Magdalena: a Musical Adventure is a musical with music by Heitor Villa-Lobos

Heitor Villa-Lobos

Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...

, original book by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan

Frederick Hazlitt Brennan

Frederick Hazlitt Brennan was an American screenwriter. He wrote for over 30 films between 1929 and 1953 and was the creator of the Wyatt Earp television show....

 and Homer Curran

Homer Curran

Homer F. Curran was an American theatrical producer who had a profound impact on the development of professional theatre on the West Coast of the United States during the first half of the 20th century. Born in Springfield, Missouri, he was educated at Stanford University. After graduating, he...

, with subsequent lyrics and musical adaptations by Robert Wright

Robert Wright (writer)

Robert [Craig] Wright was an American composer-lyricist for Hollywood and the musical theatre best known for the Broadway musical and musical film Kismet, for which he and his professional partner George Forrest adapted themes by Alexander Borodin and added lyrics...

 and George Forrest

George Forrest (author)

George Forrest was a writer of music and lyrics for musical theatre best known for the show Kismet, adapted from the works of Alexander Borodin.-Biography:...

. Commissioned by Edwin Lester

Edwin Lester

Edwin Lester was an American theatre director, impresario, and producer. He was the longtime general director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, which he founded in 1938. He also co-founded the LACLO's affiliate organization, the San Francisco Civic Light Opera, with Homer Curran in 1939...

, it premiered at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera

Los Angeles Civic Light Opera

The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera was an American theatre/opera company in Los Angeles, California. Founded under the motto "Light Opera in the Grand Opera manner" in 1938 by impresario Edwin Lester, the organization presented fifty seasons of theatre before closing due to financial reasons in...

 in 1948.

It opened 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...

 at the Ziegfeld Theatre

Ziegfeld Theatre

The Ziegfeld Theatre was a Broadway theater located at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 54th Street in Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1927 and, despite public protests, was razed in 1966....

 on September 20, 1948, and closed on December 4, 1948 after 88 performances. With staging by Jules Dassin

Jules Dassin

Julius "Jules" Dassin , was an American film director, with Jewish-Russian origins. He was a subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, and subsequently moved to France where he revived his career.-Early life:...

 and choreography by Jack Cole

Jack Cole (choreographer)

Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance.-Early life:...

, it starred John Raitt

John Raitt

John Emmett Raitt was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theater.-Early years:...

, Dorothy Sarnoff

Dorothy Sarnoff

Dorothy Sarnoff was an American operatic soprano, musical theatre actress, and self-help guru. She had an active performing career from the late 1930s through the 1950s, during which time she sang in several operas with the New York City Opera and created several roles on Broadway, most notably...

 and Hugo Haas

Hugo Haas

Hugo Haas was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in over 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962....

.

It was presented in concert form on November 24, 1987 at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. A recording of the concert was issued by Sony on October 10, 1989 (ASIN: B0000026QF)

It made an Australian premiere/revival in 19?? as part of the Opera Festival in Ballarat Victoria. Evans Haile was imported to conduct.

The Théâtre du Châtelet

Théâtre du Châtelet

The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...

 in 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...

 announced a production to open in May 2010. Kate Whoriskey

Kate Whoriskey

Kate Whoriskey was the artistic director of the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, Washington, USA, for a year, departing in April, 2011 after the theater's board cancelled the remainder of the 2011 season due to financial problems. Whoriskey had been co-Artistic Director of Intiman along with Bartlett...

 directs and Warren Adams, choreographs.

Musical numbers

As presented in the original 1948 Broadway production

Act I

• Women Weaving
• Petacal
• The Seed of God
• My Omen Bird
• My Bus and I
• The Emerald
• The Civilized People
• Food For Thought
• Come to Colombia
• Plan It by the Planets
• Bon Soir, Paris
• Travel, Travel, Travel
• Magdalena
• The Broken Pianolita
• Greeting
• The River Song
• Chivor Dance
• My Bus and I (Reprise)
• The Forbidden Orchid

Act II

• Ceremonial
• The Singing Tree
• Lost
• Freedom!
• Vals de Espana
• The Emerald (Reprise)
• Piece de Resistance
• The Broken Bus
• The Seed of God (Reprise)

External links

• Internet Broadway Database listing
• New York Times review, November 25, 1987
• Time Magazine review, Oct. 04, 1948