Clark Gesner

Clark Gesner was born in 1938 in Augusta, Maine, later attending both high school and college in New Jersey. He attended Princeton University, and it was there that he began to write musical comedies. He found work after college writing and composing music for well known shows such as Captain Kangaroo and Sesame Street. It was around this same time that Gesner began to write a musical based on the famous “Peanuts'' characters. Though he began writing these songs in the beginning of the 1960s, he was unable to obtain the official rights from Schulz until 1966 and recorded the music shortly after. Genser turned this music into the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the next year. This show was ultimately a hit, spawning a series of revivals and national/international productions. Post Charlie Brown success, Gesner was never quite as lucky again. His next Broadway show, The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall only played 1 performance after a week of previews. Gesner would go on to compose four more Off-Broadway and Regional shows including, Animal Fair, The Bloomers, The Jello Is Always Red, and an untitled musical based on the character Betty Boop.