Burt Freeman Bacharach was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. He composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. ... read more
Neil Simon was an American playwright, screenwriter, and author who was born on July 4, 1927, in The Bronx, New York City. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful and prolific playwrights in American history, with a career that spanned over five decades. Simon's work often focused on the trials and tribulations of middle-class life, and his plays were known for their wit, humor, and insight.
Simon began his career as a comedy writer in the 1940s, working on radio and television shows. He made his Broadway debut in 1961 with the play "Come Blow Your Horn," which ... read more
Jonathan Tunick is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer. Tunick’s stage career began with Take Five (1957). He went on to collaborate memorably with Stephen Sondheim, orchestrating shows such as Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Passion, and Putting It Together. Additional notable Broadway credits include Promises, Promises; A Chorus Line; Nick & Nora; A Funny Thing...; Elaine Stritch at Liberty; Nine; A Gentleman’s Guide...; and 110 in the Shade. In 1997, he won his first Tony Award, for his work on the musical Titanic. This accomplishment gave ... read more
Bob began his career as a dancer and was in more than a dozen Broadway shows including WEST SIDE STORY and FUNNY GIRL. He then became an integral part of every Michael Bennett production for the next 20 years, working as associate choreographer and/or assistant director on productions including COMPANY, FOLLIES, TWIGS, SEESAW and GOD'S FAVORITE. He received a Tony Award as co-choreographer of A CHORUS LINE. He then went on to win his second Tony award for co-choreographing BALLROOM as well as serving as co-producer. Bob was also a producer of the original and national companies of DREAMGIRLS, the ... read more
Michael Bennett was a renowned American dancer, choreographer, and director, known for his innovative work in musical theater. Born in Buffalo, New York in 1943, Bennett began his career as a performer, dancing in the chorus of Broadway shows such as "Subways Are for Sleeping" and "Here's Love." However, it was his choreography that would make him a legend in the industry.
Bennett's breakthrough came in 1975 with the groundbreaking musical "A Chorus Line," which he conceived, directed, and choreographed. The show, which followed the lives of aspiring dancers auditioning for a Broadway show, was a critical and commercial success, winning ... read more
Lee was born in New York City's Chinatown, to an Indian mother and Chinese father. She started dancing at an early age, and she made her Broadway debut at the age of five as Princess Ying Yawolak in the original production of The King and I in 1951. In a 2004 interview, she stated that Yul Brynner, the original king, was like a second father to her. After she outgrew her role in The King and I, she continued to study in ballet, modern, and afro-Cuban dance. She appeared in George Balanchine's original production of The Nutcracker, where she met ... read more
The Shubert Organization is America's oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on the Broadway. Since the dawn of the 20th Century, Shubert has operated hundreds of theatres and produced hundreds of plays and musicals both in New York City and throughout the United States. Shubert currently owns and operates seventeen Broadway theatres and six off-Broadway venues. ... read more
Wagner was born in San Francisco, the son of Phyllis Edna Catherine (née Smith-Spurgeon) and Jens Otto Wagner. His mother was from New Zealand and his father was from Denmark. He attended art school and started his career in theatres in that city with designs for Don Pasquale, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Tea and Sympathy, and Waiting for Godot, among others. In 1958, he relocated to New York City, where he worked on numerous off-Broadway productions before making his Broadway debut as an assistant designer for the Hugh Wheeler play Big Fish, Little Fish in 1961. His first solo ... read more
Wheeler is a composer, arranger, orchestrator, musical director, musical supervisor, and musician. Perhaps best known for his 17 seasons as musical director of the ABC show Dancing with the Stars, he has enjoyed many years of success over several mediums.
His Broadway credits include Side Show, Hugh Jackman - Back on Broadway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Tony Award nomination), Never Gonna Dance, Hairspray (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk Award), The Full Monty (Tony Award nomination), Swing! (Tony Award nomination), Little Me (Tony Award nomination), The Life (Tony Award nomination), Dreamgirls, The Wiz, The Tap Dance Kid, and Lena Horne: The ... read more
