Craig Carnelia (born 1949) is an American

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

composer and singer, known for his collaboration on the musicals '' Working'' and ''

Sweet Smell of Success ''Sweet Smell of Success'' is a 1957 American film noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick fr ...

''.

Biography

Carnelia grew up in

Floral Park, New York Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The Incorporated Village of Floral Park is at the western border of Nassau County, and is ...

. He was exposed to Broadway at the age of fourteen when he was inspired by the

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

musical ''

No Strings ''No Strings'' is a musical drama with book by Samuel A. Taylor and words and music by Richard Rodgers. ''No Strings'' is the only Broadway score for which Rodgers wrote both lyrics and music, and the first musical he composed after the death of ...

''. He played guitar, was in a folksinging group and taught himself to play the piano. While attending

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New ...

he won the role of The Boy in

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

's '' The Fantasticks'', and dropped out of school as a sophomore. After a short stint in the production, Carnelia pursued songwriting and, later, musical theatre composition. Carnelia has one child, actress Daisy Carnelia, and lives in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an esti ...

with his wife, actress Lisa Brescia. His ''Poster Boy'' (2016) was performed at the Williamstown Theater Festival in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropol ...

. Carnelia's songs were heard with the work of other writers in the Stephen Schwartz conceptual

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

''Working'' (1978). From there he wrote full scores, both lyrics and music, for the short-lived Broadway musical '' Is there life after high school?'' (1982), which is still performed in stock, amateur, and regional theatres. He composed lyrics and music for ''Three Postcards'', with a book by Craig Lucas, which was staged off-Broadway by

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

in 1987 and revived by Circle Rep in 1994. For the musical ''

'' (2002), he teamed with composer

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " E ...

, with whom he also composed songs for the 2002

Nora Ephron Nora Ephron ( ; May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for her romantic comedy films and was nominated three times for the Writers Guild of America Award and the Academy Award for ...

play ''

Imaginary Friends Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality. ...

''. He has received the Johnny Mercer Award, "Emerging American Songwriter", the first annual Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Award, and the Kleban Award. He also is a mentor to young writers through the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop, the Dramatists Guild Musical Theatre Fellowship and the Eugene O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference.American Music Theatre Project biography
amtp.northwestern.edu. Retrieved February 2, 2010

Awards and nominations

*1978

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 c ...

Best Original Score ''Working'' – Music (nominee) *1978 Tony Award Best Original Score ''Working'' – Lyrics (nominee) *2002

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

Outstanding Lyrics ''Sweet Smell of Success'' (nominee) *2002 Tony Award Best Original Musical Score – Lyrics ''Sweet Smell of Success'' (nominee) *2003 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lyrics ''Imaginary Friends'' (nominee)

References

External links

*
Craig Carnelia at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnelia, Craig 1949 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) American male singers American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Hofstra University alumni People from Floral Park, New York American male stage actors