Broadway Watch - March 2005

A little bit of an exciting month, three new musicals opening.
The revival of Sweet Charity being cancelled and then reinstated four days later.
And only five weeks till the Tony Nominations are announced!


Three new Musicals opened this month.
All Shook Up
Featuring songs by Elvis Presley; Book by Joe DiPietro
Original 2005 Broadway Production
Cast Recording Announced

Monty PythonÂ’s Spamalot
Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez; Book & Lyrics by Eric Idle
Original 2005 Broadway Production
Featuring Tim Curry, Hank Azaria and David Hyde Pierce
Cast Recording Released 03/05/2005

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Music & Lyrics by David Yazbek; Book by Jeffrey Lane
Original 2005 Broadway Production
Featuring John Lithgow, Norbert Leo Butz, Gregory Jbara, Joanna Gleason & Sherie Rene Scott
Cast Recording Announced


Sixteen other Musicals currently running:
Good Vibrations
Music & Lyrics by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys; Book by Richard Dresser
Original 2005 Broadway Production
No Cast Recording

Little Women
Music by Jason Howland; Lyrics by Mindi Dickson; Book by Allan Knee
Original 2005 Broadway Production
Featuring Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern
Cast recording announced

La Cage Aux Folles
Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman; Book by Harvey Fierstein
2004 Revival
Featuring Daniel Davis and Gary Beach
No Cast Recording – Original Broadway Cast available

Brooklyn
Book, Music & Lyrics by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri MacPherson
Original 2004 Broadway Production
Cast Recording Available

Fiddler on the Roof
Music by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; Book by Joseph Stein
2004 Revival
Currently Featuring Harvey Fierstein, Andrea Martin and Nancy Opel
Cast Recording available

Wicked
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Book by Winnie Holzmann
Original 2003 Broadway Production
Currently Featuring Jennifer Laura Thompson, Shoshana Bean and George Hearn
2004 Tony Awards – Actress (Idina Menzel); Scenic Design & Costume Design
Cast Recording available

Avenue Q
Music & Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; Book by Jeff Whitty
Transferred from Off-Broadway in 2003
Featuring Stephanie DÂ’Abruzzo
2004 Tony Awards – Musical; Original Score & Book of a Musical
Cast Recording Available

MovinÂ’ Out
Music & Lyrics by Billy Joel; Conceived & Chorepgraphed by Twyla Tharp
Original 2002 Broadway Production
2003 Tony Awards – Choreography & Orchestrations
Cast Recording available

Hairspray
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Wittman; Book by Mark OÂ’Donnell and Thomas Meehan
Original 2002 Broadway Production
Currently featuring Bruce Vilanch
2003 Tony Awards – Musical; Original Score; Book of a Musical; Actor (Harvey Fierstein); Actress (Marissa Janet Winokur); Featured Actor (Dick Latessa); Direction & Costume Design
Cast Recording available

Mamma Mia!
Music and Lyrics by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson; Book by Catherine Johnson
2001 Broadway version of London Production
Currently featuring Carolee Carmello
No Cast Recording – Original London Cast available

The Producers
Music & Lyrics by Mel Brooks; Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Original 2001 Broadway Production
Currently featuring Richard Kind and Alan Ruck
2001 Tony Awards – Musical; Original Score; Book of a Musical; Actor (Nathan Lane); Featured Actor (Gary Beach); Featured Actress (Cady Huffman); Direction; Orchestrations; Scenic Design; Costume Design; Lighting Design & Choreography
Cast Recording available

The Lion King
Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Tim Rice; Book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi
Original 1997 Broadway Production
1998 Tony Awards – Musical; Direction; Scenic Design; Costume Design; Lighting Design; Choreography
Cast Recording available

Chicago
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb; Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse
1996 Revival
1997 Tony Awards – Revival of a Musical; Actor (James Naughton); Actress (Bebe Neuwirth); Direction; Lighting Design & Choreography
Cast Recording available

Rent
Music Lyrics & Book by Jonathan Larson
Transferred from Off-Broadway in 1996
1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
1996 Tony Awards – Musical; Original Score; Book of a Musical & Featured Actor (Wilson Jermaine Heredia)
Cast Recording available

Beauty and the Beast
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice; Book by Linda Woolverton
Original 1994 Broadway Production
1994 Tony Award – Costume Design
Cast Recording available

The Phantom of the Opera
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by Charles Hart & Richard Stilgoe
1988 Broadway version of London Production
1988 Tony Awards – Musical; Actor (Michael Crawford); Featured Actress (Judy Kuhn); Direction; Scenic Design; Costume Design & Lighting Design
No Cast Recording – Original London Cast available


Attendance figures for last four weeks

Top Three Shows by Attendance
Wicked – 57888
The Lion King – 56599
The Phantom of the Opera – 49747

Top Three Shows by Capacity
Wicked – 100%
Mamma Mia! – 99%
The Lion King – 98.2%

Bottom Three Shows by Attendance
Brooklyn – 20437
Good Vibrations – 20940
Little Women – 24464

Bottom Three Shows by Capacity
Good Vibrations – 60.8%
Brooklyn – 61.2%
Little Women – 62.6%


Currently in Previews
The Light in the Piazza - New Musical
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Broadway version of London Production

Coming Soon
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Transferring from Off-Broadway
Sweet Charity – New Revival
Lennon - New John Lennon Catalogue Musical
The Mambo Kings – New Musical



Cast Recordings Announced
Pacific Overtures
Little Women
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Spamalot (released 03/05/2005)
All Shook Up
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Sweet Charity