Dan Goggin is an American writer, composer, 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 ...

for musical theatre.

Biography

Goggin began his career as a singer in 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 ...

production of ''

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'', which starred Albert Finney. He then toured for five years as a member of the folksinging duo, ''The Saxons'', before writing the music for and appearing in the off-Broadway musical ''Hark!''.Dan Goggin, IMDb
/ref>The Official Nunsense Website:
/ref> Goggin began composing both music and lyrics for revues satirizing current events, trends, and personalities. He later composed incidental music for the short-lived 1976 Broadway production, ''Legend'', starring

Elizabeth Ashley Elizabeth Ann Cole, known professionally as Elizabeth Ashley (born August 30, 1939) is an American actress of theatre, film, and television. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards, winning once in 1962 for '' Take Her, She's Mine''. Ashle ...

and

F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he wo ...

, which closed after five performances. Goggin's early life experiences, including schooling by the Marywood Dominican Sisters and his days as a

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, influenced him to create his greatest success. A line of greeting cards featuring a nun offering tart quips caught on so quickly that Goggin decided to expand the concept into a cabaret show called ''The Nunsense Story'', which opened for a four-day run at

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 ...

's Duplex and remained for 38 weeks, encouraging its creator to expand it into a full-length theater production.Off Broadway
What followed was ''

Nunsense ''Nunsense'' (1985) is a musical comedy with a book, music, and lyrics by Dan Goggin. Originating as a line of greeting cards, Goggin expanded the concept into a cabaret show that ran for 38 weeks, and eventually into a full-length musical. The ...

'' (1985), one of off-Broadway's biggest commercial successes, which ran a total of 3672 performances. By the time it closed, it had become an international phenomenon translated into 21 languages with more than 5000 productions worldwide. Goggin followed it with six sequels, ''Nunsense 2: The Second Coming'', ''Sister Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree'', ''Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical'', ''Meshuggah-Nuns!'', ''Nunsensations: The Nunsense Vegas Revue'', and ''Nunset Boulevard''. In 1998 Dan opened an all-male production of ''Nunsense'' entitled ''Nunsense A-Men!'' The show played in New York City to rave reviews. Goggin also wrote the book, music, and lyrics for ''A One-Way Ticket To Broadway'' and ''Balancing Act'', neither of which was as successful as the ''Nunsense'' franchise.

References

External links

* *
Dan Goggin
at

Internet Off-Broadway Database The Internet Off-Broadway Database (IOBDB), also formerly known as the Lortel Archives, is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway. The IOBDB was funded and developed by the non-profit Lucille Lortel Foundatio ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goggin, Dan 1943 births Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male singers American male stage actors People from Alma, Michigan Roman Catholic writers 21st-century American male musicians