Biography of Daniel Abineri

In 1986 Daniel wrote the book, music and lyrics for his first musical Bad Boy Johnny and The Prophets Of Doom. This rock'n'roll religious extravaganza, which Daniel also directed, premiered in Melbourne in 1989 and featured a young Russell Crowe in the title role. Daniel had discovered Russell some years earlier when he had given him his first professional acting role in a NZ tour of 'Rocky Horror'. 'Bad Boy Johnny' enjoyed a six month run in Melbourne and Sydney, won two International Pater Awards" for best libretto and score, and spawned a cast album on WEA records and a top ten single in Melbourne. Returning to the UK in '93 Daniel remounted Bad Boy Johnny at The Union Chapel in Islington - the production became a cause celebre in 1994 and made front page news when a collection of irate nuns, Opus Dei, and the Church Council of Great Britain complained that it was 'offensive and blasphemous'. After a spate of death threats the production was closed after just ten performances. Recently Daniel has focused on writing and directing and he has also produced and directed for television, including his critically acclaimed and high rating 1997 documentary One Hit Wonders for the BBC (which spawned trend for nostalgia led pop programmes), his 1999 study of androgyny and theatricality in pop, Walk On The Wild Side for Granada Television, which aired on the ITV Network in1999, and the documentary Murder & Celebrity for UKtv in 2004.