Edward Kleban
Edward "Ed" Kleban(April 30, 1939 – December 28, 1987) was an Americanmusical theatrecomposerandlyricist.Kleban was born inthe Bronx,New York City, in 1939 and graduated from New York'sHigh School of Music & ArtandColumbia University,where he attended with future playwrightTerrence McNally.[1]
Kleban is best known as lyricist of theBroadwayhitA Chorus Line.He and composerMarvin Hamlischwon the 1976Tony Awardfor Best Original Score, and he shared thePulitzer Prize for Dramain 1976 with Hamlisch and three other contributors to the musical. The one-womanPhyllis Newmanshow,The Madwoman of Central Park West(1979), featured a few tunes with his lyrics.[not verified in body]
For several years, he worked atColumbia Records,where he produced albums by performers as diverse asIgor StravinskyandPercy Faith,[2]and the albums for the Off-Broadway musicalsNow Is The Time For All Good MenandJacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.[3]
He was a teacher for many years at theBMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop.[4]
Death[edit]
Kleban died of complications fromthroat cancer,aged 48, on December 28, 1987 atSt. Vincent's Hospitalin New York.[4]
Kleban Foundation[edit]
In his will, Kleban established the Kleban Foundation, which grants the annual Kleban Prize in Musical Theatre. The prize is given in the amount of $100,000, paid over two years, to the most promising librettist and lyricist in American musical theatre. The awards are administered by BMI in association withNew DramatistsandASCAP.[5][6][7]
The prize has been given to 63musical theatreartists over the past 27 years, awarding a total of around $5,000,000. Notable Kleban Prize winners includeJason Robert Brown,Steven Lutvak,John Bucchino,Robert Lopez,Adam Gwon,John Weidman,andRobert L. Friedman.[8]
Kleban Prize Winners:[9]
A Class Act[edit]
His will also granted rights to his collection of unpublished songs to friendsAvery CormanandWendy Wassersteinwith the request that they incorporate them into a new musical. Their attempts failed and the rights reverted to Kleban's longtime companion, librettist Linda Kline. Kline sought someone who did not know or work with Kleban, but who would learn about him through the material. She admired previous work ofLonny Priceand sought him as a collaborator.[1][2]
After six years of work, with Price and Kline as co-authors, Price directed and played the role of Ed inA Class Act,a musical biography of Kleban with a score consisting of songs he wrote for numerous unproduced musicals. After a two-month run at theManhattan Theatre Club,it transferred to theAmbassador Theatreon March 10, 2001 and ran for three additional months. Almost 14 years after his death, Kleban earned aTony Awardnomination for Best Original Score andDrama Desknominations for Outstanding Music and Outstanding Lyrics.[18][19]
References[edit]
- ^abDavid Kaufman (March 11, 2001)."His Lyrics Made It to Broadway, Now His Songs".New York Times.Retrieved2011-03-11.
- ^ab"Looking at Ed Kleban, Broadway songwriter, andA Class Act,the musical about his life ".Weekend Edition Saturday.10 March 2001. NPR.Retrieved2011-03-11.
- ^"Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris".Masterworks Broadway.RetrievedJanuary 16,2021.
- ^ab"Edward Kleban, 48, 'Chorus Line' Lyricist".New York Times.December 30, 1987.Retrieved2011-03-11.
- ^"Kleban Awards".bmi. 6 June 2001.Retrieved2011-03-11.
- ^Andrew Gans (1 May 2008)."Lindsay-Abaire Snags Kleban Award for Lyrics; Harrington, Solly and Ward Also Honored".Playbill.playbill. Archived fromthe originalon 8 September 2012.Retrieved2011-03-11.
- ^"Awards & Fellowships".New Dramatists.Retrieved2017-11-15.
- ^abBWW News Desk."2017 Kleban Prize Winners Announced".BroadwayWorld.Retrieved2017-11-15.
- ^McGibbon, Andrew C."21st Annual Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre Winners Announced - The AndyGram".Retrieved2017-11-17.
- ^"The Kleban Prize in Musical Theatre | New Dramatists".newdramatists.org.Retrieved2022-04-24.
- ^Gans, Andrew (9 January 2019)."Shaina Taub, Sarah Hammond, Charlie Sohne Named Winners of 29th Annual Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre".Playbill.
- ^Clement, Olivia (2018-01-09)."3 Musical Theatre Writers Awarded $100,000 Kleban Prize".Playbill.
- ^Robbins, Caryn (2016-01-14)."BREAKING: 2016 Kleban Prize Recipients Announced!".BroadwayWorld.Retrieved2017-11-17.
- ^Gans, Andrew (2015-04-14)."Winners of 2015 Ed Kleban Prizes Named".Playbill.Retrieved2017-11-17.
- ^Rosky, Nicole (2014-05-02)."Nathan Tysen and Arthur Perlman Win 2014 Kleban Prizes for Musical Theatre".BroadwayWorld.Retrieved2017-11-17.
- ^Denette, Kelsey (2013-04-25)."23rd Annual Kleban Prize Winners Announced".BroadwayWorld.Retrieved2017-11-17.
- ^McGibbon, Andrew C."2012 Kleban Prize Winners Announced - The AndyGram".Retrieved2017-11-17.
- ^Bruce Weber (12 March 2001)."What a Songwriter Couldn't Do in Life, Friends Have Done".New York Times.
- ^"A Class Act".ibdb.Retrieved2011-03-11.
External links[edit]
- EdwardKleban
- Edward Klebanat theInternet Broadway Database
- Edward KlebanatIMDb
- Edward Kleban papers, 1960-1986,held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1939 births
- 1987 deaths
- American musical theatre composers
- Broadway composers and lyricists
- Jewish American composers
- Jewish American songwriters
- Columbia University alumni
- The High School of Music & Art alumni
- Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners
- Tony Award winners
- Drama Desk Award winners
- 20th-century American composers
- Deaths from throat cancer in the United States
- Deaths from laryngeal cancer in the United States
- 20th-century American Jews