THE CREATIVE TEAM
PASCAL OBISPO
Music Composer
KAMEL
OUALI
Original
Choreographer
Lyricist
PATRICE GUIRAO
Lyricist
ELIE CHOURAQUI
Book
DAVID SERERO
English Adaptation
&
Producer
LIONEL FLORENCE
PASCAL OBISPO
Pascal Obispo is one of the most successful singer/songwriters in the genre of French pop, who released numerous commercial blockbuster albums, scored Top Ten hit singles with regularity, embarked on multiple sold-out concert tours, wrote songs for a musical of his own creation, and collaborated with a long list of French pop stars. The lead single of The Ten Commandments, "L'envie d'aimer," was also recorded in English by Celine Dion.
LIONEL FLORENCE
Alongside studying Visual Arts in Paris, Lionel Florence writes and composes his own songs. However, it was his meeting with Pascal Obispo that would confirm him as the lyricist of many successes for the singer (Lucie, Fan, Mourir Demain...) as well as the most beautiful songs of Florent Pagny (Savoir aimer, Chanter, Et un jour une femme, Ma liberté de penser..).
Other composers such as Calogéro, Christophe Maé or David Hallyday called on him for their albums (Yalla, On s'attache, Tu ne m'as pas laissé le temps...) and for other artists like Patrick Fiori, Johnny Hallyday, Jennifer (Que tu reviennes, Vivre pour le meilleur, Donne-moi le temps...).
In 2000, with his writing "brother" Patrice Guirao, the duo will create the musical "The Ten Commandments" in the French language in Paris and confirm their collaboration with other successful shows.
In 2009, Lionel Florence received the Sacem Grand Prix.
PATRICE GUIRAO
Patrice Guirao is a French lyricist and novelist. As a Polymorphic author, he offers his pen to the song, the stage, the novel, and the cinema.
He is a successful author of crime novels, and several of his stories have been adapted for television.
As a renowned lyricist, he puts his talent at the service of the most outstanding French performers of all generations. From Sacha Distel to Pascal Obispo, Calogero or Pagny via Johnny Halliday, Céline Dion, Placido Domingo, David Linx or Lionel Richie and many more.
For more than 20 years, Patrice Guirao has also shared his writing with Lionel Florence to write resoundingly successful musicals. "The Ten Commandments," "The Sun King," "Cleopatra," the musical film "Alive," "Mozart, The Opera Rock," "Robin Hood," "The Three Musketeers," and "Bernadette Soubirous."
ELIE CHOURAQUI
Elie Chouraqui is a French filmmaker born in 1950. Among others, he is known for the films "Ô Jerusalem," "Harrison's Flower," starring Andie MacDowell, Adrien Brody, Gerard Butler, Brendan Gleeson; "Man on Fire" with Joe Pesci, Scott Glenn, Jonathan Price. And several French film classics starring the most iconic French actors such as Jean-Hughes Anglade, Christophe Lambert, Richard Anconina, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and many more.
DAVID SERERO
David Serero is a critically acclaimed and awards-winner opera singer, actor, director, and producer. He has performed more than 2,500 performances in more than 45 countries, directed and produced nearly 100 theatrical productions, starred in over 100 films and TV series, recorded and produced over 100 albums and, played more than 50 lead and title roles (in several languages) from the opera, theatre, and musical repertoire. In New York, he starred Off-Broadway in iconic roles such as Shylock, Cyrano, Othello, Barabas, Yiddish King Lear, Don Giovanni, Figaro, Romeo, Nabucco, as well as new works such as Napoleon by Kubrick, Queen Esther, Anne Frank a Musical, among others. In his native Paris, he also starred as Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha) and Happy Mac (Beggar's Holiday by Duke Ellington). He entered the prestigious Who's Who America for demonstrating outstanding achievements in the entertainment world and for the betterment of contemporary society. In 2019, he received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, the Morocco Day Distinguished Achievement Award, the Trophy of the Culture of Morocco, and was named among the fifteen most influential Moroccans worldwide by Morocco's airline Royal Air Maroc. David is a member of the Recording Academy and the Television Academy and a voting member of both the Grammys and Emmys. In 2020, David Serero received the UNESCO Award for Diversity in Paris and became an Honorary Member of the United Nations of Arts and Science. In 2021, he won 4 BroadwayWorld Awards for Best Performer of the decade, Best Producer of a Musical of the decade, Best Producer of a Play of the decade, Best Opera singer of the Year. He was awarded the Certificate of Recognition by the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, for his contribution to the City's dynamic cultural landscape, enriching the vibrant performing arts sector, and uplifted and inspired diverse New Yorkers. www.davidserero.com
KAMEL OUALI
Kamel Ouali was born in Paris. He is from an Algerian Kabyle family of twelve children. In 1989, he was spotted by Angela Lorente of TF1 and by Cédric Naimi. He appeared in 1989 in JOKER Promotion and in "French Kiss" (Happy Music/Sony) and in 1990 joined the Latino Party group accompanying Sylvie Vartan in her shows at Palais des Sports in Paris in January and February 1991. Kamel Ouali also appeared on very high-profile music videos, notably in Cheb Khaled's "Chebba" (1993) and in Takfarina's hit "Zaama Zaama”. He is a dance teacher at the Dance Academy of Paris and at the Conservatories of La Courneuve and Saint-Denis. He took part in some French musicals like Les Dix Commandements (French 2000 production of The Ten Commandments) as choreographer of the show and in Autant en Emporte le Vent (French Gerard Presgurvic 2003 adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind) with staging and choreography by Ouali. In September 2005 he created his own debut musical, produced by Dove Attia and Albert Cohen, Le Roi Soleil (The Sun King). The same year, he was the choreographer of Dances with Robots for the French theme park Futuroscope. The show opened on 5 April 2006. In 2009 he worked on the musical Cléopâtre, la dernière reine d'Égypte (Cleopatra, Last Queen of Egypt) with the lead role with Sofia Essaïdi. The same year, he choreographed Pastorale that played at Théâtre du Châtelet, an opera featuring the vocals of Star Academy and Nouvelle Star.
His own second musical comedy was the dance-oriented Dracula – L'amour plus fort que la mort that ran from 30 September 2011 to January 1, 2012, at Palais des Sports de Paris with a free adaptation of a book by Bram Stoker. It was considered a first as it portrayed the two lead characters Dracula and Mina in non-singing and uniquely dancing roles. In 2019, he is the choreographer of Paradis Latin's new revue, "L'Oiseau Paradis" with Iris Mittenaere, Miss Universe 2016 as the revue's vedette (cabaret). In 2001 he started to work as a dance teacher on the French TV show Star Academy, which gained him great popularity among teenagers and young adults. He continued with the show until 2008. In 2004, he choreographed two Eurovision Song Contests, the French song "À chaque pas" that was performed by Jonatan Cerrada, and the Russian song "Believe Me" performed by Yulia Savicheva. In July 2009, he was the artistic director, choreographer, and producer of the opening ceremonies of the 2nd Pan African Festival that was held in the Algerian capital of Algiers.