Billy Aronson
Billy Aronson is an American playwright and writer best known for coming up with the original concept of the rock opera Rent, which was based on Puccini's opera La bohème).[1]
Early life
He attended Lower Merion High School and Princeton University.
Rent and other plays
In 1988, as a playwright he wanted to create "a musical based on Puccini's La Bohème, in which the luscious splendor of Puccini's world would be replaced with the coarseness and noise of modern New York."[2] Although in 1989 he began a collaboration with Jonathan Larson, he provided additional lyrics for Rent, and wrote almost all of the number, "Santa Fe".
In addition to Rent, he has written many one act plays such as Of Two Minds, Guilt, Night Rules, and In the Middle of the Night. The last mentioned was performed as part of the Ensemble Studio Theatre's 2011 Marathon.[3][4]
Other plays by Aronson include Light Years and The News.[5][6]
He also helped create musicals such as No Dogs Allowed, and Flurry Tale with Rusty Magee. He has written for many popular children shows, such as Postcards from Buster, Code Name: Kids Next Door, The Upside Down Show, and Courage the Cowardly Dog.
Personal life
Aronson currently lives in New York with his wife Lisa (whom he married in 1990),[7] and children Anna and Jake.
References
- ↑ Jones, Kenneth (2011) "Rent, With Andy Mientus, Fabio Monteiro, Halle Morse, Begins at Pioneer Theatre June 10", Playbill.com, June 10, 2011, retrieved 2011-06-17
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Barth, Diana (2011) "Theater Review: Ensemble Studio Theatre Marathon: 2011", Epoch Times, May 26, 2011, retrieved 2011-06-17
- ↑ Rooney, David (2011) "From Elegiac Appalachian Hollers to New Terrain", New York Times, May 30, 2011, retrieved 2011-06-17
- ↑ Weber, Bruce (2001) "THEATER REVIEW; Four Years in Three Acts: College Becomes a Collage", New York Times, October 22, 2001, retrieved 2011-06-17
- ↑ Blankenship, Mark (2007) "Ensemble Studio Theater Marathon 2007: Series A", Variety, June 4, 2007, retrieved 2011-06-17
- ↑ "Lisa Vogel Wed To Billy Aronson", New York Times, April 29, 1990, retrieved 2011-06-17
