Cy Coleman's "Grace the Musical"

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 4:44pm

Hi,

does anyone know more (especially the names of the songs) of this rather unknown Cy Coleman musical "Grace" that had a rather short run in holland 2001. I did some research on it online but there doesn't seem to be much at all. I'd be grateful for any help

Thanks

J.

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 6/8/07 at 2:44am

Hoo??
Noone? Is this such an odd question? I mean, it's a Cy Coleman show...

Posted: 6/8/07 at 2:52am

Wow I've never evenheard about it--and I try to pay some attention to Cy. Doesn't he have another show that was unfinished when he died and may still see some life?

I also know in hte 80s he was composing Atlantic City--a "dark" show for Fosse that never happened

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 6/8/07 at 9:20am

I don't know the answers to your questions, but I love Cy Coleman and if you by his "It Started with a Dream Album" then you will be able to hear him singing songs from his famous musicals and a few rare ones like the title song to "Atlantic City". It also features Lilias White in a duet with Cy singing a song from "Pamela's first musical" which he was writing with Wendy Wasserstein.

I thought I heard somewhere that he bought the theatre that "Grace" premiered in, but I could be wrong. It's happened before

[Blue-Eyed Wonder]

Posted: 6/8/07 at 12:04pm

I don't know, but I'm a little excited about this. I love Cy Coleman and I'm not going to be able to stop until I find out more about it...Thanks alot!:)

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 6/8/07 at 2:45pm

Well, I'm glad that people share my love for his scores and songs (and yes, I do own his solo album "It started with a Dream"). I'd still love to get some information about this show.
Anyone who's generally interested in this show, here's a link to some information about "Grace" (http://www.antv.nl/GRACE/grace.html), even with a little making-of-video but it's very general and I'd love to know some more specific things about it. Anyone out there who might be able to help??

Edit: as it was addressed, shows of his that are still to come are:
1) Like Jazz (got a few name changes since its first performance) (with the Bergmans as lyricists)
2) The Great Ostrovsky (had a successful Philadelphia run)
3) Pamela's first Musical (lyrics by David Zippel featuring the song "It started with a dream" recorded on the cd of the same name)
4) Josephine (a musical about Napoleon and Josephine)
5) Let 'em rot/Welcome to the Club/Exactly like you/Courtroom TV/Lawyers, Lovers and Lunatics (musical with lyrics and book by A.E. Hotchner which had too many name changes to ever become successful, it had a short 1989 Broadway run as "Welcome to the Club" and an 1999 Off Broadway run as "Exactly like you").
6) Nothing but the Truth (written with the late Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, long time abandoned but supposedly there are a number of songs that were written for it)
7) 13 Days to Broadway (a show Coleman worked on in the 80ies, the song "You there in the backrow", a small-time cabaret standard is from the score, not likely too to ever make it)
and of course 8 ) Grace (a musical about Grace Kelley, as seen through the eyes of Alfred Hitchcock, interesting concept, partly operatic score, he though recycled the melody of the "The Life" trunk song "Was that a smile".

I hope that gives some food for thoughts

Updated On: 6/8/07 at 02:45 PM

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 6/8/07 at 3:48pm

FROM A PLAYBILL ARTICLE:

"He was trying to reinvent his sound, he was always doing different style of theatre music — I think he was very proud of that," said Mary-Mitchell Campbell, a friend, pianist and music director who worked on a number of Cy Coleman projects, including Grace, a Dutch-language musical about Grace Kelly, Hitchcock and the royals of Monaco that bowed in Amsterdam in 2001.

Of Grace, Mr. Coleman previously said, "Musically, I wanted to do a meld of European style and American style — the European feeling along with American pizzazz. That fascinated me."
playbill article

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 6/8/07 at 3:53pm

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 6/8/07 at 3:54pm

Some poster images from previous runs of one of his more Obscure shows.

[Bas de Rooy]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 6:31pm

I worked at that production as an electrician, I might still have the program booklet somewhere. Let me know if you are still interested.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 6:51pm

i'd like to hear more about this show too. Sounds fascinating, in terms of subject matter. i'm also going to e-mail an old friend that worked for the estate for a while....

[jasonf]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 7:11pm

Hopefully one day we'll get recordings of all this stuff. I have It Started With a Dream - and if nothing else it's worth buying for the song "Atlantic City" - I play it almost every time I go there!

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 10/7/08 at 7:45pm

isn't "Started with a Dream" in PAMELA'S FIRST MUSICAL, which NAMT will showcase this October at New World Stages? was it in the Actor's Fund (or whatever) benefit performance of PAMELA'S?

[Monaco2]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 4:19am

Hello, I'm researching the history of GRACE THE MUSICAL. I work in Monaco. Could you help please?

annette  [e-mail]

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 10:09am

Simply do a Google search: Cy Coleman Grace Kelly the musical 

You’ll find lots of information available.  

[Monaco2]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 10:40am

Thanks.  I've done pretty much that.  Cant't find any info on whether it actually opened in NY.  Am looking for visuals as well from NY or Holland...posters, photos, programs, etc

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 12:21pm

Unfortunately, aside from the English versions of some of the songs from GRACE performed in a 2002 Carnegie Hall tribute concert to Cy Coleman, the musical never made its English stage debut in either the UK or the US (no West End or Broadway).   The only staged version ever done was the original in Holland.  Cy Coleman passed away in 2004.  

Based on this info, the only photos you will find are from this Holland production.  That’s all.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/23/18 at 12:32pm

[Owen22]

Posted: 7/24/18 at 2:01pm

TxTwoStep said: "isn't "Started with a Dream" in PAMELA'S FIRST MUSICAL, which NAMT will showcase this October at New World Stages? was it in the Actor's Fund (or whatever) benefit performance of PAMELA'S?"

Two Rivers Theatre in Jersey is doing a full production of "Pamela's" in their new season.