HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Fix'' 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 book and lyrics by John Dempsey and music by
Dana P. Rowe Dana P. Rowe is an American musical theater composer whose works have been performed internationally with productions in London’s West End (Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Prince of Wales, The Donmar Warehouse), Russia, Czech Republic, Japan (including ...
. It concerns the career of a fictional U.S. politician who gets mixed up with the Mafia. It premiered at London's Donmar Warehouse in 1997.


Production history

''The Fix'' was developed in association with Cameron Mackintosh under the working title ''Cal: A Musical Tale of Relative Insanity''. In 1997, ''The Fix'' premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, in a production directed by
Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...
, with musical direction by Colin Welford. Running from 29 April through 14 June, the production starred John Barrowman,
Kathryn Evans Kathryn Evans (born 1955 in London, England) is a British stage actress, singer and dancer. She trained at the Royal Ballet School and Arts Educational. She is well known for being the final actress in London to play the lead role of Eva i ...
and
Philip Quast Philip Mark Quast (born 30 July 1957) is an Australian actor and singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category. He is perhaps best known ...
, and featured a young
John Partridge John Partridge may refer to: *John Partridge (artist) (1789–1872), British portrait painter *John Partridge (astrologer) (1644–1710s), English astrologer *John Partridge (actor) (born 1971), English actor, singer and dancer *John Bernard Partrid ...
and Rebecca Front in ensemble roles. Barrowman and Quast were both nominated for the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for their roles, with Quast winning the award. The production was also nominated for Olivier Awards for Best New Musical and Best Lighting Designer (for Howard Harrison). In 1998, a reworked version of ''The Fix'' made its US premiere at the Signature Theatre. The production was directed by
Eric D. Schaeffer Eric D. Schaeffer is an American theater director and producer based in Arlington, Virginia. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Signature Theatre., and is well known nationally for his re-invention of large American musicals for ...
and ran from 17 March through 10 May. In 2015, the Signature Theatre revived ''The Fix'', with Schaeffer again directing. The production ran from 11 August through 20 September. In 2016, a fringe production played at the Union Theatre in London from 13 July through 6 August. On 9 August 2017, Feinstein's/54 Below presented a one-night concert production of ''The Fix''.


Plot

Act 1 Days before a United States presidential election, shoo-in candidate Reed Chandler suffers a fatal heart attack between the thighs of his mistress. Before the body has turned cold, the dead man's widow, Violet, and brother, Grahame (a speechwriter and spin doctor crippled from birth by polio and jealous of his brother's public success) - not keen to see their patience and preparation go to waste - are conspiring to replace him with his own son, an unambitious drifter, Calvin. Cal is enlisted in the army and married off to a perky debutante before developing a hard drug problem and being photographed during sex with his mistress, a nightclub singer named Tina McCoy. To cover up Cal's indiscretion, Grahame is forced to call upon the services of the city's criminal underworld, headed by Anthony Gliardi, who we are told is a "friend of the family". Act 2 The years pass. Cal is elected governor and his wife bears a son. The list of favours owed to Gliardi grows longer, Cal's addiction deepens and Grahame's legs finally give way and he is condemned to life in a wheelchair. After a drying-out period, Cal rediscovers his sense of self. He confronts the press, coming clean about his misgivings and the Chandlers' relationship with Gliardi. Cal becomes the media darling once again, however on the eve of the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
nominations, Gliardi uses Tina to lure Cal away from his family, then shoots them both. The play comes full circle as at Cal's funeral, Violet and Grahame move in on Cal's young son. And suddenly the future doesn't look so dim after all.


Musical numbers


Donmar Warehouse, 1997

;Act 1 *"Advocate/Architect" – Ensemble *"The Funeral" – Company *"One, Two, Three" () – Cal, Ensemble *"Embrace Tomorrow" – Violet, Grahame, Bobby *"Army Chant/Control" – Reed, Cal *"America's Son" – Cal, Violet, Grahame, Leslie, Supporters, Newscaster *"I See The Future" – Cal *"Lonely is a Two-Way Street" – Tina *"Simple Words" – Cal, Grahame, Reporters *"Alleluia/Flash, Pop, Sizzle!" – Tina *"Sense out of Insanity" – Grahame *"Dangerous Games" – Gliardi, Frankie, Ensemble ;Act 2 *"Two Guys at Harvard" – Grahame, Reed, Violet, Ensemble *"First Came Mercy" – Grahame, Ensemble *"Bend the Spoon/One, Two, Three (''reprise'')" – Tina, Cal *"Cleaning House" – Violet, Peter *"Upper Hand" – Cal, Grahame *"Spin" – Violet *"The Ballad of Bobby "Cracker" Barrel" – Bobby, Ensemble *"Child's Play" – Cal *"Simple Words (reprise)" – Cal, Ensemble *"Lion Hunts the Tiger" – Ensemble *"Mistress of Deception" – Tina, Ensemble *"Finale" – Company


1998 onwards

;Act 1 *"Let the Games Begin" – Reed, Ensemble *"The Funeral" – Company *"One, Two, Three" () – Cal, Ensemble *"Embrace Tomorrow" – Violet, Grahame, Bobby *"Army Chant/Control" – Reed, Cal *"America's Son" – Cal, Violet, Grahame, Leslie, Supporters, Newscaster *"I See The Future" – Cal *"Lonely is a Two-Way Street" – Tina *"Simple Words" – Cal, Grahame, Reporters *"Alleluia/Flash, Pop, Sizzle!" – Tina *"Who Said?" – Grahame *"Don't Blame the Prince" – Cal *"Dangerous Games" – Gliardi, Frankie, Ensemble ;Act 2 *"Two Guys at Harvard" – Grahame, Reed, Violet, Ensemble *"Mercy Me" – Grahame, Ensemble *"One, Two, Three (''reprise'')" – Tina, Cal *"Cleaning House" – Violet, Peter *"Upper Hand" – Cal, Grahame *"Spin" – Violet *"The Ballad of Bobby "Cracker" Barrel" – Bobby, Ensemble *"Child's Play" – Cal *"Simple Words/Dangerous Games (reprise)" – Cal, Ensemble *"Mistress of Deception" – Tina, Ensemble *"Finale" – Company


Orchestration

''The Fix'' is orchestrated for a band of 8 musicians: * Musical Director/Keyboard 1 * Keyboard 2 * Guitars * Bass Guitar * Drums * Reed 1 (alto and baritone saxophone, and clarinet) * Reed 2 (clarinet, flute and tenor saxophone) * Trumpet The orchestrations are by Michael Gibson.


Characters and original cast


References


External links


''The Fix''
at the Music Theatre International website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fix 1997 musicals West End musicals Original musicals