Really Rosie
Encyclopedia
Really Rosie is a musical
with a book and lyrics by Maurice Sendak
and music by Carole King
. The musical is based on Sendak's books Chicken Soup with Rice, Pierre, One was Johnny, Alligators All Around (which comprise The Nutshell Library (1962)), and The Sign on Rosie's Door (1960). Sendak based the story on a demonstrative little girl who used to sing and dance on the stoop of her building, whom he observed while he was a little boy growing up in Brooklyn.
The musical has become a mainstay of children's theater groups. It follows a typical summer day in the life of the Nutshell Kids, a group of several neighborhood friends, including Pierre, Alligator, Johnny, and Chicken Soup from the Nutshell Library books, and Rosie and Kathy from The Sign on Rosie' s Door. Rosie, the self-proclaimed sassiest kid on her block of Brooklyn
's Avenue P, entertains everyone by directing and starring in an Oscar-winning movie based on the exciting, dramatic, funny (and slightly exaggerated) story of her life. During its off-Broadway run, the lead role of Rosie was played by a-then 12-year-old Tisha Campbell-Martin.
A half-hour animated
television special aired on CBS
TV in February 1975. It was directed by Maurice Sendak, with Carole King
voicing the title character. An album based on the songs by King and lyrics by Sendak is available on Ode
/Epic
/SME Records
. In the animated special, only the first seven songs and Really Rosie (Reprise) were showcased. Sendak expanded the piece for London and Washington, DC, stage productions in 1978, and an off-Broadway
production, directed and choreographed by Patricia Birch
with designs by Sendak, which opened on October 14, 1980, at the Westside Theatre
, where it ran for 274 performances.
and the characters from The Nutshell Library live on the same block on Avenue P in Brooklyn, New York. On a hot July Saturday, the children are bored and need something to do. Rosie imagines herself as a famous and talented star, and decides to produce an imaginary movie musical about her life and in particular the demise of her brother named Chicken Soup, to be called Did You Hear What Happened to Chicken Soup?
She gets her friends, the Nutshell Kids, to audition for a role in the film, but they begin to fight over casting. A thunderstorm forces the kids to move into the cellar. To keep the kids' attention, Rosie decides that they need to show the producer the movie's big finale number. She gets them all to close their eyes and imagine the producer inviting them to make her movie. Afterward, when the children go home, Rosie remains to dream of stardom in her big number.
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 and lyrics by Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
and music by Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
. The musical is based on Sendak's books Chicken Soup with Rice, Pierre, One was Johnny, Alligators All Around (which comprise The Nutshell Library (1962)), and The Sign on Rosie's Door (1960). Sendak based the story on a demonstrative little girl who used to sing and dance on the stoop of her building, whom he observed while he was a little boy growing up in Brooklyn.
The musical has become a mainstay of children's theater groups. It follows a typical summer day in the life of the Nutshell Kids, a group of several neighborhood friends, including Pierre, Alligator, Johnny, and Chicken Soup from the Nutshell Library books, and Rosie and Kathy from The Sign on Rosie' s Door. Rosie, the self-proclaimed sassiest kid on her block of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
's Avenue P, entertains everyone by directing and starring in an Oscar-winning movie based on the exciting, dramatic, funny (and slightly exaggerated) story of her life. During its off-Broadway run, the lead role of Rosie was played by a-then 12-year-old Tisha Campbell-Martin.
A half-hour animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
television special aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
TV in February 1975. It was directed by Maurice Sendak, with Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
voicing the title character. An album based on the songs by King and lyrics by Sendak is available on Ode
Ode Records
Ode Records was a record label, started by Lou Adler in 1967 after he sold Dunhill Records to ABC Records. It was distributed by CBS Records until 1969. Between 1970 and 1976 the label was distributed by A&M Records, from 1976 onward it was again distributed by CBS Records.Adler deactivated the...
/Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
/SME Records
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. In the animated special, only the first seven songs and Really Rosie (Reprise) were showcased. Sendak expanded the piece for London and Washington, DC, stage productions in 1978, and an 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, directed and choreographed by Patricia Birch
Patricia Birch
Patricia Birch is an American choreographer and director for musical theatre and film.Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon, Goldilocks, and West Side Story . She has directed and choreographed music videos for Cyndi Lauper, the...
with designs by Sendak, which opened on October 14, 1980, at the Westside Theatre
Westside Theatre
__notoc__The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway venue located at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs theater, which seats 299, and the Downstairs theater, which...
, where it ran for 274 performances.
Plot
RosieRosie
-People:* Rosie, nickname of Sierra Casady, , American musician, band member of CocoRosie* Rosie, the first Malayalam actress, , acted in the first Malayalam movie , Vigathakumaran...
and the characters from The Nutshell Library live on the same block on Avenue P in Brooklyn, New York. On a hot July Saturday, the children are bored and need something to do. Rosie imagines herself as a famous and talented star, and decides to produce an imaginary movie musical about her life and in particular the demise of her brother named Chicken Soup, to be called Did You Hear What Happened to Chicken Soup?
She gets her friends, the Nutshell Kids, to audition for a role in the film, but they begin to fight over casting. A thunderstorm forces the kids to move into the cellar. To keep the kids' attention, Rosie decides that they need to show the producer the movie's big finale number. She gets them all to close their eyes and imagine the producer inviting them to make her movie. Afterward, when the children go home, Rosie remains to dream of stardom in her big number.
Track listing
Lyrics by Maurice Sendak, music by Carole King- Really Rosie
- One Was Johnny
- Alligators All Around
- Pierre
- Screaming and Yelling
- The Ballad of Chicken Soup
- Chicken Soup with Rice
- Avenue P
- My Simple Humble Neighborhood
- The Awful Truth
- Such Sufferin’
- Really Rosie (Reprise)
- Really Rosie (Original Piano Demo) [only on CD reissue]
Chart position
| Year | Country | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
The Billboard Top 200 | 20 |
External links
- Really Rosie at Google Books
- Teachers' Guide to Really Rosie