Ed Dixon
Encyclopedia
Ed Dixon is an American character actor, playwright and composer, who has appeared in numerous Broadway
shows, including No, No, Nanette
, King of Schnorrers, The Three Musketeers
, Les Misérables
, Cyrano
, The Scarlet Pimpernel
, The Iceman Cometh
, The Best Man, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
, Sunday in the Park with George
and "Mary Poppins
". In 1987 he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award
for his performance in the musical Shylock
, for which he wrote the book, music, and lyrics.
Dixon is the author/composer of Fanny Hill
, which debuted in New York at The York Theatre after being launched at Goodspeed Musicals
. Fanny Hill was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards and one Drama-Logue Award
. Dixon also wrote the musical Richard Cory
with noted playwright A. R. Gurney
. The musical won the Festival Prize and the Audience Award when it debuted at the New York Musical Theatre Festival
.His latest work, Whodunnit... The Musical , based on a Mary Roberts Reinhardt mystery has gained critical acclaim in regional venues throughout the United States.
Dixon was also a soloist in the Kennedy Center's premiere production of Leonard Bernstein
's Mass
and is on the recording conducted by the composer.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
shows, including No, No, Nanette
No, No, Nanette
No, No, Nanette is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play My Lady Friends...
, King of Schnorrers, The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
, Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, Cyrano
Cyrano (musical)
Cyrano is a musical with a book and lyrics by Anthony Burgess and music by Michael J. Lewis.Based on Edmond Rostand's classic 1897 play of the same name, it focuses on a love triangle involving the large-nosed poetic Cyrano de Bergerac, his beautiful cousin Roxana, and his classically handsome but...
, The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution...
, The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1940 the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on 9 October 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling where it ran for 136 performances to close on 15 March 1947.-Characters:* Night Hawk-...
, The Best Man, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (musical)
Dr Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! is a seasonal musical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book How The Grinch Stole Christmas.-Minneapolis:...
, Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
and "Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...
". In 1987 he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for his performance in the musical Shylock
Shylock (musical)
Shylock is a musical based on Shakespeare's A Merchant of Venice, adapted and composed by Ed Dixon debuted at the York Theatre in 1987 with Dixon in the title role. The performance garnered him a Drama Desk nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. The cast included Lisa Vroman, Charles Pistone,...
, for which he wrote the book, music, and lyrics.
Dixon is the author/composer of Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is an erotic novel by John Cleland first published in England in 1748...
, which debuted in New York at The York Theatre after being launched at Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Musicals, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, was formed in 1959 to restore the Goodspeed Opera House, located in East Haddam, Connecticut, to its original Victorian appearance. Each year, Goodspeed...
. Fanny Hill was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards and one Drama-Logue Award
Drama-Logue Award
The Drama-Logue Award was a theater award established in 1977, given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a weekly west-coast theater trade publication. Winners were selected by the publication's theater critics, and would receive a certificate at an annual awards ceremony...
. Dixon also wrote the musical Richard Cory
Richard Cory
"Richard Cory" is a song written by Paul Simon in early 1965, and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence. The song was based on Edwin Arlington Robinson's 1897 poem of the same title.- Plot :...
with noted playwright A. R. Gurney
A. R. Gurney
A. R. Gurney is an American playwright and novelist. He is known for works including Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour, and The Dining Room. Gurney currently lives in both New York and Connecticut....
. The musical won the Festival Prize and the Audience Award when it debuted at the New York Musical Theatre Festival
New York Musical Theatre Festival
The New York Musical Theatre Festival is an annual three-week fall Festival which presents more than thirty new musicals at venues in New York City's midtown theater district...
.His latest work, Whodunnit... The Musical , based on a Mary Roberts Reinhardt mystery has gained critical acclaim in regional venues throughout the United States.
Dixon was also a soloist in the Kennedy Center's premiere production of Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
's Mass
Mass (theatre)
MASS is a musical theatre work composed by Leonard Bernstein with text by Bernstein and additional text and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy, it premiered on September 8, 1971, conducted by Maurice Peress. The performance was part of the opening of the John F...
and is on the recording conducted by the composer.