Chad Beguelin (born September 24, 1969) is an American

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book for '' The Prom''. He also wrote the book for Disney's ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

'', as well as additional lyrics for the score. He was nominated for Best Original Book and Best Original Score for ''Aladdin''. He is also known for his collaborations with composer

Matthew Sklar Matthew Sklar (born October 7, 1973) is an American composer for musical theatre, television, and film. His works have appeared on Broadway, the West End, and theatres worldwide. Sklar has written primarily with lyricist Chad Beguelin, having w ...

, having written the lyrics and co-written the book for the Broadway

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

'' The Wedding Singer'' and the lyrics for the Broadway musical '' Elf the Musical''. Beguelin was nominated for two Tony Awards for his work on ''The Wedding Singer'', as well as a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for Outstanding Lyrics.

Biography

Beguelin, a native of Centralia, Illinois, received an MFA from the graduate writing program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Beguelin wrote the book and lyrics for ''The Rhythm Club'' which was produced at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia in 2000 and was nominated for a

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

Award. He wrote the book and lyrics for '' Wicked City'', which was produced at the American Stage Company and the Mason Street Warehouse, Saugatuck, Michigan, in 2004. He wrote the books for Disney's ''

'' and '' On the Record''. As a

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, Beguelin sold a script to Grammnet Productions and also worked as a staff writer for Disney's live action film department in California. Casey Nicholaw directed and choreographed the stage musical ''

'' which ran at the

5th Avenue Theatre The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theatre located in Seattle's Skinner Building, in the U.S. state of Washington. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land are owned b ...

, Seattle, Washington, July 7–31, 2011. The musical uses songs from the 1992 film ''

'', with a new book by Beguelin and new lyrics by Beguelin and

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''A ...

. The musical opened on Broadway on March 20, 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Beguelin made his

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

playwrighting debut with ''Harbor'', directed by Mark Lamos, presented by Primary Stages, from August 6, 2013 to September 8, 2013. ''Harbor'' had its world premiere at the Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, Connecticut, from August 2012 to September 15, 2012, directed by Mark Lamos. Beguelin and Bob Martin wrote the book for a new musical based on the film '' Gotta Dance'', titled ''Half Time'', with music by

and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, with additional music by

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EGOT ...

. Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the musical premiered at the Bank of America Theatre in Chicago on December 13, 2015, running through January 17, 2016. It had originally been expected to open on Broadway in the Fall of 2016, and then for the Spring of 2017. The musical instead opened at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey on May 31, 2018. The cast stars André De Shields, Georgia Engel, Donna McKechnie, and Lillias White. He wrote the book with Bob Martin and lyrics for a new musical '' The Prom'', with music by Matthew Sklar based on an original concept by Jack Viertel. The musical premiered at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia on August 18, 2016 in previews, directed by Casey Nicholaw. The musical opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on November 15, 2018, with previews starting on October 23, 2018.

Awards and honors

He has received six Tony Award nominations: 2019 Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for ''The Prom''; 2014 Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score Written for the Theatre for ''Aladdin''; 2006 Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for ''The Wedding Singer''."Beguelin Awards"
ibdb.com, accessed July 15, 2016 He received three

nominations: 2014 Outstanding Book of a Musical and Outstanding Lyrics for ''Aladdin''; 2006 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lyrics for ''The Wedding Singer''. Beguelin has received the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation Award, and the Edward Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing. He was named to the Centralia High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in November 2016.

Personal life

Beguelin currently lives in Manhattan and

Bridgehampton Bridgehampton is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the South Fork, Suffolk County, New York, South Fork of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,7 ...

with his husband Tom and their dog Tucker.Beguelin, Chad
Official website for Chad Beguelin
Retrieved March 2009.

References

External links

* *
The Wedding Singer's Homepage
*
Interview and Rehearsal Video from Broadway.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beguelin, Chad 1969 births Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters Tisch School of the Arts alumni Writers from New York City American LGBT songwriters Place of birth missing (living people) American LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT people from Illinois American LGBT screenwriters American male dramatists and playwrights American musical theatre lyricists Broadway composers and lyricists Screenwriters from New York (state) Songwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers