Hugh Wheeler
Encyclopedia
Hugh Callingham Wheeler (19 March 1912 in Hampstead
, London
, England
- 26 July 1987) was an English
-born playwright
, screenwriter
, librettist, poet
, and translator. He resided in the United States
from 1934 until his death and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. He had attended London University.
Under the noms de plume
Patrick Quentin
, Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge, Wheeler was the author of many mystery
novel
s and short stories
. In 1963, his 1961 collection The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow was given a Special Edgar Award
by the Mystery Writers of America
.
Wheeler won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical
in 1973 and 1974 for his books for the musicals A Little Night Music
and Candide
, and won both again in 1979 for his book for Sweeney Todd
.
Wheeler is credited as "research consultant" for the film Cabaret
though numerous sources list him as co-writer of the screenplay.
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- 26 July 1987) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, librettist, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and translator. He resided in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1934 until his death and became a naturalized citizen in 1942. He had attended London University.
Under the noms de plume
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Patrick Quentin
Patrick Quentin
Patrick Quentin, Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge were pen names under which Hugh Callingham Wheeler , Richard Wilson Webb , Martha Mott Kelly and Mary Louise White Aswell wrote detective fiction...
, Q. Patrick and Jonathan Stagge, Wheeler was the author of many mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
. In 1963, his 1961 collection The Ordeal of Mrs. Snow was given a Special Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
by the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
.
Wheeler won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee which comprises New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
in 1973 and 1974 for his books for the musicals A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
and Candide
Candide (operetta)
Candide is an operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the novella of the same name by Voltaire. The operetta was first performed in 1956 with a libretto by Lillian Hellman; but since 1974 it has been generally performed with a book by Hugh Wheeler which is more faithful to...
, and won both again in 1979 for his book for Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd (musical)
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
.
Wheeler is credited as "research consultant" for the film Cabaret
Cabaret (film)
Cabaret is a 1972 musical film directed by Bob Fosse and starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey. The film is set in Berlin during the Weimar Republic in 1931, under the ominous presence of the growing National Socialist Party....
though numerous sources list him as co-writer of the screenplay.
Additional stage musical credits
- IreneIrene (musical)Irene is a musical with a book by James Montgomery, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, and music by Harry Tierney.Based on Montgomery's play Irene O'Dare, it is set in New York City's Upper West Side and focuses on immigrant shop assistant Irene O'Dare, who is introduced to Long Island's high society when...
(new libretto) (1973) - Truckload (1975)
- Pacific OverturesPacific OverturesPacific Overtures is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is set in 1853 Japan and follows the difficult Westernization of Japan, through the lives of two friends caught in the change...
(1976) - The Little Prince and the AviatorThe Little Prince and the AviatorThe Little Prince and the Aviator is a musical with a book by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Don Black, and music by John Barry.Based on the classic book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the musical deviates from the original in that aviator Toni, whose plane crashes in the Sahara Desert, explicitly is...
(1982) - Meet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...
(1989)
Plays
- Big Fish, Little Fish (1961)
- Look, We've Come Through (1961)
- We Have Always Lived in the CastleWe Have Always Lived in the CastleWe Have Always Lived in the Castle is the final novel by Shirley Jackson, published in 1962, three years before her death in 1965. In 1966, the novel was adapted into a play by Hugh Wheeler...
(1966)
Screenplays
- Something for EveryoneSomething for Everyone (1970 film)Something for Everyone is a black comedy starring Angela Lansbury, Michael York, Anthony Higgins, and Jane Carr. The film was based on the novel The Cook by Harry Kressing, with the screenplay written by Hugh Wheeler...
(1970) - Travels with My AuntTravels with My Aunt (film)Travels with My Aunt is a 1972 American comedy film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Jay Presson Allen and Hugh Wheeler is based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Graham Greene.-Plot:...
(1972) - A Little Night MusicA Little Night Music (1978 film)A Little Night Music is the 1977 film adaptation of the musical A Little Night Music, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Rigg, and Lesley-Anne Down, with Len Cariou, Hermione Gingold, and Laurence Guittard reprising their Broadway roles....
(1978) - NijinskyNijinsky (film)Nijinsky is a 1980 American biographical film directed by Herbert Ross. Hugh Wheeler, whose screenplay centers on the later life and career of Vaslav Nijinsky, used the legendary dancer's personal diaries and his wife's 1933 book Life of Nijinsky as his primary source materials.-Synopsis:The film...
(1980)