David Nehls (born 28 April 1964) is an American actor, singer, composer and lyricist who, with Betsy Kelso, wrote The Great American Trailer Park Musical . Among other appearances he originated the role of Riff Raff in the 1996-2000 European tour of The Rocky Horror Show . [1] [2] Today he works as a Musical Director for various theatres across the United States.
Born as David Ronald Nehls and a native of Uniontown in Pennsylvania, he is the son of Ronald Nehls (1937-2008), a former Fayette County commissioner, and Darlene (née Duall), who worked at the Uniontown Hospital. In 1982 Nehls graduated from Laurel Highlands High School; he had studied piano for ten years before being accepted into the Shenandoah Conservatory, an arts college near Washington, D.C., where in 1987 he wrote his first musical, Starting Another Day. [3]
Following this Nehls began an acting career which included playing in American National Tours as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors ; Lord Jasper Tring in Me and My Girl ; Sonny the Gangster in City of Angels , and Eddie Cantor in Ziegfeld: A Night at the Follies (1991). He originated the role of Don Wand in a Rock'n'Roll version of Beauty and the Beast. In regional theatre Nehls appeared as Cosmé McMoon in Souvenir ; Tom Sawyer in Big River ; Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar ; George M. Cohan in George M! ; and The Top Banana in Little Rhody's Big Burlesque opposite Gennifer Flowers. [4]
From 1996 to 2000 Nehls played Riff Raff in the European tour of The Rocky Horror Show [1] [2] and appeared on the soundtrack CD which was released by Lava Records/Polymedia International Music Service and which had been recorded in January 1996 at the Livingstone Studios in London. [5]
Among others, Nehls wrote the music and lyrics for Starting Another Day (1987), which premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1987; The Great American Trailer Park Musical (New York Musical Theatre Festival (2004), Off-Broadway Production (2005), National Tour (2007), the Edinburgh Festival (2008) and various regional productions across the U.S.), written with Betsy Kelso during their European tour of The Rocky Horror Show ; Broadway Bares; The Watercoolers (Off-Broadway Production (2002) and a 2007 National Tour); Breach (Evolution Theatre Company, 2011); [6] It's A Wonderful Life (National Tour (1993) and regional productions); Killer Wigs from Outer Space (animation project - GenCon Selection (2013), Terror Film Festival, Philadelphia (2013), New York Musical Theatre Festival (2017); [7] The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical (Stages Repertory Theatre 2016); Down on the Pharm; and Mommie Dearest (2017) in collaboration with Christina Crawford, produced by Out of the Box Theatrics in New York City. [8] [9] [10] He composed the score for the short Rogue Eagle Creek (2010). [11]
With Sheryl McCallum Nehls co-wrote Miss Rhythm – The Legend of Ruth Brown which is playing at the Garner Galleria Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts from May to October 2023. [12] Written during the COVID lockdown, and inspired by a chance meeting Nehls had with Brown on the streets of New York in his youth, [12] the "intimate cabaret experience" explores the life of R&B performer Ruth Brown through song and story. [13] McCallum plays Brown, who the script allows to "...interact with the audience and demonstrate her skills as a dynamic storyteller. Each tale is interwoven with a thoughtfully curated song, allowing her to delve even further into the character." [14]
As a Musical Director Nehls has overseen 50 productions at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities in Colorado [15] [16] and winning 9 Henry Awards - four for Musical Direction (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014) and five for Best Musical Production of the year (2007, 2008, 2009, [17] 2011, 2013). He has also worked regionally as Musical Director at theatres including the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, Florida; the Fox Theatre in Denver, Colorado; American Musical Theatre of San Jose, California; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; TheatreWorks in Hartford, Connecticut and Carousel Dinner Theatre in Akron, Ohio. [9]
Nehls was Vice President of the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation (2014–16), working to restore the 125 year old Elitch Theatre in Denver, CO. He also served as Co-Chairman of the Elitch Theatre New Works Festival (2015–16). [18] [19] He is a member of BMI and is represented by Creative Artists Agency. [4]
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 independent musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also a member of the cast. The film is based on the 1973 musical stage production The Rocky Horror Show, with music, book, and lyrics by O'Brien. The production is a tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s. Along with O'Brien, the film stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick and is narrated by Charles Gray, with cast members from the original Royal Court Theatre, Roxy Theatre, and Belasco Theatre productions, including Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn.
The Rocky Horror Show is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, unveiling his new creation, Rocky, a sort of Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man complete "with blond hair and a tan".
In American theater, summer stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock theaters frequently take advantage of seasonal weather by having their productions outdoors, under tents set up temporarily for their use, or in barns.
Richard Timothy Smith, known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, which has remained in continuous production. He also co-wrote the screenplay along with director Jim Sharman for the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and appeared on-screen as Riff Raff. The film became an international success and has received a large cult following. O'Brien co-wrote the musical Shock Treatment (1981) and appeared in the film as Dr. Cosmo McKinley.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a two-act musical, written by David Nehls and Betsy Kelso. It explores the relationships between the tenants at the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in Starke, Florida, particularly between Pippi, "the stripper on the run," the Dr. Phil-loving agoraphobic, Jeannie, and Jeannie's tollbooth-collector husband, Norbert. It was performed in the first annual New York Music Theater Festival in 2004 and Off-Broadway in 2005.
The Kinsey Sicks are an a cappella quartet who bill themselves as "America's Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet".
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts(DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the community and rental facilities. It was founded in 1972.
Richard Neville Hartley is an English composer, best known for his work on The Rocky Horror Show. He grew up in Holmfirth.
The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre, serving as home to America's first and oldest summer-stock theatre company from 1893 until the 1960s. The first films in the western US were shown there in 1896. Cecil B. DeMille sent yearly telegrams wishing the theatre another successful season, calling it "one of the cradles of American drama."
The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a 1960 musical with music and lyrics by Meredith Willson and book by Richard Morris. The plot is a fictionalized account of the life of Margaret Brown, who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and her wealthy miner-husband. A musical film version, also titled The Unsinkable Molly Brown, with screenplay by Helen Deutsch, was released in 1964.
Brian Thomson is an Australian theatre, opera and film designer. He has been active in Australian stage design since the 1970s.
Jessica Lee Goldyn is an American musical theatre actress, singer, and dancer best known for creating the role of Val in the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line and appearing as Nini (replacement) in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Goldyn played the lead role of Cassie from August 10, 2008 opposite Mario Lopez as Zack, until the show ended its Broadway revival run on August 17, 2008. Goldyn had been an understudy for the lead character of Cassie. She played the title role in Annie (musical) at age 21. Goldyn appeared in The Paper Mill Playhouse (NJ) rendition of A Chorus Line in the star role of Cassie from October 7 through October 28, 2012.
Taylor Hunt Trensch is an American stage and film actor.
Benjamin Tyler Cook is an American stage actor. He has appeared on Broadway in Ragtime, Billy Elliot the Musical, Tuck Everlasting, Mean Girls, and West Side Story. He has also performed in two Broadway national tours, Billy Elliot the Musical and Newsies the Musical, and appeared on television in episodes of 30 Rock, House of Cards, Veep, Law & Order: SVU, and in the HBO film Paterno. He most recently appeared as a Jet in the 2021 film version of West Side Story and as Henry in the HBO Max horror series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022–present).
Helen Gilmer Bonfils was an American heiress, actress, theatrical producer, newspaper executive, and philanthropist. She acted in local theatre in Denver, Colorado, and on Broadway, and also co-produced plays in Denver, New York City, and London. She succeeded her father, Frederick Gilmer Bonfils, as manager of The Denver Post in 1933, and eventually became president of the company. Lacking heirs, she invested her fortune into providing for the city of Denver and the state of Colorado, supporting the Belle Bonfils Blood Bank, the Bonfils Memorial Theatre, the University of Denver, the Denver Zoo, the Dumb Friends League, churches, and synagogues. Her estate endowed the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. She was posthumously inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Colorado Performing Arts Hall of Fame in 1999.
Kristian Lavercombe is a Welsh-born actor and singer best known for playing Riff Raff in over 2000 performances of The Rocky Horror Show. Described by the show's writer Richard O'Brien as "a fantastically talented Riff Raff", Lavercombe's interpretation of the role has variously been described as "deliciously sleazy", "simply perfection" and "consistently the most watchable thing on stage throughout".
Kraig Thornber is a British actor, singer and choreographer best known for playing the handyman Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show and Grandpa George in the musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He is a former member of the National Theatre.
Matthew Price is a British actor, dancer and West End stage and concert singer known for playing Riff Raff in three European tours of The Rocky Horror Show. He is also a composer, having written Before After (2014) and Imaginary (2017) among other musicals and a theatrical producer, being a co-founder with James Yeoburn of the international production company United Theatrical.