Burrows, Abe (1910-1985), was a successful American playwright and director on Broadway. He shared the 1951 Tony Award for best author of a musical for Guys and Dolls (1950). Burrows shared the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for drama as co-author of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961), which he also directed.
Burrows was born in New York City. His real name was Abram Solman Borowitz. He began his show-business career as a radio writer and radio talk show personality in Hollywood and New York City. Burrows’s success in Guys and Dolls led to assignments writing the stories or lyrics for several musicals during the next 10 years, including Can-Can (which he also directed, 1953), Silk Stockings (1955), and Say, Darling (which he also directed, 1958).
Burrows adapted and directed a French comedy into the Broadway hit Cactus Flower (1965). He was also in demand as a “play doctor,” a writer who helps improve shows during rehearsal. James Burrows, his son, is a popular television and stage director.
