Jeff Blumenkrantz (born June 3, 1965) is an American actor, composer and lyricist.
Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, Blumenkrantz is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Communication.[1] His stage credits include roles in the Broadway productions Into the Woods (1987), The Threepenny Opera (1989), Damn Yankees (1994), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995), A Class Act (2001), and Bright Star (2016), and Off Broadway in Murder for Two,[2] the City Center Encores productions of Anyone Can Whistle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, and The Golden Apple, and the New York Philharmonic productions of Candide (as Maximillian) and Sweeney Todd (as The Beadle), both filmed for PBS. He has also appeared in such television shows as Succession (TV series), Pose (TV series), Mr. Robot, The Blacklist (TV series), Fosse/Verdon, The Detour, Will & Grace, 30 Rock, The Good Wife, Ugly Betty, Just Shoot Me!, and Law & Order, and the films The Big Sick and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In 2000, noted Broadway actress and recording artist Audra McDonald included Blumenkrantz's song "I Won't Mind" on her CD, How Glory Goes. This lullaby (with lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines) has become a staple of McDonald's repertoire. Blumenkrantz also contributed a piece to The Seven Deadly Sins, a song cycle commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the singer. His comic song, "My Book," addressed the sin of sloth.
In 2003, Blumenkrantz was nominated for a Best Original Score Tony Award for his work on Urban Cowboy, a nomination he shared with Jason Robert Brown and others. He wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Scaffolding as part of the 2018 Inner Voices series. Scaffolding was directed by Victoria Clark and starred Rebecca Luker. His song "Ovid" was featured in the Prospect Theatre Company's production of Notes from Now at 59E59 Theaters.
In 2005–2006, he created and hosted The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast, a weekly podcast featuring the songs from his songbook, occasional additional episodes of which were released until at least February 2010. This project was succeeded in 2008 by the BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast, which Blumenkrantz hosted, showcasing the eponymous songbook, which features the work of members of the BMI Songwriters' Workshop.
Blumenkrantz is the recipient of the 2011 Fred Ebb Award for excellence in musical theatre songwriting.[3]
Theatre credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Zebulun/Baker | |
| 1987 | South Pacific | Professor | New York City Opera |
| 1987-89 | Into the Woods | u/s Jack, The Steward, Rapunzel’s Prince | Broadway |
| Jack | Broadway Replacement | ||
| 1989 | My Fair Lady | Freddy Eynsford-Hill | Benedum Center |
| Grease | Eugene Florczyk | ||
| Threepenny Opera | Filch | Broadway | |
| 1990 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Hero | |
| 1992 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Simeon | North America Tour (Also played the role in the film) |
| 1994-95 | Damn Yankees | Smokey | Broadway |
| 1995-96 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Bud Frump | Broadway |
| 1997 | Into the Woods | The Steward | 10th Anniversary Concert |
| 2001 | A Class Act | Charley/Marvin Hamlisch | Broadway |
| 2004 | Candide | Maximilian | Concert |
| 2010 | Anyone Can Whistle | Treasurer Cooley | Encores! |
| 2013-14 | Murder for Two | All Suspects | |
| 2014 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Beadle Bamford | Concert |
| 2015-18 | Bright Star | Daryl Ames | Kennedy Center, Broadway & US Tour |
| 2019 | The Underpants | Klinglehoff | |
| 2022 | The Drowsy Chaperone | Underling | |
| 2023 | Hercules | Panic | Paper Mill Playhouse |
References
edit- ^ Interview with Broadway’s Jeff Blumenkrantz | Contemporary Musical Theatre
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (25 August 2013). "In the Musical 'Murder for Two,' One Man Is Many Suspects". The New York Times.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Jeff Blumenkrantz Wins 2011 Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theatre Songwriting", Playbill, October 28, 2001; accessed July 9, 2014.
