Cy Coleman was a prolific composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist who made a significant impact on American music and Broadway. Born Seymour Kaufman in 1929 in New York City, Coleman began playing piano at an early age and was soon performing in clubs and bars around the city. He studied at the Juilliard School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, but his true education came from playing with jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
Coleman's first foray into Broadway was with the musical "Wildcat" in 1960, which starred Lucille Ball. The show was not a critical success, ... read more
Bob Fosse was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1972), and Chicago (1975). He directed the films Sweet Charity (1969), Cabaret (1972), Lenny (1975), All That Jazz (1979), and Star 80 (1983).
Fosse's distinctive style of choreography included turned-in knees and "jazz hands". He is the only person ever to have won Oscar, Emmy, and Tony awards in the same year (1973). He ... read more
Director of Gary Beestone Events & Theatre, Gary started his career as a production manager. He worked his way through UK, West End and touring theatre, before heading over to LOCOG to head up the production of the Team Welcome and Victory Ceremonies for London 2012. Following the opening of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London?s West End, Gary is now International Technical Director for the production and was Project Director for the Lyric Theatre Refurbishment on Broadway, as well as now overseeing the renovations of the Curran Theatre ... read more
Nigel Lilley is a British musical director, arranger, and conductor who has worked extensively in the West End and on Broadway. He was born in London and began his career as a pianist and musical director in regional theaters across the UK.
Lilley's West End credits include serving as musical director and conductor for productions such as "Les Misérables," "Miss Saigon," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Mary Poppins," and "Billy Elliot." His work on "Les Misérables" earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Musical Director. He also served as the musical supervisor for the West End production of "The Bodyguard," ... read more
Owns London’s Wig Specialities. Theatre: La Cage Aux Folles, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Frost/Nixon, Hairspray, South Pacific, Legally Blonde, Passion, End of the Rainbow, White Christmas, Piaf, Sweet Charity, Evita, Guys and Dolls, The Producers, Thoroughly Modern Millie, All New People, Donmar West End Season. Television: “Little Britain,” “Poirot.” Film: The Ghost Writer, Titanic, Star Wars, “Dumbledore” in Harry Potter. Personal Wigmaker to Sean Connery, Dame Edna, Kylie Minogue, Madonna. ... read more
Stephen Mear is an English dancer, choreographer and director best known for his award-winning work in musical theatre.
In the 1990s, Mear taught dance at the London Studio Centre. In 2005 he and co-choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Choreography, for their work on the new West End musical Mary Poppins, which they subsequently won once more for the revival of the same production in London at the 2020 Olivier Awards. This production later transferred to Broadway in 2006, being nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 2007. Mear choreographed the Broadway musical of ... read more
Sound Design Award highlights : Tony Award & Drama Desk Award for MJ: THE MUSICAL. Olivier Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Broadway World Award, Green Room Award, Dora Award, Craig Noel Award, and the WhatsOnStage Award for COME FROM AWAY; Olivier Award for MEMPHIS, Olivier Award for MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Tony nomination for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, Tony nomination for END OF THE RAINBOW, Olivier nomination for BACK TO THE FUTURE, Olivier nomination for BAT OUT OF HELL, Olivier nomination for TOP HAT, Olivier nomination for END OF THE RAINBOW, and Pro Sound Award for SOUND ENGINEER OF THE ... read more
Chris Walker Biography
Chris has been associated with numerous productions across the UK and USA, West End and Broadway, as a Musical Director, Orchestrator and Dance Arranger. Shows include: Godspell, Oliver!, Side by Side by Sondheim, My Fair Lady, Tomfoolery, Me and My Girl, Cabaret, Follies, Hot Shoe Shuffle, The Secret Garden, Imagine This, Ragtime, Acorn Antiques and Lend Me A Tenor. He contributed the dance arrangements for the National Theatre and Cameron Mackintosh’s West End production of My Fair Lady and its highly successful UK and USA National Tour and provided orchestrations for a recording of The Likes of ... read more
Matthew White is a British actor, singer, and director who has made a name for himself in the West End and on Broadway. Born in 1973, White began his career in musical theater in the 1990s, performing in productions of "The Rocky Horror Show" and "Godspell" before landing his first major role in the 1997 revival of "Little Me."
White's breakthrough role came in 2000 when he played the lead in the West End production of "The Fix," a political satire about a fictional American presidential election. White received critical acclaim for his performance and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier ... read more