Research Catalog

Title

Danny Apolinar papers, 1946-2000, (bulk 1957-1993)

Author

Apolinar, Danny.

Supplementary Content

Finding Aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Fieger, Addy O.
• Hester, Hal.
• Apolinar, Danny.

Description

12 linear feet (15 boxes )

Subjects

• Composers
• Entertainers
• Lyricists
• Posters
• Scores
• Off-Broadway theater
• Graphic artists
• Composers > United States > 20th century
• Entertainers > United States > 20th century
• Programs
• Fliers (printed matter)
• Musical theater > New York (State) > New York
• Correspondence
• Scrapbooks
• Pianists
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 > Adaptations
• Clippings
• Matchbooks
• Lyricists > United States > 20th century
• Photographs
• Apolinar, Danny
• Financial records
• Legal records

Genre/Form

• Clippings.
• Correspondence.
• Financial records.
• Fliers (printed matter)
• Legal records.
• Matchbooks.
• Photographs.
• Posters.
• Programs.
• Scrapbooks.
• Scores.

Access (note)

• Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Source (note)

• Britton, John

Biography (note)

• Danny Apolinar (1934-1995) was a multi-talented composer, lyricist, and nightclub entertainer, who perhaps was best known for creating the successful Off-Broadway rock musical, Your Own Thing (1968).

Indexes/Finding Aids (note)

• Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Call Number

*T-Mss 1995-027

OCLC

• 177180009
• 177180009

Author

Apolinar, Danny.

Title

Danny Apolinar papers, 1946-2000, (bulk 1957-1993)

Restricted Access

Collection is open to the public. Library policy on photography and photocopying will apply. Advance notice may be required.

Summary

The Danny Apolinar papers document the career of the composer/lyricist and nightclub entertainer, Danny Apolinar. Although the collection includes a few childhood pictures and some correspondence by Apolinar's companion, John Britton, written after Apolinar's death, the bulk of the material dates from 1957-1993 and covers his professional life in great detail. Apolinar's professional papers consist mainly of correspondence, financial and legal papers, photographs, and promotional materials. A significant portion of the collection, however, is comprised of production files and scores that document two of Apolinar's Off-Broadway musicals, Your Own Thing (1968) and Changes (1980), as well as several other projects. Professional scrapbooks cover the entirety of Apolinar's career and include clippings, additional correspondence, fliers, photographs, programs, as well as some matchbooks from nightclubs in which Apolinar appeared. The collection also contains a number of programs unrelated to Apolinar's own work, including an extensive set for various productions of Fiddler on the Roof. Among the oversized materials are examples of posters designed by Apolinar.

Biography

Danny Apolinar (1934-1995) was a multi-talented composer, lyricist, and nightclub entertainer, who perhaps was best known for creating the successful Off-Broadway rock musical, Your Own Thing (1968). Born Daniel George Apolinar in Brooklyn, New York, Apolinar began dancing lessons at the age of four. In 1956, while still a graphic art student, he began singing and playing the piano at nightclubs. After serving in the military, Apolinar formed the Danny Apolinar Trio, and the group performed in various venues in New York and toured throughout the United States for several years. In 1965, Apolinar settled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, appearing regularly at A Spot In The Sun, a nightclub which he co-owned with composer Hal Hester. During the day, the two men would work on their ideas for a musical, and in the evenings Apolinar would test their compositions in front of an audience. By 1968, these ideas had developed into Your Own Thing, a rock musical which would become an Off-Broadway hit. Originally entitled The London Look, the show was a free adaptation of William Shakespeare's comedy, Twelfth Night. In addition to co-writing the lyrics and music with Hester, Apolinar also designed the logo for the poster, contributed to the costume design, and was part of the on-stage musical group for the original New York production. The show ran for three years in New York, had seven simultaneous touring companies in North America, and also was produced in London and Australia. The Off-Broadway production, received an original cast album, won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and helped to launch the career of Sandy Duncan. Apolinar's subsequent efforts to replicate that success in musical theater were not as fruitful. He worked on several new shows that remained unproduced, including Alice (1970) and Bugs (1971). Apolinar later wrote the lyrics for two Off-Broadway musicals in collaboration with composer Addy Fieger, The Wicked Mrs. Woodhull (1976) and Changes (1980). His career as a cabaret performer, however, remained a constant throughout his life. A professionally trained graphic artist, Apolinar also created artwork for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, and record albums.

Indexes

Collection guide available in repository and on internet.

Connect to:

Finding Aid

Occupation

Composers.

Entertainers.

Graphic artists.

Lyricists.

Pianists.

Added Author

Fieger, Addy O.

Hester, Hal.

Apolinar, Danny. Your own thing.

Hester, Hal. Your own thing.

Research Call Number

*T-Mss 1995-027