CREATIVE TEAM

Alain Boublil - Book & Lyrics

Alain Boublil’s first musical, ‘La Révolution Française’, was the triumphant, first-ever staged French rock opera in 1973 in Paris, composed with Claude-Michel Schönberg, with whom Alain has collaborated since.  Their next show, ‘Les Misérables’, opened in Paris in 1980 and played there again in 1991, winning Alain two Victoire de la Musique and a Molière award.

In the meantime ‘Les Misérables’ opened in London in 1985, produced by Cameron Mackintosh, and celebrated its 21st Anniversary in 2006 after becoming the Nation’s favourite musical in 2005.  It opened in New York in 1987 and became the longest running musical on the Broadway stage after winning Alain two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Book and a Grammy for Best Original Broadway Cast Recording.  ‘Les Misérables’ is still playing all over the world as is ‘Miss Saigon’.
‘Miss Saigon’ opened in London in 1989 and later in New York, playing for more than ten years in each city, and has won numerous awards all over the world including the London Evening Standard Drama Award.  ‘Martin Guerre’ followed and won the 1997 London Olivier Award for Best Musical before commencing its nationwide U.S. tour.

On his own Alain wrote the fairytale musical, Abbacadabra, in 1984 based on Abba songs.  He also wrote the play, ‘The Diary of Adam and Eve’, based on two short stories by Mark Twain, and a prize-winning novel, ‘Les dessous de soi’.

In 2003, in collaboration with Michel Legrand, Alain wrote the stage adaptation of Jacques Demy’s film, ‘Les Demoiselles de Rochefort’, including some new songs.

Alain and Claude-Michel’s latest musical, ‘The Pirate Queen’, based on the true story of the 16th century Irish heroine, Grace O’Malley, in the time of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, and brought to the stage in collaboration with the producers of ‘Riverdance’, opens on Broadway on April 5, 2007.

Claude Michel Schonberg - Book & Music

Born in 1944 of Hungarian parents, Claude-Michel Schönberg began his career as a singer, writer and producer of popular songs.  He wrote the musical score of La Revolution Français, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and Martin Guerre. He has also supervised overseas productions of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon and co-produced several international cast albums of his three shows.  In 2001 he composed his first ballet score, Wuthering Heights, which was created by the Northern Ballet Theatre in September 2002. Pirate Queen which opens on Broadway in April 2007 is his sixth complete score. In 2003 Claude-Michel Schönberg married the English ballerina Charlotte Talbot. He is the father of one son and two daughters.

Cameron Mackintosh - Producer

Cameron Mackintosh is in his 40th year as a producer during which time he has put on hundreds of productions including Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera -the three longest running musicals in Broadway history - and Miss Saigon.  He has also produced Little Shop of Horrors, Side by Side by Sondheim, Follies, Martin Guerre, The Witches of Eastwick and acclaimed revivals of My Fair Lady, Oliver! and Oklahoma!

His new production of Miss Saigon is a worldwide success all over again with a number of international productions in the works.  His recent musical, Mary Poppins, co-produced with Disney, a subject that he has wanted to do for over 30 years, has proved an enormous hit since it opened in London in 2004.  It is now also on at the fabled New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. 

In 2006 Les Misérables overtook Cats to become the longest running musical in the world and celebrated its 21st birthday at the Queen’s Theatre in London.   As well as celebrating this milestone Cameron simultaneously put on a new version of Les Misérables at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York.  He is currently preparing Les Miz in Mandarin to open in China in late 2008.   His latest London production is the Tony award winning Avenue Q.  

Cameron owns seven theatres in London’s West End – the Prince of Wales, Gielgud, Queens, Wyndham’s, Noël Coward, Novello and Prince Edward, all of which are undergoing major refurbishment.

In 1995 his company received The Queen’s Award for Export Achievement and he was knighted in the 1996 New Year’s Honours for his services to British theatre.  He is President of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and in 1990 he endowed the Chair of Contemporary Theatre at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, where he is also an Honorary Fellow and Member of the Court of Benefactors.  In 2006 he received the national Enjoy England Award for Excellence for his Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.

Richard Maltby Jnr - Lyricist

Richard conceived and directed two of Broadway’s most successful musicals: Fosse which won the Tony Award for Best Musical of 1999 and is currently running on Broadway and touring the UK; and  Ain’t Misbehavin’ which won the Tony Award and New York Drama Critics Circle Award as best musical of 1978 and for which he won a Tony Award for Best Director. 

He directed and wrote lyrics for the 1977 off-Broadway musical Starting Here, Starting Now with music by David Shire. The RCA original cast album of which was nominated for a Grammy Award.  He collaborated with David again in 1983 on the musical Baby (nominated for seven Tony Awards); in 1989 on Closer Than Ever, which won two Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best off-Broadway Musical and Best Score.  In 1986, he directed, and with Don Black did the American Adaptation for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song & Dance on Broadway, which won a Tony Award for its star, Bernadette Peters.  In 1989, he co-wrote the lyrics for Miss Saigon with the composing team of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, whose score was nominated for a Tony Award.

With author/director Arthur Laurents and composer Charles Strouse, he wrote Nick & Nora for the 1991 Broadway season whose score was also nominated for a Tony and in 1996 he collaborated with Mr Shire and with book writer John Weidman on his musical Big, which received a Tony nomination for best score.  During his long association with the Manhattan Theatre Club, he directed Livin’ Dolls, Hang on to the Good Times, and Urban Blight (with John Tillinger), as well as the original production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. Richard also directs The American Songbook series at Lincoln Center.

The son of the well-know orchestra leader, Mr Maltby also contributes devilish crossword puzzles to Harpers Magazine.  He is married to Janet Brenner and has five children.

William Brohn - Orchestrations

Beginning in 1989 with Miss Saigon, William David Brohn has enjoyed a continuing role as orchestrator for Cameron Mackintosh in productions of Oliver!, Martin Guerre, Hey, Mr. Producer!, The Witches of Eastwick, and the transfers from the National Theatre of Carousel, Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady. In the 1991 transfer of Miss Saigon to Broadway he was given the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations (along with the same award that year for The Secret Garden) and subsequently for Crazy for You in 1992 and Ragtime in 1998, the latter show also earning him a Tony Award®. He has enjoyed collaborations with singers Placido Domingo, Marilyn Horne and Jerry Hadley, choreographers Agnes de Mille, Kenneth Macmillan, Susan Stroman and Matthew Bourne, the violinist Joshua Bell, and conductors Andre Previn, John Williams and Keith Lockhart. The two-way street between London and New York ultimately brought Brohn's (revised) orchestrations for a new production of The Secret Garden (which began at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2000), and Ragtime in 2003 to the Piccadilly, as it had previously brought Crazy for You and then Show Boat to the Prince Edward Theatre in London. More recently he orchestrated Sweet Smell of Success in 2002 for Marvin Hamlisch and in 2004 Stephen Schwartz's Wicked, and Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, currently in London’s West End and on Broadway.

ANDREANE NEOFITOU - Costume Designer

International costume designer Andy Neofitou’s most recent credits are NABUCCO directed by Elijah Moshinsky for New York’s Metropolitan Opera, JANE EYRE directed by John Caird on Broadway – for which she received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination – Cameron Mackintosh’s new version of MARTIN GUERRE at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, then in the USA and MISS JULIE in Athens.

Andy’s many other major designs for the theatre include West End Shows MISS SAIGON, GREASE and THE BAKER’S WIFE. She also designed PETER PAN at the Royal National Theatre, the arena production of Bizet’s opera CARMEN at the Royal Albert Hall directed by Frank Dunlop, and TIMON OF ATHENS with David Suchet in the title role directed by Trevor Nunn at the Young Vic.

Andy’s highly acclaimed work for the Royal Shakespeare Company over many years led to her outstanding success with LES MISERABLES directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird still in the West End, on Broadway and in many other countries. Her beautifully researched and detailed period costumes won her a coveted Tony Award nomination. She endorsed her achievement with MISS SAIGON directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and her designs have subsequently been reproduced for the many productions worldwide.

Other credits with the Royal Shakespeare Company include THE CHANGELING directed by Michael Attenborough; Bill Alexander’s production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE with Antony Sher, and FAIR MAID OF THE WEST directed by Trevor Nunn for the opening of the Swan Theatre at Stratford, transferring later to the Mermaid Theatre in London. She designed the costumes for HEDDA GABLER with Glenda Jackson at the Aldwych, in Canada and the USA; ONCE IN A LIFETIME at the Aldwych and the Piccadilly; PETER PAN which enjoyed three separate runs at the Barbican between 1982 and 1984 and NICHOLAS NICKELBY in the United States as well as Stratford.

Andy’s contrasting flair for contemporary fashion was illustrated in her costumes for Gemma Craven and Liz Robertson in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s SONG AND DANCE at the Palace Theatre directed by John Caird.

Andy’s film credits include ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD starring Richard Dreyfuss directed by the author Tom Stoppard, and STILL LIFE with Roger Daltrey and Nickolas Grace.

David Hersey - Lighting Designer

David has designed the lighting for hundreds of plays, musicals, operas and ballets. His many awards include Tonys for Best Lighting Design for Evita, Cats and Les Misérables; the Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design for Burning Blue, The Glass Menagerie and Twelfth Night; Tony nominations for The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby, Starlight Express, Miss Saigon and Oklahoma!; and Olivier nominations for Oliver!, Glengarry Glen Ross, Martin Guerre, Oklahoma!, South Pacific; My Fair Lady and The Coast of Utopia. His latest designs to open in London’s West End include Porgy and Bess (November ’06) and Equus (February ’07).

Bob Avian - Original Musical Staging

Bob began his professional career as a dancer and was in more than a dozen Broadway shows, including West Side Story, Hello, Dolly! and Funny Girl. He then became an integral part of every Michael Bennett production for the next 20 years, working as Associate Choreographer and/or Assistant Director on productions including Company, Follies, Twigs, Seesaw, and God's Favorite. In 1976 he received a Tony Award as co-choreographer of A Chorus Line. He then went on to win his second Tony Award for choreographing Ballroom, as well as serving as Co-Producer.  Bob Avian was Producer of the original Broadway and national companies of Dreamgirls, the highly acclaimed musical which won six Tony awards. He choreographed the London production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies and then created the musical staging of Miss Saigon. He also did the musical staging of the London and Broadway productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, receiving his sixth Tony nomination. In 1997 Bob came back to London and choreographed the Boublil and Schönberg musical, Martin Guerre, at the Prince Edward Theatre for which he won an Olivier Award. He returned again in 1998 to stage Hey! Mr Producer at the Lyceum Theatre in the presence of HRH The Queen in aid of the Royal National Institute for the Blind.  Most recently Bob choreographed the Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Putting It Together and in London he choreographed Cameron Mackintosh’s production of The Witches of Eastwick, originally at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and subsequently at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Michael Coppel

Michael Coppel has been one of the most prominent and active concert promoters in Australia and New Zealand for more than 25 years.

Presenting a variety of artists from all genres of contemporary music Michael Coppel Presents has been recognised by the Australian entertainment industry with mulitple awards as “Best Major Promoter”.

Each year the company presents several hundred performances throughout Australia and New Zealand, in indoor and outdoor venues, and has produced many major open air festivals and stadium shows.

In 2004 and 2005 Michael Coppel produced the smash hit musical by Queen and Ben Elton –We Will Rock You- which played to more than 750,000 people during its Australian season, and then complted a successful Tokyo season.

In November 2006 Michael Coppel produced U2’s Vertigo Tour, which played 9 stadium shows in Australia and New Zealand to over 550,000 fans, making it the biggest selling and arguably the most spectacular concert tour ever to visit these two countries.

In 2007 MCP will present the UK’s hyper-successful V Festival in Australia as part of a multi-year joint venture wth Virgin Management Australia.

Also in 2007 MCP has already presented hugely successful tours by Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Little Britain and numerous other artists, with sell out arena tours by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pink also on this year’s calendar.

Louise Withers

Following completion of a Bachelor of Education Degree (Music/Drama), Louise joined the 1985 national tour of Footrot Flats. After starring as Cheeky Hobson in this production, she returned to the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival to appear in her tribute to Judy Garland, simply titled Judy.

After throat nodules put an end to her performing career, Louise began stage managing for the Adelaide Festival Centre, The State Opera and The State Theatre Company of South Australia. She was props buyer for the original production of Les Misérables and refurbished props for Cats in 1987.

She joined the Come Out Youth Arts Festival as Production Manager of the 1987 Festival and became Administrator of the 1989 Festival and was the Production Co-ordinator of the 1988 Bicentennial Adelaide Festival of Arts.
In 1989 she was invited to join Cameron Mackintosh Australia where she remained for six years as Production Coordinator of the Melbourne production of Les Misérables and Company Manager and Company Administrator for The Phantom of the Opera in Melbourne and Sydney.

1995 saw Louise as Co-Director of KOAN, a Sydney-based advertising and marketing agency, marketing such shows as Les Misérables, Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard and Miss Saigon.
In 1999 Louise undertook the role of Director (Programming, Marketing and Sponsorship) of the Adelaide Festival Centre, followed by General-Management of Dainty Consolidated Entertainment (Theatrical Division) in Melbourne.

Louise was Associate/Executive Producer on Mamma Mia! (2001 – 2005) through Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore and Executive Producer of We Will Rock You in Australia and Japan (2003 – 2005) and Tokyo and Osaka (2006 – 2007).

In 2002, Louise and Linda Bewick formed LWAA (Louise Withers and Associates Pty Ltd). LWAA managed and marketed Mamma Mia! (2002-2005), We Will Rock You (2003-2005), Drumstruck (2005) and are currently co producing an Australian tour of Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Miss Saigon, and providing General and Marketing Management of the Australasian productions of Billy Elliot the Musical and Spamalot.

Linda Bewick

Linda has a career that spans over 50 years from her first acting performance at age 5 in the UK to now being co-director of Louise Withers and Associates.

Under her stage name, Linda Collis, she has directed, scenic designed and produced over 60 shows and has written or co-written 8 revues.
She owned and managed two theatre companies in South Australia, Nimbus Productions and the Actors Co-op as well as being the Administration Manager of the New Cottage Theatre. She has lectured in Drama for Children and held workshops for Models teaching acting and auditioning skills for TV commercials.

She also worked closely with the late John Edmund at the John Edmund Theatre producing and directing Godspell, Judy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Grease, Stop The World I Want to Get Off, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Don’t Start Without Me and I do I do.
For the South Australian 150th Birthday Celebrations she directed Off the Sheep’s Back. For the Cottage Theatre she played the Baroness in The Sound of Music, Mrs Bumble in Oliver! and Golde in the critically acclaimed production of Fiddler on the Roof that was the longest running production in South Australia until The Phantom of the Opera.

For her own company, Nimbus Productions, she played Anna in The King and I and reprised her role of Golde in Fiddler on the Roof and directed Guys and Dolls and Don’t Start Without Me. Linda also played Agnes in the La Mamma Theatre production of I do I do.
For the Actors’ Co-op she directed and produced Stephen Söndheim’s Company, Babes in Arms, I do I do and a series of musical reviews.

In 1994 Linda joined Showbiz Bookings as Corporate Development Manager for Miss Saigon and then as General Manager of Administration developed corporate marketing strategies for The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Crazy for You, Rent and The Boy from Oz. As co-directors, Linda and Louise Withers established Louise Withers and Associates (LWAA) in 2002 to general manage, produce and market for the entertainment industry across all fields. LWAA has General Managed and Marketed Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You, Drumstuck and are currently providing these services for Miss Saigon and the up and coming productions of Billy Elliot the Musical and Spamalot.

Laurence Connor -  Director
Geoff Garratt - Choreographer
Adrian Vaux - Production  Designer
Gerald Scarfe - Animation Design
Peter Grubb - Sound Designer
Guy  Simpson - Musical Supervisor
Totie Driver - Associate Set  Designer
Suzy Strout - Associate  Costume Designer
Richard Pacholski - Associate Lighting Designer
Shelly Lee - Associate Sound  Designer
Darren Yap - Associate Director
Adrian Bendt – Associate Musical Director
David Piper – Assistant Musical Director
John Robertson – Artistic Advisor
Annalisa Oxenburgh - Executive Producer
Lynne Ruthven – Casting Director