was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898. At 16 he quit high school to work as a “song plugger” for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. “Swanee” (lyrics by Irving Caesar), as performed by Al Jolson, brought George his first real fame and led to his writing a succession of 22 musical comedies, most with lyrics by his older brother, Ira. The Gershwins’ shows include Lady Be Good! (1924), Fred and Adele Astaire’s first Broadway hit; Oh Kay! (1926); Girl Crazy (1930); a political trilogy, Strike Up The Band (1927; revised 1930); Of Thee I Sing (1931; the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize) and Let ‘Em Eat Cake (1933). With Ira, George also wrote four film scores, including Shall We Dance (1937) for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In the late twenties George read DuBose Heyward’s novel Porgy, and immediately saw it as the basis of an opera using jazz and blues idioms. Porgy and Bess, with a libretto by Heyward and lyrics by Heyward and Ira, opened in New York in October 1935. Besides writing for the theater and films, George was a composer of major concert hall works including Rhapsody In Blue, Concerto in F, An American in Paris, Second Rhapsody and Three Preludes For Piano. George died suddenly of a brain tumor on July 11, 1937, when he was not quite 39.
the first songwriter to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, was born in New York City, 1896. In 1917, The Evening Sun published his first song lyric (“You May Throw All The Rice You Desire, But Please Friends, Throw No Shoes”). In 1924, Ira and his brother, George, created the smash hit, Lady, Be Good!, and went on to continue their remarkable collaboration through a dozen stage scores and four film scores, producing such standards as “Fascinating Rhythm,” “The Man I Love,” “S Wonderful,” “Embraceable You,” “I Got Rhythm,” “But Not For Me,” “A Foggy Day,” “Love Is Here To Stay,” and others far to numerous to mention. Ira was proudest of his lyrics to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Of Thee I Sing (1931), the middle work of a trilogy of satiric operettas written which also included Strike Up The Band (1927; revised 1930) and Let ‘Em Eat Cake (1933). During his long career, Ira also enjoyed productive collaborations with such composers as Harold Arlen (“The Man That Got Away”), Vernon Duke (“I Can’t Get Started”), Kurt Weill (Lady In The Dark), Burton Lane and Jerome Kern, with whom he created his greatest song hit of any one year (“Long Ago and Far Away”). Ira Gershwin died on August 17, 1983, in Beverly Hills, California, at age 86.
the prolific American playwright, director, screenwriter and newspaper columnist, was born in 1889. Along with such celebrities as Dorothy Parker, Ring Lardner and Robert Benchley, he was one of the famous participants in the Algonquin Round Table. He was author of such Broadway plays as Merton of the Movies, Dulcy, The Coconuts (starring the Marx Brothers) and a musical, Be Yourself (with some songs by Ira Gershwin.) After writing Strike Up The Band with the Gershwins in 1927, he went on to write the Marx Brothers’ films Animal Crackers and A Night At The Opera. On his revision of Strike Up The Band in 1930 and for two more political operettas with the Gershwins, Of Thee I Sing and Let ‘Em Eat Cake, he collaborated with Morrie Ryskind. Other books for musicals include The Band Wagon (1931) and I’d Rather Be Right (1937). His Broadway hit Dinner at Eight (co-written with Edna Ferber) was made into a now-classic movie. Forty-eight movies have been made from plays he wrote or directed, including You Can’t Take It With You, The Man Who Came To Dinner and The Solid Gold Cadillac. His last contribution to Broadway was the book for the 1955 musical Silk Stockings, with music by Cole Porter. He died in 1961.
was born in Chicago and educated at Northwestern University and Yale School of Drama. A 1995 Guggenheim Fellow in playwrighting, he is probably best known for his evening of one-act comedies, All in the Timing, which ran for over 600 performances off-Broadway, and was subsequently presented in many cities here and abroad. The show won the Outer Critics Circle Playwrighting Award, and was included in “The Best Plays of 1993-1994,” and in the 1995-96 season was the most performed play in the country, after Shakespeare productions. Two other well-known evenings of short comedies include Mere Mortals, which employed an extended off-Broadway run in 1997-98 and Lives of the Saint, which premiered at Philadelphia Theater Company and later at the Berkshire Theater Festival in 1999. Four of his short comedies have been included in the “Best Short Plays of the Year” volumes. His new play, Polish Joke, will premiere at A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle this summer and he is presently writing Batman: The Musical with composer Jim Steinman for Warner Brothers.
was orchestrator/conductor on Broadway for Noel Coward’s Sail Away and Richard Rodgers’ No Strings; he created orchestrations for Jule Styne’s Hallelujah Baby and more recently Tommy Tune’s Grand Hotel; on records Matz has arranged, conducted and produced albums for Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Melissa Manchester, Kiri te Kanawa, Nancy La Mott, Barbra Streisand and recently he arranged Barbara Cook’s recordings of songs with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. On TV, Peter was arranger/conductor for Carol Burnett’s long-running series, and composed scores for more than fifty TV movies, as well as many feature films (Sidney Lumet’s Bye Bye Braverman is still Matz’s favorite). Most recently, Matz composed the music for The Gorey Details, which opened at the Century Center Theater in New York on October 16th. Peter and his wife, actress/singer/ psychotherapist Marilynn Lovell are active fund-raisers for APLA, Shanti Foundation, Aid for AIDS and other local AIDS organizations; the CD of their show “Say It With Music”, recorded live in New York, is available on the “Original Cast Records” label. Matz has been musical director of all the REPRISE! musicals since its inception.
is happy to be directing his third show for REPRISE!, having directed Wonderful Town starring Lucie Arnaz and Stephanie Zimbalist and Bells Are Ringing starring Carolee Carmello and Stephen Bogardus. An actor and director, Don staged In Service for Seven Angels Theatre in Connecticut and Master Class at Seacoast Repertory Theatre in New Hampshire. A member of the original New York Company of Cloud 9, he went on to direct the piece for the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, the Cricket Theatre in Minneapolis and LA Stage Company, which earned him the Los Angeles Drama Critic Circle Award for Outstanding Direction. He was in the Broadway and International tour of My One and Only and Stepping Out, which he also directed and starred in at the Pasadena Playhouse, earning Drama- Logue awards for Direction and Performance. Also at Pasadena, he directed The Big Day and Born Yesterday, starring Rebecca DeMornay. Film roles have been in Ed Wood, Fearless, A Walk in the Clouds and Boogie Nights. Television directing credits include Harry and the Hendersons and Growing Pains. He has been a guest artist with the Houston Grand Opera where he also served as Director of Dramatic Studies.
began his theatrical career as a newsboy in the original Broadway production of Gypsy and was also featured in the original Broadway productions of Flower Drum Song, High Spirits, Henry, Sweet Henry, & George M! as well as Best Foot Forward, off-Broadway. His choreography credits include The Dybbuk at the Mark Taper Forum, Oh Coward! at the Coronet Theater, Cinderella at Long Beach Civic Light Opera, the feature film Kiss Me Goodbye, the 1994 Emmy Awards starring Jason Alexander, the television specials Bonnie and the Franklins, and The Doc Severinson Show, as well as episodes for many television series. He has also choreographed celebrity award shows in Los Angeles, commercials and videos as well as special material for celebrities. He directed and choreographed a production of On The Town for San Jose Civic Light Opera, which garnered him The Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award for Best Direction, Best Choreography and Best Musical, and has written, directed & choreographed many shows for Dr. Pepper and Princess Cruises. He thanks his wife Jane for her support and patience.
Mr. Smith is happy to have the opportunity to design for REPRISE! Robert’s recent works include: Confidentially, Cole at the Tiffany Theater, Disney’s Jungle Adventures and The Little Mermaid on ice for Feld Entertainment, the 20th Anniversary Production of Torch Song Trilogy in Provincetown, Lullaby of Broadway and All Night Strut at the Tiffany Theaters, The Marrieds at the Wiltmore-Lindley Theater, and a member of the design and development team for Dorian, a new musical. Off Broadway credits include: Matty at the Lambs Theater, Einstein at the American Jewish Theater. On other stages: Night Club Confidential and No, No Nanette among others for Long Beach Civic Light Opera, Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins for LA Repertory and The Fall of Ceausescu (World Premiere) at the Los Angeles Theater Center, Beehive, the 60’s musical at the Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, resident designer for Santa Barbara’s Ensemble Theater Company’s productions of A Perfect Ganesh (west coast premiere), The Importance of Being Ernest (Drama-Logue Award), The Cocktail Hour (Drama-Logue Award), Marvin’s Room (west coast premiere), Our Country’s Good, The Rose Tattoo, the critically acclaimed Lettice and Lovage, and the 1994-1996 Ovation Awards. Work benefiting AIDS charities: Labor Day LA ’95, Battle for the Tiara ’95 and Quest for the Crown for which he co-produced, co-created and directed.
began his career as a costume designer with director Michael Michetti and his Yuletide Carolers. Since those happy days of hot gluing holly on hats, Scott has had a great time working his way around the country. Highlights during the past 15 years include: residency at Southern California Music Theater (1986 to 1991); Gypsy, starring Joanne Worley, No, No, Nanette, West Side Story and Singin’ in the Rain. Broadway: Jack—An Evening with John Barrymore; Las Vegas: Beehive (Sahara and Luxor hotels); and the high seas for Princess Cruises, Royal Cruise Lines, Holland America and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Scott worked on an original musical adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde (Papermill Playhouse,1998). Other original productions include: Hurry, Hurry, Hollywood! by Sam Harris and Bruce Newberg, James A. Michner’s Sayonara and Fame—the Musical at the Alex Theater; the 128th edition of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, designing over 300 costumes for showgirls, clowns and elephants! Most recently, Scott has had enjoyed the experience of working with Olympic star Michelle Kwan, designing outfits for competitions, the Champions on Ice national tour and her television special Michelle Kwan Skates to Disney’s Greatest Hits. Also, Disney on Ice with Feld Entertainment’s The Little Mermaid on ice, and 75 Years of Disney Magic, an anniversary show celebrating The Walt Disney Companies lengthy achievements “on ice.”
has created award winning designs for many varied productions and architectural spaces. For REPRISE!, Tom has designed Finian’s Rainbow, The Pajama Game, The Threepenny Opera, Of Thee I Sing, Sweeney Todd, Bells Are Ringing, The Boys From Syracuse, Fiorello!, Call Me Madam and Mack & Mabel. He has designed over 75 productions for South Coast Repertory and shows for the Mark Taper Forum, International City Theatre, Santa Barbara Grand Opera and Sacramento Music Theatre. His designs can be seen at theme parks in 6 different countries including Universal Studios Hollywood, Japan and Florida, Warner Bros. Movie World Australia and Germany, and Knott’s Berry Farm. His architectural lighting can be seen at Santa Monica Place, South Coast Plaza Mall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Los Angeles Music Center and many other shopping malls, restaurants, churches, residences and Las Vegas casinos and hotels. A recipient of the Lighting Designer of the Year 2000 Award, Mr. Ruzika is also head of the Graduate Lighting Design Program at U.C. Irvine.
has designed over 70 theatrical shows, including Measure for Measure, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Cinderella at the Ahmanson, First Picture Show at the Taper, and the first three seasons of REPRISE! Other work includes Play On, and Only A Kingdom (Pasadena Playhouse); Masada (Shubert Theatre in LA); Joseph…, and Singing in the Rain (Denver’s Arvada Center for the Arts); Forever Plaid, and Blues in the Night, (Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami); and The King and I, South Pacific, and Into the Woods (Long Beach CLO). For television Mr. Allen assisted in the sound system design for the 1998 Academy of Country Music Awards with Emmy Award winning sound designer Bruce Burns, and equalized the sound at the 56th Golden Globe Awards and 14th Soap Opera Awards. As a mixer he just completed 8 months as Production Sound Engineer with the national tour of Titanic, and last year he engineered the gala production Saturday Night at the Summit attended by Bill Clinton and the leaders of the G-7 countries. He won the 1999 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Cinderella, five L.A. Drama-Logue Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, and an Ovation Award nomination for Best Sound Design in a Large Musical.