Prince of Central Park (musical)

Last updated
Prince of Central Park
Original Broadway Playbill
Music Don Sebesky
LyricsGloria Nissenson
Book Evan H. Rhodes
BasisThe Prince of Central Park by Evan H. Rhodes
Productions1988 Workshop (Key West)
1988 World Premiere (Miami Beach)
1989 Broadway

Prince of Central Park is a 1989 Broadway musical with music by Don Sebesky, lyrics by Gloria Nissenson and a book by Evan H. Rhodes. It is based on Rhodes' 1974 novel The Prince of Central Park and its 1977 television movie adaptation which starred Ruth Gordon and Brooke Shields. The musical was a notorious flop, losing nearly $2 million and closing after only four performances. Today, it is best remembered for a humorously negative review by Frank Rich in The New York Times . [1] [2]

Contents

Synopsis

The musical tells the story of Jay-Jay, a 12-year-old runaway who tries to escape an abusive foster mother and the terrors of New York City by living in a tree in Central Park. Communicating via chalk messages on a park bench, he begins an unlikely correspondence with Margie Miller, a middle aged divorcé who jogs through the park and whose daughter is conspiring to send her to a Florida retirement village. Eventually Margie befriends Jay-Jay, helping him to fight off the gangs and drug pushers of the park, while learning about life and herself in the process. Together they become a sort of surrogate family.

Development and World Premiere

After the success of the TV movie, Rhodes was approached by BMI to adapt his book The Prince of Central Park into a possible musical. [3] The world premiere starring Martha Raye and staged by Albert Marre was announced and scheduled to open on November 7, 1985 at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, [4] but this production was ultimately canceled when the producer was sent to jail on tax charges. [3]

In December 1985, Jan McArt, a performer and theater producer who was nicknamed "The First Lady of Florida's Musical Theatre," was introduced to Rhodes and became interested in the project. After securing the rights from Lorimar, who had produced the TV movie, [5] McArt began to develop the show with Rhodes writing the book, Don Sebesky writing the music and Gloria Nissenson writing the lyrics. The first production meeting was held in August 1987 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, where Bob Bogandoff was selected as the director. [3] In May 1988, McArt flew to Los Angeles to personally offer the musical's leading role to Nanette Fabray. [5]

The show premiered as a "work in progress" on October 25, 1988 at McArt's Mallory Square Cabaret Theatre in Key West starring Fabray as Mrs. Miller, 13-year-old Richard H. Blake as Jay-Jay (the title character), Anthony Galde as Elmo, a gang leader and an ensemble of 9 actors. [3] [6] At the second performance, Fabray was sick so producer McArt played the role as her understudy. [5] The show closed on November 29.

Impressed with the musical, Abe Hirschfield, a Miami Beach real estate magnate, joined on as producer and mounted a full production at his 900-seat Hirschfeld Theatre in the Clarion Castle Hotel in Miami Beach. The cast was expanded to 20, with Fabray, Blake and Galde remaining in the leads; producer McArt appeared in a "cameo" [7] as a crazy homeless bag lady who makes telephone calls from a broken phone; Hirschfeld's granddaughter also appeared in the show. [3] [8] The production was directed by Bob Bogandoff and choreographed by Michael DiFonzo. [9] [10]

Prince of Central Park ran from February 3 to March 5, 1989 and was generally well received by local audiences, though critics were mixed. The Miami Herald wrote that the show was "not yet" ready for Broadway. [11] The Sun-Sentinel felt the show was "overlong" and "occasionally tedious" but ultimately "charming." It singled out Blake's performance, calling him "an '80s male echo of the appeal Andrea McArdle brought to the original Annie. [10]

Pre-Broadway

From April to June, the show was substantially rewritten with the addition of nine new songs before it headed to Broadway with a scheduled opening date of October 30, 1989. [12] Among the changes were an addition of "Red," a musical number set at Bloomingdale's in which mannequins come to life and begin dancing. [1]

Although she was with the show from the beginning, Fabray was let go from the project during the summer of 1989. Director Bogandoff was also fired as the producers searched for a replacement with Broadway credentials (and a Tony nomination). [5]

Fabray was replaced by Gloria DeHaven and Bogandoff was replaced by Tony Tanner, who also served as choreographer. On September 26, DeHaven left the show due to an injury to her rib and "unspecified artistic differences." Producer Jan McArt later told the Boca Raton News that because the show was being rewritten daily, DeHaven was having trouble learning her new lines and they needed someone who was "a quick study." [13] Broadway wags, sensing a troubled production, began to call the show "Ain't Miss DeHaven." [14]

McArt, whose theatre hosted the show's first production, took over the role for two weeks until DeHaven could be replaced. [15] Jo Anne Worley quit a California production of Mame [16] to join the cast on October 10 and the show's opening date was postponed until November 9 to allow her more time to rehearse. [12]

Broadway production

On October 24, 1989, Prince of Central Park began previews on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre and opened on November 9 with Worley and Blake in the leads. At 14, Blake became the youngest Broadway performer to have his name above the title of the show. [17] The sets and costumes were designed by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case and the lighting design was by Norman Coates.

Characters

Musical numbers

Critical response

The musical received overwhelmingly negative reviews by Broadway critics, who found that the show was both amateurish and made light of serious social issues such as street crime, drugs, homelessness and child abuse, while turning gritty New York City into a sentimental fairy tale. [18] Though aimed at a family audience, critics noted that the show had moments of vulgarity, such as a scene in which two gay men happily emerge from the bushes after having sex [19] and jokes in which the character of Margie comments on her sagging breasts and her estranged husband's penis. [20]

The New Yorker called the show "a really bad musical" and "a howler" and agreed that it had "so many references to the Tavern on the Green that it's almost impossible to believe that the restaurant's owners haven't underwritten the show." [19]

The Associated Press , in a kinder review, said that the show was "a New York fairy tale told with a modest amount of musical imagination and wit ... a small musical in almost every respect. It's not awful, but its mildness and meager musical numbers make it a dim prospect to last very long on Broadway." [21]

Linda Winer of Newsday found Worley to be "likable" and "surprisingly restrained" while calling Blake "a major young talent." [22]

Frank Rich review

In his famously scathing and humorous review in The New York Times, Frank Rich wrote:

"Prince of Central Park, the new musical at the Belasco, is a numbing evening of such guileless amateurism that it will probably have a future as a Harvard Business School case study, whatever its fate in the annals of drama. Even modest Broadway shows like this cost more money than the gross national product of some third world nations. People put up this money. As long as there are people as gullible as the sponsors of Prince of Central Park, the theater need never fear for its survival." [20]

Rich's review went on to include a deliberately incorrect and funny summary of the plot:

"In Act II, Jay-Jay and Margie bravely overcome outmoded legal obstacles and moral attitudes to get married. They adopt five children, two of whom become the first sibling astronauts and together head a successful manned space mission to Pluto. Actually, I am lying. Something else entirely happens in Act II. But I assure you that my version is more interesting. [20]

Rich also mocked the fact that the authors seemed to have no connection to New York City, writing:

"The biggest unintentional laugh for a New York audience arrives when Ms. Worley ventures into Bloomingdale's and is immediately welcomed by a kindly silver-haired saleswoman who offers her complete undivided attention." [20]

Blake, who had turned down Michael Eisner's offer of a part on The Mickey Mouse Club to be in the production, [17] [23] was compared by Rich to "an aging Mouseketeer." The review concluded with:

"Prince of Central Park also has a serious obsession with Tavern on the Green, whose name is dragged into nearly every scene before and after serving as a setting for a dance number. Given the vehicle for these insistent plugs, it's hard to know whether the restaurant should consider itself the beneficiary of free advertising or the victim of a dissatisfied customer's personal vendetta." [20]

Aftermath

The opening night after-party was held at Tavern on the Green, where 600 formally attired patrons showed up to celebrate. At the party, Rhodes predicted that the show would run for years, [9] but after the uniformly negative reviews were published in the papers, hopes began to fade.

Producer and majority backer Abe Hirschfeld, who had successfully run for Miami Beach City Commission during the production, at first tried to counter the bad reviews with an extensive advertising campaign, calling the critics "liars," claiming that New York critics had a "vendetta" against South Florida shows and emphatically stating "we are not closing the show." [21] To help boost the show, the actors agreed to work for scale and the Shubert Organization, owners of the Belasco Theatre (which had been unoccupied for two years) offered to waive its rental fee for four months until February 1, 1990. But within a few days, after production costs quickly began to mount, Hirschfeld himself closed the show, stating: "I kept saying there should be no changes from the Miami Beach version. You can`t come into New York with a new show without trying it out. It was destroyed by the way it was changed about. Since I didn't like the show, I didn't think it was worth it." [24]

Prince of Central Park ran for four performances. [25] The $2 million production (75 percent of which was put up by Hirschfeld) [26] earned only $128,907 during its entire run (4 performances and 19 previews). [27]

In Hot Seat, Frank Rich's annotated book of his New York Times theatre reviews, he recalled that Prince of Central Park was "laughed off by all the critics and quickly disappeared" and that Variety had accused him of tricking his readers "by supplying his own, ostensibly superior libretto for the show" in his review. Rich wrote that Hirschfeld went on to purchase the New York Post for two weeks (nearly destroying it) and later served time in jail and that in retrospect, the flop was one of the finer achievements of his career. [2]

In 2000, Hirschfeld was convicted of criminal solicitation for trying to hire a hit man to kill his former business partner Stanley Stahl, with whom he had a "survivor take all" business partnership. [28] Hirschfeld was sentenced to three years in prison, of which he served two. When he got out of prison he ran for the U.S. Senate, calling himself "Honest Abe". [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Jay Lerner</span> American lyricist and librettist (1918–1986)

Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre both for the stage and on film. Lerner won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, among other honors.

<i>Into the Woods</i> 1987 musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

Into the Woods is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.

<i>Prince of Central Park</i> 2000 film

Prince of Central Park is a 2000 family movie. The cast included Kathleen Turner, Danny Aiello, Harvey Keitel, and Cathy Moriarty. It was written and directed by John Leekley, and produced by Julius R. Nasso, Steven Seagal, and John P. Gulino. The film is a remake of the 1977 TV movie The Prince of Central Park starring Ruth Gordon and T. J. Hargrave; both films were based on the novel The Prince of Central Park by Evan Rhodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Mackintosh</span> British theatre and musical producer

Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York Times. He is the producer of shows including Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon, Mary Poppins, Oliver!, and Hamilton.

<i>Road Show</i> (musical)

Road Show is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by John Weidman. It tells the story of Addison Mizner and his brother Wilson Mizner's adventures across America from the beginning of the twentieth century during the Klondike gold rush to the Florida real estate boom of the 1920s. The musical takes considerable liberties with the facts of the brothers' lives. It was the final musical that Sondheim wrote before his death in 2021.

<i>Showtune</i> (musical) Musical revue from 2003

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.

<i>The Rothschilds</i> (musical)

The Rothschilds is a musical with a book by Sherman Yellen, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Anne Worley</span> American actress and comedienne

JoAnne Worley is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. Worley is widely known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanette Fabray</span> American actress, singer and dancer (1920-2018)

Nanette Fabray was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She began her career performing in vaudeville as a child and became a musical-theatre actress during the 1940s and 1950s, acclaimed for her role in High Button Shoes (1947) and winning a Tony Award in 1949 for her performance in Love Life. In the mid-1950s, she served as Sid Caesar's comedic partner on Caesar's Hour, for which she won three Emmy Awards, as well as appearing with Fred Astaire in the film musical The Band Wagon. From 1979 to 1984, she played Katherine Romano, the mother of lead character Ann Romano, on the TV series One Day at a Time. She also appeared as the mother of Christine Armstrong in the television series "Coach."

Martin Charnin was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical Annie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hirschfeld Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and Byzantine style and was constructed for vaudevillian Martin Beck. It has 1,404 seats across two levels and is operated by Jujamcyn Theaters. Both the facade and the interior are New York City landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jujamcyn Theaters</span> American theatrical producer and theatre owner

Jujamcyn Theaters LLC, formerly the Jujamcyn Amusement Corporation, is a theatrical producing and theatre-ownership company in New York City. For many years Jujamcyn was owned by James H. Binger, former Chairman of Honeywell, and his wife, Virginia McKnight Binger. The organization is now held by its president, Jordan Roth, and president emeritus, Rocco Landesman.

<i>Kiss of the Spider Woman</i> (musical) 1992 musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb

Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical with music by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with the book by Terrence McNally. It is based on the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña. Directed by Harold Prince, the musical had runs in the West End (1992) and Broadway (1993) and won the 1993 Tony Award for Best Musical.

<i>George M!</i> Musical about George M. Cohan

George M! is a Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan, the biggest Broadway star of his day who was known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." The book for the musical was written by Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Francine Pascal. Music and lyrics were by George M. Cohan himself, with revisions for the musical by Cohan's daughter, Mary Cohan.

<i>Merrily We Roll Along</i> (musical) 1981 musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth

Merrily We Roll Along is a 1981 American musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.

<i>Closer Than Ever</i>

Closer Than Ever is a musical revue in two acts, with words by Richard Maltby, Jr. and music by David Shire. The revue contains no dialogue, and Maltby and Shire have described this show as a "bookless book musical." The show was originally conceived by Steven Scott Smith as a one act revue entitled Next Time Now!, which was first given at the nightclub Eighty-Eights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liliane Montevecchi</span> French-Italian actress and entertainer

Liliane Montevecchi was a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer.

Richard H. Blake is an American actor and singer best known for his work in musical theatre.

<i>Elf</i> (musical) Musical composed by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin

Elf is a musical based on the motion picture of the same name, with a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. The book is adapted by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan from the 2003 film. The musical ran on Broadway in the Christmas seasons of 2010–11 and 2012–13, in the West End in the 2015–16 season, and has also toured extensively, often during the Christmas holiday season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures</span>

Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures is the live show, stageplay and musical production arm of Warner Bros. Discovery. The company forms a part of Warner Bros., one of the major business segments of Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures is led by Mark Kaufman.

References

  1. 1 2 Mandelbaum, Ken (1992). Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 35–38. ISBN   978-0312082734.
  2. 1 2 Rich, Frank (1992). Hot Seat. Random House. pp. 687–688. ISBN   0679453008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sheffield, Skip. "Production's a 'Prince'" Boca Raton News, December 30, 1988, page 5W. Retrieved on February 3, 2013
  4. ↑ Smith, Sid. "Gary Sinise Signs To Direct His 1st Film" Chicago Tribune, May 30, 1985, Retrieved on February 2, 2013
  5. 1 2 3 4 "One Play's Trip From Key West To Broadway" from Sun-Sentinel, November 5, 1989; Byline: Jack Zink and Norine Dworkin. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  6. ↑ "Producing a 'Prince'" from Boca Raton News, July 21, 1988; Byline: Skip Sheffield; page 6W. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  7. ↑ "Nanette Fabray Her 'Prince' Has Come The Veteran Actress Wasn't Interested In Doing A Musical Until Producer Jan McArt Showed Up On Her Doorstep With The Script Of The Prince Of Central Park." from Sun-Sentinel, February 5, 1989; Byline: Jack Zink. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  8. ↑ Richard H. Blake discussing the show live June 17, 2012
  9. 1 2 "'Prince' dethroned after critics turned It into frog;" from Boca Raton News, November 14, 1989, page 1C & 5C. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  10. 1 2 "'Prince' A Charming, Nostalgic Musical" from Sun-Sentinel, February 13, 1989; Byline: Jack Zink. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  11. ↑ "'Prince is Still Short of Broadway" from Miami Herald, February 15, 1989; Byline: Section: Amusements; Page: 7D. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  12. 1 2 "Worley Takes Broadway Role" from Sun-Sentinel, October 4, 1989; Byline: Jack Zink. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  13. ↑ "New Star for Boca Producer's Broadway Show" from Boca Raton News, October 13, 1989; Byline: Skip Sheffield; page 10W. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  14. ↑ "Critic's Notebook; Twisted Titles or the Edsels Of Broadway" from The New York Times, February 25, 1994; Byline: David Richards. Retrieved on 2013-02-03.
  15. ↑ " 'Prince Of Central Park' Opening Delayed" from Sun-Sentinel, October 25, 1989; Byline: Jack Zink. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  16. ↑ "Sock-it-to-me Time On Broadway 'Laugh-in' Star Opens In Fantasy." from New York Daily News, November 14, 1989, Byline: Patricia O'Haire. Retrieved on 2013-02-02
  17. 1 2 "The Leading Men: Blake, Borle and Turner"
  18. ↑ Dworkin, Norine. "McArt, Hirschfeld Open Their 'Prince' On Broadway" Sun-Sentinel, November 11, 1989. Retrieved on February 2, 2013
  19. 1 2 "The Theatre; byline: Mimi Kramer" The New Yorker, November 20, 1989. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Rich, Frank. "The City Is Sweet and Muggers Are Merry;" The New York Times, November 10, 1989. Retrieved November 4, 2017
  21. 1 2 "McArt, Hirschfeld Open Their 'Prince' On Broadway" Sun-Sentinel, November 11, 1989; Byline: Norine Dworkin Zink. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  22. ↑ "Out-of-Town 'Central Park'" Newsday, November 10, 1989; Byline: Linda Winer. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  23. ↑ Richard H. Blake discussing the show and performing the title song "The Prince of Central Park" on June 17, 2012
  24. ↑ Zink, Jack. " 'Prince Of Central Park' Prince Of Central Park" Closes Early On B'way" Sun-Sentinel, November 15, 1989. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  25. ↑ Prince of Central Park Internet Broadway Database
  26. ↑ Nemy, Enid. "On Stage" The New York Times, August 18, 1989. Retrieved on 2013-02-02.
  27. ↑ Prince Playbill Vault
  28. ↑ Bernstein, Adam. Abe Hirschfeld, Eccentric Tycoon Who Craved Publicity, Dies at 85, Washington Post , August 10, 2005
  29. ↑ "Rich Eccentrics Fortune" money.cnn.com
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.