The Last Smoker in America

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The Last Smoker in America is a four-character, one-act musical comedy featuring book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music by Peter Melnick. [1] The Last Smoker in America opened Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre in 2012, after developmental readings in 2005 at the Rubicon Theatre Company, a workshop production at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2009, and having its world premiere at Contemporary American Theatre Company (CATCO), Columbus, Ohio in 2010. [2] [3]

Musical theatre work that combines songs, music, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance

Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals.

Bill Russell is an American librettist and lyricist. Among his stage musicals are Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens and Side Show, which was nominated for the Tony Award as Best Musical.

Peter Rodgers Melnick is an American composer for film, television and musical theatre.

Contents

Production history

Development

The show began its development at the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, California in December 2005. The Last Smoker in America was part of an evening of readings of three one-act musicals by Russell (who had written Side Show ) and Melnick, directed by Sheryl Kaller. [4] [5] Following the initial workshops at The Rubicon, two additional readings, produced by Andy Sandberg were presented in New York in the fall of 2006 at the York Theatre [6] and the spring of 2008 at New World Stages. [7]

Ventura, California City in California, United States

Ventura, officially the City of San Buenaventura, is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. The coastal site, set against undeveloped hills and flanked by two free-flowing rivers, has been inhabited for thousands of years. European explorers encountered a Chumash village, referred to as Shisholop, here while traveling along the Pacific coast. They witnessed the ocean navigation skill of the native people and their use of the abundant local resources from sea and land. The eponymous Mission San Buenaventura was founded nearby in 1782 where it benefitted from the water of the Ventura River. The town grew around the mission compound and incorporated in 1866. The development of nearby oil fields in the 1920s and the age of automobile travel created a major real estate boom during which many designated landmark buildings were constructed. The mission and these buildings are at the center of a downtown that has become a cultural, retail, and residential district and visitor destination.

<i>Side Show</i> musical by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger based on the lives of conjoined twins

Side Show is a musical by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger (music) based on the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who became famous stage performers in the 1930s.

Andy Sandberg is an American director, writer, actor, and producer. A 2005 graduate of Yale College, his Off-Broadway directing credits include Straight, Application Pending, Shida, Craving for Travel, Operation Epsilon, and The Last Smoker in America. He is also known as a producer of the Broadway (2009) and West End (2010) revivals of the musical Hair.

Following additional readings, The Last Smoker in America received a workshop production as a part of The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) in October 2009. [8] The NYMF production sold out and received an extension of one month prior to its first performance. [9]

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) is an annual three-week summer festival which presents more than thirty new musicals at venues in New York City's midtown theater district. More than half of these productions are chosen by leading theater artists and producers through an open-submission, double-blind evaluation process; the remaining shows are invited to participate by the Festival's artistic staff.

The Last Smoker in America scheduled its pre-New York engagement at Contemporary American Theatre Company (CATCO) in Columbus, Ohio for the fall of 2010. This production was co-produced by CATCO and Sandberg. In anticipation of the Ohio run, an industry reading was held in May 2010. [10] Following the reading, it was announced that producer Andy Sandberg, who had co-directed the reading, would assume sole directorial duties of the production as well.

CATCO is a regional professional theatre company in Columbus, Ohio. Operating under an Actors' Equity SPT 3+ contract, it produces a five- to six-show season that commonly runs from October through June and consists of contemporary, classic, and new works.

Columbus, Ohio Capital of Ohio

Columbus is the state capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a population of 879,170 as of 2017 estimates, it is the 14th-most populous city in the United States and one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation. This makes Columbus the third-most populous state capital in the US and the second-most populous city in the Midwest. It is the core city of the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses ten counties. With a population of 2,078,725, it is Ohio's second-largest metropolitan area.

The Last Smoker in America began preview performances on September 29, 2010 at the Vern Riffe Center in Columbus, Ohio. [11] The official opening was on October 6, 2010. Due to strong sales and positive reviews, the show added additional performances to its run. [12] The final performance of the CATCO run was held on October 24, 2010.

Vern Riffe American politician

Vernal G. Riffe Jr. was an American politician of the Democratic party. Riffe served for many years in the Ohio House of Representatives and was the longest serving speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives in the history of that institution, holding that office for 20 years.

Cast history

CATCO (World Premiere Cast) [13]
John Bolton (actor) American actor

John Bolton is an American actor and Broadway regular. Bolton is best known for originating the role of "The Old Man" in the Broadway show A Christmas Story: The Musical. He portrays Vlad Popov in the 2017 Broadway production of Anastasia.

Natalie Venetia Belcon is a Trinidadian-born American actress and singer. She is best known for originating the role of former child television star Gary Coleman in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q. Her other Broadway credits include the role of Joanne Jefferson in Rent and Erzulie in Once on This Island.

NYMF (Workshop Cast) [14]

Reading casts

Off-Broadway

On June 11, 2012 full cast and creative team for the production was announced. The show opened Off-Broadway at The Westside Theatre on July 11, 2012 (previews) and officially on August 2, 2012. The cast includes Farah Alvin, Natalie Venetia Belcon, John Bolton, and Jake Boyd. Again directed by Sandberg, the production features choreography by AC Ciulla. Other members of the creative team include Fred Lassen (music supervision), Charles Corcoran (sets), Michael McDonald (costumes), Jeff Croiter and Grant Yeager (lights) and Bart Fasbender (sound). [15] [16] The show closed on September 1, 2012. [17]

Synopsis

In a world where smoking has recently been outlawed and the penalties are growing stricter by the minute, Pam is having an impossible time trying to quit. Her husband Ernie dreams of being a rock star and relentlessly practices his guitar in the basement, while their videogame-addicted son Jimmy listens to so much rap music he thinks he’s black. As if Pam isn’t pushed to the edge of reason already, her nosy, anti-smoking zealot neighbor Phyllis is on a mission to catch transgressors mid-puff. Will Pam kick the habit or fight for her right to light up? [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 About lastsmokerinamerica.com
  2. ↑ dispatch.com, 2010
  3. ↑ " 'The Last Smoker' in America Will Open Off-Broadway in Spring 2011" playbill.com
  4. ↑ "Sheryl Kaller" broadway.com
  5. 1 2 " 'The Last Smoker in America' and Other Short Musicals" playbill.com
  6. 1 2 "'Last Smoker in America' Reading with 'Avenue Qs' Belcon Presented Nov 6" playbill.com
  7. 1 2 " 'Last Smoker in America' Readings" playbill.com
  8. ↑ " 'Last Smoker in America' Judas and Me Whatever Man and Street Lights Added to NYMF Bill" playbill.com
  9. ↑ "'The Last Smoker in America' Extra Performances To Its NYMF Run" broadwayworld.com, September 17, 2009
  10. 1 2 "Belcon Alexander Bolton and Iacono Sing About 'The Last Smoker in America' May 21" playbill.com
  11. ↑ "Fall Plays" thisweeknews.com
  12. ↑ " 'The Last Smoker in America' Adds Bonus Performances" cleveland.broadwayworld.com, October 14, 2010
  13. ↑ "Cast and Crew" catco.org
  14. ↑ nymf.org
  15. ↑ "Off-Broadway 'Last Smoker'" Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine . playbill.com
  16. ↑ Probst, Andy. "Review. 'The Last Smoker in America'" theatermania.com, August 2, 2012
  17. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "New Musical 'Last Smoker in America' to Close Off-Broadway; Cast Recording in the Works" playbill.com, August 24, 2012
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