Broadway Close Up: Bound for Broadway
Monday, December 08, 2008 8:00 pm
Join host Liz Callaway, Broadway’s most delightful diva, for the ninth annual look at the best new shows headed for Broadway. Five new musicals will be featured, including candid interviews with the writers and songs from their upcoming shows. Past seasons offered sneak peaks at such shows as Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone, Next to Normal and High Fidelity. Don’t miss it.
This year's featured shows include:
- BIG ROSEMARY (Book by Blake Edwards; music & lyrics by Lisa Lampert & Greg Morrison) When a practical-joker mob boss is murdered, a showgirl inherits his empire. The Tony Award-winning songwriting team from Drowsy Chaperone and film director/legend Blake Edwards join forces to create this musical comedy classic set in 1930s Chicago.
- PAMELA’S FIRST MUSICAL (Book by Wendy Wasserstein; music by Cy Coleman; lyrics by David Zippel) Based on Wasserstein’s 1996 children’s book, which was illustrated by Andrew Jackness, this one-act musical adaptation tells the story of a misfit young girl from the suburbs who spends an unforgettable birthday with her eccentric, sophisticated Aunt Louise attending a lavish Broadway musical and meeting all the glamorous, creative people who made it possible.
- SEE ROCK CITY (Book & lyrics by Adam Mathias; music by Brad Alexander) A contemporary pop-rock musical about everyday travelers at tourist destinations across America. A wanderer believes his destiny is written on rooftops along the North Carolina Interstate. A young man yearns to connect with intelligent life in Roswell, New Mexico. A woman at the Alamo steps out of the shadow of her grandparents’ idealized romance to take a chance on love. Three estranged sisters cruise to Glacier Bay to scatter their father's ashes. Two high school boys face unexpected fears in the Coney Island Spook House. A terrified bride-to-be ponders taking the leap ... over Niagara Falls. Each story builds on the last to create a vivid travelogue of connections missed and connections made.
- THE KID (Book by Michael Zam; lyrics by Jack Lechner; music by Andy Monroe; based on the book by Dan Savage) A compelling and unexpected story of the journey into parenthood. Dan and his boyfriend Terry want a baby. So they do what millions of other couples do: They decide to adopt. They decide on an "open adoption," in which the birth mother selects the adoptive parents for her child. But there are issues: The mother—a street kid—drank and used drugs during the pregnancy, and is still living on the streets. The story touches on homophobia, love, getting fat, getting married, getting old—and the very human desire to have a family.
- UNDER FIRE (Book & lyrics by Barry Harman; music by Grant Sturiale; based on the film by Ron Shelton and Clayton Frohman) Set in the late 1970s during the bloody revolution in El Mirador, a Central American country under the heel of the ruthless dictator Tacho. Swept up in the maelstrom is Russell Price, a young American photojournalist who embarks on a search for the mysterious rebel leader Rafael—whom no one has ever photographed. Making his way into the heart of darkness, he encounters people working on both sides of the struggle, all with different and shadowy agendas.
- PLUS: A Second Look….
THE STORY OF MY LIFE (Book by Brian Hill; music & lyrics by Neil Bartram) In 2005, Bound for Broadway presented a look at The Story of My Life. Now, with the show a few months from its New York premiere, we welcome back authors Brian Hill and Neil Bartram to discuss the show’s evolution. Members of the Broadway cast will perform from the show. This two character-based musical is about Thomas Weaver, a successful writer who returns to his hometown to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of his lifelong friend, Alvin Kelby. In doing so, Thomas rediscovers the profound ways in which lives intersect, and how the most unexpected people alter your existence. The Story of My Life is about friendship, love and what it means to be an artist.
Note: While the acoustics in Merkin Concert Hall allow us to sometimes not use microphones, this performance will be WITH microphones. If you would like to share your thoughts on the subject, please click here to send us an email.
3-concert subscription: $85
Single tickets: $40
EVENT ABBREVIATIONS:
AGRH = Ann Goodman Recital Hall,
KC = Kaufman Center,
LMS = Lucy Moses School
MCH = Merkin Concert Hall,
SMS = Special Music School,
YAP = Young Artist Program