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David Yazbek

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BIO

David Yazbek has become one of Broadway's preeminent composer/lyricists. Three of his shows, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown have been nominated for Best Score Tony Awards. He is a Tony Award winner for his most recent musical, The Band's Visit, which opened on Broadway to rave reviews and has been named to every Best of the Year list for 2017. The show also received 10 Tony Awards, as well as the Lucille Lortel Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical. He's also received three Grammy nominations and a Drama Desk Award. Yazbek won an Outstanding Writing Emmy Award for his stint on "Late Night with David Letterman." He scored the last season of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," wrote the theme song to "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego," and has written hundreds of songs, scripts, scores and jingles for adult and children's TV. As a recording artist, Yazbek is responsible for five albums—The Laughing Man, Tock, Damascus, Tape Recorder, and Evil Monkey Man. He has written and/or produced for such acts as XTC, Ruben Blades, The Persuasions, Joe Jackson, Tito Puente and many others. As a performer, he and his band are engaged in an ongoing series of monthly shows at NYC's 54 Below club.

Photos

Productions

Dead OutlawDead Outlaw
 
[Broadway, 2025]
Orchestrator
Lyricist
Composer
Buena Vista Social ClubBuena Vista Social Club
 
[Broadway, 2025]
Music Team Leader
The RoommateThe Roommate
 
[Broadway, 2024]
Original Music
Dead OutlawDead Outlaw
 
[Off-Broadway, 2024]
Orchestration
Buena Vista Social ClubBuena Vista Social Club
 
[Off-Broadway, 2023]
Creative Consultant
The Band's VisitThe Band's Visit
 
[US Tour, 2021] [Replacement]
Music & Lyrics[Replacement]
Fish In the DarkFish In the Dark
 
[Broadway, 2015]
Original Music
Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing
 
[Off-Broadway, 2014]
Original Music
Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsDirty Rotten Scoundrels
 
[West End, 2014]
Music and Lyrics
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous BreakdownWomen On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown
 
[Broadway, 2010]
Orchestrator
Burleigh Grime$
 
[Off-Broadway, 2006]
Composer
Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsDirty Rotten Scoundrels
 
[Broadway, 2005]
Vocal Music Arranger
Bombay DreamsBombay Dreams
 
[Broadway, 2004]
Lyrics
Sea of Tranquility
 
[Off-Broadway, 2004]
Composer
Boys' Life
 
[Off-Broadway, 1988]
Composer

Writing

Mojo
Music
Dead Outlaw
Music & Lyrics
The Band's Visit
Music and Lyrics
Tootsie
Composer & Lyricist
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Composer
Lyricist
The Full Monty
Composer
Lyricist

Awards and Nominations


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Lyrics

David Yazbek, Dead Outlaw

Drama Desk Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Music

David Yazbek, Dead Outlaw

Drama Desk Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Orchestrations

David YazbekDead Outlaw


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 2024 - Best Musical

David YazbekDead Outlaw

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

David YazbekDead Outlaw

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2024 - Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

David Yazbek, Dead Outlaw


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2019 - Outstanding Lyrics

David Yazbek, Tootsie


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2019 - Outstanding Music

David Yazbek, Tootsie


winner
New York Drama Critics Circle Awards - 2019 - Best Musical

David Yazbek, Tootsie

Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2019 - Outstanding New Score

David Yazbek, Tootsie

Tony Awards - 2019 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

David Yazbek, Tootsie


winner
Tony Awards - 2018 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

David Yazbek, The Band's Visit


winner
Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2017 - Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)

David Yazbek, The Band's Visit

Drama Desk Awards - 2011 - Outstanding Music

David Yazbek, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Drama Desk Awards - 2011 - Outstanding Orchestrations

David Yazbek, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Tony Awards - 2011 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

David Yazbek, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Tony Awards - 2005 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

David Yazbek, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Tony Awards - 2001 - Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

David Yazbek, The Full Monty


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2000 - Outstanding Lyrics

David Yazbek, The Full Monty


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 2000 - Outstanding Music

David Yazbek, The Full Monty

Videos

More Videos

News


DEAD OUTLAW Launches Digital Lottery Ahead of First Preview Photo
DEAD OUTLAW Launches Digital Lottery Ahead of First Preview
by Stephi Wild - Apr 11, 2025

Dead Outlaw has announced its digital lottery policy for its Broadway run, ahead of performances beginning this weekend. Learn more about how to get discount tickets here!
Hot Tickets of the Week: GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, JUST IN TIME, and More Photo
Hot Tickets of the Week: GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, JUST IN TIME, and More
by Team BWW - Apr 7, 2025

Let BroadwayWorld and Ticketmaster be your guide to which plays and musicals are the most buzz-worthy this week, starting April 7, 2025. Check out five Broadway shows we recommend that you should snag tickets to right now!
Photos: Inside Rehearsals for DEAD OUTLAW Photo
Photos: Inside Rehearsals for DEAD OUTLAW
by Nicole Rosky - Apr 2, 2025

Dead Outlaw is getting ready for Broadway! Written by Itamar Moses, featuring music and lyrics from David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, and directed by David Cromer, Dead Outlaw will open on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on April 27, 2025. Check out photos of the company in rehearsals here.
Video: Watch a Sneak Preview of DEAD OUTLAW Photo
Video: Watch a Sneak Preview of DEAD OUTLAW
by Joey Mervis - Mar 31, 2025

Just last week, the new musical Dead Outlaw hosted a launch party for friends, family, and fans at the famous Bowery Ballroom. Watch in this video as we take you inside the special event for a sneak preview and chat with the cast and creative team afterwards!
Videos You Missed This Week: GYPSY, THE GREAT GATSBY and More Photo
Videos You Missed This Week: GYPSY, THE GREAT GATSBY and More
by Sidney Paterra - Mar 28, 2025

2025 has officially arrived and the second half of the 2024-25 Broadway season is very much underway. Catch up on all the latest from the week ending March 28, 2025 with videos from Gypsy, The Great Gatsby, and more!
Photos: Inside the DEAD OUTLAW Launch Party at Bowery Ballroom Photo
Photos: Inside the DEAD OUTLAW Launch Party at Bowery Ballroom
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 27, 2025

Last night, the new musical Dead Outlaw hosted a launch party for friends, family, and fans at the famous Bowery Ballroom. See photos here!
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld March 26, 2025 Photo
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld March 26, 2025
by - Mar 26, 2025

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is March 26, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
Good and Dead: David Yazbek & Erik Della Penna Unpack the Music of DEAD OUTLAW Photo
Good and Dead: David Yazbek & Erik Della Penna Unpack the Music of DEAD OUTLAW
by Joey Mervis - Mar 25, 2025

We continue Notes on a Score with the creators of one of Broadway's most anticipated new musicals, Dead Outlaw- David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna. They recently sat down with BroadwayWorld at A.R.T./New York to unpack the show's opening number, 'Dead'.
Photos: On the Red Carpet for Opening Night of BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Photo
Photos: On the Red Carpet for Opening Night of BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
by Bruce Glikas - Mar 24, 2025

Check out photos from the star-studded red carpet arrivals for Buena Vista Social Club, which included special guests Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eva Longoria, John Leguizamo, Ariana DeBose, Sara Bareilles, and more!
Review Roundup: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Opens On Broadway Photo
Review Roundup: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Opens On Broadway
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 20, 2025

The sounds of Cuba come to vibrant life on Broadway tonight in Buena Vista Social Club, the musical new musical based on the legendary album of the same name. The critics have weighed in. Read their reviews of Buena Vista Social Club!
Hot Tickets of the Week: DEAD OUTLAW, REDWOOD, and More Photo
Hot Tickets of the Week: DEAD OUTLAW, REDWOOD, and More
by Team BWW - Mar 17, 2025

Let BroadwayWorld and Ticketmaster be your guide to which plays and musicals are the most buzz-worthy this week, starting March 17, 2025. Check out five Broadway shows we recommend that you should snag tickets to right now!
Dean Sharenow Explains BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB's 'Navigation Towards Truth' Photo
Dean Sharenow Explains BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB's 'Navigation Towards Truth'
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 15, 2025

BroadwayWorld spoke with Grammy-winning record producer and music supervisor Dean Sharenow about his approach to honoring Buena Vista Social Club’s history, and more about the Broadway production. Read the full interview here.
Cast Set For WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN at Hayes Theatre Co Photo
Cast Set For WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN at Hayes Theatre Co
by Stephi Wild - Mar 13, 2025

The Sydney Premiere of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown comes to Hayes Theatre Co for a strictly limited season from 9 May, featuring a cast that has now been announced!
Video: Shoshana Bean Performs 'You Can't Fix Her' from THE BEDWETTER Photo
Video: Shoshana Bean Performs 'You Can't Fix Her' from THE BEDWETTER
by Michael Major - Mar 12, 2025

Watch a video of Shoshana Bean performing 'You Can't Fix Her' in Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter. The musical features music by Adam Schlesinger, lyrics by Silverman and Schlesinger, and additional music and lyrics David Yazbek.
Video: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Cast Performs ‘La Negra Tomasa’ Photo
Video: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Cast Performs ‘La Negra Tomasa’
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 7, 2025

Following their performance on Good Morning America, the cast of Broadway's Buena Vista Social Club stuck around for the third hour of the broadcast to perform the song 'La Negra Tomasa.' Watch it now!
Video: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Cast Performs on GOOD MORNING AMERICA Photo
Video: BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB Cast Performs on GOOD MORNING AMERICA
by Josh Sharpe - Mar 7, 2025

On Friday, the cast of Broadway's Buena Vista Social Club joined Good Morning America to perform a medley of songs from the show. Watch the performance from the ensemble here! 
Review: Tony Award Winner Sutton Foster Returns to the OC at Irvine Barclay Photo
Review: Tony Award Winner Sutton Foster Returns to the OC at Irvine Barclay
by Michael Quintos - Mar 3, 2025

Fresh off her final set of performances in the L.A. transfer of the new Broadway revival of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, the two-time Tony Award winning stage and screen star recently returned to Orange County, CA for a one-night-only sold out concert at the Irvine Barclay Theatre accompanied by music director Michael Rafter. Foster dazzled the audience with selections that ranged from traditional showtunes to classic pop hits and even a lullaby or two inspired by her daughter Emily.
Review Roundup: Critics Sound Off on THE BEDWETTER at Arena Stage Photo
Review Roundup: Critics Sound Off on THE BEDWETTER at Arena Stage
by Joshua Wright - Feb 26, 2025

Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter – A New Musical is now on stage at Arena Stage, starring Aria Kane, Shoshana Bean, and more. What did the critics think? Directed by Tony nominee Anne Kauffman, the production is making its regional premiere through March 16, 2025, in the Kreeger Theater, kicking off the second half of Arena Stage Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif’s inaugural season. 
Video: Liz Larsen and Aria Kane Perform 'To Me' from THE BEDWETTER Photo
Video: Liz Larsen and Aria Kane Perform 'To Me' from THE BEDWETTER
by Stephi Wild - Feb 26, 2025

Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter – A New Musical is playing now at Arena Stage, starring Aria Kane, Shoshana Bean, and more. Check out all new video of Liz Larsen and Aria Kane performing the song 'To Me'!
Up on the Marquee: DEAD OUTLAW Photo
Up on the Marquee: DEAD OUTLAW
by Jennifer Broski - Feb 25, 2025

Dead Outlaw is getting ready for Broadway! Written by Itamar Moses, featuring music and lyrics from David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, and directed by David Cromer, Dead Outlaw will open on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on April 27, 2025. Check out photos of the new Broadway marquee!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has David Yazbek written?

David Yazbek has written 7 shows including Mojo (Music), The Full Monty (Composer), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Composer), Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (Lyricist), The Band's Visit (Music and Lyrics), Tootsie (Composer & Lyricist), Dead Outlaw (Music & Lyrics).

What awards has David Yazbek been nominated for?

Outstanding Lyrics (Drama Desk Awards) for Dead Outlaw, Outstanding Music (Drama Desk Awards) for Dead Outlaw, Outstanding Orchestrations (Drama Desk Awards) for Dead Outlaw, Best Musical (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Dead Outlaw, Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Dead Outlaw, Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Dead Outlaw, Outstanding Lyrics (Drama Desk Awards) for Tootsie, Outstanding Music (Drama Desk Awards) for Tootsie, Best Musical (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for Tootsie, Outstanding New Score (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Tootsie, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Tony Awards) for Tootsie, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Tony Awards) for The Band's Visit, Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Band's Visit, Outstanding Music (Drama Desk Awards) for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Outstanding Orchestrations (Drama Desk Awards) for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Tony Awards) for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Tony Awards) for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Tony Awards) for The Full Monty, Outstanding Lyrics (Drama Desk Awards) for The Full Monty and Outstanding Music (Drama Desk Awards) for The Full Monty.

What awards has David Yazbek won?

David Yazbek has won several prestigious awards, including Outstanding Lyrics at the Drama Desk Awards for Dead Outlaw, and Best Musical at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Dead Outlaw. He received Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Music at the Drama Desk Awards for Tootsie, as well as Best Musical at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Tootsie. He won the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for The Band's Visit, and received the Outstanding New Score award from the Outer Critics Circle Awards for The Band's Visit. Additionally, he was recognized with Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Music at the Drama Desk Awards for The Full Monty.

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