The Last Sweet Days of Isaac
Encyclopedia
The Last Sweet Days of Isaac is an American Off-Broadway
rock
musical by Gretchen Cryer
and Nancy Ford, which premiered in 1970. It starred Austin Pendleton
and Fredricka Weber, and later Alice Playten
. It received positive reviews, and won three Obies
, a Drama Desk Award
, and an Outer Critics Circle Award
. It opened at the Eastside Playhouse on January 26, 1970, and closed May 2, 1971.
The director, Word Baker, was the director for the first production of The Fantasticks
.
called it "My favorite rock musical". It won the 1970 Outer Critics Circle Award
for Best Off-Broadway Musical, and the 1970 Obie Award
for Best Musical. Pendleton won the Drama Desk Award
for Outstanding Performance and an Obie Award
for Distinguished Performance. Weber won an Obie for Distinguished Performance, and the 1970 Theatre World Award
. It received positive reviews at the time. Later critics have noted the dated qualities of the musical.
as Ingrid in both parts I and II. Directed by Worth Gardner, it received positive reviews.
label.
The album was produced by Steve Schwartz
, who would later create such musicals as Godspell
.
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...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musical by Gretchen Cryer
Gretchen Cryer
Gretchen Cryer is an American playwright, lyricist and actress.-Early life:Cryer was born Gretchen Kiger in Dunreith, Indiana, the daughter of Louise and Earl William Kiger...
and Nancy Ford, which premiered in 1970. It starred Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
and Fredricka Weber, and later Alice Playten
Alice Playten
Alice Playten was an American actress and singer.-Life and career:Born Alice Plotkin in New York City, Playten began her career in the Broadway musical Gypsy...
. It received positive reviews, and won three Obies
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
, a 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...
, and an 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...
. It opened at the Eastside Playhouse on January 26, 1970, and closed May 2, 1971.
Part I
Isaac Bernstein (Pendleton) imagines himself at the brink of an untimely death, and determines to make every subsequent moment a perfect work of art. He carries with him a guitar, trumpet, other instruments, a tape recorder, and a camera. At age 33, he is stuck in an elevator with Ingrid (Weber), a secretary who longs to become a poet. During the hour they are stuck there, Isaac attempts to teach Ingrid his life philosophy.Part II
Isaac, now 19, and Alice, are locked separately in prison cells. They communicate with each other and the outside through a TV camera and receiver in each cell. They attempt to make love to each others image, when a newscast interrupts their tryst with a report of Isaac's death at a demonstration. The newscast ends, with the two left with each others image, unsure if they are alive or dead.Production
- Isaac Bernstein - Austin PendletonAustin PendletonAustin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
- Ingrid/Alice - Fredricka Weber (replaced by Alice PlaytenAlice PlaytenAlice Playten was an American actress and singer.-Life and career:Born Alice Plotkin in New York City, Playten began her career in the Broadway musical Gypsy...
shortly after opening) - Other cast - Charles Collins, C. David Colson, Louise Heath, John Long
- featuring THE ZEITGEIST
- Electric piano & harpsichord, musical direction and arrangement - Clay Fullum
- Piano - George Broderick
- Bass - Aaron BellAaron BellSamuel Aaron Bell was an American jazz double-bassist.As a child, Bell played piano, and learned brass instruments in high school. He attended Xavier University, where he began playing bass, and graduated in 1942; following this he joined the Navy, completing his service in 1946...
- Guitar - Art Betker
- Drums - Harry Gist
- Sets - Ed Wittstein
- Costumes - Caley Summers
- Lighting - David F. Segal
- Production stage manager - T. L. Boston
- Assistant to the producer - John Toland
The director, Word Baker, was the director for the first production of The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into...
.
Reception
Noted theatre critic Walter KerrWalter Kerr
For the RN admiral see Lord Walter KerrWalter Francis Kerr was an American writer and Broadway theater critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals.-Biography:...
called it "My favorite rock musical". It won the 1970 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 Best Off-Broadway Musical, and the 1970 Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Best Musical. Pendleton 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 Outstanding Performance and an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for Distinguished Performance. Weber won an Obie for Distinguished Performance, and the 1970 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:...
. It received positive reviews at the time. Later critics have noted the dated qualities of the musical.
Revival
The show was revived in 1997, as The Last Sweet Days, a combined hybrid showing of "Isaac" and the similarly themed 1973 Cryer/Ford show Shelter, with Willy Falk as Isaac/MIchael and Ellen FoleyEllen Foley
Ellen Foley is an American singer and actress, who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom Night Court. In music, she has released three solo albums but is best known for her collaborations with the singer Meat Loaf.- Early life and career :Foley was born in St....
as Ingrid in both parts I and II. Directed by Worth Gardner, it received positive reviews.
Original cast recording
An original cast recording, with the same name, was released in 1970, on the RCARCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
label.
Track listing
- Side 1
- "Overture and The Last Sweet Days of Isaac", performed by Austin Pendleton and The ZeitgeistZeitgeistZeitgeist is "the spirit of the times" or "the spirit of the age."Zeitgeist is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era.The...
(3:40) - "A Transparent Crystal Moment", Pendleton, Fredricka Weber, Zeitgeist (2:01)
- "My Most Important Moments Go By", Weber, Pendleton (3:45)
- "Love, You Came to Me", Pendleton, Weber, Zeitgeist (3:13)
- "Finale", Pendleton, Weber, Zeitgeist, trumpet by Weber (4:32)
- Side 2
- "I Want to Walk to San Francisco", The Company (1:44)
- "I Can't Live in Solitary", John Long, Zeitgeist (1:59)
- "Wherein Lie the Seeds of Revolution", Charles Collins, Zeitgeist (2:27)
- "Touching Your Hand Is Like Touching Your Mind", Pendleton, Zeitgeist (1:52)
- "Somebody Died Today", C. David Colson, Zeitgeist (2:05)
- "Yes, I Know That I'm Alive", Louise Heath, Zeitgeist (2:15)
- "Finale", The Company (1:16)
- Recording engineer - John Woram
- Jacket photography - Jack MitchellJack Mitchell (photographer)Jack Mitchell in Key West, Florida is an American photographer and author, who is best known for his iconic images of artists, dancers, film and theatre performers, musicians and writers. Mitchell created lasting photographic images of individuals as diverse as Andy Warhol, Leontyne Price, Arnie...
The album was produced by Steve Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
, who would later create such musicals as Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
.