Marcus Samuel Blitzstein, known as
Marc Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-
union musical
The Cradle Will Rock, directed by
Orson Welles, was shut down by the
Works Progress Administration. He is known for
The Cradle Will Rock and for his
Off-Broadway translation/adaptation of
The Threepenny Opera by
Bertolt Brecht and
Kurt Weill. His works also include the opera
Regina, an adaptation of
Lillian Hellman's play
The Little Foxes; the
Broadway musical Juno, based on
Seán O'Casey's play
Juno and the Paycock; and
No for an Answer. He completed translation/adaptations of Brecht's and Weill's musical play
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and of Brecht's play
Mother Courage and Her Children with music by
Paul Dessau. Blitzstein also composed music for films, such as
Surf and Seaweed (1931) and
The Spanish Earth (1937), and he contributed two songs to the original 1960 production of Hellman's play
Toys in the Attic.