Peter Coe; Directed ‘Oliver,’ ‘Barnum’

Peter Coe, who directed such stage hits as “Barnum,” “Oliver” and “The World of Suzie Wong,” was killed in a car accident, his family reported Monday from London. He was 59.

Relatives said the accident occurred May 25, but they declined to give further details.

Coe had worked extensively in the United States and in many other countries. In New York he received a Tony nomination for best director in 1981 for “A Life” and won the 1982 Tony award for the best revival with “Othello.”

After studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Coe started his career as an actor, but after two years he changed to directing plays in small theaters outside London.

Bernard Miles became aware of Coe’s talent and took him to his new London theater, the Mermaid, in an old warehouse. There, Coe gained fame for directing the opening production in 1959 of “Lock Up Your Daughters,” a musical based on a play by 18th-Century novelist and magistrate Henry Fielding. It ran for 328 performances, and Coe also directed a film of the play.

His work at the Mermaid included an acclaimed version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” with Miles playing the pirate, Long John Silver.

Coe’s “Oliver,” a musical by Lionel Bart based on Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” ran for 2,618 performances after opening in 1960. Coe brought it to the United States in 1962 where it toured most major U.S. cities to critical and popular acclaim.