What they said:

"Perseus Bayou is a triumph of atmosphere and theatrical imagination"
Washington Post

"David Maddox has written a score replete with fanfares and flourishes that is most effective."
The New York Times (on Richard II)

"The show is magnificently dressed by David Maddox."
Variety (on Nijinsky's Last Dance)

"Pure Magic."
Washington Post (on Sing Down the Moon)

 

David is a composer, lyricist, writer, and performer in theater. He has also worked in dance, film, sound design, and museum installation.

A new production of Perseus Bayou just completed at Imagination Stage in Bethesda Maryland. The Washington Post liked it, so there.

Composer & Lyricist David Maddox has created award-winning musicals with Mary Hall Surface (Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales; Mississippi Pinocchio; Perseus Bayou; The Odyssey of Telémaca and LIFT: Icarus and Me; the former three published by Dramatic Publishing) and two dance-theatres (The Nightingale and Gandhara: East-West Passages, both commissioned by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC).

David has three new shows in the works: (1) Paradise, with music, lyrics and book by David Maddox, about people who wandered off into the wilderness; (2) Perfume River: A Swamp Water Love Story (lyrics and music by David Maddox and Jon Carroll, book by David Maddox, Mary Hall Surface & Jon Carroll) abot the magical properties of swamp water; and (3) Child of God , about a young idealist traveling in South America.

David is working on an album of small music for mando-cello with sax, accordion, and horn. He's also trying to start a New Orleans style marching brass band. Wish him luck.

In "serious music" (as they say) David is interested in mixing classical western instruments with non-western themes and instruments. For example, Gandhara: East-West Passageswas music for dance (commissioned by the Kennedy Center) that combined an orchestra of 19 with sitar, tablas and soprano. Travels in Pakistan inspired a piece for string quartet and English Horn, called "Journey to Taxila".

He has created scores and sound designs for many productions around the US, including the acclaimed Never the Sinner at the Houseman Theater in New York (Critic’s Outer Circle Award), Side Man and A View from the Bridge at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, La Malinche at the Arizona Theater Company, Major Barbara at the Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, The Beauty Queen of Leenan at the Alley Theater in Houston, and Nijinsky’s Last Dance at Signature Theatre and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for which he won a Helen Hayes Award. He has also composed music and created sound designs for documentary film and museum installations.

David has received 1 Helen Hayes Awards and 13 nominations -- 4 for "Best New Play or Musical". He has produced six award-winning albums of original music -- check them out at iTunes and Amazon.com. He has received 2 Parents' Choice Awards, 2 Parent's Guide Awards, 2 Children's Music Web Awards, and an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award.

Most recently as a performer, he composed music for and appeared as the Russian accordion player in Chatauqua Theatre Company's The Cherry Orchard and as soldier/musician in Arena Stage’s A Man’s a Man. He has also appeared as Stump Etuffe in various workshop productions of his musical Perfume River. In the 1980’s he toured extensively with the Irish/Fusion bands Wicky Sears and Tuin, bands that released two albums.

Principal instruments are guitar (electric and acoustic), mandocello, voice, piano, accordion and tuba, plus various other strings.

He is an Artistic Associate at Signature Theatre of Arlington, VA and Theater of the First Amendment in Fairfax, VA.

Perfume River:
A Swamp Water Love Story

Music & Lyrics: David Maddox & Jon Carroll
Book: David Maddox, Mary Hall Surface & Jon Carroll

A New Orleans Bayou musical about the qualities of swamp water. Marie loves Jon the piano player. Does he love her? At the Crawdaddy near New Orleans, the late-night crowd finds the rhythm and blues of a night transformed by an aphrodisiac nonpareil -- the swamp water out back!

It is currently unproduced. Why now take the plunge?

Love conjures all...http://www.myspace.com/perfumeriveraswampwaterlovestory

Major Works
Perfume River: A Swamp Water Love Story 2011
Music & Lyrics by David Maddox and Jon Carroll; Book by David Maddox and Mary Hall Surface. A New Orleans Bayou musical about the qualities of swamp water.
It's ready, it's cool...does anybody want to produce it?

Child of God (tentative title) 2011 .
Book & Lyrics by David Maddox and Music by David Maddox & Gabriel Bronfman.

LIFT: Icarus and me 2005 Commissioned by Theater of the First Amendment and the Clarice Smith Center (Uof MD). Premiered at George Mason University's Harris Theatre in January 2006 and transfered to the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Maryland in February 2006.

The Odyssey of Telémaca 2003 Commission from ChildsPlay in Tempe, AZ. Premiered at George Mason University's Concert Hall in June 2004. Musical inspired by the Odyssey. Original cast CD available.

Mississippi Pinocchio 2002 Commission from Theater of the First Amendment (with Mary Hall Surface). The Pinocchio story set in ca. 1900 Natchez, MS; 10 actors and 5-piece Dixieland Band (piano, clarinet/flute, trombone, bass, guitar/banjo). Published by Dramatic Publishing.

Perseus Bayou 2001 Commission from TFA. Musical telling (with M.H. Surface) of the Perseus myth, set in Louisiana; 10 actors and 5-piece Cajun band (accordion, fiddle, bass, guitar, piano). Original cast CD available. Published by Dramatic Publishing.

Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales 2000 Commission from TFA; Musical adaptation (by M.H. Surface and Maddox) of six Appalachian folk tales; 7 actors and 4-piece band (piano, fiddle, bass, guitar/banjo double). Original cast CD available. Published by Dramatic Publishing.

Journey to Taxila 1999 Music for string quartet, English Horn, and percussion; 14 minutes. Contact David Maddox for performance rights.

The Nightingale 1997 Kennedy Center commission, score to dance theatre adaptation of Anderson's story; orchestra, Erhu, hammer dulcimer, voice, 52 minutes. Contact Mary Hall Surface for performance rights information. (Can be performed either with orchestra or CD. Original cast CD available.

Available Light 2000 Commission from Signature Theatre; score for a play with music by Heather McDonald; string quartet, boy soprano, English Horn; 55 minutes. Play available for production. Contact Heather McDonald for performance rights.

Gandhara: East West Passages 1999 Kennedy Center commission to Moving Forward Asian American Dance Company, score to a modern ballet concerning Alexander the Great in Pakistan; chamber orchestra, soprano, sitar, tablas; 45 minutes. Music available for excerpted performance.

Steak! 1995 Commissioned by Consenting Adults Theater Co. Musical comedy about cattle-rustling vegetarians, 12 actors and 4 piece country band (piano, guitar, bass, drums). Contact Christi Stewart-Brown for performance information.