William Finn

William Finn began his New York career as a script reader for the Public Theater and as a writer of music and songs for theater. In 1977, he contributed music and songs to Benny Leonard and the Brooklyn Bridge at The Open Space in SoHo. He developed his first musical, In Trousers, which was presented at Playwrights Horizons in 1978, with Finn directing and originally playing Marvin. The musical was remounted in 1979, 1981 and 1985, with Finn writing the book, music and lyrics.

Finn continued the Marvin storyline with March of the Falsettos, which was developed at Playwrights Horizons in 1980 and opened there in 1981. The musical transferred to the Westside Theatre and ran through 1982, followed by productions in Los Angeles in 1982 and London in 1987. The final installment of the trilogy, Falsettoland, premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 1990 before transferring to the Lucille Lortel Theatre. March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland were combined as Falsettos, which opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre in 1992. Finn wrote the music, lyrics and book with James Lapine and won Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. A Broadway revival ran from 2016 to 2017, followed by a national tour beginning in 2019.

During the 1980s, Finn developed Romance in Hard Times, originally titled America Kicks Up Its Heels. The musical was developed through readings from 1983 through 1988 and premiered at the Public Theater in 1989. He also wrote lyrics for Tango Apasionado in 1987 and Dangerous Games in 1989, the latter marking his Broadway debut. Finn additionally composed incidental music for The Winter's Tale and As You Like It at the Public Theater.

Finn wrote A New Brain with James Lapine. The musical was developed through workshops in the 1990s and premiered at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 1998. It received the 1999 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and was subsequently produced in Washington, D.C., in 2001, at City Center's Encores! Off-Center in 2015 and at Barrington Stage Company in 2023.

Finn composed the music for Muscle, with lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, based on Samuel Wilson Fussell's memoir. The musical received a workshop in 1995 and a full production at Chicago's Pegasus Players in 2001. In 2003, Finn's Elegies: A Song Cycle premiered at Lincoln Center Theater. The work was subsequently presented in Beverly Hills in 2004, London in 2004, Philadelphia in 2005 and at Barrington Stage Company in 2005.

Finn and Rachel Sheinkin developed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which premiered at Barrington Stage Company in 2004. It transferred to Second Stage Theatre Off-Broadway in 2005 and opened on Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre that May. The Broadway production ran until 2008 and won Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical. The musical has since received numerous professional, regional and educational productions, including revivals at the Kennedy Center and New World Stages in 2024.

In 2005, Finn co-wrote Songs of Innocence and Experience, a song cycle inspired by the poetry of William Blake, which premiered at Williams College. It was later presented at Merkin Concert Hall in 2009 and as part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook series in 2012. In 2006, Finn founded the Musical Theatre Lab at Barrington Stage Company, where he served as artistic head and helped develop new musicals, including The Burnt Part Boys, The Memory Show and My Scary Girl. He also created the annual concert series Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don't Know But Should, which began in 2006.

Finn and Lapine adapted the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine into a musical. It premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 2011 before opening Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in 2013. The musical later received its European premiere at London's Arcola Theatre in 2019.

Finn's final original musical to reach production was The Royal Family of Broadway, based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. The project was developed through readings and workshops beginning in 1998, with Richard Greenberg and later James Lapine contributing books before Rachel Sheinkin became the final book writer. The completed musical premiered at Barrington Stage Company in 2018, directed by John Rando.

Finn's work also included several theatrical revues. Infinite Joy premiered at Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in 2000 and was revived there in 2008. More Infinite Joy: The Music of William Finn was presented at Merkin Concert Hall in 2004, followed by Even More Infinite Joy in 2005. Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn premiered at TheaterWorks in Hartford in 2006 and opened Off-Broadway at New World Stages in 2007.

Beginning in the 1990s, Finn wrote songs for television and film projects, including The Poky Little Puppy's First Christmas (1992), Ira Sleeps Over (1993), The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002), two Brave Little Toaster films, and The Emperor's Newest Clothes (2018). He also wrote songs for a planned animated version of Thumbelina at Paramount Pictures, which was ultimately canceled.

Finn's final work was Once Every Hundred Years: A Song Cycle, created with composer Danny Ursetti and orchestrator Michael Starobin. The piece was first presented in 2021 and was subsequently performed at Williams College in 2024. It received its New York premiere at 54 Below in November 2024.