''The First'' 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 critic Joel Siegel. The music was composed by Robert Brush, and

Martin Charnin Martin Charnin (November 24, 1934 – July 6, 2019) was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical '' Annie.'' Life and career Charnin was born in New York ...

wrote the lyrics. The show is based on the life of

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

second baseman

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

, the first African-American to play major league baseball in the 20th century. The musical premiered 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

Martin Beck Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish a ...

on November 17, 1981 and closed on December 12, 1981 after 31 performances and 33 previews (although often erroneously reported as having 37 performances). Charnin has said that despite "stellar reviews," the musical failed to secure one: that of

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 ...

of ''

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 ...

,'' "which at the time meant everything."Bill Rudman, "Martin Charnin, Pt 3," ''On the Aisle,'' on On Broadway on SiriusXM, 5 Dec 2014. Directed by Charnin and choreographed by Alan Johnson, the original cast included

David Alan Grier David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1956) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as Bernard on ''Damon (TV series), Damon'' (1998), as David Bellows on ''Life with Bonnie'' (2002–2004), as Joe Carmichael on ''The Carmic ...

as Jackie Robinson, and

Lonette McKee Lonette Rita McKee (born July 22, 1954) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Sister Williams in the original 1976 musical-drama film '' Sparkle''. McKee also had notable roles in such movies as '' The Cotton Club'', '' Jun ...

as his wife Rachel.

Songs

;Act I * Jack Roosevelt Robinson * The National Pastime * Will We Ever Know Each Other * The First * Bloat * It Ain't Gonna Work * The Brooklyn Dodger Strike * Jack Roosevelt Robinson (Reprise) * The First (Reprise) ;Act 2 * Is This Year Next Year? * You Do-Do-Do-It Good * Is This Year Next Year? (Reprise) * There Are Days and There Are Days * It's A Beginning * The Opera Ain't Over

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

Broadway musicals Biographical musicals 1981 musicals Cultural depictions of Jackie Robinson Musicals inspired by real-life events {{musical-theat-stub