Musicals That Went Nowhere

#1

Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 9:04am

I start off with the following:

Elmer Gantry
A Wondeful Life
They Shoot Horses, Don't They ?

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#2

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 9:25am

The Mambo Kings

#3

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 9:31am

There was talk of a musical version of Paper Moon one time. I think Christine Ebersole was attached. Does anyone know?

#4

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 9:37am

nmartin, I saw a wonderful production of 'Paper Moon' as a musical at the Ford theater in Washington D.C. (I believe that's what it called) where Lincoln was shot by J.W. Booth. One of my favorite memories of seeing a musical, actually.

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"I know now that theatre saved my life." - Susan Stroman

#5

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 9:43am

I think there was also talk about a musical based on Arthur. I think I even saw Jason Alexander do a song from it at Stars in the Alley one time. This would have been in the mid-80's. I think.

#6

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 9:44am

Paper Moon had Music by Hal Hackady (Minnie's Boy's & Goodtime Charley)& lyrics by ( I believe Ellen Fitzhugh (Lyricist for Grind)

Another musical that went nowhere W.C. about W.C. Fields that toured one summer with Mickey Rooney & Bernadette Petersas Carlotta Monti by Al Carmines (remember him). It did produce, years later, an CD with about 11 songs from the score

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Updated On: 7/2/05 at 09:44 AM

#7

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:18am

I've always been intrigued by HELLO, SUCKERS, the bio-musical about Texas Guinan which had a tryout at Westbury Music Fair, Long Island in '69 starring Martha Raye.

Also SAY HELLO TO HARVEY by Leslie Bricusse, based on the play "Harvey", which ran for four weeks in Canada with a cast including Donald O'Connor, Patricia Routledge and Tommy Breslin.

#8

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:21am

Poor Patricia Routledge. She ended up in more U.S. flops.

#9

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:23am

CQTBOO: The Musical

needless to say it closed quickly out of town- I WANT A CAST RECORIDNG!! ALL SHOWS DESREBE TO BE RECORDED!

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"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed

#10

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:33am

The much-workshopped EASTER PARADE starring Tommy Tune and Sandy Duncan...

Oh! And the one I would have killed to see: Michael Bennett's workshop production of Treva Silverman and Jimmy Webb's SCANDALS, starring Swoosie Kurtz and Treat Williams.

Updated On: 7/2/05 at 10:33 AM

#11

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:39am

What was that Michael Bennett musical with Swoosie Kurtz?
Never mind. I remember. Scandal

Updated On: 7/2/05 at 10:39 AM

#12

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:40am

Another was a musical of The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz

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#13

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:41am

Charles Strouse and Sammy Cahn wrote an unproduced musical about Bill Robinson called BOJANGLES (what else?) in '76.

#14

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:42am

Golden Gate - 1 st show penned by Kander & Ebb & never done

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#15

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:46am

There was a ROMAN HOLIDAY musical for Liza and Elliot Gould, I believe...

#16

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:50am

Wasn't there another musical in development from the creators of SUGAR BABIES?

#17

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:50am

Arthur The Musical

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#18

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:52am

Paper Moon was produced in Philadelphia many years ago, it definitely existed at least.

I'm surprised no one yet has mentioned Kander and Ebb's The Visit, which never made it to Broadway. It's based on Friedrich Duerrenmatt's Der besuch der alten Dame (The Old Woman's Visit). Interesting play (which I read for German 3), but I can't quite picture it as a musical.

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#19

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 11:02am

THE EXCEPTION AND THE RULE (working title: A PRAY BY BLECHT)
Music...Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics...Stephen Sondheim
Book...John Guare

Unproduced since 1968.

#20

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 11:09am

HOW DO YOU DO, I LOVE YOU by Maltby & Shire, book by Michael Stewart. Had a two week try-out at Westbury Music fair in '67 with a cast including Phyllis Newman and Carole Cook. Three of the numbers (including "One Step") turned up ten years later in STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW.

#21

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 11:17am

Wasn't Angela Lansbury supposed to star in a musical version of 'The Visit'?

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'Our whole family shouts. It comes from us livin' so close to the railroad tracks'

#22

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 11:21am

Lansbury dropped out when her husband got sick. Shirley MacLaine and Glenn Close were approached before the role went to Chita Rivera.

BRAINCHILD, with music by Michel Legrand and lyrics by Hal David, died in Philadelphia in '74 with a cast including Tovah Feldshuh and Dorian Harewood. Lena Horne recorded some of the songs on her album "Nature's Baby".

Updated On: 7/2/05 at 11:21 AM

#23

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 11:52am

Never forget "Kicks," with music Alan Menken, lyrics by Tome Eyen. "I Wanna Be A Rockette" is from it

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Behind the fake tinsel of Broadway is real tinsel.

#24

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 11:55am

"Another musical that went nowhere W.C. about W.C. Fields that toured one summer with Mickey Rooney & Bernadette Petersas Carlotta Monti by Al Carmines (remember him). It did produce, years later, an CD with about 11 songs from the score"

Does anyone have any addtional information on this musical? As a fan of BP's, it sounds fasinating. Who is singing on the cast recording? Where and when did it tour? Did anyone here see the tour?

Thanks!

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Happy...Everything! Kaye Thompson

#25

re: Musicals That Went Nowhere

Posted: 7/2/05 at 12:29pm

my drama teacher told me about a sequel to bye bye birdie called bring back birdie witch ran 4 proformances on broadway and then closed