Bob Martin | |
|---|---|
 Martin in 2023 | |
| Born | Robert Martin December 8, 1962 London, England |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | Writer Actor |
| Known for | Writer and Actor, The Drowsy Chaperone Writer and Actor, Slings & Arrows |
| Website | http://bobmartincreative.com |
Robert Martin (born December 8, 1962) is a television and musical theatre actor and writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Martin began his career as an actor and director at The Second City in Toronto in 1996. He served as Second City Toronto's artistic director from 2003–2004. [1]
In 2005, he made his Broadway debut starring as “Man in Chair” in the musical The Drowsy Chaperone , which he co-wrote with Don McKellar (book), and Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison (music and lyrics). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical with Don McKellar. [2] He reprised his role in London's West End production of The Drowsy Chaperone, for which he received an Olivier nomination. Martin then kicked off the show's North American tour on its first stop in Toronto. [3] [4]
Martin wrote the book for the musical Minsky's , which premiered at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles in 2009. [5]
He returned to Broadway as co-bookwriter of Elf with Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and music by Matthew Sklar. Elf had two limited engagements for the holiday seasons of 2010 and 2012. [6]
Martin wrote the book for a musical adaptation of the 1973 film The Sting , with music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Greg Kotis, and direction by John Rando, who had previously collaborated on Urinetown . Additional music and lyrics were provided by the show's star Harry Connick, Jr. The Sting premiered at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. [7]
He collaborated with Beguelin and Sklar again for Half Time at Paper Mill Playhouse, which had premiered in Chicago in 2015 under the title Gotta Dance. [8]
Martin reunited once more with the team of Sklar, Beguelin, and director Casey Nicholaw on The Prom which has its world-premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in 2016. The Prom opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on November 11, 2018. [9] The Prom received seven Tony nominations including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical for Martin and Beguelin.
In 2020, Netflix released a film adaptation of The Prom , which was directed by Ryan Murphy and starred Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, and Keegan-Michael Key. [10]
Martin is currently writing the book for a musical adaptation of The Princess Bride with Rick Elice, a sequel to The Drowsy Chaperone, a musical adaptation of Night at the Museum with Shawn Levy, and an adaptation of Millions with a score by Adam Guettel. [11] [12]
Martin's latest projects include writing the books for two new musicals, Smash, based on the television series, and Boop! The Musical , a new musical about Betty Boop. [13]
Martin co-created the award-winning series Slings & Arrows (TMN/Sundance), a TV show about a Canadian theatre company struggling to survive while a crazy genius director haunted by his dead mentor helps the actors find authenticity in their acting. [14] Martin also served as a writer (alongside fellow writers and co-creators Susan Coyne and Mark McKinney) and a creative producer. [15] Martin played the role of Terry in two episodes.
His first foray into writing for television was for the CBC Television series The Industry (formerly titled Made in Canada), in which he also acted.
Martin was also a writer of and starred in the Canadian television sitcom Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays , which had its debut on CBC Television in fall 2011. [16] [17]
He provided the voice of Cuddles the comfort doll on the Canadian TV show Puppets Who Kill , aired on The Comedy Network.
Martin's improv background carried over to television with acting credits including Improv Heaven and Hell and The Second City Project . For the latter, Martin also served as writer and producer.
Martin was married to Canadian actress Janet van de Graaf.
| Year | Title | Credited as | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer | Actor | Role | Network/distributor | ||
| 1998–2001 | Improv Heaven and Hell | Yes | The Comedy Network | ||
| 1998–2003 | The Industry | Yes | Yes | Tyler Hume | CBC Television |
| 2002–2006 | Puppets Who Kill | Yes | Cuddles (voice, 34 episodes) | The Comedy Network | |
| 2003–2006 | Slings & Arrows | Yes | Yes | Terry | The Movie Network/Sundance Channel |
| 2011, 2017 | Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays | Yes | Yes | Dr. David Storper | CBC Television |
| 2014–2016 | Sensitive Skin | Yes | Yes | Sam | Movie Central/The Movie Network |
| 2015 | The Second City Project | Yes (also producer) | Yes | Fictional version of self | Global |
| 2020 | The Prom | Yes | Netflix | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Canadian Comedy Awards | Television - Writing - Episode or Special | Comedy Now! | Nominated |
| 2001 | Television - Pretty Funny Writing - Series | Twitch City | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Television - Pretty Funny Writing - Series | Made in Canada | Nominated | |
| Television - Pretty Funny Writing - Special or Episode (For episode "Alan's Ex") | Won | |||
| 2003 | Gemini Awards | Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Program or Series | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Best Writing in a Dramatic Series | Slings & Arrows | Nominated | |
| Writers Guild of Canada | Drama Series | Slings & Arrows(For episode "Madness in Great Ones") | Nominated | |
| Slings & Arrows(For episode "Geoffrey's Return") | Nominated | |||
| Slings & Arrows(For episode "Outrageous Fortune") | Won | |||
| 2005 | Canadian Comedy Awards | Television - Pretty Funny Writing - Series | Slings & Arrows | Won |
| 2006 | Gemini Awards | Best Writing in a Dramatic Series | Won | |
| Writers Guild of Canada | Drama Series (One Hour) | Slings & Arrows (For episode "Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair") | Nominated | |
| Slings & Arrows (For episode "Steeped in Blood") | Won | |||
| Tony Award | Best Book of a Musical | The Drowsy Chaperone | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Won | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| New York Drama Critics' Circle | Best Musical | Won | ||
| Theatre World Award | Theatre World Award | Won | ||
| 2007 | Gemini Awards | Best Writing in a Dramatic Series | Slings & Arrows(For episode "The Way Madness Lies") | Won |
| Writers Guild of Canada | Drama Series (One Hour) | Won | ||
| 2008 | Olivier Awards | Best New Musical | The Drowsy Chaperone | Nominated |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing - Television Program or Series | Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays | Nominated |
| Best Performance by a Male - Television | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Comedy Program or Series | Nominated | |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role | Nominated | |||
| Gemini Awards | Bell Media Award for Best Comedy Program or Series | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Tony Award | Best Book of a Musical | The Prom | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Nominated | ||
Martin's theatrical works are often directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. He often partners with the music and lyrics team of Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar, sometimes co-writing the book with Beguelin. Each of Martin's three musicals that have premiered on Broadway have included Beth Leavel in the cast. He has collaborated with Don McKellar, Mark McKinney, and Susan Coyne on Slings & Arrows and Michael: Every Day , and with McKellar on The Drowsy Chaperone .
Georgia Bright Engel was an American actress. She is best known for having played Georgette Franklin Baxter in the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1972 to 1977, Pat MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond from 2003 to 2005, and Mamie Sue on Hot in Cleveland from 2012 to 2015. She was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and a BAFTA award.
Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer.
Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.
The Drowsy Chaperone is a Canadian musical with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar.
Matthew Sklar is an American composer for musical theatre, television, and film. His works have appeared on Broadway, the West End, and theatres worldwide. Sklar has written primarily with lyricist Chad Beguelin, having written music for their Broadway shows The Prom, Elf the Musical, and The Wedding Singer. The Prom and The Wedding Singer earned him nominations for the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
Chad Beguelin is an American playwright and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book for The Prom. He also wrote the book for Disney's Aladdin, as well as additional lyrics for the score. He was nominated for Best Original Book and Best Original Score for Aladdin. He is also known for his collaborations with composer Matthew Sklar, having written the lyrics and co-written the book for the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer and the lyrics for the Broadway musical Elf the Musical. Beguelin was nominated for two Tony Awards for his work on The Wedding Singer, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics.
Beth Leavel is an American stage and screen actress and singer.
Lenny Wolpe is an American musical theatre actor who has appeared in Broadway musicals including Wicked and The Drowsy Chaperone.
Gregg Barnes is an American costume designer for stage and film. Barnes is a three-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical for his work on the Broadway productions of The Drowsy Chaperone (2006), Follies (2011), and Some Like It Hot (2022).
Greg Morrison is a Canadian composer and writer best known for his work on the Tony Award-winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone, written with songwriting partner, Lisa Lambert. The Drowsy Chaperone was their first collaboration. In 1999 Lambert asked Morrison to work on a musical to perform at the wedding stag party of their friends, Bob Martin and Janet Van De Graaff. Also a part of this original writing team was filmmaker, Don McKellar. That was the first incarnation of The Drowsy Chaperone. This was followed by an expanded production of the show at the Toronto Fringe festival, where Martin joined as a co-writer and performer.
Casey Nicholaw is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. He has been nominated for several Tony Awards for his work directing and choreographing The Drowsy Chaperone (2006), The Book of Mormon (2011), Aladdin (2014), Something Rotten! (2015), Mean Girls (2018), The Prom (2019), and Some Like It Hot (2023) and for choreographing Monty Python's Spamalot (2005), winning for his co-direction of The Book of Mormon with Trey Parker and his choreography of Some Like It Hot. He also was nominated for the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Direction and Choreography for The Drowsy Chaperone (2006) and Something Rotten! (2015) and for Outstanding Choreography for Spamalot (2005).
Minsky's is a musical by Bob Martin (book), Charles Strouse (music), and Susan Birkenhead (lyrics), and is loosely based on the 1968 movie The Night They Raided Minsky's.
Gotta Dance is a 2008 documentary film and Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award Finalist directed by Dori Berinstein. The film "chronicles the debut of the New Jersey Nets' first-ever senior hip-hop dance team, 12 women and 1 man - all dance team newbies, from auditions through to performance.”
Elf is a musical based on the motion picture of the same name, with a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. The book is adapted by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan from the 2003 film. The musical ran on Broadway in the Christmas seasons of 2010, 2012, and 2024, in the West End in 2015, 2022, and 2023, and has also toured extensively, often during the Christmas holiday season.
Aladdin is a stage musical based on Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name with a book by Chad Beguelin, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Beguelin. It resurrects three songs written by Menken and Ashman for the film but not used, and adds four songs written by Menken and Beguelin.
Rosalind Productions Inc. is an American production company focused on new and classic work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in film founded by President Abigail Rose Solomon in 2005. The company produces projects with female characters who drive the main storyline as well as women-authored and women-directed works. Former television executive Jennifer Kranz serves as a long-time team member of the company as Executive Vice President of Creative Development and Production.
The Prom is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel. The musical follows four Broadway actors lamenting their days of fame, as they travel to the conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to high school prom.
Ever After is a 2015 musical, with book and lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zina Goldrich, based on the 1998 film of the same name written by Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant, and Rick Parks, whose source material is the fairy tale Cinderella. The musical premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in May 2015.
The Prom is a 2020 American musical comedy film directed by Ryan Murphy from a screenplay by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, based on the 2018 Broadway musical of the same name by Martin, Beguelin, and Matthew Sklar. The film stars Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Keegan-Michael Key, Andrew Rannells, Ariana DeBose, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Chamberlin, Mary Kay Place, and Kerry Washington, and introduces Jo Ellen Pellman in her film debut as Emma Nolan. Logan Riley Hassel, Sofia Deler, Nico Greetham, and Nathaniel J. Potvin also appear in supporting roles.
Hercules is a musical based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1997 film of the same name, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and David Zippel, and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, Robert Horn and Kwame Kwei-Armah. The production is also loosely based on the legendary hero of the same name, the son of Zeus, in Greek mythology.
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