John Dempsey (lyricist)

John Dempsey is an American theatrical lyricist and playwright who has worked in Britain and the United States. His work has been produced in Japan, Brazil and other countries. Much of his work in musical theater has been written with composer Dana P. Rowe. With Rowe, he wrote the book and lyrics for Zombie Prom (1995),[1] The Fix (directed by Sam Mendes, 1997),[2] and the stage adaptation of John Updike's The Witches of Eastwick (2000).[3] Rowe and Dempsey were nominated for the Olivier Award for The Fix and The Witches of Eastwick, both of which were produced in London by Cameron Mackintosh.[2][3][4] He was the co-lyricist for The Pirate Queen, collaborating with composer Claude-Michel Schönberg and lyricist Alain Boublil.[5]

With playwright/lyricist Rinne Groff and composer Michael Friedman, Dempsey co-wrote the book and lyrics for the musical adaptation of the movie Saved!, which was produced by Playwrights Horizons in New York City in 2008.[6]

An original musical by Dempsey and Rowe, Brother Russia, in which a "fourth-rate Russian theatre troupe... in a desolate potato field north of Omsk" proves to be led by the seemingly immortal Rasputin, premiered between March 6 and April 15, 2012, by the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia.[7][8]

  1. ^ Brantley, Ben (April 10, 1996). "THEATER REVIEW;Girl Meets Ghoul, Hit By Cupid's Toxic Arrow". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Taylor, Paul (May 14, 1997). "Theatre: The Fix Donmar Warehouse, London". The Independent. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Harris, Paul (June 25, 2007). "The Witches of Eastwick". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  4. ^ "Olivier Winners 1998". Official London Theatre Guide. Society of London Theatre. April 24, 1998. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
    "Olivier Winners 2001". Official London Theatre Guide. Society of London Theatre. April 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  5. ^ "Authors & Producers". The Pirate Queen website. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  6. ^ Greene, Alexis (June 3, 2008). "Theater Review: Saved". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2010. [dead link]
  7. ^ "Brother Russia". Signature Theatre. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  8. ^ Folliard, Patrick (March 22, 2012). "Artistic adjustments". Washington Blade. Retrieved August 15, 2016. – Review of Brother Russia