Lauren Kahane is a lyricist, librettist and producer who lives in Chicago and New York.
Lauren is a recognized book writer, lyricist and producer of musical theatre whose musicals include Mimosa (Flourish), The Girl Who Cried Different, Regretting Almost Everything, Bak Chang, For the Birds, The Quantification of Relative Human Insignificance, After They’ve Gone and Join the Club. She is the executive producer of the Regretting Almost Everything Concept album, as well as the live recording of Once Every Hundred Years, Williams Finn’s final song cycle written with composer Danny Ursetti, performed at 54 Below and released by Center Stage Records. Lauren produced all three presentations of Once Every Hundred Years, including the concert at 54 Below, and is lending her creative support to Danny as he explores further moving the piece forward. Lauren also co-produced both non-equity (Evanston, IL) and equity (Skokie IL) versions of Join the Club.
Lauren has a BA from Princeton, a JD from Harvard Law School, and an MFA in musical theatre writing from NYU-Tisch. She also has a Certificate of Completion in sketch writing from The Second City, Chicago.
When in Chicago, Lauren resides with her spouse of 40 years. Two of her three adult children, her three grandchildren (10, 7 and 4), her 94-year old mother, as well as her sister and various nieces and nephews live nearby.
Flourish
Book & Lyrics by Lauren Kahane
Music by Danny Ursetti
Mimosa is a plant with a special gift: she can dance! Mom begs her to stop. What if she’s seen by a human? Then along comes Molly, a lonely teenager. She catches sight of Mimosa dancing is so delighted by her that despite her Dad’s “no plant” rule, whisks her home. As their friendship buds, Mimosa learns something that could save both their imperiled communities — if only she and Molly could only learn to communicate.
Mimosa is a family-friendly story with a Pixar vibe and a catchy score about a plant and human whose friendship reminds us that plants are our companions, not commodities, and that by working together, plants and humans can restore our world, one garden at a time.
The Girl Who Cried Different
TABLE READ • JANUARY 2026 • NYC
Book and Lyrics by Lauren Kahane
Music by Tommy Barbarella
Lyrics by Mariella Elm
The Girl Who Cried Different
Former-Prince keyboardist Tommy gives up his rock star life-style to be around for his family. He takes a position at a Minneapolis music house writing jingles for big-time clients. But the ad industry changes, and suddenly Tommy’s a stay-at-home Dad, working his music gigs around his family’s schedule. He writes, arranges, produces, does session work, plays with the orchestra and at his church. The only thing he won’t do – CAN’T do if he’s to maintain his street cred – is have anything to do with musicals. But when his 13 year old daughter Mariella, who lives with a rare disability, begs him to write a musical with her, Tommy agrees, under the condition that it remain private.
Based on the true story of Tommy Barbarella and his daughter, Mariella Elm, The Girl Who Cried Different is the story of man forced to face his greatest fear to help heal his daughter, and in the process, heals himself.
After They’ve Gone
When Andy and Deena’s youngest son, Ryan, leaves for college, Deena collapses into a pile of dirty laundry. But when Andy’s business fails, Deena pulls herself together and together Andy and Deena open Frenchify, a place where women go to learn to pretend to be French. The business takes off, but, distracted by worry over Ryan, who has a long history of depression, Deena fails to pull her weight. It is only when Deena is compelled to run Frenchify on her own, and Andy is consequently forced to respond to the emotional demands of their children, that they come to appreciate the burden the other has carried, allowing both the business and their marriage to blossom.
Flourish
Mimosa is a plant with a special gift: she can dance! Mom begs her to stop. What if she’s seen by a human? Then along comes Molly, a lonely teenager. She catches sight of Mimosa dancing is so delighted by her that despite her Dad’s “no plant” rule, whisks her home. As their friendship buds, Mimosa learns something that could save both their imperiled communities — if only she and Molly could only learn to communicate.
Flourish is a family-friendly story with a Pixar vibe and a catchy score about a plant and human whose friendship reminds us that plants are our companions, not commodities, and that by working together, plants and humans can restore our world, one garden at a time.
Regretting Almost Everything
An intimate, two-person musical comedy about Love, Sex and Kids. It’s the story of Anne, a middle-aged woman who loves her husband and likes her job but wants — no, needs — more: more passion in her marriage and excitement in her life, and sets out on a quest to get it.
Too Pitchy to Pitch
UPCOMING
Executive Producer of the Cast Album of the William Finn-Danny Ursetti song cycle, Once Every Hundred Years. Release date September 18, 2026.
Workshop of Once Every Hundred Years in NYC in October 2026
Table read of The Girl Who Cried Different, winter 2026 / 2027
RECENTLY
Workshop of Flourish on June 13, 2026 at the Fingerlakes New Works Festival in Ithaca, New York
Produced Once Every Hundred Years: Song Cycle by William Finn & Danny Ursetti, which premiered on November 16 & 17, 2025 at Studio 54, 254 West 54th Street, NYC
Staged reading of The Girl Who Cried Different in NYC in January 2026
A workshop of The Girl Who Cried Different was presented as part of the first annual Fingerlakes New Works Festival in Ithaca, New York, on June 13, 2025.