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Elaine Stritch At Liberty
''Elaine Stritch at Liberty'' is an autobiographical one-woman show written by Elaine Stritch and John Lahr, and produced by George C. Wolf, which is composed of anecdotes from Stritch's life, as well as showtunes and Broadway standards that mirror Stritch’s rise and fall both on and off the stage. Synopsis The show consists of spoken monologues from Stritch following her life and career, interspersed with showtunes and pop standards which complement her stories. Many of these songs had been previously sung by Stritch in major productions, such as " The Ladies Who Lunch" from '' Company'' and "Civilization" from ''Angel in the Wings'' which she originated on Broadway. Her experiences and relationship with show business are focal points, but she also explores more intimate, personal themes like her alcoholism and romantic relationships. Productions Originally directed and produced by George C. Wolfe at The Public Theater, the show premiered on November 7, 2001. After quickly se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Lahr
John Henry Lahr (born July 12, 1941) is an American theater critic and writer. From 1992 to 2013, he was a staff writer and the senior drama critic at ''The New Yorker''. He has written more than twenty books related to theater. Lahr has been called "one of the greatest biographers writing today". Early life Lahr was born in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family. He is the son of Mildred "Millie" Schroeder, a Ziegfeld girl, and Bert Lahr, an actor and comedian most famous for portraying the Cowardly Lion in ''The Wizard of Oz (1939 film), The Wizard of Oz''. When his father left movies for the stage, the family moved from their home in Coldwater Canyon to Manhattan. Until his father was on the cover of ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine when Lahr was in grade school, he did not know what his father did for a living. Lahr wrote:On stage, Dad was sensational; in private he was sensationally taciturn: a brooding absent presence, to be encountered mostly in his bedroom chair at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his songs are standard repertoire for vocalists and jazz musicians. He co-wrote 850 songs. He is best known for his collaborations with composer Richard Rodgers, as the duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, whose musicals include ''Oklahoma!'', '' Carousel'', '' South Pacific'', ''The King and I'', and ''The Sound of Music''. Described by Stephen Sondheim as an "experimental playwright", Hammerstein helped bring the American musical to new maturity by popularizing musicals that focused on stories and character rather than the lighthearted entertainment that the musical had been known for beforehand. He also collaborated with Jerome Kern (with whom he wrote ''Show Boat''), Vincent Y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Hilliard
Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: " Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", "Our Day Will Come", " My Little Corner of the World", " Tower of Strength" and " Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)". Career After finishing high school, Hilliard began working as a lyricist in Tin Pan Alley. At the age of 28 he had his first success with "The Coffee Song". During his Broadway years, Hilliard wrote successful scores for both '' Angel in the Wings'' (1947) and ''Hazel Flagg'' (1953). He also worked as lyricist of the film score for '' Alice in Wonderland'' (1951). This included providing the words to the theme song, as well as "I'm Late" and the unused Cheshire Cat song "I'm Odd." The 1954 comedy film ''Living It Up'' included his songs "Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket" and "That's What I Like." Hilli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman (September 24, 1909 – September 26, 2000) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish-American family, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his bar exams to practice in the state of New York. Instead of law, encouraged by his friend Johnny Mercer, he embarked on a songwriting career, that saw him become one of the most prominent and successful songwriters in American music history. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his efforts in Africa, during World War II. Career Although Sigman wrote many song melodies, he was primarily a lyricist who collaborated with songwriters such as Bob Hilliard, Bob Russell, Jimmy van Heusen, and Duke Ellington. He also wrote English language lyrics to many songs which were originally composed in other languages, such as "Answer Me", "Till", " The Day the Rains Came", "You're My World", and "What Now My Love?". During the big band era, Sigman composed works used by top band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angel In The Wings
''Angel in the Wings'' is a musical revue with songs by Bob Hilliard and Carl Sigman and sketches by Hank Ladd, Ted Luce, Paul Hartman, and Grace Hartman. In addition to contributing sketches, the Hartmans headlined the original Broadway production at the Coronet Theatre (now the Eugene O'Neill Theatre) which ran for 308 performances, from December 11, 1947, to September 4, 1948. The production was considered a surprise hit, with the comic dancing couple Paul and Grace Hartman both receiving the first Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical and Best Actress in 1948. In her Broadway musical debut, the 22-year-old Elaine Stritch delivered the most notable song of the revue, "Civilization," which went on to become a standard. Although she only had one song in the revue, Stritch was said to have gotten the loudest applause. Also in the cast were Eileen Barton, Eugenie Baird Eugenie Baird (November 19, 1923 – June 12, 1988) was an American big-band, jazz, and radio singer. Car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russia, Berlin arrived in the United States at the age of five. He published his first song, "Marie from Sunny Italy", in 1907, receiving 33 cents for the publishing rights,Starr, Larry and Waterman, Christopher, American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3, Oxford University Press, 2009, pg. 64 and had his first major international hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", in 1911. He also was an owner of the Music Box Theatre on Broadway. For much of his career Berlin could not read sheet music, and was such a limited piano player that he could only play in the key of F-sharp; he used his custom piano equipped with a transposing lever when he needed to play in keys other than F-sharp. "Alexander's Ragtime Band" sparked an international dance craze ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Call Me Madam
''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries. It centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed socialite widow, who is appointed United States Ambassador to the fictional European country of "Lichtenburg". Signs in Lichtenburg are written in German, and inhabitants wear traditional Bavarian costume. While there, she charms the local gentry, especially Cosmo Constantine, while her press attaché Kenneth Gibson falls in love with Princess Maria of Lichtenburg. Background The lead character is based on Washington, D.C. hostess and Democratic Party fundraiser Perle Mesta, who was appointed Ambassador to Luxembourg in 1949. The ''Playbill'' distributed at each performance humorously noted that "neither the character of Mrs. Sally Adams nor Miss Ethel Merman resem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise"."Noel Coward at 70" ''Time'', 26 December 1969, p. 46 Coward attended a dance academy in London as a child, making his professional stage début at the age of eleven. As a teenager he was introduced into the high society in which most of his plays would be set. Coward achieved enduring success as a playwright, publishing more than 50 plays from his teens onwards. Many of his works, such as '' |
Bitter Sweet (operetta)
''Bitter Sweet'' is an operetta in three acts, with book, music and lyrics by Noël Coward. The story, set in 19th century and early 20th century England and Austria-Hungary, centres on a young woman's elopement with her music teacher. The songs from the score include "The Call of Life", "If You Could Only Come with Me", "I'll See You Again", "Dear Little Café", "If Love Were All", "Ladies of the Town", "Tokay", "Zigeuner" and "Green Carnation". The show had a long run in the West End from 1929 to 1931, and a more modest one on Broadway in 1929–1930. The work has twice been adapted for the cinema, and the complete score has been recorded for CD. Background Coward wrote the leading role of Sari with Gertrude Lawrence in mind, but the vocal demands of the part were beyond her capabilities. His second choice, Evelyn Laye, refused the role because of a private grievance against the producer of the show, C B Cochran.Hoare, p. 202 Coward's third choice, Peggy Wood, made a consid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
If Love Were All
"If Love Were All" is a song by Noël Coward, published in 1929 and written for the operetta '' Bitter Sweet''. The song is considered autobiographical, and has been described as "self-deprecating" as well as "one of the loneliest pop songs ever written". Ivy St. Helier introduced the song on stage and also performed it in the 1933 film version of ''Bitter Sweet''. In June 2009, an Off-Broadway play of the same name about Coward's relationship with Gertrude Lawrence premiered at Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City. Reception "If Love Were All" has been described as "self-deprecating" as well as "one of the loneliest pop songs ever written". Rod McKuen considers the song to be among the "truly great" songs about "entertaining from the entertainment point of view". Cover versions Cover versions appear on Judy Garland's ''Judy at Carnegie Hall'' (1961), as a B-side to Pet Shop Boys' "Yesterday, When I Was Mad" single and on the album ''Alternative'' (1995), Rufus Wainw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 20th century. With George, he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", " The Man I Love" and " Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera ''Porgy and Bess''. The success the Gershwin brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. His mastery of songwriting continued after George's early death in 1937. Ira wrote additional hit songs with composers Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, Harry Warren and Harold Arlen. His critically acclaimed 1959 book ''Lyrics on Several Occasions'', an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is an important source for studying t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (1924) and ''An American in Paris'' (1928), the songs " Swanee" (1919) and "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924), the jazz standards "Embraceable You" (1928) and "I Got Rhythm" (1930), and the opera ''Porgy and Bess'' (1935), which included the hit " Summertime". Gershwin studied piano under Charles Hambitzer and composition with Rubin Goldmark, Henry Cowell, and Joseph Brody. He began his career as a song plugger but soon started composing Broadway theater works with his brother Ira Gershwin and with Buddy DeSylva. He moved to Paris, intending to study with Nadia Boulanger, but she refused him, afraid that rigorous classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style; Maurice Ravel voiced similar objections when Gershwin inq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
