''Busker Alley'' is a
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
with music and lyrics by the
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...
and a book by
AJ Carothers
A. J. Carothers (October 22, 1931 – April 9, 2007) was an American playwright and television writer, best known for his work with Walt Disney.
Life and career
Born in Houston, Texas on October 22, 1931, Carothers was older than his two s ...
, based on the 1938
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
film ''
St. Martin's Lane''.
Tommy Tune
Thomas James Tune (born February 28, 1939) is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and a star on the Hollywood Wal ...
led a 1995 touring production as Charlie Baxter, a
street entertainer in prewar London, in love with another busker, who follows her dream of becoming a star.
Background and history
Brothers
Robert and Richard Sherman
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...
had written the scores to several
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
movies such as ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to:
* ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character.
* Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers.
* ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
'' and ''
The Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...
''. In the mid-1960s, Disney staff scriptwriter
AJ Carothers
A. J. Carothers (October 22, 1931 – April 9, 2007) was an American playwright and television writer, best known for his work with Walt Disney.
Life and career
Born in Houston, Texas on October 22, 1931, Carothers was older than his two s ...
rediscovered the motion picture ''St. Martin's Lane'' and approached the Sherman brothers with the idea of purchasing the rights to the film and making a stage musical out it. The Shermans and AJ Carothers did just that in 1969, writing the musical ''Piccadilly''. But nothing more became of it until 1982 when interest was rekindled, and the project was rewritten and renamed, ''Blow Us a Kiss''. Still, nothing happened with the property for nearly a decade until interest was again sparked, and
Tommy Tune
Thomas James Tune (born February 28, 1939) is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and a star on the Hollywood Wal ...
became attached to the show.
1995 U.S. tour
With a major
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
star attached to the project, the show was finally launched with yet a new name: ''Busker Alley'' opened in April 1995 at the Macauley Theatre,
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
as the start of a 16-city tour. The musical starred Tune and Darcie Roberts,
Brent Barrett
Brent Barrett (born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and tenor who is mostly known for his work within American theatre. Barrett has performed in musicals and in concerts with theatres, symphony orchestras, opera houses, and concert halls ...
,
Marcia Lewis
Marcia Lewis (August 18, 1938 – December 21, 2010) was an American character actor, character actress and singer. She was nominated twice for the Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical (''Chicago (musical), Chicago'' and ''Grease (mu ...
, and The Huber Marionettes.
Jeff Calhoun directed and choreographed, with sets by
Tony Walton.
[Willis, John]
''Busker Alley''
''Theatre World 1995-1996'', Hal Leonard Corporation, 1998, , p. 81
The producers planned to bring the production to Broadway in November 1995 at the
St. James Theatre. Artist
LeRoy Neiman
LeRoy Neiman (born LeRoy Leslie Runquist, June 8, 1921 – June 20, 2012) was an American artist known for his brilliantly colored, expressionist paintings and screenprints of athletes, musicians, and sporting events.
Early life
Neiman was ...
created a 40-foot mural for ''Busker Alley'' on the façade of the theater, and the cast performed a number from the show at the
1995 Tony Awards
The 49th Annual Tony Awards was held at the Minskoff Theatre on June 4, 1995, and broadcast by CBS. Hosts were Glenn Close, Gregory Hines, and Nathan Lane.
The ceremony
The musical sequence was "Broadway Songs We've Never Done, and Never Will" w ...
ceremony. The production had numerous setbacks during the tour as well as two more name changes, including ''Stage Door Charley'' (unilaterally chosen by the producer's wife). The show finished its pre-Broadway tour as ''Buskers''.
Over the course of months-long out-of-town tryouts, with some severe reviews, the lukewarm reception prompted an August meeting for rewrites by Peter Stone, and a retooling by Mr. Tune, whose role as a consultant expanded into more directorial tasks. Six weeks prior to the musical's Broadway debut, Tune broke his foot during a performance in
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. Although Tune would have healed in time, the investors pulled out. The tour ended on October 8, 1995 in Tampa and the show never reached New York.
[
]
Revivals
In 2003 AJ Carothers and the Sherman Brothers revised their book and song score, changing the name back to ''Busker Alley''.
On November 13, 2006 the York Theatre Company
York Theatre is an off-Broadway theatre company based in East Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In its 50th year, York Theatre is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each se ...
presented a one-night-only benefit concert performance of ''Busker Alley'' at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...
. Jim Dale
Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...
starred as "Charlie Baxter". Glenn Close
Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...
appeared as "Dame Libby St. Albans" framing the show's main plot. (Dale and Close originated the roles of P.T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...
and his wife, Charity Barnum, in ''Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He wa ...
'' in 1980.) Also in the cast were: Jessica Grové, George S. Irving, Simon Jones, Noah Racey, John Bolton, Robert Fitch, Anne Rogers, Michael Lane Trautman, Cristy Candler, Diane Wasnak and Bonzer the dog. Tony Walton directed the production, with Lisa Shriver as choreographer. Aaron Gandy was the conductor, and Mark York the pianist. A recording of the benefit concern was released by Jay Records in 2007.
''Busker Alley'' had been announced for a Broadway production for the 2008–09 season, with Tony Walton as director and designer and Jim Dale
Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...
to star. In December 2008, the producers announced that the musical would be delayed. On August 25, 2009, the producers announced a collective withdrawal: returning money to investors and releasing sponsors from their obligations.[Gans, Andrew]
"Producers Withdraw from Broadway-Aimed 'Busker Alley' Production"
Playbill, August 25, 2009
Songs
: Source
/small>
*"Busker Alley"
*"Blow Us A Kiss"
*"Hula Love Song"
*"When Do I Get Mine?"
*"Strays"
*"Mates"
*"What To Do With 'Er"
*"He Has A Way/She Has A Way"
*"When the Moonlight's Bright In Brighton"
*"Crazy 'Appy Tears"
*"Tap Happy Feet"
*"Baby Me"
*"Ordinary Couples"
*"I'm On the Inside"
*"Where Are The Faces (Charlie the Busker)"
*"A Million Miles From You"
*"Tin Whistle Tune"
*"The World of Beautiful Girls"
*"All Around the Town"
*"Paddle Your Own Canoe"
*"Why the Tears?"
*"Waiting for Ann"
*"Never Trust A Lady"
References
External links
Curtain Up article, ca. 2007
Information on the ''Busker Alley'', York Theatre Company CD
{{Sherman Brothers
1994 musicals
Musicals by the Sherman Brothers
Street performance
Musicals based on films