Betty Comden, born in Brooklyn in 1917, was an American lyricist, screenwriter, and actress. She is best known for her work with Adolph Green, with whom she collaborated on numerous musicals and films.
Comden and Green met in 1938 while both were studying at New York University, and began writing together shortly thereafter. Their first Broadway credit was for On the Town, a musical about three sailors on a 24-hour leave in New York City. The show premiered in 1944 and was a huge success, cementing Comden and Green's place in the world of musical theater.
Comden and Green went on to ... read more
Adolph Green was an American lyricist and playwright who was born on December 2, 1914, in the Bronx, New York. He was the son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Green's father was a successful businessman, and his mother was a homemaker. Green attended New York University, where he studied English and drama.
Green began his career in show business as a performer in the late 1930s. He appeared in several Broadway productions, including "The New Yorkers" and "Two for the Show." However, it was his work as a lyricist that would make him famous.
Green's first major success as a lyricist came in ... read more
Boris Aronson was a Russian-born American scenic designer who made a significant contribution to the world of theatre. He was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898 and studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg before moving to the United States in 1923.
Aronson began his career in theatre as a set designer for the Yiddish Theatre in New York City. He later became involved in the Broadway theatre scene, where he worked on numerous productions over the course of several decades. Some of his most notable works include the original productions of "Fiddler on the Roof," "Cabaret," "Company," ... read more
He first worked on Broadway as a second assistant set designer to Jo Mielziner on The Most Happy Fella in 1956. Lee's first Broadway play as Scenic Designer was The Moon Besieged in 1962; he went on to design the sets for over 20 Broadway shows, including Mother Courage and Her Children, King Lear, The Glass Menagerie, The Shadow Box, and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, a Helen Hayes Award, and in 1983 he received a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for ... read more