Naked Boys Singing!

Last updated

Naked Boys Singing!
NBS! musical poster.jpg
Book Robert Schrock
PremiereMarch 28, 1998: Celebration Theatre, California
Productions1999 Off-Broadway

Naked Boys Singing! is a musical revue that features traditional American vaudeville-style music performed by eight actors who sing and dance naked. The campy musical comedy premiered at the Celebration Theatre in West Hollywood, California, on March 28, 1998. [1] The show opened off-Broadway in July 1999, and was subsequently transferred numerous times across New York City. A Las Vegas production at the Erotic Heritage Museum opened in September 2021. [2]

Contents

Productions

The show opened off-Broadway at the Actors' Playhouse on July 22, 1999, [3] with book and direction by Robert Schrock, musical direction by Stephen Bates, and choreography by Jeffry Denman, originally produced by Jamie Cesa, Jennifer Dumas, Hugh Hayes, Tom Smedes, and Carl D. White.

The show transferred to Theatre Four in March 2004, and gained attention when producers offered discounts to those attending the 2004 Republican National Convention. [4] The show transferred again in 2005 to New World Stages Stage Four, until closing on January 28, 2012. [5]

Productions of Naked Boys Singing! have been performed throughout the United States, with international shows in Norway, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Japan, Italy, South Africa, and Australia. [4]

Shortly after the original off-Broadway production closed, Producer/Directors Tom and Michael D'Angora decided to transfer their Provincetown adaption of Naked Boys Singing! to the off-Broadway stage, with a revival at Theatre Row's Kirk Theatre on April 5, 2012. [6] [7]

A production at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas opened in September 2021. [2]

Synopsis

Cast members at New York City Gay Pride Parade, celebrating the show's 10th anniversary. NBS! at NYC Gay Pride Parade 2009 (3670825440).jpg
Cast members at New York City Gay Pride Parade, celebrating the show's 10th anniversary.

The show has no plot; it contains 15 songs, about various issues, such as gay life, male nudity, coming out, circumcision and love.

Musical numbers

#Title
1"Gratuitous Nudity"
2"The Naked Maid"
3"The Bliss of a Bris"
4"Window to Window"
5"Fight the Urge"
6"Robert Mitchum"
7"Jack's Song (I Beat My Meat)"
8"Members Only"
9"Perky Little Porn Star"
10"Nothin' But the Radio On"
11"Kris, Look What You've Missed"
12"Muscle Addiction"
13"The Entertainer"
14"Window to Window (reprise)"
15"Window to the Soul"
16"Finale"
17"Naked Boys Singing!"

Cast

RoleOpening night castReplacements
Glenn Glenn Seven Allen Timothy Connell, Eric Dean Davis, Trevor Richardson
Jon Jonathan Brody Richard Lear, Steven Spraragen
Tim Tim Burke William DiPaola, Kristopher Kelly, Ryan Lowe
Tom Tom Gualtieri Jeffrey Todd
Daniel Daniel C. Levine George Livengood
Sean Sean McNally Billy Briggs, Robert McGown, John Sechrist, Luis Villabon
Adam Adam Michaels Patrick Herwood, Patrick Boyd
Trance Trance Thompson Stephen Alexander, Ralph Cole, Jr., Eric Potter, Dennis Stowe

Awards and nominations

Film adaptation

Naked Boys Singing!
Naked Boys Singing poster.jpg
Directed by
  • Robert Schrock
  • Troy Christian
Written by
Produced byKirkland Tibbels
Starring
  • Kevin Alexander Stea
  • Joe Souza
  • Phong Truong
  • Andrew Blake Ames
  • Anthony Manough
  • Salvatore Vassallo
  • Vincent Zamora
  • Joseph Keane
  • Jason Currie
  • Jaymes Hodges
Edited by
  • Troy Christian
  • Jerry Evans
Music byNic. tenBroek
Distributed by TLA Releasing
Release dates
Fall, 2007
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The show was adapted into a film of the same name, released in 2007. [9]

Cast and songs

Related Research Articles

<i>Mamma Mia!</i> (musical) 1999 musical based on the songs of ABBA

Mamma Mia! is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson based on songs recorded by Swedish group ABBA and composed by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Ulvaeus and Andersson were involved in the development of the show from the beginning, while singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad was involved financially in the production and also appeared at many of the premieres around the world.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1986 musical) 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway theatre</span> Type of theatre in New York City

Broadway theatre, or Broadway, are the theatrical performances presented in 41 professional theaters, each with 500 or more seats, in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Robert Brown</span> American songwriter

Jason Robert Brown is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on Parade and The Bridges of Madison County.

Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanine Tesori</span> American composer and musical arranger (born 1961)

Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway musicals and six Tony Award nominations. She won the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play for Nicholas Hytner's production of Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music for Caroline, or Change, the 2015 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Fun Home, making them the first female writing team to win that award, and the 2023 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Kimberly Akimbo. She was named a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist twice for Fun Home and Soft Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Theatrical Productions</span> Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Hilty</span> American musical theatre actress (born 1981)

Megan Kathleen Hilty is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda in Wicked, Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical, and her Tony Award–nominated role as Brooke Ashton in Noises Off. She also starred as Ivy Lynn on the musical-drama series Smash, on which she sang the Grammy Award-nominated "Let Me Be Your Star", and portrayed Liz on the sitcom Sean Saves the World.

<i>Menopause The Musical</i> 2001 musical from Jeanie Linders

Menopause The Musical is a 2001 musical with book and lyrics by Jeanie Linders which premiered on March 28, 2001 in Orlando, Florida. The musical follows four mature women shopping for lingerie at a Bloomingdale's sale, with lyrics parodying popular music from the baby boomer era to reflect symptoms of the menopause. Following the success of an Off-Broadway production, running for over 1,500 performances until 2006, the show was produced across the United States touring to the present day including in Las Vegas, where it has been running since 2006 as the longest running scripted musical in Las Vegas history. The show has spawned productions worldwide.

<i>Jersey Boys</i> Jukebox musical premiered in 2004

Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The musical is structured as four "seasons", each narrated by a different member of the band who gives his own perspective on its history and music. Songs include "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Sherry", "December, 1963 ", "My Eyes Adored You", "Stay", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", "Walk Like A Man", "Who Loves You", "Working My Way Back to You" and "Rag Doll".

<i>Newsical</i>

Newsical is a musical with music, lyrics, and book written by Rick Crom. In ever-changing songs and sketches, it lampoons current events, hot topics, celebrities, politicians, and other well-known entities. New songs are added on a continual basis to keep up with the headlines.

<i>Smokey Joes Cafe</i> (revue) Musical by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Boggess</span> American theatre actress and singer (born 1982)

Sierra Marjory Boggess is an American theater actress and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New World Stages</span> Off-Broadway theaters in Manhattan, New York

New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue.

<i>Rock of Ages</i> (musical) Musical featuring 1980s rock songs

Rock of Ages is a jukebox musical built around classic rock songs from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of that decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Europe, among other well-known rock bands. It was written by Chris D'Arienzo, directed by Kristin Hanggi and choreographed by Kelly Devine with music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patina Miller</span> American actress and singer (born 1984)

Patina Renea Miller is an American actress and singer. Miller's breakout role was as originating the role of disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of Sister Act for which she earned a Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award nominations respectively. She also starred as the Leading Player in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She later returned to Broadway to star as the Witch in the 2022 Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods.

Joseph Souza is an American actor and singer. He is a graduate from The Hartt School and is best known for his appearances in the film version of the Off-Broadway musical, Naked Boys Singing, various turns in television shows, and as a performer in softcore adult pornography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Henry</span> Canadian-American singer and actor

Joshua Anthony Charlton Henry is a Canadian-American actor and singer of stage and screen.

Tom D'Angora is a three-time Drama Desk nominated and Off-Broadway Alliance Award-winning New York based theatrical producer whose Broadway credits include co-producer of the 2021 revival of Caroline, Or Change and whose Off-Broadway credits include lead producer of Newsical The Musical, Naked Boys Singing!, The Marvelous Wonderettes, A Musical About Star Wars, Back In Pictures, the Backstage Bistro Award-winning Divas I've Done and A Broadway Diva Christmas. D'Angora is the creator and lead producer of the soapy new drama, Mélange, starring Morgan Fairchild, which is currently in development.

<i>Six</i> (musical) British musical comedy

Six is a British musical comedy with music, book, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented in the form of a pop concert. In the show, each of the wives take turns telling their story to determine who suffered the most from their common husband.

References

  1. Manus, Willard (March 28, 1998). "Naked Boys Singing! at L.A.'s Celebration Theatre, Mar. 28". Playbill . Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Tomeo, Marissa (March 6, 2022). "NAKED BOYS SINGING! Celebrates 100 Performances". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  3. Jones, Ken (July 22, 2020). "When Naked Boys Singing! First Appeared Off-Broadway". Playbill . Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Naked Boys Singing records". Online Archive of California. 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  5. Blank, Matthew (January 30, 2012). "Naked Boys Singing!, the 15-song celebration of the male form, played its final performance Off-Broadway at New World Stages Jan. 28 at 8 PM". Playbill . Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  6. Gans, Andrew (March 22, 2012). "New Team of Naked Boys Begin Singing March 22 Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  7. Mamary, Jennie (April 8, 2012). "NAKED BOYS SINGING! Opens at Theatre Row's Kirk Theatre!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  8. "Winners Announced for the BroadwayWorld 2021 Las Vegas Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. January 12, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  9. Lyons, Luisa (April 2017). "Naked Boys Singing!". Filmed Live Musicals. Retrieved January 18, 2022.