Title: Composer
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Howard Marren, Composer, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Artists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in music.
Mr. Marren is a talented composer who has written for television, as well as the stage, over the past 45 years. Originally an actor and singer, he transitioned into composing in 1974 by working on several songs and then the complete score for the musical revue Games, which was produced in New York and Toronto. Shortly thereafter, he was accepted into the Lehman Engle’s BMI Music Theatre Workshop where he met Susan Birkenhead with whom he wrote the Off Broadway musical Love.
It is for this show that Mr. Marren won the 1983-84 Outer Critics’ Circle Award for his score. Based on Murray Schisgal’s play, Luv and later retitled What About Luv?, it was produced in London at the Orange Tree Theatre and, subsequently, the Lyric Hammersmith. Further productions took place in South Africa, Germany, Canada, Japan and throughout the United States. What About Luv? was recorded in London by That’s Entertainment Records with Judy Kaye recreating the role she originated Off Broadway, starring with Nathan Lane and Steve Vinovich, and in the revival at the York Theatre Company, starring with Austin Pendleton and David Green.
He has also won the Richard Rodgers Production Award and Seagram’s New Music Theatre Award for Portrait of Jennie (book and lyrics by Enid Futterman, based upon the novel by Robert Nathan), which was given its initial staged reading at the O’Neill Theater Center in New London, Connecticut. It was subsequently produced at the New Federal Theatre, The Berkshire Theatre Festival, and twice in Tokyo, where it won Best Musical.
Howard Marren is currently working on several projects: Valentino, a new original musical based on the life of Rudolph Valentino, with book and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen; Love in Our Language, with book and lyrics by Judy Goetz Sanger, which was given a staged reading at the York Theatre; and Night Without a Moon, about the aftermath of the Civil War, with book and lyrics by Bruce J. Robinson. His most recently produced work, Paramour, the musical version of Jean Anouilh’s The Waltz of the Toreadors, was written with Joe Masteroff (book and lyrics), directed by Joseph Hardy, and produced at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego starring Len Cariou, after a staged reading at the O’Neill.
Mr. Marren’s musical version of Fannie Hurst’s novel Imitation of Life (book and lyrics by Joe Masteroff) was given its world premiere performances at the Norma Terris Theatre of Goodspeed Opera House. Beyond the Sea is his musical version of Little Lord Fauntleroy (book and lyrics by Bruce J. Robinson), and he has written two original musicals with Nan Knighton: Open House and Snapshots, which was given a staged reading by the Manhattan Theater Club.
Honored by the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his contribution to Sesame Street, Mr. Marren was nominated for an individual Emmy for his work on the show. Prior to writing for Sesame Street, he was a regular contributor to Captain Kangaroo for ten years. Mr. Marren holds both B.A. and M.A. degrees in Theatre History from Tufts University and is listed in Who’s Who in Entertainment. He has recently completed serving a three-year term as a member of the Tony Award Nominating Committee and was on the Awards Committee of the Dramatists Guild before moving to Fort Lauderdale.
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