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The Boys From Syracuse
''The Boys from Syracuse'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play ''The Comedy of Errors'', as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporary rhythms of the 1930s. The show was the first musical based on a Shakespeare play. ''The Comedy of Errors'' was itself loosely based on a Roman play, ''The Menaechmi, or the Twin Brothers'', by Plautus. The show premiered on Broadway in 1938 and Off-Broadway in 1963, with later productions including a West End run in 1963 and in a Broadway revival in 2002. A film adaptation was released in 1940. Well-known songs from the score include " Falling in Love with Love", " This Can't Be Love" and " Sing for Your Supper". Production history Abbott directed and George Balanchine choreographed the original production, which opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theater on November 23, 1938, after tryouts in New Haven, Connecticut and Boston. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century, and his compositions had a significant influence on popular music. Rodgers is known for his songwriting partnerships, first with lyricist Lorenz Hart and then with Oscar Hammerstein II. With Hart he wrote musicals throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including ''Pal Joey (musical), Pal Joey'', ''A Connecticut Yankee (musical), A Connecticut Yankee'', ''On Your Toes'' and ''Babes in Arms.'' With Hammerstein he wrote musicals through the 1940s and 1950s, such as ''Oklahoma!'', ''Flower Drum Song'', ''Carousel (musical), Carousel'', ''South Pacific (musical), South Pacific'', ''The King and I'', and ''The Sound of Music''. His collaborations with Hammerstein, in particular, are celebrated for brin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alvin Theater
The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for Alex A. Aarons and Vinton Freedley. The original name was an amalgamation of Aarons's and Freedley's first names; the theater was renamed for playwright Neil Simon in 1983. The Neil Simon has 1,467 seats across two levels and is operated by the Nederlander Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks. The facade is divided into two sections: the six-story stage house to the west and the five-story auditorium to the east. The ground floor is clad with terracotta blocks and contains an entrance with a marquee. The upper stories of both sections are made of brick and terracotta; the auditorium facade has arched windows, niches, and a central pediment, while the stage house has a more plain design. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karen Morrow
Karen Morrow (born December 15, 1936) is an American singer and actress best known for her work in musical theater. Her honors include an Emmy Award and a Theatre World Award, and an Ovation Award and five Drama-Logue Award nominations. Early life and Broadway career Morrow was born in Chicago and raised in Des Moines, Iowa by parents who were both classical singers. As a teenager, she heard recordings by actress/singer Susan Johnson, which inspired her to try musical theater, beginning with the role of Meg in ''Brigadoon''.Longden, Tom"Famous Iowans: Karen Morrow"''Des Moines Register'', accessed August 2, 2016 After graduating from St. Joseph Academy (Des Moines, Iowa) in 1954, she graduated from Clarke College in 1958. She then moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she taught and performed on the side, and then moved to Manhattan. Her career began with an appearance in the Off-Broadway show ''Sing, Muse!'' in 1961; she won a 1962 Theatre World Award for her performance. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ellen Hanley
Ellen Hanley (May 15, 1926 – February 12, 2007) was a musical theater performer best known for playing Fiorello H. LaGuardia's first wife in the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Fiorello!''. She was related to the British writers James and Gerald Hanley, and the playwright, novelist, and scriptwriter William Hanley was her brother. Biography Ellen Hanley was born in Lorain, Ohio, one of three children of William Gerald and Anne Rodgers Hanley. William Hanley, Sr. was born in Liverpool, England in 1899, of Irish Catholic immigrants. He was a seaman prior to settling in the US, and then worked as a housepainter. In 1951, Hanley married Ronny Graham, a fellow actor. They adopted two children, Nora and Julian. The couple divorced in 1963. Ellen Hanley made her Broadway debut in ''Annie Get Your Gun (musical), Annie Get Your Gun'' in 1946 playing the part of Mary. The following year she appeared in ''Barefoot Boy With Cheek'' and won a Theater World award for her performance as Clot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clifford David
Clifford David (June 30, 1928 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and coach. His career began in the 1950s, with early live television appearances leading to roles in Broadway musicals. He also played character roles in television series, feature films, and theatre. He is most recognized for his singing performances on several original Broadway cast albums. Early life David was born in Toledo, Ohio, the youngest son of Farris and Lily (née Abdow). His uncle was Metropolitan archdiocese Samuel David of Toledo, the archbishop of a diocese of Syrian Orthodox parishes. Samuel David's chanting of the Byzantine mass was world-renowned, and Clifford, inspired by his uncle's voice, went to New York City to pursue music and theater. Career A protégé of Lee Strasberg, David made his Broadway debut as Scipio in Albert Camus' ''Caligula'' directed by Sidney Lumet. He also played Pasquale in ''The Aspern Papers'', directed by Margaret Webster, Antipholus in the 1963 O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stuart Damon
Stuart Damon (born Stuart Michael Zonis; February 5, 1937 June 29, 2021) was an American actor and singer. He was best known for his 30-year portrayal of Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999. Outside the United States, he was known for the role of Craig Stirling in ''The Champions''. Early life Damon was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Marvin Leonard Zonis, who was a manufacturer. Damon's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants who made their home in America after fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution. Acting career After a series of roles on Broadway, Damon's appearance as the Prince in the 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Cinderella'' starring Lesley Ann Warren helped pave the way to a long career in television soap opera. That same year, he had a prominent featured role in the Broadway musical ''Do I Hear a Waltz?'' written by Richard Rodgers (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics). He had ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Hewett
Christopher George Hewett (5 April 1921 – 3 August 2001) was an English actor and theatre director best known for his role as Lynn Aloysius Belvedere on the ABC sitcom ''Mr. Belvedere''. Career Hewett was born in Worthing, Sussex to Christopher Fitzsimon Hewett (an army officer and a descendant of Daniel O'Connell), and his wife Eleanor Joyce Watts (an actress whose professional name was Rhoda Cleighton). He was educated at Beaumont College and at Wimbledon College, and at aged 7, made his acting debut in Dublin stage production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. At age 16 Hewett joined the Royal Air Force, leaving in 1940. Hewett then joined the Oxford Repertory Company and made his West End theatre debut in 1943. He later appeared on Broadway in the musicals ''My Fair Lady'', '' First Impressions'', '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'', ''Music Is'' and ''Kean'' and in the plays ''Sleuth'' and '' The Affair'', among others, and directed the 1960 Broadway revue ''From A to Z'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irene Sharaff
Irene Sharaff (January 23, 1910 – August 16, 1993) was an American costume designer for stage and screen. Her work earned her five Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Sharaff is universally recognized as one of the greatest costume designers of all time. Background Sharaff was born in Boston to parents of Armenian descent. She studied at the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts, the Art Students League of New York, and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. Career After working as a fashion illustrator in her youth, Sharaff turned to set and costume design. Her debut production was the 1931 Broadway production of ''Alice in Wonderland'', starring Eva Le Gallienne. Her use of silks from Thailand for ''The King and I'' (1951) created a trend in fashion and interior decoration. Howe, Marvine"Irene Sharaff, Designer, 83, Dies; Costumes Won Tony and Oscars" ''The New York Times'', August 17, 1993 Sharaff's work was featured in the movies ''West Side Story'' (Academy Aw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jo Mielziner
Joseph "Jo" Mielziner (March 19, 1901 – March 15, 1976) was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals. Career Joseph Mielziner was the son of artist Leo Mielziner and Ella Lane McKenna Friend, a writer. Mielziner was the brother of actor-director Kenneth MacKenna. Their paternal grandfather was a rabbi.Krebs, AlbiJo Mielziner Dead at 74; Pioneering Set Designer; Dozens of Hits 'A Unique Gift' Got Traveling Scholarships Designed Theaters"''The New York Times'' (abstract), March 16, 1976, p. 38 He studied painting at the Art Students League and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts."Art: Theatre ''Time Magazine'', Apr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muriel Angelus
Muriel Angelus (born Muriel E S M Findlay, 10 March 1912 – 26 June 2004) was an English stage, musical theatre, and film actress. Born in Lambeth, South London, to Scottish parentage, her father was a chemist. She was educated at the Ursiline Convent in London. She developed a sweet-voiced soprano at an early age. She made her debut on stage at the age of 12, appearing in a play she had written herself called ''The Sister Key''. Also at 12, she acted in a production of ''Henry VIII''. She went on to sing in music halls and to dance in a West End production of ''The Vagabond King'' (1927).'Muriel Angelus, actress in films and stage musicals', in ''Daily Telegraph'', dated 20 September 2004 She entered films toward the end of the silent era with ''The Ringer'' (1928), the first of three movie versions of the Edgar Wallace play. Her second film, ''Sailor Don't Care'' (1928) was important only in that she met her first husband, Scots-born actor John Stuart on the set; her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Savo
Jimmy Savo (1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American Vaudeville, Broadway, nightclub, film and television performer, comedian, juggler, and mime artist. Life Born in New York City as James Vincent Savo on July 31, 1895, Savo began his career as a juggler in amateur contests and went on to the burlesque circuit and then Broadway. In 1938, he originated the role of "Dromio of Syracuse" in ''The Boys from Syracuse''. Savo also starred i"Once In A Blue Moon," (1935)written by Ben Hecht and Charles Macarthur. The film was not a success, costing Paramount pictures $350,000. In 1942 Isidore Herk and the Shubert brothers co-produced a Broadway show called ''Wine, Women and Song'', starring Jimmy Savo and Margie Hart. The show was advertised as a combination of vaudeville, burlesque and Broadway revue, and ran for seven weeks. The revue included striptease, which shocked some of the audiences. ''Wine, Women and Song'' was closed by court order in December 1942. Savo was the au ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronald Graham (actor)
Ronald Graham (August 16, 1911 – July 4, 1950) was a Scottish born actor and singer who had a career performing in American radio, film, and theater from the early 1930s until his death in 1950. After winning a national singing competition, he became a regular performer on the radio program ''Blue Monday Jamboree'' from 1931 to 1935. He is best remembered for his many appearances in Broadway musicals from 1937 to 1944; notably creating roles in the original productions of works by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Cole Porter, and Arthur Schwartz. Life and career Born Maurice John Ronald Graham in Hamilton, Scotland, Graham moved to the United States with his family at the age of 10. He was educated at the University of California where he was trained as a baritone, and was a member of the theatrical group The Players. In 1931 he married Edna O'Keefe; they divorced in 1939. Graham began his career in 1931 as a singer on radio in San Francisco after winning the Atwater Kent Prize ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
