''First Wives Club'' 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 ...

with music and lyrics by

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous hi ...

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

, and

Eddie Holland Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", he ...

. The musical is based on the 1996 movie of the same name. The musical premiered in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, California, in 2009, with a

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this phys ...

Rupert Holmes David Goldstein (born February 24, 1947), better known as Rupert Holmes, is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles " Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979) and " Him" (1980) ...

. A reworked version had a production in Chicago, in 2015, with a new

Linda Bloodworth-Thomason Linda Joyce Bloodworth-Thomason (born April 15, 1947) is an American writer, director, and television producer. She is best known for creating, writing, and producing several television series, most successfully with the series ''Designing Women'' ...

Productions

The first production of the show opened at The Old Globe Theater in

, California, on July 17, 2009, in previews, through August 23, 2009, prior to a projected

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 ...

engagement. The book was by

, with a score by the "one-time only reunited" Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team from 1960s

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became pop ...

fame. Francesca Zambello directed the San Diego production. The creators and Zambello were engaged for the project in 2006. An industry reading of the musical was held in February 2009, with principals

Ana Gasteyer Ana Kristina Gasteyer (born May 4, 1967) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2002. She has since starred in such sitcoms as ABC's '' Suburgatory,'' TBS's '' People of Earth'', NBC's ...

, Carolee Carmello and

Adriane Lenox Adriane Lenox is an American actress, best known for her performances in Broadway theatre. Her performance in the play '' Doubt: A Parable'' garnered her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2005. She received another Tony Award ...

. The principal cast in the San Diego production originally included

Karen Ziemba Karen Ziemba (born November 12, 1957) is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre. In 2000, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''Contact''. Biography Ziem ...

as Annie,

as Elise, Barbara Walsh as Brenda, John Dossett as Aaron, Kevyn Morrow as Bill, Brad Oscar as Morty, Sara Chase as Trophy Wife, and

Sam Harris Samuel Benjamin Harris (born April 9, 1967) is an American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and podcast host. His work touches on a range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, neuroscience, meditation, psychedel ...

as Duane. Lisa Stevens choreographed, with scenic design by Peter J. Davison and costumes by Paul Tazewell. On June 16, 2009, Lenox dropped out of the production due to health concerns and was replaced by

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in the 1977 comedy film '' A Piece of the Action'', before landing the role of Deena Jones in the Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'' (1981), for which she received a ...

. The production's tryout received mixed to negative reviews, but the production sold approximately 29,000 tickets in its five-week run. The musical was reworked and opened in Chicago in March 2015 at the Oriental Theatre with a book re-written by

of ''

Designing Women ''Designing Women'' is an American television sitcom created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason that aired on CBS from September 29, 1986, to May 24, 1993, producing seven seasons and 163 episodes. It was a joint production of Bloodworth/Thomason M ...

''. Originating producers, Jonas Neilson and Paul Lambert, teamed with Elizabeth Williams and John Frost, and brought on Simon Phillips to direct.Hetrick, Adam
"''The First Wives Club'' Musical Confirms 2015 Chicago Pre-Broadway Premiere"
playbill.com, June 30, 2014

Musical Numbers

; Act I * "Stop in the Name of Love" – Elise, Cynthia * "Reach Out" – Young Cynthia, Brenda, Annie, and Elise * "Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" – Young Girl, Bill, Aaron, and Morty * "Forever Came Today" – Young Husbands and Wives * "Forever Came Today" (reprise) – Cynthia * "I'm So Lucky" - Annie, Brenda, Elise * "I'm Not That Kind of Girl" – Cassandra and the Boys * "Stir It Up" – Dr. Leslie Rosen * "My Heart Want to Try One More Time" – Brenda * "Stir It Up" (reprise) – Club Singers * "Whirlpool of Emotions" – Annie * "My World Is Empty Without You" – Cynthia, Brenda, Annie, and Elise * "Shoulder to Shoulder" – Annie, Elise, and Brenda ; Act II * "Morty Is the Best" – Morty, Shelley, Ensemble * "I'm So Lucky" (several reprises) – various * "I Am Duarto" – Duane * "One Sweet Moment" – Elise, Brenda, Annie, Aaron, Bill, and Morty * "Remember Jerusalem" – Jason, Ensemble * "Payback's a Bitch" – Brenda, Elise, Annie, Duane, Shelley, Ensemble * "Old Me New Me (Part 1) " – Bill * "Old Me New Me (Part 2)" – Aaron * "Old Me New Me (Part 3)" – Morty * "Finale" – Elise, Annie, Brenda, Ensemble

References

{{Reflist 2009 musicals Musicals based on films