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Mitch Leigh
Mitch Leigh (born Irwin Michnick; January 30, 1928March 16, 2014) was an American musical theatre composer and theatrical producer best known for the musical ''Man of La Mancha''. Biography Early years Leigh was born in Brooklyn, New York as Irwin Michnick. He graduated from Yale in 1951 with a Bachelor of Music, and in 1952 received his Master of Music under Paul Hindemith. He began his career as a jazz musician, and writing commercials for radio and television. On the 1955 LP recording of ''Jean Shepherd Into the Unknown with Jazz Music'' Leigh wrote the jazz interludes between radio broadcaster Jean Shepherd's improvisations. Broadway In 1965, Leigh collaborated with lyricist Joe Darion and writer Dale Wasserman to write a musical based on Wasserman's 1959 television play, '' I, Don Quixote''. The resulting show, the musical ''Man of La Mancha'' opened on Broadway in 1965 and in its original engagement ran for 2,328 performances, and has been revived multiple times. Leig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behind New York County ( Manhattan). Brooklyn is also New York City's most populous borough,2010 Gazetteer for New York State United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 18, 2016. with 2,736,074 residents in 2020. Named after the Dutch village of , Brooklyn is located on the w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I, Don Quixote
''I, Don Quixote'' is a non-musical play written for television and directed by Karl Genus. It was broadcast in season 3 of the CBS anthology series '' DuPont Show of the Month'' on the evening of November 9, 1959. Written by Dale Wasserman, the play was converted by him ca. 1964 into the libretto for the stage musical ''Man of La Mancha'', with songs by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion. After a tryout at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, ''Man of La Mancha'' opened in New York on November 22, 1965, at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre. The title of the 1959 teleplay was originally ''Man of La Mancha'', but sponsor DuPont Corp. objected and producer David Susskind changed it to the more specific ''I, Don Quixote'', fearing that the TV audience would not know who Wasserman was referring to if the original title was used. Wasserman reported that he disliked this title "to this very day". When the teleplay was made into the famous stage musical, the original title ''Man of La Mancha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, with a career spanning nearly 60 years between 1935 and 1992. He achieved prominence for his portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac in the play of the same name, which earned him the inaugural Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1947. He reprised the role in a 1950 film version and won an Academy Award, making him the first Hispanic actor and the first Puerto Rican-born to win an Oscar. His other notable film roles include Charles VII in ''Joan of Arc'' (1948), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in ''Moulin Rouge'' (1952), defense attorney Barney Greenwald in ''The Caine Mutiny'' (1954), Alfred Dreyfus in '' I Accuse!'' (1958), which he also directed; the Turkish Bey in ''Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), Siegfried Rieber in ''Ship of Fools'' (1965), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbara Cook
Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals '' Plain and Fancy'' (1955), ''Candide'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' (1957) among others, winning a Tony Award for the last. She continued performing mostly in theatre until the mid-1970s, when she began a second career as a cabaret and concert singer. She also made numerous recordings. During her years as Broadway’s leading ingénue, Cook was lauded for her excellent lyric soprano voice. She was particularly admired for her vocal agility, wide range, warm sound, and emotive interpretations. As she aged her voice took on a darker quality, even in her head voice, that was less prominent in her youth.Howard Goldstein: "Barbara Cook", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed December 4, 2008)(subscription access)/ref> At the time of her death, Cook was widely recognized as one of the "premier interpreter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidney Michaels
Sidney Michaels (August 17, 1927 – April 22, 2011, aged 83) was an American playwright best known for the early and mid 1960s works '' Tchin-Tchin'', '' Dylan'', and ''Ben Franklin in Paris ''Ben Franklin in Paris'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Sidney Michaels, and music by Mark Sandrich, Jr. with two songs contributed by Jerry Herman. Premise The story is a somewhat fictionalized account of Benjamin Franklin's adventures ...''. References External links * * 1927 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights {{US-playwright-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Todd
Michael Todd (born Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen; June 22, 1909 – March 22, 1958) was an American theater and film producer, best known for his 1956 production of '' Around the World in 80 Days'', which won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Actress Elizabeth Taylor was his third wife, and Todd was the third husband of Taylor's seven husbands, and is the only one whom Taylor did not divorce - Todd died in a private plane accident a year after their marriage. He was the driving force behind the development of the eponymous Todd-AO widescreen film format. Early life Todd was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Chaim Goldbogen (an Orthodox rabbi), and Sophia Hellerman, both of whom were Polish Jewish immigrants. He was one of nine children in a poor family, the youngest son, and his siblings nicknamed him "Tod" (pronounced "Toat" in German) to mimic his difficulty pronouncing the word "coat." It was from this that his name was derived. The family later moved to Chicago, arriving on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Adams
Lee Richard Adams (born August 14, 1924) is an American lyricist best known for his musical theatre collaboration with Charles Strouse. Biography Born in Mansfield, Ohio, Adams is the son of Dr. Leopold Adams, originally of Stamford, Connecticut and Florence Ellis (originally Elishack) Adams, originally of Racine, Wisconsin. His family is Jewish. He is a graduate of Mansfield Senior High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University and a Master's from Columbia University. While attending Ohio State University he was a brother of the Nu chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. He worked as a journalist for newspaper and magazines. He met Charles Strouse in 1949 and they initially wrote for summer-time revues. Adams won Tony Awards in 1961 for '' Bye Bye Birdie'', the first Broadway musical he wrote with Strouse, and in 1970 for ''Applause'' and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1965 for '' Golden Boy''. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The King And I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical's plot relates the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher who is hired as part of the King's drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit. The musical premiered on March 29, 1951, at Broadway's St. James Theatre. It ran for nearly three years, making it the fourth-longest-running Broadway musical in history at the time, and has had many tours and revivals. In 1950, theatrical attorney Fanny Holtzmann was looking for a part for her client, veteran leading lady Gertrude Lawrence. Holtzmann realized that Landon's book would provide an ideal veh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saravá (musical)
''Saravá'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by N. Richard Nash and music Mitch Leigh. The musical was based on the book ''Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands'' by Brazilian writer Jorge Amado, published in 1966. Synopsis Set in Salvador, Bahia, the musical starts with the sudden death of Dona Flor's husband, Vadinho, who collapses in the midst of Carnival celebrations. After a period of mourning, Dona Flor attracts another admirer, a local pharmacist, Teodoro. While her new husband lacks the passionate sensuality of Vadinho, he compensates by providing a life free of worry. But, on the first anniversary of her marriage, Vadinho returns. He is now a ghost, but has lost none of his old ways. History The musical started its try-out period at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. It ran from December 25th 1978 to January 6th 1979, being cut short by a week due to poor reviews and low tickets sales. The Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on January ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yul Brynner
Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical ''The King and I'', for which he won two Tony Awards, and later an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film adaptation. He played the role 4,625 times on stage and became known for his shaved head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it for ''The King and I''. Considered one of the first Russian-American film stars, he was honored with a ceremony to put his handprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 1956, and also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. In 1956, Brynner received the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Rameses II in the Cecil B. DeMille epic ''The Ten Commandments'' and General Bou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Home Sweet Homer (musical)
''Home Sweet Homer'' is a 1976 musical with a book by Roland Kibbee and Albert Marre, lyrics by Charles Burr and Forman Brown, and music by Mitch Leigh. Originally called ''Odyssey'', it is one of the most notorious flops in Broadway theatre history. Loosely based on Homeric legend, it focuses on Odysseus and Penelope, awaiting his return to Ithaca. Background The show was designed as a vehicle for Yul Brynner, who was anxious to duplicate his success in ''The King and I'' more than two decades earlier. The original book and lyrics were by author Erich Segal, and a fairly modest production with a small cast began a national tour in December 1974 at the Hanna Theater in Cleveland, Ohio.Calta, Louis"After Year's Tour, ‘Homer’ Dies Quickly on Broadway"''The New York Times'', January 8, 1976 The musical was titled ''Odyssey'' at that time. The tour was plagued with problems from the start. Both Brynner and co-star Joan Diener frequently were ill and missed performances. In April ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hogan's Goat
''Hogan's Goat'' is a 1965 play by William Alfred. The blank-verse drama concerns a mayoral contest between Irish Americans in Brooklyn, New York, in 1890. The play's focus is on the personal life of Matthew Stanton, the dynamic leader of the Sixth Ward, who hopes to unseat corrupt incumbent Ned Quinn. Stanton's wife Kathleen fears campaign publicity will reveal that they never were married in the Catholic Church, a fact uncovered by Quinn, who also discovers Stanton was once the "kept man" (known as a "goat" in the lexicon of the time) of Agnes Hogan, Quinn's ex-girlfriend who is now on her deathbed. Blinded by ruthless ambition, Stanton ignores Quinn's threats to reveal his past and forges ahead with the race, ultimately destroying not only his political career, but his marriage, as well. Directed by Frederick Rolf, the off-Broadway production opened for the American Place Theatre on November 11, 1965, at the Theater at St. Clement's Church, then moved to the East 74th Street ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
