Shows where the writers/composers were in the cast...

...are very rare nowadays. But I do remember that Gerome Ragni and James Rado were cast members and lyricists/writers of Hair. Betty Comden & Adolph Green were in the cast of and the lyricists of On the Town. Any others?

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I would love to see Marc and Scott as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, respectively, in Hairspray!

Akiva

Updated On: 2/16/06 at 03:15 PM

Tennessee Williams did a few performances of one of his plays. I can't remember which one, but it had a bunch of people sitting at a bar.

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William Finn played Marvin in the first production of IN TROUSERS.

...and speaking of Michael Rupert, he wrote the music for, and starred in, Mail on Broadway in 1988.

For that matter, he also wrote the music for Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down off-Broadway in 1985, and I saw him sub for a missing performer (Scott Bakula, maybe) one evening. How poetic that Durang later subbed for him...

Peter Allen in LEGS DIAMOND

Mort Shuman wrote the English lyrics (with Eric Blau) and appeared in the original production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well…

The authors of BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR.



Allison MacKenzie
Peyton Place, New Hampshire

Oh and how could I forget Noel Coward? Many of his best plays were written as vehicles for himself and often Gertrude Lawrence (Design For Living, Private Lives, Tonight at 8:30, Present Laughter, Nude with Violin). He also directed himself in most of those plays.

Also, currently the writer-composers of [Title of Show] -- Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell -- are starring in their show off-Broadway at the Vineyard.

And I totally agree with Jerby. 9 times out of ten, it's a bad idea for the writer to star or direct his own work when it is still in development. It can end up undermining the creative process if the writer is too preoccupied with his other demands. There are, of course those rare exceptions that have been named in this thread, who are somehow capable of wearing multiple hats all at once.

[Edit -- WOSQ beat me mentioning Coward]

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Updated On: 2/16/06 at 04:30 PM

I believe he did write Chaplin. He's another rare one who wrote book, music and lyrics, directed and starred in his own shows.

George M Cohan was another.

And Joe Brooks (except for the acting part)

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Updated On: 2/16/06 at 04:39 PM

Claude-Mitchell Shonberg appeared as Couferrac in Les Miz French concept recording

Well, Stephen Sondheim is on the original cast recording of Gypsy... :P

"You're not getting 88 cents from me, Rose!"

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Well, Stephen Sondheim is on the original cast recording of Gypsy... :P

"You're not getting 88 cents from me, Rose!"

Seriously? There's a piece of trivia that I never knew.

Incidentally, I heard that for a time, Thorton Wilder played the Stage Manager in Our Town.

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Updated On: 2/16/06 at 05:13 PM