John McDaniel (musician)
Encyclopedia
John William McDaniel is an American
theatre producer, composer
, conductor
, and pianist
. He is known as the lead composer and producer of the 1996 television talk show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
, for which he received six Daytime Emmy Award
nominations, winning two.
McDaniel is also known for his collaborations with Patti LuPone
, most notably her 1995 concert Patti LuPone: Live!, which debuted on Broadway
after a Los Angeles
engagement. He won a Grammy Award
for producing the cast album of Annie Get Your Gun
(1999), as well as a Tony Award
for producing the Broadway production of the latter.
. He first studied piano with his mother Jane, and graduated from Kirkwood High School
(St. Louis), then earned a BFA
degree in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University
.
production of Chicago: The Musical
in 1992, for which he earned a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
. In 1993, McDaniel conducted the orchestra
for a concert presentation of Stephen Sondheim
's Company
. The event, which reunited the entire original Broadway cast, took place on April 11, 1993, at Lincoln Center Theatre's Vivian Beaumont Theatre
. Prior to this, the production ran at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach
, California
, in January 1993.
He was offered the job of musical director and conductor for the successful revival of Grease: The Musical
, which opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
on March 11, 1994. This revival concluded its three-year run on January 25, 1998. With Patti LuPone
, he co-created the concert Patti LuPone: Live!, which ran in Los Angeles
in April/May 1993, and played on Broadway as Patti LuPone on Broadway from October to November 1995.
In 1996, McDaniel became producer and composer on Rosie O'Donnell
's talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
. The series ran until May 22, 2002, garnering McDaniel two Daytime Emmy Awards out of six nominations. On the 1996 television series The Nanny
, the talk show was featured in the episode "The Rosie Show." McDaniel appears in scenes of the The Rosie O'Donnell Show used in the episode.
On March 4, 1999, a revival of Irving Berlin
's Annie Get Your Gun
opened at the Marquis Theatre
, with McDaniel as vocal arranger and supervising musical director (as well as a producer), which ran until September 2001.
. Subsequent Broadway credits include Taboo
in 2003 and Brooklyn
in 2004. McDaniel later served as musical director for the Frank Wildhorn
, Don Black and Ivan Menchell musical adaptation of Bonnie & Clyde, in a Roundabout Theatre Company
reading in February 2009.
for a "much-raved-about gig at Feinstein's at Loews Regency
" in January 2010; he subsequently worked with Daly and Jerry Mitchell
on a workshop of the dance show, Stardust
. In November 2010, McDaniel worked with Brooke Shields
on her American Songbook Project live auction item, An Evening with Brooke Shields and John McDaniel, which consisted of "a private cabaret performance that will take place in an apartment overlooking Lincoln Center for up to 30 friends of the highest bidder."
McDaniel currently serves as the musical director and conductor of the on-stage orchestra for the 2011 Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can
, which is composed by Marc Shaiman
with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman
. The musical opened at the Neil Simon Theatre
on April 10, 2011.
McDaniel is also composing the work-in-progress musical It's a Wonderful Life. This is an adaptation of the 1946 film of the same name
, which deals with George Bailey
, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve
brings about the intervention of his guardian angel
, Clarence Odbody
. Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and the contributions he has made to his community. Said McDaniel in an interview:
Nominations
with his three dogs: Beauregard, Joanne, and Hillary.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theatre producer, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. He is known as the lead composer and producer of the 1996 television talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
, for which he received six Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
nominations, winning two.
McDaniel is also known for his collaborations with Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
, most notably her 1995 concert Patti LuPone: Live!, which debuted on Broadway
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...
after a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
engagement. He won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for producing the cast album of Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
(1999), as well as a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for producing the Broadway production of the latter.
Biography
McDaniel was born John William McDaniel on February 26, 1961 in St. Louis, MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He first studied piano with his mother Jane, and graduated from Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood High School
Kirkwood High School is a secondary school in Kirkwood, Missouri. It is located at 801 W Essex Ave, Kirkwood, MO. The school is part of the Kirkwood R-7 School District. The current principal is Dr. Mike Havener who replaced Dr...
(St. Louis), then earned a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
.
1990s
McDaniel conducted a Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
production of Chicago: The Musical
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
in 1992, for which he earned a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
. In 1993, McDaniel conducted the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
for a concert presentation of Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's Company
Company (musical)
Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
. The event, which reunited the entire original Broadway cast, took place on April 11, 1993, at Lincoln Center Theatre's Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a theatre located in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The structure was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, and Jo Mielziner was responsible for the design of the stage and interior.The Vivian...
. Prior to this, the production ran at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in January 1993.
He was offered the job of musical director and conductor for the successful revival of Grease: The Musical
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, which opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
Eugene O'Neill Theatre
The Eugene O'Neill Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 230 West 49th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it was built for the Shuberts as part of a theatre-hotel complex named for 19th century tragedian Edwin Forrest...
on March 11, 1994. This revival concluded its three-year run on January 25, 1998. With Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
, he co-created the concert Patti LuPone: Live!, which ran in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in April/May 1993, and played on Broadway as Patti LuPone on Broadway from October to November 1995.
In 1996, McDaniel became producer and composer on Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
's talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
. The series ran until May 22, 2002, garnering McDaniel two Daytime Emmy Awards out of six nominations. On the 1996 television series The Nanny
The Nanny (TV series)
The Nanny is an American television sitcom co-produced by Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc., and Fran Drescher in association with TriStar Television for the CBS network...
, the talk show was featured in the episode "The Rosie Show." McDaniel appears in scenes of the The Rosie O'Donnell Show used in the episode.
On March 4, 1999, a revival of Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
's Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
opened at the Marquis Theatre
Marquis Theatre
The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...
, with McDaniel as vocal arranger and supervising musical director (as well as a producer), which ran until September 2001.
2000s
In 2000, McDaniel received a Board of Director's Award from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & ClubsManhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs
The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs was founded in 1983, primarily as an organization for cabaret owners, managers, and booking agents to meet and exchange ideas. The organization started accepting performers in 1985....
. Subsequent Broadway credits include Taboo
Taboo (musical)
Taboo is a stage musical with a book by Mark Davies , lyrics by Boy George, and music by George and Kevan Frost....
in 2003 and Brooklyn
Brooklyn (musical)
Brooklyn the Musical is a musical with a book, lyrics, and music by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson.-Synopsis:Using the play within a play structure, Brooklyn focuses on a group of five ragtag homeless musicians known as the City Weeds...
in 2004. McDaniel later served as musical director for the Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn is an American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs. He is most known for his musical Jekyll & Hyde, which ran four years on Broadway, and for writing the #1 International Hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" for Whitney Houston.-Early years:Wildhorn was born in...
, Don Black and Ivan Menchell musical adaptation of Bonnie & Clyde, in a Roundabout Theatre Company
Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in New York City.-History:The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist and Elizabeth Owens and now operates five theatres, all in Manhattan: the American Airlines Theatre ; Studio 54 ; the Stephen Sondheim Theatre The...
reading in February 2009.
2010s
McDaniel collaborated with Tyne DalyTyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
for a "much-raved-about gig at Feinstein's at Loews Regency
Loews Hotels
-About Loews HotelsHotels:Loews Hotels currently owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the United States and Canada:-United States locations:*Loews Annapolis Hotel - Annapolis, Maryland*Loews Atlanta Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia...
" in January 2010; he subsequently worked with Daly and Jerry Mitchell
Jerry Mitchell
Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer.-Early life and education:Born in Paw Paw, Michigan, Mitchell later moved to St. Louis where he pursued his acting, dancing and directing career in theatre. He graduated from the Fine Arts college at Webster University in St. Louis. ...
on a workshop of the dance show, Stardust
Stardust
Stardust may refer to:* A type of cosmic dust composed of particles in space-Music:* Stardust * "Stardust" , by Galneryus* "Stardust" , by Hoagy Carmichael* "Stardust" , by David Essex* Stardust...
. In November 2010, McDaniel worked with Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
on her American Songbook Project live auction item, An Evening with Brooke Shields and John McDaniel, which consisted of "a private cabaret performance that will take place in an apartment overlooking Lincoln Center for up to 30 friends of the highest bidder."
McDaniel currently serves as the musical director and conductor of the on-stage orchestra for the 2011 Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me if You Can (musical)
Catch Me If You Can is a musical with a libretto by Terrence McNally and a theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It follows the story of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr...
, which is composed by Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman is an American composer, lyricist, arranger, and performer for films, television, and theatre. He is perhaps best known for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for the Broadway musical version of the cult John Waters film Hairspray, for which Shaiman won Tony and Grammy...
with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Scott Wittman
Scott Wittman is an American director, lyricist, and writer for Broadway, concerts, and television.Wittman was raised in Nanuet, New York graduated high Nanuet Senior High School in 1972 and attended Emerson College in Boston for two years before leaving to pursue a career in musical theatre in...
. The musical opened at the Neil Simon Theatre
Neil Simon Theatre
The Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway venue built in 1927 and located at 250 West 52nd Street in midtown-Manhattan....
on April 10, 2011.
McDaniel is also composing the work-in-progress musical It's a Wonderful Life. This is an adaptation of the 1946 film of the same name
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
, which deals with George Bailey
George Bailey (fictional character)
George Bailey is a fictional character and the main protagonist in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. He is played by James Stewart. He is loosely based on George Pratt, a character in Philip Van Doren Stern's The Greatest Gift....
, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
brings about the intervention of his guardian angel
Guardian angel
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
, Clarence Odbody
Clarence Odbody
Clarence Odbody is a fictional character in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. He is portrayed by Henry Travers.-In the story:...
. Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and the contributions he has made to his community. Said McDaniel in an interview:
Solo albums
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
Cast albums
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
Annie Get Your Gun (musical) Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production... |
|
Taboo (musical) Taboo is a stage musical with a book by Mark Davies , lyrics by Boy George, and music by George and Kevan Frost.... |
|
Happy Days (Musical) Happy Days is a musical with a book by Garry Marshall and music and lyrics by Paul Williams, based on the ABC TV series of the same name. Given the show's 1959 setting, it would have taken place around Season 4 of the TV show... |
|
Compilation albums
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
Awards and nominations
Wins- 1992 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Best Musical Direction, Chicago
- 1999 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Musical, Annie Get Your Gun
- 1999 Grammy Award, Best Musical Show Album, Annie Get Your Gun
- 2001 Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
- 2002 Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Talk Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Nominations
- 1998 Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
- 2001 Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
- 2002 Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition, The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Personal life
McDaniel, who is openly gay, currently resides in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his three dogs: Beauregard, Joanne, and Hillary.
External links
- Official wesbite, www.johnmcdaniel.com
- John McDaniel at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- John McDaniel at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...