Book By Larry Gelbart

A pre-eminent screenwriter, librettist, director, and producer, Gelbart moved as a child with his family to California. His father was a barber, and used to cut the famous comedian Danny Thomas’ hair. When Gelbart was 16, he went to work for Thomas, writing jokes, and then moved on to other top radio comics such as Bob Hope and Eddie Cantor. Hope took Gelbart into television, where he met Burt Shevelove, and in 1958 the two of them set about the task of working through all 21 of the surviving comedies by the Roman playwright, Plautus. Together with composer Stephen Sondheim, they took four years writing and re-writing what became A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. The show opened on Broadway in May 1962, and ran for 964 performances. Gelbart and Shevelove both won Tony Awards. Gelbart went to London in 1963 for the West End opening, and stayed for nine years. He wrote for Marty Feldman, and provided the screenplays for a number of movies, many of them uncredited. Back in the USA, Gelbart started work on turning the 1970 film M*A*S*H into a television series. He won Emmys for his contributions - writing many of the almost 100 episodes 1972-83, as well as directing and serving as executive producer on the series. Gelbart made his stage debut as a director with a UK revival of ‘Forum ’, which transferred from the Chichester Festival to the West End in 1986. Three years later, City Of Angels, an ingenious and hilarious private eye spoof of a musical, for which Gelbart wrote the book (and won his third Tony), opened on Broadway. It was a stinging satire on Hollywood, and the indignities that screenwriters suffer in ‘the ego-fuelled jungle warfare that rages on the West Coast’, in particular, Gelbart’s experience on the film Tootsie, the story of a ‘resting’ actor who masquerades as a woman in order to get a job in a television soap opera. Of its star, Dustin Hoffman, Gelbart was quoted thus: ‘Never argue with a man who is shorter than his Oscar.’ A legend in the business, renowned for his skill and wit, apart from his two big hits, ‘Forum ’ and City Of Angels, Gelbart’s credits have included Sly Fox, Mastergate, Jump, and Power Failure. He has not emerged unscathed. In 1961, after experiencing immense difficulties getting The Conquering Hero, a show based on Preston Sturges’ sentimental comedy movie Hail The Conquering Hero, into New York for its eight-performance run, he is reported to have said somewhat wearily, ‘If Hitler is still alive, I hope he’s out of town with a musical.’

Music By Cy Coleman

American jazz pianist and composer who , was at first a classical pianist but then turned to jazz and began partnering with lyricists to write songs. Many of them became popular standards, as did songs from his numerous Broadway musicals and motion picture scores. Coleman, a musical prodigy, began classical piano lessons at age four and made his Carnegie Hall debut at age seven. He was educated at New York’s High School of Music and Art and at the New York College of Music and began playing popular music and jazz at cocktail lounges, nightclubs, and parties. Coleman soon began teaming with lyricists; most notable among these was Carolyn Leigh, with whom he had a long and productive, though stormy, relationship. Among their hits were “Witchcraft” (1955), “The Best Is Yet to Come” (1959), “Hey, Look Me Over” from their score for the Broadway musical Wildcat (1960), and “I’ve Got Your Number” and “Real Live Girl” from their score for Little Me (1962). Coleman then collaborated with Dorothy Fields on Sweet Charity (1964), which yielded three popular songs—“Hey, Big Spender,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” and “The Rhythm of Life”—and on Seesaw (1973). I Love My Wife, written with Michael Stewart. followed in 1977, and in 1978 came Coleman’s first Tony Award-winning score, for On the Twentieth Century, with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Coleman also won Tonys for City of Angels (1980) and The Will Rogers Follies (1981). Later stage musicals included Welcome to the Club (1989) and The Life (1997). Coleman also produced television specials and composed scores for films.

Lyrics By David Zippel

David Zippel is a lyricist and director. His lyrics have won him the Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, two Grammy Award nominations, and three Golden Globe Award nominations. His songs appear on over twenty-five million CDs around the world, and have been recorded by many great singers including Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Mel Torme, Ricky Martin, Cleo Laine, Barbara Cook and Nancy LaMott. He made his Broadway debut with CITY OF ANGELS (music by Cy Coleman, book by Larry Gelbart), for which he received the Tony Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award and (in London) the Olivier Award and Evening Standard Award. He also wrote the lyrics to the Broadway musical THE GOODBYE GIRL (music by Marvin Hamlisch, book by Neil Simon) for which he received an Outer Critics Circle nomination. With eight-time Oscar winning composer Alan Menken, he wrote the songs for Disney's feature film Hercules. Michael Bolton recorded Go the Distance from that score, which was a #1 record and nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe. With Matthew Wilder, he wrote the songs for Disney's animated feature Mulan, which earned him his second Academy Award nomination. "Reflection," from MULAN, was recorded by Christina Aguilera and is featured on her multi-platinum debut album. Christina and David collaborated again with Todd Chapman to write the song "We're A Miracle," which was featured as the end title song for Pokemon: The First Movie, and on its #1 soundtrack album. With Mervyn Warren he wrote the end title for the Jennifer Lopez movie The Wedding Planner. His lyrics for The Swan Princess, an animated feature with music by Lex De Azevedo, were nominated for a Golden Globe Award. With composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, he wrote the songs for the London and Broadway musical THE WOMAN IN WHITE. With Alan Menken, David wrote the acclaimed USO sequence, Star Spangled Man With a Plan for Captain America. With Liza Minnelli, David wrote the script for Liza's at The Palace, which won a 2010 Tony Award for Best Special Entertainment. The show was recorded PBS after a run in Las Vegas. He has contributed lyrics to the revues A...MY NAME IS ALICE, DIAMONDS and, with composer Doug Katsaros, wrote the musical comedy JUST SO. With Wally Harper he wrote numerous songs for Barbara Cook, including "It's Better With A Band," which became the title song of a hit revue showcasing David's lyrics. IT'S BETTER WITH A BAND has been presented Off-Broadway, at the Donmar Warehouse in London and at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. In early 2003, Williamson Music began representing Zippel's music publishing interests and the administration of his catalogue, In Your Ear Music. In the same year, he completed PRINCESSES, his own adaptation of the classic children's novel A Little Princess(music by Matthew Wilder, book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner). He additionally has worked on BUZZ!, a musical extravaganza about the life of Busby Berkeley (music by Alan Menken, book by Larry Gelbart); PAMELA'S FIRST MUSICAL, based on Wendy Wasserstein's children's book (music by Cy Coleman, book by Wasserstein); N, the story of Emperor Napoleon and his Josephine (music by Coleman, book by Gelbart); and LYSISTRATA: SEX AND THE CITY STATE. (Adaptation by Gelbart, music by Menken). David’s credits as a director include: Princesses at The NAMT Festival, Goodspeed Musicals and The Fifth Avenue Theater in Seattle, The Best Is Yet To Come: The Music of Cy Coleman at The Rubicon Theater for which he won a 2010 Indy Award for his direction and Off Broadway at 59E59TH Theaters which won the 2012 Drama Desk Award for Best Musical Revue, Pamela’s First Musical at The NAMT Festival, Elaine Paige at The American Songbook at Lincoln Center and The Goodbye Girl at The Marriott Lincolnshire Theater. In 2013 he conceived and directed They’re Playing His Songs: The Music of Marvin Hamlisch which was produced at The McCallum Theater in Palm Desert and will play The Cape Playhouse in the summer of 2013. A graduate of Harvard Law School, David Zippel is delighted not to practice law.