The versatile Australian actor won the 2004 Tony Award for his portrayal of Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. In the musical, Jackman’s first on Broadway, the actor sang in 20 of the show’s 27 musical numbers. Previous musical theater credits include Curly in the 1999 National Theatre (London) revival of Oklahoma!
Resonant baritone who played Vittorio Vidal in the 1986 revival of Sweet Charity and was a replacement Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera in 1991 before appearing as Gaylord Ravenal in the high-profile 1994 Hal Prince revival of Show Boat. Subsequent roles include Father in Ragtime (1998), the Padre in the 2002 revival of Man of La Mancha, and Judge Turpin in the 2005 John Doyle revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
(31 October 1957, Imperial, 558 performances.) Music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, book by Harburg and Fred Saidy, choreography by Jack Cole, produced by David Merrick. An original musical comedy that featured Lena Horne, Jamaica was a colorful show that ran for 17 months. Horne played Savannah, a resident of Pigeon’s Island, off the coast of Jamaica. Her love interest is Koli (Ricardo Montalban), but Savannah wants to leave the island. When Joe Nashua (Joe Adams) comes to the island on business, Savannah plays up to him in hopes that he will take her with him back to New York. However, after Koli saves Savannah’s younger brother during a hurricane, Savannah marries him and gets to New York only in a dream ballet. Horne was involved in over half of the musical numbers, backed by a strong cast and high production values. Brooks Atkinson, writing in the New York Times, recognized that the creators of Jamaica only wished to entertain and assembled “an unpretentious show.” He called Horne “a handsome young lady with delicate features, elegant manners and a wonderful glow, to say nothing of a rich singing voice.” No songs from Jamaica became famous outside of the show, but Horne sang two fine satirical numbers—“Push De Button” (about mechanized society) and “Napoleon” (on the commercial exploitation of famous names)—and there were other highlights that brought a calypso sensibility to Arlen’s usual fine craftsmanship.
(28 April 1997, Plymouth, 1,543 performances.) Music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics and book by Leslie Bricusse. Based on the famous novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, the creators of Jekyll and Hyde helped guarantee the show’s Broadway success by a long tour and two recordings of the score before its New York premiere. Jekyll and Hyde had a cult following, making it safe from reviewers, who generally panned it. Robert Cuccioli played the two title characters, showing the differences between the good doctor and evil madman with, among other things, a neat ponytail and wild hair. Jekyll’s wealthy fiancée, Emma (Christiane Noll), contrasted strongly with the prostitute Lucy (Linda Eder), for whom Jekyll also develops feelings. Hyde kills Lucy, however, one of a number of people that he murders in the second act. Ben Brantley, writing for the New York Times, echoed the typical critical reception for Jekyll and Hyde. He made fun of Cuccioli’s hairstyles, suggesting a Tony Award for best use of hair in a musical. Brantley called the book repetitious and similar to what one sees on a late horror movie and was especially cruel toward the music, which he compared to horror film scores. Jekyll’s major song was “This Is the Moment,” and Eder sang “A New Life” and “Someone Like You” to rapturous audience appreciation.
(26 April 1992, Virginia, 569 performances.) Music by Jelly Roll Morton, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, written and directed by George C. Wolfe, musical adaptation and additional music composed by Luther Henderson. A musical based on the life and work of early jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly’s Last Jam featured Gregory Hines in the title role. The show opens in a nightclub between heaven and hell: it is Morton’s last day on earth, and Chimney Man (Keith David), a figure representing death, explores his past. It is a frank portrait of an unkind man, but Hines is appealing and made Morton somewhat sympathetic. The production was full of innovative treatments, such as when Morton starts an affair with Anita (Tonya Pinkins), a brash nightclub owner. Their first night of passion occurs as the “Hunnies,” a Greek chorus of three females, comments on the action while onstage with the lovers. Most of the music was based on Morton’s compositions through careful arrangements by Luther Henderson and with Susan Birkenhead’s lyrics. Critical response to Jelly’s Last Jam was mixed; Frank Rich, writing in the New York Times, was among the kinder critics, calling the show, especially act 1, “an attempt to remake the Broadway musical in a mythic, African-American image.”
(26 February 1989, Imperial, 633 performances.) Music and lyrics by many writers and composers, choreographed and directed by Jerome Robbins. A jukebox musical consisting of dances taken from throughout Robbins’s Broadway career, this production was a substantial hit. The expense of mounting it, however, caused the backers to lose half of their $8 million investment, even after its 18-month run. The show included 15 numbers drawn from On the Town, Fiddler on the Roof, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Peter Pan, West Side Story, Billion Dollar Baby, High Button Shoes, Gypsy, and The King and I, as well as a number called “Mr. Monotony,” which was cut from two Irving Berlin musicals during tryouts. Frank Rich wrote a long review of the show in the New York Times in which he said he savored nearly every moment. He noted that the show recalled “a vanished musical theater” but had “such youthful exuberance” that one almost dreams “that a new generation of Broadway babies may yet be born.”
(6 November 2005, August Wilson, 3,924 performances as of 26 April 2015.) Music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. A jukebox musical whose book is a musical biography of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the show includes covers of many of its subjects’ famous songs, including “Sherry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and the finale, “Who Loves You.” Jersey Boys won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, and falsetto-singing John Lloyd Young, who played Frankie Valli, won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.
(12 October 1971, Mark Hellinger, 711 performances.) Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice, conceived and directed by Tom O’Horgan. Existing first as a concept album, then as a concert, the show’s plot concerned the last seven days in the life of Jesus (Jeff Fenholt), in particular exploring his relationships with Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman) and Judas (Ben Vereen). Although some conservative Christians protested that the show was blasphemous and Jewish groups found elements of anti-Semitism, Jesus Christ Superstar made a large splash in the popular culture of the day and has remained in the repertory. Despite the already popular album, director Tom O’Horgan, famous for his avant-garde work on Hair, made sure that the production would be remembered as well. In addition to spectacular staging, such as Jesus on the cross flying over the audience at the end, the singers used handheld microphones, which maintained the spirit of a rock concert. Although billed as a rock opera, the show includes a variety of musical styles. The title song, which became hugely popular, was more of a gospel tune, and Mary Magdalene’s famous ballad “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” is in the spirit of folk music but with a pop closing. “Everything’s Alright” is soft rock, and the outrageously campy “Herod’s Song” has roots in vaudeville. The character of Judas usually expresses himself in harder rock, as in the song “Damned for All Time.” Clive Barnes, writing in the New York Times, found Lloyd Webber to be a talented musician and believed that the score is one of the finest for an English show in a long time. He is less sanguine about Rice’s lyrics, which he calls “doggerel.” The 1973 film featured Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson, and the 2000 video version starred Glenn Carter and Jerome Pradon.
(Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, 1947–.) English pop-rock singer-songwriter who was a dominant force in rock music during the 1970s and who, with lyricist Tim Rice, wrote songs for the film and subsequent Disney-produced Broadway musical The Lion King (1997). Also with Rice, he wrote music for another Disney musical, Aida (2000), for which he and Rice won a Tony Award for Best Original Score. Lestat (2006), based on the Anne Rice vampire novels, was a failure, while his next show, Billy Elliot: The Musical (2005, London; 2008, New York) was an unqualified success.
(19 November 1936, 44th Street, 68 performances.) Music by Kurt Weill, lyrics and book by Paul Green, staged by Lee Strasberg, produced by the Group Theatre. A meritorious antiwar fable that was produced by a noted left-wing company and that never found an audience, Johnny Johnson was the first American production for which Kurt Weill, recently arrived in the United States, wrote the score. It showed the serious intentions and theatricality of his music. The title character (Russell Collins) enlists in World War I, causing him many problems because of his innocence and good character. Johnson ends up in an asylum and ultimately returns to his hometown to sell toys of a peaceful nature. New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson, a lover of experimental works, called the production “the first departure from polite mediocrity of the season” but added that “new forms cannot be created overnight.”
South African–born actress who created the role of Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music (1973), for which she won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award.
(Born Asa Yoelson, 1886–1950.) Leading singer and actor of the early 20th century, Jolson starred in revues and musical comedies produced by the Shuberts. Billed as “The World’s Greatest Entertainer,” Jolson was the first Jewish actor to become a mainstream star in America. His trademark character was the servant Gus, which he performed in blackface. Jolson played Gus in The Honeymoon Express (1913), Robinson Crusoe, Jr. (1916), Sinbad (1918), and Bombo (1921). Each of these shows, even though they featured other cast members and specially written scores, were vehicles for Jolson, and most of the songs he sang were interpolations. He starred in The Jazz Singer (1927), one of the earliest “talkies,” and went on to a successful film career. Among the songs he made famous were “You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It),” “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody,” “Swanee” (by George Gershwin), “April Showers,” “Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye,” “California, Here I Come,” and “Mammy.”
Actor who was famously replaced by Larry Kert as Robert in Company (1970) after just two weeks in the role. Jones had already recorded the cast album when the change was made. He is most famous for his appearances in Disney films of the 1960s and 1970s, including The Love Bug series.
Lyricist, librettist, and director whose Broadway collaborations with composer Harvey Schmidt include the lyrics for 110 in the Shade (1963), book and lyrics for I Do! I Do! (1966), and book, lyrics, and direction for Celebration (1969). He also wrote book and lyrics for the off-Broadway phenomenon The Fantasticks (1960).
(27 January 1982, Royale, 747 performances.) Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice. A work that started as a brief children’s show for a London school in 1968, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was later expanded and became increasingly famous after its creators went on to write Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. The show opened off-Broadway at the Entermedia Theater on 18 November 1981 and moved uptown to the Royale, where it ran for almost two years. Sung throughout, it faithfully tells the story of Joseph and his brothers with a modern flair that offers a veritable tour of popular musical styles. The Narrator (Laurie Beechman) keeps the show moving forward and plays the largest role. Joseph (Bill Hutton) receives the special coat from his father, but his 11 envious brothers sell him into slavery. He ends up serving the Egyptian Pharaoh (Tom Carder), an Elvis impersonator, and saves Egypt from the effects of a famine. Joseph finally gives his family food and moves Jacob and his children to Egypt. It is a breezy and somewhat satirical look at the famous story and, as Mel Gussow reported in the New York Times, “both a pop opera and a Sunday School pageant.” He describes several songs along with their musical inspiration, including the country-western “One More Angel in Heaven” and the French cabaret style “Those Canaan Days.” The show’s big ballads included the optimistic “Any Dream Will Do” and the intense “Close Every Door.”
(12 October 1935, Imperial, 169 performances.) Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Moss Hart, staged and lighted by Hassard Short, dances arranged by Albertina Rasch, produced by Sam H. Harris and Max Gordon. King George V’s Silver Jubilee in England inspired Hart to write a story about another royal family that reigned for 25 years. This family flees a potential rebellion, and each member takes the opportunity to live incognito and realize their dreams. The King (Melville Cooper) plays parlor games while his wife (Mary Boland) flirts with a movie ape-man inspired by Johnny Weismuller. The Princess (Margaret Adams) has a romance with a writer much like Noel Coward (Derek Williams), and the Prince (Charles Walters) takes a famous dancer to the Café Martinique, where they perform the famous “Begin the Beguine.” The family’s true identities emerge, however, and they return to their royal lives. Critics, including Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times, liked Jubilee. He called it a “rapturous masquerade” and found the story to be “an excellent fable” for musicalization. Besides “Begin the Beguine,” the score included the Porter classics “Just One of Those Things” and “Why Shouldn’t I?”
A show that features preexistent music, usually associated with the same creators or performers, that is woven around a thin plot. In order to market a Broadway musical to a larger audience, producers sometimes turn to well-known music and capitalize on the fame of a particular artist. Examples include Jelly’s Last Jam (Jelly Roll Morton), Mamma Mia! (ABBA), Movin’ Out (Billy Joel), All Shook Up (Elvis), Lennon (John Lennon), and The Times They Are a-Changin’ (Bob Dylan). The combination of popular musical numbers and a thin plot resemble the revue, but at the same time, the live performance aspects, usually with hyperamplification, often strive for the aesthetic of a rock concert.
Puerto Rican–born stage and screen actor whose Broadway musical credits include the rock musicals Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971) and Via Galactica (1972), Charley in the 1974 revival of Where’s Charley? (1974), and Macheath in the 1976 revival of The Threepenny Opera. He received tremendous accolades as Guido Contini in Nine (1982) and played Don Quixote/Cervantes in the 1992 revival of Man of La Mancha. His suave looks gave him an enticing charm that is readily apparent in his portrayal of Gomez Addams in the first two “Addams Family” films.
(16 November 1935, Hippodrome, 233 performances.) Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, libretto by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, entire production staged by John Murray Anderson, book directed by George Abbott, produced by Billy Rose. A musical comedy that included an entire circus and that was staged in the enormous and renovated but doomed Hippodrome, Jumbo was a hugely expensive show that could not recoup its investment even after a seven-month run. The plot involved a failing circus run by John A. Considine (Arthur Sinclair), who has to surrender his troupe to his rival Matthew Mulligan (W. J. McCarthy). In true musical comedy fashion, Considine’s daughter (Gloria Grafton) then falls in love with McCarthy’s son (Donald Novis). Considine’s press agent, Claudius B. Bowers (Jimmy Durante), more or less solves his client’s problems. Billy Rose altered the Hippodrome’s orchestra seating to install a circus tent. Furthermore, he included many real circus acts with animals galore and thus sent his costs through the roof. Brooks Atkinson wrote in the New York Times that Jumbo was “one of the most extravagant, crack-brained works of foolishness the town has devised in years.” Rodgers and Hart’s score included such fine songs as “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” “Little Girl Blue,” and “My Romance.”