David Zippel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Joel Zippel (born May 17, 1954 in Easton, Pennsylvania) is a Tony Award-winning American Musical theatre lyricist.
Zippel is a 1976 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and attended Harvard Law School but, according to his official biography, "he is delighted not to practice law."
His theatrical credits include:
- Going Hollywood (1981), an unproduced adaptation of Once in a Lifetime by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart; book by Zippel and Joe Leonardo, music by Jonathan Sheffer.
- City of Angels (1989), an original musical with book by Larry Gelbart and music by Cy Coleman. Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Actor (James Naughton Best Featured Actress (Randy Graff), and Best Set Design (Robin Wagner).
- The Goodbye Girl (1993), a musical based on Neil Simon's 1977 screenplay, with music by Marvin Hamlisch.
- Princesses (2003), loosely inspired by A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Zippel conceived and directed; book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, music by Matthew Wilder.
- The Woman in White (2004), an adaptation of the novel by Wilkie Collins, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, book by Charlotte Jones. The music and lyrics received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score. The show was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best Musical.
Zippel also wrote the lyrics for the Disney films Hercules, with music by Alan Menken (the song "Go the Distance" received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song) and Mulan, with music by Matthew Wilder); the music and lyrics received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Musical Score. He was in his agent Richard Kraft's Film Finding Kraftland.
Current unproduced projects include Buzz! (with Menken and Gelbart), The Private Lives of Napoleon and Josephine (with Coleman and Gelbart) and Pamela's First Musical (with Coleman and Wendy Wasserstein, based on Wasserstein's children's book).
