Frank Wildhorn's works span the worlds of popular, theatrical and classical music.
In 1999, Frank became the first American composer in twenty-two years to have
three shows running simultaneously on Broadway: Jekyll & Hyde (written
with Leslie Bricusse), which received two Tony nominations; The Scarlet
Pimpernel (written with Nan Knighton), which received four Tony nominations;
and The Civil War (written with Jack Murphy & Gregory Boyd), which
received two Tony nominations. These shows continue to be seen in productions
around the country and throughout the world. Frank also wrote additional songs for
Broadway's Victor/Victoria (written with Leslie Bricusse) and was
recently represented on Broadway by Dracula: The Musical (written with
Don Black & Christopher Hampton). He was also a Producer and Co-Creator for
Harlem Song, the first open-ended theatrical run at the famed Apollo
Theater in Harlem, NY.
Jekyll & Hyde holds the distinction of being the first new American
musical to have two internationally released concept recordings of the score:
Highlights from Jekyll & Hyde and Jekyll & Hyde: The
Complete Work. Songs from the show such as "Someone Like You," "A New Life,"
and "This Is The Moment" have been performed worldwide and have been featured at the
Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the WNBA Championship, Miss America
Pageants, the 1996 Democratic National Convention, and the Inauguration of President
Clinton (sung by Jennifer Holliday). The Broadway cast recording was released in
July of 1997 and received a Grammy nomination that year. The Broadway production of
Jekyll & Hyde was the longest running show in the history of the
Plymouth Theater. The show has seen three major tours and hundreds of regional
productions in the United States and Canada. Over 35 international productions have
also been seen in such countries as Germany, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Japan, Sweden,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Australia. There have
now been ten international recordings of Jekyll & Hyde in six
different languages.
The Scarlet Pimpernel played at both the Minskoff Theatre and the
Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway. The show has been seen on two tours of the United
States and Canada, and in such countries as Finland, Mexico, the United Kingdom,
Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Malta. The
show's score has yielded its own Top 40 Adult Contemporary Hit with the song "You
Are My Home," a duet recorded by Peabo Bryson & Linda Eder. The Broadway cast
recording was released in February of 1998, and a new album entitled Encore!
was released in November 1999. A German-language recording was released in 2003.
Frank has produced two star-studded concept albums of The Civil War:
The Nashville Sessions and The Complete Work (a two-disc album). These
feature such artists as Hootie & The Blowfish, Blues Traveler,
Trisha Yearwood, Travis Tritt, Dr. John, and Betty Buckley, among others.
Following its Broadway production, the show was seen on a two-year national tour
that featured John Schneider, Larry Gatlin, and BeBe Winans.
This year's theatrical openings include:
Never Say Goodbye (written with Shuichiro Koike) performed by
Takarazuka Revue in Takarazuka, Japan beginning 24 March and Tokyo, Japan
beginning 26 May;
Rudolf - The Last Kiss (written with Jack Murphy & Nan
Knighton) opening in Budapest, Hungary on 26 May 2006 and in Vienna, Austria in
Fall 2007;
For The Glory: The Civil War Musical at Gettysburg (a new
adaptation of The Civil War in collaboration with Jack Murphy and
Gregory Boyd), 17 June at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, PA, USA;
Cyrano de Bergerac (written with Leslie Bricusse) opening in
London in October 2006;
and Jekyll & Hyde: In Concert everywhere!
Other projects include:
Camille Claudel (written with Nan Knighton) which played at
Goodspeed Opera's Norma Terris Theatre in 2003 and yielded the song "Gold,"
heard at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake
City, UT;
Waiting For The Moon (written with Jack Murphy), based on the
lives of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, which had its world premiere in July
2005 and will be presented at the North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh, NC, USA in
July 2007;
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (written with Gregory Boyd & Jack
Murphy);
Mitsuko (written with Shuichiro Koike);
Excalibur (written with Jim Steinman & Gregory Boyd);
a modern adaptation of Carmen (written with Jack Murphy and
Norman Allen);
a rock-n-roll adaptation of Alice In Wonderland;
and Bonnie & Clyde (written with Don Black).
Frank, who wrote all the music and served as Music Director for Opening
Ceremonies for the Goodwill Games in 1998, was recently commissioned
to write the new official theme song for New York City.
Frank has written original material for Linda Eder's concerts at the Gershwin
Theatre on Broadway, her two Carnegie Hall solo concerts, and her recent holiday
concert at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. He also Co-Produced and wrote original
material for Eder's albums: Linda Eder, And So Much More, It's Time, It's No
Secret Anymore, Christmas Stays The Same, Gold, Broadway My Way, and
Storybook. Frank has also produced Linda Eder's Christmas concert special
for Bravo TV, as well as Broadway's Best On Bravo, for which he also
served as Creative Director. Artists who have recorded and performed Frank's music
include Whitney Houston (with the international number one hit "Where Do Broken
Hearts Go?"), Natalie Cole, Kenny Rogers, Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minnelli, Julie
Andrews, Freddie Jackson, Deana Carter, Tracy Lawrence, John Berry, Trace Adkins,
Patti LaBelle, Bryan White, Amy Grant, Ben Vereen, Regina Belle, The Moody Blues,
Jeffrey Osborne, Stacy Lattisaw, Dennis DeYoung, Molly Hatchet, Brenda Russell, John
Raitt, Anthony Warlow, Stanley Turrentine, Johnny Mathis, and Colm Wilkinson, to
name a few.
Frank is an Associate Artist in Musical Theatre with an endowed chair at the
Alley Theatre in Houston, TX, where he launched Jekyll & Hyde,
Svengali, and The Civil War. He also wrote music for
Arthur Kopit's play The Road to Nirvana and scored the play
Cyrano de Bergerac. His current venture, with associate Jeremy
Roberts, is GlobalVision
Records, whose first releases will be Jekyll & Hyde:
Resurrection and Dracula, The Musical - The Concept
Recording.