Vanities The Musical

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 3:36pm

From Playbill.com:

"The new musical version of Jack Heifner's three-actress play, Vanities, was seen in a private reading Dec. 9 in Manhattan.

Members of the industry gave a listen to the dawning show about the friendship of three Texas women between 1963-74. Heifner wrote the libretto, drawing from and expanding on his 1975 play. Music and lyrics are by David Kirshenbaum (Summer of '42).

The writers were in residence for a week at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA, in October. A reading of the first full draft was presented at that time. The New York reading included changes made since California. Several theatres are interested in the musical, the collaborators told Playbill.com.

"A production is already starting to look fairly likely for sometime in 2006," Kirshenbaum said.

Gordon Greenberg (a Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Musicals veteran) is attached as the director.

The intermissionless new show is a book musical that follows the trio of friends for a decade (as does the play), and includes a new coda that tells what happened to them since the 1970s. Heifner said fans of the hot regional property have asked him over the years what happened to the ladies, but he always resisted writing about it — until now.

The actresses in the latest reading were Megan Hilty, Tony Award nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Dani Marcus (a San Francisco area actress)."

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/96931.html

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 3:46pm

Oooooohhh!!!! This sounds fab-u-lous! Thanks Margo!

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 3:52pm

Anyone remember the 1981 cable version of the show starring Meredith Baxter, Shelley Hack and Annette O'Toole?

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 3:57pm

But of course darling! I have it on beta somewhere!

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/20/05 at 4:04pm

I used to love that version that was on HBO...I remembered Annette O'Toole and Shelley Hack, but couldn't for the life of me, I couldn't remember the other lady...Thank you...I totally forgot it was Meredith Baxter...Wish they would put that on DVD...Along with that live version of SNOW WHITE at Radio City...

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/21/05 at 12:28am

this is awesome!! Dani Marcus has a gorgeous voice!! I saw her in a show called "Rivers End" here on the west coast, so very talented!! best of luck to her!

[Joe Mike2]

Posted: 12/21/05 at 6:06pm

I saw the original play years ago in Los Angeles with Sandy Duncan, Lucie Arnaz and Stockard Channing. I loved it! Can't wait to see the musical.

[Danielm]

Posted: 12/21/05 at 6:17pm

I'm glad to hear it. I've always thought this play could make a good musical. I'll be interested in hearing the score.