Quilters (musical)
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''Quilters'' is a musical with a book by
Molly Newman Molly Newman is a television writer and producer from Evansville, Indiana, who is most known for work on shows such as ''The Larry Sanders Show'', ''Frasier'', ''Murphy Brown'', '' Tracey Takes On...'', '' Maximum Bob'', and '' Brothers & Sisters ...
and
Barbara Damashek Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously as ...
, and lyrics and music by Barbara Damashek. It is about the lives of
American pioneer American pioneers, also known as American settlers, were European American,Asian American, and African American settlers who migrated westward from the British Thirteen Colonies and later the United States of America to settle and develop areas ...
women based on the book ''The Quilters: Women and Domestic Art'' by Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Allen. The show was originally developed and produced by the Denver Center Theater Company, Brockman Seawell, executive producer. It had a brief run on Broadway in 1984.


Productions

The Denver Center Theater Company produced the world premiere of ''Quilters'' in 1982. The musical then was produced at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, California, in December 1983; the
Pittsburgh Public Theater Pittsburgh Public Theater, or The Public for short, is a professional theater company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Public celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024/2025, and is led by Artistic Director Marya Sea Kaminski and Managing Dir ...
from December 16, 1982 to January 30, 1983; and for 7 weeks at the
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...
, Washington, DC, running from August 4, 1984 to September 1984.Richards, David. "Patchwork of Life;'Quilters': A Family Album with Music", ''The Washington Post'', August 6, 1984, Theater: p. C1 Damashek directed ''Quilters'' at the Edinburgh Festival (where it won a Fringe First Award), The Dublin Theatre Festival, The Pittsburgh Public Theater, and the Mark Taper Forum.''Quilters'' brochure, 2003
Lex-Ham Community Theater, retrieved January 14, 2010
''Quilters'' opened on Broadway at the
Jack Lawrence Theatre Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, inclu ...
on September 25, 1984 and closed on October 14, 1984 after 24 performances and 5 previews. It was directed by Barbara Damashek, with scenic design by Ursula Belden, costume design by Elizabeth Palmer, and lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes, and featured Lenka Peterson as Sarah. Despite an unfavorable review from
Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born June 2, 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 ...
in the ''New York Times'' and short run, the musical was nominated for six
Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...
, including Best Musical. The musical has been performed by numerous college and community theater groups across the United States. In 1986, the Frontier Follies (an outreach governed by the board of directors at the Frontier Village) in Jamestown, North Dakota presented the first outdoor theater production of ''Quilters'' with actress
Mary Reinhardt Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
performing the role of one of the multi-faceted "daughters." Composers Tania S. Wahl and Carrie Kraft were employed, respectively, as Director and Musical Director for the presentation. A full, stage-size quilt was constructed at the University of North Dakota for the outdoor production. Some in the conservative midwestern area questioned the inclusion of the herbal abortion allusion in the Frontier Follies production. The Denver Center Theater Company again presented the musical May 22 through June 12, 2009. In 2009, the Missouri History Museum, Forest Park presented ''Quilters'' in one of the settings from the musical.


Synopsis

In the American West, Sarah, a pioneer woman, and six women, who are called her daughters, face frontier life. Rather than a straightforward story, the musical is presented as a series of short tales and tableau matched with musical numbers, each presenting an aspect of frontier life or womanhood. The patches or blocks show "girlhood, marriage, childbirth, spinsterhood, twisters, fire, illness and death." The patches ultimately are put together to form one dramatic tableau.


Songs

;Act 1 *Pieces of Lives (first four lines from "The Quilt" by Dorothy MacFarlane) *Rocky Road *Little Babes (lyrics from "Our Homes and Their Adornments" by Almon C. Varney) *Thread the Needle *Cornelia *Windmill *Have You Been to Jesus by E.A. Hoffman *Butterfly *Pieces of Children's Lives *Green, Green, Green *Needle's Eye (chorus from the lyric of a traditional folk song) ;Act II *Quiltin' and Dreamin' *Double Wedding Rings *Every Log in My House (first line by Eleanor Pruitt Stewart) *Never Grow Old by J.C. Moore *Who Will Count the Stitches? *Crosses and Losses part 1 *Crosses and Losses part 2 *Dandelion (lyrics by Clara J. Denton from the poem "Blooming in the Fall") *Everything Has a Time *Hands All Hands


Response

In his ''New York Times'' review, Frank Rich wrote that "''Quilters'' is a static melange of skits, monologues and songs unified by a theme rather than a sustained plot or characters."Rich, Frank
"Stage: 'Quilters,' A Musical, Opens A New Season"
''New York Times'', September 26, 1984
The ''Washington Post'' reviewer wrote: "''Quilters'' should probably be billed as a 'play with music,' lest you go expecting a big musical number to lift the proceedings a peg or two. Nothing is really big in this production. Its greatest strength is its unassuming honesty. It creates moods, more than it does drama, and its best moods are straightforward, like the people it is celebrating...The script is divided loosely into 16 sections or 'blocks,' dealing with such themes as childbirth, school days, windmills, courtship, weddings, country roads, religion and even log cabins. At the start of each section, one of the actresses unfolds a piece of quilting, which incorporates that particular concern into its design. Handsome and tidy pieces of work, they combine at the end to make one huge quilt, which is raised high, the flag of pioneer womanhood. It is a transcendent finale."


Awards and nominations


Original Broadway production


References


External links

{{Spoken Wikipedia, Quilters_(musical).ogg, date=2019-10-3
Plot at Dramatists Play ServiceInternet Broadway Database listing
1984 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in the United States