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Nell Benjamin

Latest News on Nell Benjamin:

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BIO

Nell Benjamin is a lyricist, writer, and composer noted for her work in musical theatre. With her husband and frequent collaborator Laurence O'Keefe, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for writing Legally Blonde in 2011. And in 2007, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score for Legally Blonde, and then again in 2018 for her lyrics for Mean Girls.

Photos

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Productions

Real Women Have CurvesReal Women Have Curves
 
[Broadway, 2025]
Additional Material
Book
Mean GirlsMean Girls
 
[West End, 2024]
Lyrics
Mean Girls (Non-Equity)Mean Girls (Non-Equity)
 
[US Tour, 2023]
Lyricist
Mean GirlsMean Girls
 
[US Tour, 2021]
Lyricist
Because of Winn DixieBecause of Winn Dixie
 
[East Haddam, CT (Regional), 2019]
Bookwriter
Lyricist
DaveDave
 
[Washington, DC (Regional), 2018]
Book Writer
Lyricist
Pirates!
 
[Milburn, NJ (Regional), 2007]
Concept
Book/Lyrics (Additional)
Legally BlondeLegally Blonde
 
[Broadway, 2007]
Music and Lyrics
The Pirates of Penzance
 
[East Haddam, CT (Regional), 2006]
Concept
Book/Lyrics (additional)

Writing

Sarah, Plain and Tall
Lyricist
Lyricist
Real Women Have Curves
Additional Material
The Explorers Club
Playwright
Gotta Dance
Lyrics
Half Time
Lyrics
Mean Girls
Lyricist
Because of Winn Dixie
Bookwriter
Lyricist
Cam Jansen
Bookwriter/Lyricist
Bookwriter
Composer
Lyricist
Legally Blonde
Composer
Lyricist
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Lyricist

Awards and Nominations

Drama Desk Awards - 2018 - Outstanding Lyrics

Nell Benjamin, Mean Girls

Tony Awards - 2018 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Nell Benjamin, Mean Girls

Drama Desk Awards - 2014 - Outstanding Play

Nell Benjamin, The Explorers Club

Drama Desk Awards - 2007 - Outstanding Lyrics

Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde

Drama Desk Awards - 2007 - Outstanding Music

Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde

Tony Awards - 2007 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde The Musical


winner
- 2003 - Most promising musical theatre lyricist

Nell Benjamin

Videos

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News

Laurie Woolery to Direct REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES: THE MUSICAL at Pasadena Playhouse Photo
Laurie Woolery to Direct REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES: THE MUSICAL at Pasadena Playhouse
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 16, 2026

Laurie Woolery will direct the first post-Broadway production of Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, playing at Pasadena Playhouse in spring 2027 as the 3rd Mainstage offering of the theatre's 2026-2027 season.
ICT Repertory Theatre 2026/2027 Season Includes GASLIGHT, FLYIN' WEST & More Photo
ICT Repertory Theatre 2026/2027 Season Includes GASLIGHT, FLYIN' WEST & More
by Paula Makar - Jul 15, 2026

ICTRep (Wichita Repertory Theater) is pleased to announce its 2026-27 season!
Amber Davies Calls Out Audience Member For Filming During LEGALLY BLONDE in Ireland Photo
Amber Davies Calls Out Audience Member For Filming During LEGALLY BLONDE in Ireland
by Stephi Wild - Jul 13, 2026

Amber Davies took to Instagram recently to call out an audience member who was filming during a recent performance of Legally Blonde in Ireland. Learn more about her statement here.
Review: Viciously Funny MEAN GIRLS AT Rules Toby's In Columbia Photo
Review: Viciously Funny MEAN GIRLS AT Rules Toby's In Columbia
by Cybele Pomeroy - Jul 11, 2026

MEAN GIRLS at Toby’s in Columbia is a popcorny treat with juicy musical numbers. Enjoy climate-controlled family-friendly live entertainment and a great meal with wonderful service, provided primarily by the show's actors. Through August 23, 2026.
Interview: Breanna Lemerise on Regina George and Lady Cher at Clear Space Theatre Com Photo
Interview: Breanna Lemerise on Regina George and Lady Cher at Clear Space Theatre Company
by Joshua Wright - Jul 7, 2026

Breanna Lemerise returns to Clear Space Theatre Company for her second summer season, and she's not taking it easy. This year she's carrying two leads at once, playing the queen bee of North Shore High in Mean Girls: The Musical while also stepping into Lady Cher in The Cher Show, both running in repertory June 26 through August 29.
MEAN GIRLS: THE MUSICAL to Open at Cabaret on Main with NHAOPA Teen Cast Photo
MEAN GIRLS: THE MUSICAL to Open at Cabaret on Main with NHAOPA Teen Cast
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 6, 2026

New Haven Academy of Performing Arts will present Mean Girls: The Musical at East Haven's Cabaret on Main Theater, featuring teens from NHAOPA's Broadway Bound Summer Intensive in the Tina Fey-penned Broadway hit.
LES MISÉRABLES, MEAN GIRLS and More Set for PCPA 63 Season Photo
LES MISÉRABLES, MEAN GIRLS and More Set for PCPA 63 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 2, 2026

PCPA has revealed Season 63, featuring seven productions including Les Miserables, Mean Girls, A Midsummer Night's Dream and more across its Santa Maria and Solvang venues.
Review: MEAN GIRLS, King's Theatre Photo
Review: MEAN GIRLS, King's Theatre
by Natalie O'Donoghue - Jun 30, 2026

Winner of Best New Musical (WhatsOnStage Awards) and direct from the West End, Mean Girls is the hilarious smash-hit musical comedy from an award-winning creative team including writer Tina Fey (30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Saturday Night Live) and starring TV personality, actor & Steps star Faye Tozer, alongside Emily Lane as Cady (Frozen, Starter for Ten) and Vivian Panka as Regina (Dear Evan Hansen, Heathers).
Review: MEAN GIRLS at Akron Civic Theater Photo
Review: MEAN GIRLS at Akron Civic Theater
by Patti Kullman - Jun 19, 2026

Young performers overcame weather and sound issues to bring the vibrant, musical retelling of the 2004 film Mean Girls to the vintage, nostalgic Akron Civic Theater.
MEAN GIRLS to Make Northeast Ohio Premiere at Beck Center for the Arts Photo
MEAN GIRLS to Make Northeast Ohio Premiere at Beck Center for the Arts
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 5, 2026

Beck Center for the Arts will present the Northeast Ohio premiere of Mean Girls the Tony-nominated Broadway musical by Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, and Nell Benjamin, as the final production of its 2025-2026 professional theater season.
LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL to Return to Rhinebeck with CENTERstage Productions Photo
LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL to Return to Rhinebeck with CENTERstage Productions
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 2, 2026

Legally Blonde The Musical will be presented at The CENTER for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, directed by Emily Woolever with a cast of nearly thirty Hudson Valley performers.
THE CHER SHOW, MEAN GIRLS, and PRETTY WOMAN Set For Clear Space Theatre Company This Photo
THE CHER SHOW, MEAN GIRLS, and PRETTY WOMAN Set For Clear Space Theatre Company This Summer
by Stephi Wild - Jun 1, 2026

Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach will continue its 2025–2026 season into the summer with a slate of long-running musicals beginning this summer, including productions that extend into late August at its downtown venue.
Broadway-Bound BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE to Hold NYC Reading Photo
Broadway-Bound BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE to Hold NYC Reading
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 19, 2026

Because of Winn-Dixie, the new Broadway-bound musical based on the Newbery Medal-winning and best-selling children’s novel by Kate DiCamillo, will hold a private reading in New York City.
LEGALLY BLONDE, JR. Will Be Performed By Academy Youth Productions Photo
LEGALLY BLONDE, JR. Will Be Performed By Academy Youth Productions
by Stephi Wild - May 8, 2026

The Academy of Music Theatre will present LEGALLY BLONDE, JR., featuring young actors ages 12 to 17 at its Northampton, MA venue. Tickets range from $15.16 to $23.95.
REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, THE VISIT and More Set for Pasadena Playhouse 2026/27 Season Photo
REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, THE VISIT and More Set for Pasadena Playhouse 2026/27 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 7, 2026

The Mainstage offerings for the 2026/2027 Season of Pasadena Playhouse has been revealed! The Mainstage Season kicks off with an all-new Pasadena Playhouse production of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s chilling classic The Visit.
Review: MEAN GIRLS is “Blowing Up” at City Springs Theatre Company Photo
Review: MEAN GIRLS is “Blowing Up” at City Springs Theatre Company
by Caroline Powell - May 3, 2026

What did our critic think of MEAN GIRLS at City Springs Theatre Company?
Video: Emily Lane, Vivian Panka and More in MEAN GIRLS THE MUSICAL UK Tour Photo
Video: Emily Lane, Vivian Panka and More in MEAN GIRLS THE MUSICAL UK Tour
by Stephi Wild - Apr 30, 2026

All new footage has been released from the UK and Ireland tour of Mean Girls The Musical, touring until January 2027. Learn more about the show and check out the video here!
Photos: Theatre UCF's LEGALLY BLONDE Brought Robot Dogs to the Stage Photo
Photos: Theatre UCF's LEGALLY BLONDE Brought Robot Dogs to the Stage
by Joshua Wright - Apr 16, 2026

Two robot dogs walked across the Walt Disney Theater stage during Theatre UCF's production of Legally Blonde - operated live, in real time, by theater students trained in the university's engineering labs.
Review: Revamped MEAN GIRLS Musical Debuts at La Mirada Theatre Photo
Review: Revamped MEAN GIRLS Musical Debuts at La Mirada Theatre
by Michael Quintos - Apr 15, 2026

Now having its Southern California regional production, MEAN GIRLS - THE MUSICAL continues performances at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through May 3, 2026. Produced by McCoy Rigby Entertainment, this fun, high-energy, youthfully-targeted new iteration of the 2018 stage adaptation of Tina Fey’s beloved 2004 film comedy looks and feels like a brand new show—boosted by impressive new visuals and a highly-caffeinated ensemble whose enthusiasm and verve is quite infectious. A dazzling, entertaining show with high-caliber polish, La Mirada's production is a slick, electrically-charged iteration that is a worthwhile new chapter in the show’s evolution.
Exclusive: First Look at MEAN GIRLS at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts Photo
Exclusive: First Look at MEAN GIRLS at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
by Gillian Blum - Apr 11, 2026

Take a first look at exclusive production photos from Mean Girls at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, which runs April 11 through May 3, 2026.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Nell Benjamin written?

Nell Benjamin has written 10 shows including Half Time (Lyrics), Sarah, Plain and Tall (Lyricist), Sarah, Plain and Tall (Lyricist), Cam Jansen (Bookwriter/Lyricist), Legally Blonde (Composer), The Explorers Club (Playwright), Gotta Dance (Lyrics), Mean Girls (Lyricist), Because of Winn Dixie (Bookwriter), Real Women Have Curves (Additional Material).

What awards has Nell Benjamin been nominated for?

Outstanding Lyrics (Drama Desk Awards) for Mean Girls, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Tony Awards) for Mean Girls, Outstanding Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Explorers Club, Outstanding Lyrics (Drama Desk Awards) for Legally Blonde, Outstanding Music (Drama Desk Awards) for Legally Blonde, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Tony Awards) for Legally Blonde The Musical and Most promising musical theatre lyricist () for .

What awards has Nell Benjamin won?

Nell Benjamin has received several awards, including the Richard Rodgers Award for Most Promising Musical Theatre Lyricist. She has also been nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score for Mean Girls. Additionally, she won the ASCAP Foundation’s Cole Porter Award and the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre.

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