JANEK LEDECKÝ

music, book, original Czech lyrics

Janek Ledecký is one of the most popular pop stars in the Czech Republic. He first caught the attention of audiences as the front man of the rock band ZenTOUR. They released their first album, entitled Zentour 001, in 1987. In 1993, more than 100 000 copies of the album ZenTOUR 003 were sold /the population of Czechoslovakia was then 15 million/.
1992 he started to play and sing solo. His first solo album „Na ptaky jsme kratky” /„We are too short for birds”/ was so successful that he became a real show-biz megastar. His success was confirmed by many prestigious awards.
Český slavík /„Czech Nightingale”/ popularity contest – silver 1996, bronze 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Nomination for Grammy Award 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
Award from Bravo Silver Otto magazine second after Michael Jackson 1995
Award from Czech DJ’s Diskoslavík 1992, 1993
Award from Popcorn magazine Golden Microphone 1993
Second in the „TYTY” Tv poll favourite singer from the TV screen Award from Warner Bros. The best selling music video cassette – live concert 1994
His second album „Prave ted” /„Right Now”/ appeared in 1993, while he was simultaneously singing the main role in the musical „Pena dni” /„Foam of the Days”/ at the ABC Theatre in Prague. In May 1994 his second album went gold and in the autumn of the same year his third live album was released. That album also went gold, as did a concert video. The high point of 1994 was the last concert of his tour, when he played to a full house at Lucerna /most prestigous Prague´s concert hall/. He received a Platinum Disc for selling 50 000 albums /The population of the Czech Republic at the time was 10 million/. With producer Ivan Kral /Patti Smith Group, Iggy Pop/ he finished the album „Nektery veci jsou jenom jednou” /„Some things happen only once”/. Songs from this album filled the entire Top Ten and some are still there now. In February 1996 this album went gold. In 1996 Janek launched a new album called „Sliby se maj plnit o Vanocich a 9 dalsich” /„Promises to keep at Christmas and nine others”/. The album immediately went gold and the Lucerna concert aired by Czech TV broke all records – 62 % of viewers. In 1997 he received a Czech Grammy Award from Chris Rea.
In the summer of the same year he recorded a new album called „Mit kliku” /„To Have A Luck”/ and he signed a contract with BMG. He spent 1998 composing music for the musical Hamlet. The opening nights were on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of November 1999 in the new Kalich Theatre in Prague. Highlights album went gold three months after releas.
Janek is still in the media spotlight, touring with his band he gives interviews to all of the magazines, newspapers, TV channels and radio stations in the Czech and Slovak Republics. His last Christmas tour sold out more than 20 theaters in Czech and Slovak as well. The brand new ZenTOUR 007 album was released in 2013.
Encouraged by the amazing success of Hamlet, Janek Ledecký completed his new musical based on the life of the famous Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. The musical, entitled „Galileo”, was the most eagerly anticipated premiere of 2003 in Prague. It opened on 15th February 2003 and ran for more than 400 performances. The highlights album went gold as well as the last edition of Janek´s Christmas album. Janek´s Christmas songs became an essential part of the festive season in every single family. And the musical “Christmas Miracle” which is based on Janek´s most popular songs became a hit of the closing months of 2011. And it looks like it is going to reopen every December.
In 2014, Janek released the CD “Všichni dobří andělé” [All Good Angels], featuring unique duets that he has assembled over his career.
In 2015, Janek released a new album of his works entitled “Na konci duhy” [At the End of the Rainbow]. Janek recorded four songs including the first single “Já se vracím” [I Will Return] under the leadership of Greg Haver with first-class British musicians in Modern World Studios in England. Honza Ponocný and Janek's son Jonáš produced the rest of the album. The album became the greatest surprise of the season, reaching gold just two months after its release.
In February 2016, Janek became a celebrity judge in the Czech version of the show “Your Face Sounds Familiar” on TV Nova.

ROBERT JOHANSON

book, US version director

At home with musicals and the classics, directing over 200 professional productions, acting in over 100, a published playwright of a dozen plays – Robert served as Artistic Director of Paper Mill Playhouse, the State Theatre of New Jersey, for 20 years, where he directed the critically acclaimed FOLLIES, FUNNY GIRL, CHILDREN OF EDEN, SHOWBOAT /televised on PBS – Great Performances/, PIPPIN, FANNY, NINE, MACK AND MABEL, SAYONARA, AMADEUS, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, PHANTOM, MAME, MIKADO INC., THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, NAUGHTY MARIETTA, COMFORTABLE SHOES, his own adaptations of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, JANE EYRE, TALE OF TWO CITIES and WUTHERING HEIGHTS, starred in CANDIDE, PETER PAN, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, SECRET GARDEN, CAMELOT, ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT and UP, UP AND WAY – THE SONGS OF JIMMY WEBB. On Broadway he performed in SHENANDOAH and directed CANTERBURY TALES and Jackie Mason's LAUGHING ROOM ONLY.
At New York City Opera under Beverly Sills, he directed NEW MOON, MERRY WIDOW /both televised on PBS Great Performances and Live from Lincoln Center/, DESERT SONG, CINDERELLA and performed Tobias in SWEENEY TODD. His lavish WIZARD OF OZ played 3 seasons at Madison Square Garden and toured nationally with Roseanne, Mickey Rooney and Eartha Kitt. His extensive work in most of America's regional theatres have included productions of OTHELLO, GIGI, ANYTHING GOES, HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON, PIRATES OF PENZANCE, UNDER MILKWOOD, WINTER'S TALE, IMAGINARY INVALID and THE MISER. Other acting credits include Iago, Romeo, Prince Hal, Lear's Fool, Ariel, Octavius Caesar, Antipholus S., Apollodorus in CAESAR & CLEOPATRA, Cleante in THE MISER, Valere in TARTUFFE, Flute in MIDSUMMER, Finch in HOW TO SUCCEED and Bobby in COMPANY. His new musical adaptation of Art Linkletter's KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS and the Shakespearean revue MUCH ADO ABOUT WILL are now being performed around the world and most recently he directed the new shows: NEFERTITI at the Parker Playhouse; IT'S A FABULOUS LIFE at the Broward Center in Ft.Lauderdale; the Prague and Korean productions of HAMLET – the new rock opera by Janek Ledecky.
He's enjoyed directing such stars as Ann Miller, Anne Hathaway, Chita Rivera, Donna Mckechnie, Jose Ferrer, George Grizzard, George S. Irving, Maria Karnilova, Nancy Marchand, Kaye Ballard, Lilianne Montevecchi, Christine Ebersole, Kristin Chenowith, Laura Benanti, Scott Bakula, Malcolm Gets, John Cullum, Stephanie Mills, Tony Roberts, Eddie Bracken, Jean Stapleton and Jane Powell, as well as, working with writers Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Maury Yeston, Stephen Schwartz, Comden and Green, Charles Strouse, Arthur Kopit, James Goldman and choreographers Susan Stroman, Ann Reinking, Jerry Mitchell, Rob Ashford, Michael Lichtefeld and Rob Marshall.

MICHAL KOVALČÍK

music colaboration, arrangements, music director - guitarist, composer and producer

Born on 30th November 1965 in Bratislava. Graduated from FFUK Bratislava, musicology and aestethics. He played and recorded with many bands and singers ( Kobra, Metalinda , Johnnie Walker , Rumburax, Grexabat , Beata Dubasová , Katka Hasprová, Janek Ledecký, Peter Nagy etc.)
Since 1994 he has worked with a composer, singer and author Janek Ledecký, for 13 years as a band leader. He recorded and co-produced many recordings, including massive cooperation on musicals Hamlet, Galileo and Iago.
He composed music for various plays (Pikovy král, Black & White, Mala morska panna, Ezopove bajky etc.)
Along with two composers, Peter Mankovecký and Michal Ničík, he composed music for Peter Pan (Andrej Bagar's Theater).
He has also worked for many years with an awarded composer Michal Ničík (Novinski), recorded a lot of music for Czech and Slovak theaters (Písně na 22, Ohrožené druhy, Anna Karenina, Hra o Sv. Dorote , Ivanov, Shirley Valentine etc.), as well as music for TV commercials etc...
He has been working with theater Nova scena in Bratislava for many years, recording guitar parts for many plays and musicals (Hair, Ramayana, Mala morska panna, Cigani idu do neba, Wieza , Čajočky, Wizard of Oz ,etc..)
Since year 2000 he is a band leader of a famous singer and composer Peter Nagy, recording and playing concerts.
He lives in Bratislava, is married, has 3 children, 3 cats and a slightly skeptical worldview...

Martin Černý

During 1995–2000 Martin Černý studied scenic art at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts, Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre. After graduation he did not seek a permanent engagement but started a series of guest co-operations with different theatres, often with the same directors.
For the director Ivan Rajmont he designed numerous settings: for King Lear by Shakespeare performed in Yaroslavl, Russia, as well as settings for Faust byGoetheand Don Juan by Molière at Klicpera Theatre in Hradec Králové, for The School for Wives by Molière at Brno National Theatre, and also for many productions of National Theatre in Prague including The Moth by Dostoevsky, Oresteia by Aischylos, Crimp’s Countryside, Coriolanus by Shakespeare and a ballet show based on Karel Jaromír Erben´s fairy-tale, Goldilocks, with music by Vladimír Franz.
Martin Černý also designed settings for productions of Platonov is a Rascal! directed by Jiří Pokorný, The Floods directed by Alice Nellis and The Managers directed by Mária Záchenská for Na zábradlí Theatre in Prague, for F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec settings to musicals Malováno na skle / Painted on Glass and Donaha! / The Full Monty under the direction of Ján Ďurovčík, for Music Theatre Karlín Martin Černý designed sets to musical Limonádový Joe and to Brooks’ The Producers.
In 2007 he designed setting for Tchaikovsky´s The Swan Lake choreographed by Pavel Ďumbala and Hana Vláčilová, in 2008 setting for the ballet Phantom of the Opera by Petr Malásek and Libor Vaculík, and for Puccini´s opera La bohème directed by Ondřej Havelka, and in 2011 setting for Adam’s ballet Giselle directed and choreographed by Hana Vláčilová.
Since the 2013/14 season he became an Artistic Director of the National Theatre Workshops.