Introduction
Nell Benjamin is a lyricist, writer, and composer noted for her work in musical theatre. She was nominated (alongside husband and frequent collaborator Laurence O'Keefe) for a Tony Award for Best Original Score for Legally Blonde in 2007, and again for her lyrics for Mean Girls in 2018.
Early life and education
Benjamin grew up in New York City and attended Harvard University, where she met future husband Laurence O'Keefe. She earned a master's degree in women's studies from the University of Dublin. After graduating in 1993, she moved to Hollywood and, with O'Keefe, spent about ten years working as a writer for television and film.
Theatre career
After returning to New York City, Benjamin and O'Keefe collaborated on a number of original musicals which ran Off-Broadway, including The Mice (2000), an adaptation of Sarah, Plain and Tall (2002), and Cam Jansen And The Curse Of The Emerald Elephant (2004), based on the Cam Jansen mystery series. The Mice was turned into a musical with three short parts, titled 3three, which was produced at the Prince Music Theater, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2000 and at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles in 2001.
Benjamin and O'Keefe's first Broadway production was Legally Blonde: The Musical, for which they created the music and lyrics. Legally Blonde premiered on Broadway in April 2007 to mixed reviews and closed in October 2008. Benjamin and O'Keefe were nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score.
Benjamin's first full-length play, The Explorers Club, premiered Off-Broadway in 2013. A farce about a woman trying to gain entry to an elite club of explorers in 19th century Britain, it won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play. Reviewers largely praised Benjamin's skills as a comedic writer.
She wrote the lyrics to Mean Girls, the stage adaptation of the 2004 film of the same name, with Jeff Richmond composing the music and Tina Fey writing the book. Mean Girls premiered on Broadway in April 2018. She was again nominated for the Tony Award for Best Original Score (alongside Richmond).
She wrote the lyrics to the musical Dave, based on the 1993 American political comedy film of the same name and co-wrote the book with Thomas Meehan. It was produced at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in July 2018.
She wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Because of Winn Dixie, which is based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo. The music is composed by Duncan Sheik. The musical runs at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, in July 2019 to September 2019 after being produced in December 2013 at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
Personal life
Benjamin married Laurence O'Keefe in 2001. The couple have a daughter, Persephone. They live in Manhattan.