Jeffrey Mylett was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and
songwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. Born in
North Canton, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 16,369 people, 7,114 households, and 4,382 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,697.1 people per square mile . There were 7,506 housing units at an average density of 1,236.8 per square mile...
, he attended
Hoover High SchoolHoover High School is a public high school in North Canton, Ohio.-Name:The school's original name was simply North Canton High School which students affectionately referred to as No. Ca. Hi...
there, and studied
theaterTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
at
Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
.
He appeared in the original
off-BroadwayOff-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production of
GodspellGodspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
. During its initial two-week run at
La MaMaLa MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
in New York City, the show featured songs by cast members, including two by Mylett. When a team of producers interested in presenting the show in an open-ended commercial transfer brought in
songwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Stephen SchwartzStephen Schwartz may refer to:*Stephen Schwartz , American musical theater and film lyricist and composer*Stephen Suleyman Schwartz , journalist, political author, and historian...
to compose a new score, all the original songs (including Mylett's) were replaced, except for "By My Side" by Jay Hamburger and
Peggy GordonPeggy Gordon is a singer/songwriter best known for her role as Peggy in the original 1971 Off-Broadway cast of Godspell.Gordon wrote the music By My Side with fellow CMU student Jay Hamburger writing the lyrics. It was the only song that survived the re-scoring of the show by Stephen Schwartz...
.
He also appeared in the off-Broadway musical
Thoughts (1973), written by
GodspellGodspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
castmate Lamar Alford, and the
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical
The Magic ShowThe Magic Show is a one-act musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Bob Randall. It starred magician Doug Henning. Produced by Edgar Lansbury, it opened in May 1974 at the Cort Theatre and ran for 1,920 performances, closing on December 31, 1978...
(1974), in which he was
Doug HenningDouglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...
's standby and also played the role during Henning's vacations. During his scheduled appearances in the show, the character's name was changed from "Doug" to "Jeff."
He recreated his stage role in the film version of
GodspellGodspell, released in 1973, is the film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical Godspell created by John-Michael Tebelak.Set in modern New York City, the film stars Victor Garber as Jesus and David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas...
(1973), and also appeared in the films
Money Talks (1972),
Brewster's MillionsBrewster's Millions is a novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1902, originally under the pseudonym of Richard Greaves. It was adapted into a play in 1906, which opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and the novel or play has been made into a film nine times .-Plot introduction:The novel's...
(1985) and
My Man Adam-Plot:High schooler Adam Swit constantly daydreams about the same beautiful girl. Soon new student Sabrina McKay shows up who's identical to the girl of his dreams. Struggling to win her over, he doesn't do so well until a complex conspiracy throws them both into potential peril.-Principal cast:...
(1985). He hosted
The Rock 'n' Fun Magic Show, a 1975 television special featuring music, magic and comedy, with appearances by
Doug HenningDouglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...
,
Bill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
and the
Hudson BrothersThe Hudson Brothers are an American music group formed in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s and consisting of Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson...
. An anticipated series following this special never materialized.
In early 1977, he participated in the workshop in which the musical
WorkingWorking is a musical with a book by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, music by Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, and James Taylor, and lyrics by Schwartz, Carnelia, Grant, Taylor, and Susan Birkenhead....
was created, but when the show premiered at the
Goodman TheatreThe Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and later played on
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, the roles he developed in the workshop were performed by
Joe MantegnaJoseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
.
He was devoted to spiritual teacher
Meher BabaMeher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
. In
The God-Man, a documentary concerning Meher Baba produced for Australian television in 1976, he is interviewed and performs his song "House of the Lord."
He died in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
of
AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in 1986.
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