He wrote the lyrics for the songs newly composed for the stage adaptation of Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008), replacing the animated film's original lyricist Howard Ashman, who died in 1991.[5] He also worked with Menken on the new musical version of Leap of Faith.[6]
Slater and his wife, Wendy Leigh Wilf, wrote the book, music and lyrics to a new musical Beatsville that received a production at the 2008 NAMT Festival of New Musicals, in New York. It is based on the 1959 Roger Corman film A Bucket of Blood.[7]
Adding to his career as a lyricist, Slater wrote the lyrics for the songs in Disney's 50th animated feature Tangled. In 2015 he worked again with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Broadway musical School of Rock and continued his working relationship with Alan Menken writing lyrics for the songs of Galavant on ABC.[9]
Slater attended the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop and was a resident writer with Musical Theatreworks.[3]
He was nominated for the 2008 Tony Award for Best Original Score for The Little Mermaid and received his second nomination for this award in 2011 for Sister Act.[11] He received his third nomination for this award in 2016 for School of Rock.[12]
↑Keller, Ilana. "Glenn Slater: The man behind the music", Asbury Park Press, April 7, 2016. Accessed August 4, 2017. "Thirty years ago, Glenn Slater wandered the halls of East Brunswick High School — these days, you'll find him at School of Rock.... 'I owe quite a bit of where I am to East Brunswick,' said Slater, whose Class of 1986 is holding its 30th reunion next week."
↑"NOMINATIONS / 2016". TONY AWARDS. 2016 / Original Musical Score: Tony Award ® Productions. Retrieved February 4, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
↑"The 83rd Academy Awards". ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
