''Charlie and Algernon'' 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 a book and lyrics by
David Rogers and music by
Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse (born June 7, 1928) is an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to such Broadway musicals as ''Bye Bye Birdie (musical), Bye Bye Birdie'', ''Applause (musical), Applause'', and ''Annie (musical), Annie''. ...
. It is based on the 1966 novel ''
Flowers for Algernon
''Flowers for Algernon'' is a short story by American author Daniel Keyes, later expanded by him into a novel and subsequently adapted for film and other media. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of ''T ...
'' by
Daniel Keyes
Daniel Keyes (August 9, 1927 – June 15, 2014) was an American writer who wrote the novel ''Flowers for Algernon''. Keyes was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000.
Biography
Early life ...
. It received its premiere on December 21, 1978, at The Citadel Theater, in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, Canada.
Productions
On June 14, 1979, the musical opened titled ''Flowers for Algernon'' at
Queen's Theatre in the
West End with
Michael Crawford
Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian.
Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' an ...
as Charlie. In the West End staging, Michael Crawford performed one number in a spotlight while the trained white mouse ran from one of his hands to the other, by way of Crawford's shoulders and neck. The audience reaction to this was so positive that Crawford repeated it with another live mouse (while playing an entirely different character) in 2003 while starring in the West End musical ''
The Woman in White''.
The musical opened on
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 ...
at the
Helen Hayes Theatre
The Hayes Theater (formerly the Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Winthrop Ames Theatre, and Helen Hayes Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 240 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Named for actress ...
September 14, 1980, and closed on September 28, 1980, after 17 performances and 12 previews. Directed by Louis W. Scheeder and choreographed by Virginia Freeman, the cast featured
P. J. Benjamin (Charlie) and
Sandy Faison
Sandra Faison (born September 16, 1950) is an American actress and singer. She became an acting teacher after her performing career.
Career
Acting
In 1977, she made her Broadway debut as Grace Farrell, secretary to Daddy Warbucks, in '' Ann ...
.
''Charlie and Algernon'' was nominated for the 1981
Tony Award for Best Original Score
The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical theatre, musical or Play (theatre), play in that year. The score consists of music and/or lyrics. To be ...
. A London cast album was released on the Original Cast Records label.
In October 2016, Marymount Manhattan College and The York Theatre Company mounted a staged musical reading of the original "Charlie and Algernon", directed by composer Charles Strouse's spouse, Barbara Siman, and featured Ian Morel, Mia Massaro, Alex Burnette, and Brent Jones. Music direction was by Brett Kristofferson.
Overview
The title characters are a developmentally challenged man and a
laboratory
A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...
mouse
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
, respectively.
Charlie volunteers to participate in an
experiment
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into Causality, cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome oc ...
al
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...
-enhancing treatment, and his rapid progress parallels that of Algernon, who had been treated earlier. When the mouse's enhanced intelligence begins to fade, Charlie realizes he too is fated to revert to his original mental state.
Musical numbers
;West End (1979)
*His Name is Charlie Gordon
*I Got a Friend
*Some Bright Morning
*Our Boy Charlie
*Hey Look at Me!
*Reading
*No Surprises
*Midnight Riding
*Dream Safe With Me
*I Can't Tell You
*Now
*Charlie and Algernon
*The Maze
*Whatever Time There Is
*Charlie
*I Really Loved You
;Broadway (1980)
*Have I the Right
*I Got a Friend
*Some Bright Morning
*Jelly Donuts and Chocolate Cake
*Hey Look at Me
*Reading
*No Surprises
*Midnight Riding
*Dream Safe with Me
*Not Another Day Like This
*Somebody New
*I Can't Tell You
*Now
*Charlie and Algernon
*The Maze
*Whatever Time There Is
*Everything Was Perfect
*Charlie
*I Really Loved You
*Whatever Time There Is (Reprise)
References
External links
Musical Notes synopsis and details of the musical
Internet Broadway Database entry
{{Daniel Keyes
1979 musicals
West End musicals
Broadway musicals
Musicals based on novels
Musicals by Charles Strouse