Chad Beguelin (born September 24, 1969) is an American playwright and

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

. He wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book for '' The Prom''. He also wrote the book for Disney's '' Aladdin'', as well as additional lyrics for the score. He was nominated for Best Original Book and Best Original Score for ''Aladdin''. He is also known for his collaborations with composer Matthew Sklar, having written the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

and co-written the book for the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells t ...

'' and the lyrics for the Broadway musical '' Elf the Musical''. Beguelin was nominated for two

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

for his work on ''The Wedding Singer'', as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.

Biography

Beguelin, a native of

Centralia, Illinois Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three of the counties; Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but is not a ...

, received an MFA from the graduate writing program at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

. Beguelin wrote the book and lyrics for ''The Rhythm Club'' which was produced at the Signature Theatre,

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in 2000 and was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award. He wrote the book and lyrics for '' Wicked City'', which was produced at the American Stage Company and the Mason Street Warehouse, Saugatuck, Michigan, in 2004. He wrote the books for

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's '' Aladdin'' and '' On the Record''. As a screenwriter, Beguelin sold a script to Grammnet Productions and also worked as a staff writer for

's live action film department in

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Casey Nicholaw Casey Nicholaw (born October 6, 1962) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. He has been nominated for several Tony Awards for his work directing and choreographing ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' (2006), ''The Book of Mormon'' (2 ...

directed and choreographed the stage musical '' Aladdin'' which ran at the

5th Avenue Theatre The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theatre located in Seattle's Skinner Building, in the U.S. state of Washington. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land are owned b ...

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, Washington, July 7–31, 2011. The musical uses songs from the 1992 film '' Aladdin'', with a new book by Beguelin and new lyrics by Beguelin and Alan Menken. The musical opened on Broadway on March 20, 2014 at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built fro ...

. Beguelin made his Off-Broadway playwrighting debut with ''Harbor'', directed by

Mark Lamos Mark Lamos (born March 10, 1946) is an American theatre and opera director, producer and actor. Under his direction, Hartford Stage won the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and he has been nominated for two other Tonys. He is n ...

, presented by

Primary Stages Primary Stages was founded in 1984 by Casey Childs as an Off-Broadway not-for-profit theater company. In 2004, Primary Stages moved from its 99-seat home of 17 years at Davenport Theatre, 354 West 45th Street to the 199-seat theater at 59E59 Theat ...

, from August 6, 2013 to September 8, 2013. ''Harbor'' had its world premiere at the

Westport Country Playhouse Westport Country Playhouse, is a not-for-profit regional theater in Westport, Connecticut, Westport, Connecticut. It was founded in 1931 by Lawrence Langner, a New York theater producer. Langner remodeled an 1830s tannery with a Broadway-quality ...

, Westport, Connecticut, from August 2012 to September 15, 2012, directed by Mark Lamos. Beguelin and Bob Martin wrote the book for a new musical based on the film '' Gotta Dance'', titled ''Half Time'', with music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, with additional music by Marvin Hamlisch. Directed and choreographed by

Jerry Mitchell Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer. Early life and education Born in Paw Paw, Michigan, Mitchell later moved to St. Louis where he pursued his acting, dancing and directing career in theatre. Although he did not ...

, the musical premiered at the Bank of America Theatre in

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on December 13, 2015, running through January 17, 2016. It had originally been expected to open on Broadway in the Fall of 2016, and then for the Spring of 2017. The musical instead opened at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

, Millburn, New Jersey on May 31, 2018. The cast stars

André De Shields André Robin De Shields (born January 12, 1946) is an American actor, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer. De Shields originated the role of Hermes on Broadway in the musical '' Hadestown'', winning the 2019 Tony Award for Best Actor ...

Georgia Engel Georgia Bright Engel (July 28, 1948 – April 12, 2019) was an American actress. She is best known for having played Georgette Franklin Baxter in the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' from 1972 to 1977, Pat MacDougall on ''Everybody Loves Ra ...

Donna McKechnie Donna McKechnie (born November 16, 1942) is an American musical theater dancer, singer, actress, and choreographer. She is known for her professional and personal relationship with choreographer Michael Bennett, with whom she collaborated on ...

, and

Lillias White Lillias White (born July 21, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She is particularly known for her performances in Broadway musicals. In 1989 she won an Obie Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway musical ''Romance in Hard Times''. In ...

. He wrote the book with Bob Martin and lyrics for a new musical '' The Prom'', with music by Matthew Sklar based on an original concept by Jack Viertel. The musical premiered at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia on August 18, 2016 in previews, directed by Casey Nicholaw. The musical opened on Broadway at the

Longacre Theatre The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was designed by Henry B. Herts and was named for Longacre Square, now known a ...

on November 15, 2018, with previews starting on October 23, 2018.

Awards and honors

He has received six

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominations: 2019 Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for ''The Prom''; 2014 Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score Written for the Theatre for ''Aladdin''; 2006 Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for ''The Wedding Singer''."Beguelin Awards"
ibdb.com, accessed July 15, 2016 He received three Drama Desk Award nominations: 2014 Outstanding Book of a Musical and Outstanding Lyrics for ''Aladdin''; 2006 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lyrics for ''The Wedding Singer''. Beguelin has received the

Jonathan Larson Jonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright most famous for writing the musicals ''Rent'' and '' Tick, Tick... Boom!'', which explored the social issues of multiculturalism, ...

Performing Arts Foundation Award, the

Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation ''Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation'' give awards to new songwriters and book writers. The foundation was created by American Theatre Wing Board Member, Sondra Gilman, and Texas Art Commissioner, Celso Gonzalez-Falla. The Musical Theatre ...

Award, and the

Edward Kleban Edward "Ed" Kleban (April 30, 1939 – December 28, 1987) was an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. Kleban was born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1939 and graduated from New York's High School of Music & Art and Columbia Universi ...

Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing. He was named to the Centralia High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in November 2016.

Personal life

Beguelin currently lives in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and Bridgehampton with his husband Tom and their dog Tucker.Beguelin, Chad
Official website for Chad Beguelin
Retrieved March 2009.

References

External links

* *
The Wedding Singer's Homepage
*
Interview and Rehearsal Video from Broadway.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beguelin, Chad 1969 births Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters Tisch School of the Arts alumni Writers from New York City American LGBT songwriters Place of birth missing (living people) American LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT people from Illinois American LGBT screenwriters American male dramatists and playwrights American musical theatre lyricists Broadway composers and lyricists Screenwriters from New York (state) Songwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers