The Tap Dance Kid
Encyclopedia
The Tap Dance Kid is a musical
based on the novel Nobody's Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh
. It was written by Charles Blackwell with music by Henry Krieger
and lyrics by Robert Lorick
.
on December 21, 1983 at the Broadhurst Theatre
and ran until March 11, 1984. On March 27, 1984 it resumed performances at the Minskoff Theatre
, closing on August 11, 1985, for a total run of 669 performances.
Directed by Vivian Matalon
with musical staging and dances by Danny Daniels
, it featured Hinton Battle
, Hattie Winston
, Martine Allard, and Alfonso Ribeiro
as Willie.
Reviews were mixed. Frank Rich
, in his review for The New York Times
praised the choreography and many actors' performances but saw the plot as "earnest [but] plodding" and the music forgettable.
A production directed by Jerry Zaks
with choreography by Danny Daniels
ran at the Pantages Theatre
, Los Angeles, California, in September 1985 as part of a tour. This production also ran in Miami Beach, Florida
in April 1986and Chicago, Illinois in May 1986.
. The second act is devoted to Willie's imaginations of stardom.
Act II
Drama Desk Award
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...
based on the novel Nobody's Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh
Louise Fitzhugh
Louise Fitzhugh was an American author and illustrator of young adult and children's literature.Her work includes Harriet the Spy, its sequels The Long Secret and Sport, and Nobody's Family is Going to Change.-Early life:Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she soon experienced her parents' divorce, from...
. It was written by Charles Blackwell with music by Henry Krieger
Henry Krieger
Henry Krieger is an American composer.Krieger wrote the music for the Broadway shows Dreamgirls , The Tap Dance Kid , and Side Show , as well as other works of musical theatre.He was nominated for the Tony Awards for Best Score for both Dreamgirls and Side Show, won a Grammy...
and lyrics by Robert Lorick
Robert Lorick
Robert Lorick is an actor and lyricist, best known as a Broadway lyricist and for his work portraying Jack Flanders, a character in an ongoing series of ZBS Foundation audio adventures. In 1972, he made his debut as a lyricist with the Off-Broadway musical Hark! at the Mercer-O'Casey Theatre...
.
Productions
The musical opened on BroadwayBroadway 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...
on December 21, 1983 at the Broadhurst Theatre
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
and ran until March 11, 1984. On March 27, 1984 it resumed performances at the Minskoff Theatre
Minskoff Theatre
The Minskoff Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre, located at 1515 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan. It is now showing the musical The Lion King, based on the Disney animated film of the same name....
, closing on August 11, 1985, for a total run of 669 performances.
Directed by Vivian Matalon
Vivian Matalon
Vivian Matalon is a British theatre director.Born in Manchester, England, Matalon began his career as an actor in a series of forgettable British films, but his greatest success has been as a director of West End, Broadway, and regional theater productions.Matalon's West End credits include Bus...
with musical staging and dances by Danny Daniels
Danny Daniels
Danny Daniels is an American choreographer, tap dancer, and teacher.Daniels was a featured dancer in several 1940s Broadway musicals, including Billion Dollar Baby, Street Scene, and Kiss Me, Kate; although he continued performing during the 1950s and after, including a tour with the Agnes de Mille...
, it featured Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle is an American actor, dancer, and dance instructor. He has won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical...
, Hattie Winston
Hattie Winston
Hattie Mae Winston is an American television, film and Broadway actress best known for her role as Margaret on Becker and as a prominent cast member of the PBS children's series The Electric Company.-Early career:...
, Martine Allard, and Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro is an American actor, director, dancer, game show host, and comedian. While he received attention for his performance in the title role of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid and his appearance as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial featuring Michael Jackson, Ribeiro is best...
as Willie.
Reviews were mixed. Frank Rich
Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
, in his review for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised the choreography and many actors' performances but saw the plot as "earnest [but] plodding" and the music forgettable.
A production directed by Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks is a German-born American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing The House of Blue Leaves, Lend Me A Tenor, and Six Degrees of Separation and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama...
with choreography by Danny Daniels
Danny Daniels
Danny Daniels is an American choreographer, tap dancer, and teacher.Daniels was a featured dancer in several 1940s Broadway musicals, including Billion Dollar Baby, Street Scene, and Kiss Me, Kate; although he continued performing during the 1950s and after, including a tour with the Agnes de Mille...
ran at the Pantages Theatre
Pantages Theatre (Hollywood)
The Pantages Theatre, formerly known as RKO Pantages Theatre, is located at Hollywood and Vine , Hollywood, California, USA. Designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca, it was the last theater built by the vaudeville impresario Alexander Pantages...
, Los Angeles, California, in September 1985 as part of a tour. This production also ran in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
in April 1986and Chicago, Illinois in May 1986.
Plot overview
The title character, Willie, is a 10-year old boywho comes from an upper middle class African-American family. He dreams of becoming a dancer but faces opposition from his father, a lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. The second act is devoted to Willie's imaginations of stardom.
Songs
Act 1- Another Day — Ginnie, Emma and Dulcie
- Four Strikes Against Me — Emma
- Class Act — Ginnie, Dipsey and Daddy Bates
- They Never Hear What I Say — Emma and Willie
- Dancing Is Everything — Willie
- Crosstown — Willie and New Yorkers
- Fabulous Feet — Dipsey, Carole and Dancers
- I Could Get Used to Him — Carole and Dancers
- Man in the Moon — Dipsey
Act II
- Like Him — Ginnie and Emma
- My Luck Is Changing — Dipsey
- I Remember How It Was — Ginnie
- Someday — Emma and Willie
- Lullabye — Ginnie
- Tap Tap — Daddy Bates, Willie and Dipsey
- Dance if It Makes You Happy — Willie, Dipsey, Daddy Bates, Carole and Dancers
- William's Song — William
- Class Act (Finale) — The Family
Awards and nominations
Tony Awards- Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Hinton Battle) (winner)
- Best Featured Actor in A Musical (Samuel E. Wright) (nominated)
- Best Choreography (Danny Daniels)(winner)
- Best Musical (nominated)
- Best Book of a Musical (nominated)
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Martine Allard) (nominated)
- Best Direction of a Musical (nominated)
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...
- Best Featured Actor (Battle) (nominated)