About the Author

Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo became synonymous with powerful and evocative storytelling through his poster designs. He designed poster art for the original Broadway productions of Disney’s The Lion King; Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George; Ira Levin’s Deathtrap; Stephen King’s Misery; and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap in London’s West End.

His ability to capture the essence of a Broadway show in a single image earned him the prestigious Drama Desk Special Award in 1987. Playbill dubbed him, “the theatre poster legend.” A collection of his work: Fraver by Design—Five Decades of Theatre Poster Art from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Beyond, was published in 2017.

Frank’s been a frequent guest speaker at such venues as The NY Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, The Drama Bookstop; BroadwayCon, Pratt Institute and Yale University

Inspired by his mother, an avid life-long reader, Frank has been a devoted fan of books—specifically murder mysteries. In 2020 he began writing his own mystery series using his career in theatrical advertising as inspiration. The products of that labor are the books of the Retro Broadway Murder Mystery Series.