They want it all!

 

 Along with plenty of contemporary Broadway selections this Sunday, we'll also sneak in some rather pushy dames!

 For instance, from Baby: Music by David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr. (who also directed) and choreographed by Wayne Cilento (who was part of A Chorus Line's original Chorus Line!). It opened on Broadway in 1983, and played for over 200 performances, with a cast that included Liz Callaway, Beth Fowler, Todd Graff, Catherine Cox, Martin Vidnovic and James Congdon. 

The plot: 3 couples of different ages/phases of their lives, all expecting. And all of them sort of freaking out/emoting over it.

Above, what looks like the gals of the production singing "I Want It All".

"At a time when nearly every Broadway musical, good and bad, aims for the big kill with gargantuan pyrotechnics, here is a modestly scaled entertainment that woos us with such basic commodities as warm feelings, an exuberant cast and a lovely score. Perfect Baby is not, but it often makes up in buoyancy and charm what it lacks in forceful forward drive...".

Well, so saith Frank Rich of the NYTimes.

 

 

 

David Yazbek's musicalization of The Full Monty (which was first a Brit film from 1997) jumped on Broadway in 2000, and had 2 years of a pretty successful run!....David switched up the setting, from London to Buffalo, and made the main characters umemployed steel workers.

The show's original stars (above) included Kathleen Freeman, Andre DeShields, and Jason Danieley. That's David Yazbek in his usual stylish fedora at center.  

When Kathleen passed away during the run of the show, Jane Connell (of Agnes Gooch fame) took over the part.

We'll hear Emily Skinner from this production sing "Life With Harold"...

Emily also wowed audiences in The Prince Of Broadway, Dinner At Eight, Billy Elliot, Side Show, and Jekyll & Hyde.

 

 

 

Lucky Stiff  was the first collaboration for the music-writing-duo of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, performed off-Broadway in 1988. It was based on a novel, "The Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo, by Michael Butterworth.

Only 15 performances...

BUT it starred Mary Testa (below) as Rita, Stuart Zagnit as Vinnie, and Stephen Stout as Harry,.

Thank the gods, it was good/lucky (stiff) enuf to warrant a cast album!

 

 

 

[title of show], with music and book and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell is a musical about writing a musical! Rushing to write a one-act production to submit for a festival, the two friends were determined to write an original work, not one based on a play or movie...and their best idea seemed to be writing about what they were writing about. They soon included 2 gal friends, Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackman. [title] eventually landed on Broadway with it in 2008! Obie Awards, and a Tony nod came their way. We'll hear "What Kind Of Girl Is She?" (although my favorite is "Die Vampire Die!")