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Juno (musical)
''Juno'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Marc Blitzstein and book by Joseph Stein, based closely on the 1924 play '' Juno and the Paycock'' by Seán O'Casey. The story centers on the disintegration of an Irish family in Dublin in the early 1920s, during the Irish War of Independence. Juno is a hardworking matriarch who strives to hold her family together in the face of war, betrayal, and her worthless husband's drinking. The original production opened on Broadway in 1959 and closed after only 16 performances. Its somber tone did not please the critics, who were disappointed that its stars, particularly Shirley Booth, did not have an opportunity to play comedy. The score and original cast album have found some praise. Several revivals have been staged, but none has met with great success. Background Despite light moments, the musical, even more than the satiric play, is essentially a tragedy. Modern scholars of musical theatre consider Blitzstein and Stein's musicaliz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marc Blitzstein
Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Works Progress Administration. He is known for ''The Cradle Will Rock'' and for his off-Broadway translation/adaptation of ''The Threepenny Opera'' by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. His works also include the opera '' Regina'', an adaptation of Lillian Hellman's play ''The Little Foxes''; the Broadway musical ''Juno'', based on Seán O'Casey's play '' Juno and the Paycock''; and ''No for an Answer''. He completed translation/adaptations of Brecht's and Weill's musical play ''Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny'' and of Brecht's play ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' with music by Paul Dessau. Blitzstein also composed music for films, such as ''Surf and Seaweed'' (1931) and '' The Spanish Earth'' (1937), and he contributed two songs to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Emmett Dolan
Robert Emmett Dolan (August 3, 1908 - September 26, 1972) was a Broadway conductor, composer, and arranger beginning in the 1920s. He moved on to radio in the 1930s and then went to Hollywood in the early 1940s as a musical director for Paramount. He scored, arranged, and conducted many musical and dramatic films in the 1940s and 1950s and produced three musicals. At the end of his career, he returned to the stage – where he had begun. Life and career Dolan was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the eldest of 12 children. He studied piano with his mother and was educated in Montreal. He received further musical education at Loyola College (now Concordia University), later studying extensively with Mortimer Wilson, Joseph Schillinger, and Ernst Toch. Dolan started out playing piano for honky-tonk dance bands and musical comedy bands, and in the 1920s began working as a musician, composer, conductor, and musical director in the theater. Some of the Broadway shows to which he co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lonny Price
Lonny Price (born March 9, 1959) is an American director, actor, and writer, primarily in theatre. He is perhaps best known for his creation of the role of Charley Kringas in the Broadway musical '' Merrily We Roll Along'' and for his New York directing work including ''Sunset Boulevard'', ''Sweeney Todd'', ''Company'', and '' Sondheim! The Birthday Concert''. Biography Early life and career Price was born in New York City, the son of Edie L. (Greene), a merchandise manager, and Murray A. Price, a car leasing company owner. Price grew up in Fresh Meadows, New York and Metuchen, New Jersey. He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, and the Juilliard School. His early career was spent performing in Off-Broadway productions, including ''Class Enemy'' in 1979, for which he won a Theater World Award for a stage debut. His first major Broadway credit was the ill-fated Stephen Sondheim/Hal Prince/George Furth musical '' Merrily We Roll Along'' (1981), which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milo O'Shea
Milo Donal O'Shea (2 June 1926 – 2 April 2013) was an Irish people, Irish actor. He was twice nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in ''Staircase (play), Staircase'' (1968) and ''Mass Appeal (play), Mass Appeal'' (1982). Early life O'Shea was born and brought up in Dublin and educated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Christian Brothers at Synge Street CBS, Synge Street school, along with his friend Donal Donnelly. His father was a singer and his mother a ballet teacher. Because he was bilingual, O'Shea performed in English-speaking theatres and in Irish in the Abbey Theatre Company. At age 12, he appeared in George Bernard Shaw's ''Caesar and Cleopatra (play), Caesar and Cleopatra'' at the Gate Theatre. He later studied music and drama at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Guildhall School in London and was a skilled pianist. He was discovered in the 1950s by Harry Dillon, who ran the 37 Theatre Club on the top floor of his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Geraldine Mary Fitzgerald (November 24, 1913 – July 17, 2005) was an Irish actress and a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was listed at number 30 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors. Early life Fitzgerald was born in Greystones, County Wicklow, south of Dublin, the daughter of Edith Catherine ( née Richards) and Edward Martin FitzGerald, who was a lawyer. Her father was Roman Catholic and her mother was Protestant, but converted to Catholicism. She studied painting at the Dublin School of Art. Inspired by her aunt, actress Shelah Richards, Fitzgerald began her acting career in 1932 at Dublin's Gate Theatre. After two seasons in Dublin, she moved to London, where she found success in British films including ''The Mill on the Floss'', ''Turn of the Tide'', and ''Cafe Mascot''. Career Fitzgerald's success led her to New York and the Broadway stage in 1938. She made her American debut opposite Orson Welles in the Mercury The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Maltby Jr
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong in rule'. Nicknames include "Richie", "Dick", "Dickon", " Dickie", "Rich", "Rick", "Rico", "Ricky", and more. Richard is a common English, German and French male name. It's also used in many more languages, particularly Germanic, such as Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, and Dutch, as well as other languages including Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Finnish. Richard is cognate with variants of the name in other European languages, such as the Swedish "Rickard", the Catalan "Ricard" and the Italian "Riccardo", among others (see comprehensive variant list below). People named Richard Multiple people with the same name * Richard Andersen (other) * Richard Anderson (other) * Richard Cartwright (other) * Ri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sada Thompson
Sada Carolyn Thompson (September 27, 1927 – May 4, 2011) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She was known to television audiences as Kate Lawrence in ''Family'' (1976-1980). Life and career She was born Sada Carolyn Thompson in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1927 to Hugh Woodruff Thompson and his wife Corlyss (née Gibson). The family moved to Fanwood, New Jersey a few years later. where she attended Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, graduating in the class of 1945. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University), after which she worked steadily in regional theatre in such plays as ''The Seagull'', ''Pygmalion'', ''Our Town'', ''Arms and the Man'', and '' Blithe Spirit''. She received training at Pittsburgh Playhouse, where she appeared in numerous productions. She made her Off-Broadway debut in a 1955 production of ''Under Milkwood'', and the following year she appeared on televisio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Stapleton
Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actor, character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton was best known for playing Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wife of Archie Bunker, on the 1970s sitcom ''All in the Family'', a role that earned her three Emmy Awards, Emmys and two Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes for Best Actress in a comedy series. She also made occasional appearances on the ''All in the Family'' follow-up series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', but asked to be written out of the show during the first season due to becoming tired of the role. Early life Stapleton was born on January 19, 1923, in Manhattan, the daughter of Marie A. Stapleton, an opera singer, and Joseph E. Murray, a billboard advertising salesman. She had an elder brother, Jack. Her uncle was a Vaudeville, vaudevillian performer, and her brother was a stage actor who inspired her to pursue acting as well. Early ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Andrews (actress)
Nancy Andrews (December 16, 1920 – July 29, 1989) was an American stage and film actress and singer. Early life Andrews was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on December 16, 1920. Her parents were James Currier Andrews and Grace Ella Andrews (née Gerrish). She attended Beverly Hills High School and the Los Angeles City College. She also studied at the Pasadena Playhouse and the American Shakespeare Academy. Stage work Andrews started her career as a cabaret singer and pianist. Her first stage appearance was in 1938 in a production of ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' at the Beverly Hills Shakespeare Theatre. From 1943 through 1945, she performed with the United Service Organizations. Andrews made her Broadway theatre debut in 1949 in the revue ''Touch and Go'' at the Broadhurst Theatre, a performance for which she won a Theatre World Award. In 1954, Andrews toured Europe in the one-woman show ''Songs and Laughter''. In January 1955 she appeared in the original production of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monte Amundsen
Monte Amundsen (January 15, 1930 – December 24, 2011) was an American opera and musical singer who appeared on Broadway in Marc Blitzstein's musical ''Juno'' in 1959, which starred Shirley Booth. Biography Composer Marc Blitzstein was reportedly so delighted with Amundsen that he expanded her role in ''Juno (musical)'' to include three major songs: '' I Wish It So'', ''For Love'', and ''My True Heart'', as well as a duet with Shirley Booth, ''The Bird Upon The Tree''. The show was not a success, but Amundsen's well-received performance is preserved on the original cast recording. In 1964 she appeared in another ill-fated musical, ''Cafe Crown'', which ran for 30 performances in previews before closing after just three performances after its official opening. Amundsen also made many appearances at The Muny in St. Louis, including Rosabella in ''The Most Happy Fella'' (1969); Marie Esterhazy in '' Blossom Time'' (1966); Gretel in ''Hansel & Gretel'' (1966); Barbara in '' Milk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Rall
Thomas Edward Rall (December 27, 1929 – October 6, 2020) was an American actor, ballet dancer, tap dancer, and acrobatic dancer who was a prominent featured player in 1950s musical comedies. He later became a successful operatic tenor in the 1960s, making appearances with the Opera Company of Boston, the New York City Opera, and the American National Opera Company. Life and career Rall was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Edward and Margaret Rall, but raised in Seattle, Washington. An only child, he had a crossed eye which made it hard for him to read books, so his mother enrolled him in dancing classes. In his early years he performed a dance and acrobatic vaudeville act in Seattle theaters and attempted small acting roles. His family moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s, and Rall began to appear in small movie roles. His first film appearance was a short MGM film called ''Vendetta''. He began taking tap dancing lessons and became a member of the jitterbugging Jivin' Jacks and J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack MacGowran
John Joseph MacGowran (13 October 1918 – 30 January 1973) was an Irish actor, probably best known for his work with Samuel Beckett. Stage career MacGowran was born on 13 October 1918 in Dublin, and educated at Synge Street CBS. He established his professional reputation as a member of the Abbey Players in Dublin, while he achieved stage renown for his knowing interpretations of the works of Samuel Beckett. He appeared as Lucky in '' Waiting for Godot'' at the Royal Court Theatre, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in ''Endgame'' at the Aldwych Theatre. He released an LP record titled ''MacGowran Speaking Beckett'' to coincide with Samuel Beckett's 60th birthday in 1966, and he won the 1970–71 Obie for Best Performance By an Actor in the off-Broadway play ''MacGowran in the Works of Beckett''. He also specialised in the work of Seán O'Casey, creating the role of Joxer in the Broadway musical ''Juno'' in 1959, based on ''Juno and the Paycock'', O'Casey's 1924 play abo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
