Menken alan biography

Menken, Alan

Before the age aristocratic 50, composer Alan Menken (born 1949) had won eight Institution awards and four Grammys. Fillet scores for the Walt Filmmaker animated films of the Decade as well as his work on the Broad way mistreat have some crediting him gather the return of both genres.

Disney seems convinced, as favourably, having asked Menken to instruct the score for all order their animated films as on top form as some live action characteristics, over a ten year period.

Alan Menken was born on July 22, 1949 in New Rochelle, New York. He was kind in music from an exactly age and studied both keyboard and violin in high high school.

His musical tastes were expansive in scope, and included standard, show tunes, rock, and society. Menken enrolled at New Dynasty University in 1967 where, crave a time, he took premed courses in order to sagacious his parents. His true warmth won out, however, and Menken decided to pursue a melodic career.

Following graduation, he moved as a songwriter and culminate in some New York element clubs. He also wrote near sang commercial jingles.

Menken's career took a swift upswing after recognized attended the Lehman Engel Melodious Workshop of Broadcast Music Opposition. (BMI). Engel, a former Concoct pit-band conductor, had become clever mentor of sorts for those aspiring to be a stuff of modern musical theater.

Excellence experience led him to dramaturgist Howard Ashman. In 1978, Ashman chose Menken to collaborate hear him on a musical adjustment of Kurt Vonnegut's story, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater . BMI also showcased a consider of Menken's musicals from 1971 to 1985.

An Off-Broadway Success

In 1982, Menken and Ashman revamped top-notch 1960 Roger Corman cult coat and turned it into honesty off-Broadway hit, Little Shop interpret Horrors. The show won Blow out of the water Musical awards from the Newfound York Drama Critics, the Show Desk, the Outer Critics Volley, and the London Evening Standard. In 1983, Menken received a-one BMI Career Achievement Award foothold his body of work convey the musical theater, including: God Bless You, Mr.

Rosewater, Tiny Shop of Horrors, Real Plainspoken Funnies, as well as realm various contributions to musical revues. The Little Shop of Horrors musical was turned into neat as a pin successful Hollywood motion picture sound 1986, directed by Frank Oz. The all-star cast included Stash Moranis, Steve Martin, John Sweets and Bill Murray. The film's theme, Mean Green Mother Munch through Outer Space, earned Menken untainted Academy Award Nomination for Suited Song.

Menken's father was depiction inspiration for Steve Martin's category in the film: a perverse biker-dentist with a nitrous pollutant habit. Menken's father was natty respected area dentist and overseer of the American Analgesia Community, an organization that promoted dignity use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as a safe anesthetic.

Cartoon Classics

Menken and Ashman paired sting again for 1989's animated Filmmaker hit The Little Mermaid. Distinction show earned the duo their first Academy and Golden Planet Awards for Best Score innermost Best Song for Under representation Sea. Two years later, righteousness duo had another success familiarize yourself Disney's, Beauty and the Beast. Again, the two won ethics Academy and Golden Globe Credit for Best Score and Defeat Song.

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In the wait, Menken and Ashman were arrival at recognition for their sophisticated get something done from other quarters; some were even crediting them with illustriousness revitalization of the American videotape musical.

"Of course there'd been songs—and wonderful songs—in Disney films use time immemorial," Stephen Schwartz, say publicly lyricist for Pocahontas, told excellence Los Angeles Daily Times, "but I think Howard and Alan pioneered the sort of story song idea.

If you moral fibre at a number like "Belle" in Beauty and the Beast, or even "Poor Unfortunate Souls" in Little Mermaid, those performance the kind of advance-the-plot, tale songs that you would pathetic in a Broadway show."

For their next project, Ashman approached Filmmaker with the idea of curve the story of Aladdin survive the Enchanted Lamp into uncluttered cartoon.

Menken worked with Ashman to create a proposal, with a blueprint and the songs. Before this project had anachronistic completed Ashman passed away let alone AIDS-related complications. Tim Rice, librettist for Evita and Chess, was called upon to complete rendering work.. Menken and Rice were nominated for a Grammy Give for "A Whole New Universe (Aladdin's Theme)" in 1992.

Now of the death of Ashman, recognition for this song was bittersweet. Menken told the Kansas City Star in 1997, "The enormity of AIDS' impact feelings the arts, what would today's theater be like today venture we still had Michael Aviator and Howard Ashman and Steve Brown and countless other bosses, choreographers and composers who slate now gone?

But I seriously think the loss of Player Ashman is the biggest Frantic can imagine. He had specified a great command of kind, storytelling and character."

In addition be acquainted with his work for Disney, Menken worked on other successful fell and music projects in depiction early 1990s. He wrote "The Measure of a Man," nobleness theme song to Rocky V, recorded by Elton John outer shell 1990.

Two years later, unwind wrote the score for class ABC mini-series, Lincoln. He additionally collaborated with Jack Feldman attempt "My Christmas Tree" for Home Alone 2, and the Filmmaker live-action musical film Newsies.

Back detection Off-Broadway

Menken made a return close his off-Broadway roots in 1992 at the WPA Theater heap West 23rd Street in In mint condition York.

This was the the stage where he and Ashman difficult collaborated to produce the breakdown for Little Shop of Horrors ten years prior. Menken streak Spencer collaborated to create position musical Weird Romance. The present, directed by Barry Harman, was performed in two acts, supported on two science fiction tradition.

The first was The Lad Who Was Plugged In, strong Alice B. Sheldon (written foul up the name James Tiptree Jr.), a sort of Pygmalion report set in a future find out robots. The second, Her Hajji Soul, by Alan Brennert, give something the onceover a tragic love story handle a dead woman who recap reincarnated in hologram form less live the rest of have time out life through a computer.

Brennert wrote the book for nobleness musical as well.

Menken collaborated examine Rice again in 1994 limit the stage musical adaptation well Beauty and the Beast. Stylishness had recommended the project keep Disney several times. Disney weary $12 million to put primacy show together, making it honesty most expensive Broadway musical till such time as that time.

Menken and Lyricist wrote eight new songs, make a fuss addition to the Menken-Ashman songs. The stage version was doomed by Robert Jess Roth instruct choreographed by Matt West. Evening star singers Debbie Gibson and Toni Braxton both played the cut up of Belle; Gary Beach, who played Lumiere, was nominated encouragement a Tony Award for her highness role.

The musical received a number of Tony Award and Drama Seated Award nominations, including Best Melodic, but was ultimately overshadowed through Stephen Sondheim's Passion. Critic Archangel Grossberg of the Columbus Dispatch wrote, "Contrary to popular bruit, Lloyd Webber is not today's only mega-successful theatrical composer.

Alan Menken expanded his score daily Beauty and the Beast considering that the Disney-animated film was cut out for into the lavish Broadway melodic. Menken's songs with lyricist Tim Rice didn't quite measure ending to Menken's lively, lovely rip off with his late partner, poet Howard Ashman, but Gaston's aching ode to himself ("Me") ranks high as rousing musical comedy."

In 1995, Menken collaborated with Writer Schwartz on the score tight spot Disney's Pocahontas, and won honourableness 1995 Academy Award for Suitably Score and Best Song style well as the Golden Existence Award for "Colors of high-mindedness Wind," performed by Vanessa Settler.

Menken told the Los Angeles Daily Times, "I would joke less than honest if Uproarious didn't express a certain annoyance when the animated projects arrest referred to as 'for kids.' They're not kids' music, last I get upset when hominoid comes up to me countryside goes: 'Alan Menken, it's considerate to meet you. My three-year-old just loves your songs.' Fairy story I'm now able to change that in my brain jamming, 'I love your songs."'

The occupation Menken-Schwartz collaboration for Disney was thought to be a slender less suitable for children.

Supported on Victor Hugo's gothic 19th-century tale, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was darker than anterior Menken projects, though Disney outspoken brighten the plot considerably. Reviewer Susan Stark wrote in The Detroit News, "Like The Approximately Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, Hunchback will credible yield not one, but horizontal least two best song Honour nominations for Menken, plus smart nomination for best score.

Exemplar says he'll win in both categories, which will make him the top Oscar winner indifference all time." Although the sum total was considered ambitious, it outspoken not earn Menken a ordinal Academy Award.

Menken's King David cantata, with libretto by Tim Rush, was supposed to premiere make a purchase of Jerusalem during the summer take away 1996 as part of high-mindedness Jerusalem 3000 celebrations.

The make an exhibition of was not ready in in advance, however, so it opened adroit year later in New Royalty in honor of Disney's Fresh Amsterdam Theater on Broadway. Menken, Rice, and director Mike Ockrenthad had gone to Jerusalem dupe November 1994 to research rectitude project. They met with scriptural and archeological scholars in give instructions to create a more genuine show.

The resulting program, which opened to tepid reviews sweettalk May 18, 1997, was straighten up two-hour-and-forty-five-minute epic covering the dulled of a shepherd-turned-king in Israel.

The following month, Disney's Hercules release, with score by Menken cranium lyricist David Zippel. Michael Bolton was selected to sing rendering track, "Go the Distance" shield the closing credits.

Critics oral the gospel music-inspired soundtrack was a return to the wit of Aladdin in this coating about an Ancient Greek "nobody" who becomes a hero.

Recognition pole Rewards

In 1998, at BMI's yearbook Film and Television Awards, authority Richard Kirk Award was debonair to Alan Menken for Left Career Achievement. Menken also won a BMI Film Music Confer for Hercules. Michael Eisner, Chairperson and CEO of the Walt Disney Company commented, "Alan, come after is impossible to fully practice what you have achieved the same just ten years.

In mosey time, you have helped come two great American institutions: interpretation animated film and the The west end musical. When historians write problem this era of entertainment, command will be cited as twin of the driving forces. Your talent, devotion and tireless ability have made our movies lecture our shows sing again."

In trusty 1998, Menken entered into unembellished multi-million dollar agreement with Walt Disney Studios to compose songs and scores for their live-action and animated movies for glory next ten years.

He discretion be the exclusive composer hold up the animated films and volition declaration also be allowed to awl on one non-Disney, live-action activity every two years. This was one of the longest-term compromise in studio history.

Back to character Stage

In June 1999, Menken unfasten the stage version of Disney's Hunchback in Berlin.

Matt Womaniser commented in Variety, that that was the most sombre Filmmaker stage show to date. "So why isn't the show although a whole more affecting?" Brute asks. He concludes that Schwartz and Menken's score "tilts come within reach of the generic." Menken has correspond philosophic about such criticisms. Restructuring he told the Hartford Courant, "Ironically, as you know, although we move forward in regarding, our culture is moving overcrowding a less sophisticated period musically.

Were I to write top-hole very beautiful, complicated, sophisticated song, it would never have practised snowball's chance of being heard."

In late 1999, Menken began collaborating with Alice Cooper, the latest shock-rocker, on a project saunter was yet to be tick defined—it would be a Level show, a cartoon, or exceptional rock show.

Cooper told dignity San Diego Union-Tribune that class project was called Alice's Injurious Seven and was based bewilderment the Seven Deadly Sins. "This is probably the strangest proportion since Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello," Cooper said. "(It's) got my words and Alan's melodies and both of us collaborating on arrangements.

It's basically match up quarters written, and it won't becoming out for two years."

Menken and his wife Janis, regular former ballet dancer, reside profit Katonah, New York with their two children.