Feature: Girl Power! Before Waitress' Debut, Check Out Amazing Female-Driven Broadway Teams

By: Mar. 20, 2016
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WAITRESS, which begins performances at the Brooks Atkinson on March 25th, is making history! It will be the first musical in Broadway history to have four top creative spots in a show filled by four separate women. The team includes music and lyrics by Sara Barellies, book by Jessie Nelson, choreography by Lorin Latarrom and direction by Diane Paulus. While this is definitely a landmark, other Broadway shows have had a significant number of female creatives, or a completely female creative team - driven by one person! So embrace your inner girl power, and celebrate some amazing female driven shows that came before!

RUNAWAYS - 1978

Before Waitress, there was RUNAWAYS. This Broadway musical had book, music, lyrics, choreography and direction all by a woman, the same woman. Elizabeth Swados was technically the first all-female creative team, but a team of one! The characters of the musical were taken from workshops conducted by Swados with real-life runways in the late 1970s, who told stories of alienation, disenfranchisement, and loss. RUNAWAYS premiered off-Broadway on February 21, 1978 at the Public Theater Cabaret, before moving to Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre in May 13, 1978. The show closed on December 31, 1978 after 274 performances, but will be getting new life in 2016! RUNAWAYS will be part of New York City Center's 2016 Encores! Off-Center season, so more people will be able to experience the groundbreaking work of Elizabeth Swados.

Video: RUNAWAYS performance at the 1978 Tony Awards

ONWARD VICTORIA - 1980

ONWARD VICTORIA was another show fueled by female creatives, although not entirely. Featuring a book and lyrics by Charlotte Anker and Irene Rosenberg, music by Keith Hermann, directed by Julianne Boyd, women did outnumber the men in these positions. ONWARD VICTORIA was a musical about the real life Victoria Woodhull, a 19th century woman who, with her sister, were the first women to operate a brokerage firm, where they subsequently became millionaires. Woodhull was also known to be a proponent of free love and activist for equality of the sexes. Sadly, the show opened on December 14, 1980 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, and closed on December 14, 1980, running for only one performance.

Video: Onward Victoria: Jill Eikenberry- "Changes" and Jordan Stanley- "Unescorted Women"

QUILTERS - 1984

QUILTERS was another Broadway musical that relied heavily on a female driven team. Like Waitress, it's top spots were filled by women, but unlike Waitress, these were three spots, as opposed to four. QUILTERS featured a book by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek, music and lyrics by Barbara Damashek, and was directed by Barbra Damashek. It told the story of a pioneer woman and her six daughters in the American West, through a series of short tales and tableaux, accompanied by musical numbers, presenting an aspect of frontier life and womanhood. Eventually these "patches" are put together to form one tableau.The musical had it's top three creative spots filled by two different women. QUILTERS opened on Broadway at the Jack Lawrence Theatre on September 25, 1984 and closed on October 14, 1984 after 26 performances. However, despite its short run, the musical was nominated for six Tony Awards, including best musical.

Video: QUILTERS: scenes and highlights, Imagination Stage Musical Theatre Conservatory

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND - 1990

Women were heavily involved in the creation of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, and directed and choreographed by Gabriela Daniele. ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is the story of a peasant girl named Ti Moune, who lives on a tropical island and uses the power of love to bring together people of different social classes. ONCE ON THIS ISLAND was originally staged Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, before it transferred to Broadway and opened on October 18, 1990 at the Booth Theatre. The show closed on December 1, 1991, after 469 performances. In 2002, the original Broadway cast was reunited to perform the show for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund.

Video: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND peformance at the 1991 Tony Awards

COME FLY AWAY - 2010

While technically a dance revue, the musical, COME FLY AWAY had a book by Twyla Tharp, in addition to her directing and choreographing, making the three creative spots held not only by a woman, but the same woman. The songs are danced to the voice of Frank Sinatra and the story is set in a New York City nightclub, where the show follows the relationship of four dancing couples as they seek love and romance. COME FLY AWAY opened at the Marquis Theatre on March 1, 2010 and closed on September 25, 2010

Video: COME FLY AWAY performance at the 2010 Tony Awards

FUN HOME - 2015

FUN HOME made history by having the first all-female writing team to win a Tony Award for a musical's score. Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron wrote the score. Kron also wrote the book, which won the show another Tony. FUN HOME is a musical adapted from Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir of the same name, telling the story of Bechdel's relationship with her gay father. The show also deals with Bechdal's own sexuality, making it the first Broadway musical with a lesbian protagonist. FUN HOME originally premiered at the Public Theater in 2013, before transferring to Broadway, where it began performances on March 27, 2015. The 2015 Tony Award winner for Best Musical is currently still playing at Circle in the Square.

Video: FUN HOME performance at the 2015 Tony Awards

The upcoming women-fueled Waitress stars Jessie Mueller with music and lyrics by Sarah Barellies. Previews begin March 25th at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.


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