| Miss Spectacular | |
|---|---|
 Studio Recording | |
| Music | Jerry Herman |
| Lyrics | Jerry Herman |
| Book | Robert L. Freedman |
| Productions | Unproduced |
Miss Spectacular is an unproduced musical with a libretto by Robert L. Freedman, lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and additional lyrics by Steve Lawrence and Michael Feinstein. Its plot focuses on a girl from the Midwest who heads to Las Vegas and is a finalist in the "Miss Spectacular" contest. [1]
Steve Wynn had asked Herman to write a musical that would be presented at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, possibly in 2000. [2] Wynn planned to install the musical in its theater for a long-term engagement, but when the property was sold to MGM the new owners had no interest in the project. [3] [4]
In 2003, there were new plans for staging the musical in Las Vegas with Tommy Tune directing and the search for the leading lady done with a television talent show. There has been no further word on this project. [5]
Undaunted by the collapse of the arrangement, Herman gathered together a cast of Broadway performers, including Lawrence, Feinstein, Faith Prince, Christine Baranski, Debbie Gravitte, and Karen Morrow, and a full orchestra to record a concept album that was released on the DRG label in 2002. His score is reminiscent of such early work as Hello, Dolly! and Mame . [6] [1]
Source: [7]
Funny Girl is a 1964 musical with a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway star, film actress and comedian Fanny Brice featuring her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein. Its original title was My Man.
Gerald Sheldon Herman was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He was nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles.
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, such as "Pick the Winner".
Dear World is a musical with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. With its opening, Herman became the first composer-lyricist in history to have three productions running simultaneously on Broadway. It starred Angela Lansbury, who won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 1969 for her performance as the Countess Aurelia.
Hairspray is an American musical with music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on John Waters's 1988 film of the same name. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues. In 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight, leading to social change as Tracy campaigns for the show's integration.
Mame is a musical with the book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. Originally titled My Best Girl, it is based on the 1955 novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and a 1956 Broadway play, by Lawrence and Lee. A period piece set in New York City and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, it focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis, whose famous motto is "Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death." Her fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. They cope with the Depression in a series of adventures.
Showtune is a musical revue celebrating the words and music of Broadway composer and lyricist Jerry Herman. Its title was inspired by Herman's autobiography of the same name. The revue's original title was Tune the Grand Up. After its 1985 San Francisco premiere and several regional productions through the 1990s, the piece played in the West End in 1998 under the title The Best of Times, and Off-Broadway in 2003, titled Showtune.
Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award as Best Actress in Guys and Dolls in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations.
Judy Kuhn is an American actress and singer, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film Pocahontas, including her rendition of the song "Colors of the Wind", which won its composers the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer.
Carolee Ann Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series Remember WENN (1996–1998). She is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a five-time Drama Desk nominee, winning the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her role in Parade.
Shoshana E. Bean is an American singer, songwriter, recording artist, YouTuber, and stage actress. She has released three records and has appeared on many theater cast recordings and film soundtracks.
Christine Ebersole is an American actor and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals 42nd Street and Grey Gardens, winning two Tony Awards. She has co-starred on the TBS sitcom Sullivan & Son, in which she played Carol Walsh, and earned an Emmy Award nomination for her work in One Life to Live.
The Last Session is a musical with the book by Jim Brochu and the music and lyrics by Steve Schalchlin, with additional lyrics by John Bettis and Marie Cain. The musical is about a singer/songwriter who has decided to commit suicide to end his battle with AIDS, but only after one last recording session in the studio. The musical was presented Off-Broadway in 1997.
Karen Morrow is an American singer–actress best known for her work in musical theater. Her honors include an Emmy Award and a Theatre World Award, and an Ovation Award and five Drama-Logue Award nominations.
Smokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards, including rock and roll and rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The Original Broadway cast recording, Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs Of Leiber And Stoller, won a Grammy Award in 1997.
Liliane Montevecchi was a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer.
Jason D. Danieley is an American actor, singer, concert performer and recording artist. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was married to fellow performer Marin Mazzie.
Rebecca Spencer is an American singer and actress, known for her roles in musicals and cabaret productions. Over the course of her career, Spencer has performed principal roles in over 50 opera, national tour, regional and Off-Broadway productions, including co-starring in Hollywood Bowl's 2019 production of Into the Woods. She created the role of Lisa Carew in the world premiere of Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll and Hyde at the Alley Theatre, opposite Linda Eder and Chuck Wagner, and premiered the role of Madame Giry in the $35 million production of Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular, under the direction of Harold Prince.
Parade is an musical revue with book, music, and lyrics by Jerry Herman.