Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
| Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater | |
|---|---|
 Promo art for the 2016 Encores! production | |
| Music | Alan Menken |
| Lyrics | Howard Ashman Dennis Green |
| Book | Howard Ashman |
| Basis | God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut |
| Productions | 1979 Off-Broadway 1981 Arena Stage 2016 Encores! Off-Center |
Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is a 1979 musical that marked the first collaboration of composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman. Based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1965 novel of the same name, the musical tells the story of Eliot Rosewater, a millionaire who develops a social conscience and creates a foundation to improve the lives of the citizens of an impoverished Indiana town.
Productions
[edit]The musical had a showcase in May 1979 at the WPA Theater in New York City. Directed by Ashman, Frederick Coffin played Eliot Rosewater and Jonathan Hadary played Mushari with Menken playing the keyboards.[1]
The musical transferred to the Entermedia Theatre Off-Broadway, where it opened on October 14, 1979 and closed on November 24, after 49 performances. Directed again by Ashman, the production featured Coffin and Hadary reprising their roles with Janie Sell as Sylvia Rosewater.[2]
The musical was produced at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in May to June 1981, once again directed by Ashman and starring Coffin. The cast also featured Robert Westenberg, Steve Liebman, Theresa Rabov, and Leslie Cass.[3]
In March 2003, Rosewater was performed in concert as part of the CooperArts series at the Cooper Union; the concert featured Jim Walton (Eliot Rosewater), Carolee Carmello (Sylvia Rosewater), and David Pittu (Norman Mushari).[4]
The New England premiere of the show was performed from April 14–24, 2016 by Cape Cod Community College, in West Barnstable Massachusetts. The cast was made up of primarily students and most had heard of the book (Kurt Vonnegut was a resident of the area) however not many knew that it had been made into a musical.
An Encores! Off-Center staged concert ran at New York City Center from July 27–30, 2016. The production starred Skylar Astin (Norman Mushari), Santino Fontana (Eliot Rosewater), Brynn O'Malley (Sylvia), and James Earl Jones (Kilgore Trout). The production also featured Rebecca Naomi Jones and was directed by Michael Mayer.[5][6][7][8] This cast recorded the first studio recording of this musical in 2017.
Cast and characters
[edit]| Characters | WPA Theater (1979)[1][9][10] | Off-Broadway (1979)[2] | Arena Stage (1981)[10] | Cooper Union (2003)[4] | Encores! (2016)[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eliot Rosewater | Frederick Coffin | Jim Walton | Santino Fontana | ||
| Sylvia Rosewater | Mimi Turque | Janie Sell | Barbara Andres | Carolee Carmello | Brynn O'Malley |
| Norman Mushari | Jonathan Hadary | Robert Westenberg | David Pittu | Skylar Astin | |
Musical numbers
[edit]Source: CurtainUp[7]
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References
[edit]- ^ a b Gussow, Mel. "Stage: ‘God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater’" The New York Times, May 21, 1979
- ^ a b "God Bless You Mr. Rosewater".
- ^ Martin, Judith. "'Rosewater': True Kitsch" "The Washington Post", May 15, 1981
- ^ a b Jones, Kenneth. "Menken & Ashman's 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater' Gets NYC Concert March 7" Playbill, March 6, 2003
- ^ a b Clement, Olivia. "James Earl Jones Joins 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater'" Playbill, June 27, 2016
- ^ Donovan, Deirdre. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater theaterscene.com, accessed October 22, 2019
- ^ a b Sommer, Elyse. "A CurtainUp Review. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater at Encores! Off-Center" curtainup.com, July 28, 2016
- ^ Stewart, Zachary. "Review. 'Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater'" theatermania.com, July 28, 2016
- ^ Weinstock, Matt. "The Making of God Bless You Mr. Rosewater" Playbill, July 26, 2016
- ^ a b Dietz, Dan. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater "Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows", McFarland, 2010, ISBN 0-786457317, p.589
External links
[edit]
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater at the Music Theatre International website
- "The Making of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater", a 2016 Playbill oral history
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