''SHINE!'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

based on characters and situations found in the works of

Horatio Alger Horatio Alger Jr. (; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was an American author who wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through good works. His wri ...

, particularly 1868 novel ''

Ragged Dick ''Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks'' is a ''Bildungsroman'' by Horatio Alger Jr., which was serialized in ''The Student and Schoolmate'' in 1867 and expanded for publication as a full-length novel in May 1868 by the pu ...

'' and '' Silas Snobden's Office Boy'', respectively Alger's first best-seller and the one first printed in book form eighty years after it was first serialized in ''

Argosy Argosy or The Argosy may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Argosy'' (magazine), an American pulp magazine 1882–1978 and revived 1990–1994, 2004–2006 * ''Argosy'' (UK magazine), three British magazines * Argosy spaceship in ''Escap ...

''. Its plot and characters focus on Alger's pervasive theme: that in America one could begin with nothing, and with the right attitude, hard work, application, and a little bit of luck, dream a dream and chart a course on which to achieve it. Richard Seff wrote the book, Lee Goldsmith the lyrics and Roger Anderson the music. Anderson and Goldsmith had previously collaborated on the 1993 musical '' Chaplin''. ''SHINE!'' was announced for

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 ...

in 1982, but production was canceled when producer

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

disbanded its newly formed theatre division. The show was later produced in 1983 at the Virginia Museum Theatre in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, starring George Lee Andrews, Alix Korey and Todd Taylor. A reading of a revised version was seen in 1998 at

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

's York Theatre Company. In 2001, Shine! was part of the National Musical Theatre Network showcase. That performance was recorded and released by Original Cast Records in October 2001. The recording featured performers including

Carole Shelley Carole Augusta Shelley (16 August 1939 – 31 August 2018)Bartlett, Rhett"Carole Shelley, One of the Pigeon Sisters From 'The Odd Couple,' Dies at 79"''The Hollywood Reporter'', 1 September 2018

Harvey Evans Harvey Evans (January 7, 1941 – December 24, 2021) was an American stage and film actor. He was noted for having appeared in the original Broadway productions of ''West Side Story'', ''Follies'', and '' Hello, Dolly!'', among others. Life and ...

Brooks Ashmanskas Brooks Ashmanskas (born June 14, 1969) is an American actor. He has appeared both on Broadway and Off-Broadway as well as in regional theatres. Ashmanskas has done limited film and television work, most recently appearing in the Netflix series '' ...

and

Andréa Burns Andréa Burns (born February 21, 1971) is an American actress and singer best known for her portrayal of the hairdresser Daniela in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical ''In the Heights'', as Carmen in Douglas Carter Beane's '' The Nance'', and as Mrs. ...

. The show was published by

Samuel French, Inc. Samuel French, Inc. is an American company, founded by Samuel French and Thomas Hailes Lacy, who formed a partnership to combine their existing interests in London and New York City. It publishes plays, represents authors, and sells script ...

in 2002. In October 2010 the New York premiere production of a completely revised version of the show takes place at NYMF, Theatre at St. Clement's under the direction of Peter Flynn, choreography by Dev Janki, arrangements and orchestrations by Greg Anthony Rassen, and starring Andy Mientus as the hero.

Musical numbers

Act I *Prelude *Wall Street Lament *Shine! *Look at Him *Silas Snobden, Inc. *Cock and Bull *Maybe Today *Put Your Money In *Partners *The Room *Keeping Up With the Times *A Hardworking Boy *Look How Far We've Come Act II *Find That Boy *A Hardworking Boy (Reprise) *Shine (Reprise) *From Now On *Someone *Yes! *A Handful O' Hops *North of 14th Street

References

External links

The Official ''Shine!'' Website

New York Musical Theatre Festival

National Musical Theatre Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shine! (Musical) 1983 musicals Musicals based on novels