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Marcy Heisler

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Marcy Heisler (born 1967) is a musical theater lyricist and performer. As a performer, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Birdland, and numerous other venues throughout the United States and Canada. Heisler was nominated for the 2009 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics for Dear Edwina.

Biography

Heisler was born in Deerfield, Illinois. She attended Northwestern University and graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Dramatic Writing Program.[1]

Career

Heisler met composer Zina Goldrich at a musical theater workshop in 1992,[2] and they have been working together since 1993.

Working with composer Goldrich, Heisler created the musical Adventures in Love — book by Shari Simpson and Charlie Shanian — which premiered in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2000.[2] Later that year, the two women were chosen to be among the first 12 participants in a program from Musical Theater Works designed to support new musical theater talent while they developed new works for the organization to produce, with participants receiving $20,000 and medical insurance for up to three years during the development process.[3]

Heisler wrote the book and lyrics, with Goldrich composing, for a musical adaptation of Junie B. Jones, the popular character created by author Barbara Park, produced by TheatreWorks USA, which premiered Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in July 2004. It received a 2005 Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Musical.[4] An expanded version of the musical was staged in November 2005 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre; both the original and expanded productions received favorable reviews in The New York Times.[5][6] It was revived from March 2008 to May 2008 at the Lortel Theatre.[7]

The musical Dear Edwina, with book and lyrics by Heisler and music by Goldrich, was produced Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre in November 2008 and returned for a limited engagement on December 11, 2009.[8]

Heisler also works with Disney Theatricals and wrote new versions of 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Jungle Book. She has written material for such Disney projects as Johnny and the Sprites (Disney Television), Pooh’s Learning Adventures (Disney Toon Studios), and The D Show (Disney Interactive).[1][9][10]

Goldrich wrote the music and Heisler wrote the lyrics for the new musical The Great American Mousical, which was directed by Julie Andrews based on her and her daughter's book. The musical was produced at Goodspeed Musicals in Chester, Connecticut in November - December 2012.[11][12]

Heisler (Book and lyrics) and Goldrich (music), have written Ever After The Musical, a stage musical adaptation of the film Ever After, the 1998 Cinderella inspired film starring Drew Barrymore. It "sets the record straight on the fable of Cinderella, showing how a strong-willed, independent girl can make her dreams come true without the help of fairy godmothers, talking mice, or magic pumpkins."[13] The musical had its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse on May 21, 2015 (in previews) for a limited run to June 21, 2015. Directed by Kathleen Marshall, the cast featured Christine Ebersole, Tony Sheldon, Charles Shaughnessy, James Snyder and Margo Seibert.[14] The musical was produced in January and February 2019 on the Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta starring Sierra Boggess, Rachel York and David Garrison.[15]

Songs and recordings

Among the many contemporary standards by Goldrich and Heisler is "Taylor the Latte Boy", which became a song associated with Kristin Chenoweth — who sang "Taylor the Latte Boy" on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and The Late Late Show as well as the radio program A Prairie Home Companion — but which has been performed by many other singers including Susan Egan, Maggie Francisco, Linda Foster, Marty Thomas, John Tartaglia, and Alan Cumming. The comedy song tells the story of the singer's flirtation with a barista at Starbucks and was inspired by Heisler's and Goldrich's meeting a barista named Taylor in real life while mildly intoxicated.

Heisler has also worked with other composers, as when she teamed with John Kavanaugh to write "Joseph's Lullaby," which was recorded by Michael Crawford in 1998 for On Eagle's Wings, his album of inspirational music.[16]

Their recording, Marcy & Zina: The Album was released on the Yellowsound Label (YSL 566493) in December 2009.[17]

The duo performs the "Marcy and Zina Show" in venues around the US, for example at the Kennedy Center and Baylor University in 2009. The show is a "showcase for their stage compositions".[18]

Awards and honors

The writing partners were voted "Best Knocking on Broadway's Door Songwriting Team" in the Village Voice Best of NYC edition, won the 2000 Backstage Bistro award for "Songwriters of the Year,"[19] and were the 2002 recipients of ASCAP's Richard Rodgers New Horizons Theatre Award.[20]

Heisler and Goldrich also have received four MAC Awards, two for Song of the Year and two for Special Material, for their works "The Alto's Lament",[21] "Welcome The Rain," "The Music Of Your Life," and "The Morning After (Leave)."[22] They were nominated in 1998 for their song "Out of Love."[23] The writing team received the 2009 Fred Ebb Award.[24]

On May 14, 2012, Heisler received the 2012 Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Heisler listing kennedy-center.org, accessed February 22, 2009
  2. ^ a b Dominic Papatola. "Theater: Getting a musical onstage is biggest adventure of all," St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN), April 7, 2000, page 1E.
  3. ^ Barry Singer. "Theater: An ample offer of help, with strings attached," The New York Times, August 27, 2000, Arts & Leisure section, p4.
  4. ^ "Heisler & Goldrich's Junie B. Jones Returns to NY, Nov. 9-Dec. 3", Broadway World News Desk, October 4, 2005
  5. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Theater in Review: Adventures of a First Grader With Music as Sassy as She", The New York Times, July 27, 2004
  6. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. "Irrepressible, Bespectacled Girl Tackles First Grade" The New York Times, November 12, 2005
  7. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Cody Is Junie B. Jones at Off-Broadway's Lortel Beginning March 20" Playbill.com, March 20, 2008
  8. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Goldrich and Heisler's Dear Edwina to Play DR2 Theatre; CD Due in November" Archived 2009-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, September 11, 2008
  9. ^ Biography mtishows.com, accessed January 31, 2010
  10. ^ Internet Movie Database listing imdb.com, accessed January 31, 2010
  11. ^ Mousical goodspeed.org, accessed August 15, 2015
  12. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Great American Mousical, Directed by Julie Andrews, Begins World Premiere in CT; Emily Skinner Stars" Playbill.com, November 8, 2012
  13. ^ a b Hetrick, Adam. Kathleen Marshall Will Direct Broadway Debut of Ever After, Based On 1998 Cinderella Film" Archived 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine Playbill.com, May 15, 2012
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Journey Begins Tonight for Paper Mill Premiere of Ever After, New Musical Take on Cinderella Tale" Playbill.com, May 21, 2015
  15. ^ "Ever After Listing" alliancetheatre.org
  16. ^ Deborah Evans Price (Billboard). "Crawford plays the choirboy again," Rocky Mountain News (CO), February 3, 1998, page 11D.
  17. ^ Suskin, Steven."ON THE RECORD: Off-Broadway's The People vs. Mona and "Marcy & Zina: The Album" Archived 2010-01-22 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, December 27, 2009
  18. ^ Hoover, Carl."Songwriter says 'Marcy and Zina Show' the result of impatience" Tribune-Herald, wacotrib.com, February 12, 2009
  19. ^ Eleanor Charles. "The guide," The New York Times, April 23, 2000, page 7.
  20. ^ Bio at MTI Shows Archived 2007-04-19 at the Wayback Machine mtishows.com
  21. ^ Bill Ervolino. "Recognizing the cream of cabaret's crop," The Record (New Jersey), April 3, 1997, page Y12.
  22. ^ Jonathan Frank. Cabaret Interview with Zina Goldrich & Marcy Heisler Talkin' Broadway.com (undated)
  23. ^ Bill Ervolino. "Cabaret's honor roll — handing out the MAC awards," The Record, April 2, 1999, page 25.
  24. ^ Hetrick, Adam."Heisler and Goldrich Are 2009 Fred Ebb Award Winners" Archived 2010-04-11 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, November 5, 2009
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