Broadway shows booklet

BEST OF

BROADWAY THE MUSICALS WICKED Mamma mia Sound of music Les miserables West side story Cats The phantom of the opera

Broadway

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Historical Background

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n 1811, the city planners of New York City began a massive building execution of the grid, which is now a major characteristic of Manhattan. Broadway, as we know it, was born.

All existing roads were redesigned according to this concept; only Broadway was spared. The theater district sits between the 41st and 53rd Street and between the Sixth and Ninth Avenues.

Numerous well-known musicals and their actors celebrated their first successes here before gaining great fame. The district comprises more than 40 theaters and numerous other venues beyond the actual street of Broadway.

The history of the district is almost as tragic as the many stories that have been listed throughout history. In the 1930s, Broadway experienced a major crisis that was largely due to the invention of films that had sound.

Behind Plays and Musicals, Broadway began as a leader in the retail sector. The commercial draw is what really sparked growth in the area. The retail venues that lined the street attracted affluent patrons and created a centralized cultural environment over time. It is because of the retail area that Broadway really took off in the early 1900s.

However, Broadway theaters were not always located in Manhattan. In fact, the history of

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musicals and New York City date back to 1750.

Thomas Kean and Walter Murray, actor-managers in the area, established a theater company that housed 280 residents.

The Revolutionary War abruptly stopped all productions and the theater did not open back up until 1798.

To finance further productions, operators had to rely on financial aid. After World War II ended, the Tony Awards were born in order to improve the quality of the performances by introducing the element of competition, and to attract a broader audience.

This nickname came about because Broadway was one of the first streets in the United States to be lit with electric lights.

The Theater District is home to 40 large professional theaters. Each of these theaters seats 500 or more people.

Broadway shows are one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City. In 2010, Broadway shows sold more than 1$ billion in tickets!

The longest-running musical in Broadway history are:The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les miserables, Mamma mia, Sound of music, Cats and West side story.

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WICKED

Plot W

Tracks

icked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz Act II is a musical produced by Universal Studios Act I 1. Overture.

13.No One Mourns the with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, based on Gregory Magu- 2. No One Mourns the Wicked.

14.Thank Goodness. ire’s first novel of The Wicked Years series, Wicked: Wicked.

3.

Dear Old Shiz.

15.The Wicked Witch of The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the 4. The Wizard and I.

the East.

West, published in 1995. It opened on broadway 5. What is this Feeling?

16.Wonderful.

October 30, 2003, and is the highest grossing mu6. Something Bad. 17.I’m Not That Girl. sical to date. It has led to productions in Chicago, 7. Dancing Through 18.As Long as You’re London. Los Angeles, Tokyo, Stuttgart, Melbourne, Life.

Mine.

San Francisco, Sydney, Oberhasen, and Osaka, as 8. Popular.

19.No Good Deed. well as two North American tours that have visited 9. Im Not That Girl.

20.March of the Witch over 30 cities. Wicked serves as a retelling of the 10. One Short Day. Hunters.

1939 MGM musical film, The Wizard of Oz, based 11. A Sentimental Man. 21.For Good. on L. Frank Baum’s first Oz book, The Wonderful 12. Defying Gravity.

22.Finale.

Wizard of Oz, published in 1900. It explains what happened before Dorothy Gale arrived in the Land of Oz and ignores the events of the 1939 films prequel, Oz the Great and Powerful, a 2013 film by Walt Disney Pictures.

The musical version of Wicked also ignores the sequels to Maguire’s other Wicked books, Son of a Witch (published in 2005), A Lion Among Men (published in 2008), and Out of Oz (published in 2011).

It spotlights on the journey of the witches of Oz. It’s plot starts before, and after Dorothy’s arrival from Kansas, and includes several references to the 1939 film, and the 1900 book. Wicked tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, The Good Witch of the North, they struggle with opposing personalites and view points, rivalry over the same love-interest, reaction to the Wizard’s corrupt government, and ultimately, Elphaba’s public fall from grace, to her decent into “beautiful wickedness”. While the 1939 film teaches people from Dorothy’s point of view that “there’s no place like home”, from the witches perspective, it teaches people what it is to be wicked, and whether good intentions with bad results are the same as bad intentions with bad results. According to Broadway.com, Wicked shifts from being the first or second most grossing in New York and is first in West End. Wicked has had 25 previews and 4544 as of September 28, 2014. Wicked has made a total of $868,505,846. A film adaptation of Wicked has been in talks since 2004 though producers have been waiting for a dip in the stage musical’s earnings. Since 2012, Universal Studios were reported to produce the film with Stephen Daldry and Winnie Holzman, who wrote the musical’s book, to pen the screenplay. in December 2012, Marc Platt announced that the film would “soon” be entering development stages, and following the success of Les Miserables (2012), it was expected to happen sooner rather then later. It was revealed in November 2014 that the film adaptation was going ahead and aiming for a release in 2016.

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Reviews The Broadway production opened on October 30, 2003, to mixed reviews from theatre critics.Menzel and Chenoweth received nearly unanimous praise for their performances as Elphaba and Glinda. Both USA Today and Time Magazine gave the Broadway production of Wicked very positive reviews. with Richard Zoglin of Time saying, “If every musical had a brain, a heart and the courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place.”Elysa Gardner of USA Today described it as “the most complete, and completely satisfying, new musical I’ve come across in a long time.”Conversely, Ben Brantley in the New York Times loved the production but panned the show itself, calling it a “sermon” that “so overplays its hand that it seriously dilutes its power,” with a “generic” score.

He noted that Glinda is such a showy role that the audience ends up rooting for her rather than the “surprisingly colorless” Elphaba, who is “nominally” the hero. Despite these mixed reviews, interest in Wicked spread quickly by word-ofmouth, leading to record-breaking success at the box office, as described below. Speaking to The Arizona Republic in 2006, Schwartz commented, “What can I say? Reviews are reviews.... I know we divided the critics. We didn’t divide the audience, and that’s what counts.”

Cast

Idina Menzel

Elphaba

Kristin Chenoweth

Glinda

Joel Grey

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Carole Shelley

Madame Morrible

Norbert Leo Butz

Fiyero

Michelle Federer

Nessarose

Christopher Fitzgerald

Boq

William Youmans

Doctor Dillamond

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MAMMA MIA! Plot S

ophia Sheridan is 20 years old and lives with her mother Donna on an idyllic Greek island. She is about to be married and wishes for only one thing: that her father walk her down the aisle and give her away. The only problem is that she doesn’t know who her father is and her mother won’t discuss it with her. After she finds her mom’s diary from the year she was born, she invites three men who could possibly be that man.

Sophie is convinced that she will know her father as soon as she sees him but soon realizes that she hasn’t a clue. Mayhem ensues when her mother is displeased and confused that the three are there, the men all think they’re the father and her fiancé Sky is getting fed up with the whole mess.

Tracks Act I 1.Overture.

2.Prologue.

3.Honey, Honey.

4.Money, Money, Money.

5.Thank You for the Music.

6.Mamma Mia. 7.Chiquitita.

8.Dancing Queen.

9.Lay All Your Love on Me.

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10.Super Trouper.

11.Gimme! Gimme!

Gimme!

12.The Name of the Game.

13.Voulez-Vous.

Act II 14.Entr’acte.

15.Under Attack.

16.One of Us. 17.S.O.S. 18.Does Your Mother Know.

Cast Donna

Louise Pitre

Rosie

Judy Kaye

Tanya

Karen Mason

Sam Carmichael

David W. Keeley

Bill Austin

Ken Marks

Harry Bright

Dean Nolen

Sophie

Tina Maddigan

Sky

Joe Machota

Reviews R

eview by Ben Brantley from The New York Times: Mamma Mia! is terrific fun.Review by Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly: Perhaps the single most ecstatic musical to open on Broadway since A Chorus Line. Mamma Mia! leaves you uplifted, enraptured and feeling like a number one! Review by Michael Kuchwara from Associated Press:Mamma Mia! is a mega-hit that has audiences dancing in the aisles. Review by Roma Torre from NY: This feel-good musical is a phenomenon! Audiences seeking escapist fun are returning night after night to relive the thrill! Review by Liz Smithfrom Syndicated Columnist:The most fun on Broadway! Audiences are going wild!

19.Knowing Me, Knowing You. 20.Our Last Summer.

21.Slipping Through My Fingers.

22.The Winner Takes It All. 23.Take a Chance on Me. 24.I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do. 25.I Have a Dream.

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The Sound of Music Plot M aria had longed to be a nun since she was a young girl, yet when she became old enough discovered that it wasnõt at all what she thought. Often in trouble and doing the wrong things, Maria is sent to the house of a retired naval captain, named Captain Von Trapp, to care for his children. Von Trapp was widowed several years before and was left to care for seven ãrowdyõ children. The children have run off countless governesses. Maria soon learns that all these children need is a little love to change their attitudes. Maria teaches the children to sing, and through her, music is brought back into the hearts and home of the Von Trapp family. Unknowingly, Maria and Captain Von Trapp are falling helplessly in love, except there are two problems, the Captain is engaged, and Maria is a postulant!

Reviews

M

ost reviews of the original Broadway production were favorable. Richard Watts, Jr. of the New York Post stated that the show had ìstrangely gentle charm that is wonderfully endearing. The Sound of Music strives for nothing in the way of smash effects, substituting instead a kind of gracious and unpretentious simplicity.î The New York World-Telegram and Sun pronounced The Sound of Music ìthe loveliest musical imaginable.

It places Rodgers and Hammerstein back in top form as melodist and lyricist. The Lindsay-Crouse dialogue is vibrant and amusing in a plot that rises to genuine excitement.îThe New York Journal Americanís review opined that The Sound of Music is ìthe most mature product of the team ... Act I 1.Preludiumî Nuns:The it seemed to me to be the full ripening of these two extraSound of Music. ordinary talentsî 2.Maria.

3.My Favorite Things.

4.Do-Re-Mi. 5.Sixteen Going on Theodore Bikel Captain Georg von Trapp Seventeen.

6.The Lonely Goatherd.

Mary Martin Maria Rainer 7.The Lonely Goatherd.

8.How Can Love Sur Marion Marlowe Elsa Schraeder vive.

Sheppard Kerman Max Detweiler 9.So Long, Farewell.

Tracks

Cast:main 8

Broadway

10.Morning Hymn.

11.Climb Evíry Mountain.

Act II 12. No Way to Stop It. 13.An Ordinary Couple.

14.Gaudeamus Domino.

15.Confitemini Domino 16.Edelweiss.

17.Finale Ultimo.

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Les Miséra

Plot B

ased on the classic novel, Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo, and the classic Broadway stage show of the same name, Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean, a prisoner who breaks parole, and the police inspector, Javert, who tries to hunt him down for breaking parole. Valjean tries to help a poor factory worker, Fantine, by saving her child, Cosette, from innkeepers who are holding her captive as a slave. Marius, a war veteran during the battles of post-French Revolution, falls for Cosette, but their lives change forever when the war turns more gruesome than expected.

Cast

Colm Wilkinson Terrence Mann Randy Graff Frances Ruffelle Leo Burmester Jennifer Butt

Reviews T

he Broadway production opened 12 March 1987 and ran until 18 May 2003, closing after 6,680 performances. It is the fifth longest-running Broadway show in history and was the second-longest at the time.The show was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

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Jean Valjean Javert Fantine Eponine Thénardier Madame Thénardier

ables Tracks

Act I 1.Prologue: Work Song.

2.Prologue: On Parole.

3.Prologue: Valjean Arreste, Valjean Forgivn.

4Prologue: What Have I Done?

5.At the End of the Day. 6.I Dreamed aDream.

7.Lovely Lades.

8Fantine’s Arrest.

9.The Runaway Cart.

10.Who Am I? / The Trial.

11.Fantine’s Death: Come to Me. 12.The Confrontation.

13.Castle on a Cloud.

14.Master of the House.

15.The Well Scene.

16.The Bargain / The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery.

17.Look Down.

18.The Robbery.

19.Javert’s Intervention.

20.Stars.

21.Éponine›s Errand.

22.ABC Café / Red and Black.

23.Do You Hear the People Sing?

24.Rue Plumet – In My Life.

25.A Heart Full of Love.

26.The Attack on the Rue Plumet.

27.One Day More.

Act II 28.Building the Barricade.

29.On My Own. 30.At the Barricade .

31.Javert’s Arrival.

32.Little People.

33.A Little Fall of Rain.

34Night of Anguish.

35.The First Attack.

36.Drink with Me. 37.Bring Him Home.

38.Dawn of Anguish.

39.The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche).

40.The Final Battle.

41.Dog Eats Dog (The Sewers).

42.Soliloquy ( Javert’s Suicide).

43.Turning.

44.Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.

45Every Day. 46.Valjean’s Confession.

47.Wedding Chorale.

48.Beggars at the Feast.

49.Valjean’s Death.

50Do You Hear The People Sing? (Reprise) / [Finale].

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Plot

W

est Side Story is the award-winning adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, «Romeo and Juliet». The feuding families become two warring New York City gangs- the white Jets led by Riff and the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by Bernardo. Their hatred escalates to a point where neither can coexist with any form of understanding. But when Riff›s best friend (and former Jet) Tony and Bernardo›s younger sister Maria meet at a dance, no one can do anything to stop their love. Maria and Tony begin meeting in secret, planning to run away. Then the Sharks and Jets plan a rumble under the highway - whoever wins gains control of the streets. Maria sends Tony to stop it, hoping it can end the violence. It goes terribly wrong, and before the lovers know what›s happened, tragedy strikes and doesn›t stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending.

WEST SIDE STORY 12 Broadway

Act 1 1.Prologue.

2. et Song.

3.Something›s Coming.

4.The Dance At The Gym. 5.Maria.

6.Balcony Scene.

7.America.

8.Cool.

9.One Hand, One Heart.

10.Tonight.

11.The Rumble.

Act 1i 12.I Feel Pretty.

13.Ballet Sequence.

14.Gee, Officer Krupke.

15.A Boy Like Tha. 16.Taunting Scene.

17. “Finale.

Reviews

Cast

Mickey Calin Larry Kert Carol Lawrence Ken Leroy Chita Rivera Art Smith

Tracks

Riff Tony Maria Bernardo Anita Doc

-reviews generally joined in speculation about how the new work would influence the course of musical theater.

Typical was John Chapman›s review in the New York Daily News on September 27, headed: «West Side Story a Splendid and Super-Modern Musical Drama».

-Time magazine found the dance and gang warfare more compelling than the love story and noted that the show’s “putting choreography foremost, may prove a milestone in musical-drama history.

CATS Cast

Tracks

Betty Buckley

Grizabella

Timothy Scott

Mistoffelees

Ken Ard

Macavity Plato Rumpus Cat Cassandra

Renéé e Ceballos Renée Clemente

Mungojerrie Coricopat

Plot

Act I 1.Overture.

2.Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats.

3.The Naming of Cats.

4.The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball.

5.The Old Gumbie Cat. 6.The Rum Tum Tugger.

7.Grizabella: The Glamour Cat. 8.Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town.

9.Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer.

10.Old Deuteronomy.

11.The Awful Battle of The Pekes and the Pollicles.

12.The Song of the Jellicles.

13.The Jellicle Ball.

14.Memory.

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he musical is based on T.S Elliot›s «Old Possum›s Book of Practical Cats» which is a book of poetry. Each musical number is the story of a different cat (and in many cases taken verbatim from T.S. Elliot). The show begins with all of the cats assembling together from all over. The purpose of this gathering is for «Old Deuteronomy» to choose the most deserving of cats to make the journey up to the «Heavy Side Lair». Only one cat can make this journey.So the show is a series of numbers with each cat making his or her case about why they should get to go up. It's long and dull and half way through the second act, you feel like poking out your eyes but the one song «Memory» has gone down in Broadway history as quite the ballad. It features Grizabella the glamour cat, who is an old and faded former beauty lamenting her old days. It is she who makes the journey at the end of the show.

Act I 15.The Moments Of Happiness.

16.Gus: The Theatre Cat. 17.Growltiger's Last Stand.

18.Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat. 19.Macavity: The Mystery Cat. 20.Macavity Fight.

21.Mr. Mistoffelees.

22.Jellicle Choice/Daylight.

23.The Journey to the Heaviside Layer.

24.Finale: The Ad-Dressing of Cats.

Reviews A

s of 2014, Cats is the third longest-running show in Broadway history, and was the longest running Broadway show in history from 2006-1997, surpassed by The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago. Cats is the fourth longest-running West End musical. It has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

In 1998, Cats was turned into a made-for-television film. The show is licenced for Regional/Amateur productions in the US, and for Schools productions in the UK.

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The PHANTOM of the OPERA Tracks Act I 1.A Rehearsal for Hannibal / "Think of Me (Introduction).

2.Think of M. 3.Angel of Music.

4.Little Lotte.../The Mirror....

5.The Phantom of the Opera.

6.The Music of the Night.

7.I Remember.../Stranger Than You Dreamt It. 8.Magical Lasso.

9.Notes...

10.Prima Donna.

11.Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh.

12.Why Have You Brought Us Here?/Raoul, I've Been There.

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Plot T

he story of a young chorus girl, Christine - a young talented singer who, with the right training, could become world famous. While rehearsing at the Opera Populaire, where weird and unexplainable things happen, she captures the attention and the heart of The Phantom, or as the Opera Populaire call him...The Opera Ghost. But he is no ghost - he is a disfigured musical genius who has hidden away for years to avoid the cruel stares of strangers. With the Phantoms help, Christine becomes the venue›s leading lady, but tragedy awaits as the young soprano has fallen for the charms of handsome noble Viscount Raoul De Chagny, not realizing her Angel of Music is deeply in love with her. Insane with jealousy and unable to see the object of his affection, and ultimately is obsession, in the arms of another man, The Phantom kidnaps Christine - unaware of the lengths Raoul is prepared to go to get her back.

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Reviews

fter 8,984 performances and with no end in sight, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1988 hit The Phantom of the Opera survives into a ripe age that makes it deservedly Broadway’s longest-running musical as well as an international favorite.

Cast Michael Crawford

The Phantom

Sarah Brightman

Christine Daae

Steve Barton

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny

John Savident

Monsieur Firmin

David Firth

Monsieur André

Rosemary Ashe

Carlotta Giudicelli

Mary Millar

Madame Giry

11.All I Ask of You. Act II 12. Entr’acte.

13.Masquerade/Why So Silent?

14.Notes...

15.We Have All Been Blind / Twisted Every Way. 16.Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.

17.Wandering Child.../Bravo, Monsieur...!

18.The Point of No Return.

19.Down Once More.../Track Down This Murderer..

20.Finale.

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Night On

2015

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