Bob Merrill was one of the most successful songwriters during the 1950s, with a string of novelty hits such as "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?", “(If I Knew You Were Comin’ Id‘ve) Baked a Cake”, “Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania”, “Mambo Italiano”, “Honeycomb” and “Make Yourself Comfortable”. Longing to write more profound songs, Bob turned his efforts toward the musical theatre. By the late fifties, he had written music and lyrics for Broadway’s “New Girl In Town”, followed by “Take Me Along”, “Carnival”, “Henry, Sweet Henry” and eventually “Funny Girl” featuring the hit songs “People” and “Don’t Rain On My ... read more
Eugene O'Neill was an American playwright who is widely considered to be one of the greatest dramatists in American history. Born in 1888 in New York City, O'Neill grew up in a family of actors and spent much of his childhood on the road with his father's theater company. Despite this early exposure to the world of theater, O'Neill initially pursued a career as a sailor and spent several years at sea before returning to the stage.
O'Neill's early plays were heavily influenced by the naturalistic style of European playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg. His first major success ... read more
James Leonard Joy was born and raised in Michigan, where he graduated Salutatorian in a class of more than 900 at Bentley High School before earning Phi Beta Kappa honors at the University of Michigan. He then completed an MFA in Set Design at Carnegie Mellen University and taught briefly at Skidmore College before launching his very successful career in set design in New York City. ... read more
Philip J. Lang was a musician, composer and music educator who taught at the graduate schools of music at the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado and was the orchestrator of more than 50 Broadway musicals including My Fair Lady and Camelot (with Robert Russell Bennett); Annie Get Your Gun; Applause; Hello, Dolly!; Carnival; and 42nd Street. Mr. Lang was an orchestrator for the Metropolitan Opera and a frequent musical arranger for television including Hallmark Productions, David Susskind, Radio City Music Hall and "The Tonight Show." ... read more
Broadway credits include Cats, Take Me Along, Cabaret, Jesus Christ Superstar, Gypsy, The Boy From Oz, La Cage aux Folles, A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, Annie, On Your Feet!, and many others. Mr. Vaccariello has collaborated with Hugh Jackman as his Musical Director for fifteen years. ... read more
