Ive stared at that thing, he says.
Ultimately, you just have to let it go.
Leonard Frey (d. 1988) and Rita Moreno inThe National Healthin 1974.
Tony Azito (d. 1995), Meryl Streep, and Christopher Lloyd inHappy Endin 1977.
Anthony Perkins (d. 1992) inHaroldin 1962.
Third row: Larry Kert (d. 1991) and Susan Browning inCompanyin 1970.
Charles Ludlam (d. 1987).
Staff ofDont Tell Mamain 1982.
Three died of AIDS-related illnesses.
Cast ofThe Boys in the Bandin 1968.
Five of the original cast members died of AIDS-related illnesses.
Bottom row: Peter Evans (d. 1989) inA Life in the Theatrein 1977.
David Carroll (d. 1992) and Mary Tyler Moore backstage atGrand Hotelin 1990.
Bobby Blume (d. 1984).
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