Benjamin Scheuer is an American songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2021 Kleban Prize for Lyrics. Benjamin gave over 500 performances of his solo musical THE LION across the United States and the UK. The Los Angeles Times said, of the show, “the vibe of casual, unrehearsed immediacy masks the narrative complexity of a novel or an opera.” THE LION won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance; a well as an off-West-End Award for Best New Musical. Filmed at the Geffen Playhouse, THE LION is available to watch on BroadwayHD.com

Scheuer’s album “Songs from THE LION” was released in 2016 (Warner/ADA), along with four music videos (directed by Bafta- & Emmy-winner Peter Baynton) which garnered prizes including Best Commissioned Film at the Annecy Film Festival, and two consecutive Public Choice for Best Music Video at the British Animation Awards.

In March 2020, Scheuer released the song “I Am Samantha,” about a transgender friend. The music-video, directed by transgender director T Cooper, features a cast of 27 people (including Samantha herself) all of whom are transgender. The song was the first release from a forthcoming album with Canvasback/Atlantic Records (US) & Parlophone (UK).

In February 2021, Scheuer released the song “Empty Stage,” co-produced with Grammy Award-winner Robin Baynton (Taylor Swift/Coldplay) and accompanied by “a dazzling short film--a dance lover's dream,” (Huffington Post) created with ballet-legend Carlos Acosta and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. In April 2021, New York City Ballet principal and Tony Award-winner Robbie Fairchild released his own dance film to the same song.

Scheuer is the author of two songs-turned-into-children’s-books: Hibernate With Me and Hundred Feet Tall, both illustrated by his wife, Jemima Williams, and published by Simon & Schuster. Hibernate With Me has been translated into German and French. Hundred Feet Tall has been translated into German, French, and Mandarin, and will be published in Welsh in autumn 2021. With photographer Riya Lerner, Scheuer is the co-creator of the photography book Between Two Spaces, which documents Scheuer’s 2011 treatment for advanced-stage cancer; proceeds from the book benefit the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, who nominated Scheuer as “Man of the Year” in 2018.

With playwright Melis Aker, Scheuer is adapting Hundred Feet Tall as a musical for children. With Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Star Catcher) Scheuer is writing a musical about Peter Roget, who wrote the eponymous Thesaurus. (Williamstown Theatre Festival commission.) Originally from New York, Scheuer lives in London with his wife and daughter.