Martin Charnin
Encyclopedia
Martin Charnin is an American
lyricist
, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director and lyricist of the hit musical Annie
.
Born in New York City, he graduated from The High School of Music & Art
and then from The Cooper Union, where he got his BFA. Charnin began his theatrical career as a performer, appearing as "Big Deal", one of the Jets in the original production of West Side Story. He played the role for 1000 performances on Broadway and on the road. After completing his duties in West Side Story, he wrote music and lyrics for numerous off-Broadway and Cabaret revues, many of them for Julius Monk
. He then went on to write, direct, and produce nightclub acts for Dionne Warwick
, Nancy Wilson, Mary Travers
, Larry Kert
, Jose Ferrer
, and Leslie Uggams
. His first Broadway musical was in 1963, as the lyricist for Hot Spot
starring Judy Holliday
, with music by Mary Rodgers
.
In California, he contributed lyrics to Vernon Duke
's musical Zenda
and in 1967, wrote the lyrics for Mata Hari, which was produced by David Merrick
. In the fall of 1969, he wrote lyrics to Richard Rodgers
' music and Peter Stone
's book for the musical Two by Two
, which starred Danny Kaye
. In the early 70's, he went to television where he conceived, produced, wrote and directed six television variety specials. In 1971, he won the Emmy Award for Annie, The Women in the Life of a Man, which starred Anne Bancroft
. In 1972, he won two more primetime Emmy Awards for S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin, which starred, among others, Jack Lemmon
, Fred Astaire
, Ethel Merman
, Larry Kert
, and Robert Guillaume
. His other specials included Get Happy (starring Jack Lemmon, Johnny Mathis, Mama Cass), Dames at Sea
(starring AnnMargaret, Anne Meara, and Ann Miller), Cole Porter in Paris (starring Perry Como, Diahann Carroll, Charles Aznavour), and a second Bancroft special, called Annie and the Hoods. He supplied music and lyrics for the hit song The Best Thing You've Ever Done, sung by Barbra Streisand
on her gold album The Way We Were.
He made his stage directing debut in 1972 with Music, Music, which had a libretto by Alan Jay Lerner
. He then conceived and directed a 1973 revue called Nash at Nine (based on the works of Ogden Nash
and starring E.G. Marshall). He then directed The National Lampoon Show and its road company. (The New York version starred John Belushi
, Gilda Radner
, Bill Murray
, and other Saturday Night Live
stalwarts). He then created, wrote the lyrics for and directed Annie at the Goodspeed Opera House. Annie moved to Broadway and ran for 2,327 performances, making it one of the 25 longest running musicals in Broadway history. His collaborators were Charles Strouse
and Thomas Meehan
. He went on to direct the five U.S. national companies of Annie
and three productions in the West End in London. While in London, he also directed Bar Mitzvah Boy
, which had music by Jule Styne
and lyrics by Don Black
. Back in the U.S. he wrote the lyrics for I Remember Mama
with music by Richard Rodgers, and directed, wrote the lyrics for, and co-wrote the book for The First
, a musical about Jackie Robinson
and the integration of baseball. He directed Cafe Crown for Joseph Papp. Cafe Crown subsequently transferred to Broadway. He directed A Little Family Business, which starred Angela Lansbury
and John McMartin
, and Eli Wallach
and Anne Jackson
in The Flowering Peach for Tony Randall's National Theatre, on Broadway.
Other Broadway projects include La Strada
(1969) – additional lyrics, Sid Caesar
& Company (1989) - director, and The Madwoman of Central Park West
(1979) – additional lyrics. In the 90's, he directed dozens of companies of Annie
, and its sequel Annie Warbucks
. He also directed Laughing Matters
, a revue written by and starring Peter Tolan and Linda Wallem and in 1997, he directed three additional companies of Annie
in London, Australia and Amsterdam. He directed the 20th anniversary production of Annie on Broadway, and he also directed Jeanne La Pucelle (1997); book & lyrics by Vincent de Tourdonnet
, music by Peter Sipos. Off-Broadway, he directed the premier stage adaptation of Jules Feiffer's Carnal Knowledge, and Wallach and Jackson in In Persons, as well as The No Frills Revue and Upstairs at O'Neals, both of which had healthy New York runs. He directed A.R. Gurney's Later Life in Orlando, and in 2004, he moved to the Pacific Northwest to direct the 30th anniversary production of Annie, produced by Ken Gentry and Networks. It ran for three and a half years all over the U.S. He then regionally created or wrote or directed shows like Love is Love
, Robin Hood: The Legend Continues, Shadowlands
, and in 2010, Sleuth
, all for Village Theatre in Issaquah, WA. He created, produced and directed night club acts for his wife, Shelly Burch http://www.shellyburch.com, and recently became the Artistic Director of Showtunes, a theatre company in Seattle, WA, devoted to resurrecting forgotten and unsung musicals, and celebrating the works of composers, including Richard Rodgers
and Irving Berlin
, and producing them in concert at the Moore Theatre in Seattle.
Nominations
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director and lyricist of the hit musical Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
.
Born in New York City, he graduated from The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art", was a public alternative high school at 443-465 West 135th Street, New York, New York, USA that existed from 1936 through 1984, and then merged into the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing...
and then from The Cooper Union, where he got his BFA. Charnin began his theatrical career as a performer, appearing as "Big Deal", one of the Jets in the original production of West Side Story. He played the role for 1000 performances on Broadway and on the road. After completing his duties in West Side Story, he wrote music and lyrics for numerous off-Broadway and Cabaret revues, many of them for Julius Monk
Julius Monk
- Career :His club Julius Monk's Downstairs opened March 4, 1956 with Four Below, labeled as "the first legitimate cafe revue in New York City" by James Gavin, author of Intimate Nights, The Golden Age of New York Cabaret....
. He then went on to write, direct, and produce nightclub acts for Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, Nancy Wilson, Mary Travers
Mary Travers
Mary Travers , American singer-songwriter; member of the folk, pop group, Peter, Paul and Mary.Mary Travers may also refer to:* Mary Rose-Anna Travers , Québécoise singer known as Madame Bolduc or La Bolduc...
, Larry Kert
Larry Kert
Larry Kert was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for creating the role of Tony in the original Broadway version of West Side Story.-Early life:...
, Jose Ferrer
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
, and Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
. His first Broadway musical was in 1963, as the lyricist for Hot Spot
Hot Spot (musical)
Hot Spot is a musical with the book by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, lyrics by Martin Charnin, music by Mary Rodgers, and additional lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It had a brief run on Broadway in 1963...
starring Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday
Judy Holliday was an American actress.Holliday began her career as part of a night-club act, before working in Broadway plays and musicals...
, with music by Mary Rodgers
Mary Rodgers
Mary Rodgers is an American composer of musicals and an author of children's books. She is a daughter of composer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy Rodgers, as is her sister, Linda Rodgers Emory...
.
In California, he contributed lyrics to Vernon Duke
Vernon Duke
Vernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y...
's musical Zenda
Zenda (musical)
Zenda is a musical with a book by Everett Freeman, lyrics by Lenny Adelson, Sid Kuller, and Martin Charnin, and music by Vernon Duke.Based on the 1894 Anthony Hope novel The Prisoner of Zenda, it sets the action in contemporary times and transforms the protagonist into British song-and-dance man...
and in 1967, wrote the lyrics for Mata Hari, which was produced by David Merrick
David Merrick
David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning American theatrical producer.-Life and career:Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law...
. In the fall of 1969, he wrote lyrics to Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
' music and Peter Stone
Peter Stone
Peter Hess Stone was an American writer for theater, television and movies.-Life and career:Stone was born in Los Angeles. His mother, Hilda , was a film writer, and his father, John Stone was the writer and producer of many silent films, including Shirley Temple and Charlie Chan movies...
's book for the musical Two by Two
Two by Two
Two by Two, two by two or the abbreviated 2×2 or 2by2 may refer to:* Dimensional lumber, specifically a timber measuring 2 by 2 inches of any given length* Two-wheel drive, a designation of motor vehicle...
, which starred Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
. In the early 70's, he went to television where he conceived, produced, wrote and directed six television variety specials. In 1971, he won the Emmy Award for Annie, The Women in the Life of a Man, which starred Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
. In 1972, he won two more primetime Emmy Awards for S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin, which starred, among others, Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
, Larry Kert
Larry Kert
Larry Kert was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for creating the role of Tony in the original Broadway version of West Side Story.-Early life:...
, and Robert Guillaume
Robert Guillaume
Robert "Bob" Guillaume is an American stage and television actor, best known for his role as Benson Du Bois on the TV-series Soap and the spin-off Benson, voicing the mandrill Rafiki in The Lion King and as Isaac Jaffe on Sports Night...
. His other specials included Get Happy (starring Jack Lemmon, Johnny Mathis, Mama Cass), Dames at Sea
Dames at Sea
Dames at Sea is a musical with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise.The musical is a parody of large, flashy 1930s Busby Berkeley-style movie musicals in which an understudy steps into a role on Broadway and becomes a star...
(starring AnnMargaret, Anne Meara, and Ann Miller), Cole Porter in Paris (starring Perry Como, Diahann Carroll, Charles Aznavour), and a second Bancroft special, called Annie and the Hoods. He supplied music and lyrics for the hit song The Best Thing You've Ever Done, sung by Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
on her gold album The Way We Were.
He made his stage directing debut in 1972 with Music, Music, which had a libretto by Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
. He then conceived and directed a 1973 revue called Nash at Nine (based on the works of Ogden Nash
Ogden Nash
Frederic Ogden Nash was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry".-Early life:Nash was born in Rye, New York...
and starring E.G. Marshall). He then directed The National Lampoon Show and its road company. (The New York version starred John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
, Gilda Radner
Gilda Radner
Gilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1978.-Early life:...
, Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, and other Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
stalwarts). He then created, wrote the lyrics for and directed Annie at the Goodspeed Opera House. Annie moved to Broadway and ran for 2,327 performances, making it one of the 25 longest running musicals in Broadway history. His collaborators were Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist.-Life and career:Strouse was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ira and Ethel Strouse...
and Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan , was a noted British-born nurseryman, botanist and author. He worked as a Kew gardener in 1846–1848, and thereafter he moved to Germantown in Philadelphia...
. He went on to direct the five U.S. national companies of Annie
Annie
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
and three productions in the West End in London. While in London, he also directed Bar Mitzvah Boy
Bar Mitzvah Boy
Bar Mitzvah Boy is a British television play, written by Jack Rosenthal and originally transmitted in the Play for Today anthology series on BBC1...
, which had music by Jule Styne
Jule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
and lyrics by Don Black
Don Black
Don Black may refer to:* Don Black , racialist campaigner* Don Black , English lyricist* Don Black , baseball player for the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics...
. Back in the U.S. he wrote the lyrics for I Remember Mama
I Remember Mama
I Remember Mama is a play by John Van Druten. Based on the fictionalized memoir Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, it focuses on the Hanson family, a loving family of Norwegian immigrants living on Steiner Street in San Francisco in the 1910s.Produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein...
with music by Richard Rodgers, and directed, wrote the lyrics for, and co-wrote the book for The First
The First
The First is a musical with a book by critic Joel Siegel. The music was composed by Robert Brush, and Martin Charnin wrote the lyrics. The show is based on the life of Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play major league baseball in the 20th century.The...
, a musical about Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
and the integration of baseball. He directed Cafe Crown for Joseph Papp. Cafe Crown subsequently transferred to Broadway. He directed A Little Family Business, which starred Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
and John McMartin
John McMartin
John McMartin is an American actor of stage, film and television.-Early life and career:McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised in Minnesota. He attended college in Illinois and New York. He made his off-Broadway debut in Little Mary Sunshine in 1959, playing opposite Eileen Brennan...
, and Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
and Anne Jackson
Anne Jackson
Anne Jackson is an American actress of television, stage, and screen.-Life and career:Jackson, the youngest of three sisters, was born in Millvale, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Stella Germaine and John Ivan Jackson, a barber who ran a beauty parlor...
in The Flowering Peach for Tony Randall's National Theatre, on Broadway.
Other Broadway projects include La Strada
La Strada (musical)
La Strada is a musical with lyrics and music by Lionel Bart, with additional lyrics by Martin Charnin and additional music by Elliot Lawrence. It is based on the 1954 film of the same name by Federico Fellini. Bart wrote the score in 1967 and made a demonstration recording, although the musical...
(1969) – additional lyrics, Sid Caesar
Sid Caesar
Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
& Company (1989) - director, and The Madwoman of Central Park West
The Madwoman of Central Park West
The Madwoman of Central Park West is a semi-autobiographical one-woman musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and Phyllis Newman and songs by various composers and lyricists...
(1979) – additional lyrics. In the 90's, he directed dozens of companies of Annie
Annie
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
, and its sequel Annie Warbucks
Annie Warbucks
Annie Warbucks is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin. A sequel to the 1977 Tony Award-winning hit Annie, based on Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie comic strip, it begins immediately after Annie ended.-Plot:On Christmas morning in 1933,...
. He also directed Laughing Matters
Laughing Matters
Laughing Matters is the longest-running improvisational comedy troupe in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Formed in 1985, by Tray Butler for Creative Loafing, February 10, 2001. Retrieved March 25, 2007. the troupe has since branched out and now provides a wide variety of audience interactive entertainment,...
, a revue written by and starring Peter Tolan and Linda Wallem and in 1997, he directed three additional companies of Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
in London, Australia and Amsterdam. He directed the 20th anniversary production of Annie on Broadway, and he also directed Jeanne La Pucelle (1997); book & lyrics by Vincent de Tourdonnet
Vincent de Tourdonnet
Vincent de Tourdonnet is one of Canada’s foremost writers of lyrics and books for the musical theatre. He has co-created several large-scale, epic musicals, as well as intimate, cabaret-style musicals...
, music by Peter Sipos. Off-Broadway, he directed the premier stage adaptation of Jules Feiffer's Carnal Knowledge, and Wallach and Jackson in In Persons, as well as The No Frills Revue and Upstairs at O'Neals, both of which had healthy New York runs. He directed A.R. Gurney's Later Life in Orlando, and in 2004, he moved to the Pacific Northwest to direct the 30th anniversary production of Annie, produced by Ken Gentry and Networks. It ran for three and a half years all over the U.S. He then regionally created or wrote or directed shows like Love is Love
Love Is Love
Love Is Love is a compilation album by Elkie Brooks, compiled in 1994 and released in the same year on CD and cassette by Castle Records.- Track listing :#"Sail On"#"Don’t Wanna Cry No More"#"Break the Chain"#"Love is Love"...
, Robin Hood: The Legend Continues, Shadowlands
Shadowlands
Shadowlands is a 1985 television film, written by William Nicholson, directed by Norman Stone and produced by David M. Thompson for BBC Wales. Its subject is the relationship between Oxford don and author, C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham....
, and in 2010, Sleuth
Sleuth
-Theatre and film:*Sleuth , a 1970 play by Anthony Shaffer*Sleuth , a film adaptation of the Anthony Shaffer play, directed by Joseph L...
, all for Village Theatre in Issaquah, WA. He created, produced and directed night club acts for his wife, Shelly Burch http://www.shellyburch.com, and recently became the Artistic Director of Showtunes, a theatre company in Seattle, WA, devoted to resurrecting forgotten and unsung musicals, and celebrating the works of composers, including Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
, and producing them in concert at the Moore Theatre in Seattle.
Stage
- Fallout (Revue) (1958)
- Kaleidoscope (Revue) (1960)
- Pieces of Eight (1961) - for Julius MonkJulius Monk- Career :His club Julius Monk's Downstairs opened March 4, 1956 with Four Below, labeled as "the first legitimate cafe revue in New York City" by James Gavin, author of Intimate Nights, The Golden Age of New York Cabaret....
- Upstairs at the Downstairs (1961) - for Julius MonkJulius Monk- Career :His club Julius Monk's Downstairs opened March 4, 1956 with Four Below, labeled as "the first legitimate cafe revue in New York City" by James Gavin, author of Intimate Nights, The Golden Age of New York Cabaret....
- The Littlest Revue (1961) - for Ben BagleyBen BagleyBen Bagley was an American musical theatre and record producer.-Career:Born in Burlington, Vermont, Bagley moved to New York City during the early 1950s, and in 1955, at age 22, he produced his first hit, Shoestring Revue, starring Beatrice Arthur and Chita Rivera , and with songs by Charles...
- ZendaZenda (musical)Zenda is a musical with a book by Everett Freeman, lyrics by Lenny Adelson, Sid Kuller, and Martin Charnin, and music by Vernon Duke.Based on the 1894 Anthony Hope novel The Prisoner of Zenda, it sets the action in contemporary times and transforms the protagonist into British song-and-dance man...
(1963) - co-lyricist, music by Vernon DukeVernon DukeVernon Duke was a Russian-American composer/songwriter, who also wrote under his original name Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love" with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche, "I Can't Get Started" with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, "April in Paris" with lyrics by E. Y... - Hot SpotHot Spot (musical)Hot Spot is a musical with the book by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, lyrics by Martin Charnin, music by Mary Rodgers, and additional lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It had a brief run on Broadway in 1963...
(1963) - lyricist; music by Mary RodgersMary RodgersMary Rodgers is an American composer of musicals and an author of children's books. She is a daughter of composer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy Rodgers, as is her sister, Linda Rodgers Emory... - Mata Hari (1967) - lyricist; music by Edward ThomasEdward ThomasEdward Thomas may refer to:People:*Edward Beers Thomas, American judge*Edward J. Thomas , librarian and author of several books on the history of Buddhism*Edward Lloyd Thomas, Confederate American Civil War general...
, book by Jerome Coopersmith - Ballad for a Firing Squad [revision of Mata Hari] (1968)
- La StradaLa Strada (musical)La Strada is a musical with lyrics and music by Lionel Bart, with additional lyrics by Martin Charnin and additional music by Elliot Lawrence. It is based on the 1954 film of the same name by Federico Fellini. Bart wrote the score in 1967 and made a demonstration recording, although the musical...
(1969) – additional lyrics - Two by TwoTwo by Two (musical)Two By Two is a Broadway musical with a book by Peter Stone, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and music by Richard Rodgers.Based on Clifford Odets's play The Flowering Peach, it tells the story of Noah's preparations for the Great Flood and its aftermath....
(1971) – lyricist; music by Richard RodgersRichard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, book by Peter StonePeter StonePeter Hess Stone was an American writer for theater, television and movies.-Life and career:Stone was born in Los Angeles. His mother, Hilda , was a film writer, and his father, John Stone was the writer and producer of many silent films, including Shirley Temple and Charlie Chan movies... - Nash at Nine (1973) - director; music by Milton RosenstockMilton RosenstockMilton Rosenstock was an American conductor, composer, and arranger. Trained at the Juilliard School, he was highly active as a musical director for Broadway musicals from 1942 through 1980; serving in that capacity for 29 productions, including the original productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ,...
- Music! Music! (1973) - director; book by Alan Jay LernerAlan Jay LernerAlan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
, various composers - AnnieAnnie (musical)Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
(1977) - conceived, director and lyricist; music by Charles Strouse, book by Thomas Meehan - Bar Mitzvah BoyBar Mitzvah Boy (musical)Bar Mitzvah Boy is a musical with a book by Jack Rosenthal, lyrics by Don Black, and music by Jule Styne.Based on Rosenthal's award-winning 1976 BBC1 teleplay of the same name, it focuses on young Eliot Green who, filled with apprehension, escapes from the synagogue where he is about to make his...
(1979) – director; music by Jule StyneJule StyneJule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
, lyrics by Don BlackDon BlackDon Black may refer to:* Don Black , racialist campaigner* Don Black , English lyricist* Don Black , baseball player for the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Athletics...
, book by Jack RosenthalJack RosenthalJack Morris Rosenthal CBE was an English playwright, who wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations.-Biography:... - I Remember MamaI Remember Mama (musical)I Remember Mama is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin and Raymond Jessel, and music by Richard Rodgers.-Origins:...
(1979) – lyricist; music by Richard RodgersRichard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, book by Thomas MeehanThomas MeehanThomas Meehan , was a noted British-born nurseryman, botanist and author. He worked as a Kew gardener in 1846–1848, and thereafter he moved to Germantown in Philadelphia... - The Madwoman of Central Park WestThe Madwoman of Central Park WestThe Madwoman of Central Park West is a semi-autobiographical one-woman musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and Phyllis Newman and songs by various composers and lyricists...
(1979) – additional lyrics - The FirstThe FirstThe First is a musical with a book by critic Joel Siegel. The music was composed by Robert Brush, and Martin Charnin wrote the lyrics. The show is based on the life of Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play major league baseball in the 20th century.The...
(1981) – lyricist, director; co-book writer with Joel SiegelJoel SiegelJoel Siegel was an American film critic for the ABC morning news show Good Morning America for over 25 years. Born to a Jewish family of Romanian descent, and raised in Los Angeles, California, he graduated cum laude from UCLA. His Romanian-born grandmother from Botoşani survived the Triangle...
, music by Bob BrushBob BrushBob Brush is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is most associated with The Wonder Years, for which he won an Emmy. He also worked on shows such as Ed and Early Edition.... - A Little Family Business (1982) – director
- Upstairs at O'Neal's (1983) – creator and director
- The No-Frills Revue (1983) – creator and director
- Jokers (1986) – director
- Cafe Crown (1989) – director
- Sid CaesarSid CaesarIsaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
& Company (1989) - director - Annie WarbucksAnnie WarbucksAnnie Warbucks is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin. A sequel to the 1977 Tony Award-winning hit Annie, based on Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie comic strip, it begins immediately after Annie ended.-Plot:On Christmas morning in 1933,...
(1993) – director, lyricist; music by Charles Strouse, book by Thomas MeehanThomas MeehanThomas Meehan , was a noted British-born nurseryman, botanist and author. He worked as a Kew gardener in 1846–1848, and thereafter he moved to Germantown in Philadelphia... - Carnal KnowledgeCarnal knowledgeCarnal knowledge is an archaic or legal euphemism for sexual intercourse. The term derives from the Biblical usage of the verb know/knew, as in the King James and other versions, a euphemism for sexual conduct...
(1995) – director - Laughing MattersLaughing MattersLaughing Matters is the longest-running improvisational comedy troupe in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Formed in 1985, by Tray Butler for Creative Loafing, February 10, 2001. Retrieved March 25, 2007. the troupe has since branched out and now provides a wide variety of audience interactive entertainment,...
(1995) – director - Star CrossedStar Crossed-Television:* Star Crossed, an episode of the The Outer Limits TV series-Comics:* Star Crossed, a comic book limited series published by DC Comics imprint, Helix...
(1995) – director; lyrics by Keith Levenson, music by Jenine Tesori - Can-CanCan-Can (musical)Can-Can is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and a book by Abe Burrows. The story concerns the showgirls of the Montmartre dance halls during the 1890s....
(1996) – director; music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Book by Abe Burrows, revised by Martin Charnin - The Flowering Peach (1997) – director
- AnnieAnnie (musical)Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
(1997) Broadway Revival – director, lyricist - Jeanne La Pucelle (1997) - director; book & lyrics by Vincent de TourdonnetVincent de TourdonnetVincent de Tourdonnet is one of Canada’s foremost writers of lyrics and books for the musical theatre. He has co-created several large-scale, epic musicals, as well as intimate, cabaret-style musicals...
, music by Peter Sipos - Later Life (2004) director
- Two by TwoTwo by TwoTwo by Two, two by two or the abbreviated 2×2 or 2by2 may refer to:* Dimensional lumber, specifically a timber measuring 2 by 2 inches of any given length* Two-wheel drive, a designation of motor vehicle...
(2004) director, lyricist. Revised book by Peter StonePeter StonePeter Hess Stone was an American writer for theater, television and movies.-Life and career:Stone was born in Los Angeles. His mother, Hilda , was a film writer, and his father, John Stone was the writer and producer of many silent films, including Shirley Temple and Charlie Chan movies... - Robin Hood: The Legend Continues (2004) - director, lyricist; music by Peter Sipos; book by Thomas MeehanThomas MeehanThomas Meehan , was a noted British-born nurseryman, botanist and author. He worked as a Kew gardener in 1846–1848, and thereafter he moved to Germantown in Philadelphia...
- AnnieAnnie (musical)Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
(2005) 30th Anniversary Production – director, lyricist - ShadowlandsShadowlandsShadowlands is a 1985 television film, written by William Nicholson, directed by Norman Stone and produced by David M. Thompson for BBC Wales. Its subject is the relationship between Oxford don and author, C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham....
(2006) – director; written by William NicholsonWilliam NicholsonWilliam Nicholson may refer to:*William Nicholson , Bishop of Gloucester*William Nicholson *William Nicholson , U.S... - Annie WarbucksAnnie WarbucksAnnie Warbucks is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin. A sequel to the 1977 Tony Award-winning hit Annie, based on Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie comic strip, it begins immediately after Annie ended.-Plot:On Christmas morning in 1933,...
(2007) - director, lyricist - Rodgers &... (2008) - writer, director, lyricist
- Rodgers &... (2008) - writer, director, lyricist (for the 92nd Street Y Program in New York City)
- Love Is LoveLove Is LoveLove Is Love is a compilation album by Elkie Brooks, compiled in 1994 and released in the same year on CD and cassette by Castle Records.- Track listing :#"Sail On"#"Don’t Wanna Cry No More"#"Break the Chain"#"Love is Love"...
(2009) Musical Revue - director, lyricist; music by Richard GrayRichard GrayRichard Gray may refer to:*Richard Gray , late 19th- and early 20th-century association football goalkeeper*Richard Gray , video game designer*Richard Gray , British fashion illustrator*Richard E... - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
(2009) - Artistic Director (For Showtunes) - SleuthSleuth (play)Sleuth is a 1970 play written by Anthony Shaffer. The play is set in the Wiltshire, England manor house of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. His home reflects Wyke's obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing...
(2010) - director; written by Anthony ShafferAnthony ShafferAnthony Joshua Shaffer was an English playwright, screenwriter, novelist, barrister, and advertising executive.-Biography:... - The Melody Lingers On (The music of Irving Berlin) (2010) - director. (For Showtunes)
Television and Film
- Feathertop (1961) ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
- (lyricists; music by Mary RodgersMary RodgersMary Rodgers is an American composer of musicals and an author of children's books. She is a daughter of composer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy Rodgers, as is her sister, Linda Rodgers Emory...
) - The Jackie Gleason ShowThe Jackie Gleason ShowThe Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
(1961) CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
- (lyricists; music by Mary RodgersMary RodgersMary Rodgers is an American composer of musicals and an author of children's books. She is a daughter of composer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy Rodgers, as is her sister, Linda Rodgers Emory...
) - The Annie Christmas Show (1977) CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
- (director, producer) - AnnieAnnieAnnie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
(1982) Columbia PicturesColumbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
(starring Carol Burnett, Albert Finney, Bernadette Peters) - AnnieAnnieAnnie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
(1999) Disney (starring Kathy Bates, Audra McDonald, Victor Garber, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenowith)
Awards and nominations
Awards- 1971 Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Single Program-Variety or Musical-Variety and Popular Music-"Annie, the Women in the Life of a Man" - 1972 Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Single Program-Variety or Musical-Variety and Popular Music-"S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin" - 1973 Peabody AwardPeabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for Broadcasting-"S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin" - 1977 Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Director of a Musical – Annie - 1977 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding LyricsDrama Desk Award for Outstanding LyricsThe Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
– Annie - 1977 Tony Award for Best Original Score – Annie
- 1999 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album -Songwriter- Vol. 2... Jay-Z's Hard Knock Life
- 2006 The Richard Rodgers Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Performing Arts
- 2011 Goodspeed Musical Award for Outstanding Contribution to the American Musical Theatre
Nominations
- 1972 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety, or Music-"S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous, S'Gershwin"
- 1973 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy, Variety, or Music-"Get Happy-tribute to Harold Arlen"
- 1977 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – Annie
- 1982 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical – The First
- 1982 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical – The First
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous- Member of ASCAP, The Writers Guild, The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
- Author: Annie A Theatrical Memoir - Published E.P. Dutton
- Author: The Giraffe who Sounded like Ol' Blue Eyes (illustrated by Kate Draper - Published by E.P. Dutton
- Album: Annie Original Broadway recording (1977 Columbia Records)
- Album: Upstairs at O'Neal's Original New York Company (1982 Bruce Yeko Records)
- Album: Incurably Romantic (seventeen lyrics; various composers)
- Album: Annie 30th Anniversary Original recording (2005 Time-Life Records)
- Album: Second Coming - Shelly Burch live at the Metropolitan Room in New York City
- Songs recorded by: Barbara Streisand, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Rod McKuen, Grace Jones, Jay-Z, Nancy Wilson, Andrea McArdle, Shelly Burch, and others
- Unproduced musical - Softly - lyricist, music by Harold Arlen, book by Hugh Wheeler