Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
| Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater | |
|---|---|
| Music | Alan Menken |
| Lyrics | Howard Ashman Dennis Green |
| Book | Howard Ashman |
| Basis | Kurt Vonnegut novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater |
| Productions | 1979 Off-Broadway 1981 Arena Stage 2016 Encores! Off-Center |
Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is a 1979 musical that marked the first collaboration of composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman. Based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1965 novel of the same name, the musical tells the story of Eliot Rosewater, a millionaire who develops a social conscience and creates a foundation to improve the lives of the citizens of an impoverished Indiana town.
The musical had a 12-performance showcase run in May 1979 and transferred to the Entermedia Theatre Off-Broadway, where it opened on October 14, 1979 and played for 49 performances. Directed by Ashman, the production featured Frederick Coffin (Eliot Rosewater), Janie Sell (Sylvia Rosewater), and Jonathan Hadary (Norman Mushari).
The musical was produced at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in May to June 1981, again directed by Ashman and starring Coffin. The cast also featured Robert Westenberg, Steve Liebman, Theresa Rabov, and Leslie Cass.[1]
In March 2003, Rosewater was performed in concert as part of the CooperArts series at the Cooper Union; the concert featured Jim Walton (Eliot Rosewater), Carolee Carmello (Sylvia Rosewater), and David Pittu (Norman Mushari).[2]
The New England premier of the show was performed from April 14-24, 2016 by Cape Cod Community College, in West Barnstable Massachusetts.The cast was made up of primarily students and most had heard of the book (Kurt Vonnegut was a resident of the area) however not many knew that it had been made into a musical.
A Encores! Off-Center staged concert revival ran at New York City Center from July 27-30, 2016. The production starred Skylar Astin (Norman Mushari), Santino Fontana (Eliot Rosewater), Brynn O'Malley (Sylvia) and James Earl Jones (Kilgore Trout), and is directed by Michael Mayer.[3] [4]
References
- ^ Martin, Judith. "'Rosewater': True Kitsch" "The Washington Post", May, 15, 1981
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "Menken & Ashman's 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater' Gets NYC Concert March 7" Playbill, March 6, 2003
- ^ Clement, Olivia. "James Earl Jones Joins 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater'" Playbill, June 27, 2016
- ^ Stewart, Zachary. "Review. 'Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater'" theatermania.com, July 28, 2016
External links
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater at the Music Theatre International website
- "The Making of God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater", a 2016 Playbill oral history