Wikipedia

David Lindsay-Abaire

David Lindsay-Abaire(né Abaire; born November 30, 1969) is an American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter. He received thePulitzer Prize for Dramain 2007 for his playRabbit Hole,which also earned severalTony Awardnominations. Lindsay-Abaire won both the 2023Tony Award for Best Book of a MusicalandTony Award for Best Original Scorefor themusical adaptation of his playKimberly Akimbo.

David Lindsay-Abaire
Lindsay-Abaire at the 76th Tony Awards in 2023
Lindsay-Abaire at the76th Tony Awardsin 2023
BornDavid Abaire
(1969-11-30)November 30, 1969(age 55)
Boston,Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation
  • Playwright
  • lyricist
  • screenwriter
EducationSarah Lawrence College(BA)
Juilliard School(GrDip)
Notable worksRobots
Fuddy Meers
Kimberly Akimbo
Rabbit Hole
Good People
Notable awardsPulitzer Prize for Drama(2007)
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical(2023)
Tony Award for Best Original Score(2023)
SpouseChristine Lindsay

Early life and education

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David Lindsay-Abaire was bornDavid Abairein Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up inSouth Boston.He attendedMilton Academyand concentrated in theatre atSarah Lawrence College,from which he graduated in 1992.[1]He was accepted into theLila Acheson WallaceAmerican Playwrights Program at theJuilliard School,[2]where he wrote under the tutelage of playwrightsMarsha NormanandChristopher Durangfrom 1996 to 1998.[3]In a 2000 interview, Lindsay-Abaire cited Durang as his greatest influence, adding, "I don't think there's been a piece written about me that hasn't mentioned the fact that he and I live in the same world. But I think I've also been influenced byJohn GuareandTina Howeand older folks like Feydeau andIonescoandJoe Orton."[4]

Career

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Lindsay-Abaire had his first theatrical success withFuddy Meers,which was workshopped as part of the National Playwrights Conference at theEugene O'Neill Theatre Centerin 1998 under Artistic DirectorLloyd Richards.[5][6]The play premieredOff-Broadwayat theManhattan Theatre Club,running from November 2, 1999, to January 2000[7]and transferred to the Minetta Lane Theatre on January 27, 2000, closing in April 2000 after 16 previews and 78 performances there.[8][9]He returned to the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2001 withWonder of the World,starringSarah Jessica Parker,about a wife who suddenly leaves her husband and hops a bus toNiagara Fallsin search of freedom, enlightenment, and the meaning of life.[10][11]

Lindsay-Abaire also wroteKimberly Akimbo(2000),[12]Dotting and Dashing(1999),Snow Angel(1999),[13]andA Devil Inside(Off-Broadway, 1997).[14]Among his early short plays, he wroteThe Li'l Plays(1997-1999) which are five comedic plays, each 10–15 minutes in length.[15]

His playRabbit Holepremiered in 2006 on Broadway withCynthia Nixon,Tyne Daly,andJohn Slattery,[16]and won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[17]It was nominated for aTony Awardfor Best Play, as well as other Tony awards, and Cynthia Nixon won the 2006 Tony Award as Best Actress.[18]

He wrote the book for the musicalHigh Fidelity,which ran on Broadway in December 2006.[19][20]

He wrote the book and lyrics for the musicalShrek the Musicalwhich ran on Broadway from November 8, 2008 (previews) to January 3, 2010, with Lindsay-Abaire receiving a 2009Tony Awardnomination for Book of a Musical[21]and in theWest Endin May 2011.[22]The musical ran for 441 performances on Broadway.[23]

Good Peopleofficially opened on Broadway on March 3, 2011, withFrances McDormandandTate Donovanin the lead roles.[24]The play was nominated for the 2011Tony Award,Best Play and won the 2011 Tony Award, Actress in a Play for McDormand.[25]

His playRipcordopened Off-Broadway on October 20, 2015, at the Manhattan Theatre Club in a limited engagement. Directed byDavid Hyde Pierce,the cast featuresMarylouise Burke,Rachel Dratch,Glenn Fitzgerald,andHolland Taylor.The play focuses on two roommates in a retirement home, who according toVariety"devise dirty tricks...to torment one another."[26]

Lindsay-Abaire has received commissions fromDance Theater Workshopand the Jerome Foundation.[27]He has received awards from the Berilla Kerr Foundation, theLincoln CenterLeComte du Nuoy Fund,Mixed Blood Theater,Primary Stages,theEugene O'Neill Theatre Center,theTennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary Festival,and the South Carolina Playwrights Festival.[citation needed]

In 2021, Lindsay-Abaire adapted his2000 playKimberly Akimbointo amusical of the same name,with a score byJeanine Tesori.The musical premiered in 2021 with theAtlantic Theatre Companybefore transferring to Broadway'sBooth Theatre.The musical opened November 12, 2022.Kimberly Akimbowent on to win 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book of a Musical.[28]

Film

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Lindsay-Abaire wrote the screenplay of the 2010film adaptationof his playRabbit Hole,which starredNicole Kidman.[29]His other screenplays have tended to be in the children's fantasy and science fiction genres, including the animated filmRobots(2005),[30]written withLowell GanzandBabaloo Mandel,Inkheart(2008), based on thenovel of the same name,[31]the animated filmRise of the Guardians(2012),[32]based on a story by children's author, illustrator and filmmakerWilliam Joyce,who was originally attached to direct the film before stepping down to serve as executive producer[citation needed],andOz the Great and Powerful(2013), written with Mitchell Kapner.[33]He also wrote the screenplay for the 2015 horror remakePoltergeist.

Personal life

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Lindsay-Abaire and his wife,Christine,are longtime residents ofBrooklyn,living inDitmas Parkas of 2022.[3][34]In 2016, Lindsay-Abaire was named co-director ofJuilliard'sLila Acheson WallaceAmerican Playwrights Program.[35]

Theatre works (selected)

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References

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  1. ^"Alumni News and Announcements".Sarah Lawrence College.2007–2008.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2013.RetrievedApril 5,2012.
  2. ^"Alumni News".The Juilliard School.September 2011. Archived fromthe originalon November 11, 2011.David Lindsay-Abaire (Playwrights '97)
  3. ^abMarks, Peter (March 12, 2000)."Finding the Humor and the Hope in Fractured Lives".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on February 10, 2009.RetrievedDecember 25,2008.
  4. ^Wren, Celia."'Fuddy Meers'. Lost in the Funhouse. An Interview with the playwright"ArchivedSeptember 24, 2015, at theWayback MachineOriginally published in American Theatre magazine (July/August 2000), accessed September 1, 2015
  5. ^David Lindsay-Abaire,Fuddy Meers,Dramatists Play Service Inc,, 2000,ISBN0822217511,p. 2
  6. ^Lefkowitz, David (July 17, 1998)."O'Neill Center Playwrights Conference in Full Swing Through Aug. 1".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  7. ^Jones, Kenneth (November 2, 1999)."Lindsay-Abaire's New Comedy,Fuddy Meers,Opens Nov. 2 at MTC ".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  8. ^Jones, Kenneth (April 16, 2000)."Off-Broadway'sFuddy MeersFolds, April 16 ".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  9. ^"'Fuddy Meers' Listing"ArchivedFebruary 1, 2014, at theWayback Machinelortel.org, accessed September 1, 2015
  10. ^"Wonder of the WorldListing "ArchivedApril 5, 2015, at theWayback Machinelortel.org, accessed September 1, 2015
  11. ^Jones, Kenneth;Simonson, Robert(November 1, 2001)."Sarah Jessica Parker BeholdsWonder of the World,Opening in NYC Nov. 1 ".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  12. ^Shirley, Don (April 16, 2001)."How a Teen Copes in a World Thrown 'Akimbo'".The Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  13. ^Lindsay-Abaire, David(2003).Snow Angel.Playscripts, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 1,2015.
  14. ^Bruckner, D. J. R."Theater in Review"ArchivedMarch 7, 2016, at theWayback MachineThe New York Times,January 23, 1997
  15. ^Bryer, Jackson R. and Hartig, Mary C. "Lindsay-Abaire, David (1969-)",The Facts on File Companion to American Drama,Infobase Publishing, 2010,ISBN1438129661,p. 313
  16. ^"'Rabbit Hole' Listing"ArchivedSeptember 5, 2015, at theWayback Machineibdb, accessed September 1, 2015
  17. ^"Pulitzer Prize Winner, Drama, 2007"ArchivedSeptember 4, 2015, at theWayback Machinepulitzer.org, accessed September 1, 2015
  18. ^"Just the Facts: List of 2006 Tony Award Winners and Nominees".Playbill.June 12, 2006.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  19. ^"High Fidelity".IBDB.com.Internet Broadway Database.Archivedfrom the original on July 10, 2023.RetrievedMay 10,2022.
  20. ^"High Fidelity (Broadway, Imperial Theatre, 2006)".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  21. ^"Shrek the Musical (Broadway, Broadway Theatre, 2008)".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  22. ^Shenton, Mark (May 6, 2011)."Shrek the MusicalBegins Performances at West End's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane May 6 ".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  23. ^Healy, Patrick (October 21, 2009)."Shrek the Musical to Close January 3".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 6, 2013.RetrievedApril 4,2013.
  24. ^Jones, Kenenth (November 9, 2010)."Becky Ann Baker, Estelle Parsons, Renée Goldsberry Join World-Premiere Cast of Broadway'sGood People".Playbill.com.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  25. ^"Good People (Broadway, Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 2011)".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on January 23, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  26. ^"Review Roundup: David Lindsay-Abaire's RIPCORD Opens Off-Broadway".BroadwayWorld.October 20, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  27. ^Denette, Kelsey (June 7, 2011)."David Lindsay-Abaire to Reimagine POLTERGEIST for MGM?".BroadwayWorld.Archivedfrom the original on August 11, 2016.RetrievedJune 18,2016.
  28. ^Sherman, Rachel (June 11, 2023)."Tony Award Winners 2023: The Full List".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 13, 2023.RetrievedJune 13,2023.
  29. ^Kilday, Gregg (September 16, 2010)."Lionsgate takes trip down 'Rabbit Hole'".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  30. ^RobotsatIMDb
  31. ^InkheartatIMDb
  32. ^Rise of the GuardiansatRotten Tomatoes
  33. ^Kennedy, Lisa (March 6, 2013)."Movie review: 'Oz the Great and Powerful' more amusing than great".The Denver Post.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2022.RetrievedMarch 14,2022.
  34. ^Carlin, Dave (October 26, 2022)."Broadway and Beyond: Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire wows the masses with Halloween display in Ditmas Park".CBS News.Archivedfrom the original on April 28, 2023.RetrievedApril 28,2023.
  35. ^Peterson, Tyler (March 17, 2016)."Pulitzer Prize Winner David Lindsay-Abaire to Join Juilliard as Co-Director of Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program".BroadwayWorld.Archivedfrom the original on August 11, 2016.RetrievedJune 18,2016.
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