Jason Robert Brown
Brown in 2022
Background information
Born	(1970-06-20)June 20, 1970 (age 55) Ossining,New York, United States
Genres	Musical theatre
Occupation(s)	Composer,lyricist,playwright
Years active	1985–present
Website	jasonrobertbrown.com

Jason Robert Brown (born June 20, 1970) is an Americanmusical theatrecomposer,lyricist, andplaywright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics.^[1] He is the recipient of threeTony Awards for his work onParade andThe Bridges of Madison County.

Brown grew up in the suburbs ofNew York City, and attended theEastman School of Music inRochester,New York for 2 years, rooming with fellow student, and vocalist, Christopher Mooney.^[2] During summer, he attendedFrench Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in Hancock, New York. He saidSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street andSunday in the Park with George were two of his biggest influences, and had it not been for them, he would have joined a rock band and tried to beBilly Joel.^[3]

He began his career in New York City as an arranger, conductor, and pianist, working on shows such asWilliam Finn'sA New Brain, and playing at several nightclubs and piano bars in the city.Songs for a New World marked the first major New York production of Brown's songs. An off-Broadway revue with a limited run, the show was directed by Daisy Prince, daughter of director/producerHal Prince, and featured the 25-year-old Brown's pop-rock-influenced music.^[4] The song "Stars and the Moon" has since become a cabaret standard, and is probably Brown's best-known composition to date.^[5]

Brown was subsequently hired to write songs for the Broadway musicalParade, based on the trial and lynching ofLeo Frank, after meetingHal Prince.Parade, directed by Prince and with a book byAlfred Uhry, won Brown the 1999Tony Award for Best Original Score.^[6] During this production,Livent, one of the producers ofParade, pulled out after reviews were not as positive as they'd hoped.RCA Victor, the other major producer, decided it would pull out as well. Brown said of the event in 1999, "Livent dropped out shortly after the reviews came out. They announced they would not spend another dime on the show. RCA had an agreement to record all of Livent's shows. But when Livent pulled out of 'Parade,' the RCA higher-ups said they were pulling out, too. I had to go to Billy Rosenfield and ask him: 'What if we pay for this record and you just distribute it?' Billy said, 'Sure.'" Brown had to try to scrounge money from every corner, "In the end, RCA put in $25,000, Lincoln Center put in a big chunk, around $200,000, including the producer Scott Rudin's $25,000, and there was a contribution from theGilman and Gonzalez-Falla foundation, which has helped support a lot of musical theatre composers over the years, of $40,000. Even Roy Furman, the new guy at Livent, gave us a little money. Somehow, we pulled it together." Livent also was struggling at the time because the company had mishandled funds while applying for bankruptcy protection.^[7]

Brown went back to working with Daisy Prince for his third major showThe Last Five Years, for which he wrote the book as well as songs. Inspired by his own failed first marriage, the show is a two-person musical that tells the history of a relationship from two different perspectives. The male's narrative begins at the beginning of the story and progresses through marriage, infidelity, and divorce, while the female narrative begins at the end of the relationship and ends with the couple's first date; the two actors' only direct interaction takes place midpoint, during the wedding sequence.^[8] The original Chicago cast consisted ofNorbert Leo Butz andLauren Kennedy, withSherie Rene Scott over the New York run.The Last Five Years received mixed critical reviews and was not a commercial success, lasting only two months off-Broadway, although Brown garnered 2Drama Desk Awards for music and lyrics. Additionally, due to the cast recording featuring Scott and Butz, the show has gained popularity among contemporary musical theatre aficionados and is an oft-performed piece in regional and community theatres.^[9][10]A film version of the show, featuringAnna Kendrick andJeremy Jordan, was released in February 2015.^[11]

Brown contributed several songs to the Broadway flopUrban Cowboy. He had worked as an orchestrator with director Phillip Oesterman on the Off-Broadway musicalNew York Rock, and Oesterman called on him to help him out withUrban Cowboy.Urban Cowboy had been denied the use of theClint Black catalog, and Brown came in and wrote a few songs (with help from directorLonny Price, who replaced Oesterman after he died).^[12] The show was nominated, with 30 other composers, for the 2003Tony Award for Best Musical Score, losing out toHairspray.^[6][13]

In June 2005, Brown released a solo album, entitledWearing Someone Else's Clothes.^[14]

In December 2005, hisChanukah Suite received its world premiere with two performances by theLos Angeles Master Chorale at theWalt Disney Concert Hall.^[15]

He also teaches courses in musical theatre performance and composition at theUniversity of Southern California. Brown is an active performer of his own work, singing and playing the piano with or without his band, the Caucasian Rhythm Kings (Gary Sieger, guitar, and Randy Landau, bass).^[10]

Brown's tween-oriented musical13 premiered at theMark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, CA on January 7, 2007. It opened on Broadway October 5, 2008, at theBernard B. Jacobs Theatre, and closed on January 4, 2009.^[2][6] The film adaptation, retitled13: The Musical, was released in August 2022.^[16]

HisBridges of Madison County, a musical adaption ofRobert James Waller's1992 novel with abook byMarsha Norman^[17] premiered at theWilliamstown Theatre Festival on August 1, 2013. Directed byBartlett Sher, the cast featuredElena Shaddow as Francesca andSteven Pasquale.^[18] The musical opened on Broadway on February 27, 2014, at theGerald Schoenfeld Theatre, starringKelli O'Hara as Francesca.^[19] The show closed on May 18, 2014, but Brown went on to win Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations.

Brown wrote the music for the 2022 musical,Mr. Saturday Night with lyrics byAmanda Green and a book byBilly Crystal,Lowell Ganz &Babaloo Mandel. Brown was nominated for best score at the2022 Tony Awards.

According to Brown,Bree Lowdermilk used to be an assistant to him.^[20] In 2010, Brown publicized his personal efforts to discourage the unauthorized online sharing of his copyrightedsheet music via an e-mail conversation with a teenager named Eleanor.^[20]

As of 2020, Brown was working on a musical adaptation ofFarewell My Concubine. He is also working ona musical adaptation ofMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Brown has many trademarks in his composing style, which is often rhythmically dynamic and harmonically unconventional, calling for a wide vocal range. His lyric writing often includes internal rhymes, and his music is composed of melodic phrases which do not adhere to a predictable 4-measure length. He favors songs written inAABA' form, with some exceptions to this form in his showParade. Perhaps most characteristic are his love duets; all five ("I'd Give it All for You" fromSongs for a New World, "All the Wasted Time" fromParade, "The Next Ten Minutes" fromThe Last Five Years, "Tell Her" from13, and "One Second And A Million Miles" fromThe Bridges of Madison County) are written in a very distinct format: male-female-both, compound time in the duet section (two usinghemiola), and four of the five end with the couple singing the same pitch.^[25]

In 2005, Brown was cited byMark Shenton as one of the leading new theatrical composers (a list that includesMichael John LaChiusa,Adam Guettel,Andrew Lippa, andJeanine Tesori, among others).^[26]

Brown was born inOssining,New York. He is Jewish.^[27] He was previously married to Theresa O'Neill, and their failed marriage inspired his musicalThe Last Five Years.^[28] Since 2003, Brown has been married to fellow composerGeorgia Stitt.^[29] Together, they have two daughters.^[30]

• Songs for a New World – RanOff-Broadway at the WPA Theatre, October 11 – November 5, 1995. Also conducted, played piano, and sang one line in the last song.^[31] The show was revived atNew York City Center for four nights in June 2018.^[32]
• Parade – Ran on Broadway at theVivian Beaumont Theater atLincoln Center from December 17, 1998 to February 28, 1999. Brown won theTony Award for Best Score, and aDrama Desk Award for Best Music. He also plays piano on the cast recording. In 2023, theNew York City Center production transferred to Broadway, running at theBernard B. Jacobs Theatre, and later won theTony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
• The Last Five Years – Premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001. Ran Off-Broadway at the Minetta Theatre from March 3, 2002 to May 5, 2002, starringNorbert Leo Butz andSherie Rene Scott, and directed by Daisy Prince. Brown won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics, and was nominated for Outstanding Orchestrations. He also wrote the book, conducted, and played piano. The show had an Off-Broadway Revival in 2013 atSecond Stage Theatre, starringAdam Kantor andBetsy Wolfe, and directed by Brown.^[33] In 2014, afilm-adaptation was released, starringAnna Kendrick andJeremy Jordan. A Broadway production was announced to open in 2025, starringNick Jonas andAdrienne Warren, directed by Whitney White.^[34]
• Urban Cowboy – Ran onBroadway from March 27, 2003 to May 18, 2003. Tony-Nominated for Best Original Score. Brown contributed five songs to the score of the musical. Also orchestrated, arranged, music directed, conducted, played keyboards, and sang.
• 13 – Premiered January 7, 2007, at theMark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California and subsequently opened on Broadway at theBernard B. Jacobs Theatre, running from October 5, 2008 to January 4, 2009 after 22 previews and 105 regular performances.^[35] Afilm adaptation was released onNetflix in 2022.
• The Bridges of Madison County – Stage adaptation of the novel, with a book by Marsha Norman. The musical played an out-of-town tryout at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in August 2013. It opened on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on January 17, 2014 (in previews) and officially on February 20, 2014. The production closed on May 18, 2014 after 137 performances due to low ticket sales. He won two 2014Tony Awards, one for Best Original Score and one for Best Orchestrations.^[36]
• Honeymoon in Vegas – Stage adaptation of thefilm of the same name, with the book written by Andrew Bergman. The show was originally scheduled to premiere in Toronto in November 2012, but the run was canceled. Instead, the show had its out-of-town tryout at thePaper Mill Playhouse starringTony Danza andRob McClure with performances from September 26, 2013 to October 17th, 2013. The Broadway production, also starring Danza and McClure, opened at theNederlander Theatre on January 15, 2015, before closing on April 5, 2015, due to insufficient ticket sales.
• Mr. Saturday Night – Stage adaptation of the1992 film of the same name starringBilly Crystal who also starred in the musical version. Brown wrote the score and collaborated on the lyrics withAmanda Green. It premiered at theNederlander Theatre on March 29, 2022. The show concluded its Broadway run on September 4, 2022^[37][38]
• The Connector – RanOff-Broadway atMCC Theater from January 12, 2024 to March 17, 2024, this new musical tells the story of two journalists in the late 1990s, "pitting ambition against values in the race for the ultimate scoop." The musical was conceived and directed by Daisy Prince with a book byJonathan Marc Sherman.^[39] The Off Broadway production starsScott Bakula and features Brown conducting and playing the piano.
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – Stage adaptation of the non-fictionnovel of the same name byJohn Berendt. World premiere production premiered at Chicago'sGoodman Theatre, from June 25, 2024 and closed on August 11th, 2024. The show features music and lyrics by Brown, book byTaylor Mac, and direction byRob Ashford.^[40]

• Wearing Someone Else's Clothes – 2005 – Brown's solo debut album, composed entirely of tracks which were previously unreleased, some of which were cut songs from shows or written for shows which were never finished, and some of which were written as stand-alone songs for the album. The album features his vocals and compositions on every song, and his arrangements and musicianship on almost every track.
• How We React and How We Recover – A second solo album, recorded from May–December 2017, features songs developed at his monthly Subculture concert residency in New York. The album was released June 29, 2018 bySh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records.
• Coming From Inside The House (A Virtual SubCulture Concert) – A third solo album, featuring vocals byShoshana Bean,Ariana Grande, and Brown'swife and daughters. It was recorded on April 27, 2020 for the one-night video streaming event to benefit the SubCulture staff and musicians from the Jason Robert Brown Artist-in-Residence concerts, during theCOVID-19 pandemic. It was released worldwide on December 18, 2020 byCraft Recordings.^[41]

• Chanukah Suite – 2005 – an 8-minute chorale fanfare in three parts, featuring traditional Hebrew songs infused with up-temporock and roll rhythms andLeonard Bernstein inspired chordal flavors.
• "Jason's Song (Gave It Away)" – When Brown was in L.A. for a couple of weeks,Ariana Grande asked him to write a song for a new album. Since they worked together before (in the original Broadway cast of13), Brown agreed to help. Months later, their track was released on Grande's extended edition ofDangerous Woman.
• The Waverly Gallery – Off-Broadway run from March 22, 2000 to May 21, 2000 at the Promenade Theatre. Play byKenneth Lonergan, with music by Brown.^[42]
• John and Jen – Orchestrations^[5]
• A New Brain – Vocal arrangements/additional musician^[5]
• Wonder Pets!– Composer
• New York Rock – Orchestrations^[5]
• The Trumpet of the Swan, 2011 – Composer and conductor for stage adaptation byMarsha Norman Commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Original cast recordings were made forSongs for a New World,Parade,The Last Five Years,13,The Bridges of Madison County, andHoneymoon in Vegas. "Stars and the Moon" has been recorded many times, including onAudra McDonald'sWay Back to Paradise andBetty Buckley'sStars and the Moon: Live at the Donmar.^[5]

ActressLauren Kennedy, who originated the role of Cathy in the Chicago production ofThe Last Five Years, releasedSongs of Jason Robert Brown, featuring Brown's compositions from his previous shows, as well as several previously unreleased songs.^[43]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJason Robert Brown.

• Official website
• Jason Robert Brown at theInternet Broadway Database
• Jason Robert Brown at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived) (archive)
• Jason Robert Brown atPlaybill Vault
• Production: Urban Cowboy –Working in the Theatre Seminar video atAmerican Theatre Wing.org, April 2003
• Parade to Make West End Premiere in 2007
• BroadwayWorld.com interview with Jason Robert Brown, August 16, 2007

• 1970 births
• Living people
• American musical theatre composers
• American male musical theatre composers
• American musical theatre lyricists
• Broadway composers and lyricists
• Broadway music directors
• Drama Desk Award winners
• Eastman School of Music alumni
• People from Ossining, New York
• Pupils of Samuel Adler (composer)
• Songwriters from New York (state)
• Tony Award winners
• University of Southern California faculty
• American male pianists
• 21st-century American pianists
• 21st-century American male musicians
• American male songwriters

• Webarchive template wayback links
• All articles with dead YouTube links
• Articles with dead YouTube links from February 2022
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• Playbill person ID same as Wikidata