John Kenrick (theatre writer)
Encyclopedia
John Kenrick is an American author, teacher and theatre and film historian. Kenrick is an adjunct teacher of musical theatre history at New York University
, Brind School – University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
and The New School
, and lectures frequently on the subject elsewhere. His 2008 book Musical Theatre: A History is a comprehensive history of musical theatre
from ancient times to the present. Kenrick is the curator of the extensive musical theatre and film website Musicals101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film
and then Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston, New York, studying English and theology.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Kenrick worked first as a teacher and then in theatrical production and management. Productions on which he worked included the 1994 Broadway
revival of Grease
and the original 1996 Broadway production of Rent
, as well as national tours of Damn Yankees
, Crazy for You
, Victor/Victoria
, Jekyll & Hyde
, and the original 1995 touring production of Busker Alley
. He wrote the lyrics for the Off-Broadway
musical Bats
and has written material for various cabaret and comedy acts. He served as Associate Producer for the Celebration '86 Gay Arts Festival.
Kenrick teaches musical theatre history at New York University
's Steinhardt School, The Ira Brind School – University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
and The New School
, and he has also taught the subject at Marymount Manhattan College
. He is a frequent lecurer on theatre and film history. Broadway World calls him an "Internationally recognized musical theatre and film authority". He is often cited as an expert in the press. Kenrick has been interviewed about theatre and film on numerous US and UK television and radio programs and in national and foreign newspapers and magazines. He has been interviewed in documentaries concerning showtunes, Jerry Herman
, Times Square
, haunted theatres, and the history of American burlesque
, and he appears in the DVD documentaries for The Busby Berkeley
Collection and for the film musicals Three Little Words
, Till the Clouds Roll By
and It's Always Fair Weather
. Among other lecture series, from 2005 to 2007, he gave a three-year "musical conversation" series at York Theatre Company. Kenrick has appeared in several documentaries about musicals.
Kenrick is the curator of the extensive musical theatre and film website Musicals101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film. Hundreds of libraries, universities and arts sites link to Musicals101.com.
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Brind School – University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
The University of the Arts is one of the United States' oldest universities dedicated to the arts. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia...
and The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
, and lectures frequently on the subject elsewhere. His 2008 book Musical Theatre: A History is a comprehensive history of musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
from ancient times to the present. Kenrick is the curator of the extensive musical theatre and film website Musicals101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film
Biography
Kenrick was born and raised in Astoria, New York. He attended Monsignor McClancy Memorial High SchoolMonsignor McClancy Memorial High School
Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School is an all-boys Catholic high school located in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York. As of Fall 2012, the school will start accepting young women, and will become fully co-educational by 2016. Founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in 1956,...
and then Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Douglaston, New York, studying English and theology.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Kenrick worked first as a teacher and then in theatrical production and management. Productions on which he worked included the 1994 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revival of Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
and the original 1996 Broadway production of Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, as well as national tours of Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
, Crazy for You
Crazy for You
Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well...
, Victor/Victoria
Victor/Victoria (musical)
Victor/Victoria is a musical with a book by Blake Edwards, music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and additional musical material by Frank Wildhorn...
, Jekyll & Hyde
Jekyll & Hyde (musical)
Jekyll & Hyde is a musical based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The music is by Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Leslie Bricusse.The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543...
, and the original 1995 touring production of Busker Alley
Busker Alley
Busker Alley is a musical with a score by the Sherman Brothers and a book by AJ Carothers, based on the 1938 British film, St. Martin's Lane, which was inspired by the 1905 novel, Small Town Tyrant, by Heinrich Mann....
. He wrote the lyrics for the Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
musical Bats
Bats (musical)
Bats is a musical written in 1983 by two Australians, Ian Dorricott and Simon Denver. It has been produced numerous times by school groups.-Synopsis:...
and has written material for various cabaret and comedy acts. He served as Associate Producer for the Celebration '86 Gay Arts Festival.
Kenrick teaches musical theatre history at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Steinhardt School, The Ira Brind School – University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
The University of the Arts is one of the United States' oldest universities dedicated to the arts. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia...
and The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
, and he has also taught the subject at Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College is an urban, coeducational, independent, private, liberal arts college located in Manhattan, New York City, New York with a focus in performing arts. The mission of the College is to educate a socially and economically diverse student body by fostering intellectual...
. He is a frequent lecurer on theatre and film history. Broadway World calls him an "Internationally recognized musical theatre and film authority". He is often cited as an expert in the press. Kenrick has been interviewed about theatre and film on numerous US and UK television and radio programs and in national and foreign newspapers and magazines. He has been interviewed in documentaries concerning showtunes, Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...
, Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, haunted theatres, and the history of American burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...
, and he appears in the DVD documentaries for The Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns...
Collection and for the film musicals Three Little Words
Three Little Words
"Three Little Words" can refer to:*"Three Little Words" , a 1930 song by Burt Kalmar and Harry Ruby*Three Little Words , a 1950 movie about Kalmar and Ruby*Three Little Words , a British TV game show of the 1970s...
, Till the Clouds Roll By
Till the Clouds Roll By
Till The Clouds Roll By is a 1946 American musical film made by MGM. The film is a fictionalized biography of composer Jerome Kern, who was originally involved with the production of the film, but died before it was completed...
and It's Always Fair Weather
It's Always Fair Weather
Fortunately, the original multitrack pre-recordings of the score survive to this day, having enabled Rhino Records to reissue the soundtrack in true stereo . The Original MGM soundtrack was released in 1991 by Sony Music....
. Among other lecture series, from 2005 to 2007, he gave a three-year "musical conversation" series at York Theatre Company. Kenrick has appeared in several documentaries about musicals.
Kenrick is the curator of the extensive musical theatre and film website Musicals101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film. Hundreds of libraries, universities and arts sites link to Musicals101.com.
Writings
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amateur Theatricals Alpha (2006) ISBN 1-59257-506-4
- Musical Theatre: A History Continuum (2008) ISBN 0-8264-3013-9
- "Theatre in New York: A Brief History", Theatre Law: Cases and Materials (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2004
- "Funny Girl Debunked: The Truth About Fanny Brice", Barbra Streisand Archives
Documentaries
- The 100 Greatest Musicals (2003) (Television)
- Busby Berkeley's Kaleidoscopic Eyes (2006) (film)
- Footlight Parade: Music for the Decades (2006) (V)
- Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History (2008) (V)
- Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure (2008) (TV)
- Hollywood Singing and Dancing: 1920s – The Dawn of the Hollywood Musical (2008) (V)