Noel Cristi Irick

Noël Irick Obituary
Dancer, singer, actress, choreographer, director, producer Noël Irick quietly took her final bow on January 4th, 2026 after a 2 ½ year battle with lung cancer. Her husband of 38 years, Peter J. Hill and several members of her theater 'family' were by her side.
Noël was born and raised in Vincentown, New Jersey, a small town in Burlington County. She delighted in growing up in the three-story Victorian home, built by John Bishop Irick in 1869. She attended Lenape High School where she appeared as Kim in Bye, Bye Birdie. That was the beginning of a long and satisfying career in theater and dance. She moved to Phoenix in 1966 to attend ASU, intending to major in dance, but was told that the University had no Dance Major program, and she would have to Major in Physical Education. As she said, "Can you see all 100lbs of me as a Gym teacher?!" Instead, she went to work – as a 1960's Go-Go girl! She lived the life of a 1960's wild child, dancing, singing and even Sky Diving.
In the early 70's, her uncle-in-law, popular 40's crooner, Johnny Johnson appeared at the Sombrero Playhouse on 7th Street in Phoenix in a production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. Johnny, remembering Noël's background in dance, called her to join the cast as one of the dancing nurses. Instead, after seeing her audition, the director cast her in a leading role as Lieutenant Cable's love interest, Liat. This led to her being cast in many more theater productions. In fact, over 150 plays and musicals enjoyed Noël's talents. She shared the stage with Buddy Ebsen, Ray Walston, Theodore Bikel, Joanne Whorley and many others. Soon, with her background in dance, she came to be in demand as a choreographer, creating and staging dances for A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, Crazy for You, Cats and dozens more. She choreographed productions at Gammage, The Sundome, Phoenix Theater, Stagebrush Theater, Symphony Hall, Mesa Encore Theater, Theaterworks, Valley Youth Theater, Southwest Shakespeare. Virtually every major and minor theater in the Valley benefitted from Noël's seemingly limitless talents. The ariZoni Awards for Theatrical Excellence has awarded her more 'Best Choreography' trophies than any other individual. She was also honored with the ariZoni Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Noël also moved into directing and flourished there as well, earning dozens of ariZoni nominations as Best Director and winning six. Noël's final performance on stage was as the hilarious Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge's irascible housekeeper in A Christmas Carol, a mere 13 days before her passing. Amazingly, she choreographed that production as well.
For 20 years Noël owned and operated The Scottsdale School of Dance, training dancers young and old. In 1980 she met a man she immediately referred to as a 'Nerf Ball'. She married that Nerf Ball in 1988, becoming a team in life and on stage with director Peter Hill. They were together nearly 24/7. Noël once remarked in her trademark sass - 'I can't fart without him around to smell it!' In the 90's Noël and Peter were hired to direct and choreograph the musical Little Shop of Horrors for Fountain Hills Community Theater. There they stayed, with Noël as the resident choreographer and Peter becoming the Theater's Artistic Director.
In 2025 the Theater Board chose to honor Noël's extraordinary commitment to Fountain Hills Theater by naming the Mainstage Theater 'The Noël Irick and Peter J. Hill Playhouse'. Noël is beloved by her friends for her sass, humor, talent, boundless energy and kindness. She loved entertaining. Her 'Orphan's Thanksgiving' (for anyone with no family or simply can't stand their family) and her annual 'After-Christmas-Before-New-Years-Come-Over-And-Get-Weird-Parties' were legendary. Arizona Republic critic and theater reporter, Kyle Lawson, printed that if a bomb ever went off at one of Noël's parties, theater in the valley would cease to exist.
Noël is survived by her husband, Peter J. Hill, her sisters Duffy and Alicia, her brothers Bill and Christopher, sister-in-law Nadine, her 'favorite' niece Jeannie Michele, and literally hundreds of actors, singers, dancers and students whose lives were permanently changed for the better by meeting and working with the incredible dynamo. 'Toi, toi, toi', 'merde' and 'break a leg', Noël.
In lieu of flowers she suggested donations to FHT. What else?!