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Let us entertain you with a variety of major musicals! Once you see and hear us, you'll be back for more!

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42nd Street - Spring 2012

Music by: HARRY WARREN

Lyrics by: AL DUBIN

Book by: MICHAEL STEWART & MARK BRAMBLE

Based on the Novel by BRADFORD ROPES

 

Brief History :

FORTY-SECOND STREET played for 3,486 performances on Broadway at the Winter Gardem, Majestic and St. James Theatres starring Tammy Grimes and Jerry Orbach. It was revived on Broadway in 2001 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts starring Michael Cumpsty and Christine Ebersole and is still playing as of this writing (2004).

Synopsis :

42nd STREET is a big, bold musical set in 1933, that celebrates the stuff that dreams are made of. The curtain rises on Andy Lee, the dance director who is auditioning kids for the chorus of 'Pretty Lady'-Audition. The show's writers, Bert and Maggie, are pleased with what they see on stage, but they warn the dancers that at $4.40 per seat, the audience will demand some spectacular dancing. While she has gathered up her courage for an hour at the stage door, young Peggy Sawyer has missed the audition. Billy, the romantic lead, tries to help her see the producer-Young and Healthy.

The producer, Julian Marsh, has no patience for latecomers and Peggy rushes off the stage. Meanwhile, Bert and Maggie try to encourage Julian about the show's prospects of success. He is worried about some of the cast, especially Dorothy Brock, the leading lady. Her last hit was ten years earlier, but her sugar daddy, Abner Dillon, is backing the show.

Just then Dorothy and Abner arrive. Dorothy gushes to Julian that she has "dreamed of the day when I might work with the King of Broadway." Nevertheless, the "king" will not be pushed around, and Julian suggests that Dorothy audition. Abner defends Dorothy and reminds Julian that Dorothy does not have to try out for anyone-Shadow Waltz.

Realizing that she has forgotten her purse, Peggy returns to the stage. Maggie invites her to lunch with three of the girls. The five dance off stage. As they settle in at the Gypsy Tea Kettle, the girls are amused by Peggy's naļvete. They follow with an amusing account of the Broadway facts of life, and dance back to the theater-Go into Your Dance. This number evolves into an audition for Peggy. When Julian walks in he is angry to see Peggy disrupting things again, but he is struck by her remarkable talent. He orders everyone back to work and tells Andy to hire Peggy for the chorus.

Dorothy and Billy begin their rehearsals. The love scene they are rushing through comes under the scrutiny of Abner. He objects to it and handshakes are substituted for kisses-You're Getting to be a Habit With Me.

Peggy, weak and overcome by an exciting day, faints on stage. She is carried to Dorothy's dressing room where Pat Denning, Dorothy's real boyfriend, is waiting. Dorothy walks in, and misreading what she sees, thinks that Pat is two-timing her. Julian suggests that Pat leave town.

Word arrives that the Atlantic City run of the show has been cancelled and that Philadelphia has been substituted. The company packs up for the Arch Street Theatre-Getting Out of Town.

Dress rehearsals begin in Philadelphia-Dames. Julian congratulates the kids on a number well done and sends the cast off to relax.

The cast is throwing a party and Peggy asks Julian if he is coming. Captivated by her charm, Julian decides to go. Dorothy, who misses Pat, has drunk a bit too much, and tells Abner to take his money and leave. Abner is ready to close the show, but the kids are able to talk him out of it.

'Pretty Lady' opens spectacularly with We're In the Money. Then Dorothy rushes onstage to lead the Act I finale. She is accidentally knocked down by Peggy and can't get up. A furious Julian fires Peggy and cancels the rest of the performance.

Act II opens with a doctor telling Julian that Dorothy's ankle is broken. Fear and panic spread through the cast. Julian says he will close 'Pretty Lady' for good, but the cast won't give up-Sunny Side to Every Situation. The cast thinks that Peggy can save the day. Julian finally agrees that Peggy might be able to take over for Dorothy. Peggy has already left for the train station and Julian rushes after her. Julian convinces Peggy to return-Lullabye of Broadway.

Peggy has exactly 36 hours to learn 25 pages, 6 songs and 10 dance numbers. As Julian says, by the next evening, he'll have either a live leading lady or a dead chorus girl!

At long last the Broadway curtain opens on 'Pretty Lady'-Shuffle Off to Buffalo. The show is a fabulous hit and Peggy Sawyer is a sudden sensation. Julian reprises the glory of "42ND STREET."


Guys and Dolls - Fall 2011

Music and Lyrics by: Frank Loesser

Book by: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows

Based on The Idyll of Sarah Brown and characters by Damon Runyon

 

Brief History :

The original production burst onto Broadway in 1950 and ran for 1,200 performances. A 1976 revival with an all-African-American cast including Robert Guillaume ran for 239 performances, and the colorful 1992 revival with Peter Gallagher and Faith Prince became the longest-running revival of a Broadway musical, running until January 1995 (almost longer than the original!) The film version starred Marlon Brando as Sky and Frank Sinatra as Nathan

Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, this oddball romantic comedy - considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy-soars with the spirit of Broadway as it introduces us to a cast of vivid characters who have become legends in the canon: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight "mission doll," out to reform the evildoers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by the fact she's been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiance, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game.

It won eight Tony Awards, including Best Music, Authors and Composer and Lyricist Frank Loesser. It also won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The film version had the highest box-office gross of 1955. The 1992 production won a Tony for Best Revival.

Synopsis :

It all begins with a bet. Nathan Detroit bets high-rolling gambler Sky Masterson that Sky cannot persuade Save-A-Soul Missionary Sister Sarah Brown to accompany him on a trip to Cuba. While the worldly Sky works his charms on a wary Sarah, Nathan is doing his best to stay outside the matrimonial clutches of his long-suffering fiancée, Miss Adelaide. "Guys and Dolls" is a fable about what happens to gambling men and the women who long to tame them. Set in the colorful world of New York City in the mid 20th century, the romantic and funny "Guys And Dolls" is populated with gangsters and gamblers, missionary dolls and scantily clad showgirls, and one the great musical scores in the history of American theatre.


The Drowsy Chaperone - Spring 2013

Music and Lyrics by: Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison

Book by: Bob Martin and Don McKellar

 

Brief History :

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE debuted in 1998 at The Rivoli in Toronto and opened on Broadway on 1 May 2006. The show won the Tony Award for Best Book and Best Score. It started as a spoof of old musicals written by friends for the wedding of Martin and his wife, Janet.

Synopsis :

Chaperone pays tribute to the Jazz-age shows of the 1920s and the power those shows held to transport us into a dazzling fantasy and to lift our spirits in times of sadness.

The audience is greeted by the narrator, Man in Chair, sitting on a darkened stage. He is a fan of vintage musicals who seems to be suffering from free-floating depression, and he quickly decides to cheer things up by playing a record of the original cast recording of a (fictional) Broadway musical entitled "The Drowsy Chaperone".

No sooner has the needle touched the record than we, together with the narrator, are transported to a 1928 Broadway theater and into "The Drowsy Chaperone", a play-within-a-play crammed full of every cliche, gag and gimmick from the golden age of musicals.

The estate of Mrs. Tottendale (a wealthy dowager) is the site of an imminent wedding between showgirl Janet Van De Graff to oil tycoon Robert Martin. We are introduced to a barrage of characters during an introductory opening number ("Fancy Dress"), including Mrs. Tottendale and her Underling (a proper butler), dashing bridegroom Robert Martin, harried and bumbling best man George, producer Feldzeig (a thinly-disguised homage to legendary Broadway producer Florenz Zeigfeld), ditsy would-be showgirl ingenue Kitty, a pair of Gangsters disguised as the pastry chefs, Latin Lothario Adolpho (a Rudolph Valentino-type), Janet's Drowsy (i.e. "tipsy") Chaperone (whom we understand is being played by a rather overbearing and potent grand dame of the theater), and Trix (a glamorous aviatrix a la Amelia Earhart). Throughout the show, Man in Chair will continue to comment and explain the action with asides to the audience.

Feldzeig is agonizing over the fact that his top meal ticket, Janet, is leaving showbiz to get married. The Gangsters, who are in the employ of one of Feldzeig's investors, pressure him to sabotage the wedding so that he can retain Janet's services as a performer.

Robert and George nervously prepare for the wedding ("Cold Feets"). George suggests that Robert blow off some steam by roller-skating. In order to prevent Robert from accidentally seeing the bride before the wedding, he also provides Robert with a blindfold.

Janet is lounging by a pool while fielding questions from reporters. Feldzeig arrives and attempts to convince her to reconsider the wedding, but she rebuffs him ("Show Off"). He enlists the help of latin lover Adolpho, convincing him to seduce Janet.

In her bedroom, Janet shares with her Chaperone her excitement about the upcoming nuptials. This prompts the Chaperone to perform a rousing anthem about alcoholism ("As We Stumble Along"), which is not particularly relevant to the plot. Man in Chair explains that this song was written into the show due to the demands of the actress playing the Drowsy Chaperone, who always insisted that a rousing anthem be included in every show in which she performed. After Janet departs to find Robert, Adolpho arrives and mistakes the Chaperone for Janet. The Chaperone quickly accepts his advances ("Adolpho").

Janet encounters Robert, who is roller-skating blind-folded in the garden. She puts on a bad French accent and he fails to recognize her. At her request, he tells this alleged "stranger" how he first fell in love with Janet and they relive the moment together ("Accident Waiting to Happen"). However, this results in a kiss, whereupon Janet gets angry and accuses Robert of having kissed "a strange French Girl on your wedding day!"

Meanwhile, Kitty fails to persuade Feldzeig that he doesn't need Janet anymore because he has her as a replacement. The Gangsters arrive, angry that Feldzeig has not yet ruined the wedding. He distracts them by convincing them that they have showbiz talent ("Toledo Surprise"). Aldolpho arrives to announce that the wedding is off because he has seduced the bride, but Feldzeig informs him that he has in fact seduced the Chaperone instead. However, Janet arrives to announce that the wedding is indeed off because Robert "kissed a French girl." Feldzeig is ecstatic, and leads the company in another rendition of "Toledo Surprise".

At this point, Man in Chair attempts to play the record of the Second Act of the show. However he mistakenly begins playing a song ("Message From a Nightingale") from a different musical entirely, causing the setting of the play to temporarily shift to an oriental palace, and all of the actors to assume new roles. Man in Chair hurriedly corrects his mistake and The Drowsy Chaperone resumes.

Janet laments the collapse of her romance with Robert ("Bride's Lament") and decides to continue her life as a star showgirl.

Mrs. Tottendale assures her Underling that the wedding preparations should continue regardless of the apparent disaster ("Love is Always Lovely"). She also makes it clear that she is in love with the Underling.

The Chaperone informs Janet that she intends to marry Adolpho. Mrs. Tottendale and the Underling announce that they plan to marry as well. Robert arrives and asks Janet to reconsider and marry him after all. She confesses that she was the French Girl he kissed and agrees that their wedding is back on. Feldzeig is saved from the Gangsters by virtue of his new leading lady, Kitty (who is also, he reveals, his fiance).

There is great rejoicing in anticipation of the multiple weddings ("Wedding Bells #2"). George has neglected to arrange for a Minister, but fortunately Trix the Aviatrix arrives and it is decided that since she is technically the "captain" of a "ship" of sorts, she can officiate the weddings ("I Do, I Do in the Sky") and fly the wedding party to Rio for the Honeymoon.

The show is abruptly cut short by a power failure in Man in Chair's apartment. As the Superintendent arrives to attend to the breakers, the Man explains his love for the show as an antidote to "the dreary horrors of the real world." The entire cast joins him onstage for the grand finale ("As We Stumble Along - Reprise").


Beauty And The Beast - Fall 2013

Music by: Alan Menken

Lyrics by: Howard Ashman and Tim Rice

Book by: Linda Woolverton

 

Brief History :

In 1991, the animated feature BEAUTY AND THE BEAST became the first "cartoon" to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Prompted by the unprecedented success of the film, and by critcs likening the music to that of a Broadway score, Disney executives began to develop a stage version with an eye toward the Great White Way. Of course, award-winning composer Alan Menken would write the new songs needed for the expanded story, but with the untimely death of his writing partner Howard Ashman, a new lyricist was needed. Tim Rice, who had already worked with Menken on additional material for the Aladdin film, was asked to contribute. In all, the pair wrote seven new songs. In addition, the song "Human Again," with lyrics by Ashman but cut from the film, would be restored for the stage.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST first premiered at Houston's Theater Under the Stars in December 1993. There were 40 performances in Texas before the show opened at Broadway's Palace Theater on April 18, 1994. The original cast included Susan Egan as Belle, Terrence Mann the Beast, and Tom Bosley of TV's Happy Days as Belle's father, Maurice. Disney's unmatched reputation for quality family entertainment was clearly in evidence, as the show broke box office records for single-day ticket sales. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was nominated for nine 1994 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

In 1999. Disney decided to move the show to the Lunt-Fontanne theater in order to make room for its production of AIDA at the Palace. BEAUTY was slightly scaled down, but lost none of its trademark Disney magic. In 2005, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST celebrated its 11th year on Broadway, and is currently the 6th longest running musical in Broadway history. Over the years, several prominent stars have assumed the role of Belle, including Andrea McArdle, Deborah Gibson, and Christy Carlson Romano. In 1998, when pop sensation Toni Braxton played the part, the song "A Change In Me" was added to the score and remains in the show.

To date, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST has been performed in 15 countries and 7 languages around the world.

Synopsis :

Beauty and the Beast is the stage adaptation of the animated Walt Disney 1991 film that tells the story of a strong-willed young woman, Belle, who breaks the spell that turned a handsome prince into a monstrous beast. Trying to save her beloved (but eccentric) father from the Beast's clutches, Belle agrees to become his prisoner forever. But once she is inside the Beast's enchanted castle, the members of his court -- who have been transformed into household objects like clocks and candlesticks -- decide to play matchmakers. As the Beast begins to fall in love with Belle, he becomes progressively less beastly. But the spell can be broken only if the Beast can get her to love him in return. And time is running out since the jealous Gaston, Belle's would-be suitor, leads a mob of villagers to attack the Beast's castle. Happily, the spell is broken and Belle and the Prince are united by play's end.


How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - Spring 2014

Book by  Abe Burrows and Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert

Music and Lyrics by  Frank Loesser

Brief History :

When Shepherd Mead's book How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying became a huge success, playwright Willie Gilbert and neurosurgeon Jack Weinstock wrote a dramatic adaptation in 1955. The play remained unproduced until 1960, when theatrical agent Abe Newborn brought it to the attention of Broadway producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, who thought the play could work as a musical. Feuer and Martin had had a huge success with GUYS AND DOLLS in 1950 and asked the authors of that show, Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser, to write the adaptation. Burrows and Loesser turned it into an hilariously cynical show, with songs as biting and satirical as the book from which they sprang (i.e. the closest "love song" is sung by the main character to himself).

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING rehearsals began in August, 1961, with Robert Morse (fresh from a Broadway success in Burrows' Say, Darling) as Finch, the ambitious window washer. Rounding out the principal cast were Charles Nelson Reilly as Bud Frump (the boss's equally ambitious nephew), Bonnie Scott as Rosemary, and 1920's/30's recording star Rudy Vallee as J.B. Biggley (the stuffy philandering company president). Burrows directed and Loesser co-produced. The choreography was credited to both Hugh Lambert and Bob Fosse. Although Fosse (already an experienced choreographer) contributed most of the big ensemble numbers, Lambert's contribution seems to have consisted of mainly the "TV Treasure Hunt" number.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING opened at the 46th Street Theatre on October 14, 1961 to almost unanimous raves from the critics. It ran a total of 1,417 performances, winning seven Tony Awards, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The West End HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING opened on March 28, 1963 at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Featuring a new London cast under Burrows' direction and Fosse's staging, it ran for 520 performances.

In 1967, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING was made into a film based on the musical. Released by United Artists, it featured many of the original cast recreating their roles.

Synopsis :

Power, sex, ambition, greed... it's just another day at the office.

From the authors of GUYS AND DOLLS comes one of the most delightfully irreverent musicals of all time. A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook called "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant "company man," the boss' whiny, nepotistic nephew, the office party, backstabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love.

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