''King David'' 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 ...

, sometimes described as a modern

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

, with a book and lyrics by

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

and music by

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''A ...

. The musical is based on

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

tales from the

Books of Samuel The Book of Samuel (, ''Sefer Shmuel'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the narrative history of Ancient Israel called the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshu ...

and 1

Chronicles Chronicles may refer to: * ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible * Chronicle, chronological histories * ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis * ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed * ''The Idhu ...

, as well as text from David's

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

Description and history

''King David'' is mostly sung-through with little dialogue, and the music swings from pop to jazz to grand choral arrangements. It uses a large orchestra and a large choir. The work was conceived as an outdoor piece to commemorate the 3,000th anniversary of the city of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. However, according to Rice, "When it proved logistically and financially impossible to do it and Disney took an interest, we changed gears.... We felt we'd been commissioned to write it as an oratorio, and still hoped it would be performed as such in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. ... we should have emphasized that more to avoid being judged primarily as a Broadway show."Jones, Kenneth
"Menken and Rice's King David Will Rule Again in 2004-05"
playbill.com, August 23, 2004

Musical numbers

;Act I *Prologue – David, Bathsheba, Young Solomon, Joab and Chorus Samuel *Israel and Saul – Joab, Samuel, Saul and Chorus *Samuel Confronts Saul – Saul, Samuel, Agag and Chorus *Samuel Anoints David – Joab, Samuel, Jesse, David and Chorus Saul *The Enemy Within – Saul and Chorus *There is a View... – Joab, Abner, Saul and Chorus *Psalm 8 – David *Genius from Bethlehem – Saul, David, Abner, Joab, Jonathan and Michal Goliath *The Valley of Elah – Goliath, Abner, Joab, David, Saul and Soldiers *Goliath of Gath – Goliath, David, Joab, Soldiers and Chorus *Sheer Perfection – Joab, Saul, David and Michal Jonathan *Saul Has Slain His Thousands – Joab and Chorus *You Have It All – Saul, Jonathan and David *Psalm 23 – Saul and David *You Have It All/Sheer Perfection (Reprises) – Jonathan, Joab, Michal and David Exile *Hunted Partridge on the Hill – Joab, Saul, Michal, David and Men *The Death of Saul – Saul, Jonathan, Ghost of Samuel and Chorus *How Are The Mighty Fallen ;Act II David the King *This New Jerusalem – David, Absalom, Voice of Jonathan, Joab and Chorus *David and Michal – David, Joab and Michal *The Ark Brought to Jerusalem – David and Chorus *Never Again – Michal and David Bathsheba *How Wonderful the Peace – Absalom, Joab, David and Chorus *Off Limits – Bathsheba, David and Joab *Warm Spring Night – David *When in Love – Bathsheba *Uriah's Fate Sealed – David, Joab, Bathsheba and Chorus *Atonement – David, Ghosts of Saul & Samuel, Bathsheba and Chorus Absalom *The Caravan Moves On – Joab, Absalom, David, Ghosts of Saul & Samuel and Men *Death of Absalom – Joab and Absalom *Absalom My Absalom – David David's Final Days *Solomon – Solomon, Joab, David and Bathsheba *David's Final Hours – Michal, David, Joab, Bathsheba, Voices of Goliath, Saul, Jonathan & Samuel and Chorus *The Long Long Day – David *This New Jerusalem (Reprise) – Solomon and Company

Productions

A concert version, produced by

Disney Theatrical Productions Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the flagship stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a major business unit of The Walt Di ...

and André Djaoui and directed by

Mike Ockrent Michael Robert Ockrent (18 June 1946 – 2 December 1999) was a British stage director, well-known both for his Broadway musicals and smaller niche plays. He was educated at Highgate School. Through directing ''Educating Rita'', '' The Nerd'' an ...

, was presented as the inaugural production at Disney's newly renovated

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

(the former home of the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

''), playing for a nine-performance limited run in May 1997. The cast included

Roger Bart Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. Bart received his second Tony Award no ...

, Stephen Bogardus,

Judy Kuhn Judy Kuhn (born May 20, 1958) is an American actress and singer, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film ''Pocahontas'', including her re ...

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Next to Normal'' (2009 To ...

Martin Vidnovic Martin Vidnovic (born January 4, 1948) is an American actor and singer. Career Born in Falls Church, Virginia, Vidnovic graduated from the College-Conservatory of Music (part of the University of Cincinnati) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.Lovendus ...

, and

Michael Goz Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

, with

Marcus Lovett Marcus Lovett is an American singer and actor who was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He is known for his roles in musical theatre. His credits include leading roles in ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Aspects of Love'', ''Carousel'' and ''King D ...

in the title role. The piece ran two hours and 45 minutesBrantley, Ben
"Theater Review. With Strobe Lights (but No Philistine Trophies), It's Disney's 'King David'"
''The New York Times'', May 20, 1997 and was only partially staged. On September 6, 1997,

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...

, Davis Gaines, and

Rebecca Luker Rebecca Luker (April 17, 1961 – December 23, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and recording artist, noted for her "crystal clear operatic soprano" and for maintaining long runs in Broadway musicals over the course of her three-decade-lo ...

gave a concert at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

that ended with three selections from ''King David''. There was a production in

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in Dallas County, it is also an inner ring suburb of Dallas. The city of Irving is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to a 2019 estimate from the United States Census Bureau, ...

in 2004. Amateur and school productions include: Landmark Christian School

Newnan, Georgia Newnan is a city in Metro Atlanta and the county seat of Coweta County, Georgia, about southwest of Atlanta. Its population was 42,549 at the 2020 census, up from 33,039 in 2010. History Newnan was established as county seat of Coweta Coun ...

, near

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

in 2005. A concert performance was produced by

NYU Steinhardt The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (commonly referred to as Steinhardt) is the secondary liberal arts and education school of New York University. It is one of the only schools in the world of i ...

's Vocal Performance and the NYU Symphony Orchestra in conjunction with the authors on November 13 and 14, 2008. In the summer of 2012, Neighborhood Church in

Castro Valley, California Castro Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. At the 2010 census, it was the fifth most populous unincorporated area in California and the twenty-third most populous in the United States. The popula ...

, near

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, performed the musical as part of their yearly Summer Musical Series. At present, there are no plans for a fully staged

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 ...

production.

Opening night cast

– Jonathan * Stephen Bogardus – Joab *Anthony Galde – Absalom *

– Michal *

– David *

– Bathsheba *Peter Samuel – Samuel *

– King Saul *

Bill Nolte Bill Nolte (born June 4 in Toledo, Ohio) is a singer and Broadway actor. He was raised in Genoa, Ohio and attended Genoa Area High School, graduating in 1971. He graduated from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1976, with a degree ...

– Goliath *Timothy Shew – Abner *Timothy Robert Blevins – Agag *Peter C. Ermides – Uriah *

– Jesse *Daniel James Hodd – Young Solomon *Kimberly JaJuan – Abishag *Dylan Lovett – Young Absalom

Critical response

The 1997 debut concert performance provoked a lukewarm review by ''

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 ...

''.

Ben Brantley Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...

wrote: "...the show is sober, respectful, packed with enough information for a month of Bible-study classes and, on its own terms, most carefully thought out, with pop equivalents of operatic motifs and exotic folkloric touches a la Borodin. Yet while the well-sung cast, under Mike Ockrent's direction, and the orchestra (Michael Kosarin is the music director and Douglas Besterman the orchestrator) have been painstakingly polished, the show, at two hours and 45 minutes, just can't help being a Goliath of a yawn." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "Unrelentingly serious-minded and devoid of the wit that Menken brought to previous projects".Evans, Greg
"Review: ‘King David’"
''Variety'', May 20, 1997 The

cast album A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the sho ...

, however, which cuts several musical numbers and reprises, has been praised.

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:King David 1997 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Alan Menken Musicals by Tim Rice Musicals based on religious traditions Musicals based on the Bible Sung-through musicals Cultural depictions of David Walt Disney Theatrical