At the Ballet

Last updated
"At the Ballet"
Song
Released1975 (1975)
Composer(s) Marvin Hamlisch
Lyricist(s) Edward Kleban

"At the Ballet" is a song from the musical A Chorus Line .

Contents

Production

Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical noted: [1]

Composer Marvin Hamlisch said that the song set the tone for all the music in the show; once the song was written, the creators understood "the shape and color of the piece as a whole".

Synopsis

The dancers explain their experiences with attending dance school, as well as family-related trauma. No matter how dark the rest of their world seems, they always feel happy and engaged "at the ballet".

Musicals101 explains "At the Ballet" as a "poignant tribute to the escape Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie found in the beauty of ballet." [2]

Analysis

Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical explains: "Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie sing the same wistful melody; then their harmonies grow and build, one layering on the other". [1]

Critical reception

AussieTheatre.com described it as a "poignant song". [3]

Related Research Articles

Musical theatre Stage work that combines songs, music, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance

Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals.

<i>Chicago</i> (musical) Musical set in jazz-age Chicago

Chicago is an American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Set in Chicago in the jazz age, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same title by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, about actual criminals and the crimes on which she reported. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal".

Bebe Neuwirth American actress

Beatrice 'Bebe' Neuwirth is an American actress, singer, and dancer. On television, she played Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife, on both the TV sitcom Cheers and its spin-off Frasier. The role won her two Emmy Awards. In 2005, Neuwirth was cast as Bureau Chief/ADA Tracey Kibre in the short-lived Law & Order franchise courtroom drama series, Law & Order: Trial By Jury on NBC, which was canceled after just 12 episodes due to low ratings. On stage she played the Tony Award–winning roles of Nickie in the revival of Sweet Charity (1986) and Velma Kelly in the revival of Chicago (1996). Other Broadway musical roles include Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (2010). From 2014 to 2017, she starred as Nadine Tolliver in the CBS political drama Madam Secretary. In film, she portrayed Nora Shepherd in the original Jumanji (1995) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).

<i>Damn Yankees</i>

Damn Yankees is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League Baseball. It is based on Wallop's 1954 novel The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant.

<i>A Chorus Line</i> Musical by Marvin Hamlisch

A Chorus Line is a musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.

Chorus line Substantial group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines

A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed.

<i>42nd Street</i> (musical) American musical

42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin and Johnny Mercer and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit. The show was produced in London in 1984 and its 2001 Broadway revival won the Tony for Best Revival.

Debbie Allen American actress

Deborah Kaye Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award, two Tony Awards, and has also won a Golden Globe Award and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.

Kelly Bishop American actress and dancer

Carole "Kelly" Bishop is an American actress and dancer, best known for her roles as matriarch Emily Gilmore on the series Gilmore Girls and as Marjorie Houseman, the mother of Jennifer Grey's Frances "Baby" Houseman in the film Dirty Dancing. Bishop originated the role of Sheila in A Chorus Line, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. She also starred as Fanny Flowers in the ABC Family short-lived comedy-drama series Bunheads.

Donna McKechnie

Donna McKechnie is an American musical theater dancer, singer, actress, and choreographer. She is known for her professional and personal relationship with choreographer Michael Bennett, with whom she collaborated on her most noted role, the character of Cassie in the musical A Chorus Line. She earned the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for this performance in 1976. She is also known for playing Amanda Harris/Olivia Corey on the Gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows from 1969 to 1970.

That's Entertainment! is a 1974 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate the studio's 50th anniversary. The success of the retrospective prompted a 1976 sequel, the related 1985 film That's Dancing!, and a third installment in 1994.

Ann Reinking American actress, dancer, and choreographer

Ann Reinking was an American dancer, actress, and choreographer. She worked extensively in musical theater, starring in Broadway productions such as Coco (1969), Over Here! (1974), Goodtime Charley (1975), Chicago (1977), Dancin' (1978), and Sweet Charity (1986).

Alisan Porter American singer, actress and dancer

Alisan Leigh Porter is an American singer, actress, and dancer. As a child, Porter made acting appearances in Parenthood, Stella and I Love You to Death. Her breakout role came in 1991, when she played the lead in the film Curly Sue opposite Jim Belushi.

<i>A Chorus Line</i> (film) 1985 film by Richard Attenborough

A Chorus Line is a 1985 American musical drama film directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Michael Douglas. The screenplay by Arnold Schulman is based on the book of the 1975 stage production of the same name by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. The songs were composed by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban.

Scott Wise is an American theatre actor and dancer. He is known for his performances in the 1989 musical Jerome Robbins' Broadway, which earned him a Tony Award, and in the 2002 film Chicago.

Robert Fairchild American dancer and actor

Robert Fairchild is an American dancer and actor. He is best known for originating the role Jerry Mulligan in the musical An American in Paris, and as Munkustrap in the 2019 film Cats. He was a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet.

"I Hope I Get It" is a song from the musical A Chorus Line.

Bebe Rexha American singer and songwriter

Bleta Rexha, known professionally as Bebe Rexha, is an American singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Bros. Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single "The Monster" and has also contributed songwriting to songs recorded by Shinee, Selena Gomez, and Nick Jonas. Rexha released her debut extended play in 2015, I Don't Wanna Grow Up, which saw the moderate commercial success of the singles "I Can't Stop Drinking About You" and "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy".

Hey Mama (David Guetta song) 2015 single by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha and Afrojack

"Hey Mama" is a song recorded by French DJ and record producer David Guetta featuring vocals by Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj and American singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha, and co-produced by Dutch DJ and producer Afrojack. The song was released on 16 March 2015, as the fourth single from Guetta's sixth studio album, Listen (2014). It was produced by Guetta, Afrojack, and Giorgio Tuinfort, who also wrote the song with Rexha, Minaj, Ester Dean, and Sean Douglas. American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax is also credited as a writer, as the track samples his song "Rosie".

Emily Tyra is an American actress, singer and dancer.

References

  1. 1 2 Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical - Stacy Wolf . Oxford University Press. 2011. p.  122 . Retrieved 2015-07-27 via Internet Archive. at the ballet a chorus line.
  2. "A Chorus Line II by William McKay". Musicals101.com. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  3. "Debora Krizak joins the Chorus Line | News". Aussietheatre.com.au. 2011-10-16. Retrieved 2015-07-27.