Tomorrow Morning (musical)

Last updated

Tomorrow Morning is an off-Broadway musical. In 2022, a film musical adaptation was directed by British director Nick Winston.

Contents

The musical was first seen in London in 2006 at the New End Theatre. It was presented at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater in Chicago where it won a 2009 Jeff Award for Best Musical. Further productions have been given, including an Off-Broadway production by the York Theatre in 2011 and was seen in Tokyo (2012), Portugal (2014), Seoul (2012–16) plus productions in Germany, Austria, Italy and Australia. Productions in Mexico, Rome and Russia were cancelled or postponed due to the global COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdowns.

The show has been nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, among others and has now played on four continents in five languages.

Plot

Two couples are separated by a span of time. Jack and Catherine, who are in their late 30s, are getting divorced. John and Kat, who are in their 20s, are getting married. On the eve of their wedding, Kat reveals to John that she is pregnant. When she informs him, he walks out on her. Catherine and Jack argue about their divorce settlement. Their 10-year-old son disappears, helping the couple to realize that they still care for each other. It turns out that the two couples are the same people: John and Kat are Jack and Catherine's memories of their younger selves. John returns to Kat, and Jack and Catherine reconcile.

Film adaptation

On 25 March 2021, Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail announced a feature film adaptation to be released in late 2021 starring Samantha Barks and Ramin Karimloo, directed by Nick Winston.

Unlike in the stage production, the lead actors in the film portrayed themselves at both stages of their lives, a decade apart, with Barks taking on the role of Catherine and her younger counterpart Cat, and Ramin Karimloo playing Bill (formerly known as Jack) and his younger self, Will.

Another difference to the four person stage show was that the film featured other characters, including Catherine's friend and confidante (Fleur East), her mother Joy (Harriet Thorpe), her grandmother Anna (Joan Collins) and a cameo appearance from comic star Omid Djalili as Bill's father Dariush.

Productions

Over the years 2002 to 2006, the musical had development workshops supported by Mercury Musical Developments and West End producer Hilary A. Williams. The show was showcased at Theatre Building Chicago's Stages Festival of New Musicals in 2007.

The show premiered in London in 2006 at the New End Theatre and was later presented at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater in Chicago in 2008. [1] Several changes were made when the show moved to Chicago. The song The Time is Coming was replaced by The Pool Guy, Chapter 17 replaced by Self Portrait and the finale Suddenly by All About Today. The plot was also extensively re-written by Wythe to introduce a pregnancy for the character of Kat. Also, the song Look What We Made was originally sung by the characters of Jack and Catherine, but in Chicago it became a song for the two men, Jack and John, thinking about their son and the son of the future respectively. [1]

An Australian production of the show opened in Melbourne on 1 September 2010 at the Treble Clef Jazz Lounge, directed by Joel Baltaha and later transferred to Chapel off Chapel in downtown Melbourne. A London production played at the Landor Theatre in October 2010 starring Julie Atherton and Jon Lee.[ citation needed ]

An Off-Broadway production began previews at the York Theatre in New York City on 21 March 2011, and officially opened on 30 March, in a limited engagement that closed on 23 April 2011. [2] Directed by Tom Mullen, with choreography by Lorin Latarro, it starred D.B. Bonds, Autumn Hurlbert, Matthew Hydzik and Mary Mossberg. [3] This production was played without an intermission and changes were made to the story. Several songs were removed, and two new songs, What it Takes and The Game Show were added.[ citation needed ]

Critical reception

The critics were mostly very favorable to the show in Chicago, where Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune gave the show 3+12 stars and ranked it in his top 20 shows of 2008. He also called it "A Must See Work" and said "What Could Be Better Value for Money?" Hedy Weiss at the Chicago Sun Times said it was "Deftly Structured" and "Neatly Observed" though she was slightly more muted in her praise of the show, despite having done a full feature a few weeks earlier. [4] In London the show received good reviews - The Stage called it "A remarkable collaboration of all round talent"; Whats on Stage.com called it "Witty & Poignant". A 2008 production ran at Spirit of Broadway Theatre in Norwich, Connecticut.

The Off-Broadway production received mixed reviews. Backstage praised the writing but commented: "Though smart and pleasant from moment to moment, the show is lukewarm and unoriginal overall." [5] The New York Post similarly wrote that the show "conveys the less-than-revelatory message that marriage can lead to divorce." [6] Talkin' Broadway gave the musical a positive review, calling it "Irresistible". [7]

In 2010, Lyn Gardner in The Guardian said that much of the score for Tomorrow Morning was "sublime, and sublimely delivered". She gave the show three and a half stars. Time Out London gave the show four stars and made it Critics Choice. Michael Coveny in The Independent had less glowing praise for the show itself but pointed out the skill of the composer and lyricist and his potential for the future. Paul Vale in The Stage called the show "thoughtful and intelligent". Mark Shenton, in the Sunday Express described the show as "coolly adult, neatly propelled by an earnest song cycle".

In Australia, Theatrepeople.au wrote: "Due to the delicacy, intelligence and honesty of the writing, it may very well be Tomorrow Morning that goes down in posterity as the preeminent work in this expanding, subgenre of musical theatre".[ citation needed ]

Notable casting

Kat (*Cat)John (*Will)CatherineJack (*Bill)
2021 Screen Adaptation(*) Samantha Barks Ramin Karimloo Samantha BarksRamin Karimloo
2006 London Emma Williams Stephen Ashfield Annette McLaughlinAlastair Robins
2008 ConnecticutCourtney RiouxJeremy JonetLisa FossFrank Calamaro
2008 ChicagoEmily ThompsonMichael MahlerCharissa ArmonJonathan Rayson
2010–2011 AustraliaKrystal ShuteJonathan Guthrie-JonesNatasha BassettBlake Testro
2010 London Julie Atherton Jon Lee Yvette RobinsonGrant Neal
2011 New York City Autumn Hurlbert Matt HydzikMary MossbergDB Bonds
2014 Kottingbrunn/Austria (first German production)Anja HaeseliOliver ArnoKathleen BauerMartin Pasching

Recordings

The London cast album was released in 2006 on the Dress Circle label. The Chicago production's cast album was released in 2010. Both albums are produced by the composer, though conductor Matt Brind is credited as co-producer on the 2006 album, with Nigel Wright credited as Executive Producer. The first foreign language album was released in November 2015 in a German translation by Daniel Grosse-Boymann on the CoCordis record label in Austria.

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Les Misérables</i> (musical) Musical based on Victor Hugos novel of the same name

Les Misérables, colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz, is a sung-through musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, and a book by Schönberg and Boublil, based on the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The French musical premiered in Paris in 1980 with direction by Robert Hossein. Its English-language adaptation, with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, produced by Cameron Mackintosh, has been running in London since October 1985, making it the longest-running musical in the West End and the second longest-running musical in the world after the original off-Broadway run of The Fantasticks. Many other long-running productions followed on Broadway and around the world, and a film adaptation was released in 2012.

<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 novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the tragic story of beautiful soprano Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious but disfigured musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

<i>Cabaret</i> (musical) Stage musical by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff

Cabaret is an American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and a book by Joe Masteroff. It is based on the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John Van Druten, which in turn was based on the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood.

<i>Sunset Boulevard</i> (musical) 1993 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Sunset Boulevard is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and libretto by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. It is based on the 1950 film of the same title.

Gerome Ragni was an American actor, singer, and songwriter, best known as one of the stars and co-writers of the 1967 musical Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. On June 18, 2009, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

<i>On a Clear Day You Can See Forever</i> 1965 musical

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on Berkeley Square, written in 1926 by John L. Balderston. It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been reincarnated. The musical received three Tony Award nominations.

<i>Gay Divorce</i> 1932 musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter

Gay Divorce is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Dwight Taylor, adapted by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein. It was Fred Astaire's last Broadway show and featured the hit song "Night and Day" in which Astaire danced with co-star Claire Luce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruthie Henshall</span> English entertainer (born 1967)

Valentine Ruth Henshall, known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre. She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End debut in Cats in 1987. A five-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Amalia Balash in the London revival of She Loves Me (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Kuhn</span> American actress and singer (born 1958)

Judy Kuhn is an American actress, singer and activist, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Owen-Jones</span> Welsh musical theatre actor and singer

John Owen-Jones is a Welsh musical theatre actor and singer, best known for his portrayals of Jean Valjean in Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönberg's Les Misérables and The Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.

<i>The Golden Apple</i> (musical) Musical

The Golden Apple is a musical adaptation of parts of the Iliad and Odyssey with music by Jerome Moross and lyrics by John Treville Latouche. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 1954 and then transferred to Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramin Karimloo</span> Canadian actor, singer, songwriter (born 1978)

Ramin Karimloo is a Canadian actor, singer and songwriter recognized for his work in London's West End and New York's Broadway theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadley Fraser</span> English actor, singer (born 1980)

Robert Hugh "Hadley" Fraser is an English actor and singer. He made his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy in Les Misérables. He also originated the role of Tiernan in the Broadway show The Pirate Queen.

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

Sierra Marjory Boggess is an American theater actress, singer, and figure skater.

Laurence Mark Wythe is an English composer, lyricist and writer for West End, international and Off-Broadway musicals. He is principally known for the off-Broadway musical Tomorrow Morning (2011), Through the Door and Midnight. Tomorrow Morning won the Jeff Award in Chicago for Best Musical (midsize) in 2009. The musical opened at the Landor Theatre in South London in October 2010, and off-Broadway at the Theatre at Saint Peters on Lexington Avenue in New York on 31 March 2011 and has played all over the world. Also: Creatives written with Irvine Welsh has been seen in the US and the UK; Extraordinary was produced by the University of Central Lancashire in 2017. He has also written one play's incidental music. The movie adaptation of Tomorrow Morning was shot in 2021 and will be released by Kaleidoscope Films in 2022, starring Samantha Barks and Ramin Karimloo with Omid Djalili, Fleur East, Joan Collins, Henry Goodman and Harriet Thorpe.

<i>Silence! The Musical</i> Musical by Jon Kaplan , Al Kaplan

Silence! The Musical is a 2005 musical created by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan as a parody of the 1991 Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs, which is in turn based on 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. The musical is itself based on a parody screenplay of the same name written by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Barks</span> Manx actress and singer

Samantha Jane Barks is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008. She has released three studio albums: Looking in Your Eyes (2007), Samantha Barks (2016), and Into the Unknown (2021), and made her film debut as Éponine in the Tom Hooper-directed Les Misérables in 2012. Her performance in the film won her the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer and a shared National Board of Review Award with the film's cast.

<i>The Addams Family</i> (musical) Musical Comedy

The Addams Family is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The show is based upon The Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams in his single-panel gag cartoons, which depict a ghoulish American family with an affinity for all things macabre. Although numerous film and television adaptations of Addams' cartoons exist, the musical is the first stage show based on the characters. The Addams Family is also the first show produced by Elephant Eye Theatricals.

<i>Love Never Dies</i> (musical) 2010 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Love Never Dies is a romantic musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth, and Slater. It is a sequel to the long-running 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera and was loosely adapted from Forsyth's 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan.

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

Six is a British musical comedy in the style of a pop concert. Its music, book, and lyrics were written 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 singing competition. In the show, the wives take turns telling their story to determine who suffered the most from their shared husband, but ultimately seek to reclaim their individual identities and rewrite their stories.

References

  1. 1 2 Tomorrow Morning Official Website
  2. Fingerman, Dan. Tomorrow Morning. The Easy, 31 March 2011
  3. "Tomorrow Morning announces cast". NewYorkTheatreGuide.com, 1 March 2011
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Johnson, Clifford Lee. Tomorrow Morning. Back Stage, 31 March 2011
  6. Scheck, Frank. "Tomorrow is only day-to-day". New York Post, 31 March 2011
  7. Murray, Matthew. Tomorrow Morning. Talkin' Broadway, 30 March 2011

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/tomorrow-morning-landor-theatre-london-2117263.html