Wind in the Willows (1985 musical)

Last updated
Wind in the Willows
Music William P. Perry
Lyrics Roger McGough and William P. Perry
Book Jane Iredale
Basis The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Productions1985 Broadway

Wind in the Willows is a musical based on the novel of the same name, with music by William P. Perry, lyrics by Roger McGough and Perry, and a book by Jane Iredale. [1]

The musical premiered in August 1983, at the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C. [2] [3]

The Broadway production opened at the Nederlander Theatre on December 19, 1985, and closed after only four performances. [4] Directed by Tony Stevens and choreographed by Margery Beddow, the cast featured Nathan Lane as Toad, David Carroll as Rat, Vicki Lewis as Mole, and P. J. Benjamin as Chief Weasel. [5]

Wind in the Willows was nominated for two Tony Awards: Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Awards</span> Annual awards for Broadway theatre

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in Manhattan. The ceremony is held on the second Sunday of June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Herman</span> American composer and lyricist (1931–2019)

Gerald Sheldon Herman was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Ebb</span> Musical artist

Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Lane</span> American actor (born 1956)

Nathan Lane is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, an Olivier Award, three Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Lane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, The New York Times hailed Lane as "the greatest stage entertainer of the decade".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Prince</span> American theatre producer and director (1928–2019)

Harold Smith Prince, commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Grey</span> American actor, singer, dancer, director, and photographer (born 1932)

Joel Grey is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer, and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical Cabaret on Broadway as well as in the Bob Fosse directed 1972 film adaptation. He has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. He earned the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Strouse</span> American composer and lyricist

Charles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to such Broadway musicals as Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, and Annie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway theatre</span> Type of theatre in New York City

Broadway theatre, or Broadway, are the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world.

<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">Jeanine Tesori</span> American composer and musical arranger (born 1961)

Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway musicals and six Tony Award nominations. She won the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play for Nicholas Hytner's production of Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music for Caroline, or Change, the 2015 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Fun Home, making them the first female writing team to win that award, and the 2023 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Kimberly Akimbo. She was named a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist twice for Fun Home and Soft Power.

Douglas Wright is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2004 for his play I Am My Own Wife. He also wrote the books to the Broadway musicals Grey Gardens in 2006, The Little Mermaid in 2007, Hands on a Hard Body in 2012, and War Paint in 2017. His play Good Night, Oscar made its Broadway debut in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Andreas</span> American Broadway actress and singer

Christine Andreas is an American Broadway actress and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Finn</span> American theatrical producer

Jeffrey Finn is a Tony award-winning theatrical producer. He is the Vice President of Theater Producing and Programming at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Artistic Director of Broadway Center Stage. He received the Commercial Theater Institute's 2013 Robert Whitehead Award for outstanding achievement in commercial theatre producing. Finn is the President of Jeffrey Finn Productions and Hot On Broadway. He attended Connecticut College, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1992. He attended Beaver Country Day School from 1984 to 1988. Finn is a member of The Broadway League and The Independent Presenters Network, and is also a Tony Award voter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Timbers</span> American dramatist

Alex Timbers is an American writer and director and the recipient of Tony, Golden Globe, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and London Evening Standard Awards, as well as two OBIE and Lucile Lortel Awards. He also received the 2019 Drama League Founder's Award for Excellence in Directing and the 2016 Jerome Robbins Award for Directing. He was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award. For his work on Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Timbers won a 2021 Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Yorkey</span> American playwright

Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Jordan (actor, born 1984)</span> American actor and singer

Jeremy Michael Jordan is an American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway, in television and film, in concert, as well as in other theatrical productions.

Rob McClure is an American actor and singer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrienne Warren</span> American actress, singer and dancer (born 1987)

Adrienne Warren is an American actress, singer and dancer. She made her Broadway debut in the 2012 musical Bring It On, and in 2016 received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for her performance in Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. She was also praised for her role as Tina Turner in the West End production of Tina in 2018, and for the same role in the Broadway production, for which she received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2020.

<i>A Strange Loop</i> 2019 stage musical by Michael R. Jackson

A Strange Loop is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, and winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. First produced off-Broadway in 2019, then staged in Washington, D.C. in 2021, A Strange Loop premiered on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in April 2022. The show won Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the 75th Tony Awards.

<i>Paradise Square</i> (musical) American stage musical

Paradise Square is a stage musical, with music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Masi Asare and Nathan Tysen, and a book by Christina Anderson, Larry Kirwan and Craig Lucas. Set in New York City during the Civil War and the New York City draft riots, the musical follows conflict between Irish Americans and Black Americans. The production is directed by Moisés Kaufman and choreographed by Bill T. Jones, with intimacy direction by Gaby Labotka. The musical opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on April 3, 2022.

References

  1. Kuchwara, Michael (December 21, 1985). "'Wind in the Willows,' A New Musical, Opens on Broadway". AP News. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  2. Grove, Lloyd (August 12, 1983). "'Wind in the Willows': Theatrical Fluff". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. "Folger Theatre Group | 1980s Productions". Folger.edu. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  4. "Playbill Vault's Today in Theatre History: December 19". Playbill. December 19, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  5. Gussow, Mel (December 21, 1985). "Stage: A Musical Tale, 'Wind in the Willows'". The New York Times. p. 15. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  6. Bennetts, Leslie (May 6, 1986). "Tony Nominations Are Announced". The New York Times. p. C17. Retrieved June 12, 2023.