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''Song and Dance'' is a
musical comprising two acts, one told entirely in "
Song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...
" and one entirely in "
Dance", tied together by a unifying love story.
The "Song" act is ''
Tell Me on a Sunday'', with lyrics by
Don Black and music by
Andrew Lloyd Webber, about a young
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
woman's romantic misadventures in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and
Hollywood. The "Dance" act is a
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
choreographed to ''
Variations'', composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber for his
cellist brother
Julian, which is based on the A Minor Caprice No. 24 by
Paganini.
Background
The ''Song'' portion was written specifically for
Marti Webb, and presented at the
Sydmonton Festival
The Sydmonton Festival is a summer arts festival presented in a deconsecrated 16th century chapel on the grounds of Sydmonton Court, the country estate of Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is in Hampshire, located approximately 85 kilometres southwest of Lo ...
in the summer of 1979. It was subsequently recorded and aired as a one-hour television special by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
the following January.
The ''Dance'' portion was recorded in 1978, and nearly became incorporated into ''
Cats''. The opening sequence was utilized as the theme music for London Weekend Television's ''
South Bank Show
''The South Bank Show'' is a British television arts magazine series originally produced by London Weekend Television and broadcast on ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new version of the series began 27 May 2012 on Sky Arts. Conceived, written, ...
''.
Producer
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...
proposed that the two pieces be combined under the umbrella title ''Song and Dance'' to acknowledge the primary aspect of each act, billing the piece as "a concert for the theatre".
Black altered some of the songs from the original album and worked with Lloyd Webber on new material: "The Last Man in My Life", "I Love New York" and "Married Man", the latter set to the same tune as "Sheldon Bloom". A new orchestration of the ''Variations'' for a sixteen-piece theatre orchestra was produced from the original symphonic version played by the
London Philharmonic Orchestra but
Harry Rabinowitz
Harry Rabinowitz MBE (26 March 1916 – 22 June 2016) was a South African-British conductor and composer of film and television music. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he was the son of Israel and Eva Rabinowitz. He was educated at the Univ ...
retained the baton for the stage production. "When You Want to Fall in Love", with a tune previously released by Marti Webb and
Justin Hayward
David Justin Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the rock band the Moody Blues. Hayward became the group's principal lead guitarist and vocalist over the 1967–1974 ...
as "Unexpected Song" which itself was later added to the score, was used at the climax of the dance section to meld the two halves.
Productions
1982 London
The musical had its world premiere on March 26, 1982 at the
Palace Theatre, where it ran for 781 performances, with direction by
Tom Gutteridge
Thomas Michael Gillan Gutteridge (born 2 February 1952) is a British television director, producer and executive. He was formerly Chief Executive of FremantleMedia NA, having previously been founder and Chief Executive of Mentorn, from 1985 to ...
performed the ''Song'' half; she subsequently was succeeded by
Gemma Craven
Rita Gemma Craven (''née'' Gabriel; born 1 June 1950) is an Irish actress.
She is best known for her role as Joan Parker, the frigid wife of Arthur (Bob Hoskins), in the BBC TV drama '' Pennies From Heaven'' (1978).
Biography
Craven's family ...
,
Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
, and
Liz Robertson. Carol Nielsson, Webb's original understudy took over the role with two hour notice when Lulu damaged her voice after a foldback monitor failed during a performance. The ''Dance'' portion was choreographed by
Anthony Van Laast and featured
Wayne Sleep
Wayne Philip Colin Sleep (born 17 July 1948) is a British dancer, director, choreographer, and actor who appeared on the BBC series '' The Real Marigold on Tour'' and ITV's '' The Real Full Monty''.
Early life
Sleep was born in Plymouth, D ...
and Jane Darling.
The original recording of the London production was made live on the opening night using a recording studio then built into the Palace Theatre. The album was produced by
Martin Levan, who also designed the sound system for the show.
Soon after the production closed, the show was filmed for a television broadcast, with
Sarah Brightman and Wayne Sleep in the lead roles.
1983 Australia
The Australian production of the musical opened at the
Theatre Royal in
Sydney on 4 August 1983. It featured Gaye MacFarlane and
John Meehan in the leading roles.
1985 Broadway
In anticipation of a Broadway run, director and lyricist
Richard Maltby Jr. was approached to adapt the first act for an
American audience. The
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 ...
production, choreographed by
Peter Martins
Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as ...
, opened on September 18, 1985 at the
Royale Theatre
The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the thea ...
conducted by
John Mauceri, and closed on November 8, 1986, after 474 performances and seventeen previews.
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...
starred in ''Song'' for nearly thirteen months; she was succeeded by
Betty Buckley for the final four weeks. ''Dance'' featured
Christopher d'Amboise and
Gregg Burge. Amongst the many changes to the show, the characters were all given names, with 'the girl' now known as Emma.
Singer-songwriter
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage.
Early l ...
starred in a subsequent 6-month US national tour of the show in 1987, starting in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas and ending in
Tampa, Florida.
The Broadway production received eight
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 ce ...
nominations, with Peters winning the award for Best Actress in a Musical.
The recording of the Broadway production, featuring Peters in the entire first act but none of the music from second act, was recorded in 1985 by RCA Victor.
Synopsis
''Song'' focuses on an English girl who has recently arrived in New York. Following an argument with her boyfriend, they decide to break up. She writes to her mother in England about what happened, and that she has met a new man, Hollywood producer Sheldon Bloom, with whom she travels to California. She eventually realizes that Sheldon has only been using her as a trophy, and she ends things once and for all.
The woman returns to New York disappointed and meets a younger man who she finds more fulfilling. When he has to leave on a business trip, the woman can't bear to let him go. Her friend later comes over to tell her about the man's infidelity, and she asks him for the truth.
Depressed, the woman walks through the city streets. She meets a married man and reflects on whether their affair is wrong. The married man comes by to confess his love; however, she realizes that she has been using him. In the end she decides that it was not the end of the world to have no one.
''Dance'' explores the story of the younger man, his various relationships and his commitment issues. At the end, the man sees the woman, and they make up, joining both at last in Song and Dance.
Musical numbers
London
# "Overture"
# "Let Me Finish"
# "It's Not the End of the World"
# "Letter Home to England"
# "Sheldon Bloom"
# "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad"
# "You Made Me Think You Were in Love"
# "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad" (Reprise)
# "It's Not the End of the World (If He's Younger)"
# "Second Letter Home"
# "The Last Man in My Life"
# "Come Back with the Same Look in Your Eyes"
# "
Take That Look Off Your Face"
# "Tell Me on a Sunday"
# "I Love New York"
# "Married Man"
# "I'm Very You, You're Very Me"
# "Let's Talk About You"
# "Let Me Finish" (Reprise)
# "Nothing Like You've Ever Known"
# "Let Me Finish" (Finale)
Broadway
# "Overture/Take That Look Off Your Face"
# "Let Me Finish"
# "So Much to Do in New York"
# "First Letter Home"
# "English Girls"
# "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad"
# "You Made Me Think You Were in Love"
# "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad" (Reprise)
# "So Much to Do in New York (II)"
# "Second Letter Home"
# "
Unexpected Song"
# "Come Back with the Same Look in Your Eyes"
# "Take That Look Off Your Face" (Reprise)
# "Tell Me on a Sunday"
# "I Love New York/So Much to Do in New York"
# "Married Man" (included on Original Broadway Cast recording, not performed on stage)
# "Third Letter Home"
# "Nothing Like You've Ever Known"
# "Finale - Let Me Finish (Reprise)/What Have I Done?/Take That Look Off Your Face (Reprise)"
Cast albums
The London Cast released an album on Polydor Records. (2683087).
1985 Broadway cast (Bernadette Peters) RCA Victor 68264 (Only The Songs segment. The Dance segment was not recorded)
Charts
Critical reception
Reviewing the London production, the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' theatre critic Michael Coveney claimed, "It is a long time since I have sat through a more ostentatious, less theatrically coherent evening."
In
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 ...
's ''New York Times'' review of the Broadway production, he wrote: "Miss Peters is more than talented: As an actress, singer, comedienne and all-around warming presence, she has no peer in the musical theater right now. In her half of ''Song & Dance,'' she works so hard you'd think she were pleading for mercy before a firing squad. Yet for all the vocal virtuosity, tempestuous fits and husky-toned charm she brings to her one-woman musical marathon, we never care if her character lives or dies.."
John Simon, in ''The New York Magazine'', noted that the unseen men seemed "nebulous and unreal, so too, does the seen woman", and in the ''Dance'' half, "things go from bad to worse." However, he wrote that "Miss Peters is an unimpeachable peach of a performer who does so much for the top half of this double bill as to warrant its immediate rechristening 'Song of Bernadette'. She not only sings, acts, and (in the bottom half) dances to perfection, she also, superlatively, 'is' ".
[Simon, John Ivan. ''John Simon on theater: criticism, 1974-2003'' (2005), Hal Leonard Corporation, , pp. 359-361]
Awards and nominations
Original London production
Original Broadway production
See also
*''
Tell Me On A Sunday''
References
External links
*
*
Information and midi files for the showSong and Dance Profile of the show, andrewlloydwebber.com
{{Authority control
1982 musicals
West End musicals
Broadway musicals
Musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber
British musicals
Sung-through musicals
Tony Award-winning musicals