Burton George Shevelove (September 19, 1915 – April 8, 1982) was an American musical theater playwright, lyricist, librettist, and director.

Biography

Born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, he graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

(Master's degree). At Brown in 1935, he acted in the first ever Brownbrokers musical titled ''Something Bruin''. After serving as a volunteer ambulance driver in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he began working as a writer, director and producer for radio and television. At the time of his death he had lived in London for many years. His Broadway career started in 1948 with writing material, co-producing and directing for the revue ''Small Wonder.'' Among his successes were ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

'' and ''

No, No, Nanette ''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical with a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''; lyrics by Irving Caesar and Harbach; and music by Vincent Youmans. The farcical story centers on three coup ...

'', for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical. He died at his apartment in London, where he had been living for about 15 years, on April 8. 1982. He was survived by his mother and a sister.

Work

Libretti

*''

'' 1962, revived 1972, 1996 *''

'' revisions made in 1971, from an original libretto by

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

and Frank Mandel. *''

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' (; , often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in Athens, in 405 BC and received first place. The pla ...

'' adapted from

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

' play in 1974; in 2004

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 ...

further adapted Shevelove's libretto for the work's Broadway premiere *'' Happy New Year'' 1980 *''

Jerome Robbins' Broadway ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' is an anthology comprising musical numbers from shows that were either directed or choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The shows represented include, for example, ''The King and I'', '' On the Town'' and ''West Side Story ...

'' 1989; used some of Shevelove's '' Forum'' text

Directing

*'' Small Wonder'' (1948) *''

Hallelujah, Baby! ''Hallelujah, Baby!'' is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and a book by Arthur Laurents. The show is "a chronicle of the African American struggle for equality during the irst half of the20th centur ...

'' (1967) *''Rockefeller and the Red Indians'' (1968) *''

'' (1971) *''

'' (1972) *'' Sondheim: A Musical Tribute'' (1973) *'' June Moon'' (1974

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

production) *'' Rodgers & Hart'' (1975) *'' So Long, 174th Street'' (1976) *'' Happy New Year'' (1980)

Lyrics

*'' Small Wonder'' 1948

References

External links

* *
Sondheim Guide listingSondheim interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shevelove, Burt 1915 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers American male dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters American musical theatre librettists Brown University alumni Drama Desk Award winners Screenwriters from New York (state) Tony Award winners Yale University alumni