| Triumph of Love | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Music | Jeffrey Stock |
| Lyrics | Susan Birkenhead |
| Book | James Magruder |
| Basis | 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour |
| Productions | 1997 Broadway |
Triumph of Love is an American musical which opened on Broadway in 1997, with a book by James Magruder, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jeffrey Stock. It is based on a play of the same name by the 19th-century French playwright Pierre de Marivaux.
Resembling a chamber musical more than a traditional book musical, it is based on the 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour . The story centers on Spartan princess Léonide, whose love for Agis is complicated by the fact her throne was wrongfully wrested by her family from the object of her affection. Agis has been raised an educated man ruled by reason rather than passion by his uncle Hermocrates and his aunt Hesione. The princess, conspiring with her servant Corine, disguises herself as Phocion in order to infiltrate the guarded "men-only" palace compound occupied by Agis, who is plotting her assassination. Complications ensue when both Agis and Hermocrates separately guess her secret, and she tells the former she's Cécile, on the lam from an undesirable paramour, and to the latter claims to be Aspasie, who wishes to study philosophy with him. Adding to the convoluted plot are Hermocrates' valet Harlequin and gardener Dimas.
Triumph of Love opened on Broadway on October 23, 1997 at the Royale Theatre, where it ran for 85 performances and 30 previews. [1] The musical was directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Doug Varone. The cast included Susan Egan as Léonide, Christopher Sieber as Agis, F. Murray Abraham as Hermocrates, Betty Buckley as Hesione, Nancy Opel as Corine, Roger Bart as Harlequin, and Kevin Chamberlin as Dimas. [1] Comedian Elayne Boosler had been announced to play Corine but dropped out during rehearsals due to creative differences. [2]
An original cast recording was released by Jay Records. As a bonus track, it included Buckley's cut solo from Act II, "If I Cannot Love."
Source: [3]
|
|
The Variety reviewer called the musical "Modest in everything but talent and charm, this chamber-size comedy just might have the sass to take its place alongside the season’s big-budget lions." [4]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Betty Buckley | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress Actress in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lyrics | Susan Birkenhead | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Costume Design | Catherine Zuber | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Production of a Musical | Nominated | ||
Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux, commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist.
Susan Farrell Egan is an American actress, singer and dancer, known for her work on the Broadway stage. She is best known for originating the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (1994), as well as for providing the voices of Megara in Hercules (1997), Madame Gina in Porco Rosso (2005), Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond in Steven Universe, and Lin in Spirited Away.
Betty Lynn Buckley is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Bye Bye Birdie is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart.
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. It is based on the 1950 film of the same title.
Promises, Promises is a musical with music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David and a book by Neil Simon. It is based on the 1960 film The Apartment written by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond. The story concerns a junior executive at an insurance company who seeks to climb the corporate ladder by allowing his apartment to be used by his married superiors for trysts.
Mary Beth Peil is an American actress and soprano. She began her career as an opera singer in 1962 with the Goldovsky Opera Theater. In 1964 she won two major singing competitions, the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; the latter of which earned her a contract with the Metropolitan Opera National Company with whom she performed in two seasons of national tours as a leading soprano from 1965–1967. She continued to perform in operas through the 1970s, notably creating the role of Alma in the world premiere of Lee Hoiby's Summer and Smoke at the Minnesota Opera in 1971. She later recorded that role for American television in 1982. With that same opera company she transitioned into musical theatre, performing the title role of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate in 1983. Later that year she joined the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I as Anna Leonowens opposite Yul Brynner, and continued with that production when it opened on Broadway on January 7, 1985. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal.
Roger Bart is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Aida is a musical based on the opera of the same name written by Antonio Ghislanzoni with music by Giuseppe Verdi. It has music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, and was originally produced by Walt Disney Theatrical.
Beauty and the Beast is a Disney stage musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' Academy Award-winning 1991 animated musical film of the same name – which in turn had been based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont – Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must learn to love a bright, beautiful young lady who he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle before it is too late.
Elayne Boosler is an American comedian, writer, and actress.
The Triumph of Love is a 2001 romantic comedy film based on the 19th-century French playwright Pierre de Marivaux's play of the same name. It was directed by Clare Peploe, produced by her husband Bernardo Bertolucci, and stars Mira Sorvino and Ben Kingsley.
Rebecca Luker was an American actress, singer, and recording artist, noted for her "crystal clear operatic soprano" and for maintaining long runs in Broadway musicals over the course of her three-decade-long career. The New York Times compared her to actresses such as Barbara Cook and Julie Andrews.
Nancy Carol Opel is an American singer and actress, known primarily for her work on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2002 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the musical Urinetown.
Karen Ziemba is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre. In 2000, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Contact.
Susan Watson is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in musical theatre.
Laura Ann Osnes is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in Grease as Sandy, South Pacific as Nellie Forbush, Anything Goes as Hope Harcourt, and Bonnie and Clyde as Bonnie Parker, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. She also starred in the title role of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway, for which she received a Drama Desk Award and her second Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Margo Allison Lion was a producer for plays and musicals both on Broadway and off-Broadway, known for her role in producing the stage and screen hit Hairspray. Combined, the works Lion produced won 20 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.
The Triumph of Love is a three-act French comic play by Pierre de Marivaux. It was first performed by the Théâtre Italien in Paris on 12 March 1732.
Michele Ragusa is an American actress and singer currently residing in New Jersey. She is best known for her work in Broadway musicals and her solo performances and staged concerts with Symphony Orchestras around the United States. She also played a recurring role on the television comedy Happyish.
