Production
Dissatisfied with his agent's subsequent lack of enthusiasm, Gari took control of the project himself. He later recalled, "like a fairy tale", the first director and the first producer that he approached both agreed to become involved. [1] The former was Philip Rose, whose previous Broadway musical credits included notable hits such as Purlie and Shenandoah , as well as flops such as Angel and Amen Corner . The producer was 25-year-old Rory Rosegarten, who had an interest in comedy, and although he had recently served as executive producer for a comedy record by David Kolin, had never produced a Broadway musical before (and never would again). [2] It was reported that Rosegarten raised the full production costs of $1.1 million in a single day, when, armed with a copy of the demonstration tape of the score, he visited the office of an anonymous benefactor (described by Rosegarten only as a “wealthy financier”), who promptly agreed to finance the entire production. [2]
Philip Rose was a Broadway theatrical producer of such productions as A Raisin in the Sun, The Owl and the Pussycat, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, Purlie, and Shenandoah. His work was particularly notable for its social insight and distinctive social conscience.
Purlie is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell, and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis's 1961 play Purlie Victorious, which was later made into the 1963 film Gone Are the Days! and which included many of the original Broadway cast, including Davis, Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Beah Richards, Godfrey Cambridge, and Sorrell Booke.
Shenandoah is a musical that was composed during 1974 with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and book by Udell, Philip Rose, and James Lee Barrett. The musical is based on Barrett's original screenplay for the 1965 film Shenandoah.
For the title role of stand-up comic David Ackerman, the director and producer sought either a stand-up comic who could sing and dance, or an actor who could sing and be funny – someone, as one reported suggested, like Robert Lindsay or Jim Dale. [3] When auditions were held in July 1987 (appropriately enough, at the Comic Strip on 81st Street), more than 400 comedians turned up. The part of David was duly filled by Robert LuPone (then best known as Zach from A Chorus Line ), with Teresa Tracy cast as his dancer girlfriend, Gabrielle. The remaining minor roles – including various friends, club owners, hookers, and nightclub personnel – were performed by an ensemble of 11 that included future cabaret artiste Michael McAssey.
Robert Lindsay, is an English actor. He is known for his stage and television work, including appearances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in musical theatre, and his roles as the narrator on the TV adaptations of the children's television series Brambly Hedge, Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith, Captain Pellew in Hornblower, and Ben Harper in My Family. He has won a BAFTA, a Tony Award, and three Olivier Awards for his work.
Jim Dale, is an English actor, narrator, singer, director, and composer. In the United Kingdom, he is best known as a pop singer of the 1960s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In the British film world, he became one of the regulars in the Carry On series. In the United States, he is most recognised as a leading actor on Broadway, where he had roles in Scapino, Barnum, Candide and Me and My Girl, as well as for narrating all seven of the Harry Potter audiobooks in the American market and the ABC series Pushing Daisies (2007–2009); he also starred in the Disney film Pete's Dragon (1977). He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for portraying a young Spike Milligan in Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973).
A Chorus Line is a concept musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Centered on seventeen Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line, the musical is set on the bare stage of a Broadway theatre during an audition for a musical. A Chorus Line provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers.
In an effort to reduce costs, the show premiered at the Garde Theater in New London, Connecticut, on September 9, 1987. [4] At that time, out-of-town tryouts for Broadway-bound musicals were no longer commonplace (as they had been in the 1950s and '60s), but the American Musical Theater,a nonprofit organization based in New London's Garde Theater, was hoping to reinstate the practice to revitalize theatre in New York. During the 11 days that Late Nite Comic played in New London, numerous major revisions were made to the show. The original opening number, "Stand up" was moved to later in the first act; another song, "When I am movin'" was expanded, and the lyrics to several others were rewritten. Towards the end of the New London run, the song "Nothing's changing this love" was replaced by "Having Someone", although the latter would not be orchestrated until the show reached New York. [1] Further changes took place during rehearsals at 890 Broadway, including the excision of a song entitled "I live in L.A.". [5] After previews opened on October 2, the title song was cut from the show, only to be reinstated, at Gari's strong insistence, on the night of the official Broadway opening. By that time, director Philip Rose (who suggested many of the revisions) had disassociated himself from the production, and requested that his name be removed from the credits. [6]
The show opened at the Ritz Theatre on October 15, 1987, and closed two days later after only four performances. An unflattering review in the New York Times asserted that: Late Nite Comic has no sense of direction. It also has no sense of book or score. In the course of the show, the hero moves all the way from the Krazy Korn Klub to a tinseled stage in Las Vegas. The audience is asked to believe that in his rise to fame, he has sharpened his comedy act and earned his success. Although the jokes are just as dreadful in the end as in the beginning, when he becomes a success more people on stage laugh at him. This is a musical comedy about a stand-up comic in which the hero tells not a single funny joke. [6]
