FINIAN'S RAINBOW Goes for Gold with New Cast Album Recording

Producers David Richenthal and Jack Viertel have announced that the cast and orchestra of the acclaimed Broadway production of Finian's Rainbow, will hit the recording studio on December 7 to record a new cast alum of the show.  The album, featuring Yip Harburg-Burton Lane's score, is being produced by Tommy Kasker of PS Classics. The label anticipates an early February street date.

Finian's Rainbow has a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy; lyrics by E.Y. Harburg; music by Burton Lane; with book adaptation by Arthur Perlman and original adaptation for New York City Center Encores! by David Ives. It is directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle; musical direction is by Rob Berman. Previews began on October 8, and opened officially on October 29.

The production stars Jim Norton, Kate Baldwin, Chuck Cooper, Christopher Fitzgerald, and Cheyenne Jackson.

Finian's Rainbow tells the story of the Irishman Finian McLonergan and his daughter Sharon who travel to a small Southern town in the mythical state of Missitucky with plans to bury a stolen pot of gold in The Shadows of Fort Knox, in the mistaken belief it will grow and multiply. They have been followed from Ireland by the owner of the gold, a leprechaun, who shows up determined to recover his treasure.

The musical's score boasts such classic songs as "Old Devil Moon," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?," "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love (I Love the Girl I'm Near)," Look to the Rainbow," and "If This Isn't Love."

It is the first Broadway revival of the classic musical in nearly 50 years. The show had its Broadway premiere in 1947, which ran for 725 performances and won three Tony Awards, including one for star David Wayne and one for legendary choreographer Michael Kidd who made his Broadway debut with the show. One of the first of the socially conscious postwar musicals, Finian's Rainbow is unusual in that it deals in a satirical way with issues of class, race, and economics, most specifically in the character of a bigoted Southern senator who is accidentally turned black. It was also notable in its time for featuring an integrated cast at a time when most shows did not and for featuring a mute character who expresses herself solely through dance. The musical was revived in 1955 at City Center and in 1960 at Broadway's 46th Street Theatre.

The set design for is by John Lee Beatty; the costume design is by Toni-Leslie James; the lighting design is by Ken Billington; the sound design is by Scott Lehrer.

Finian's Rainbow plays the ST. James Theatre, 246 West 44 Street. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Thursday at 7pm; Friday and Saturday at 8pm; with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $35 - $75 in previews and $50 - $120 post opening. There are also special post-opening Wednesday evening prices as low as $25.00. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.telecharge.com or by phoning 212.239.6200. For groups, which are on sale now, phone 212.541.8457 or 1.800.BROADWAY. The ST. James Theatre box office opens Tuesday, September 8. For more information about Finian's Rainbow, visit www.FiniansOnBroadway.com.

At FiniansOnBroadway.com, fans not only learn all about the Broadway production, they also engage with the show's interactive platforms in several innovative ways. "Look to the Rainbow" gives users the opportunity to contribute to and view a constantly changing gallery of everyday rainbows via the photo-sharing site Flickr, "Finian's Treasury" is a section of the site dedicated to show's storied past, including rare video footage from the Yip Harburg Foundation that chronicles the creation of some of his most beloved songs, and fans can also join real-time conversations on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

 

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