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Michael Colby

MICHAEL COLBY

  (1951 - )
Nationality:    USA
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a

MICHaeL COLBY is the librettist/lyricist of such musicals as CHaRLOTTe SWeeT (Drama Desk award nomination), SLaY IT WITH MUSIC, TaLeS OF TINSeLTOWN, DeLPHI OR BUST, NORTH Atlantic (Show Business award), MRS. McTHING, and LUDLOW LaDD. He was a founding member of two of the most influential companies in recent musical Theatre history: the Stuart Ostrow Foundation Musical Theatre Lab and the New amsterdam Theatre Company. Originally headquartered at St. Clement's Church, the Musical Theatre Lab was the first non-profit organization devoted to the development of new musicals, beginning with the workshop production of the ROBBeR BRIDeGROOM in 1974. the New amsterdam Theatre Company, founded by Bill Tynes in 1981, was the first ongoing presenter of musicals in concert, with full orchestra and stellar casts. In addition to being chief writer for the New amsterdam Theatre Company, Colby has been a frequent writer for the NY Festival of Song, the Theatre By the Blind, and the popular cabaret series Timeless Divas. He wrote continuity for STaNDING OVaTIONS (a benefit for the 92nd Street Y, starring Carol Channing, Nell Carter, Elaine Stritch, Leslie Uggams, and other great ladies of the Theatre) and the LONGeST RUNNING SHOW ON BROaDWaY (a salute to producer Maurice Levine, hosted by Angela Lansbury). He also wrote STePHeN SCHWaRTZ: a CeLeBRaTION (a benefit for the Directors Company, starring Paul Shaffer, Betty Buckley, Kathy Najimi, et al.), special material for aNIMaL CRaCKeRS (Papermill Playhouse/Goodspeed), lyrics for the HUMaN HeaRT (winner of a Billy Rose Foundation grant), and the narration for the MaYOR MUSICaLS, a benefit for Musicals In Concert hosted by Sheldon Harnick. among the personalities for whom Colby has written special material are: Linda Lavin, Michael Feinstein, Tony Randall, Savion Glover, Cicely Tyson, Ben Vereen, Dina Merrill, Susan Stroman, Cliff Robertson, Jack Gilford, andrea Marcovicci, Lainie Kazan, Jane Powell, eric Stoltz, edie Adams, Phyllis Newman, Donna McKechnie, Mary Cleere Haran, Julie Wilson, and Wilford Brimley. He was also resident lyricist for the children's Theatre, On-Stage Children (Hartley House, NYC) and was commissioned to co-write a new musical about adoption for one of NYC's most acclaimed children's companies, Tada!: the highly acclaimed theY CHOOSe Me! a member of BMI and the Dramatists Guild, Mr. Colby lives in Metuchen NJ with his wife andrea and son Steven.

Research:    Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)

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below is a list of Michael Colby's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Androcles And the Lion         Another Time         Boynton Beach Club         C&W         Charlotte Sweet         Delphi Or Bust         Golden Dreams         Happy Hunting         Harlequin And Company         Human Heart, The         Ludlow Ladd         Meester Amerika         Mrs Mcthing         North Atlantic         Olmsted!         Passing Fancy         Slay It With Music         Tales Of Tinseltown         they Changed Broadway         they Chose Me!

Androcles And the Lion

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Hartley House, NYC     1978

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Childrens Musical Youth audience

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Another Time

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Lyric Theatre Of New York    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Boynton Beach Club

Synopsis:
Based On the 2006 Susan Seidelman Movie, Boynton Beach Club

Notes:
written by Ned Paul Ginsburg, Michael Colby, And Susan Seidelman

1st Produced:
Concert Reading At Lake Worth, Florida     01 Dec 2012

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
musical

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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C&W

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
American Theatre Of Actors, 314 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Charlotte Sweet

Synopsis:
In Victorian england, the sweet soprano Charlotte becomes a star of the Circus of Voices, hitting her high notes through addiction to helium balloons.

Notes:
sequel to Ludlow Ladd. Gerald Jay Markoe, composer

1st Produced:
Cheryl Crawford Theatre (Off-Broadway), NY     1982

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Mock Opera Musical

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  optional chorus

Further Reference:
apply for a license: www.theatricalrights.com/contact-us/

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Delphi Or Bust

Synopsis:
Take it from Zeus! Your audience will be rolling in the clouds at this zany musical send-up of ancient Greek mythology! The young prophetess Candora is convinced by the determined Pectorus to apply for the lofty position of Oracle. As they set off on their mission to Delphi, they run headfirst into two other seers on the very same mission, and all-Greek chaos breaks loose! After being romanced by the dashing Cyclops and escaping the clutches of the tyrannical Hernia (the Greek Goddess of Inner Disorder), Candora learns her fate when Zeus finally appears to reveal her true destiny. This madcap, musical, Grecian spoof is an epic adventure that even the most discerning theatergoer will love.

Notes:
Book and Lyrics by Michael Colby ; Music by Gerald J. Markoe

1st Produced:
Theatre Row Theatre, NYC     1998

Organisations:

1st Published:
Steele Spring Stage Rights, www.stagerights.com   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical Comedy 105 min

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Golden Dreams

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
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To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Happy Hunting

Synopsis:
Part III of the "Ludlow Ladd/Charlotte Sweet" trilogy. a murder mystery in the tradition of HOUSe ON HaUNTeD HILL, where madness and mayhem strike guests at a Halloween party in turn-of-the-Century england

Notes:
Gerald Jay Markoe, composer. Winner of Billy Rose Foundation grant

1st Produced:
Harry Warren Theatre, Brooklyn NY     1992

Organisations:
Irene Ryan Repertory

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Harlequin And Company

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Hartley House, NYC     1979

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Childrens Musical Youth audience

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Human Heart, The

Synopsis:
about manic depression and the "Prozac Generation."

Notes:
Steven Silverstein composer; Pat Hoag Simon librettist; Michael Colby lyrics

1st Produced:
Marymount Manhattan College     1998

Organisations:
Marymount Manhattan College Theatre Department

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Serio-comic musical Musical

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ludlow Ladd

Synopsis:
an all-sung Christmas satire. On Christmas eve, in Dickensian Liverpool, the or-orphan boy, Ludlow Ladd wanders the chilly streets. It is the night of his birth and a mediocre couple, the Grimbles, agree to take him home with them. Once at the Grimble hearth, Ludlow makes a nuisance of himself. enraged, the Grimbles sentence Ludlow to a supper-less evening. Ludlow dozes and has a splendiferous Christmas dream whereby the Christmas tree is transformed into the magical Missus Pinecones. He is whisked to the merry Land of Yuletide Cheer and helped to find the key to his happiness. as Ludlow wakes, his dream has revealed a way to find true hap-happiness with the Grimbles, who are awed by his miraculous experience and accept him as their own son.

Notes:
Gerald Jay Markoe, composer. Tada! theatre (ShaRell Productions) expanded version, 2006. http://hometown.aol.com/ludlow29/ludlowladd.php

1st Produced:
The Lyric Theatre Of NY (Off-Off Broadway)     1979

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
licensed through Drama Source,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
all sung Christmas musical Musical

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Meester Amerika

Synopsis:
a warm and funny evocation of 1920s Yiddish theatre-including the premiere performing family of 2nd avenue, and the jazz-singing son who really wants to become a cantor

Notes:
artie Bressler, Composer; Jennifer Berman, Book; lyrics Michael Colby. Finalist for the 2007 New Jewish theatre Grant (given by the National Foundation for Jewish Culture) And one of the winning musicals in the 7th Annual TRU Musicals Reading Series

1st Produced:
The Garage Theatre In Teaneck, Nj     2009

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
musical comedy Musical

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  4            Other:  Optional chorus of 2-6

Further Reference:
-

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Mrs Mcthing

Synopsis:
Based on Mary (HaRVeY) Chase's hit play: rich woman wants her bratty son to be perfect; bratty son wants to be a gangster; mischievous witch intercedes.

Notes:
Jack Urbont, composer

1st Produced:
Goodspeed-At-Chester (Connecticut).     1984

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
magical musical Musical

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  1b 1g, Chorus of 4 to 6 (half female, half male)

Further Reference:
-

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North Atlantic

Synopsis:
North Atlantic is a uniquely affectionate and comic valentine to the classic style of Rodgers & Hammerstein, set in the land of igloos and ice! On a mysterious and remote island (somewhere on the opposite side of the globe from South Pacific), Honey Snodgrass and Melanie Fong, all-American members of the Ioway branch of the Teaching Corps, arrive to teach Eskimo children their 'modern ways.' As with any good R & H classic, the girls soon find unexpected romance, unintentional bigotry, and the dream ballet to end all dream ballets! With every ridiculous cliche thrown in for good measure, this charming family musical takes its origins and springboards into its own idiomatic lunacy.

Notes:
Book and Lyrics by Michael Colby ; Music and Lyrics by James Fradrich

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Steele Spring Stage Rights, www.stagerights.com   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical Comedy 105 min

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:   chorus

Further Reference:
-

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Olmsted!

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
St. Clement's, NYC    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Passing Fancy

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Ragtime Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Slay It With Music

Synopsis:
a looney thriller about aging, sibling movie queens, one making a comeback in a 60's slasher movie; music and mayhem; "Grande Dame Guignol."

Notes:
Paul Katz, composer

1st Produced:
Actors Outlet (Off-Off Broadway), NY     1989

Organisations:
Broadway Tomorrow

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
black comedy Musical

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  possible chorus 2-6

Further Reference:
-

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Tales Of Tinseltown

Synopsis:
Singin' in the Rain meets Hollywood Babylon! On a farm in Walnut, Iowa, the ambitious Ellie Ash dreams of becoming a famous screen star. Luckily for her, Hollywood-bound screenwriter Elmo Green just happens to ride by on his bicycle. Elmo is smitten with Ellie; Ellie jumps on his bike; and together they travel west to the 'promised land.' Once there, Elmo and Ellie work with a wild array of colorful Hollywood characters, and Ellie soon triumphs as the 'Girl of a Thousand Sounds,' America's newest sweetheart. But when gossip columnist Adele DeRale exposes a few dirty secrets, Ellie has to claw her way back to the top before the new "it" girl takes her spot.

Notes:
Book and Lyrics by Michael Colby ; Music by Paul Katz

1st Produced:
The Directors Company (Off-Off Broadway), NY     1985

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Steele Spring Stage Rights, www.stagerights.com   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical Drama 150 min

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  optional chorus 2-6

Further Reference:
-

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they Changed Broadway

Synopsis:
Written by Michael Colby and featuring songs by Irving Berlin, George & Ira Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Jule Styne, and many other composers and lyricists familiar to theatre-goers and music lovers alike, they Changed Broadway is the story of immigrants and children of immigrants, who brought feeling, sophistication and love for America to Broadway audiences, through their words and music.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Excelsior Dinner Theatre, Route 9 South, Manalapan, New Jersey     08 Jun 2011

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
musical

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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they Chose Me!

Synopsis:
they Chose Me! follows a group of kids that all have one thing in commonbeing adopted! a funny, heart-warming musical, they Chose Me! tells the touching stories of adoption from the perspective of young people.

Notes:
with music by Ned Paul Ginsburg, lyrics by Michael Colby, book by Colby & Ginsberg

1st Produced:

Organisations:
TaDa!

1st Published:
theatrical Rights Worldwide, 2006   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
60 min Musical One act. - - Gay/Lesbian, musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  5-7 boys, 10-16 girls

Further Reference:
-

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