David Lindsay-Abaire Wins Kleban Award for Most Promising Lyricist

He's got a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and now David Lindsay-Abaire has been awarded the 18th annual Kleban Award for most promising theater lyricist, New Dramatists announced on May 1. The Kleban Award for most promising librettist was a tie between Laura Harrington and co-librettists Bill Solly and Donald Ward.

Lindsay-Abaire wrote the lyrics and book for Shrek: The Musical, which premieres on Broadway this fall, and the book for High Fidelity. He was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Rabbit Hole. His other plays include Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, Wonder of the World and A Devil Inside.

Harrington's off-Broadway writing credits include Alice Unwrapped, Marathon Dancing and Crossing Brooklyn. Regional credits count Martin Guerre at Hartford Stage Company and The Perfect 36 at Tennessee Repertory Theatre.

Solly and Donald Ward have co-authored the books for eight musicals, including off-Broadway's Boy Meets Boy and the show The Great American Backstage Musical.

The annual Kleban Award, established in 1988 under the will of Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning Chorus Line lyricist Edward Kleban, provides $100,000 over the course of two years to the most promising librettist and lyricist in American Musical Theater.