Jeff Blumenkrantz (born June 3, 1965) is an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Born in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 31,667, an increase of 948 (+3.1%) from the 2010 census count of 30,719, which in turn reflect ...

, Blumenkrantz is a graduate of

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 ...

School of Communication. His stage credits include roles in the Broadway productions ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (1987), ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...

'' (1989), ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'' (1994), '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (1995), '' A Class Act'' (2001), and ''Bright Star'' (2016), and Off Broadway in '' Murder for Two'', the City Center Encores productions of '' Anyone Can Whistle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater,'' and '' The Golden Apple,'' and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

productions of ''Candide'' (as Maximillian) and ''Sweeney Todd'' (as The Beadle), both filmed for

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 ...

. He has also appeared in such

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

shows as ''

Succession (TV series) ''Succession'' is an American Satire (film and television), satirical black comedy, black comedy-drama television series created by Jesse Armstrong that aired for four seasons on HBO from June 3, 2018, to May 28, 2023. The series centers on the ...

'', ''

Pose (TV series) ''Pose'' (stylized as ''POSE'') is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about New York City's ball culture, an LGBT culture in New York City, LGBTQ subculture in the African-American and Hispanic and Latino Americans, ...

'', ''

Mr. Robot ''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and dissoci ...

'', ''

The Blacklist (TV series) ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, an international criminal and one of the FBI's FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugit ...

'', '' Fosse/Verdon'', ''The Detour'', ''

Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a Gay men, gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra ...

'', ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...

'', ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...

'', ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'', ''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series originally aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons, including 3 episodes aired on syndication. The show, cre ...

'', and ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

,'' and the films '' The Big Sick'' and ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'' In 2000, noted Broadway actress and recording artist Audra McDonald included Blumenkrantz's song "I Won't Mind" on her CD, '' How Glory Goes''. This lullaby (with lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines) has become a staple of McDonald's repertoire. Blumenkrantz also contributed a piece to ''The Seven Deadly Sins'', a song cycle commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the singer. His comic song, "My Book," addressed the sin of sloth. In 2003, Blumenkrantz was nominated for a Best Original Score

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 ...

for his work on ''

Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy ( Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spurri ...

'', a nomination he shared with Jason Robert Brown and others. He wrote the book, music, and lyrics for ''Scaffolding'' as part of the 2018 Inner Voices series. ''Scaffolding'' was directed by

Victoria Clark Victoria Clark (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, musical theatre soprano, and director. Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television works. Her voice can also be heard on various cas ...

and starred

Rebecca Luker Rebecca Luker (April 17, 1961 – December 23, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and recording artist, noted for her "crystal clear operatic soprano" and for maintaining long runs in Broadway musicals over the course of her three-decade-lo ...

. His song "Ovid" was featured in the Prospect Theatre Company's production of ''Notes from Now'' at 59E59 Theaters. In 2005–2006, Blumenkrantz created and hosted ''The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast'', a weekly podcast featuring the songs from his songbook, occasional additional episodes of which were released until at least February 2010. This project was succeeded in 2008 by the ''BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast'', which Blumenkrantz hosted, showcasing the eponymous songbook, which features the work of members of the BMI Songwriters' Workshop. Blumenkrantz is the recipient of the 2011

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita ...

Award for excellence in musical theatre songwriting.Jones, Kenneth
"Jeff Blumenkrantz Wins 2011 Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theatre Songwriting"
''Playbill'', October 28, 2001; accessed July 9, 2014.

Theatre credits

References

External links

* *
Jeff Blumenkrantz
at Internet Off-Broadway Database
Official Web Site

Fred Ebb Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenkrantz, Jeff American lyricists Jewish American male actors American male stage actors Northwestern University School of Communication alumni Actors from Long Branch, New Jersey 1965 births Living people American musical theatre composers American male musical theatre composers Songwriters from New Jersey 21st-century American Jews