''The Magic Show'' is a one-act

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

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin'' (1972), and ''Wicked'' (20 ...

and a book by Bob Randall. It starred magician

Doug Henning Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician. Early life Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and began practising magic at Oakenw ...

. Produced by Edgar Lansbury,

Joseph Beruh Joseph Beruh (1924 – October 30, 1989) was an American theatrical producer of Broadway and Off-Broadway plays and musicals. He worked frequently with Edgar Lansbury as co-producer. For 15 years, he was the general manager of the Sheridan Square ...

, and

Ivan Reitman Ivan Reitman (; October 27, 1946February 12, 2022) was a Czechoslovak-born Canadian filmmaker. He was best known for his comedy work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company, founded in 1998. Film ...

, it opened on May 28, 1974 at the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...

in Manhattan, and ran for 1,920 performances, closing on December 31, 1978. Henning was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been given since 1947, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956. Winner and ...

and director

Grover Dale Grover Dale is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, and publisher. Early life Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Emma Bertha (Ammon) and Ronal Rittenhouse Aitken, a restaurateur. He stud ...

was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: ''Dramatic'' and ''Musical''. Win ...

. It originally began life as ''Spellbound'', produced by

with a book by

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation ...

and music by Howard Shore. That version premiered at the

Royal Alexandra Theatre The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located near King and Simcoe Street. Built in 1907, the 1,244-seat Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in Nort ...

in Toronto in 1973, starring Henning and

Jennifer Dale Jennifer Ciurluini (born January 16, 1956 in Toronto), known professionally as Jennifer Dale, is a Canadian actress. Biography She is the sister of Canadian actress Cynthia Dale. From 1980 to 1986 she was married to Robert Lantos; they have t ...

. When Reitman took it to New York, the book and score were entirely replaced, but Henning's illusions and magic tricks remained unchanged. ''The Magic Show'' was a rare Broadway musical with a star who could neither sing nor dance. As composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz told critic

Peter Filichia Peter Filichia (born 1946) is the former New York-based theater critic for ''The Star-Ledger'' newspaper in Newark, New Jersey and New Jersey's television station News 12, as well as for ''The Asbury Park Press'' . In addition, Filichia has two ...

, "This wasn't the case of writing for a star, but writing ''around'' a star."

Synopsis

The setting for the show is a seedy nightclub, the Top Hat, where an aging alcoholic magician, "Feldman the Magnificent," chews the scenery in his overly grand performance. Manny, the Top Hat owner, wants to replace him and brings in Doug. Doug is very unconventional and has an assistant named Cal. Cal is in love with Doug, but he does not notice her and is focused on advancing his career. Donna and Dina are the rock act in the club. One of them dates the nephew of a big agent named Goldfarb. Goldfarb is coming to the club to check out Donna and Dina's act, and everyone is excited. Meanwhile, Doug pays little attention to Cal and decides that he needs a "beautiful assistant". Cal is hurt, as Doug conjures up the beautiful Charmin. Donna and Dina get jealous, and along with Feldman, plot to expose the secrets to Doug's tricks during the show. Doug finally realizes he loves Cal, and gets to her before she leaves. Charmin is sent back to wherever she came from, and all ends up well.

Musical numbers

*Up to His Old Tricks - Entire Company *Solid Silver Platform Shoes - Dina and Donna *Lion Tamer - Cal *Style - Feldman and Company *Charmin's Lament - Charmin *Two's Company - Dina and Donna *The Goldfarb Variations - Dina, Feldman, Donna, Manny and Charmin *Doug's Act - Doug *A Bit of Villainy - Feldman, Dina and Donna *West End Avenue - Cal *Sweet, Sweet, Sweet - Charmin, Manny, Mike and Steve *Before Your Very Eyes - Dina, Donna and Feldman

Opening night cast

Cheryl Barnes Cheryl Barnes (b. 1951 in Westfield, New Jersey) is an American singer and actress. She is best known for her role in Miloš Forman's 1979 film adaptation of '' Hair'', where she played the mother of Hud's little son. Biography Raised in We ...

, Dina *

, Doug (later replaced by

Jeffrey Mylett Jeffrey Mylett (June 8, 1949 – May 7, 1986) was an American actor and songwriter. He was best known for his roles in both the stage and film productions of ''Godspell''. Personal life Mylett was born in North Canton, Ohio. He attended Hoove ...

and the character name was changed to "Jeff", then later Joe Abaldo took over the role of "Joe.") *

Robert LuPone Robert Francis LuPone (July 29, 1946 – August 27, 2022) was an American actor and artistic director. He worked on stage, in film, and in television. He was the brother of actress Patti LuPone. Early life and training LuPone was born in Brook ...

, Manny *Annie McGreevey, Donna *

Anita Morris Anita Rose Morris (March 14, 1943 – March 2, 1994) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She began her career performing in Broadway musicals, including ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', ''Seesaw'' and ''Nine'', for which she received a Tony Awa ...

(later replaced by

Loni Ackerman Loni Ackerman (born April 10, 1949) is an American Broadway musical theatre performer and cabaret singer. Career Born in New York City, she made her Broadway debut in '' George M!'' in 1968, then, in the hit Off-Broadway production of ''Dames ...

), Charmin *Lloyd Sannes, Steve *Sam Schacht, Goldfarb *

Dale Soules Dale Soules (born ) is an American actress known for starring in '' The Messenger'' and portraying Frieda Berlin in ''Orange Is the New Black'' from 2014 to 2019. Early life Soules was born on and grew up in the Greenwood Lake section of We ...

, Cal *Ronald Stafford, Mike *

David Ogden Stiers David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in ''The Magic Show'', in which he appeared for four ...

, Feldman

Opening night band

*Stephen Reinhardt, keyboards, musical director *

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both '' Late ...

, keyboards *Steve Manes, bass *Brian McCormick, guitar *Gerry Weiner, guitar *Joey Saulter, drums *Charles Birch, percussion

Reception

Reviews for the show were mixed. In 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 d ...

'',

Clive Barnes Clive Alexander Barnes (13 May 1927 – 19 November 2008) was an English writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977, he was the dance and theater critic for ''The New York Times'', and, from 1978 until his death, '' The New York Post.'' Barnes had sig ...

wrote what he called “an adulterated rave,” because “Mr. Henning is terrific. He is the greatest illusionist I have ever seen … On the other hand, the show is awful. This is a 'Magic Show' where they should keep the magic and abandon the show.” The ''Times''’ Sunday critic

Walter Kerr Walter Francis Kerr (July 8, 1913 – October 9, 1996) was an American writer and Broadway theatre critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals as well as the author of several books, genera ...

concurred that “If the star of the occasion, magician Doug Henning, were entirely serious about his business, he would promptly make the rest of the show disappear.” However, Kerr concluded that “the show is the kind that parents will take children to on the pretext that they are doing the children a favor. But they go for their own fun, really.” Some critics were fonder of the show. In ''One More Kiss'', his book surveying Broadway musicals of the 1970s,

Ethan Mordden Ethan Mordden (born 1947) is an American author and musical theater researcher. Biography Mordden was born and raised in Pennsylvania, Venice, Italy, and on Long Island, New York. He is a graduate of Friends Academy and the University of Penns ...

wrote that the show’ success was “first, because Henning really did have a wonderful act, and, second, because the frame was amusing enough. Director-choreographer Grover Dale gave it atmosphere, David Ogden Stiers as the cast-off magician was a wily piece of camp, and Schwartz’s score is capable and surprising.” At least one of the songs, “West End Avenue,” became a standard; Peter Filichia wrote that it was “one of the most popular cabaret songs of the late ‘70s.”

DVD version

In 2001, a filmed performance staged especially for the cameras in 1980, directed by Norman Campbell at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, was issued on DVD by

Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...

. This production, originally intended for cinema release, differed notably from the original Broadway production, with several of the most memorable songs, such as "West End Avenue" and "Solid Silver Platform Shoes", removed.

reprised his original starring role, while

Didi Conn Edith "Didi" Conn (née Bernstein; born July 13, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her work as Frenchy in '' Grease'', Denise Stevens Downey in '' Benson'' and Stacy Jones in '' Shining Time Station''. Early life Edith Bernst ...

co-starred as Cal.

References

External links

* *
Information about the DVD of the show and recordings of songs from the show by other Broadway starsAustralian Production of THE MAGIC SHOW on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magic Show, The 1974 musicals Broadway musicals One-act musicals Musicals by Stephen Schwartz