08/09 Season

JACQUES BREL
A singer, songwriter, actor, and the director of two films, Jacques Brel was an international star. As a musician, the native of Brussels was known for writing poetic songs protesting the power of the bourgeoisie and for those paying tribute to his beloved Belgium. In 1966, Brel created his famed stage show, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. That same year, Brel ended his singing career and became an actor. He made his directorial debut in 1972 with “Franz,” a serio-comic love story in which he also starred. The film received critical praise, but was a box-office failure. The following year, Brel directed “Le Far West” (1973), a lighthearted portrait of those seeking to create the Old West in modern America. Brel's portrayal of Native Americans caused controversy and this film also did poorly. Though he continued his acting career through the mid-'70s, he never directed again.  Jacques Brel died of lung cancer in 1979 at the age of 49.

ERIC BLAU & MORT SHUMAN
(Production Conception, English Lyrics & Additional Material)
Mr. Blau is a distinguished novelist, poet, playwright and lyricist, a film scenarist, and a producer-director in theatre, films and television. He co-created the revolutionary mega-hit musical Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris now celebrating over 35 years of continuous worldwide performance. His novels have included "The Beggar's Cup" and "The Keys to Billy Tillio," which won the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allen Poe Award. Mr. Shuman was born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents and studied at the New York Conservatory. He started penning lyrics at 18 and found success when his songs such as "Surrender" were recorded by Elvis. In 1958, the songwriter met fellow white R&B devotee Doc Pomus and the two formed a successful songwriting partnership. Together the duo signed on as writers at the Brill Building, penning hits for the Drifters ("Sweets For My Sweet"), Elvis ("Little Sister") and Dion and the Belmonts ("Teenager in Love"). Those early sixties songs represented the zenith of Shuman's creative output, but he continued to write for Janis Joplin, Andy Williams and the Small Faces, among others. In 1966, Shuman had somewhat of an epiphany when he heard the work of Belgian composer Jacques Brel. He immediately moved to France and began translating Brel's work into English. Shuman also became a star in his own right in France when several of his French language songs (filtered through a New York accent) became hits. In 1991, shortly before undertaking a musical based on his life, Shuman died at the age of 52 in a London hospital from complications due to a liver operation.

Courtney Corey* Woman 1

Jenn Grinels* Woman 2

Robert Grossman* Man 1

Jason Maddy Man 2

*Member of Actors' Equity Association

Press Release - September 8, 2008 >>