The Lieutenant is a musical

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 book, music and lyrics by Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman and Chuck Strand.

Directed by William Martin and choreographed by Dennis Dennehy, 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 Lyceum Theatre on March 9, 1975 and closed on March 16, 1975 after 9 performances and 7 previews.

The musical was described by Clive Barnes

Clive Barnes (critic)

Clive Alexander Barnes, CBE was a British-born American writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977 he was the dance and theater critic for the New York Times, the most powerful position he had held, since its theater critics' reviews historically have had great influence on the success or failure of...

 in his New York Times review (March 10, 1975) as a "rock opera

Rock opera

A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...

", entirely operatic with no linking dialogue. It concerns the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

.

Songs

• The Indictment – Lieutenant and Judge
• Join the Army – Lieutenant, Recruiting Sergeant and Recruits
• Look for the Men With Potential – Generals
• Kill – OCS Sergeant
• I Don't Want to Go Over to Vietnam – Lieutenant and "C" Company
• Eulogy – Chaplain
• At 0700 Tomorrow – Captain and "C" Company
• Massacre – Captain, Lieutenant, "C" Company and Vietnamese
• Something's Gone Wrong – Captain and Lieutenant
• Twenty-Eight – Generals, Captain and Lieutenant
• Let's Believe in the Captain – Generals
• Final Report – First General
• I Will Make Things Happen – G.I.
• He Wants to Put the Army in Jail – Senator, 1st & 2nd Congressmen and Clergyman
• There's No Other Solution – Generals
• I'm Going Home – Lieutenant and "C" Company
• We've Chosen You, Lieutenant – Generals
• The Star of This War – Reporters and Lieutenant
• On Trial for My Life – Lieutenant
• The Conscience of a Nation – Prosecutor
• Damned No Matter How He Turned – Defense Attorney
• On Trial for My Life (Reprise) – Lieutenant
• The Verdict – Judge and Jurors
• Finale – New Recruit, Recruiting Sergeant and Company

Awards and nominations

Tony Award

Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

• Best Musical – Produced by Joseph S. Kutrzeba, Spofford J. Beadle (nominee)
• Best Book of a Musical – Book by Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman, Chuck Strand (nominee)
• Best Original Score – Music by Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman, Chuck Strand; Lyrics by Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman, Chuck Strand (nominee)
• Best Actor in a Musical – Eddie Mekka
  Eddie Mekka
  Eddie Mekka is an American actor most famous for his role as Carmine Ragusa on the sitcom Laverne & Shirley.-Life and career:...
  
   [nominee]

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...

• Outstanding Musical (nominee)
• Outstanding Music and Lyrics (nominee)
• Outstanding Actor in a Musical – Eddie Mekka (nominee)
• Outstanding Choreography – Dennis Dennehy (nominee)
• Outstanding Director of a Musical – William Martin (nominee)

External links

• Internet Broadway Database