![Playbill for End of the Rainbow on Broadway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Playbill_for_End_of_the_Rainbow_on_Broadway.jpg)
''End of the Rainbow'' is a musical drama by
Peter Quilter
Peter Quilter is a West End and Broadway playwright whose plays have been translated into 30 languages and performed in over 40 countries. He is best known for his Broadway play ''End of the Rainbow'', which was adapted for the Oscar-winning f ...
, which focuses on
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
in the months leading up to her death in 1969. After a premiere in Sydney, Australia in 2005, the show has played on the West End in London and a Broadway production opened at the
Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York Ci ...
in 2012. The award-winning 2019 film
''Judy'' starring
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...
is a screen adaptation of the play for which Zellweger won the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...
for her portrayal of Garland.
Synopsis
Judy Garland is staying in London, along with young new fiancé
Mickey Deans
Michael DeVinko, Jr. (September 24, 1934 – July 11, 2003), known as Mickey Deans, was an American musician and entrepreneur, and the fifth husband and widower of actress and singer Judy Garland.
Early life
Born Michael DeVinko in Garfield, Ne ...
and loyal friend and pianist Anthony, preparing for her five-week run of shows at
The Talk of the Town. Garland hopes that her act will help her maintain her star profile, especially considering a recent string of bad press against her. However, she still struggles with both her drug addictions and her strained relationships with the men around her.
Production history
''End of the Rainbow'' evolved from an earlier Peter Quilter play entitled ''Last Song of the Nightingale'' which had starred
Tracie Bennett
Tracie Bennett (born 17 June 1961) is an English singer and stage and television actress. She trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in Clapham, London. She played the role of Sharon Gaskell in ''Coronation Street'' from 1982 to 1 ...
as a fictitious past-her-prime diva: premièring as a
London fringe production in the spring of 2001, ''Last Song
...'' had encored (with Bennett) in 2003 at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
and also
Off West End
Off West End refers to theatres in London which are not included as West End theatres. The term is a relatively recent one, coined after the similar American term "off-Broadway" (though without the same strict definition). It is usually used synony ...
. Although Quilter would state the play's protagonist was a gender-switch on an alcoholic male cruise ship performer of the playwright's acquaintance,
''Last Song
...'' would be viewed by theater-goers and critics - and its star Tracie Bennett - as a theatrical Judy Garland
roman à clef
''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship ...
:
Quilter eventually decided to revise his original play to overtly focus on Garland, with the resultant ''End of the Rainbow'' premièring in August 2005 at the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
in Australia with
Caroline O’Connor as Garland, a role O'Connor reprised first in a May 2006 production at the Theatre Royal, Sydney and then at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
engagement of ''End of the Rainbow'' in August 2006.
[ O'Connor won three Best Actress awards for her performances.
''End of the Rainbow'' was then performed from February 5–20, 2010 at Northampton's Royal & Derngate Theatre. This production was directed by Terry Johnson and starred Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland, with ]Hilton McRae
Hilton McRae (born 28 December 1949) is a Scottish actor, working in theatre, television and film.
Career
McRae was part of the radical theatre group 7:84 before graduating from the University of Edinburgh, and by 1977 he had joined the Royal ...
as Anthony and Stephen Hagan as Mickey Deans. ''End of the Rainbow'' ran in the West End from 16 November 2010 to 21 May 2011 at Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million Pound sterling, pound restoration project aiming to reinstate ...
, starring Tracie Bennett.[Healy, Patrick]
End of the Rainbow' Producers Aim for Broadway"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', artsbeat.blogs, April 19, 2011 The West End production received nominations for four Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
, including Best Actress for Bennett, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for McRae and Best New Play. The show then toured in the UK from 25 August and ending in December 2011 at Richmond Theatre. .[Girvan, Andre]
Bennett Is Garland Again, End of the Rainbow Tours"
whatsonstage.com, 23 June 2011
''End of the Rainbow'' had its American premiere at the Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions between Sir Tyrone Gut ...
in Minneapolis, running from January 28 to March 11, 2012. Directed by Terry Johnson, Tracie Bennett repeated her role as Garland. The play opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York Ci ...
on March 19, 2012 in previews and officially on April 2. In addition to Bennett, the cast featured Michael Cumpsty
Michael Cumpsty (born 28 February 1960) is a British actor. He has been acting since childhood. He has worked extensively performing Shakespeare, as well as both musicals and dramas on Broadway. He also performs in films and on television.
Lif ...
as Anthony, Tom Pelphrey
Thomas J. Pelphrey (born July 28, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Jonathan Randall and Mick Dante in the CBS television series ''Guiding Light'' and ''As the World Turns'' respectively, Kurt Bunker in the Ci ...
as Mickey Deans, and Jay Russell. Bennett and Cumpsty received Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
nominations for their performances. Bennett also received the Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...
and Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
for Outstanding Actress in a Play. The show ran 176 performances on Broadway and subsequently played a critically acclaimed season at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
*''End of the Rainbow'' toured the UK for a second time in 2016, with Lisa Maxwell in the role of Judy Garland.
''End of the Rainbow (Al final del arcoíris)'' premiered in Madrid, January 2011, at the Teatro Marquina with Natalia Dicenta
Natalia Dicenta Herrera (born 6 July 1962) is a Spanish actress and singer.
Family
She was born in Madrid on 6 July 1962. She is the daughter of Spanish actors Lola Herrera and . On her father side, she is the granddaughter of actor , and grea ...
as Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
, Miguel Rellán as Anthony and Javier Mora as Mickey Deans.
*''End of the Rainbow (O Fim do Arco-Íris)'' ( pt) had its Portuguese première in Lisbon in January 2012 at the Teatro Politeama in Lisbon. The cast was led by as Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
with Carlos Quintas as Mickey Deans
Michael DeVinko, Jr. (September 24, 1934 – July 11, 2003), known as Mickey Deans, was an American musician and entrepreneur, and the fifth husband and widower of actress and singer Judy Garland.
Early life
Born Michael DeVinko in Garfield, Ne ...
and Hugo Rendas as Sidney Luft.
*The show was presented in Brazil on 11 November 2012 at the Fashion Mall shopping center's entertainment court in Brasília, DF with Cláudia Netto as Judy and Igor Rickli as Mickey Deans.
*''End of the Rainbow (Al final del arcoíris)'' was premièred in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 5 February 2014, starring Karina K as Garland, Antonio Grimau and Federico Amador as Mickey Deans.
*The show had its Canadian première in April 2015 at the Compagnie Jean Duceppe Theatre in Montreal. In the same year, the show had a second run in Los Angeles, playing at the International City Theatre.
''End of the Rainbow (El final del arcoíris)'' was premièred in Mexico City on 29 May 2015, at the Foro Cultural Coyoacanense Hugo Argüelles, with Alejandra Desiderio starring as Judy Garland, José Antonio López Tercero as Anthony and Mario Sepúlveda as Mickey Deans directed by Rosa Alicia Delain and is a production of Re-Crea Teatro under the supervision of Alis Ortega and Fernanda Prado. There was a revival at Foro Shakespeare in 2016 and another revival at Teatro Rafael Solana in 2018.
*In 2015, the show had a new production in Tokyo Japan, which was revived in 2016.
*In December 2016, the show had a new production in Moscow, Russia. The show also returned to Rome for a 2nd run, at the Teatro Sistina.
*Ace Productions presented a new Canadian production in Vancouver in April 2017.
*The Berlin production returned to the Schlosspark Theater for a second run in September 2017.
*The play returned to Los Angeles in 2017 for a run at the La Mirada Theatre. In summer 2018 it played its 4th LA run at Laguna Playhouse.
*In 2019 The State Theatre Company of South Australia
The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. I ...
commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Garland's passing. As part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, ...
, this production of ''End Of The Rainbow'' was directed by Elena Carapetis and starred Helen Dallimore
Helen Dallimore (born 31 October 1971) is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of Glinda the Good Witch, Glinda in the West End Theatre, West End production of ''Wicked (musical), Wicked''.
Early life
Dallimore grew up in Oxfor ...
as Judy, Nic English as Micky, Stephen Sheehan as Anthony; it concluded its run on June 22, 2019.
Leading actresses
There have been productions of the show in Brisbane, Melbourne, Auckland, Florence, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Kraków, Prague, Sofia, Rotterdam and Helsinki. New productions played in the 2013–14 season in Christchurch, Rome, Klagenfurt, Miami, Atlanta, Denver and Milwaukee.
* The 2014 Milwaukee Repertory Theatre production of ''End of the Rainbow'' starred Hollis Resnik
Hollis Resnik (1955 – April 17, 2022) was an American singer and actress, especially in stage musicals.
Biography
Raised in Euclid, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland), as a young girl she studied piano and took voice lessons and performed with the Cl ...
as Garland.
* Kathy St. George played Garland in the 2014 Actors' Playhouse production of ''End of the Rainbow'' at the Miracle Theatre in Miami.
* Anna Gangai appeared as Garland in ''End of the Rainbow'' at the Cellar Theatre at San Antonio's The Playhouse in 2014.
* Jeannie Shubitz played Garland in a production of ''End of the Rainbow'' that opened at the Phoenix Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona in May 2015.
* Leisa Way portrayed Garland in a summer stock production in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada in July, 2015.
* Eileen Bowman portrayed Garland in ''End of the Rainbow'' in San Diego in November 2015.
* Natasha Drena played Judy Garland in ''End of the Rainbow'' in January, 2016 at the Kavinoky Theatre in Buffalo. Drena previously performed the role in Atlanta in 2014, winning a Best Actress at this city's local theatre awards.
* Carolyn Johnson plays Garland in ''End of the Rainbow'' in March/April, 2016 at Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston, Texas.
* Janelle Lutz plays Garland in the Uptown Players' production of ''End of The Rainbow'' in Dallas, Texas in April, 2016, .
* In November 2016, Porchlight Music Theatre presented the Chicago premiere of the production with Angela Ingersoll as Judy Garland.
* Melissa Minyard played Garland in the FreeFall theatre production of the play in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2017.
* The role of Judy Garland was performed by Angela Ingersoll in a production at the Grandel Theater in St. Louis.2017.
* Helen Dallimore
Helen Dallimore (born 31 October 1971) is an Australian actress, known for originating the role of Glinda the Good Witch, Glinda in the West End Theatre, West End production of ''Wicked (musical), Wicked''.
Early life
Dallimore grew up in Oxfor ...
stars as Judy Garland in the State Theatre Company of South Australia
The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. I ...
2019 production.
* In 2019, '' Judy'', a film adaptation of ''End of the Rainbow'', starred Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...
.
Musical numbers
* "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby
"I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" is an American popular song and jazz standard by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). The song was introduced by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in January 1928 in Lew Le ...
"
* " Just in Time"
* " For Me and My Gal"
* "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)
"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" is a popular song from 1913 composed by James V. Monaco with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. It was introduced by Al Jolson in the Broadway revue ''The Honeymoon Express'' (1913), and used in the 197 ...
"
* "The Trolley Song
"The Trolley Song" is a song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and made famous by Judy Garland in the 1944 film ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. In a 1989 NPR interview, Blane said the song was inspired by a picture of a trolleycar in a turn-of-t ...
"
* "The Man That Got Away
"The Man that Got Away" is a torch song, published in 1953 and written for the 1954 version of the film '' A Star Is Born.'' The music was written by Harold Arlen, and the lyrics by Ira Gershwin. In 1954, it was nominated for the Academy Award fo ...
"
* "When You're Smiling
"When You're Smiling" is a popular song written by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher and Joe Goodwin in 1928. It bears resemblance to the Spanish Canción " Amapola" by José María Lacalle García. Early popular recordings were by Seger Ellis (1928) ...
"
* "Come Rain or Come Shine
"Come Rain or Come Shine" is a popular music song, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the Broadway musical '' St. Louis Woman'', which opened on March 30, 1946, and closed after 113 performances.
Chart perf ...
"
* " Over the Rainbow"
* " Get Happy"
* "By Myself"
Recording
A cast recording of the London production was released on January 31, 2011 by Angel Recording Studios featuring Tracie Bennett's renditions of both the play's songs and other Garland numbers.
Track listing
All tracks performed by Tracie Bennett
Tracie Bennett (born 17 June 1961) is an English singer and stage and television actress. She trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in Clapham, London. She played the role of Sharon Gaskell in ''Coronation Street'' from 1982 to 1 ...
, unless noted.
Awards and nominations
4 Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
nominations in London's West End in 2011 - Best New Play, Best Actress, Best Sound, and Best Supporting Actor.[Shenton, Mark]
Legally Blonde, Into the Woods, Clybourne Park, After the Dance Among Olivier Award Winners in London
playbill.com, March 13, 2011
Original Broadway production
References
External links
Internet Broadway Database Listing
official website of the play
About the Artists Production History
{{DEFAULTSORT:End Of The Rainbow
British plays adapted into films
Cultural depictions of Judy Garland
Biographical plays about actors
2005 plays