Tom Jones (writer)
American lyricist and librettist of musical theatre

Tom Jones (writer)

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American lyricist and librettist of musical theatre
Gender:
Male
Birth:
17 February 1928(Littlefield, Texas, U.S.A.)
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Biography

Introduction

Tom Jones (born February 17, 1928 in Littlefield, Texas) is an American lyricist (and often librettist) of musical theater, and writer, director, and producer for television.

Career

His best-known work is The Fantasticks, which ran off-Broadway from 1960 until 2002, and the hit song from the same, "Try to Remember". Other songs from The Fantasticks include "Soon It's Gonna Rain", "Much More" and "I Can See It". He also wrote the screenplay for the 1995 feature film adaptation.

Jones acted in a New York City revival of The Fantasticks, which he also directed. He played the part of the Old Actor, which he played when the musical opened in 1960, from April 26, 2010, to June 6, 2010. He was credited as an actor in the show as Thomas Bruce. The show is still running at the Snapple Theater.

Jones is also the author of Making Musicals: An Informal Introduction to the World of Musical Theater, about which Elyse Sommer wrote on January 15, 1998 in CurtainUp:

Jones has been nominated for three Tony Awards with collaborator Harvey Schmidt, who met at the University of Texas at Austin: in 1964 as Best Composer and Lyricist for "110 in the Shade," and in 1967 as Best Composer and Lyricist and his lyrics as part of a Best Musical nomination for "I Do! I Do!"

Theater credits

  • Shoestring '57 (contributor) (1957)
  • Demi-Dozen (contributor) (1958)
  • The Fantasticks (1960) [1]
  • 110 in the Shade (book by N. Richard Nash, based on his play The Rainmaker) (1963)
  • I Do! I Do! (based on The Fourposter by Jan de Hartog) (1966)
  • Celebration (1969)
  • Colette (1970)
  • Philemon (1973)
  • Grover's Corners (based on Our Town) (1987)
  • Mirette (book by Elizabeth Diggs, based on the children's book Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully) (1996)
  • Roadside (book by Jones, based on the 1929 play of the same name by Lynn Riggs, with music by Harvey Schmidt) (2001 off-Broadway (York Theatre))
  • Harold and Maude (2004; music by Joseph Thalken, based on the film)
  • The Game of Love (music by Offenbach with arrangements and additional music by Nancy Ford, based on the Anatol plays by Arthur Schnitzler).