Andrew Lippa
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Andrew Lippa (born December 22, 1964) is an American
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
,
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 ...
, book writer, performer, and producer. He is a resident artist at the
Ars Nova Theater Ars Nova is an Off-Broadway, non-profit theater in New York City's Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Ars Nova develops and produces theater, comedy and music created by artists in the early stages of their careers. Besides ...
in New York City.


Early life

Lippa was born in
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, to English parents. He emigrated to the United States in October 1967 and grew up in
Oak Park, Michigan Oak Park is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Oak Park borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 29,560. Hi ...
, a suburb of Detroit. Lippa attended Oak Park High School and later the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, where he studied vocal performance but eventually transferred into music education and received his bachelor's degree in music education. After graduating from college, Lippa moved to New York City in 1987 and became a middle school music teacher at Columbia Grammar and Prep School (CGPS) on the Upper West Side. He was promoted his second year at CGPS to dean of 7th and 8th grade students – an assistant principal position – and held that post, in addition to teaching music, until June 1991. In 1988 Lippa was accepted into the celebrated BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a composer. There he met his future collaborator Tom Greenwald ('' John & Jen''). He later pursued a career in musical composition.


Musical theatre career

Lippa began his professional theatrical career at the
Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. Its landmark Goodspeed Opera House is a distinctive feature of ...
in East Haddam, Connecticut. He was hired in early 1992 to be the pianist for a production of '' It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman'' but quickly rose to become the dance arranger and assistant music director. He then stayed on for the remainder of the season in that capacity. Following the Goodspeed, Lippa worked at various theatres as music director and/or pianist in addition to being an increasingly in-demand arranger. The Goodspeed produced Lippa’s first musical, '' John & Jen'' (book by Tom Greenwald), in 1993 at the Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut. That production was followed by a workshop production the following year at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and, ultimately, a nearly 6-month run at Lamb's Theatre in New York City. The show was produced by Carolyn Rossi Copeland. Lippa then went on to write the book, music, and lyrics for '' The Wild Party''. He began work in 1996, and the Manhattan Theatre Club presented a reading of the first act later that year. Julia Murney, who later played the lead role of Queenie, was in the ensemble of that reading. ''The Wild Party'' had a two-week development at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut in the summer of 1997. Following that period, producers
Jeffrey Seller Jeffrey Seller (born 1964) is an American theatrical producer. He is known for his work on ''Rent'' (1996), '' Avenue Q'' (2003), '' In the Heights'' (2008), and ''Hamilton'' (2015), as well as inventing Broadway's first rush ticket and lotte ...
and
Kevin McCollum Kevin McCollum (born March 1, 1962) is an American theatrical booking executive and producer of musical theater and plays, many on Broadway. During a producing career spanning over twenty-five years, McCollum has received three Tony Awards for ...
optioned the play and, with the Manhattan Theater Club, made plans for production. ''The Wild Party'' was given its world premiere in 2000 at the Off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. ''The Wild Party'' won the
Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...
for best Off-Broadway musical of the season, and Lippa won the 2000
Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
for best music. The show was nominated for 13 Drama Desk Awards — the most of any show that year — including best new musical. In 1999, Lippa contributed three new songs to the Broadway version of ''
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' is a 1967 musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and (in a 1999 revision) Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip ''Peanuts''. The musical ...
'' and created all new arrangements. The three songs were "My New Philosophy" (to be sung by
Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...
), “Beethoven Day”, and the new version of the title song. Lippa also produced the original cast recording and was honored with a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nomination for his work on that recording. In 2001, Lippa joined Brian Crawley to create a musical adaptation of '' A Little Princess''. The show premiered in the summer of 2004 at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California. The recording was released on September 13, 2011, on Ghostlight Records.
Texas State University Texas State University (TXST) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in San Marcos, Texas, United States, and another campus in Round Rock, Texas, Round Rock. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has ...
's musical theatre department, under the direction of actress Kaitlin Hopkins, presented a revised version of the show in concert with Lippa conducting October 16–19. Following that production, Music Theatre International made the title available for license to theatres all over the world. In 2006, the musical ''Asphalt Beach'', with music and lyrics by Lippa and the book by T. C. Smith and Peter Spears, premiered at the American Music Theatre Project at
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
. After producing ''Asphalt Beach'', Stuart Oken asked Lippa to write the music and lyrics for ''
The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...
'' (book by Marshall Brickman and
Rick Elice Rick Elice (born Eric S. Elice; November 17, 1956) is a writer and former stage actor. Life Elice was born in New York City, where he attended public elementary, junior high, and high schools. He was the salutatorian graduate of Francis Lewis Hig ...
). Lippa was honored with a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nomination ( Best Original Score) and two Drama Desk nominations (Outstanding Music and Outstanding Lyrics) for his work on ''The Addams Family''. ''The Addams Family'' starred
Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. Since 1975, he has been Nathan Lane on screen and stage, on stage and screen in both comedic and dramatic roles. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Na ...
and
Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and two Drama Desk Awards. ...
, broke attendance records in Chicago during its 2009 try-out, and by its closing on December 31, 2011, had played 725 regular performances and 34 previews at the
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, originally the Globe Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 205 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1910, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was designed by C ...
on Broadway. The US national tour began in New Orleans in September, 2011. International productions included
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
(March–December 2012), Sweden (September 2012–May 2013), and Sydney, Australia (March–June 2013). The Broadway cast recording was released on
Decca Broadway Decca Broadway is an American record label specializing in musical theater recordings founded in 1999 by Decca Records and is a unit of Universal Music Group. Decca Broadway issued both new original cast albums as well as reissues of classic music ...
, and vocal selections are available from
Hal Leonard Hal Leonard LLC (formerly Hal Leonard Corporation) is an American music publishing and distribution company founded in Winona, Minnesota, by Harold "Hal" Edstrom, his brother, Everett "Leonard" Edstrom, and fellow musician Roger Busdicker. Curre ...
. Lippa wrote the music and lyrics for ''
Big Fish ''Big Fish'' is a 2003 American fantasy drama film directed by Tim Burton. It is based on the 1998 novel '' Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions'' by Daniel Wallace. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange ...
'', a musical based on the 2003 film and the 1998 novel. The show, with a book by
John August John August (born August 4, 1970) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist. He is known for writing the films '' Go'' (1999), '' Charlie's Angels'' (2000), '' Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003), '' Big Fish'' (2003), '' ...
, premiered in Chicago, Illinois, at the Oriental Theatre from April 2013 through May 5, 2013. It opened on Broadway at the
Neil Simon Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp ...
on October 6, 2013, following previews that began on September 5, 2013.
Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. Her notable theater productions include ''Oklahoma!'', ''The Music Man'', ''Crazy for You (musical), Crazy for You'', ''Contact (musical), Co ...
directed and choreographed, with scenic design by Julian Crouch, costume design by William Ivey Long, and lighting design by Donald Holder. Norbert Leo Butz starred as Edward Bloom with Kate Baldwin as Sandra and Bobby Steggert as Will. ''Big Fish'' brought Lippa a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Music.


Additional work

In 1998, Lippa was commissioned by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver to create an anthem for a concert celebrating Israel's 50th birthday, to be sung by 350 singers and conducted by Sergiu Comissiona of the
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The VSO performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra's permanent home since 1977. With an annual operating budget of $16 million, it is ...
. As a singer, Lippa has performed at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
,
Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
, The Rainbow Room, and The Supper Club. His vocal arrangements and singing can be heard in the songs of
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...
in the animated feature ''
The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, and written by Philip LaZebnik, from a story by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. Produced by DreamWorks Pictur ...
''. He has acted as Kristin Chenoweth's music director since 1999 and has conducted and played Chenoweth's concerts at the Metropolitan Opera House (January 2007), the
San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...
(2005), Carnegie Hall (2004), and the
Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...
(2002), among others. Lippa wrote the music to the "Intervention Song" for Chenoweth's funnyordie.com video. For Halloween weekend, 2011, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Stuart Malina premiered ''The Addams Family Casket of Orchestral Grotesqueries'', a symphonic suite from Lippa's musical ''The Addams Family'', arranged by Lippa and Larry Hochman and orchestrated by Hochman. That same weekend the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus, under the direction of Aaron Howe, premiered Lippa’s “Move Toward The Darkness” from ''The Addams Family'' in a new choral arrangement by Lippa’s frequent collaborator Mary-Mitchell Campbell. A show called ''Jerry Christmas'', with music and lyrics by Lippa and book by Daniel Goldfarb, was produced by
New York Stage and Film New York Stage and Film is an art and film institution founded in 1985 by Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer (filmmaker), Max Mayer and Leslie Urdang. Each year, in collaboration with Vassar College they produce the Powerhouse Season and Powerhouse Train ...
in 2007 but has since been shelved. Lippa wrote the music and lyrics for ''The Man in the Ceiling'', a musical based on
Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer ( ; January 26, 1929 – January 17, 2025) was an American cartoonist and author, who at one time was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for Pulitzer Prize for Editori ...
's children's book of the same name, with book by Feiffer. The show, originally developed by Disney Theatrical and Tom Schumacher, had two readings in 2008 but didn't have its first full production until 2017, when it opened at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, New York. Ghostlight Records released the cast recording, featuring
Gavin Creel Gavin James Creel (April 18, 1976 – September 30, 2024) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Over his career he received a Grammy Award, a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards and a Laurence O ...
and Kate Baldwin, on April 18, 2019. In 2012, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and several other gay men's choruses commissioned Lippa to write a musical tribute to the life and legacy of
Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised i ...
. The resulting 60-minute oratorio, entitled ''I Am Harvey Milk'' and starring Lippa as Harvey Milk, premiered at San Francisco's Nourse Theater on June 26, 2013—the same day on which the U.S. Supreme Court declared Section 3 of DOMA and California Proposition 8 unconstitutional. In November 2013, Lippa made his London debut with two concert performances at the St. James Theatre, London. Produced by
James Yeoburn James Yeoburn (born 30 December 1989) is an English Theatrical producer, producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of international theatre production company United Theatrical Early life and education Yeoburn was born in Exeter, Devon and ...
and Stuart Matthew Price of United Theatrical, the concert featured guest performances from
Ashleigh Gray Ashleigh Gray is a Scottish people, Scottish actress and musical theatre performer best known for playing Elphaba in the London and UK & Ireland touring productions of ''Wicked (musical), Wicked''. Early life Gray was born in Fife, Scotland ...
, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Jenna Russell, Tam Mutu, and Willemijn Verkaik. The concert exclusively previewed music from Lippa's latest Broadway musical ''Big Fish'' as well as a host of his other works, including ''I am Harvey Milk'', ''The Addams Family'', and ''The Man in the Ceiling''. ''The Life of the Party: A Celebration of the Songs of Andrew Lippa'' premiered at London's Menier Chocolate Factory in May 2014. The musical revue, performed by Lippa, Caroline O’Connor, Damian Humbley, and Summer Strallen, featured songs from Lippa's Broadway, Off-Broadway, and unproduced shows. ''The Life of the Party'' had its American debut in August 2016 at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.


Recordings and publications

Recordings include Julia Murney’s CD ''I’m Not Waiting'' (producer, 3 songs), ''The Wild Party'' (RCA Victor) which he also produced, ''You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown'' (RCA Victor) which earned him a Grammy Award nomination, ''The Addams Family'' (Decca Broadway), ''A Little Princess'' (Ghostlight), ''I Am Harvey Milk'' (A Cappella), and ''john & jen'' (Ghostlight) which he associate produced. Jazz phenom Peter Cincotti recorded Lippa's song “Raise The Roof” on his CD titled ''On The Moon'' (Phil Ramone, producer). In addition, Mr. Lippa produced the original cast recording of '' Bat Boy'' for
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
, and his singing voice can be heard on ''The Sondheim Album'' on Fynsworth Alley and ''If I Sing'' on PS Classics. Vocal selections from ''The Addams Family'', ''A Little Princess'', ''The Wild Party'' and ''john & jen'' are published by Hal Leonard, and the shows are licensed by Music Theatre International. Hal Leonard also released ''The Andrew Lippa Song Book'' in Fall 2011.


Personal life

Lippa married film marketing executive David Bloch in July 2008 in Los Angeles, California, shortly after that state's supreme court handed down a ruling permitting marriage of same-sex couples. They had been dating since they met through a mutual friend in 1998 seeing
William Finn William Alan Finn (February 28, 1952 – April 7, 2025) was an American composer and lyricist. He was best known for his musicals, which include ''Falsettos'', for which he won the 1992 Tony Awards for Tony Award for Best Original Score, Best O ...
's '' A New Brain''. Lippa moved to Columbus, Ohio in 2017. Lippa married Tom Regouski in Columbus, Ohio on March 19, 2022. Guests included Kristin Chenoweth.


Awards and nominations

* Gilman/Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation Award (winner) * ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award (winner) * Robert and Adele S. Blank Jewish Arts Award (winner) * Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (2000) - ''The Wild Party'' (winner) *
Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...
(2000) - ''The Wild Party'' (winner) *
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
(2000) - ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' (nominee) * Tony Award for Best Original Score (2010) - ''The Addams Family'' (nominee)


References


External links

*
Internet Off-Broadway database listingBiography at MTI

Andrew Lippa Official Site


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lippa, Andrew 1964 births Living people American musical theatre composers American male musical theatre composers British emigrants to the United States Jewish American songwriters American LGBTQ composers American LGBTQ songwriters Composers from New York City People from Oak Park, Michigan University of Michigan alumni 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American LGBTQ people