They're Playing Our Song 1980 - Articles Page 5

Opened: October 1, 1980
Closing: May 08, 1982

They're Playing Our Song - 1980 - West End History , Info & More

Shaftesbury Theatre
Holborn end of Shaftesbury Avenue London

Featuring book by Neil Simon, "They're Playing Our Song" follows the on-again, off-again romance of one very despondent composer and one very ditzy lyricist, as they try to create their own unique love song. Based on the real-life love affair of the show's composer, Marvin Hamlisch, and the show's lyricist, Carole Bayer-Sager, "They're Playing Our Song," ran 1,082 performances on Broadway.



After Sager and Hamlisch scored an international hit with "Nobody Does It Better" (the theme song from "The Spy Who Loved Me"), they began to work on a new musical based on some surprising subject matter -- their own romantic life -- with the most successful and popular playwright of the era, Neil Simon. They came up with an unusual, new form for a Broadway musical: a chamber musical with two main characters supported by a three-person Greek Chorus.



"They're Playing Our Song" had its world premiere as part of the Center Theatre Group series at the Ahmanson Theatre of the Music Center. It starred comic Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz, who made her Broadway debut in the role and went on to star in Reprise's inaugural season's "Wonderful Town" in 1997.



Carole Bayer Sager has written the lyrics for "Don't Cry Out Loud," "Everything Old is New Again," "Come in From the Rain," "Heartbreaker," and "That's What Friends Are For," and has collaborated with Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Peter Allen, Michael McDonald, and Burt Bacharach. In 1977 she was romantically involved with Marvin Hamlisch. Hamlisch followed winning three Academy Awards in 1973 for "The Way We Were" and the score of "The Sting", with the score for "A Chorus Line" which won nine 1975 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score for Hamlisch and lyricist Edward Kleban.

They're Playing Our Song - 1980 - West End Cast

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They're Playing Our Song - 1980 - West End Articles Page 5

BWW Interview: Linda Lavin Is Living for Her Cafe Carlyle Debut!
by Richard Ridge - May 3, 2018


For over five plus decades Linda Lavin has enraptured audiences on stage, screen and television. She won the triple crown- Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her heart -breaking performance in Neil Simon's 'Broadway Bound'. She is known to million of fans as 'Alice' on her 9 -year ground breaking TV Series for which she won two Golden Globes. Celebrated playwrights Nicky Silver, Donald Margulies, Richard Greenberg and Charles Busch have written memorable and award winning roles for her. This renaissance woman does everything.

CMA Announces Johnny Gimble, Ricky Skaggs, & Dottie West As Country Music Hall of Fame 2018 Class
by Macon Prickett - Mar 27, 2018


The Country Music Association held a press conference this morning to announce the 2018 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame-Johnny Gimble, Ricky Skaggs and Dottie West.

Feelies Side Project Yung Wu Playing Rent Party in March, Debut Being Re-Released
by Tori Hartshorn - Feb 27, 2018


Yung Wu, an offshoot of New Jersey-based avant-pop pioneers the Feelies, will be celebrating the re-release of their debut album performing at The Woodland in Maplewood, New Jersey on Friday March 9. The presenter of these concerts is the non-profit organization Rent Party (http://rentpartylive.com/wp/). Started in 2009, Rent Party is a once-a-month live music event at The Woodlands. The proceeds from these shows help fight hunger in our community. Rent Party supports three local food pantries. They built and maintain a large community garden on the front lawn of the South Orange Elks that raises fresh produce for the pantries they support. Rent Party's BackPack Pals program provides a weekend's worth of nutritious food to about 100 food-insecure kids in our schools. I hope you'll consider advancing this show with a feature, album review or advance blurb. Please let me know if I can send you the music.

American Composers Orchestra Announces 2018-2019 Concerts At Carnegie Hall
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 1, 2018


American Composers Orchestra (ACO) announces two performances presented by Carnegie Hall in Zankel Hall during the 2018-2019 season. In 2018-2019, under the leadership of Artistic Director Derek Bermel, Music Director George Manahan, and President Edward Yim, ACO continues its commitment to the creation, performance, preservation, and promotion of music by American composers, with programming that reflects the infinite ways American orchestral music illustrates geographic, stylistic, gender, and racial diversity. ACO's concerts at Carnegie Hall include premieres by 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winner Du Yun, by composer and Imani Winds flutist Valerie Coleman, and by Alex Temple, a composer who integrates love for pop culture and the Western classical tradition. Additional 2018-2019 performances and activities will be announced in March 2018.

BWW Feature: BARNUM Comes to the Bridgeport High School Theatre This February
by Richard Allen - Jan 24, 2018


Bridgeport High School will be presenting the three-time Tony award winning Broadway Musical Barnum in the Bridgeport High School Theatre. With music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Michael Stewart and a book by Mark Bramble, this musical will transport you to the circus as you learn about the life of famed showman P.T. Barnum.

Special Debut of the Month - A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE's 'Ralphie' - Andy Walken
by Caryn Robbins - Dec 14, 2017


After a nationwide digital casting call, 11-year-old Andy Walken, from Seattle, WA, has been cast in the role of 'Ralphie Parker,' the lead character in FOX's live musical event, A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE! In a special edition of 'Debut of the Month', Walken speaks with BWW about making his musical television debut!

UK Post-Punk Innovators Modern English Wrap Up US 'Take Me To The Trees' Tour
by Caryn Robbins - Nov 16, 2017


On the heels of this summer's 'Retro Futura' package tour, UK post-punk innovators, Modern English, who released their first album together in thirty years, 'Take Me To The Trees', earlier thi

Nardis Jazz Club Slates November 2017 Lineup
by BWW News Desk - Nov 1, 2017


Nardis Jazz Club has announced its upcoming shows (www.nardisjazz.com). Rezervasyonlariniz icin PAZAR haric hergun saat 15.30'dan itibaren kulubu arayabilirsiniz. L tfen programda olabilecek de i iklikler i in g ncellenmi web sayfam z ziyaret ediniz.

Nardis Jazz Club Slates November 2017 Lineup
by BWW News Desk - Oct 24, 2017


Nardis Jazz Club has announced its upcoming shows (www.nardisjazz.com). Rezervasyonlariniz icin PAZAR haric hergun saat 15.30'dan itibaren kulubu arayabilirsiniz. L tfen programda olabilecek de i iklikler i in g ncellenmi web sayfam z ziyaret ediniz.

BWW Review: THE FULL MONTY at Uptown Players
by Kyle Christopher West - Oct 22, 2017


The 1997 British comedy film THE FULL MONTY was such a surprise hit, winning four Academy Awards on this side of the pond, that it was no shock to see it musicalized on the Great White Way only three short years later. For Broadway, the setting had been relocated from Northern England to the Northeast U.S. (Buffalo, New York to be exact), and although the men's drawers continue to be removed, the humorous and heartfelt storyline remains faithfully intact. And fortunately, the same can be said of the current production Uptown Players, Dallas' favorite LGBT-focused theatre company who confidently bares it all for their eager audiences.

UK Post-Punk Innovators Modern English Return to the US for 'Take Me To The Trees' Tour
by Caryn Robbins - Oct 12, 2017


On the heels of this summer's 'Retro Futura' package tour, UK post-punk innovators, Modern English, who released their first album together in thirty years, 'Take Me To The Trees', earlier this year, are happy to announce that they will be returning to the US in November for the headlining 'Take Me To The Trees' tour.

Calico the Band, Electric Zoo and More to Perform Labor Day Weekend
by BWW News Desk - Aug 28, 2017


Check out who's playing during Labor Day weekend!

The Capitol Steps, Dweezil Zappa and More Coming Up at City Winery Chicago
by BWW News Desk - Jun 29, 2017


Featured performances for the month of July at City Winery Chicago, include political satirists The Capitol Steps on July 2, Dweezil Zappa, son of the late Frank Zappa, on July 7, R&B Grammy-nominated duo Les Nubians on July 10, British rockers The Graham Parker Duo on July 12, Country Music Association Musician of the Year Mac McAnally on July 19, stand-up comedian Sandra Bernhard (July 20-21) and more.

Photo Flash: The Theatre Group at SBCC presents HIGH SOCIETY
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 22, 2017


The Theatre Group at SBCC opens the 17/18 season with Cole Porter's sparkling musical, HIGH SOCIETY, July 12-29 in the Garvin Theatre. 

The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
by A.A. Cristi - May 25, 2017


Marking an incredible milestone of presenting 'stars under the stars,' the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival presented by Bank of America with Swedish Fish, JLL, WeWork, and Time Out in association with Bryant Park Corporation, celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a New York themed line-up. The free outdoor festival returns Monday evenings at sunset, beginning June 19 and running through August 21. 

The HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
by Caryn Robbins - May 25, 2017


Marking an incredible milestone of presenting 'stars under the stars,' the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival presented by Bank of America with Swedish Fish, JLL, WeWork, and Time Out in association with Bryant Park Corporation, celebrates its 25th Anniversary with a New York themed line-up.

FRIDAY 5 (+1): The Stars of Belmont University Musical Theatre's 9 to 5: THE MUSICAL
by Jeffrey Ellis - Mar 24, 2017


Today, in our latest Friday 5 (+1), we introduce you to a group of Belmont University Musical Theatre leading ladies - Katie Bays, Emily Anne Ludwig, Lizzy Hinton, Cassie Donegan, Mary Kate Hughes and Katie Grogg - and their leading man, the Franklin Hart Jr. of this particular revival, Graham Trout! Remember their names, gentle readers, they are sure to impress you now over on Belmont Boulevard just as much as they are destined to dazzle critics and audiences (in theaters along other notable streets) alike in the years to come…

UK Post-Punk Innovators Modern English Release First New Album in Three Decades
by Caryn Robbins - Nov 22, 2016


Bands are like families, bound by something deeper than friendship - and liable to implode just as irrevocably.

BWW Review: Consummate Entertainer Sidney Myer Delights in His Return to the Laurie Beechman Theatre
by Alix Cohen - Oct 20, 2016


Twelve years after his last full show and a full 36 since he performed at the venerable Laurie Beechman Theatre, entertainer (and Don't Tell Mama booker) Sidney Myer commanded the stage as if he'd been there yesterday. I attended the second of three sold-out presentations marked as fundraisers for The Mabel Mercer Foundation, likely the only organization for which Sidney would take on such a project. The concerts are a 'thank you' to the art's standard bearer and its creator Donald Smith, who gave Sidney wide exposure and exceptional latitude at every Cabaret Convention from the third on, a tradition maintained today.

Tony Danza, Alice Ripley & Emily Skinner and More Set for Feinstein's/54 Below in July
by Tyler Peterson - Jun 30, 2016


This July, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

Old School Square in Delray Beach Sets 2016-17 Season
by BWW News Desk - Jun 24, 2016


Old School Square has served for over 25 years as the gathering place for Delray Beach, and the 2016-17 Season will launch a new era of arts and entertainment for all ages.

BBW Interview: Singer and Songwriter Robb Nesbitt
by Mark C. Lloyd - Jun 13, 2016


BBW Interviews: Singer & Songwriter Robb Nesbitt

Nashville's Theater Calendar 6/6/16
by Jeffrey Ellis - Jun 6, 2016


Summertime is here, what with Memorial Day and all that it encompasses, and we can think of no better seasonal activity than taking in some local theater. No matter where you are in the Volunteer State, Tennessee theater companies are ready and willing to help transport you to a different world, another time and place where your life can be is transformed magically on a stage very near you!

SOMETHING ROTTEN This Way Comes: TPAC Reveals 2016-17 Broadway Series
by Jeffrey Ellis - Apr 11, 2016


Something Rotten! this way comes - along with a healthy assortment of recent Broadway hits, a homegrown version of an Andrew Lloyd Webber hit and a transfer from London's West End - as the Tennessee Performing Arts Center revealed the list of shows included in their 2016-17 HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC series during a Monday night event.

National Sawdust Kicks Off Winter 2016 Season at New Home in Williamsburg
by BWW News Desk - Jan 5, 2016


Composer Paola Prestini, the Creative and Executive Director of the National Sawdust (NS), announces the initial programming for the non-profit's winter 2016 season in its acclaimed new home -- a $16 million, 13,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art chamber hall in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

They're Playing Our Song FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What productions of They're Playing Our Song have there been?
They're Playing Our Song has had 6 productions including Broadway which opened in 1979, Broadway which opened in 1979, US Tour which opened in 1979, West End which opened in 1980, US Tour which opened in 1981 and Off-Off-Broadway which opened in 1986.
What awards has They're Playing Our Song been nominated for?
They're Playing Our Song has been nominated for the Musical of the Year award at the Olivier Awards for both Neil Simon and Marvin Hamlisch.

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