Footloose

The successful 1984 film Footloose was more of an extended music video à la MTV than a movie musical. There was plenty of music, most of it written or co-written by composer Tom Snow (with individual tunes by Kenny Loggins, Sammy Hagar, Jim Steinman, and Eric Carmen among others) and lyricist/screenwriter Dean Pitchford, and it was popular; the soundtrack album topped the charts and sold eight million copies, and five singles -- "Almost Paradise," "Dancing in the Sheets," "Footloose," "Holding out for a Hero," "Free," and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" -- became hits. But the movie characters didn't sing those songs, and the songs were not directly tied into the plot. Thus, Pitchford, in turning his screenplay into a stage musical libretto, had the challenge of retaining the popular songs (only "Dancing in the Sheets" is missing) and somehow putting them into the mouths of the characters, while writing extra material to fill out the more extensive needs of a musical score. At the same time, the property's advantages for transfer to the stage were obvious: It was a known property, much of the score was already familiar, and, by definition, the plot involved a lot of dancing. When the show opened on Broadway on October 22, 1998, theater critics (known for their disdain of rock music) felt Pitchford had failed, but Footloose settled in for a long run. Perhaps inevitably, the cast album is not as impressive as the soundtrack, and the new songs Snow and Pitchford have written, such as the duet "Learning to Be Silent" and "Can You Find It in Your Heart?," are closer to character-based theater songs, but also inconsistent with the lively, rock tone of the familiar hits. Onstage, audiences never have long to wait for another driving, danceable production number, but the record's production never matches the sound of the original soundtrack.

Evita

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's +Evita, which began as a concept album in 1976 and had its first stage incarnation in London in 1978, finally came to the U.S. in 1979 with a production that opened in Los Angeles and moved to San Francisco for multi-week engagements before landing on Broadway on September 25 to begin a Tony-winning, 1,568-performance run. The London production had been represented by a one-disc highlights album, but this one became the second full-length treatment, running, like the concept album, 100 minutes. As such, the revisions made for the stage were more apparent, especially because there were more of them than there had been in London, sometimes to Americanize the language. ("The back of beyond" in "Eva and Magaldi" became "the sticks," while "Get stuffed" in "Goodnight and Thank You" was now "Up yours") "The Lady's Got Potential" had been deleted, and there was a new song, "The Art of the Possible," which, with its musical-chairs staging, was more effective in the theater than on record. And "Dangerous Jade" had been revised to become "Peron's Latest Flame." Many of the changes built up the role of Evita's critic, Che. As played by Mandy Patinkin, who achieved Broadway stardom in the role, Che now rivaled Evita as a musical presence, the actor's elastic tenor and bravura manner drawing more attention to him. But Patti Lu Pone also became a star here, fearlessly bringing out Evita's strident self-interest without attempting to gain the audience's sympathy. (You couldn't say that about London's Elaine Paige.) Lu Pone was at her best when Evita was at her worst, such as in the songs "A New Argentina" and "Rainbow High." The rest of the cast was unexceptional, though Bob Gunton's Juan Peron inspired curiosity as the only actor to use a Spanish accent.
- William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Sweeny Todd

Composer Stephen Sondheim and librettist Hugh Wheeler's 1979 musical Sweeney Todd, based on Christopher Bond's modern version of the bloody revenge play originally written by George DibdinPitt in 1847, has had two kinds of revivals since the initial Broadway production, ones like that staged in repertoire by the New York City Opera since 1984, which perform it on a large scale and treat it virtually as an accepted classical work, and ones like that staged by the OffOffBroadway York Theatre Company (with a transfer to Broadway in 1989), which take a minimalist approach and emphasize the drama (an approach dismissed by some critics as "Teeny Todd"). Director John Doyle hewed more to the latter when he first staged the show at a small theater in northern England, even to the point of requiring a reduced cast of actors to do double duty as musicians. At the same time, he only added to the work's disturbing nature by making the characters genuinely disturbed in a showwithinashow structure that had it being put on by the inmates of an insane asylum. ("Marat/Todd" crowed those same critics, recalling the 1965 play Marat/Sade that took a similar approach.) The result gained enough attention to transfer to London's West End and inspire the second Broadway revival in 2005. The American recasting presents two lead performers who had already been specializing in Stephen Sondheim: Michael Cerveris, in the title role, had been John Wilkes Booth in Assassins on Broadway the previous season and also starred in a regional production of Passion with Patti LuPone, here cast as Mrs. Lovett. LuPone, in turn, had previously played that same part in a lavish concert version of Sweeney Todd produced and recorded by the New York Philharmonic in 2000. A comparison with that earlier performance is instructive. At that time, working with a full orchestra, she fully characterized Mrs. Lovett as written, a broad Cockney full of charm and humor, despite the blackness of the story. Five years later, her portrayal was entirely different. Playing a mental patient who is playing Mrs. Lovett (and playing the tuba, too), LuPone largely dispensed with the accent and gave a dry, distanced performance. Cerveris was much the same, though he retained Todd's overwhelming bitterness (equally appropriate to an insane man, which is what Sweeney Todd is, anyway). On disc, the production's primary staging effect, in which the actors keep going back and forth from playing instruments to playing their parts, is lost. All one can hear is that Sarah Travis' orchestrations are much smaller than Jonathan Tunick's were in 1979. But the performances come through clearly enough. It's easy to tell that the production was intended to put an emotional distance between the performers and the play when, for example, the male role of Pirelli turns out to be played by a woman, Donna Lynne Champlin. The effect is interesting, particularly for those already familiar with the work, but purely as an audio effort, Sweeney Todd still works better when done on a larger scale, as on the Original Broadway Cast album.

West Side Story

An adaptation on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," the Jets and the Sharks are in a gang rivalry. When Tony goes to support the Jets at a school dance he meets Maria, the sister of the Shark's leader, Bernardo, and falls in love. They dream of overcoming their differences, but gang violence makes it impossible for them to live happily ever after.

Kiss me Kate

The idea for Kiss Me, Kate was planted in the mind of producer Saint Subber in 1935. While working as a stagehand for the Theatre Guild's production of The Taming of the Shrew, Subber noticed that the stars of the show, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, had a backstage relationship that was almost as tempestuous as the one they had onstage while portraying Shakespeare's famous quarelling couple.
Although veteran comedy writers Samuel and Bella Spewack had been separated for some time, they reunited to write the libretto for Kiss Me, Kate, and after the production, they chose to stay together permanently. Their libretto creates a play-within-a-play that follows the lives of egotistical actor-producer Fred Graham and his temperamental co-star and ex-wife, Lili Vanessi in a production of, you guessed it, Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Cole Porter's brilliant score borrows freely from Shakespeare's dialogue for lyrics in the musical numbers that take place "onstage" but makes use of more modern syntax in the "backstage" numbers.
Kiss Me, Kate opened at the New Century Theatre on December 30, 1948, with Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison in the lead roles. The production went on to win 5 Tony Awards including "Best Musical," "Best Script" and "Best Score" before closing on July 28, 1951 after 1,070 performances. The show was then remounted at the London Coliseum on March 8, 1951 and ran for another 400 performances. The 1953 film version featured Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Miller and Tommy Rall. A 1999 Broadway revival featured Tony Award nominees Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie

Wonderful Town

Based upon the play My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov and the stories by Ruth McKenney about her baby-faced but man-slaying sister,
Wonderful Town celebrates and thrives on the pulse of jazz-age New York. The classic and familiar score includes "It's Love," "Christopher Street" "A Little Bit In Love," "One Hundred East Ways" and "Ohio."Wonderful Town also boasts a 2004 Tony Award for Best Choreography for its Director and Choreographer Kathleen Marshall, who has created some of the slinkiest, kickiest and jazziest moves on Broadway today, including a conga line you won't want to miss!

Prelude to a kiss

In Prelude to a Kiss, Peter and Rita follow their whirlwind courtship with a storybook wedding. After a mysterious elderly man appears and kisses the bride at the wedding, the two lovers are sent on a magical journey that they will never forget. As they struggle to come to terms with their relationship and Rita's nagging doubts, their love is put to the test by unknown forces. This revival comes after a successful Off-Broadway production starring Alec Baldwin and Mary Louise Parker, a Broadway production starring Parker and Timothy Hutton and a film version starring Baldwin and Meg Ryan.

Cats

Cats was first shown in London's West End, at the New London Theatre, on May 11, 1981. It was originally produced onstage by Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's The Really Useful Theatre Company. It was directed by Trevor Nunn, associate director and choreographer Gillian Lynne, designed by John Napier with lighting by David Hersey. The show then made its debut on Broadway on October 7, 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre with the same production team. On June 19, 1997, Cats became the longest running musical in Broadway history with 6,138 performances. It played a total of 8,949 performances in London and 7,485 in New York. Its New York record was surpassed on January 9, 2006, by The Phantom of the Opera, which was also composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cats' final performance on Broadway was on September 10, 2000. Its final performance in London's West End was on its 21st birthday, May 11, 2002 and broadcast on a large screen in Covent Garden to the delight of fans who could not acquire a ticket for the final performance. It held the record as the world's longest running musical until 8 October 2006, when it was surpassed by Les Miserables.
In 1998, Andrew Lloyd Webber produced a video version of Cats, based upon the stage performance augmented for the medium of film, starring Elaine Paige, who originated the role of Grizabella in London; Ken Page, who originated Old Deuteronomy on Broadway; Sir John Mills as Gus; Michael Gruber as Munkustrap; John Partridge as The Rum Tum Tugger; and many other dancers and singers drawn largely from stage productions of the show. It was directed for film by David Mallet, with choreography and musical staging by the show's respected original creator Gillian Lynne in London's Adelphi Theatre, and was released on VHS and DVD, as well as broadcast on Television worldwide.

A Chorus Line

In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the one opportunity to do what they've always dreamed of. Not to be the star, but to get the job … to have the chance to dance and come through. This is A Chorus Line, the musical for everyone who's ever had a dream and put it all on the line. Winner of nine Tony Awards , including “Best Musical” and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this singular sensation is the longest-running American musical ever. Now, meet the new generation of Broadway's best when A Chorus Line reclaims its place in the heart of New York, and in the hearts of theatergoers everywhere.

The Producers

Based on the Academy Award-winning 1968 film of the same name, The Producers is the story of down-on-his-luck theatrical producer Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, a mousy accountant. Together, they hatch the ultimate scam: Raise more money than you need for a sure-fire Broadway fiasco...and pocket the difference.The Producers has become a Broadway phenomenon, turning the tradition of a Broadway musical on its head and earning more Tony Awards than any other show in the history of the Great White Way. With tunes and a book by superstar comedian Mel Brooks and co-bookwriter Thomas Meehan (Hairspray), this big-time Broadway musical is truly one of the funniest shows around.Stop by The Producers to visit "Little Old Lady Land," hear Ulla belt and laugh so hard you won't know what to do with yourself. "Everything you've heard is 100% true," says Clive Barnes of the New York Post. The Producers is "a cast-iron, super-duper mammoth old-time Broadway hit!"

Lion King

Giraffes strut, birds swoop, gazelles leap! The entire savanna comes to life and, as the music soars, Pride Rock slowly rises out of the stage. This is The Lion King. The winner of six 1998 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical, it is the story of a young lion cub named Simba who struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role as king. To bring the classic 1994 film to life, Disney turned to the story's roots, its rich mythology, powerful human drama and primal African rhythms to create a fantastic new musical unlike anything Broadway has ever seen.
Marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals miraculously brought to life by a cast of over 40 actors in what The London Daily Telegraph calls "a blaze of fabulous imagination." Wonder at the inspiration of award-winning director/designer Julie Taymor, as one of the most successful films in history is stunningly recreated live on stage. Thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pride Lands and an unforgettable score including Elton John and Tim Rice's Oscar-winning "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and songs by South African composer Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer. Treat yourself and your friends and family to a memory that will last a lifetime at the musical Time Magazine calls "awe-inspiring" and "a gorgeous, gasp-inducing spectacle!" The Lion King is an adventure into another world.

Mary Poppins

Based on P.L. Travers' cherished stories and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins - currently one of London's biggest sensations - features the Sherman brothers' original Academy Award-winning songs, and Oliver Award-winning director Richard Eyre leads a dream team of vision and stagecraft, bringing to life the story of the Banks family and their magical nanny.Mary Poppins marks the first collaboration between Disney, producer of the acclaimed The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Tarzan, and Cameron Mackintosh, legendary producer
of the record-breaking The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Les Miserables. The result is a new musical so extraordinarily enchanting that you'll have just one word for it: "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

Mama Mia

The setting is a Greek island where 20-year-old Sophie is due to be married. Her mom, Donna (who happens to be a former singing star) is there, but her father isn't...because she's never met him. So, Sophie snoops in her mom's diary, chooses three former lovers as likely candidates and invites them to the wedding, hoping she can just figure it out when she sees them!This musical dances to a disco beat, featuring 22 of Swedish singing sensation ABBA's greatest hits, including "Dancing Queen," "The Winner Takes It All," "Take A Chance on Me," "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "Super Trouper". These pop songs weave together an enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship.Time Magazine says that, "This high-energy musical brings happiness wherever it goes!" Now a worldwide sensation, Mamma Mia! has Broadway audiences singing and dancing in the aisles nightly and critics around the world are calling it "ABBA-solutely fabulous." See it for yourself.

Little Mermaid

Based on one of the most beloved Disney films of all time and the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Little Mermaid is the sparkling new Disney musical that's poised to make a splash on Broadway. Some of Disney's most popular songs are featured in the show - including "Part of Your World," "Kiss the Girl," and the Academy Award-winning Best Original Song, "Under the Sea"- by the songwriting team of 8-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and the renowned Howard Ashman. The stage adaptation also features new songs by Menken and Glenn Slater, plus a book by Tony Award- winning playwright Doug Wright.In the tradition of other Disney on Broadway musicals, a visionary team of theater artists from around the world has gathered together to bring The Little Mermaid to breathtaking life. Helmed by acclaimed director Francesca Zambello, the show will transport you to an underwater world like no other, with choreography by Stephen Mear, scenery by George Tsypin, costumes by Tatiana Noginova and lighting by Tony Award winner Natasha Katz.

Grease

After spending a hopelessly devoted summer with new girl in town, Sandy Dumbrowski, Danny Zuko's world is thrown upside down when Sandy appears at Rydell High on the first day of school. What follows is a rock 'n' roll celebration of growin' up, cruisin' with friends and goin' steady while Danny and The T-Birds spar with The Pink Ladies who take "good girl" Sandy under their wing.In addition to the smash songs "Summer Nights," "Greased Lighting" and "We Go Together" made famous by the Broadway production, the new revival will include "You're the One That I Want," "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Sandy" from the 1978 film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as the lovelorn teens.Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall (The Pajama Game) will direct and choreograph this new Broadway production. Stars Max Crumm and Laura Osnes were chosen on the NBC reality show You're the One That I Want!

Hairspray

With big girls, big hair, and even bigger laughs, comes Hairspray, a splashy new musical based on the 1988 John Waters film that starred Divine and a then-unknown Ricki Lake.It's 1962 and pleasantly plump Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad has only one dream--to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, but she must use her newfound power to vanquish the reigning teen queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin and integrate a TV network, all without denting her 'do!Hairspray became an immediate Broadway smash when it premiered at the Neil Simon Theatre in the summer of 2002. After winning eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, its place in Broadway history was confirmed. To quote one of the show's many catchy songs, "you can't stop the beat" of this hair-hopping hit!

Beauty and the Beast

Certain stories carry on from generation to generation and earn the designation "timeless" for good reason. Beauty and the Beast is one such story.Disney's Beauty and the Beast has been charming Broadway audiences for more than 10 years, and every year a whole new generation discovers the magic behind the castle walls. Brilliantly adapted from the Academy Award-winning animated film, this much-loved spectacle has thrilled more than 20 million people worldwide with show-stopping musical numbers, astonishing sets, lavish costumes and never-before-seen magic and special effects.In Beauty and the Beast, Belle, a young woman in a small, provincial town, meets the Beast, in
reality a young prince whose lack of compassion has trapped him in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and to be loved, the spell will be broken and he will be transformed back to his former self. But time is running out, and if the Beast does not learn his lesson, he will be doomed for all eternity.

Legally Blonde

After a pair of hit movies, beloved blonde Elle Woods is getting ready to step into the spotlight at Broadway's Palace Theatre. A new musical version of Legally Blonde begins performances in April 2007, and everyone's talking about how this overachieving fashionista will work her magic on the stage. After all, when you've been president of Delta Nu sorority and a Hawaiian Tropic girl, conquering Harvard Law—and the Great White Way—should be a cinch.Legally Blonde will mark the Broadway directorial debut of Tony Award-winning choreographer Jerry Mitchell, whose credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hairspray, La Cage aux Folles and The Full Monty. Music and lyrics are by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe (collaborators on several TheatreworksUSA musicals), and the book is by Heather Hach (co-writer of the hit film Freaky Friday). Plan now to catch Ms. Woods and the rest of the film's characters onstage in a big new Broadway musical.

Wicked

Long before Dorothy drops in, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of how these two unlikely friends grew to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.This fantasy-filled musical was the winner of three 2004 Tony Awards including prizes for Best Costume Design and Best Scenic Design. From real flying monkeys to a trip to the Emerald City and a soaring, modern score by Stephen Schwartz, Wicked is a true spectacle for the eyes and ears.

The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyed Webber, based on the novel of the same name written by french novelist Gaston Leroux. The music was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Charles Hart and additional lyrics by Richard Gildroe..The Phantom of the Opera was inspired by a different musical version of the same story by Ken Hill, which Lloyd Webber saw at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1984. The music for Lloyd Webber's version was composed specifically for the voice of his then-wife Sarah Brightman.

Rent

Rent is the classic Broadway musical about love, friendship and community. Rent has completely transformed how a generation thinks and feels about musical theater - and has changed Broadway forever.Jonathan Larson's rock musical is the joyous, breathtaking and inspiring story of a group of New York City East Village artists struggling to find their voices and find love in today's tough times. Based on Giacomo Puccini's classic 1896 opera, La Boheme, Rent boasts a talented and hot young cast singing some of Broadway's most powerful songs, broaching controversial themes like homelessness, AIDS and drug addiction with compassion, and thrilling audiences of all ages with its moving tale of hopes and dreams.The show burst upon the theater scene after its creator, Larson, died suddenly on the eve of the show's first performance off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop in January 1996. The show then opened to raves on Broadway, winning that year's Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. New York Times critic Ben Brantley raved that Rent "shimmers with hope for the future of the American musical."