Howard Ashman

Howard Ashman (1950-1991) is best known as a pivotal creative mind behind the Disney animation renaissance, with such films as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast (which is dedicated “to our friend, Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul”). Mr. Ashman’s first love was theatre; he was a founder of off-off-Broadway’s renowned WPA Theatre, where he conceived, wrote and directed God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, as well as the classic musical Little Shop of Horrors (both with music by Alan Menken). In 1986 he wrote and directed the Broadway musical Smile (music by Marvin Hamlisch). Lamented as a lost treasure of the 1980s theatre scene, Smile remains popular on high school and college campuses throughout the country. Howard Sings Ashman, a compilation of Mr. Ashman’s recorded demos, is available from PS Classics. In his short career, he received many awards, including The Outer Circle Critics Award, New York Drama Critics Circle and Drama Desk (Little Shop), two Oscars (Mermaid and Beauty), two Golden Globes (Mermaid and Beauty) and multiple Grammys. His papers are in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. Howard, a documentary about his life, was produced in 2018. Mr. Ashman died in 1991 of complications of AIDS. www.howardashman.com