Sophisticated Ladies

Opened: March 1, 1981
Closing: January 02, 1983

Sophisticated Ladies - 1981 - Broadway History , Info & More

Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (Broadway)
205 West 46th St. New York, NY

The musical legacy of Duke Ellington, considered amongst the world's greatest composers and musicians, is celebrated in this stylish and brassy retrospective that has taken audiences and critics alike by storm throughout the world. Memorable music and incredible dancing transport you into the Grand Duke's world. Sophisticated Ladies is a glorious recreation of the Duke Ellington big band sound, featuring his most famous numbers from the infamous speakeasy era of the Cotton Club, the Harlem Renaissance, art deco, and high society, including:



"It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing," "Take the 'A' Train," "Satin Doll," and the haunting "In a Sentimental Mood." This is the eye-­?popping, foot-­?stomping, Tony Award-­?winning musical extravaganza that will send you into jazz heaven. It's an unforgettable celebration of the genius of Duke Ellington, brought to vibrant life with amazing talent, a sensational big band orchestra, sparkling staging, and all the lights and colors of Broadway!

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Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & WHATSNEXT?, Jeff Harnar, and More to Play Birdland Next Month
by Blair Ingenthron - Sep 29, 2023

Live at Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater will feature a number of exciting performances from top jazz artists this October. Check out the lineup here!

Maude Maggart to Present New Show HERE COME THE DREAMERS at Birdland
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 22, 2023

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present the singular cabaret artist Maude Maggart in the premiere of her new show “Here Come the Dreamers” on Monday, October 16 at 7:00 PM.

Frank Owens, Broadway Musician And Former Musical Director For IT'S SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO, Passes Away
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 18, 2023

Frank Owens, Broadway Musical Virtuoso, Former Musical Director for 'It's Showtime at the Apollo' Dies. A pianist for nearly seven decades, Owens backed talent on Broadway stages, recording studios and TV sets – backing artists from Lena Horne to The Washington Ballet.

Review: Tap, Snap, and Sway at SOPHISTICATED LADIES at Beef & Boards
by The Marriage Matinee - Jul 18, 2023

Looking for twentieth-century aesthetics (think an Art Deco club) and swingin’ music, making your heart sing, you’re in luck. Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Ladies” is a 1981 musical revue of the back of Duke’s celebrated history. From early songs like “The Mooche” and “Mood Indigo” to later hits “I’m Beginning to See the Light” and “Satin Doll,” this vogueish revue taps (literally) the Duke’s music back on the stage where it rightfully belongs.

What Are The Smallest Parts to Win Tony Awards?
by Jennifer Ashley Tepper - Jun 10, 2023

While the large majority of those who have won Tony Awards for performances on Broadway have put in significant stage time in their roles, there are a few notable exceptions. Who are the artists who impressed Tony voters so much that they won their trophies, even with relatively minimal stage time?

THE BRAT PACK Featuring Kathryn Allison, Sam Gravitte, Luke Hawkins & Jelani Remy to Return to Birdland
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 11, 2023

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present the return of “The Brat Pack” — featuring Broadway stars Kathryn Allison, Sam Gravitte, Luke Hawkins, and Jelani Remy – on Monday, June 12 at 7:00 PM.

MEL AND ELLA SWING! Starring Billy Stritch and Gabrielle Stravelli to Return to Birdland
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 4, 2023

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present renowned pianist and singer Billy Stritch and award-winning jazz vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli in the return of their special show “Mel and Ella Swing!” on Monday, June 5 at 7:00 PM.

Vintage Theatre to Present SOPHISTICATED LADIES Beginning Next Month
by Blair Ingenthron - Dec 27, 2022

Vintage Theatre will present Duke Ellington's 'Sophisticated Ladies,' January 27 - March 5 2023. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

PICTURES FROM HOME Box Office to Open Next Week
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 16, 2022

Celebrate the laughter and joy of the holidays with a special box office opening of Pictures From Home beginning Monday, December 19 at Studio 54 on Broadway, coinciding with the beginning of Hanukkah.     

Tickets Now On Sale for PICTURES FROM HOME Starring Nathan Lane, Danny Burstein and Zoë Wanamaker
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 10, 2022

Tickets are now on sale for the Broadway premiere of Pictures From Home. Three of the theatre’s most inventive, inspired and award-winning artists will return to the stage, bringing to vivid theatrical life a comic and dramatic portrait of a mother, a father and the son who photographed their lives.

Review: Celebrating Sondheim with The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra at Kleinhans Musical Hall
by Michael Rabice - Oct 24, 2022

What did our critic think of Celebrating Sondheim with The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra at Kleinhans Musical Hall?

Porchlight Announces Cast of CHICAGO SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM, May 23
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 14, 2022

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced the current roster of music theatre and cabaret talent performing in this year’s annual Chicago Sings fundraising concert, Chicago Sings Stephen Sondheim, Monday, May 23, at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Birdland Jazz Club to Present Steve Ross
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Apr 4, 2022

BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB will present vocalist and pianist Steve Ross – widely heralded as “The Crown Prince of New York Cabaret” – in a special show celebrating spring on Monday, April 18 at 7:00 PM.

Meet the Cast of FUNNY GIRL on Broadway
by Stephi Wild - Mar 26, 2022

The highly anticipated Broadway revival of Funny Girl is beginning performances tonight, March 26, at the August Wilson Theatre, ahead of an official opening on April 24. Meet the cast bringing this iconic show back to the stage!

Freda Payne Stars In Tribute To Ella Fitzgerald At Bucks County Playhouse
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 9, 2021

Singer Freda Payne, the celebrated singer of the disco-era top-charter “Band of Gold,” will bring her acclaimed “Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald” to Bucks County Playhouse for ten concerts, August 26 through September 5.

Student Blog: Zodiac Signs of Tony-Nominated Musicals
by Student Blogger: Madison Moore - Mar 22, 2021

The criteria are that these shows have been nominated for Best Musical from the 3rd Tony Awards (the ceremony that started the Best Musical category) in 1949 to the nominations of what will now be the 74th Tony Awards in 2021. I will be determining their signs based upon their Broadway premiere date. With those rules in mind, here we go!

VIDEO: Watch a SOPHISTICATED LADIES Reunion on Stars in the House- Live at 8pm!
by Nicole Rosky - Mar 4, 2021

Stars in the House continues tonight (8pm ET) with a Sophisticated Ladies Reunion!  Duke Ellington: The Music That Defined A Century with Mercedes Ellington, Judith Jamison, Teri Klausner, Ty Stephens and guest hosts Erich McMillian-McCall and Kenneth Hanson.

Tony Award-Winning Producer Roger Berlind Has Passed Away at 90
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 28, 2020

25-time Tony Award-Winning Producer Roger Berlind Has Passed Away at 90. Berlind had produced or co-produced shows including “The Book of Mormon,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “City of Angels” and revivals of “Guys and Dolls” and “Kiss Me, Kate,” plus many more. 

129 Musicals & Shows You Can Stream From Home in 2021
by Sarah Jae Leiber - Nov 21, 2020

BroadwayWorld put together a list of all the live action musicals you can stream on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, BroadwayHD, and Disney Plus. Are you looking for something to get your mind off… all of this? So are we. Because everyone needs some escape,

130+ Musicals That You Can Stream Now!
by Team BWW - Apr 4, 2021

Visit our list of the best musicals & shows you can watch from home! We've got you covered with all the must-sees on streaming sites.

Wake Up With BWW 2/10: Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf Will Lead DEATH OF A SALESMAN Revival, and More!
by Stephi Wild - Feb 10, 2020

Today's top stories: Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf will lead a revival of Death of a Salesman in 2021, and more!

Broadway and Film Actress Paula Kelly Dies at 76
by Stephi Wild - Feb 9, 2020

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Paula Kelly, actress of stage and screen, has died. She was 76. Kelly made her Broadway debut as Mrs. Veloz in the 1964 musical Something More!, alongside Barbara Cook. Her other Broadway credits include The Dozens (1969), Paul Sills' Story Theatre (1971), Ovid's Metamorphoses (1971), and Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies (1981).

SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE Comes to BroadwayHD Next Month
by Stephi Wild - Aug 27, 2019

BroadwayHD, the premiere streaming service for theater fans, is kicking off September with everyone dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock. Making its streaming premiere exclusively on BroadwayHD, Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, an infectiously fun and riotous rock and roll time capsule of top 40 hits captured live-in-performance on Broadway will debut September 12 . Grammy Award winners Jerry Leiber and Michael Stoller wrote hit songs for great artists such a King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley, The Drifters, The Coasters and Peggy Lee. Subscribers can dance and sing-along to classics including: 'Jailhouse Rock,' 'Love Potion #9,' 'Hound Dog', 'On Broadway', 'Stand By Me' and other favorites. If swiveling your hips to the music of Smokey Joe's Cafe has you wanting more, continue your musical journey through the 1950s with the Best Musical Tony Award-winning performance of Memphis, featuring Tony Award-nominees Chad Kimball and Montego Glover, beginning September 26.

PTAMD Honors Donald McKayle With A Free Memorial Performance During The 2019 Season
by Julie Musbach - Aug 8, 2019

Paul Taylor American Modern Dance (PTAMD) returns to Lincoln Center for its annual Season at the David H. Koch Theater from October 29 to November 17, featuring the Paul Taylor Dance Company (PTDC). Paul Taylor: Celebrate the Dancemaker honors the legacy of founder Paul Taylor, who died in 2018. 

BWW Review: MSMT Launches 61st Season with Duke Ellington Extravaganza
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Jun 7, 2019

So what does a theatre company do to keep its momentum and even up the ante after a 60th anniversary season that broke all records? Why not hire three choreographers, fourteen virtuoso singer-dancers, and an eleven-piece big band orchestra, to mount the largest dance show in its history that celebrates the music of one of America's immortal musical geniuses, Duke Ellington? That is precisely what Maine State Music Theatre has done in its 2019 season opener with its sensational all-singing, all-dancing, visually opulent extravaganza, SOPHISTICATED LADIES, that is currently blowing the roof off the Pickard with its high-octane visceral energy, heady joy, and pure lyrical magic.

Sophisticated Ladies FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Music Is a Woman
Hit Me with a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce
I Love You Madly
Perdido
Fat and Forty (You're My Meat)
Cotton Tail
Caravan
Something to Live For
Old Man Blues
Drop Me Off in Harlem
C Jam Blues
Duke's Place
Diminuendo in Blue
In a Sentimental Mood
I'm Beginning to See the Light
Dancers in Love
Echoes of Harlem
I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So
Hey Babe
Imagine My Frustration
Kinda Dukish
Ko-Ko
I'm Checking Out Goombye
Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me
Mood Indigo
Jubilee Stomp
The Blues I Love to Sing
Black Beauty
King of the Magi
Warm Valley
Woman
Heaven
Tell Me It's the Truth
Praise God and Dance
My Love
Everything but You
Five O'Clock Drag
It Don't Mean a Thing
Bli-Blip
Take the 'A' Train
Solitude
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Just Squeeze Me
I Got It Bad
Sophisticated Lady
Rockin' in Rhythm
I've Got to Be a Rug Cutter
The Mooche
East St. Louis Toodle-oo
Doin' the Skrontch
I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
Doin' the Crazy Walk
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
Rhumbop
Prelude to a Kiss
Black and Tan Fantasy
Creole Love Call
A Drum Is a Woman
Rhythm Pum Te Dum
Brown-Skinned Gal in the Calico Gown
Come Sunday
Sophisticated Ladies has had 3 productions including Broadway which opened in 1981, Broadway which opened in 1981 and US Tour which opened in 1982.
Best Musical , , Best Choreography for Henry le Tan, Best Choreography for Donald McKayle, Best Choreography for Michael Smuin, Best Costume Design for Willa KimBest Direction of a Musical for Michael Smuin and Best Lighting Design for Jennifer Tipton.
Best Choreography for Henry le Tan, Best Choreography for Donald McKayle, Best Choreography for Michael Smuin, Best Costume Design for Willa Kim, Best Direction of a Musical for Michael Smuin, Best Lighting Design for Jennifer Tipton, .

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