Nell Benjamin

Nell Benjamin is a lyricist. writer, and composer, best known for her work in musical theatre. Born in New York City, she attended Harvard University, where she met her future husband, the composer Larry O'Keefe. Benjamin also holds a Masters degree in Women's Studies from the University of Dublin. Both she and her husband have worked as writers in television and film, but in 2000 they began to collaborate on a number of Off-Broadway musicals. In 2007, they scored their first Broadway hit with Legally Blonde and were Tony-nominated for Best Original Score. Benjamin scored another Broadway triumph when she wrote the lyrics to Mean Girls, the 2018 adaptation of the 2004 film. Benjamin's first full-length play, The Explorers Club, premiered Off-Broadway in 2013 and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play.