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Boubil & Schonberg (Alain & Claude-Michel)

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Songwriters

The Resume

    Alain Boubil (Mar. 5, 1941- ) born in Tunisia; lyricist and librettist
    Claude-Michel Schonberg (July 6, 1944- ) born in Vannes, France; composer and record producer
    Frequently partnered with producer Cameron Mackintosh
    Collaborated on popular musicals 'Les Miserables,' La Revolution Francaise,' 'Miss Saigon,' 'Martin Guerre,' 'The Pirate Queen,' and 'Marguerite'

Why they might be annoying:

    They helped bring the rock opera format into the mainstream.
    They are routinely mistaken for a gay couple despite both having been married twice and having their own children from said marriages.
    No matter what they ever did, their musical output has always been overshadowed by the colossal success of Les Mis.
    When Lea Salonga asked if she could sing 'The Greatest Love of All' during her Miss Saigon audition, Claude-Michel reportedly answered dryly 'yes but do not sing it like her.'
    They sank $18 million into 'The Pirate Queen,' which went down as one of the biggest commercial flops in Broadway history (closing after only 85 performances).
    They jockeyed for a Best Original Song Oscar by writing schmaltzy number called 'Suddenly' for the film version of Les Mis, but lost out to Adele for the 'Skyfall' theme.

Why they might not be annoying:

    They received critical acclaim for their lesser-known historical-subject musicals 'Martin Guerre' and 'Marguerite.'
    Schonberg was born to Hungarian Jewish parents, while Boubil was born into a Sephardic Jewish family.
    Their first serious attempt at the rock opera genre was 'La Revolution Francaise,' in which Schonberg played King Louis XVI.
    They brought Lea Salonga to international stardom.
    They conceived the then-mocked idea to convert Victor Hugo's historical epic into a stage musical, staging it and composing the songs themselves.
    The Broadway production of Les Mis was nominated for twelve Tony Awards and won eight (1987).
    Les Miserables has collectively been seen by over 50 million people, with a total box office gross of over $1.8 billion.
    Les Miserables would become the third-longest-running Broadway musical, following Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, in 2003.
    They expertly marketed Miss Saigon with their publicized 'Search for the Kim' contest, resulting in its breaking advance ticket-sales and earning $24 million before its Broadway premiere.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying