Robert Lopez

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For the Spanish-American War and World War I military figure (died 1936) who was the first Hispanic-American to graduate from the U. S. Naval Academy, see Robert F. Lopez.
Robert Lopez (right) and Jeff Marx (left) receiving their Tony Award
Robert Lopez (right) and Jeff Marx (left) receiving their Tony Award

Robert Lopez (born February 23, 1975) is an American composer and lyricist of musicals best known for co-writing the Broadway musical Avenue Q, for which he won a Tony Award.

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[edit] Early life and career

A native of the picturesque Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, renowned for generations as the residence of avant-garde artists, Robert Lopez became interested in songwriting from an early age (he wrote his first song at 7.)[1] He attended Hunter College High School and received a B.A. in English from Yale University, where he was a member of the Yale Spizzwinks(?).

In 1998, while participating in the prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, he met another aspiring songwriter, Jeff Marx. Their first project together, Kermit, Prince of Denmark, a Muppet parody of Hamlet, won the Kleban Award for lyrics, though The Jim Henson Company rejected the script, saying it didn't have enough "kid appeal."[1]

In 1999, Lopez and Marx, who collaborate on both music and lyrics, began work on Avenue Q, a stage musical which, using puppet-like characters, similar to those on Sesame Street, dealt with adult themes and ideas. The show, for which Lopez also provided the animated segments, was his first professional experience[2]. After playing Off-Broadway, it transferred in July 2003 to Broadway's John Golden Theatre, where it proved both a critical and popular success, winning the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical, and earning Lopez and Marx's a 2004 Tony Award for their musical score. As of 2007, the musical's Grammy Award-nominated Original Cast Album has sold over 150,000 copies.

In early 2006, Robert Lopez collaborated with his brother, Billy, on several episodes of the Nickelodeon series Wonder Pets. In January 2007, a musical adaptation of the Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo, which Lopez co-wrote with his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.

Since 2007, Lopez has been working on a new musical project with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park[2], a series which, in 2003, Lopez had mentioned as a partial inspiration for Avenue Q.[1]

Lopez and Marx wrote four songs for a musical episode of the NBC sitcom Scrubs which aired on January 18, 2007. Lopez, along with Jeff Marx, was recognized with an Emmy nomination for the song "Everything Comes Down to Poo" from the above mentioned episode.[3] Stephanie D'Abruzzo, who originated the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q made a cameo appearance in the episode.

[edit] Personal life

During his participation in the 1998 Lehman Engel Workshop, Robert Lopez met and began dating lyricist Kristen Anderson. As described in a 2003 New York Times profile, the pair, struggling in a cash-strapped post-college period that recalls the storyline of Avenue Q's Princeton and Kate Monster, "live[d] in Astoria, Queens, [drove] a 1989 Buick and survive[d] on fast food".[4] The couple married in 2003 and live in Manhattan with their daughter Katie (born 2005).

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Mandell, Jonathan. "THEATER: Puppets Not Suitable For Children", The New York Times, 2003-03-16. Retrieved on 2008-03-24. 
  2. ^ a b Maupin, Elizabeth. "Swimming with big fish", Orlando Sentinel, 2006-11-26. Retrieved on 2007-03-22. 
  3. ^ Stage Stars Nab 2007 Emmy Nominations, Broadway.com Buzz
  4. ^ Lee, Linda. "A Night Out With Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; When Puppets Go to Town", The New York Times, 2003-08-03. Retrieved on 2008-03-24. 

[edit] External links