''Dance a Little Closer'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by

Charles Strouse Charles Strouse (born June 7, 1928) is an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to such Broadway musicals as '' Bye Bye Birdie'', ''Applause'', and '' Annie''. Life and career Strouse was born in New York City, to Jewis ...

. The story is an updated version of

Robert E. Sherwood Robert Emmet Sherwood (April 4, 1896 – November 14, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He is the author of '' Waterloo Bridge, Idiot's Delight, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Rebecca, There Shall Be No Night, The Best Years of Our ...

's 1936 antiwar comedy '' Idiot's Delight''.

Plot overview

The musical is set on New Year's Eve "in the avoidable future" in the grand Alpine Barclay Palace Hotel, where the guests find themselves in the midst of a potential nuclear

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

. The characters are American singer Harry Aikens and Cynthia Brookfield-Bailey, who may have had a romantic fling years earlier. Among the others present are Cynthia's current paramour,

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

-like diplomat Dr. Josef Winkler, a gay couple, a minister, and a

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

Production

The musical opened on Broadway at the

Minskoff Theatre The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the One Astor Plaza office building in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1973, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization and is named ...

on May 11, 1983, where it closed after one performance and 25 previews. Directed by Lerner and choreographed by Billy Wilson, the cast included

Len Cariou Leonard Joseph Cariou (; born September 30, 1939) is a Canadian actor and stage director, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', for which he won the Tony Award ...

, Noel Craig, Liz Robertson, George Rose, Don Chastain, Jeff Keller,

Brent Barrett Brent Barrett (born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and tenor who is mostly known for his work within American theatre. Barrett has performed in musicals and in concerts with theatres, symphony orchestras, opera houses, and concert halls ...

, and

Alyson Reed Alyson Reed is an American dancer and actress. Life and career Alyson Reed was born in Fullerton and grew up in Anaheim, California. She began ballet at age 4, started performing in musicals at age 7, and was working professionally by age 12. R ...

. Show business insiders dubbed it "Dance a Little Faster...Close a Little Sooner." In his ''New York Times'' review

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 ...

described it as "a huge, extravagant mishmash...that seems to have taken on a rampaging, self-destructive life of its own," a sentiment similar to those expressed by the other critics.Rich, Frank
"Stage: Lerner Musical 'Dance A Little Closer'"
''New York Times'', May 12, 1983 An original cast recording is available on CD.

Song list

;Act I *It Never Would've Worked *Happy, Happy New Year *No Man Is Worth It *What Are You Going to Do About It? *A Woman Who Thinks I'm Wonderful *Pas de Deux *There's Never Been Anything Like Us *Another Life *Why Can't the World Go and Leave Us Alone? *He Always Comes Home to Me *I Got a New Girl *Dance a Little Closer *There's Always One You Can't Forget ;Act II *Homesick *Mad *I Don't Know *Auf Wiedersehen *I Never Want to See You Again *On Top of the World *I Got a New Girl (Reprise) *Dance a Little Closer (Reprise)

References

External links

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{{Authority control 1983 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals based on plays LGBT-related musicals Musicals by Alan Jay Lerner Musicals by Charles Strouse New Year fiction Plays set in Austria Works set in hotels