- Joseph Stein
Infobox actor
name = Joseph Stein
imagesize = 180px
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1912|05|30
birthplace =New York City, New York , USA
occupation = Author, playwright
spouse = Elisa Stein
yearsactive =
homepage =
tonyawards = Best Musical
1965 "Fiddler on the Roof "
Best Author of a Musical
1965 "Fiddler on the Roof "Joseph Stein (born
May 30 ,1912 ) is a Americanplaywright best known for writing the books for such musicals as "Fiddler on the Roof " and "Zorba".Biography
Born in
New York City , Stein began his career as a social worker, writing comedy on the side. A chance encounter withZero Mostel led him to start writing forradio personalities, includingHenry Morgan ,Hildegarde ,Tallulah Bankhead ,Phil Silvers , andJackie Gleason . He later started working intelevision forSid Caesar when he joined the legendary writing team of "Your Show of Shows " that includedMel Brooks ,Carl Reiner ,Neil Simon ,Larry Gelbart ,Mel Tolkin ,Aaron Ruben , andWoody Allen .Career
Stein made his Broadway debut contributing sketches written with
Will Glickman to the 1948 revue "Lend an Ear ". His first book musical came about when Richard Kollmar, husband ofcolumnist and "What's My Line? " panelistDorothy Kilgallen , asked him to write a musical aboutPennsylvania that would promote the state asRodgers and Hammerstein 's "Oklahoma! " had its namesake. Stein and his writing partnerWill Glickman were drawn to theAmish community ofLancaster County . They purchased a 50-cent tourist book filled withPennsylvania Dutch slang and returned to New York to write "Plain and Fancy " (1955). The musical has been playing at The Round Barn Theatre atAmish Acres inNappanee, Indiana since 1986, surpassing 3,500 performances in 2007. Richard Pletcher, founder and producer, dedicatedThe Round Barn Theatre stage to Stein in 1996 during its production of "The Baker's Wife". The theatre has produced eight of Stein's musicals since then.Stein's additional Broadway credits include "Alive and Kicking", "
Mr. Wonderful ", "The Body Beautiful ", "Juno", "Take Me Along ", "Irene", "Carmelina ", "The Baker's Wife ", "Rags", and "So Long, 174th Street ", the musical adaptation of his play "Enter Laughing ". He also wrote the plays "Mrs. Gibbons' Boys " and "Before the Dawn" and thescreenplay s for "Enter Laughing" and "Fiddler on the Roof".The York Theatre , under the direction of James Morgan, featured Stein's "Take Me Along ", "Carmelina ", and "Plain and Fancy " as its 2006 Musicals in Mufti series. Mr. Stein revised "Carmelina" reducing it to a cast of seven from its original Broadway version for the York reading. Its 2007 series featured four additional Stein musicals, "Zorba ", "" (renamed from "So Long, 174th Street "), "The Body Beautiful ", and "The Baker's Wife ". The readings are presented in concert format in "mufti ", in street clothes without the usual trappings.On November 12, 2007 The York Theatre presented its Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre to Joseph Stein. The award was created in 1988 by
Janet Hayes Walker , founding artistic director of the York Theatre, with the endorsement of the Hammerstein family and theRodgers and Hammerstein Organization . Past recipients includeStephen Sondheim ,Harold Prince ,Cy Coleman ,Charles Strouse ,Arthur Laurents ,Jerry Herman ,Stephen Schwartz ,John Kander &Fred Ebb ,Cameron Mackintosh , andCarol Channing .Eligible nominees for the Theater Hall of Fame must have a minimum of five major credits and 25 years in the Broadway theatre. The inductees are voted on by the
American Theater Critics Association and the members of the Theater Hall of Fame.Victoria Clark will star inMarc Blitzstein and Joseph Stein’s "Juno ", the second Encores! production of New York City Center’s 2008 season. Directed by Tony Award winnerGarry Hynes , with guest music direction byEric Stern and musical staging byWarren Carlyle , "Juno " will play for five performances, from March 27 – 30, 2008 atNew York City Center . This will be the first production since the original Broadway staging in 1959 to use the original orchestration by Blitzstein,Hershey Kay andRobert Russell Bennett ."
Juno ", with music and lyrics by Marc Blitzstein and book by Joseph Stein is based on the 1924 play Juno and Paycock bySean O’Casey . It originally opened on Broadway at theWinter Garden Theater on March 9, 1959, starring Shirley Booth and Melvyn Douglas and played a total of sixteen performances. Songs include "I Wish It So", "We’re Alive", and "One Kind World".Stein's most recent project is the book for the musical "All About Us", with a score by
Kander and Ebb , based on "The Skin of Our Teeth " byThornton Wilder . It premiered at theWestport Country Playhouse in April 2007.Personal life
Stein lives in
Manhattan with his wife, apsychotherapist , Elisa. He has been a member of the Dramatists Guild Council since 1975.Stein had three sons from his first marriage. His oldest son, Daniel J Stein currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin and is an attorney doing largely Public defender representation. The middle son, Harry, had the most public career, writing for Esquire magazine among many other publications. He also was seen frequently on television for a number of years in the 1990s on the topic of ethics. The youngest son, Joshua, was last heard to be on the island of Jamaica in a fairly remote area called Treaure Beach near Negril.Awards and nominations
;Awards
*1965 Tony Award for Best Musical - "Fiddler on the Roof"
*1965 Tony Award for Best Author of a Musical - "Fiddler on the Roof"
*1965New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical - "Fiddler on the Roof";Nominations
*1960 Tony Award for Best Musical - "Take Me Along"
*1965Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium - "Fiddler on the Roof"
*1969 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical - "Zorba"
*1969 Tony Award for Best Musical - "Zorba"
*1987 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical - "Rags"External links
*
*
* [http://www.amishacres.com The Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres]
* [http://www.americantheatrewing.org/seminars/detail/return_to_broadway_04_96/ April 1966 "Working in the Theatre Seminar" video at American Theatre Wing.org]
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