Broadway Watch June 2005

“Mambo Kings” has cancelled its Broadway Season less than a month before previews were due to start. “Zanna” (previously entitled “Zanna, Don’t!”) has been announced as finally appearing on Broadway after closing Off-Broadway two years ago (well it took “Assassins” a decade!).

Two Musicals closed this month.
Brooklyn
Ran 21/10/2004 – 26/06/2005 (350 performances)
Book, Music & Lyrics by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri MacPherson
Original 2004 Broadway Production
Cast Recording Available

La Cage Aux Folles
Ran 9/12/2004 – 26/06/2005 (229 performances)
Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman; Book by Harvey Fierstein
2004 Broadway Revival
2005 Tony Awards – Revival & Choreography
No Cast Recording – Original Broadway Cast available


Nineteen other Musicals currently running:
Sweet Charity
Music by Cy Coleman; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields; Book by Neil Simon
2005 Broadway Revival (Original production ran 1966-67; previous revival 1986-87)
Featuring Christina Applegate
Cast Recording Released 12/07/2005

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music & Lyrics by William Finn; Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Transferred from Off-Broadway in 2005
Featuring Dan Fogler
2005 Tony Awards – Book & Featured Actor (Dan Fogler)
Cast Recording Available

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Music & Lyrics by the Sherman Brothers, Book by Jeremy Sams
2005 Broadway Version of Original 2002 London Production, Based on 1968 Film Musical
Featuring Raul Esparza, Erin Dilly & Philip Bosco
No Cast Recording – Original London Cast Available

The Light in the Piazza
Music & Lyrics by Adam Guettel, Book by Craig Lucas
Original 2005 Broadway Production
Closes 01/01/2006 – Limited Run (extended – again!)
Featuring Victoria Clark
2005 Tony Awards – Score, Lead Actress (Victoria Clark), Orchestrations, Lighting Design, Costume Design & Scenic Design
Cast Recording Available

All Shook Up
Featuring songs by Elvis Presley; Book by Joe DiPietro
Original 2005 Broadway Production
Cast Recording Available

Monty PythonÂ’s Spamalot
Music by Eric Idle and John Du Prez; Book & Lyrics by Eric Idle
Original 2005 Broadway Production
Featuring Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce & Sara Ramirez
2005 Tony Awards – Musical, Director & Featured Actress (Sara Ramirez)
Cast Recording Available

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
2005 Tony Award – Lead Actor (Norbert Leo Butz)
Cast Recording Available

Fiddler on the Roof
Music by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; Book by Joseph Stein
2004 Broadway Revival (Original production ran 1964-72; previous revivals 1976-77; 1981 & 1990-91)
Featuring Harvey Fierstein, Andrea Martin and Nancy Opel
10th Most Performed Musical in Broadway History
Cast Recording available

Wicked
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Book by Winnie Holzmann
Original 2003 Broadway Production
Featuring Ben Vereen & Rue McClanahan
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
2004 Tony Awards – Musical; Original Score & Book of a Musical
Cast Recording Available

MovinÂ’ Out
Music & Lyrics by Billy Joel; Conceived & Choreographed 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
Featuring Bruce Vilanch & Marissa Janet Winokur
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 Original 1999 London Production
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
Featuring Richard Kind and Roger Bart
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, Based on 1994 Film Musical
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 Broadway Revival (Original production ran 1975-77)
Currently featuring Charlotte DÂ’Amboise
1997 Tony Awards – Revival of a Musical; Actor (James Naughton); Actress (Bebe Neuwirth); Direction; Lighting Design & Choreography
9th Longest Run in Broadway History (9th Most Performed Musical)
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)
8th Longest Run in Broadway History
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, Based on 1991 Film Musical
1994 Tony Award – Costume Design
6th Longest Run in Broadway History (8th Most Performed Musical)
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
2nd Longest Run in Broadway History (3rd Most Performed Musical)
No Cast Recording – Original London Cast available


Attendance figures for last four weeks (to 26 Jun 05)

Top Three Shows by Attendance
Wicked – 57888
The Lion King – 57870
The Phantom of the Opera – 50756

Top Three Shows by Capacity
The Lion King – 100.4%
Wicked – 100%
Spamalot – 99.9%

Bottom Three Shows by Attendance
Brooklyn – 17090
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – 21584
Avenue Q – 24705

Bottom Three Shows by Capacity
Brooklyn – 51.2%
La Cage Aux Folles – 53.61%
Fiddler on the Roof – 56.3%


Coming Soon
Lennon – New John Lennon Catalogue Musical – Previews begin 07/07/2005; Opens 04/08/2005
In My Life – New Musical – Previews begin 27/09/2005; Opens 20/10/2005

In the Pipeline
A Chorus Line – New Revival
The Color Purple – New Musical
Girl Group Time Travellers – New Musical
Jerry Springer: The Opera – Broadway version of Original English Production
Jersey Boys – New Four Temptations Catalogue Musical
Lestat – New Musical
The Pajama Game – New Revival
Peter Pan – Revival
Princesses – New Musical
Sweeney Todd – Broadway Version of 2004 English Revival
A Tale of Two Cities – New Musical
The Threepenny Opera – New Revival
The Wiz – New Revival
The Wedding Singer – New Musical
The Woman in White – Broadway version of Original London Production
Zanna – Broadway version of Original 2003 Off-Broadway Production

Cast Recordings Announced
Sweet Charity (released 12/07/2005)