Jump to content

Jeremy Sams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jeremy Sams
Born (1957-01-12) 12 January 1957 (age 69)
Croydon, London, England
Occupations
  • Writer
  • director
  • composer
  • translator
  • orchestrator
  • lyricist
Children1
Writing career
Notable workChitty Chitty Bang Bang

Jeremy Sams (born 12 January 1957) is a British theatre director, composer, and lyricist.[1]

Early life and education

[edit]

Born and raised in Croydon, London,[2] Sams is the son of the Shakespearean scholar and musicologist Eric Sams and his wife Enid (née Tidmarsh).[3][4] He was educated at the independent Whitgift School.[1]

Sams attended Magdalene College, Cambridge and initially read modern languages (French and German) before switching to music.[2] After Cambridge, he went on to train as a pianist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[5]

Career

[edit]

At the start of his career, Sam worked as a freelance pianist and coach, giving frequent recitals and tours and doing stints as a repetiteur at opera houses in Brussels and Ankara.[6] His first big break in theatre came about through working with Steven Pimlott in the early 1980s, when he was commissioned by Pimlott to write the music for his production of Ring Round the Moon at the Manchester Royal Exchange.[5]

Sams directed a revival of Michael Frayn's farce Noises Off, which he mounted in London's Royal National Theatre in 2000. This production then transferred to the West End, and then to Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in 2001.[7]

Among his other directing credits are the West End musicals Spend Spend Spend (1999), the story of Viv Nicholson, who squandered a fortune won in the British lottery, and a stage adaptation of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2002) for both of which he received Laurence Olivier Award nominations;[8][9] the 2002 Broadway production Amour, which he translated from the original French libretto by Didier Van Cauwelaert. His efforts earned him two Tony Award[10] and two Drama Desk Award[11] nominations. His directing credits also include Jason Carr and Gary Yershon's musical of The Water Babies at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2003. He directed the Jason Robert Brown Broadway musical13 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, on Broadway.[12] He has also written and directed the stage adaptation of The Good Life based on the BBC TV sitcom which toured the UK in autumn 2021.[13] He directed a stage adaptation of The Lavender Hill Mob based on the 1951 Ealing comedy film which began touring in autumn 2022.[14]

Sams' many translations include plays by Botho Strauß; Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Puccini's La Boheme, and Wagner's The Ring Cycle for ENO; The Merry Widow for Covent Garden; Les Parents terribles, The Miser and Mary Stuart for the Royal National Theatre; The Threepenny Opera for the Donmar Warehouse; and What's in a Name? for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Sams' composing credits include the 1995 BBC film adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, for which he won the British Academy Television Craft Awards for Best Original Music.[15] Other scores include The Mother (2003) and Enduring Love (2004).

Sams has written, arranged, and directed music for some 50 theatre productions, including The Wind in the Willows and Arcadia (Royal National Theatre) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Royal Shakespeare Company).[16]

Honours

[edit]

In 2013, Sams was awarded an honorary degree by Birmingham City University[6][17] and was appointed as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.[18]

Personal life

[edit]

Sams has one child with his former partner, actress Maria Friedman.[19][20]

Works

[edit]

Published play texts

[edit]
Year Title Publisher Note
1990 Macbeth John Calder Translation of the libretto from Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth
1991 Don Juan on Trial Dramatic Publishing Translation of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's play
1994 Les Parents terribles Nick Hern Books Translation of Jean Cocteau's play
1995 Wild Oats Nick Hern Books Adaptation of John O'Keefe's play
1996 Mary Stuart Nick Hern Books Translation of Friedrich Schiller's play
1997 Anouilh Plays: 2 Methuen Drama Includes Sams' translation of Jean Anouilh's The Rehearsal and Becket
2002 Antigone Samuel French, Inc. Translation of Anouilh's play
2005 Scapino Nick Hern Books Translation of Molière's play
2005 Botho Strauss: Three Plays Oberon Books Translation of The Park, Seven Doors, and The Room by Botho Strauss
2021 The Good Life Nick Hern Books Adapted from the TV series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Awards and nominations received by Jeremy Sams
Year Awards Ceremony Category Nominated work(s) Result Note/Refs
1995 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Revival of a Play or Comedy Les Parents terribles Nominated Nominated as translator of the play[21]
Best Musical Revival The Threepenny Opera Nominated Nominated as translator of the lyrics[21]
1996 British Academy Television Awards Best Original Music Persuasion Won [15]
2000 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Director Spend Spend Spend Nominated [8]
2002 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Direction of a Play Noises Off Nominated [22]
2003 Laurence Olivier Awards Best New Musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Nominated Joint nomination with Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman[9]
Tony Awards Best Book of a Musical Amour Nominated Joint nomination with Didier van Cauwelaert[10]
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre Nominated Joint nomination with Michel Legrand and Didier van Cauwelaert[10]
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Book of a Musical Nominated Joint nomination with Didier van Cauwelaert[11]
Outstanding Lyrics Nominated
2005 Ivor Novello Awards Best Original Film Score Enduring Love Won [23][24]
2007 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Revival Donkey's Years Nominated Director of the revival[25]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Winter, Laura, ed. (2009). "Sams, Jeremy Charles". Debrett's People of Today (2010 ed.). Debrett's Limited. p. 1496. ISBN 978-1-870520-42-3.
  2. 1 2 Lee, Anthony (8 May 1994). "Constantly asked to play it again, Sams - Jeremy Sams is directing Alan Bennett in Leeds, has a play translation at the Lyttleton and his music at the Olivier. Anthony Lee meets a master of many trades". The Observer. p. 8. Full access available to users of The Wikipedia Library.
  3. ↑ Greenfield, Edward (22 September 2004). "Eric Sams". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Fox, Christopher (7 October 2016). "From Schubert to Sinatra: why the song cycle speaks to the heart". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2026. Sams is the ideal choice. Not only is he a composer and writer, he is also the son of Eric Sams, the great scholar of the German lieder tradition that grew out of Schubert's work.
  5. 1 2 "20 Questions With… Jeremy Sams". WhatsOnStage.com. 28 September 2003. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 "British theatre director and composer to be honoured at University awards ceremony". Birmingham City University. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "New York Times Noises Off Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 December 2006.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. 1 2 "Olivier Awards 2000". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Olivier Awards 2003". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "2003 Tony Award Winners". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 "2003 Awards – Drama Desk". www.dramadesk.org. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Playbill Celebrity Buzz:Schedule of Upcoming Broadway Shows". Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  13. ↑ Logan, Brian (15 October 2021). "The Good Life review – self-sufficiency sitcom loses the plot on stage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Wiegand, Chris (19 October 2022). "The Lavender Hill Mob review – Ealing's golden comedy loses its lustre". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  15. 1 2 "TV Craft Awards - 1996 Results". Bafta. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Sams, Jeremy Charles". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2025. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U33769. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  17. ↑ Keogh, Kat (11 February 2013). "Thousands of Birmingham City University students set to graduate". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Honours". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Dickson-Purdy, Jen (10 December 2008). "Interview: Maria Friedman". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Rank, Julia (18 June 2026). "Learn about Maria Friedman's career ahead of 'Kimberly Akimbo'". London Theatre. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Olivier Awards 1995". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "Outer Critics Circle Awards Ceremony May 23 Features Huffman, Oscar and Luckinbill". Playbill. 23 May 2002. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "IVOR NOVELLO NOMINATIONS REVEALED". NME. 11 April 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Archive - The Ivors 2005". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Olivier Awards 2007". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeremy_Sams&oldid=1366677451"