Fred Alley (1962–2001) was an American musical theatre lyricist and librettist who died unexpectedly just as his work gained national recognition. His collaboration on the musical '' The Spitfire Grill'' with composer James Valcq won the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

' prestigious Richard Rodgers Production Award for 2001. Premiered at the

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in New Jersey and produced

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by Playwrights Horizons, it received Best Musical nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League, as well as two Drama Desk nominations. The cast album was released on Triangle Road Records. '' The Spitfire Grill'' has become one of the most frequently performed recent musicals with more than 600 productions to date, not only in every major American city but in

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, and

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as well. In 2008 the show had its UK premiere at the

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. Alley was the co-founder and artist-in-Residence at American Folklore Theatre (AFT) in Door County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, a populist theatre with a seasonal audience of 50,000 performing original musicals that further the knowledge and appreciation of the heritage of the United States with local and regional settings and themes. It was at AFT that Alley first collaborated with Valcq on a musical called ''The Passage''. Also at AFT, Alley collaborated on more than 20 original shows with composer James Kaplan, director Jeffrey Herbst, co-founder Doc Heide, and frequent guest artists

Paul Sills Paul Sills (born Paul Silverberg; November 18, 1927 – June 2, 2008) was an American director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City. Life and career Sills was born Paul Silverberg in Chicago, Illinois ...

and James Maronek. Alley was the librettist and lyricist of ''Guys on Ice'', ''Lumberjacks in Love'', and ''The Bachelors'', all of which began at AFT and set box office records in frequent productions at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. He was honored posthumously with the 2002 Mark R. Sumner Award for distinguished achievement in the U.S. outdoor drama movement. Alley was also an actor and singer who performed on the AFT stage for 20 consecutive seasons. His tenor voice can be heard on his recordings ''The Lake'', ''Door Christmas'', and the posthumously released collection ''It Would Be Enough For Me''. Alley died on May 1, 2001, of a previously undiagnosed heart condition while jogging near his Door County, Wisconsin home.

External links

Guys on Ice

References

# The New York Times, July 28, 2002 # The Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2001 # The Chicago Tribune, November 22, 2002 # Playbill September, 2001, Volume 117, Number 9 # Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Bulletin, Fall, 2001 # The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, September 14, 2002 1962 births 2001 deaths American male musical theatre actors American musical theatre lyricists American musical theatre librettists 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American male writers {{Authority control