Brooklyn (musical)
Encyclopedia
Brooklyn the Musical is a musical
with a book, lyrics, and music by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson.
into a stage where they present their play about Paris
ian singer Brooklyn, named after the New York City
borough
from which her wayward father Taylor hailed. Orphaned when her depressed mother Faith hangs herself, the girl in quick succession is sent to live in a convent
where she discovers her vocal talents, becomes a star, performs at Carnegie Hall
, sets out in search of her father (who she discovers is a drug-addicted Vietnam War
vet), and engages in a competition with local diva Paradice at Madison Square Garden
.
housewife, encountered her former partner singing on a Brooklyn street corner as a means of support. She invited him home to live with her and her family, and the two began to write songs based on Schoenfeld's experiences they eventually worked into a plot boasting elements of Annie
, Madame Butterfly, Movin' Out
, Rent
, and every fairy tale
that ever ended happily ever after.
After twenty-seven previews, the Broadway
production, directed by Jeff Calhoun
, opened on October 21, 2004 at the Plymouth Theatre (renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld
in May 2005), where it ran for 284 performances. The cast included Eden Espinosa
as Brooklyn, Karen Olivo
as Faith, Kevin Anderson as Taylor, Ramona Keller as Paradice, and Cleavant Derricks
as a street singer who acts as the narrator.
finalist Diana DeGarmo
as Brooklyn and Melba Moore
as Paradice. Cleavant Derricks
reprised his performance as Street Singer, with original cast member Julie Reiber as Faith.
In 2008 Brooklyn made its professional regional premiere at Wisconsin's The Armory located in Janesville, WI. The limited engagement, arranged through Brooklyn's original producers, ran from May 8 to June 1, 2008. The Armory production featured Elyssa Samsel in the title role with John Edwards (Street Singer), Brett J. Frazier (Taylor Collins), Chelsea Waller (Paradice) and Julie Marie Eberhart (Faith). This produciton also added two more voices and featured Don Seward and Amy Linden in the ensemble.
Baldwin Wallace College was granted the rights to put on a regional production in Berea, Ohio in April 2008. It played at Playhouse Square's 14th Street Theatre in May 2008.
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, lyrics, and music by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson.
Synopsis
Using the play within a play structure, Brooklyn focuses on a group of five ragtag homeless musicians known as the City Weeds. The group periodically transforms a street corner under the foot of the Brooklyn BridgeBrooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
into a stage where they present their play about Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian singer Brooklyn, named after the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
from which her wayward father Taylor hailed. Orphaned when her depressed mother Faith hangs herself, the girl in quick succession is sent to live in a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
where she discovers her vocal talents, becomes a star, performs at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, sets out in search of her father (who she discovers is a drug-addicted Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
vet), and engages in a competition with local diva Paradice at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.
Creation
Schoenfeld and McPherson had collaborated on a record more than two decades earlier but lost touch until the latter, now a MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
housewife, encountered her former partner singing on a Brooklyn street corner as a means of support. She invited him home to live with her and her family, and the two began to write songs based on Schoenfeld's experiences they eventually worked into a plot boasting elements of Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
, Madame Butterfly, Movin' Out
Movin' Out (musical)
Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...
, Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, and every fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
that ever ended happily ever after.
After twenty-seven previews, the 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...
production, directed by Jeff Calhoun
Jeff Calhoun (choreographer)
Jeff Calhoun is an American director, choreographer, producer and dancer.As a student at Richland High School, now Pine-Richland High School , Calhoun was interested in both athletics and performance, playing football and studying tap dance. He danced in the ensemble at The Kenley Players in Ohio...
, opened on October 21, 2004 at the Plymouth Theatre (renamed the Gerald Schoenfeld
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 236 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan named for Gerald Schoenfeld....
in May 2005), where it ran for 284 performances. The cast included Eden Espinosa
Eden Espinosa
Eden Erica Espinosa is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked....
as Brooklyn, Karen Olivo
Karen Olivo
Karen Olivo is a stage and television actress, who is known for originating the role of Vanessa in the Tony Award–winning musical In the Heights both on and off Broadway. She won her Tony Award for her performance as Anita in the revival of West Side Story...
as Faith, Kevin Anderson as Taylor, Ramona Keller as Paradice, and Cleavant Derricks
Cleavant Derricks (actor)
Cleavant Derricks, Jr. is an American actor and singer-songwriter, who is best known for his role of Rembrandt Brown on Sliders.-Biography:...
as a street singer who acts as the narrator.
Cast recording
A cast album recorded live during a performance before an invited audience http://www.razorandtiemedia.com/artistpage.php?artist=149 was released on the Razor & Tie label.National tour and other productions
A 2006 national tour starred American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
finalist Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
as Brooklyn and Melba Moore
Melba Moore
Beatrice Melba Smith , known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.-Early life:...
as Paradice. Cleavant Derricks
Cleavant Derricks (actor)
Cleavant Derricks, Jr. is an American actor and singer-songwriter, who is best known for his role of Rembrandt Brown on Sliders.-Biography:...
reprised his performance as Street Singer, with original cast member Julie Reiber as Faith.
In 2008 Brooklyn made its professional regional premiere at Wisconsin's The Armory located in Janesville, WI. The limited engagement, arranged through Brooklyn's original producers, ran from May 8 to June 1, 2008. The Armory production featured Elyssa Samsel in the title role with John Edwards (Street Singer), Brett J. Frazier (Taylor Collins), Chelsea Waller (Paradice) and Julie Marie Eberhart (Faith). This produciton also added two more voices and featured Don Seward and Amy Linden in the ensemble.
Baldwin Wallace College was granted the rights to put on a regional production in Berea, Ohio in April 2008. It played at Playhouse Square's 14th Street Theatre in May 2008.
Song and scene list
- A Good Crowd Goin'...
- Heart Behind These Hands
- Christmas Makes Me Cry
- Thank You Sir
- Scene One
- Christmas Makes Me Cry
- Not a Sound
- Brooklyn Grew Up
- Creating Once Upon a Time
- Once Upon a Time
- Superlover
- The Challenge
- Brooklyn in the Blood
- Brooklyn Grew Up (Reprise)
- Magic Man
- Once Upon a Time (Reprise)
- Love Was a Song
- I Never Knew His Name
- The Truth
- Does Anybody Wanna Buy a Memory?
- Raven
- Sometimes
- Madison Square Garden
- Love Me Where I Live
- Love Fell Like Rain
- Magic Man (Reprise)
- Streetsinger
- Once Upon a Time (Reprise)
- Heart Behind These Hands (Reprise)