MICHAEL LEEDS
Theatre/Film/Television
Director Writer Teacher
MICHAEL LEEDS
"Be Prepared!"
MICHAEL LEEDS wrote and directed the B’way musical, Swinging On A Star that was nominated for
a Tony Award for Best Musical. Off-B'way he directed and choreographed Hello Muddah, Hello
Faddah - The Songs of Allan Sherman (starring Tovah Feldshu & Mary Testa), for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Director and Best Choreographer. Other Off-B'way credits include directing and choreographing Lypsinka - A Day In The Life, Showing Off (starring Donna Murphy), and Hot Klezmer for AJT. Mr. Leeds has directed for Playwrights Horizons, the York Theatre and the Goodspeed Opera House among others. His adaptation and production of Arthur Miller’s Playing For Time won a Festival First at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it was given its European premiere. He directed and choreographed A Little Night Music for the Houston Grand Opera starring Frederica Von Stade and Thomas Allen and 70, Girls, 70 for the York Theatre’s Musicals In Mufti series starring Jane Powell and Charlotte Rae. For film, he has choreographed End of Summer, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Peter Weller and co-wrote with Linda Yellen The Simian Line, starring William Hurt, Lynn Redgrave, Tyne Daly, Harry Connick Jr. and Cindy Crawford. The Last Film Festival (starring Dennis Hopper, Jacqueline Bisset, Leelee Sobieski & Chris Kattan) recently completed shooting April, '08. Monochrome, a film he wrote with Ms. Yellen begins shooting November '09. Mr. Leeds rewrote and directed a new version of Cole Porter’s Red, Hot And Blue for the Goodspeed Opera and PaperMill Playhouse. He also directed the Florida Grand Opera production of Marc Blitzstein’s Regina starring Lauren Flanigan. He directed the World Premiere of Henry Covery’s new play, The First Step at the New York International Fringe Festival. For ten years Mr. Leeds co-directed, with Albert Stephenson, the Drama League’s annual benefit honoring Liza Minnelli, Kander & Ebb, Hal Prince, Rosie O’Donnell and Chita Rivera among others. As a songwriter, Mr. Leeds' work has appeared Off-B'way in Martin Charnin's Upstairs At O’Neals and the No Frills Revue, as well as on CBS’s The Comedy Zone. Mr. Leeds has also collaborated on Miracles, a musical he wrote with Joe Stein, with a score by Sheldon Harnick, Stephen Schwartz, David Shire and Marvin Hamlisch. He directed Carmelina for the York Theatre’s Musicals In Mufti Series, starring Marla Schaffel and Ray Wills. Last New Years, Mr. Leeds directed and choreographed Mating Habits of the Urban Mammal, a musical comedy he co-wrote with Peggy Gordon, Brian Lasser and Timothy Graphenreed for the Broward Stage Door Theatre in Coral Springs. Most recently he directed Deathtrap for the Boca Raton Theatre Guild. Next up is directing/choreographing Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah starring Avi Hoffman at the New Vista, and then Lucky Stiff, Showtune and A Little Night Music for Broward Stage Door.
