Side Man
Encyclopedia
Side Man is a memory play by Warren Leight
. His inspiration was his father Donald, who worked as a sideman
, in jazz
parlance a musician
for hire who can blend in with the band or star as a solo performer, according to what is required by the gig.
er, and his alcoholic wife Terry, who describes the tumultuous relationship his parents shared and the haphazard career journey Gene followed over the course of three decades. Dedicated more to his music than his family, he refuses to accept a regular job to support them, and their home life gradually unravels, with Clifford eventually assuming the role of breadwinner his father has forsaken and offering his mother the emotional support Gene cannot. Scenes alternate between the family's Spartan New York City
apartment and the smoke-filled nightclub
s and cabaret
s of another era.
, the play premiered on March 11, 1998 at the off-off-Broadway
East 13th Street Theater, where it ran until March 29. The cast included Frank Wood
as Gene, Robert Sella as Clifford, and Edie Falco
as Terry. Joseph Lyle Taylor as AL, Michael Mastro as Ziggy, Kevin Geer as Jonsey and Angelica Torn as Patsy. After 27 previews, the Broadway
production, also directed by Mayer, opened on June 25, 1998 at the Criterion Center Stage Right. It later transferred to the John Golden Theatre
for a total run of 517 performances. Wood and Sella reprised their roles, with Wendy Makkena
replacing Falco as Terry. Later in the run Sella was replaced successively by Andrew McCarthy
, Christian Slater
, and Scott Wolf
, Wood was replaced by Michael O'Keefe
, and Makkena was replaced by Falco.
In reviewing the off-Broadway production, Peter Marks of the New York Times called it "both heartbreaking and touching, a play of true feeling, full of affection for its characters and insight about the events it conjures."
Through an arrangement with Actors' Equity
, which allowed for the British
cast of The Real Thing
to travel to Broadway, Side Man, with Wood, Falco, and Jason Priestley
, opened on February 8, 2000 in London
's West End
at the Apollo Theatre
, where it ran for slightly more than two months.
RCA Victor released a CD compiled from the original recordings.
Warren Leight
Warren Leight is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lights Out and the showrunner for In Treatment and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit....
. His inspiration was his father Donald, who worked as a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
, in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
parlance a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
for hire who can blend in with the band or star as a solo performer, according to what is required by the gig.
Plot
The play's narrator is Clifford Glimmer, the only son of Gene, a talented but self-absorbed jazz trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er, and his alcoholic wife Terry, who describes the tumultuous relationship his parents shared and the haphazard career journey Gene followed over the course of three decades. Dedicated more to his music than his family, he refuses to accept a regular job to support them, and their home life gradually unravels, with Clifford eventually assuming the role of breadwinner his father has forsaken and offering his mother the emotional support Gene cannot. Scenes alternate between the family's Spartan 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...
apartment and the smoke-filled nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s and cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
s of another era.
Productions
Directed by Michael MayerMichael Mayer (director)
Michael Mayer is an American stage and film director. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2007 for directing Spring Awakening.-Biography:...
, the play premiered on March 11, 1998 at the off-off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
East 13th Street Theater, where it ran until March 29. The cast included Frank Wood
Frank Wood (actor)
Frank Wood is an American actor who has appeared in various television, film, and theatre roles. His most frequent role was performing as Greg in the HBO series Flight Of The Conchords.-Early life:...
as Gene, Robert Sella as Clifford, and Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
as Terry. Joseph Lyle Taylor as AL, Michael Mastro as Ziggy, Kevin Geer as Jonsey and Angelica Torn as Patsy. After 27 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, also directed by Mayer, opened on June 25, 1998 at the Criterion Center Stage Right. It later transferred to the John Golden Theatre
John Golden Theatre
The John Golden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 252 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan. Designed in a Moorish style along with the adjacent Royale Theatre by architect Herbert J. Krapp for Irwin Chanin, it opened as the Theatre Masque on February 24 1927 with the play Puppets of Passion...
for a total run of 517 performances. Wood and Sella reprised their roles, with Wendy Makkena
Wendy Makkena
-Career:Born in New York City, Makkena started her acting career in 1986 and appeared in the TV show Santa Barbara. She later landed her first movie role in Eight Men Out...
replacing Falco as Terry. Later in the run Sella was replaced successively by Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy
Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his role in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar and Royal Pains.-Career:McCarthy...
, Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
, and Scott Wolf
Scott Wolf
Scott Richard Wolf is an American actor, known for his roles on the television series Party of Five as Bailey Salinger and on Everwood as Dr. Jake Hartman. Since 2009, he has appeared in the Sci-Fi series V as the morally ambiguous journalist, Chad Decker.-Early life:Wolf was born in Boston,...
, Wood was replaced by Michael O'Keefe
Michael O'Keefe
Michael Raymond O'Keefe is an American film and television actor.- Early life :O'Keefe was born Raymond Peter O'Keefe, Jr. in Mount Vernon, New York, the oldest of seven children in a devoutly Roman Catholic Irish American family. His father was a law professor at Fordham University, as well as...
, and Makkena was replaced by Falco.
In reviewing the off-Broadway production, Peter Marks of the New York Times called it "both heartbreaking and touching, a play of true feeling, full of affection for its characters and insight about the events it conjures."
Through an arrangement with Actors' Equity
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
, which allowed for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
cast of The Real Thing
The Real Thing (play)
The Real Thing is a play by Tom Stoppard, first performed in 1982. It examines the nature of honesty, and its use of a play within a play is one of many levels on which the author teases the audience with the difference between semblance and reality....
to travel to Broadway, Side Man, with Wood, Falco, and Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
, opened on February 8, 2000 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
, where it ran for slightly more than two months.
Awards and nominations
- 1998 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play (nominee)
- 1998 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New PlayOuter Critics Circle AwardThe 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...
(nominee) - 1999 Tony Award for Best PlayTony Award for Best PlayThe Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
(winner) - 1999 Pulitzer Prize for DramaPulitzer Prize for DramaThe Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
(nominee)
Music featured in the play
- 1. I Remember Clifford [7:12]
- 2. Rockin' Chair [3:08]
- 3. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance [7:25]
- 4. Daahoud [4:07]
- 5. Cristo Redentor [5:47]
- 6. Land's End [5:02]
- 7. Chelsea Bridge [3:27]
- 8. A Night In Tunisia [11:07]
- 9. Time [5:07]
- 10. It Never Entered My Mind [4:02]
RCA Victor released a CD compiled from the original recordings.