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

[dfwtheatreguy]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 5:58pm

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

[Insider2]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 6:38pm

There was a big Actors Fund performance a few years ago, and of course, Roundabout recently revived the non-musical Twentieth Century, on which this is based...

[Jon]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 7:21pm

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.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 8:29pm

The actors fund concert was perfectly cast:

Lily - Marin Mazzie
Oscar - Douglass Sills
Bruce - Christopher Sieber
Letitia- Joanne Worley
Owen- Brad Oscar

It was perfect casting and needs to be redone with a full production. Anyone who has seen the very widely released professionally shot bootleg will agree.

[wonkit]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 8:44pm

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

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 8:45pm

Anyone who has seen the very widely released professionally shot bootleg will agree.

A widely released professionally shot bootleg. Mmmmm...

[dfwtheatreguy]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 9:15pm

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.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:00pm

Anyone who has seen the very widely released professionally shot bootleg will agree.

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.

[Jack Hughes]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 1:33am

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.

[wonkit]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 7:37am

There was a first rate production at Goodspeed about ten years ago. I missed the original production on Broadway.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 7:56am

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.

[MimiJudith]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 9:01am

This was one of the first Broadway musicals that I ever saw. I loved it, even though I was just about 8 years old at the time. I saw it with John Cullum, Judy Kaye (it was her first performance...we just missed Madeline Kahn by one day), Imogene Coca, and Kevin Kline. They were the best. Every time I hear the show's overture on the Show Tunes channel on cable, it brings back all of the memories of watching that show with my mother and late father, who loved it especially because he was a huge fan of Imogene Coca. I would love to see this show on Broadway again.

How about this for casting:

John Cullum's role: Lewis Cleale
Judy Kaye's role: Margaret Anne Florence
Imogene Coca's role: Carol Burnett
Kevin Kline's role: Gregg Edelman

[morosco]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 9:05am

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

[D2]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 9:34am

And every penny was evident on that stage - it was one of the most beautifully produced musicals I've ever seen. Also one of the funniest.

[BroadwayBoy2]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 10:01am

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!

[morosco]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 10:04am

Michael Blakemore would have to direct!

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 2:29pm

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

[allofmylife]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 2:40pm

It would be interesting to see if it would play well today. It has been just long enough now that most of the audience will be people who have no idea what an operetta IS and may find the whole experience a little jarring, for I really think this is a very slick operetta, not a musical comedy. That is, I believe what the creators had in mind.

Would mainstream audiences get the joke and the point?

Discuss....

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 2:57pm

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

[DAME]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 3:04pm

Great show. I saw Madeline Kahn, Judy Kaye and Susan Cella all do Lilly. It was also I believe the first time in my life I had ever been to the ST James... ( either that or Barnum.. which came first? ) Just checked. Twentieth came first.

Updated On: 3/13/09 at 03:04 PM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 3:54pm

Thanks for clarifying that, Brody.

[feinstein9]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 3:58pm

Dame, you are so lucky to have seen Madeline Kahn live and in such a great show! I would've loved to have seen that. I did see the 2005 concert and it was a blast. Perfectly cast. I do concur that Cheno would be great as Lily, although Marin was truly great. If they wanted to recreate the Kiss Me, Kate magic, Stokes wouldn't be a bad choice for Oscar.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 4:44pm

"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.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 4:44pm

The short-lived but wonderful London production was one of the first things I saw as well. Although I was young the memories of how spectacular it all was remain very clear.

[morosco]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 4:45pm

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.