The composer Adrian Sutton, who has died of cancer aged 58, became best known for his music for a string of theatrical hits, many of them for the National Theatre, over the last two decades. These included Coram Boy (2005), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2012, which earned him an Olivier award), Tony Kushner’s Aids-era epic Angels in America (2017, prompting a Tony award nomination), and above all War Horse.
Following its initial production at the National in 2007, War Horse became a record-breaking phenomenon in the West End – the Times called it “the theatrical event of the decade” – before going on to international success, winning five Tony awards in 2011 for its Broadway production.
