On Broadway

There are always plenty of good shows on Broadway. Here are a few that might be worth taking a look at. The Phantom of the Opera has been showing consistently since its first showing in 1988. It is currently the longest running show in Broadway history. The year it debuted on Broadway it won seven Tony awards. This musical was based on the 1911 French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by author Gaston Leroux. With music by renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, this musical has delighted theater audiences for over two decades now. The current Broadway show stars John Cudia as the phantom and is directed by Hal Prince. Another show that’s received rave reviews is Chicago. Chicago is a musical tale of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery. Chicago was written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The first showing of Chicago debuted in 1975 and was later revived in 1996. Chicago was based on a 1926 play of the same name that was in part based on true accounts. The 1926 version of Chicago was written by Maurine Dallas Watkins. Watkins was an American journalist and playwright born in Louisville, Kentucky. She reported on crimes and murders of the day including the infamous Leopold and Loeb case. The original Chicago ran for 936 performances from June 3, 1975 to August 27, 1977. The opening night cast starred Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, and Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn. The 1975 run of Chicago was nominated for ten Tony awards. The 1996 Chicago production was nominated for eight Tonys and won six, including Best Revival of a musical, Best Leading actress, and Best Leading actor. The current Chicago stars Ruthie Henshall and Matthew Settle. The director is Walter Bobbie and the set designer is John Lee Beatty. Chicago, along with The Phantom of the Opera has been adapted into feature film productions. Most of the original music is used in these adaptations and even some of the original cast assume their roles. A newer show, both in terms of thought and style as well as original release, is Wicked. Wicked is a musical adapted from the parallel novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was published in 1995. The novel is based upon the writings of L. Frank Baum and seven authors after him who continued writing books in the Wizard of Oz series. The novel is a political, social, and ethical commentary on the nature of good and evil. It takes place in The Land of Oz, in the years leading to Dorothy's arrival. The story centers on Elphaba, the misunderstood green-skinned girl who grows up to become the notorious Wicked Witch of the West. Gregory Maguire fashioned the name of Elphaba from the initials of Lyman Frank Baum, L-F-B. The musical has original music and lyrics written by Stephen Schwartz. Wicked has so far won three of ten Tonys it was nominated for, won six Desk Awards and one Oliver Award. Wicked initially received mixed reviews from critics. Despite these mixed reviews, interest in Wicked spread quickly by word-of-mouth, leading to record-breaking success at the box office. In its initial year, Wicked grossed 56 million dollars, far surpassing its initial 14 million dollar investment.