Play On!

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Play On!
"Play On!" broadway musical cast recording cover.jpg
Original Cast Recording Artwork
Music Duke Ellington
LyricsVarious (see below)
Book Cheryl L. West
Basis Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
PremiereSeptember 1996 (1996-09): Old Globe Theatre, San Diego
Productions1996 San Diego
1997 Broadway
2024 UK tour

Play On! is a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night , featuring the music of Duke Ellington, conceived by Sheldon Epps, with a book by Cheryl L. West. The musical resets the story from Illyria to 1940s Swing-era Harlem. [1] [2]

Contents

Premiering at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, the production was moved to Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 1997. The later production received three nominations at the 51st Tony Awards including for lead performances for both Tonya Pinkins and André De Shields and for Best Orchestrations to Luther Henderson. [3]

Production history

The original production, conceived by director Sheldon Epps, premiered in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in September 1996. After 19 previews, it opened on Broadway on March 20, 1997, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran for 61 performances. [4] [5] The cast included Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, Carl Anderson. Yvette Cason and Angela Robinson. [6] An original cast recording was released on May 20, 1997, on Varèse Sarabande.

A 1999 production of Play On! at the Pasadena Playhouse was recorded for the PBS series Great Performances . [7]

From September 2024 Talawa Theatre Company is touring the musical in the UK, directed by Michael Buffong, first to the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, then Liverpool Playhouse, Salisbury Playhouse, Birmingham Hippodrome, Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and Bristol Old Vic. [8]

Synopsis

Vy comes to swinging 1940s Harlem to write songs for the Duke, Harlem's greatest band leader. To overcome the sexist barriers of the time against women songwriters, she disguises herself as a man, Vy-man. She finds the Duke in tears over his loss of Lady Liv, Harlem's "queen of the blues". The Duke likes Vy-man's music, so he instructs the songwriter to go to the Cotton Club and present one of her songs as if it were a new song written by the Duke for Lady Liv. Lady Liv finds Vy-man charming, and a series of mistaken pairings results.

Meanwhile, several of the performers at the Cotton Club are rebelling against the overly serious and tyrannical club manager, Rev. Since Rev has a crush on Lady Liv, the performers persuade him that he should woo her by learning to swing and scat, giving up his old fashioned ballads. More confusion results before the truth is revealed, and the couples are appropriately united.

Cast

Original casts of notable productions

CharacterBroadway
1997
Duke Carl Anderson
Miss Mary Yvette Cason
Jester André De Shields
VyCheryl Freeman
Lady Liv Tonya Pinkins
RevLawrence Hamilton

Musical numbers

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
1997 Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical André DeShields Nominated
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Tonya Pinkins Nominated
Best Orchestrations Luther Henderson Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical André DeShieldsNominated
Drama League Award Outstanding Production of a MusicalPlay On!Nominated

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References

  1. Viagas, Robert (April 21, 1997). "Playbill Critics Circle: Your Reviews of Play On!". Playbill . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  2. "Play On!". Guide to Musical Theatre. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  3. ""The Life" leads Tony Nominee". The Washington Post . May 6, 1997. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  4. Evans, Greg (March 21, 1997). "Play On!: a musical has to work pretty hard to let such an inspired idea slip through the floorboards". Variety . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. Grimes, William (April 18, 1997). "On Stage, and Off". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  6. "Play On!". Playbill . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  7. Jones, Kenneth (June 21, 2000). "Play On! Finds Its Way to Small Screen, on PBS, June 21". Playbill . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  8. Singh, Amarjeet. "Play On! at Belgrade Theatre and on tour – Duke Ellington musical review". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 19 October 2024.