Courtesy Pinterest.
I'm giving myself another 90 minutes to work with this week. ...
My Sister, My Sister, which opened at what is now the Hayes in 1974. Seret Scott scored the Drama Desk for her performance as Sue Belle, the protagonist in Ray Aranha's play. Concord Theatricals: "The early life cycle of a girl growing up with her sister (Jessie Saunders) and her mother (Barbara Montgomery) in a lower class black neighborhood, with scenes switching back and forth in time to show her both as she is now and as she was when a little girl." Evalina and Sue Belle both grow up too fast, becoming a prostitute and a pregnant teenager, respectively.
Barnum, which opened at the St. James in 1980. Three of 1980's few Tonys that didn't go to Evita included wins for Barnum's costumes, scenic design, and leading man. Jim Dale sang Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart's especially inviting and sometimes tongue-twisting songs alongside a cast including Glenn Close (as Chairy Barnum), Leonard John Crofoot (as Tom Thumb), Marianne Tatum (as Jenny Lind), and Terri White (as Joice Heth, the supposed world's oldest woman).
Courtesy YouTube.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which opened at the Music Box in 1987. This wasn't a long-runner (149 performances) and it went zero for seven at the Tonys. Nevertheless, it's got a place in the history books for Alan Rickman and Lindsay Duncan reprising their roles from the original Royal Shakepeare Company production. As the story goes, LLD's producers opted to close the show rather than have a name actress replace Duncan. That actress? Glenn Close. To be fair, this was just before Fatal Attraction was released.
Buried Child, which opened at what is now the Lena Horne in 1996. Another short-lived show (72 performances) that failed at the Tonys (in this case, zero for five). It's worth mentioning because it was Sam Shepard's first Broadway play in more than 25 years, and it was nominated as an original work rather than a revival despite having won the Pulitzer nearly 20 years earlier. Concord: "In a decaying farmhouse in rural Illinois, a family filled with suppressed violence and an unease born of deep-seated unhappiness confront their ghosts in this haunting examination of the disintegration of the American Dream."
Into the Woods, which was revived at the Broadhurst in 2002. This production scored the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, while its performers, including Laura Benanti as Cinderella and Vanessa Williams as the Witch, were also-rans.
Courtesy YouTube.
Notable May 7 openings include:
Macbeth, which opened at the now-demolished Astor Place Opera House, as well as the now-demolished Broadway, and the now-demolished Bowery, all in 1849. These three productions were overshadowed by the dramatic and deadly Astor Place Riot.
Can-Can, which opened at the Shubert in 1955. This was the show that put Gwen Verdon on the map, a Cole Porter musical featuring Michael Kidd's choreography. It's the story of a Monmartre dance hall that's under scrutiny by a judge (Peter Cookson) who ends up falling for the owner (Lilo, who wasn't thrilled about being overshadowed by Gwen). Meanwhile, one of the girls (Gwen) loves a sculptor (Hans Conried) but is being wooed by his critic (Erik Rhodes). Gwen and Michael both won Tonys, but Lilo did get to introduce two standards.
Courtesy YouTube.
Happy End, which opened at what is now the Al Hirschfeld in 1977. Yet again, I'm taking liberties in favor of a short-lived show. Well, so did the Tonys. Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill, and Elisabeth Hauptmann's 1929 musical, adapted by Michael Feingold, was considered a new show because it was new to Broadway. It's the story of a Salvation Army girl (Meryl Streep, who sang "Surabaya Johnny") and her lover, a possible murderous gangster (Christopher Lloyd). The 1977 cast also included Grayson Hall, who climaxed the show by calling for both sides to unite in favor of sticking it to the rich. It's not too surprising that Happy End lost at the Tonys and with audiences to more crowd-pleasing fare, like Annie.
Courtesy YouTube.
Home, which opened at what is now the James Earl Jones in 1980. Playwright Samm-Art Williams and leading man Charles Brown were Tony and Drama Desk nominees but ultimately also-rans. Home is about Cephus, who spends more than 20 years going from his family farm in North Carolina to jail for refusing to serve in Vietnam to the big, bad city, and then back on a farm with his true love (L. Scott Caldwell).
The Little Foxes, which opened at what is now the Al Hirschfeld in 1981. Another short-lived show, but in the history books for marking Elizabeth Taylor's Broadway debut. She lost the Tony to Jane Lapotaire for Piaf.
For the first clip, Elizabeth had lost Best Actress a few minutes earlier. For the second clip, jump to 12:00.
Notable May 14 openings include:
Flahooley, which opened at the Broadhurst in 1951. This short-lived Sammy Fain-E.Y. Harburg-Fred Saidy musical makes the list for marking the Broadway debuts of both Yma Sumac and Barbara Cook. Barbara, who played an innocent model in love with a doll designer, hung around Broadway. Yma, who played an Arabian princess, didn't. Anyway, the whole thing was an attempt at satire.
Courtesy YouTube.
New Girl in Town, which opened at what is now the Richard Rodgers in 1957. Gwen Verdon followed up Can-Can with her Tony-winning turn in Damn Yankees, and followed that one with a Tony-winning turn in this musicalization of Anna Christie. Gwen shared the lead actress in a musical honor with Thelma Ritter, who played Marthy (Marie Dressler's role in the Garbo movie). Gwen and Thelma were directed by George Abbott and choreographed by Bob Fosse, who was still a few years away from marrying Gwen. The score was by Bob Merrill.
Courtesy YouTube.
We're getting closer to caught up ... See you again soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment