The Life (musical)
Encyclopedia
The Life 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 a book by David Newman, Ira Gasman
Ira Gasman
Ira Gasman is an American theatre writer and lyricist and newspaper columnist.Gasman was nominated for both Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his contributions to The Life, the 1997 Broadway musical that had its first production at off-Broadway's Westbeth Theatre seven years earlier.Gasman's other...

 and Cy Coleman
Cy Coleman
Cy Coleman was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.-Life and career:He was born Seymour Kaufman on June 14, 1929, in New York City to Eastern European Jewish parents, and was raised in the Bronx. His mother, Ida was an apartment landlady and his father was a brickmason...

, music by Coleman, and lyrics by Gasman.

Based on an original idea by Gasman, the show explores the underbelly of Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...

's 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...

, inhabited by pimps and prostitutes, druggies and dealers
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...

, and runaways and street people
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...

 in the era prior to its Disneyfication
Disneyfication
Disneyfication is a term which describes the transformation of something, usually society at large, to resemble The Walt Disney Company's theme parks. The latter term appears in Sharon Zukin's book, The Cultures of Cities , and was popularized by Alan Bryman in a 2004 book, The Disneyization of...

.

Productions

The show was first produced at 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...

 Westbeth Theatre, running from July 30, 1990 to August 16, 1990. Joe Layton
Joe Layton
Joe Layton was an American director and choreographer known primarily for his work on Broadway.-Biography:Born Joseph Lichtman in Brooklyn, New York, Layton began his career as a dancer in Wonderful Town , and he appeared uncredited in the ensemble of the original live TV production of Rodgers and...

 directed and choreographed, with a cast that featured Chuck Cooper
Chuck Cooper (actor)
This article is about the African-American actor. For the late former pioneering African-American NBA basketball player, see Chuck Cooper .Chuck Cooper is an American actor....

, Lillias White
Lillias White
Lillias White is an American singer and actress.The Brooklyn, New York native made her Broadway debut in Barnum in 1981. She understudied the role of Effie in the original 1981 production of Dreamgirls and played the part in the 1987 revival...

, and Mamie Duncan-Gibbs.

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, directed by Michael Blakemore
Michael Blakemore
Michael Howell Blakemore OBE is an Australian actor, writer and theatre director. In 2000 he became the only individual to win Tony Awards for best Director of a Play and Musical in the same year for Copenhagen and Kiss Me, Kate....

, opened on April 26, 1997 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 243 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan, named for actress Ethel Barrymore....

, where it closed on June 7, 1998 after for 466 performances and 21 previews. Among a large cast were Pamela Isaacs
Pamela Isaacs
-Theatre:In 1987 Isaacs appeared in Conrack, a musical based on Pat Conroy's novel The River Is Wide, at AMAS Repertory Theater. The show is set in 1969 and recounts the adventures of Pat Conroy, a young white teacher who teaches black children on the remote South Carolina island of Yamacraw....

, Chuck Cooper, Lillias White, and Sam Harris
Sam Harris (singer)
Sam Harris is an American pop and musical theatre recording artist as well as a television, stage and film actor.-Singing:...

, winner of the first Star Search
Star Search
Star Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...

television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 competition in 1984. Choreography was by Joey McKneely, scenic design by Robin Wagner
Robin Wagner
Robin Wagner is an American figure skating coach. She was a competitive skater in the late-1970s and competed at the United States Figure Skating Championships at the Novice and Junior levels. She trained with Sonia Dunfield, Peter Dunfield, and Gustav Lussi....

, costume design by Martin Pakledinaz
Martin Pakledinaz
Martin Pakledinaz is an American costume designer for stage and film.He won his Tony Awards for designing the costumes of Thoroughly Modern Millie and the 2000 revival of Kiss Me Kate, which also earned him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.He worked on the 1995 production of...

, and lighting design by Richard Pilbrow
Richard Pilbrow
Richard Pilbrow is an internationally renowned stage lighting designer, author, theatre consultant, and theatrical producer, film producer and television producer...

.

White and Cooper both won Tony awards for their performances in this production.

Synopsis

THE LIFE depicts the pulsating life on the Times Square streets in the 1980s-where everything had a price, especially sex-the garish topless bars, the transvestite joints, the hookers who worked the sidewalks at the bidding of their pimps-Check It Out.

Jojo, an opportunistic, conniving white hustler in the thick of the action, has a bareknuckled plan for feeding his ambition-Use What You Got. But among these unsavory characters there are appealing people who have been caught in the web of these sordid surroundings. Sonja, a veteran hooker who has seen better days, befriends Queen who is on the street because her man, Fleetwood, a displaced Vietnam veteran, needs her support. She has saved her money and on this day plans to get away with Fleetwood and leave the life for good, enjoying, with Sonja, A Lovely Day to Get Out of Jail.
Returning to her hotel room, Queen discovers that Fleetwood has spent half of her savings to pay off his drug debts and feed his habit-Oh, Daddy.

Fleetwood has an unrealistic dream of attaining power, money and A Piece of the Action. Jojo tells him he'll never amount to anything as a pimp as long as he's romantically involved with the woman he's selling. Jojo takes him to the Port Authority where they find Mary, just off the bus from Minnesota, a girl with the mien of an angel but, as we eventually find out, she's no angel. Jojo grabs at her suitcase so that Fleetwood can rescue it and become her hero.

The demi-monde hangs out at a bar owned by Lacy, who has seen it all but has certain affection for his clientele. In the company of her sister whores, Sonja bemoans the wear and tear of her life-The Oldest Profession. When Fleetwood and Mary arrive, Memphis, the "biggest businessman on the block" comments on the professionalism of his trade and soon zeroes in on the newcomer-Don't Take Much.
Reluctantly, Queen takes Mary to the room she shares with Fleetwood and tries to persuade her to Go Home. Later, as prostitutes eye potential customers, a gospel group parades by -You Can't Get to Heaven. The girls defiantly stand up for themselves -My Body, while the pimps complain about the harassment of the cops -Why Don't They Leave Us Alone?

Jojo cajoles Mary into taking a turn as a go-go dancer. A smashing success, she celebrates her good fortune in Easy Money with Fleetwood and Jojo, who has her in mind for his "mentor" Lou, a gaudy Los Angeles producer of "motion pictures" of the triple X genre, who's looking for fresh corn-fed talent.

Once again in jail, Queen reflects on her attachment to Fleetwood-He's No Good; while, enticed by Mary, Jojo and Fleetwood spend the night with her in a threesome. As Fleetwood turns his attentions toward Mary, Memphis makes his move to put "Queen in his deck." Queen discovers what's been going on between Fleetwood and Mary, and decides she's finally had enough -I'm Leaving You. As everyone parties at The Hookers' Ball, Lou makes off with Mary, while Queen, shunning Fleetwood, attaches herself to Memphis.

Over a game of Three-Card Monte, Jojo and the pimps discuss their "silent partner," Mr. Greed. In Memphis' spacious apartment, Queen thanks him for getting her out of jail and for the beautiful dress he gave her to wear to the Hookers' Ball; but Memphis makes it very clear that the dress was a $6,000 loan that she must repay with her earnings -My Way or the Highway. He warns Queen that she better not leave town "cause you'll be coming back real soon for a funeral - Fleetwood's; followed shortly by your own."

Queen tells Sonja that she must find Fleetwood and warn him about Memphis' threat. She asks Jojo to tell Fleetwood to meet her the next morning at Lacy's. Meanwhile Mary, with Lou, toasts her acceptance of his offer of a movie career -People Magazine.

The next morning Jojo double crosses Queen and comes to Lacy's with Memphis, who brutally flogs the terrified woman. When Fleetwood arrives, Queen reminds him of what they once had together-We Had a Dream. When Fleetwood returns to his hotel, he finds Mary leaving for Los Angeles.

Near the Lincoln Tunnel, Memphis' henchman, Snickers, pushes Queen to get "plenty of action tonight. Memphis is dependin' on it." She, Sonja and other girls share their hopes for the future -"Someday" Is for Suckers.

Later, near the Hudson River in a spot once special to Queen and Fleetwood, Sonja hands Queen a bus ticket and a suitcase in a desperate attempt to get her away from Memphis. Fleetwood unexpectedly appears and tries to talk Queen into making a new start -We Gotta Go, but Queen bitterly rejects him. Jojo guides Memphis onto the scene. Fleetwood pulls a gun on Memphis, but Jojo knocks the gun loose as Memphis mortally stabs Fleetwood; Queen seizes the fallen gun and shoots Memphis. Sonja decides to take the rap for killing Memphis, claiming self defense; she and Queen say good-bye-My Friend, then Queen departs for the bus, which will carry her to freedom, as Sonja surrenders to the police.

Songs

Act I
  • Check It Out!
  • Use What You Got
  • A Lovely Day To Be Out Of Jail
  • A Piece Of The Action
  • The Oldest Profession
  • Don't Take Much
  • Go Home
  • You Can't Get To Heaven
  • My Body
  • Why Don't They Leave Us Alone?
  • Easy Money
  • He's No Good
  • I'm Leaving You
  • The Hooker's Ball


Act II
  • Step Right Up
  • Mr. Greed
  • My Way Or The Highway
  • People Magazine
  • We Had A Dream
  • Use What You Got (Reprise)
  • Someday' Is For Suckers
  • We Gotta Go
  • My Friend
  • Check It Out! (Reprise)


Awards and nominations

  • Tony Award for Best Musical
    Tony Award for Best Musical
    This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...

     (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Original Musical Score (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Isaacs, nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Cooper, winner; Harris, nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (White, winner)
  • Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Orchestrations (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical
    Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical
    The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, acting awards were given without making distinctions between roles in straight dramas as opposed to musicals, nor were there...

     (winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
    Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
    The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...

     (Isaacs, nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
    Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
    The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...

     (Harris, nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
    Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
    The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical was first awarded in the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has subsequently been awarded every year. In the 1993-1994 Drama Desk Awards the award was given under the name of Outstanding Supporting Actress - Musical...

     (White, winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical
    Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical
    The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...

     (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music
    Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music
    The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...

    (winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)

External links

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