Editing Michael Stewart (playwright)

{{short description|American dramatist (1924–1987)}}

{{Other people||Michael Stewart (disambiguation){{!}}Michael Stewart}}
{{Infobox writer
| name          = Michael Stewart
| birth_name    = Myron Rubin
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1924|8|1}}
| birth_place   = New York City, U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1987|9|20|1924|8|1}}
| death_place   = New York City, U.S.
| occupation    = [[Playwright]], [[Libretto|librettist]]
| education     = [[Queens College|City University of New York, Queens]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])}}<br>[[Yale University]] {{small|([[Master of Fine Arts|MFA]])}}
| period        = 1955–1985
| genre         = [[Musical theatre]]
| notableworks  = {{Unbulleted list
| ''[[Bye Bye Birdie]]'' (1960)
| ''[[Carnival!]]'' (1961)
| ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' (1964)
| ''[[George M!]]'' (1968)
| ''[[Mack and Mabel]]'' (1974)
| ''[[Barnum (musical)|Barnum]]'' (1980)
| ''[[42nd Street (musical)|42nd Street]]'' (1980)}}
| relatives     = [[Francine Pascal]] (sister)<br />[[John Pascal]] (brother-in-law)
| awards        = {{Unbulleted list
| '''[[Tony Award for Best Musical]]'''
| 1961  ''[[Bye Bye Birdie]]''
| 1964 ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]''
| '''[[Tony Award for Best Author]]'''
| 1964 ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]''}}
}}	
'''Michael Stewart''' (August 1, 1924&nbsp;– September 20, 1987) was an American playwright and dramatist, librettist, lyricist, screenwriter and novelist.

==Life and career==
Born Myron<ref>Mitchell Loebel, 1st cousin</ref> Stuart Rubin in Manhattan, Stewart attended [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College]], and graduated from the [[Yale School of Drama]] with a [[Master of Fine Arts]] in 1953.<ref name=times>Gerard, Jeremy. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE5DE163AF932A1575AC0A961948260 "Michael Stewart Is Dead 63; Author of Broadway Musicals"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 21, 1987, Section B, p.16</ref><ref>His name should be shown as "Myron Rubin"&nbsp;— edited by Mitchell Loebel, first cousin.</ref>

His early work was writing sketches for the revues ''The Shoestring Revue'' (1955),<ref>[http://broadwayworld.com/shows/backstage.php?showid=8218 ''The Shoestring Revue'']. BroadWayWorld.com, accessed January 3, 2011</ref> ''The Littlest Revue'' (1956),<ref>[http://broadwayworld.com/shows/backstage.php?showid=329064 ''The Littlest Revue'']. BroadWayWorld.com, accessed January 3, 2011</ref> and ''Shoestring '57'' (1956, Barbizon-Plaza, New York).<ref>Funke, Lewis. "Theatre: 'Shoestring '57': New Revue Arrives at the Barbizon-Plaza", ''The New York Times'', November 6, 1956, p.31</ref> He then joined the staff writers of [[Sid Caesar]]'s television program, ''[[Caesar's Hour]]''.<ref name=times />

He met [[Charles Strouse]] and [[Lee Adams]] in 1954, and several years after collaborated with them and [[Gower Champion]] on the 1960 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''Bye Bye Birdie''.<ref name=times /> He worked again with Champion and [[Jerry Herman]], with their musical ''Hello, Dolly!'' opening on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1964.<ref name=times />

Stewart died on September 20, 1987, in New York City. [[Jule Styne]] said of him: "He was an extremely talented and knowledgeable man of the theater. He was one of the great musical-theater writers, and his string of hits showed that."<ref name=times />  Stewart's sister was writer [[Francine Pascal]] and brother Burt Rubin.<ref name="times" /><ref>Burt Rubin, son of William and Kate Rubin and brother to Michael Stewart. "Michael Stewart Is Dead 63; Author of Broadway Musicals", ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 21, 1987, Section B, p.16</ref>

==Theatre credits==
*''[[Candide (operetta)|Candide]]'' (1959)&nbsp;— operetta (revisions for London production)
*''[[Bye Bye Birdie]]'' (1960)&nbsp;— [[Musical theatre|musical]]&nbsp;— [[Musical theatre#Book musicals|bookwriter]]&nbsp;— [[Tony Award for Best Musical]]
*''[[Carnival!]]'' (1961)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— bookwriter&nbsp;— [[Tony Award|Tony]] Nomination for Best Musical, Tony Nomination for [[Tony Award for Best Author|Best Author of a Musical]]
*''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' (1964)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— bookwriter&nbsp;— [[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical|Tony Award for Best Author of a Musical]]
*''Those That Play the Clowns'' (1966)&nbsp;— [[Play (theatre)|play]]&nbsp;— playwright
*''[[George M!]]'' (1968)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— co-bookwriter with sister [[Francine Pascal]] and her husband [[John Pascal]]
*''[[Mack and Mabel]]'' (1974)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— bookwriter&nbsp;— Tony Nomination for [[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical|Best Book of a Musical]]
*''[[I Love My Wife]]'' (1977)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— [[lyricist]] and bookwriter&nbsp;— Tony Nomination for [[Tony Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]], Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical
*''[[The Grand Tour (musical)|The Grand Tour]]'' (1979)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— co-bookwriter
*''[[Barnum (musical)|Barnum]]'' (1980)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— lyricist&nbsp;— Tony Nomination for Best Original Score
*''[[42nd Street (musical)|42nd Street]]'' (1980)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— co-bookwriter&nbsp;— Tony Co-Nomination for Best Book of a Musical
*''[[Bring Back Birdie]]'' (1981)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— bookwriter
*''[[Pieces of Eight (1985 musical)|Pieces of Eight]]'' (1985)&nbsp;— music&nbsp;— co-bookwriter, Citadel Theatre in [[Edmonton]], Canada and closed out of town.
*''Harrigan 'n Hart'' (1985)&nbsp;— musical&nbsp;— bookwriter&nbsp;— Tony Nomination for Best Book of a Musical<ref>Rich, Frank.[http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=940DEFDD1F39F932A35751C0A963948260 "Stage:'Harrigan 'n Hart' Opens at the Longacre"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 1, 1985</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/michael-stewart-7748 Internet Broadway Database]
* {{IMDb name|829661|Michael Stewart}}
* [http://www.nypl.org/archives/4684 Michael Stewart papers, 1948-1987], held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]]

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Michael Stewart
| list =
{{TonyAward Author}}
{{TonyAward MusicalBook 1950–1975}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Michael}}
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:American musical theatre librettists]]
[[Category:American musical theatre lyricists]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Broadway composers and lyricists]]
[[Category:David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:American male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]