Michael Stewart (August 1, 1924 – September 20, 1987) was an American playwright and dramatist, librettist, lyricist, screenwriter and novelist.
Life and career
Born Myron Stuart Rubin in Manhattan, Stewart attended
Queens College, and graduated from the
Yale School of Drama with a
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...
in 1953.
[Gerard, Jeremy]
"Michael Stewart Is Dead 63; Author of Broadway Musicals"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', September 21, 1987, Section B, p.16
His early work was writing sketches for the revues ''The Shoestring Revue'' (1955), ''The Littlest Revue'' (1956), and ''Shoestring '57'' (1956, Barbizon-Plaza, New York). He then joined the staff writers of
Sid Caesar's television program, ''
Caesar's Hour''.
He met
Charles Strouse and
Lee Adams in 1954, and several years after collaborated with them and
Gower Champion on the 1960
Broadway musical ''Bye Bye Birdie''.
He worked again with Champion and
Jerry Herman, with their musical ''Hello, Dolly!'' opening on
Broadway in 1964.
Stewart died on September 20, 1987, in New York City.
Jule Styne said of him: "He was an extremely talented and knowledgeable man of the theater. He was one of the great musical-theater writers, and his string of hits showed that."
Stewart's sister was writer
Francine Pascal and brother Burt Rubin.
Theatre credits
*''
Candide
( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...
'' (1959) — operetta (revisions for London production)
*''
Bye Bye Birdie'' (1960) —
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
—
bookwriter —
Tony Award for Best Musical
*''
Carnival!
''Carnival'' is a musical theatre, musical, originally produced by David Merrick on Broadway in 1961, with the book by Michael Stewart (playwright), Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The musical is based on the 1953 film ''Lil ...
'' (1961) — musical — bookwriter —
Tony Nomination for Best Musical, Tony Nomination for
Best Author of a Musical
*''
Hello, Dolly!'' (1964) — musical — bookwriter —
Tony Award for Best Author of a Musical
*''Those That Play the Clowns'' (1966) —
play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
— playwright
*''
George M!'' (1968) — musical — co-bookwriter with sister
Francine Pascal and her husband
John Pascal
*''
Mack and Mabel'' (1974) — musical — bookwriter — Tony Nomination for
Best Book of a Musical
*''
I Love My Wife'' (1977) — musical —
lyricist
A lyricist is a writer 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 income derives ...
and bookwriter — Tony Nomination for
Best Original Score, Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical
*''
The Grand Tour'' (1979) — musical — co-bookwriter
*''
Barnum'' (1980) — musical — lyricist — Tony Nomination for Best Original Score
*''
42nd Street'' (1980) — musical — co-bookwriter — Tony Co-Nomination for Best Book of a Musical
*''
Bring Back Birdie'' (1981) — musical — bookwriter
*''
Pieces of Eight'' (1985) — music — co-bookwriter, Citadel Theatre in
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, Canada and closed out of town.
*''Harrigan 'n Hart'' (1985) — musical — bookwriter — Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical
[Rich, Fran]
"Stage:'Harrigan 'n Hart' Opens at the Longacre"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', February 1, 1985
Notes
External links
Internet Broadway Database*
Michael Stewart papers, 1948-1987 held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Michael
Tony Award winners
American musical theatre librettists
American musical theatre lyricists
American male screenwriters
Broadway composers and lyricists
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni
1924 births
1987 deaths
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
American male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American male writers
Screenwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American screenwriters