Oil City Symphony
Encyclopedia
Oil City Symphony is a musical with a book by Mike Craver
, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk
, and Mary Murfitt and songs by various composers. It is a recreation of a recital by four middle-aged amateur musicians who have reunited in the auditorium of the Ohio
high school they attended in the 1960s to pay tribute to music teacher Miss Hazel Reaves, who is retiring. The musical ran for 626 performances off-Broadway
.
All four, whose combined talents "represent 127 years of total studying time," aspired to show business careers, but none of them ever left their small hometown. Debbie, the ex-prom queen, plays the drums and percussion; Mark, the minister of music at his church, is a pianist and accordion
ist; Mary, a rabid fan of women's roller derby
remembered for her portrayal of Anita in a local production of West Side Story
, plays the violin
, saxophone
, flute
, and slide whistle
; and Mike, a former member of an acid rock
band, is a master of the synthesizer
and vibraslap
.
and later helped write and performed in the 1981 musical Pump Boys and Dinettes
. Hardwick and Mike Craver met during Pump Boys and began playing piano duets. The two were joined by Debra Monk on drums. The trio expanded to a quartet with Sharon Scruggs on violin and group made its premiere performance at the Doo Wop Club in New York City on May 12, 1986. When Scruggs decided to leave the group, she was replaced by Mary Murfitt via an audition.
Miss Reaves, the evening's guest of honor who is seated in the audience but never seen, is based on Hardwick's music teacher Denny Eaves.
, the off-Broadway
production, starring the four creators, opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre Downtown
in Greenwich Village
on November 5, 1987, and closed on May 7, 1989, after 626 performances. It won the Drama Desk Award
for Best Ensemble and the Outer Critics Circle Award
for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, and Mary Murfitt won the Theatre World Award
for her performance.
, Mel Gussow
called it "a musical with charm and a sure sense of its own identity," and the theatre critic for Variety
said it was "an endearing slice of nostalgic Americana that few will resist." In Time
, Michael Walsh called the musical "very funny indeed" and said it "lets the good times roll, and in the process skewers every high school music program in the country."
Mike Craver
Mike Craver is an American composer and lyricist. He was born in North Carolina.-Biography:Mike Craver graduated from the University of North Carolina. He was also, for 12 years, a member of the band, Red Clay Ramblers. He has appeared in Sam Shepard's "A Lie of the Mind". He has toured, with the...
, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk
Debra Monk
Debra Monk is an American actress, singer, and writer.Monk was born in Middletown, Ohio. She was voted "best personality" by the graduating class at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. She graduated from Frostburg State University in 1963...
, and Mary Murfitt and songs by various composers. It is a recreation of a recital by four middle-aged amateur musicians who have reunited in the auditorium of the Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
high school they attended in the 1960s to pay tribute to music teacher Miss Hazel Reaves, who is retiring. The musical ran for 626 performances off-Broadway
Off-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...
.
All four, whose combined talents "represent 127 years of total studying time," aspired to show business careers, but none of them ever left their small hometown. Debbie, the ex-prom queen, plays the drums and percussion; Mark, the minister of music at his church, is a pianist and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist; Mary, a rabid fan of women's roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
remembered for her portrayal of Anita in a local production of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
, plays the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, and slide whistle
Slide whistle
A slide whistle is a wind instrument consisting of a fipple like a recorder's and a tube with a piston in it. Thus it has an air reed like some woodwinds, but varies the pitch with a slide. The construction is rather like a bicycle pump...
; and Mike, a former member of an acid rock
Acid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
band, is a master of the synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and vibraslap
Vibraslap
A vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire connecting a wood ball to a hollow box of wood with metal “teeth” inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes the ball...
.
Background
Debra Monk and Mark Hardwick were fellow students at Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
and later helped write and performed in the 1981 musical Pump Boys and Dinettes
Pump Boys and Dinettes
Pump Boys and Dinettes is a musical written by a performance group of the same name. The performance group, "Pump Boys and Dinettes" consists of John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann...
. Hardwick and Mike Craver met during Pump Boys and began playing piano duets. The two were joined by Debra Monk on drums. The trio expanded to a quartet with Sharon Scruggs on violin and group made its premiere performance at the Doo Wop Club in New York City on May 12, 1986. When Scruggs decided to leave the group, she was replaced by Mary Murfitt via an audition.
Miss Reaves, the evening's guest of honor who is seated in the audience but never seen, is based on Hardwick's music teacher Denny Eaves.
Productions
Following limited runs in Dallas and BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, the off-Broadway
Off-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...
production, starring the four creators, opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre Downtown
Circle in the Square Theatre
The Circle in the Square Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre in midtown Manhattan on 50th Street in the Paramount Plaza building.The original Circle in the Square was founded by Paul Libin, Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in 1951 and was located at 5 Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village...
in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
on November 5, 1987, and closed on May 7, 1989, after 626 performances. It won the 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...
for Best Ensemble and the Outer Critics Circle Award
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, and Mary Murfitt won the Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for her performance.
Critical reception
In his review in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Mel Gussow
Mel Gussow
Melvyn H. Gussow was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for The New York Times for 35 years.-Biography:...
called it "a musical with charm and a sure sense of its own identity," and the theatre critic for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said it was "an endearing slice of nostalgic Americana that few will resist." In Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Michael Walsh called the musical "very funny indeed" and said it "lets the good times roll, and in the process skewers every high school music program in the country."
Musical numbers
- Count Your Blessings
- Czardas
- The Anvil Chorus
- In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
- Ohio Afternoon
- Baby, It's Cold OutsideBaby, It's Cold OutsideBaby, It's Cold Outside may refer to:*"Baby, It's Cold Outside", a 1948 song by Frank Loesser*"Cold Outside", a song by country music band Big House from their self-titled debut album*"Baby, It's Cold Outside", a 1991 short story by Isaac Asimov...
- The Hokey Pokey
- Beaver Ball at the Bug Club
- The Beehive Polka
- A Patriotic Fantasy
- Dizzy Fingers
- Getting Acquainted
- Iris
- The End of the World
- Dear Miss Reeves
- Coaxing the Piano
- Bus Ride
- In the Sweet Bye and Bye
- My Ol' Kentucky Rock and Roll Home
- Exodus
- Sleigh Ride
- Christmas Medley
- Summer Medley