An Evening with Marc Shaiman on Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner

Meet us at The Hub as we draw back the curtain and dive into the world of Broadway and film with legendary composer, lyricist, and music producer Marc Shaiman in celebration of his new memoir, Never Mind the Happy. In conversation with Founding Artistic Director of Miami New Drama Michel Hausmann. Also a special performance by the cast of the Slow Burn Theatre production of Hairspray!

In Never Mind the Happy, musical dynamo Marc Shaiman looks back on five decades of Broadway triumphs, Hollywood hijinks, and unforgettable collaborations. Along the way, he charts the personal highs and heartbreaks that have shaped him, spending his teenage years in community theater, starting a decades-long collaboration with Bette Midler in the ’70s, surviving the AIDS crisis of the ’80s, his award-winning film music career in the Hollywood of the ’90s, right up to the peaks (and valleys) of creating Broadway musicals from 2000 on. Candid, hilarious, and deeply human, Shaiman’s story is a tribute to the power of music, the pull of the spotlight, and the beat that never stops. Part showbiz tell-all, part love letter to the melancholy that fuels creativity, told with perfect comic timing—along with a few wrong notes, and plenty of standing ovations.

About the Author:

Marc Shaiman is a renowned American composer, lyricist, arranger, and music producer known for his work across film, television, and theater. Shaiman began his career as a musical director and arranger for Bette Midler before expanding into film scoring. He gained prominence with his work on films such as When Harry Met Sally, The Addams Family, Sister Act, City Slickers, A Few Good Men, Sleepless in Seattle, The American President, and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, on television with SNL, and on recordings with Harry Connick Jr. and Mariah Carey. Shaiman earned widespread acclaim for co-writing the Broadway musical Hairspray alongside his longtime co-lyricist Scott Wittman. The duo has also co-created the musicals Catch Me If You Can, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Some Like It Hot, and Smash. He has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards and has won a Tony, two Emmys, and two Grammys. Marc Shaiman is celebrated for his versatile, emotionally resonant music and his ability to blend classic musical theatre sensibilities with modern storytelling. Born and raised in New Jersey, he currently lives in New York with his husband, Lieutenant Commander (ret) Lou Mirabal. For more information visit www.marcshaiman.com.

About the Moderator:

Michel Hausmann is a Venezuelan-born theater director, producer, and writer, and the Founding Artistic Director of Miami New Drama, the resident company and operator of the historic Colony Theatre on Miami Beach. Under his leadership, the company has become one of the most dynamic cultural institutions in the country and the largest bilingual theater in the United States, dedicated to developing bold, original work that reflects the urgency of contemporary America.

At Miami New Drama, Hausmann has overseen more than twenty world premiere plays and musicals, many of which have achieved national recognition, including A Wonderful World (Broadway transfer), Birthright (Off-Broadway transfer), 7 Deadly Sins (Drama League Award), Bad Dog, Lincoln Road Hustle, Confessions of a Cocaine Cowboy, Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard (in collaboration with Tectonic Theater Project), ¡Viva La Parranda!, The Cubans, Fake, When Monica Met Hillary, Gente Ociosa, Queen of Basel, and a groundbreaking multilingual Our Town. His work is defined by its ambition, its deep engagement with community, and its ability to bridge cultures, languages, and histories.

He is also the book writer and director of The Golem of Havana, a critically acclaimed original musical produced nationwide following its sold-out run at the Colony Theatre.

A graduate of Columbia University’s School of the Arts, Hausmann is a Drama League Award winner, a Thornton Wilder Prize recipient, and a multiple Knight Arts Challenge Award winner. He is a New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellow, a Richard Rodgers Award finalist, and a Silver Palm Award winner.

Tickets: $40 General Admission & 1 copy of Never Mind the Happy

Purchase a ticket at: thehubmiami.org