A few questions on "Steel Pier" — Page 2

I am only 22, but remember seeing this show and falling in love with it. The dancing was just incredible and Running in Place was electric. Everybody's Girl brought the theatre to it's feet, Ms. Monk did a terrific job. I remember Steel Pier was to be the sure hit of the year, seeing as the other big new musical contender was Titanic. RCA even said yes to recording SP before the Tony's and were putting Titanic on the back burner until after the awards because they assumed Titanic would surely close. (I was able to buy Steel Pier at the theatre before the Tony's and Titanic was not sure if they were going to be recorded at all.) We all know what happened. Titanic won the Tony, Chicago overshadowed everything, and this gem, which could have used some book work, closed right away. Maybe Titanic won, or became the longer running show due to the Movie with DiCaprio and Winslet that came out right before the musical opened.

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i wanted to see this because it's a kander and ebb show.
and of course, gregory harrison was in it...
but when i finally decided to get around to seeing it i realized the show had come and gone.
i do own the OBC though.
good score.

Am I correct that the story of Steel Pier is based on the film "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" - I don't remember where I heard that, and it has been years since I have seen the film.

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Actually, Kander & Ebb wanted to do a musical of THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?, but the rights were ot available, so they decided to come up with an original story. And that story was the weakest element of the show.

totally off-subject, but Pamela Isaacs from "The Life" was in the nat'l tour of "Millie" as Muzzy and she was GREAT!

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Oooh. I couldn't think of a worse idea for a musical than one based on They Shoot Horses... Talk about depressing....

Wow! Sounds like I didn't miss a thing then!

"Steel Pier" definately had book problems (characters were not fleshed-out enough) and although it was partially about a dance competition, there was WAY too much dancing and movement, almost to the point where it made the audience tired. I felt so sorry for the performers who were sweat-bombs! But the score is fantastic- really, really solid with gorgeous meloides, the kind you don't really hear anymore. Kander & Ebb did their homework as far as the sound of the time period, especially the chorus, on several songs which have the "layered" vocal harmonies you're likely to hear in movies of the 30's. Shows taking place in that time period often try to replicate this sound unsuccessfully, but it's really amazing in "Steel Pier". The Kristin Chenoweth wedding number in Act 2 was a show stopper, on stage and on the recording...it's a perfect take on the Jeanette MacDonald-operetta style of singing, which Kristin pulls off marvelously. I remember the shock of hearing her character sing in that full voice after hearing her character's squeaky, almost braying voice (she was the main female villan-type character that would get the boos and hisses in a 1930's movie theater). The show has an odd mix of fnatasy and reality that didn't completely work, and I'm sure if the creative forces had more time to fine-tune the show and not rush to get it out in time for the TONY's (I even overheard Fred Ebb at that time telling someone that "it's just not done yet") it could be a really magical show. But the score is glorious. I belive they did a slightly fine-tuned version in Australia a few months ago which was very well-received.

"Contact was just terrible to watch while she was on. She looked like she had rushed into dance school, just to be in the show. And I wont even start with her performance in Chicago."

*blink*

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I totally agree about "Everybody's Girl" - there she was just standing there singing what was supposed to be a show-stopper. And we all WANTED it to be - God knows the show needed one. But there it sat. Ugh.

Ziemba's dance in Act Two was great and certainly pleased the crowd but seemed calculated to boost the energy of the show rather than to truly deliver an electrifying moment.

I believe Titanic had been open for several months before the movie came out, and while I'm sure interest in the film bouyed interest in the show for a while, I think the film's overexposure wound up hurting the show more than helping it.

I remember Steel Pier was to be the sure hit of the year, seeing as the other big new musical contender was Titanic. RCA even said yes to recording SP before the Tony's and were putting Titanic on the back burner until after the awards because they assumed Titanic would surely close. (I was able to buy Steel Pier at the theatre before the Tony's and Titanic was not sure if they were going to be recorded at all.)



Hmmm..Your memory must be playing tricks. It was THE LIFE that SONY rushed out to be in stores and on sale in the theatre two days after the Tonys because they were sure IT would win the Tony.

RCA didn't get STEEL PIER and TITANIC out until late July. By then STEEL PIER had closed, so the CD was never on sale in the theatre. RCA had recorded TITANIC on April 27 (less than a week after it opened) and STEEL PIER on May 4 (about a week and a half after it opened.) There wasn't a time when they considered not releasing either.

Ethan Mordden has a good report on STEEL PIER in his book THE HAPPIEST CORPOSE I'VE EVER SEEN" n p.233-235. He cites it as a wonderful staging, though admits the book "runs out of content in Act Two." He calls the Kander & ebb score "one of their best." I agree, and I have enjoyed t repeatedly on CD. Seeing a community staging a few years ago reminded me that there is a lot of meandering book scenes among the songs but "First You Dream", "Willing to Ride", "Second Chance" and especially "The Last Girl" are superb compositions.

I came into the Richard Rodgers theatre to see STEEL PIER knowing only where it was set and that it was based on a standard ghost story. Seeing it along with TITANIC, THE LIFE and JEKYLL & HYDE all back-to-back over the Mon-Tue-Wed after the 1997 Tony awards was quite an experience.

Of course since it had just won the Tony the Monday night crowd at TITANIC was pumped and really cheered the show. (Everybody loves a winner, especially when it was considered an underdog.) But the performances were uninspired. It seemed like the director was so busy working on the stage effects that he left the cast to fend for themselves.

Lilias White was amazing in THE LIFE but the lyrics often sounded too poetic for these characters. The score was electric, and the staging was lively but the first act was overlong and had some saggy parts.

JEKYLL AND HYDE - the least satisfying f the 4 musicals and ironically the biggest hit! The stars (Cuccioli, Eder) were sensational but the lyrics were horrible and some of the music was too contemporary sounding for the time period.

STEEL PIER was problematic in the book (too much time spent on minor characters) and also because Stroman had to stage dances where the dancers were getting progressively exhausted, and that's not a lot of fun to watch. For all you Cheno fans, she really didn't make a huge impression in the role, and her number would not have gotten a standing ovation or been a showstopper because it gets interrupted. It wasn't until 2 years later in CHARLIE BROWN that she started attracting attention. (Of course, I love her on WEST WING!)

Interestingly, the critics gave more favourable notices to STEEL PIER (5) than TITANIC (1), THE LIFE (4) or JEKYLL & HYDE (4). After seeing all 4 shows I had to agree with the Tony voters: TITANIC was the best of the lot because its story still resonates with an emotional impact. But STEEL PIER would have been my #2 choice (and I would have given Kander & Ebb the vote for best score that year, not just for STEEL PIER but also for CHICAGO which was shut out in 1976.)


actually think that the supporting characters deserved MORE attention. There were some very interesting types there and I think it widened the "Depression has affected us all" scope of the piece.

Could be... but if so they needed to be fleshed out more and the script needs to make their desperation to win more complelling. Think of it like SURVIVOR: The Dance Marathon! :)

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Updated On: 1/12/06 at 06:07 PM

"For all you Cheno fans, she really didn't make a huge impression in the role,"

I couldn't disagree more. I was in the business at that time, and she was the surprise star of that show.

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I honestly don't remember what the reviews said specifically - I'm talking about the overall buzz among industry folk. Debra Monk was a known quantity - no one was surprised that she was fantastic. Kristin came out of nowhere.

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Updated On: 1/12/06 at 06:41 PM