''Big Deal'' is a

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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

with a book by

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

using songs from various composers such as

Ray Henderson Ray Henderson (born Raymond Brost; December 1, 1896 – December 31, 1970) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Buffalo, New York, United States, Henderson moved to New York City and became a popular composer in Tin Pan Alley. He was o ...

Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote '' Shuffle Along'', one of the first B ...

, and

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

. It was based on the 1958 film ''

Big Deal on Madonna Street ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' ( it, I soliti ignoti; released in the UK as ''Persons Unknown'') is a 1958 Italian comedy caper film directed by Mario Monicelli and considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original Italian ...

'' by

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the '' Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was a ...

. The musical received five

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nominations, with Fosse winning for Choreography. The production was Fosse's final work, as he died the next year.

Production and background

After shopping the project around to various composers (including

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

and Peter Allen), Fosse eventually settled on using popular songs of the 1920s and 30s. Fosse said that by using existing songs: "I can pick the perfect songs that will say the right things, and they're known. We'll have the greatest score in the world because they're all hit songs." Fosse said of the main character, Charley: "That's my part! A swaggering bumbler who thinks he's a ladies' man, and he's not." ''Big Deal'' opened on

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 ...

at the

Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

on April 10, 1986, and closed on June 8, 1986, after 69 performances and six previews. Directed and choreographed by Fosse, with

Christopher Chadman Christopher Chadman (born circa 1948 – April 30, 1995) was an American dancer and choreographer who was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards and was the winner of the Fred Astaire Award for his choreography for the 1 ...

as associate choreographer, the musical featured Cleavant Derricks as Charley,

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress, singer and voice actor. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of '' Dreamg ...

as Lilly,

Wayne Cilento Wayne Louis Cilento (born August 28, 1949) is an American director and choreographer. He is best known for originating the role of Mike in the Broadway show ''A Chorus Line'', and later becoming one of Broadway's most prolific choreographers. ...

Cady Huffman Cady Huffman is an American actress. Early life Huffman was born in Santa Barbara, California, to Lorayne, a pre-school assistant director turned realtor, and Clifford Huffman, an attorney. She is the younger sister of actor Linus Huffman and a ...

Valarie Pettiford Valarie Pettiford (born July 8, 1960) is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the broadway production '' Fosse''. She is also known for her role as "Big Dee Dee" ...

, and Stephanie Pope.

Songs

;Act 1 *" Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" – Lilly
(Music and lyrics by

Lew Brown Lew Brown (born Louis Brownstein; December 10, 1893 – February 5, 1958) was a lyricist for popular songs in the United States. During World War I and the Roaring Twenties, he wrote lyrics for several of the top Tin Pan Alley composers, esp ...

and

) *"For No Good Reason At All" – Narrators
(Music and lyrics by Samuel M. Lewis, Abel Baer and Joseph Young) *"

Charley, My Boy "Charley, My Boy" is a song with music by Ted Fio Rito and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The Russo-FioRito Oriole Orchestra introduced the song in 1924. The most popular recording was released by Eddie Cantor. The sheet music was published for voice and pi ...

" – Charley
(Music and lyrics by Ted Fiorito and

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo ...

) *"I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'" – Kokomo, Charley, Judge and Narrators
(Music and lyrics by

Nacio Herb Brown Ignacio Herbert "Nacio Herb" Brown (February 22, 1896 – September 28, 1964) was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s. Amongst his most enduring work is the scor ...

and

Arthur Freed Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 – April 12, 1973) was an American lyricist and Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for '' An American in Paris'' and in 1958 for '' Gigi''. Both films were musicals. ...

) *" Ain't We Got Fun?" – Prisoners
(Lyrics by Kahn and Raymond B. Egan; music by Richard A. Whiting) *"For No Good Reason At All" (Reprise) – Narrators and Dancers
(Music and lyrics by Lewis, Baer and Young) *"

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

" – Narrators (Music and lyrics by

Fred Fisher Fred Fisher (born Alfred Breitenbach, September 30, 1875 – January 14, 1942) was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Biography Fisher was born in Cologne, Germany. His parents were Max and Theodora Breitenb ...

) *" Pick Yourself Up" – Charley, Willie, Slick, Sunnyboy and Otis
(Lyrics By

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " On t ...

; music By

) *"

I'm Just Wild About Harry "I'm Just Wild About Harry" is a song written in 1921 with lyrics by Noble Sissle and music by Eubie Blake for the Broadway show ''Shuffle Along''. "I'm Just Wild About Harry" was the most popular number of the production, which was the first fin ...

" – Lilly
(Music and lyrics by

and Noble Sissle) *"

Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" is a song written in 1940 by Don Raye, Hughie Prince, and Ray McKinley. It follows the American boogie-woogie tradition of syncopated piano music. Background The title adopts 1940s' hipster slang coined by Raye's ...

" – Bandleader, Band and Dancers
(Music and lyrics by Don Raye, Hughie Prince and Eleanor Sheehy) *" The Music Goes 'Round and 'Round" – Bandleader and Band
(Music and lyrics by Edward Farley, Red Hodgson and Michael Riley) *"Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" (Reprise) – Lilly
;Act II *"

Now's the Time to Fall in Love "Now's The Time To Fall In Love" is a 1931 song from the Depression era written by Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths Al Sherman and Al Lewis. The song was made popular by Eddie Cantor on his weekly radio show. The song takes a positive attitude toward the ...

" – Narrators and Dancers
(Music and lyrics by Al Sherman and Al Lewis) *" Ain't She Sweet" – Sunnyboy, Phoebe, Narrators and Dancers
(Lyrics by

Jack Yellen Jack Selig Yellen (Jacek Jeleń; July 6, 1892 – April 17, 1991) was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the songs " Happy Days Are Here Again", which was used by Franklin Roosevelt as the th ...

; music by

Milton Ager Milton Ager (October 6, 1893 – May 6, 1979) was an American composer, regarded as one of the top songwriters of the 1920s and 1930s. His most lasting compositions include "Ain't She Sweet?” and “Happy Days Are Here Again”. Biography Ag ...

) *" Everybody Loves My Baby" – Willie and Narrators
(Music and lyrics by Jack Palmer and Spencer Williams) *" Me and My Shadow" – Dancin' Dan and Shadows
(Lyrics by Billy Rose, music by Al Jolson and Dave Dreyer) *"

Love Is Just Around the Corner "Love Is Just Around the Corner" is a popular song with music by Lewis E. Gensler and lyrics by Leo Robin, published in 1934. It was introduced in the 1934 Bing Crosby film ''Here is My Heart'' and was also included in the 1935 film ''Millions in t ...

" – Narrators
(Lyrics by Leo Robin; music by Lewis E. Gensler)) *" Just a Gigolo" – Bandleader and Charley
(Julius Brammer and English lyrics by Irving Caesar; music by Lionello Casucci) *"Who's Your Little Who-zis?" – Bandleader and Band Singer
(Lyrics by Walter Hirsch; music by Hal Goering and Ben Bernie) *" Yes Sir, That's My Baby" – Charley
(Lyrics by Kahn; music By Walter Donaldson) *" Button Up Your Overcoat" – Lilly
(Music and lyrics by Henderson, Brown and Bud G. DeSylva) *"Daddy, You've Been a Mother to Me" – Willie and Little Willie
(Music and lyrics by Fred Fisher) *Hold Tight, Hold Tight" – Otis and Ladies (Music and lyrics by Leonard Ware, Willie Spottswood, Edward Robinson, Ben Smith and Sidney Bechet) *"

Happy Days Are Here Again "Happy Days Are Here Again" is a 1929 song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen. The song is a standard that has been interpreted by various artists. It appeared in the 1930 film '' Chasing Rainbows'' and was the campaign song for ...

" – Slick, Phoebe, Sunnyboy and Company
(Lyrics by

; music by

) *"I'm Sitting On Top of the World" – Charley and Company
(Music and lyrics by Henderson, Young and Samuel M. Lewis) *"Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" (Reprise) – Lilly
(Music and lyrics by Brown and Henderson)

Synopsis

In Chicago in the 1930s a group of small-time unemployed African-American men plan to rob a pawn shop. Their leader, Charlie, is a former boxer. But the hapless would-be thieves run into many obstacles along the way.

Critical reception

Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is curren ...

in his review for ''

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 ...

'' wrote: "''Big Deal,'' the new Fosse musical at the Broadway, contains exactly one of those show stoppers, and attention must be paid. If only for 10 minutes or so just before the end of Act I, Mr. Fosse makes an audience remember what is (and has been) missing from virtually every other musical in town. The number is set to the old song ''Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar,'' and it unfolds in a Chicago ballroom of the 1930s called (need I tell you?) Paradise...The disappointment of ''Big Deal'' is that even Mr. Fosse, one of the form's last magicians, can conjure up that joy so rarely. There are some other pleasurable passages in this musical - period songs (or snatches of them) agreeably sung or danced by talented performers - but this is a mostly lackluster effort that often seems to be lumbering clumsily about."Rich, Fran
"Theater: 'Big Deal,' From Bob Fosse"
''The New York Times'', April 11, 1986

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

*

* ttp://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_b/bigdeal.html Production, synopsis, and song information, guidetomusicaltheatre.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Deal (Musical) Broadway musicals 1986 musicals Musicals choreographed by Bob Fosse Musicals based on films Jukebox musicals Tony Award-winning musicals