A Class Act
Encyclopedia
A Class Act is a musical
with a book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price
and music and lyrics by Edward Kleban
. The musical is based on the life of composer
-lyricist
Ed Kleban, who died at the age of 48 in 1987. The musical uses flashbacks and the device of time running backwards to retrace the high and low points of Kleban's personal and professional life.
The production was stitched together by Kleban's friend Kline and by Price using a trunkful of songs that Kleban wrote for a number of musicals that never were produced. In addition to serving as a tribute to one of the award-winning collaborators of A Chorus Line
, A Class Act provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how a musical is created and brought to the stage and offers a warning about how an artist’s personal life—including struggles with mental illness
and cancer
—can interfere with, obstruct, and doom his professional pursuits.
by the Manhattan Theatre Club
at Stage II, opening on October 3, 2000 and running through December 10, 2000. The Off-Broadway cast, under Price's direction, included Price as Ed Kleban, Randy Graff
(Sophie), Jonathan Freeman (Lehman Engel), Carolee Carmello
(Lucy), Ray Wills (Charlie and Marvin Hamlisch), Julia Murney
(Felicia), Nancy Anderson (Mona), and David Hibbard (Bobby and Michael Bennett). A Class Act transferred to the Ambassador Theatre
on Broadway
, where it opened on March 11, 2001 and ran for 30 previews and 105 regular performances. Price, Graff, Hibbard, and Anderson were retained from the Off-Broadway company, with Patrick Quinn
replacing Freeman, Donna Bullock replacing Carmello, Jeff Blumenkrantz
replacing Wills, and Sara Ramirez
replacing Murney.
www.CivicLightOperaCompany.com
Act II
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price
Lonny Price
Lonny Price is an American actor, writer, and director, primarily in theatre. He is known for making statements on current events in versions of his musicals. His acclaimed May 2008 New York Philharmonic production of Camelot was making a statement about the current war including having different...
and music and lyrics by Edward Kleban
Edward Kleban
Edward “Ed” Kleban was an American musical theatre composer and lyricist.Kleban was born in the Bronx, New York in 1939 and graduated from New York's High School of Music & Art and Columbia University, where he attended with future playwright Terrance McNally. Kleban is best known as lyricist of...
. The musical is based on the life of composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
-lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Ed Kleban, who died at the age of 48 in 1987. The musical uses flashbacks and the device of time running backwards to retrace the high and low points of Kleban's personal and professional life.
The production was stitched together by Kleban's friend Kline and by Price using a trunkful of songs that Kleban wrote for a number of musicals that never were produced. In addition to serving as a tribute to one of the award-winning collaborators of A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
, A Class Act provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how a musical is created and brought to the stage and offers a warning about how an artist’s personal life—including struggles with mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
—can interfere with, obstruct, and doom his professional pursuits.
Production
made by Off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
by the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
at Stage II, opening on October 3, 2000 and running through December 10, 2000. The Off-Broadway cast, under Price's direction, included Price as Ed Kleban, Randy Graff
Randy Graff
Randy Graff is an American actress. Graff has been in feature films such as Keys to Tulsa and Rent as well as being in television shows such as NBC's Law & Order a number of times. In addition to film and television, Graff has been in several Broadway shows...
(Sophie), Jonathan Freeman (Lehman Engel), Carolee Carmello
Carolee Carmello
Carolee Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals.She made her Broadway debut in a small role in City of Angels...
(Lucy), Ray Wills (Charlie and Marvin Hamlisch), Julia Murney
Julia Murney
Julia Kathleen Murney is an American actress, singer and theatre performer, primarily featured in theatre and television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway...
(Felicia), Nancy Anderson (Mona), and David Hibbard (Bobby and Michael Bennett). A Class Act transferred to the Ambassador Theatre
Ambassador Theatre (New York)
The Ambassador Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 219 West 49th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the Shuberts, the structure is unusual in that it is situated diagonally on its site to fit the maximum number of...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, where it opened on March 11, 2001 and ran for 30 previews and 105 regular performances. Price, Graff, Hibbard, and Anderson were retained from the Off-Broadway company, with Patrick Quinn
Patrick Quinn
Patrick Dominic Quinn was an American actor and a former president of the Actors' Equity Association. Quinn's father was a mortician....
replacing Freeman, Donna Bullock replacing Carmello, Jeff Blumenkrantz
Jeff Blumenkrantz
Jeff Blumenkrantz is an American actor and musical theatre composer/lyricist.Born and raised in New Jersey, Blumenkrantz is a graduate of Northwestern University...
replacing Wills, and Sara Ramirez
Sara Ramírez
Sara Ramírez is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter and actress. She is known for her role as Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy and as the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.-Early life:Ramírez...
replacing Murney.
Canadian Premiere
A Class Act had its Canadian premiere presented by the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company as the company's 30th anniversary production in May of 2009. The show starred Joe Cascone (Ed Kleban), Caroline Moro-Dalicandro (Sophie), David Haines (doubling as Bobby and Marvin Hamlisch), Joanne Kennedy (Lucy), Eric Botosan (Lehman Engel), Julie Lennick (Felicia), Stephanie Douglas (Mona) and Larry Gibbs (doubling as Charley and Michael Bennett). Like the original New York productions, the Toronto production was directed by its leading man, Joe Cascone with choreography by Lesley Ansell and musical direction by Paul Christman.www.CivicLightOperaCompany.com
Plot
In 1988, a memorial service to Ed Kleban is being held at the Shubert Theatre. Ed appears at his own memorial. His friends and colleagues remember him and think back over the past. As the time shifts backwards, the friends reminisce about the songwriting workshop held by Lehman Engel (B.M.I. Workshop). As Ed interacts with the people in his life, he deals with ambitions, success, failures, and loves.Characters
- Ed – Edward Kleban, lyricist and composer
- Sophie – Ed's oldest friend and first love, an oncologist
- Lehman EngelLehman EngelLehman Engel was an American composer and conductor of Broadway musicals, television and film.-Work in theatre, television and films:...
– head of the songwriting workshop - Michael BennettMichael BennettMichael Bennett was an American musical theater director, writer, choreographer, and dancer. He won seven Tony Awards for his choreography and direction of Broadway shows and was nominated for an additional eleven....
– director/ choreographer of A Chorus Line - Marvin HamlischMarvin HamlischMarvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
– composer of A Chorus Line - Lucy – Ed's last significant other, member of the BMI Workshop
- Felicia – Ed's boss at Columbia Records, member of the BMI Workshop
- Bobby – Ed's best friend, member of the BMI Workshop
- Charlie – a friend from the workshop, member of the BMI Workshop
- Mona – one of Ed's many love affairs, member of the BMI Workshop
Song list
Act I- Light on My Feet – Ed and Company
- The Fountain in the Garden – Company
- One More Beautiful Song – Ed and Sophie
- Fridays at Four – Company
- Bobby's Song – Bobby
- Charm Song – Lehman and Company
- Paris Through The Window – Ed, Bobby and Charley
- Mona – Mona
- Under Separate Cover – Sophie, Lucy and Ed
- Don't Do It Again – Felicia and Ed
- Gauguin's Shoes – Ed and Company
- Don't Do It Again (Reprise) – Lehman
- Follow Your Star – Sophie and Ed
Act II
- Better – Ed and Company
- Scintillating Sophie – Ed
- The Next Best Thing To Love – Sophie
- Broadway Boogie Woogie – Lucy
- Better (Reprise) – Ed and Company
- I Choose You – Ed and Lucy
- The Nightmare – Ed
- Say Something Funny – Company
- When the Dawn Breaks – Ed
- Self Portrait – Ed
Recording
A recording by the Off-Broadway cast was released by RCA Victor Broadway on February 20, 2001.Original Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical was first awarded in the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has subsequently been awarded every year. In the 1993-1994 Drama Desk Awards the award was given under the name of Outstanding Supporting Actress - Musical... |
Randy Graff Randy Graff Randy Graff is an American actress. Graff has been in feature films such as Keys to Tulsa and Rent as well as being in television shows such as NBC's Law & Order a number of times. In addition to film and television, Graff has been in several Broadway shows... |
|
| Outstanding Lyrics Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Edward Kleban Edward Kleban Edward “Ed” Kleban was an American musical theatre composer and lyricist.Kleban was born in the Bronx, New York in 1939 and graduated from New York's High School of Music & Art and Columbia University, where he attended with future playwright Terrance McNally. Kleban is best known as lyricist of... |
|||
| Outstanding Music Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
||||
| Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... |
Best Musical Tony Award for Best Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack... |
|||
| Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible... |
Linda Kline and Lonny Price Lonny Price Lonny Price is an American actor, writer, and director, primarily in theatre. He is known for making statements on current events in versions of his musicals. His acclaimed May 2008 New York Philharmonic production of Camelot was making a statement about the current war including having different... |
|||
| Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics... |
Edward Kleban Edward Kleban Edward “Ed” Kleban was an American musical theatre composer and lyricist.Kleban was born in the Bronx, New York in 1939 and graduated from New York's High School of Music & Art and Columbia University, where he attended with future playwright Terrance McNally. Kleban is best known as lyricist of... |
|||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Randy Graff Randy Graff Randy Graff is an American actress. Graff has been in feature films such as Keys to Tulsa and Rent as well as being in television shows such as NBC's Law & Order a number of times. In addition to film and television, Graff has been in several Broadway shows... |
|||
| Best Orchestrations Tony Award for Best Orchestrations -1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King... |
Larry Hochman Larry Hochman Larry Hochman is an American orchestrator and composer. He has won four Emmy Awards for his original music on the TV series The Wonder Pets, and a Tony Award for his orchestrations for The Book of Mormon.... |
|||