Courtesy Playbill.
Today's Notable Opening Night is March 2, 1989, when Lend Me a Tenor opened at what is now the Bernard B. Jacobs.
Besides Deathtrap, notable shows to open on Feb. 26 include:
Mary Stuart, which opened in 1900 at the now-demolished Fifth Avenue. This was the Broadway premiere of Friedrich Schiller's play about the time leading up to Mary, Queen of Scots' execution. Mary Stuart has been on Broadway four times to date, including a 1971 production starring Salome Jens, with Nancy Marchand as Queen Elizabeth I, and Stuart Pankin as the Sheriff of Northampton. Oh, for a time machine!
The Green Pastures, which opened in 1930 at what is now the Lena Horne. Marc Connelly, adapting Roark Bradford's Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun, won the Pulitzer for this play about an elementary-age black girl's visualizations of the Old Testament. Bradford and Connelly were both white guys. It could be interesting to see a revised production of The Green Pastures, or a similar story, with more authenticity.
A Thurber Carnival, which opened in 1960 at what is now the August Wilson. A special Tony went to this Burgess Meredith-directed revue, featuring adaptations of James Thurber's work from the man himself. The cast included Peggy Cass, Tom Ewell, Paul Ford, Alice Ghostley, and John McGiver. During the run, Ewell was succeeded by Ford in the role of Walter Mitty.
The Deputy, which opened in 1964 at what is now the Lena Horne. Herman Shumlin both produced and directed this American premiere of Rolf Hochhuth's play criticizing Pope Pius XII for not taking action or speaking out against the Holocaust. Shumlin won the Tony for producing, but lost as a director to Mike Nichols for Barefoot in the Park. The Deputy itself wasn't nominated for Best Play, which went that year to Luther. The Deputy's cast included Jeremy Brett as a younger priest and Emlyn Williams as the pope.
Jerome Robbins' Broadway, which opened in 1989 at the Imperial. Ten Tony nominations and six wins -- including Best Musical, for Jason Alexander, Scott Wise, and Debbie Shapiro's performances, and for the man himself's direction (but not his choreography, which I guess wouldn't have been considered original) -- went to this revue. It ran through Sept. 1, 1990, closing the same day as The Heidi Chronicles.
Courtesy YouTube.
Fiddler on the Roof, which was revived in 2004 at the Minskoff. Speaking of Jerome Robbins ... This revival (six Tony nominations, no wins) was headlined by Alfred Molina, who was succeeded by Harvey Fierstein. During its nearly two-year run, the production had Randy Graff, Andrea Martin, Lori Wilner, and Rosie O'Donnell as Golde.
Courtesy YouTube.
Notable March 2 openings include:
Bus Stop, which opened in 1955 at the Music Box before closing on April 21, 1956, at the Winter Garden. William Inge was back with this play about eight people in a Kansas diner waiting for a snowstorm to let up. Inge, director Harold Clurman, and Elaine Stritch (as Grace, the diner's owner) were among the Tony nominees. The 1955-56 season included the original productions of The Diary of Anne Frank, Inherit the Wind, The Lark, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, whose actors were among those keeping Albert Salmi and Kim Stanley from Tony nominations for the roles of Bo and Cherie.
Bubbling Brown Sugar, which opened in 1976 at what is now the August Wilson. Three Tony nominations but no wins went to this musical saluting the Harlem Renaissance. In Bubbling Brown Sugar's defense, 1975-76 was the year of A Chorus Line, which beat the former for Best Musical, Best Choreography (Bob Avian and Michael Bennett over Billy Wilson) and Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Donna McKechnie over Vivian Reed).
Courtesy YouTube.
Lend Me a Tenor, which opened in 1989 at what is now the Bernard B. Jacobs. Philip Bosco and director Jerry Zaks scored Tonys for this Ken Ludwig farce, previously a West End hit. The assistant (Victor Garber) to a Cleveland opera company manager (Philip Bosco) learns that the show must go on ... even if he's the one going on. And as Othello, no less. (And we know what that means.) Philip and Victor's costars included Ron Holgate and Tovah Feldshuh. I've never seen the show; is it any good?
Courtesy YouTube.
Smokey Joe's Cafe, which opened in 1995 at what is now the August Wilson before closing there on Jan. 16, 2000. Seven Tony nominations and no wins -- including for Jerry Zaks' direction -- went to this revue saluting the songs of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The show did score the Grammy for musical theater albums.
Courtesy YouTube.
On Thursday, we'll go north.
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