can we please have a revival of "On the Twentieth Century"?

great score, good book, funny show - come on, bring it back.

but who would star?????

lily garland: kristin chenoweth
oscar jaffe: nathan lane
bruce granitt: cheyenne jackson
letitia primrose: bernadette peters, mary testa
max jacobs: gregory jbara

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I don't see Lane as Jaffe. He should have that John Barrymore quality - maybe Kevin Kline could play Jaffe this time around!

I see Andrea Martin as Mrs. Primrose.

Definitely Douglas Sills as Oscar Jaffe. Nathan Lane as Oscar Jaffe would be like Oliver Platt as Nathan Detroit! Maybe worse.

i dont like douglas sills as oscar or marin as lily, but the rest of that cast sounds fun.

sills is one of the most boring presences on stage tht i have ever seen, and mazzie is a touch too old for lily in my mind.

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The original production of this was one of the first things I ever saw and remains to this day one of the most enjoyable experiences I ever had in the theater. The book was funny (not that I knew what a book was back then or necessarily understood every nuance ), the music was great and also funny, the sets were breathtaking and also funny, and if I live another half life time I don't think I'll ever see a better comic ensemble than Cullum, Kahn, Coca and Kline.

A few years back I bought the score (I don't buy many) and was actually relieved that it was as good as I remembered it being.

Whoopsie, blaxx... if you were referring to the pro-shot of the Actor's Fund Concert version, then you're absolutely correct -- that cast was insanely perfect.

The original production was one of the first musicals that cost one million dollars to produce.

I felt for a while that I was the only one who felt like this, I know I started a few threads on this board asking for a revival of this show. I couldn't agree more with the people in this thread. I think this is SUCH a well crafted musical that just WORKS. I would love to see Jackie Hoffman as Primrose. If this is revived it better pull no stops and be the best revival in YEARS. STAY AWAY ROUNDABOUT!

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I'm sure I'm all wet about this, but didn't Encores! do 20th Century a few years back? If they didn't, this might be a good place to start.

Oscar: Douglas Sills
Lily: Kristen Chenewith -- her operatic training would come in very handy in this role
Mrs. Primrose: Jackie Hoffman
Kevin Kline part: Burke Moses

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Encores! Concert Series didn't do it. BC/EFA did in in concert as part of their annual Actor's Fund Concert on September 26, 2005 at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Here is/was the cast:

Brooks Ashmanskas -- Owen O'Malley
Robert Cuccioli -- Dr. Johnson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson -- Max Jacobs
Cheyenne Jackson -- 'Life is Like a Train' Porter
David Josefsberg -- 'Life is Like a Train' Porter
Andy Karl -- 'Life is Like a Train' Porter
Tyler Maynard -- 'Life is Like a Train' Porter
Marin Mazzie -- Lily Garland/Mildred Plotka
Brad Oscar -- Oliver Webb
Christopher Sieber -- Bruce Granit
Douglas Sills -- Oscar Jaffee
Kathleen Turner -- Imelda
Joanne Worley -- Letitia Primrose
Kim Alvarez -- Ensemble
Phillip Attmore -- Porter
Brad Bradley -- Porter
Todd Buonopane -- Ensemble
Kate Chapman -- Ensemble
Lanene Charters -- Ensemble
Jenifer Foote -- Anita
Robert H. Fowler -- Photographer
MaryAnn Hu -- Agnes
Joe Langworth -- Ensemble
Lorin Latarro -- Ensemble
Mark Ledbetter -- Ensemble
Kristoffer Lowe -- Ensemble
Elise Marie -- Ensemble
Mayumi Miguel -- Ensemble
Naomi Naughton -- Ensemble
Craig Ramsay -- Ensemble
Jermaine R. Rembert -- Ensemble
Charlie Schwartz -- Ensemble
Bret Shuford -- Photographer
Megan Sikora -- Ensemble
Nell Snaidas -- Ensemble
Mary Stout -- Ensemble
Josh Walden -- Porter
Craig Wells -- Conductor Flanagan
Christopher Windom -- Porter


Produced by The Actors' Fund of America; Consulting Producer: Catherine Cooke; Artistic Producer: Seth Rudetsky

Produced on the Broadway stage by Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, James Cresson and Martin Richards

Book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green; Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green; Music by Cy Coleman; Additional Orchestrations: Jesse C. Vargas; Concert Adaptation: Tim Pinckney; Musical Director: Seth Rudetsky; Associate Musical Dir.: Steve Marzullo; Based on the plays of Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur and Charles Bruce Millholland

Directed by Peter Flynn; Choreographed by Denis Jones; Original Broadway Production directed by Harold Prince; Assistant Choreographer: Rachelle Rak

Scenic Design by Paul Weimer; Lighting Design by Jeff Croiter; Costume Design by Rob Bevenger; Sound Design by Scott Stauffer; Hair and Wig Design by Jon Jordan; Props Design: David Masenheimer and Jerry Marshall; Make-Up Design by Make Up For Ever; Associate Costume Design: Jeff Johnson Doherty
Executive Producer: Andrew Kato

Thanks for clarifying that, Brody.

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"Um, its not professionally shot. The only reason it is highly regarded is because the quality is quite good, especially for a 1986 camcorder shot/filmed bootleg. Also, its not the original Broadway production -- it is of the 1986 Bus & Truck Tour with Judy Kaye, Frank Gorshin and Imogene Coca. Judy Kaye doesn't have good things to say about this tour, either."



I'm not referring to that one, I'm talking about the actors fund concert that was filmed with three cameras. It played just as well now as it did then. Also the less than grand set showed that it doesn't have to have a ten million dollar production. The music and script are perfect , especially compared to some of the major successes less than stellar shows have achieved ... cough cough Wicked.

Would mainstream audiences get the joke and the point?

You might be right. Are the majority of today's audiences sophisticated enough to appreciate a show like 20th Century? It's a tricky show to pull off. A delicate balance. Hiring the right cast and director is crucial.

From the book Harold Prince and the American Musical Theatre (by Foster Hirsch) Hal Prince, the show's original director, says:

"It's the hardest show in the world to do. First you've got to believe these people; you can't be silly, or send up the material. Then how do you stage it? How do you do a musical on a train?" Prince used his background with [George] Abbott to sustain the show's tempo and to justify every opening and closing of a door and every element of physical comedy.

Although in story and characterization ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY represents a throwback to an older musical-comedy style, Prince and his team introduced a modernist concept in the show's surprising score. Instead of having a period flavor to match the thirties setting, Cy Coleman's score is primarily comic opera - the musical exaggeration provides a roguish comment on the overripe characters. Oscar and Lily are always on stage, consciously monitoring their performances, gauging the effects of their actions, and their lush operetta singing style becomes part of the comic overstatement of their personas.