They're Playing Our Song | |
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Original Cast Recording | |
Music | Marvin Hamlisch |
Lyrics | Carole Bayer Sager |
Book | Neil Simon |
Basis | Relationship between Carole Bayer Sager and Marvin Hamlisch |
Productions | 1978 Los Angeles 1979 Broadway 1980 Sydney 1980 West End 1980 Buenos Aires 1992 Buenos Aires 2000 Manila 2007 Budapest 2008 Off-West End Revival 2009 Brazil 2011 Békéscsaba |
They're Playing Our Song is a musical with a book by Neil Simon , lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager , and music by Marvin Hamlisch .
In a story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat lyricist , but initially the match is not one made in heaven. The two undergo a series of trials and overcome a number of hurdles before finding true love by the final curtain.
They're Playing Our Song is essentially a two-character show. Vernon and Sonia are the sole characters on stage; each character has a three-person Greek chorus acting as their inner voices, and there are no big production numbers.
Produced by Emanuel Azenberg , the musical had its world premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in December 1978.[1] [2]
The musical opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on February 11, 1979, where it ran for 1,082 performances and 11 previews. Directed by Robert Moore and choreographed by Patricia Birch , the cast starred Robert Klein and Lucie Arnaz (in her Broadway debut). Douglas W. Schmidt designed the scenery and projections, Ann Roth designed the costumes and lighting was by Tharon Musser . Notable cast replacements included Tony Roberts , Stockard Channing , Victor Garber , Anita Gillette , John Hillner, Diana Canova and Ted Wass . An original cast recording was released by Casablanca Records .
Film rights were purchased by Rastar Films in late 1979. Producer Ray Stark planned a 1982 release through Columbia Pictures with new songs contributed by Hamlisch and Sager. The film, however, was never produced.[3]
The first U.S. national tour opened in 1979 with Victor Garber and Ellen Greene .[4]
The musical opened in the West End on October 1, 1980, at the Shaftesbury Theatre with Tom Conti and Gemma Craven ,[5] who won a 1980 Laurence Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a Musical.[6] Among the "Inner Voices" was Deena Payne . According to the history of the Shaftesbury Theatre, "The most successful production during this time was the musical They're Playing Our Song (1980), starring Tom Conti and Gemma Craven, which ran for nearly two years."[7] Notable replacements during its original London run included Martin Shaw and Diana Terry. It closed on May 8, 1982.[8] A London cast recording was released on the Chopper label.
A London revival opened at the Menier Chocolate Factory on August 4, 2008, to mixed reviews and closed on September 28. It starred How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? winner Connie Fisher and Alistair McGowan .[9]
International productionsThe original Australian production opened on August 23, 1980, at the Theatre Royal in Sydney . It starred John Waters and Jacki Weaver , with Rhonda Burchmore as one of the "Inner Voices." An Australian Cast Recording was released by Festival Records .
The Argentinian production opened in 1980, starring Valeria Lynch and Victor Laplace . In 1992 they starred a new production. The Argentinian cast recording was released by Philips .
The Singapore Repertory Theater production opened in the Philippines , from July 2000 to August 13. It starred Tony Award winner Lea Salonga as Sonia and Singaporean actor Adrian Pang as Vernon. The musical ran in the AFP Theatre.[10]
A Brazilian production opened in March 2009, starring Tadeu Aguiar[11] and Amanda Acosta.
A Hungarian version of the musical—titled Kapj el! (after the song "Fallin'")—played in Békéscsaba , Hungary , in 2011. The production, directed by Zoltán Seregi and choreographed by Judit Kerekes, starred Anna Balogh as Sonia and György Szomor as Vernon.[12]
OtherOn August 30, 2010, Seth Rudetsky and Sutton Foster starred in a one-night only Actors Fund benefit performance of the show at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre.[13]
In fall of 2010, the Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles staged a production starring Jason Alexander and Stephanie J. Block .[14]
Porchlight Music Theatre presented They're Playing Our Song as a part of their "Porchlight Revisits" season where they stage forgotten musicals three times per year. This production was in Chicago, Illinois in March 2018. It was directed and choreographed by Christopher Carter and music directed by Andra Velis Simon.[15]
Top pop music composer Vernon Gersch, hoping to find a new collaborator, meets offbeat Sonia Walsk, who has already had some success writing lyrics and is in awe of his accomplishments, at his luxury Manhattan apartment. She is surprised that his Oscar is so light, and Vernon quips, "They're chocolate inside." He is aloof and focused, while she is disorganized and distracted, but Vernon has already written music to one of Sonia's lyrics, and they decide to forge ahead. Sonia, frazzled by her break up with lover Leon, arrives a day late for their first work session. When they begin, she tells Vernon they should get to know each other on a personal level in order for their work to gel, and they decide to have dinner at "Le Club."
Sonia, who has been trying to ease Leon's anguish, is late yet again, and the evening begins badly. She and Vernon argue, then dance in an effort to calm down. The two settle down to enjoy the evening, and they hear their own songs being played over the sound system. Another work session, in which the two really don't listen to each other, follows, but Vernon convinces Sonia to join him for a romantic weekend at a Long Island beach house. The trip to the island in Vernon's small sports car is fraught with engine trouble, calls to Leon, and arguments. They finally arrive at the house, but a phone call from Leon threatens the romantic mood. Determined to concentrate on Vernon, Sonia tells Leon that she can't help him and hangs up.
Act IIIt's a week later and Vernon is suffering from insomnia . Sonia manipulates her way into his apartment by telling him she has no place to stay since Leon is back living at her place. Sonia and Vernon's romance and collaboration seems successful for a while, but the relationship begins to crumble because of her inability to send her ex-boyfriend away. Also, away from his piano, Vernon is a bundle of neuroses and unable to express his deepest feelings. After some psychologizing about the difficulties of living and working together, the pair split up at a recording session.
A few months later, while Vernon is in a Los Angeles hospital, Sonia arrives unexpectedly with a tiny red child's piano as a get-well gift. Months later, both have separately come to the realization that, despite their differences, they are better together. Vernon arrives at Sonia's apartment in New York to tell her that he wants to try again. She agrees, and they reconcile with a kiss.
Original Broadway (1979)[16] | 1st National Tour (1979)[17] | Original London (1980)[18] | 2nd National Tour (1981)[19] | |
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Vernon Gersch | Robert Klein | Victor Garber | Tom Conti | John Hammil |
Sonia Walsk | Lucie Arnaz | Ellen Greene | Gemma Craven | Lorna Luft |
The Voices of Vernon Gersch | Wayne Mattson Andy Roth Greg Zadikof | Kenneth Bryan Clint Clifford Bubba Rambo | Thom Booker Philip Day Mark Jefferis | George-Paul Fortuna Paul Mack Michael Mitz |
The Voices of Sonia Walsk | Helen Castillo Celia Celnik Matthau Debbie Shapiro | Ivy Austin Andrea Green Cheryl Howard | Dawn Hope Beverley Kay Deena Payne | Lynne Lamberis Gail Oscar Peggy A. Stamper |
Act I
| Act II
|
Chart (1980) | Position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report )[20] | 49 |
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
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1979 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Nominated | |
Best Book of a Musical | Neil Simon | Nominated | ||
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Robert Klein | Nominated | ||
Best Direction of a Musical | Robert Moore | Nominated | ||
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Book of a Musical | Neil Simon | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Lucie Arnaz | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Music | Marvin Hamlisch | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Lighting Design | Tharon Musser | Nominated | ||
Theatre World Award | Lucie Arnaz | Won |
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
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1980 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best New Musical | Nominated | |
Best Actor in a Musical | Tom Conti | Nominated | ||
Best Actress in a Musical | Gemma Craven | Won |
Tom Conti | |
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Conti in December 2007 | |
Born | Tommaso Antonio Conti 22 November 1941 (age 81) Paisley, Renfrewshire , Scotland |
Occupation(s) | Actor, theatre director, novelist |
Years active | 1963–present |
Spouse | Kara Wilson (m. 1967) |
Children | Nina Conti |
Tommaso Antonio Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish actor, theatre director, and novelist. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1979 for his performance in Whose Life Is It Anyway? and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1983 film Reuben, Reuben .
Tommaso Antonio Conti was born on 22 November 1941 in Paisley, Renfrewshire , the son of hairdressers Mary McGoldrick and Alfonso Conti.[1] He was brought up Roman Catholic , but is now antireligious .[2] His father was Italian, while his mother was born and raised in Scotland to Irish parents.[3] [4] Conti was educated at independent Catholic boys' school Hamilton Park[5] and at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama , both in Glasgow .
Conti is a theatre, film, and television actor. He began working with the Dundee Repertory in 1959. He appeared on Broadway in Whose Life Is It Anyway? in 1979, and in London, he played the lead in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell at the Garrick Theatre .
Besides taking the leading role in the TV versions of Frederic Raphael 's The Glittering Prizes and Alan Ayckbourn 's The Norman Conquests , Conti appeared in the "Princess and the Pea " episode of the family television series Faerie Tale Theatre , guest-starred on Friends and Cosby , and played opposite Nigel Hawthorne in a long-running series of Vauxhall Astra car advertisements in the United Kingdom during the mid-1990s.
Conti has appeared in such films as Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence ; Reuben, Reuben ; American Dreamer ; Shirley Valentine ; Miracles ; Saving Grace ; Dangerous Parking , and Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase .
Conti's novel The Doctor , about a former secret operations pilot for intelligence services, was published in 2004. According to the foreword, his friend Lynsey De Paul recommended the manuscript to publisher Jeremy Robson.[6]
He appeared in the hit BBC sitcom Miranda alongside Miranda Hart and Patricia Hodge , as Miranda's father, in the 2010 seasonal episode "The Perfect Christmas".
Conti has been married to Scottish actress Kara Wilson since 1967 and their daughter Nina is an actress and performs as a ventriloquist . According to Nina, her parents have an open marriage .[7]
Conti is a prominent resident of Hampstead in northwest London, having lived in the area for several decades. Conti was part of a campaign against the opening of a Tesco supermarket in nearby Belsize Park .[8] Conti put his Hampstead house up for sale in 2015 for £ 17.5 million after his long-running opposition to the building plans of his neighbour, the footballer Thierry Henry .[9] Conti had also opposed development plans for Hampstead's Grove Lodge, the 18th-century Grade II listed former home of novelist John Galsworthy .[10]
Conti participated in a genetic-mapping project conducted by the company ScotlandsDNA (now called BritainsDNA ). In 2012, Conti and the company announced that Conti shares a genetic marker with Napoléon Bonaparte .[11] Conti has said that he "burst out laughing" when told he was directly related to Napoléon on his father's side.[11]
Conti considered running as the Conservative candidate in the 2008 London mayoral election , but did not, and in the following election in 2012, he supported unsuccessful independent candidate Siobhan Benita .[12] In the run up to the 2015 general election , Conti said in an interview published in several newspapers that he was once a Labour supporter but had come to view socialism as a religion with a "vicious, hostile spirit".[13]
Film [ edit ]
| Television [ edit ] |
Stage [ edit ]
| Stage directing [ edit ] |
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification . Please help by adding reliable sources . Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately , especially if potentially libelous or harmful. Find sources: "Gemma Craven" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2010 ) (Learn how and when to remove this template message ) |
Gemma Craven | |
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Born | Rita Gemma Gabriel 1 June 1950 (age 72) Dublin , County Dublin , Ireland |
Occupation(s) | Actress, performer , singer, musician |
Years active | 1972–present |
Spouses |
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Awards | Best Actress – Musical 1980 They're Playing Our Song |
Rita Gemma Craven (née Gabriel ; born 1 June 1950) is an Irish actress. She is best known for her role as Joan Parker, the frigid wife of Arthur (Bob Hoskins ), in the BBC TV drama Pennies From Heaven (1978).
Craven's family moved from Dublin to Britain in 1960, and she attended the same school as Helen Mirren , St Bernard's Convent High School for Girls in Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex .[1] [2]
She appeared as Cinderella in the film The Slipper and the Rose (1976) opposite Richard Chamberlain .[3] She was cast as an unknown, having been spotted by one of the producers while performing at the Bristol Old Vic in a production of The Threepenny Opera . The local press touted the event as her own "Cinderella" story.
In London's West End , she starred opposite Tom Conti in the musical They're Playing Our Song for which she won a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance,[4] the lead role in South Pacific , and in Noël Coward 's Private Lives opposite Marc Sinden , Tony Anholt and Anholt's wife Tracey Childs which toured throughout 1991 and into 1992.[5] She also played Josie in Boy George 's Taboo and features on the OCR singing "Independent Woman".[6] [7]
She appeared as Joan Parker, the frigid wife of Arthur (Bob Hoskins ), in the original television version of Dennis Potter 's Pennies From Heaven (1978); she has since talked about the difficulty the role presented in undertaking a nude scene, which was seen as counter to her public image.[8] She also made guest appearances on Robin of Sherwood (1985), The Bill , The Morecambe and Wise Show , The Two Ronnies , Father Ted (episode "And God Created Woman ") and in the popular British drama Midsomer Murders episode, "Shot at Dawn" as Judy Hicks, the wife of Dave Hicks (Brian Capron ). She co-starred in the acclaimed 1982 British TV version of East Lynne . On the same Victorian theme she also appeared on BBC TV's long running old time music hall show The Good Old Days .
Her most substantial film role was as Minna Wagner opposite Richard Burton 's Richard Wagner , in the 1983 film Wagner . She also appeared in Why Not Stay for Breakfast? (1979), Double X: The Name of the Game (1992), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1993), Words Upon the Window Pane (1994) and The Hole (2001).
On radio, she played the part of Helen in the BBC Radio 4 comedy Clare in the Community .
She appeared on Irish television in the popular medical drama series The Clinic which runs weekly on RTÉ One .
In November/December 2008, Craven appeared in Hollyoaks Later as Erin "Ma" Fisher – Mother to Malachy , Kris and Bernadette.
Craven was married from 1981 to 1984 to actor Frazer Hines , and from 1990 to 1996 to financier David Beamish.