Jeff Marx

Jeff Marx is an American composer and lyricist born on September 10, 1970, in Hollywood, Florida, where he was raised in a Jewish family. He attended Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale before enrolling at the University of Michigan, where he participated in the Men's Glee Club. Marx subsequently earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and passed the New York State Bar examination, becoming a member of the New York State Bar Association, though he does not practice law.

Rather than pursuing a legal career, Marx enrolled in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop with the intention of connecting with potential clients in the entertainment industry. It was there that he met fellow student Robert Lopez, a partnership that would define his career. Their early collaboration produced a spec Muppet movie script, Kermit, Prince of Denmark, a loose adaptation of Hamlet, which earned them a share of the $150,000 Kleban Award as part of a tie.

Marx and Lopez went on to develop the original concept for Avenue Q and together wrote all 21 of the show's songs. The musical ran more than six years on Broadway before transferring Off-Broadway, where it continued for an additional nine years, closing on April 28, 2019, while international productions have continued beyond that date. Avenue Q won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Marx and Lopez received a separate 2004 Tony Award for Best Original Score. The show's original cast album, released on the RCA Victor label, received a Grammy Award nomination. Marx and his parents appear in the documentary film ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway, which tracked four Tony-nominated productions from 2004, including Avenue Q, Wicked, Taboo, and Caroline, or Change. Marx also contributed audio commentary for the documentary's DVD release alongside filmmaker Dori Berinstein and actor Alan Cumming.

Marx was among the original collaborators on The Book of Mormon, working alongside Lopez and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone on the 2011 Broadway musical. He departed the project before its premiere, and in a 2016 interview with Broadway Journal confirmed that a deal was reached upon his exit.

Beyond Broadway, Marx and Lopez collaborated with Debra Fordham on four songs for a musical episode of the NBC sitcom Scrubs, which aired on January 18, 2007. Their song "Everything Comes Down to Poo" from that episode received an Emmy Award nomination. Marx appeared in the episode himself, dancing in the background as a pharmacist during the number "We're Gonna Miss You Carla." Lopez and Marx also wrote songs for the Disney Channel series Bear in the Big Blue House and The Book of Pooh, as well as touring stage productions for the children's theater company Theaterworks/USA. Marx additionally co-wrote the theme song for the Logo Network animated series Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World and contributed additional songs to that show.

On December 13, 2008, Marx debuted a new song titled "White Kwanzaa" on the CNN program D.L. Hughley Breaks the News. He later collaborated with Mervyn Warren on "You Have More Friends Than You Know" for the It Gets Better organization, a song that was featured on the television series Glee on April 18, 2013. Marx made his own recording of the song available for download, directing a portion of proceeds to The Trevor Project, and also released a karaoke version to encourage wider participation. In 2015, a stage musical called Home Street Home, co-written by Marx with Fat Mike of the punk band NOFX and activist Soma Snakeoil, had its premiere in San Francisco.

Marx has also authored the book How To Win A High School Election.