Alain Boublil is a French lyricist and librettist who, in collaboration with composer Claude-Michel Schonberg, has produced several award-winning musicals that have made a splash both on Broadway and London’s West End.
Boublil was born on March 5, 1941, in Tunisia, and immigrated to Paris at the age of 18. He wrote his first musical in 1973, the first French rock opera called La Révolution Française, in collaboration with Schönberg -- the first of many projects they would create together. After five years, the duo came together again, this time to begin work on Boublil’s idea for a mega-musical based on Hugo’s novel, Les Miserables. Les Mis, as it is colloquially known, premiered in France two years after that, and then transferred to London in 1985 where it became a smash hit, earning three Olivier nominations. This same production is still running today, making Les Mis the West End’s longest running show. The show also made a splash on Broadway, winning eight Tony Awards including the Tony for best musical. Les Mis has had several successful Broadway revivals, and, in 2012, was adapted into a critically lauded film.
Boublil and Schönberg’s follow-up show, Miss Saigon, was another hit for the duo, playing for 10 years both in London and on Broadway with many awards and nominations. After Miss Saigon, Boublil worked on several less commercially successful shows including Martin Guerre (1996), The Pirate Queen (2006), and most recently Marguerite (2008). Boublil has also written several plays and a French children’s musical called Abbacadabra, based on songs from the Swedish pop group ABBA.
More about Alain Boublil
