Series2022/2023Magazine Paris Holds the Key Anastasia is a lush journey to the past Wait for Me An unforgettable mythic love story in Hadestown Simply the Best TINA tells the story of rock goddess Tina Turner Unstoppable Laugh-out-loud comedy hits the stage with Tootsie Broadway sensation MOULIN ROUGE brings l’amour to the stage
22/23 SEASON SIMPLY THE BEST BroadwayInCincinnati.com • 800.294.1816 Journeytothepast. Oct 25 - Nov 06, 2022 Jan 03 - 15, 2023 Mar 07 - 19, 2023 Apr 18 - 30, 2023 Dec 06 - 18, 2022 Feb 07 - 12, 2023 Mar 28 - Apr 02,May202317 - Jun 04, 2023 SEASON OPTIONSEASON OPTION ©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
MUSICAL,THEROUGE!MOULINOFTOURAMERICANNORTHTHEOFCASTTHEPHOTOGRAPH: ROUGE! MUSICAL : MAKING A STAGE
In its epoch-hopping score and dazzling visuals, the Tony-win ning Moulin Rouge! The Musical represents the missing link from Belle Époque Paris to Broad way today, from operetta to the modern musical. More than 160 years of popular song, from Offenbach to Lady Gaga: That’s the raw material the creative team took and remixed into one thrilling, dramatic voice Moulin Rouge! began, of course, as Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin’s groundbreak ing 2001 film. Inspired by the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Luhrmann hit upon finde-siècle Paris, and the real-life club became the center of a story about a small-town poet named Christian who comes to Paris, joins the Bohemians, and falls in love with Moulin Rouge’s house diva Satine. In this ravish ing fable, love conquers all and we witness the importance of living for “Truth, Beauty, Free dom, and Love.” And for the words of its poet? Luhrmann used the lyrics of the greatest pop love songs. Instantly iconic, the film was a global hit. But would Moulin Rouge! live only on celluloid? Everyone agreed that its mix of glamour and grit made the dance-filled backstage drama perfect for Broadway. Of course, everything was de pendent on fearless producers who could secure rights to doz ens of songs that would make up the once-in-a-lifetime score. Carmen Pavlovic and business partner Gerry Ryan were up for it. The Australian-born co-found ers of Global Creatures (Walking With Dinosaurs) first met Luhr mann and Martin in 2009, eager to throw their hats in the ring as producers of the stage version. Knowing that he didn’t want to direct the stage version himself, Luhrmann gave the acclaimed young director Alex Timbers his blessing to re-envi sion the world. Timbers and the producers quickly assembled a dream team, a cadre of 21st century New Bohemians. John Logan was appointed to write the book. The award-win ning writer had long proved his genius at infusing distant times with contemporary relevance, from imperial Rome (Gladiator) to gothic Victoriana (Penny Dreadful ).
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Entering Moulin Rouge! The Musical, you encounter a world like no other: sensual, mysteri ous, decadent. A hypnotic dance loop plays as aristocratic men in top hats circle seductive women in lace and bustiers. You take your seat and gaze at rich, red fabric on the walls, the neon sign, details in lamps on each ta ble. The music feels like it’s com ing from 360 degrees. Lights rake over bodies promenading back and forth. It’s hard not to notice the elephant perched beyond the proscenium, and the red windmill on the other side. An exquisite tension hangs in the air, before the show has even be gun. Welcome to the club. You’ve never seen a Broad way show as wildly immersive as the Tony-winning Moulin Rouge! The Musical. “I began by amassing huge amounts of research,” scenic designer Derek McLane explains. “There were many period photos of Montmartre and the Moulin Rouge, of Parisian couture.ettestumes,intoCatherineapartments.”Costumecourtesans’designerZuberpouredthecastaseriesofbespokecosmixingParisiansilhouandedgy,contemporary“Sincethemusicis
“I had a vision that we’re inside a spinning crystal chan delier,” says lighting designer Justin Townsend. Shifting rap idly from spotlighting actors to bathing them in romantic reds, purples, and blues, Townsend tucks tiny lights around the set to allow the stage and house to sparkle. Every reliable surface holds a lightbulb that can pulse and animate. “My hope is to cre ate the same quality of the mov ie,” the designer says, “being on a ride with the camera pulled and pushed into and out of the scenes with wonder and joy.”
contemporary, the challenge is to introduce a modern inter pretation,” Zuber notes. “The choreography is high-energy, requiring costumes that are not restrictive.” She notes that director Alex Timbers “kept us on track by insisting that the design should occur now and in the past simultaneously.”
DESIGNING THE SPECTACULAR WORLD OF MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL
By David Cote David Cote is the author of the upcoming Moulin Rouge! The Musical: The Story of the Broadway Spec tacular
As music supervisor, Timbers needed someone to curate and weave together pop hits of the past decade and more. He chose Justin Levine, a frequent collab orator and song savant whose taste in music bridged centuries. And to get the world on its feet, bumping and grinding to “Lady Marmalade” or strutting to a Rolling Stones medley, the fearless Sonya Tayeh was picked, a newcomer to Broad way but already an experienced choreographer who had de signed steps for Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Miley Cyrus. An absinthe-streaked love letter to Broadway fans, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is aimed at an audience eager for mythic pop spectacle, for more passion, more glamour, more everything. All are welcome at this club.
ABOUT THE SHOW Pop the champagne, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards®—including Best Musical! Enter a world of splen dor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory. A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, re mixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award® winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and—above all—Love.
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. David is a New York-based theater and TV critic who writes for The A.V. Club , Observer, and 4 Columns . He’s also a playwright and opera librettist, and author of books about the making of Spring Awakening , Jersey Boys , and Wicked.
Peter Hylenski fuses dialogue and a score woven from dozens of song fragments into a seam less sonic whole. “From the very first bass notes and finger snaps, we should understand the flavor and attitude of the evening ahead,” the sound designer says. Hylenski shares his secret weap on: concealed in and around the set are some 200 various-sized speakers.AsTownsend sums up: “We combine images and sounds that shouldn’t work together but have a deeper truth, a deeper beauty, when placed next to one another.” The theater com munity certainly agrees. Last year, Moulin Rouge! The Musical came away with a staggering 10 Tony Awards, including top prizes for scenic design, lighting, costumes, sound, and orchestra tions.
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It is only fitting that the Queen of Rock n’ Roll should have her story brought to the stage in the Queen City. TINA: The Tina Turn er Musical will open the Broad way in Cincinnati 22/23 Season as it rolls into the Aronoff Center thisAnfall.uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA is the inspir ing journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. One of the world’s best-sell ing artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history. Featuring her much loved songs, TINA is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by the interna tionally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd (director of the global sensation Mamma Mia.) “I’m irresistibly drawn to stories of women’s struggles overcoming insuperable odds, and this has got to be surely one of the greatest of those stories of the twentieth century.” Lloyd says in episode 1 of “Tina The Musical Shorts.” In 2017, Lloyd went to Swit zerland to meet Turner and dis cuss how the singer envisioned the musical. Her only dream? “Success,” Turner said. “I really want it to be a success. I hope that it will travel the world and that it will serve what the people need from me as a reminder of mySincework.”that conversation, the musical went on to premiere on London’s West End in 2018, then opened on Broadway in Novem ber 2019. There have also been productions in the Netherlands, Germany, and Madrid. Undoubt edly, Turner’s legacy as the first Black female Rock n’ Roll star lives on in this stage adaptation. “Everybody in the world knows THE Tina Turner,” Hall said. “The big hair. The legs. This magnificent Rock super goddess on the stages of Brazil. But she started out as this little girl who had very humble beginnings. I mean, she used to pick cotton in the fields of Nutbush, Tennessee. That’s the Tina journey to me where you have this woman who just beat impossible odds. There would be no Beyoncé without Tina Turner. There would not be a Rihanna without Tina Turner. There wouldn’t be this long line of Rock and Roll goddesses were it not for this woman who changed the game and showed the world that ‘I can be authenti cally Black and still take over the world.’Turner” retired in 2009 after N’ ROLL By Anne Simendinger
GODDESS
TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL OCTOBER 25–NOVEMBER 6, 2022 THE ORIGINAL ROCK
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BROADWAYINCINCINNATI.COM • 6 half a century performing, entertaining, and inspiring the masses. In a 2013 interview with Oprah, the singer revealed that it was an “easy” decision to leave it all behind and take care of herself. “If I ever go back for any reason in any way, I will have to create another way that will get people to accept it, because no one ever wants to see Tina do a performance any other way,” TurnerFoursaid.years later, when Lloyd asked her why she wanted to have this stage production now, Turner said, “This answer is going to be a little difficult,” She laughed. “I don’t. I don’t need a musical. I don’t need another show. But I get cards and letters. You can’t believe what people think about me and the legacy that I left. People said I gave them hope. It meant so much to people, I have to pass it on.”
To experience a night of “sim ply the best” of Broadway and Tina Turner with TINA: The Tina Turner Musical, visit Broadway InCincinnati.com.
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ABOUT THE SHOW HER VOICE IS UNDENIABLE. HER FIRE IS UNSTOPPABLE. HER TRIUMPH IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER. An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA: The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history. Featuring her much loved songs, TINA: The Tina Turner Musical is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd.
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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT ALBUM By
The Jesus Christ Superstar 50th Anniversary Tour headed to Cincinnati this year pays tribute to the musical’s original rock and roll roots. The musical, directed by Timothy Sheader, is unlike any other production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. The production is heavily influenced by Superstar ’s original Brown Album produced in 1970 that defined a genera tion.“It blew me away,” says producer Stephen Gabriel when he first saw this version of Superstar originally staged by London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. It went on to win the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. One of the most famous sto ries Webber tells about writing the score in the late 1960s is that he ran into a restaurant to jot down musical notes on a napkin so he wouldn’t forget the tune he crafted for the title song. That tune turned into a concert album, co-created with Tim Rice, who wrote the lyrics. The story is a retelling of how Jesus Christ spent the last week of his life as seen through the eyes of Judas. It was then transformed into the beloved 1971 rock opera stage musical fans love today. When the original album was released, it topped the Billboard charts at number one rising above Carole King’s Tapestry, Janis Joplin’s Pearl and even Led Zeppelin III. In 1971, Super star was crowned the Billboard Album of the Year. “That’s why I think it resonated so much, because this album hit at the zeitgeist of rock and roll,” Gabri el explains of its popularity. “So that really puts it into context.” For Gabriel, Superstar has always remained something special in his life after his dad gifted him the album at age 9. “I just wore it out,” he recalls of the era, noting he learned to play guitar from trying to play all the songs. “When I got into theater much later in my life and had the opportunity to produce this show—it was really full circle. It means that much to me. It really does.”His continued passion for Su perstar 50 years later doesn’t go unnoticed in the latest stage ver sion of the show, which channels that raw rock and roll sound. “It’s much different than truly any other musical [adaptation],” he teases. “The really exciting thing about this production is Leigh Scheps
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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR DECEMBER 6–18, 2022
ABOUT THE SHOW Celebrating its 50th anniversary, a new mesmerizing production of the iconic musical phenomenon returns to the stage. Originally staged by London’s Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and helmed by the acclaimed director Timothy Sheader (Crazy for You, Into the Woods) and cutting-edge choreographer Drew McOnie ( King Kong, Strictly Ballroom), this production won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival garnering unprecedented reviews and accolades. Appealing to both theater audiences and concert music fans, this production pays tribute to the historic 1971 Billboard Album of the Year while creating a modern, theatrical world that is uniquely fresh and inspiring. With lyrics and music by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony win ners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a gen eration, the legendary score includes “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Gethsemane,” and “Superstar.”
BROADWAYINCINCINNATI.COM • 8 how faithful it is to recreating the feel and the sound of the Brown Album. If you drop the [record] needle on that album, that’s what our show sounds like and visually represents.” Pointing to the cutting-edge choreography, Gabriel describes the dancing like a modern ballet. “The audience may not realize it, but it is danced from the first downbeat right to the end of the show. [Choreographer] Drew McOnie has embodied the feel of the album into the physical movement of the actors. In ‘What’s the Buzz,’ the movement is a visual representation of the music. You can almost strip away everything else and you’d have a modern dance ballet, which is very interesting and unique. You don’t see any other version of Superstar that does this.”The 50th anniversary produc tion aims to please the long-time theater fans of the musical, and as Gabriel points out, those who rocked out to the original album sending it to the top of the Bill board charts. “To them in particular, they’re going to get the experience that they remember,” adds Gabriel.
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ANASTASIA COSTUMES RAISE THE BAR
Anastasia costume designer Linda Cho and costume builder Eric Winterling have raised the bar on Broadway costumes. Literally. Some of the dresses they created for the Broadway production of Anastasia are so heavy, a pulley system had to be rigged up at New York’s Broad hurst Theater to lift the more elaborate pieces. The Broadway production of Anastasia, based on the 1997 animated film about the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, features more than 125 costumes designed by Cho and built in Winterling’s shop. The costumes in this show are, to quote the New York Observer, “gorgeous, luscious, and lavish.” At the top of the show, we see Russia’s royal Romanov family in sparkling white gowns and suits, an indication of the family’s grand wealth and stat ure. “I looked at photographs and paintings of the royal fami ly,” Cho told Playbill earlier this year. “Tsar Nicholas was an early photography enthusiast, and he took thousands of pictures of his family… There are royal portraits and there have been some cos tume exhibits, so I looked at the catalogs, and actual clothing at theOnemuseums.”particularly exquisite look in the show is the Tsarina, who is dressed in a sparkling en semble that weighs 50 pounds, including a stunning 8-inch-tall crown. The costume is so heavy, it has to be stored on the stage level because it can’t be trans ported up and down stairs. “His torically, the Tsarina would have been the most dazzling,” Cho told Playbill. “And that real gown was covered in real diamonds and pearls. Historically, that dress would have been worth $10Winterlingmillion.” notes that the show’s version of the dress “is intricate.” He adds, “It has 10 different kinds of trims, five different fabrics, including silver lace over a pink brocade. There are Swarovski crystals, swan’s down, beaded appliques, and fabric with real metal in it, that’s actually cold to the touch. It’s a dress that’s appropriate for the Tsarina.”Henotes that in theatre costuming, there’s a delicate balance between historical accu racy and practicality. “We have to respect the history because we have pictures; that’s what we studied in order to make this. This was a real person. But the modern sensibility is that it’s eight shows a week. It is a theat rical costume and so we have to make sure it’s resilient, that the stones stay on, that nothing falls off and that it lasts.” Following the early scenes featuring the Romonov family, the timeline of the show moves on. “It’s a period change,” notes Winterling. “It goes from the 1910s to the ’20s to the early ’30s, which means there was a lot of research involved. As time
By Genevieve Holt
ANASTASIAJANUARY3–15,2023
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moves on, dress foundations are not as structured, there’s a lot more dancing. The ’20s were the Jazz Age, so something on every dress needs to create move ment.”While Cho and Winterling took inspiration from the histori cal record and the film, they also had the opportunity to invent, change, and recreate styles to make maximum impact. But on one particular costume, they ended up having to take some direction from the original film’s enthusiastic fans. Just as Disney’s Frozen has its legion of young girls who can belt out “Let It Go,” the original animated Anastasia film captured the imagination of a generation of girls (now women) for whom the song “Journey to the Past” is a lifelong favorite and the central character is as beloved as any princess in pop culture. Those fans, dubbed “Fa nastasias” have a special place in their hearts for the original film. When Anastasia had its pre-Broadway tryout in Hart ford, Connecticut, Cho and Winterling had designed an ele gant light pink dress for a scene where Anastasia attends a ballet at the Paris Opera. But they soon learned that for fans of the original film, Anastasia’s original blue dress in that scene repre sented her transformation into a regal version of herself, and they missed seeing that vision come to life“Theonstage.Fanastasias, they want ed a blue dress,” says Winterling, “because in the animated fea ture she’s in a blue dress. So we had to hurry up and make a blue gown before Broadway.” It’s an important dress for an important scene, he notes. “She goes to the ballet and is present ing herself as royalty to meet up with her grandmother. She has to look like a Russian princess. The dress has a wonderful sequin fabric that’s done in an Art Deco design. It has a chiffon overlay and then we’ve strung all these beads together on fishing line so they don’t break. Then she has this big, fantastic cape in the back. This dress has a beau tiful glitter tulle, which really makes the dress and makes her into a Winterlingprincess.”believes cos tumes are key to telling the story. “Costumes tell the who, what, where. They have to tell a story. It doesn’t have to tell the whole story, but we need to get a sense of ‘Are we in Russia?’ or ‘Are we in Paris?’” Is the person royal or is the person poor? There are all sorts of things that when we see someone we need to be able to instantly identify where they are. You have people from the Russian countryside. We have vintage furs, which is a display of wealth, for the women in Paris. There are Bolshevik uniforms for the Russian Revolu tion. It’s a big story to tell.”
ABOUT THE SHOW Inspired by the beloved films, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical Anastasia is on a journey to Cincinnati. From the Tony Award®-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family. Anastasia features a book by celebrated playwright Terrence McNally, a lush new score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) based on original direction by Tony Award®-winner Darko Tresnjak with choreog raphy by Peggy Hickey and tour direction by Sarah Hartmann.
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Annie has been one of the most beloved American musicals since it first hit the stage in 1977. Written by Charles Strouse, Mar tin Charnin and Thomas Meehan, the musical was based on Harold Gray’s comic strip in the New York Daily News entitled “Little Orphan Annie.” The popular comic strip debuted in 1924 (and continued to be published for 86 years!) and was adapted into a radio show and two movies in theFour1930s.decades later, theatre lyricist/director Martin Charnin received a book of “Annie” com ics for Christmas and was in spired to adapt the story of the scrappy young orphan yet again, but this time for the Broadway stage. He campaigned to book writer Thomas Meehan and composer Charles Strouse that they create the project with him, and the two eventually agreed. Charnin loved the character of Annie, but Meehan knew that the actual storylines of the comic didn’t adapt well to a two-hour stage show. So, they used the comic strip as merely an inspira tion and built from there. When Meehan was writing the musical in 1972, the nation was facing “a growing sense of cynicism and hopelessness," he noted in the New York Times. By setting the musical in the 1930s, he thought that the character of Annie could stand “for innate decency, courage and optimism in the face of hard times, pessi mism and despair," something he thought the American public could use in the 70s as well. When the show opened on Broadway in April 1977, the title role was played Andrea McArd le, a dynamic young performer who would go on the earn a Tony nomination for the role. The show also got another 10 nominations (winning seven) including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, and BestWithBook.such wide acclaim, charming characters, and be loved songs like "Tomorrow," “It’s the Hard Knock Life," and “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” Annie ’s place in theater history was set. The show went on to run over 2,300 performances on Broadway (nearly five years, making it the 25th longest running Broad way show in history), with four national tours and dozens of international productions, followed by a 1997 20th anni versary production on Broad way (featuring a then-unknown Sutton Foster in a small part) and a 2012 revival at Broadway’s Palace Theatre. There were even two stage sequels created, An nie 2 (which closed before it hit Broadway) and Annie Warbucks, which is still produced in thea tres across the country today. Several screen adaptations, including the 1982 film (which
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ANNIE FOR A NEW GENERATION, WITH A NOD TO THE PAST By Genevieve Holt
BROADWAYINCINCINNATI.COM • 13 became the highest-grossing film of that year), 1999 and 2014 films, and several television adaptations also followed in the original Broadway production’s footsteps.Thatoriginal 1977 Broadway production has a unique tie to both Cincinnati and the national tour headed to the Aronoff in February. The original produc tion featured then 14-year-old Cincinnatian Sarah Jessica Park er playing an orphan alongside a 10-year-old actress named Jenn Thompson as “Pepper.” Today, Thompson is an accomplished theater director, and is now the director of this national tour of Annie coming to Cincinnati. When she was cast in the original Broadway production, Thompson says “I was certain I had hit the lottery. It was every little girl actress’s dream to be a part of this astounding, moving, mega-hit musical. When I was asked to direct the upcoming tour—the first since losing [orig inal director] Martin Charnin— that same feeling overtook me. Thrill, gratitude, and unadulter ated, childlike joy. I had to pinch myself all over again.” Examining a musical so close to her heart with fresh, grownup eyes has been enlightening, says Thompson. “As a mother myself, I know that sophisti cated family fare is always at a premium. The fact that these gorgeous life lessons reside in such a beautifully built and won derfully entertaining show only further makes the case for why Annie never disappoints and always“Whatinspires.”isitabout this show, and this character, that con tinues to offer scores of thea tre lovers that same feeling?” Thompson noted. “[Annie’s] brand of optimism isn’t some empty-headed cliché, it is a choice, a calling, a light turned on in a cold, dark night. And my goodness, don’t we need that more now than ever?” Thomp son’s words today echo those of Meehan. We can always use a fresh dose of optimism that the sun will come out tomorrow, and now Cincinnati audiences can share that glow once again with a new generation.
ABOUT THE SHOW Holding onto hope when times are tough can take an awful lot of determination, and sometimes, an awful lot of determination comes in a surprisingly small package. Little Orphan Annie has reminded generations of theatergoers that sunshine is always right around the corner, and now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production—just as you remem ber it and just when we need it most. Annie, directed by Jenn Thompson, features the iconic book and score, written by Tony Award® winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse, and Martin Charnin. This celebration of family, optimism, and the Ameri can spirit remains the ultimate cure for all the hard knocks life throws your way.
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How did the idea to adapt Tootsie for theater come about? The idea came from our prolific and wonderful producer, Scott Sanders, who had the rights to the movie. He had seen a workshop I had done for another musical, and when the legendary Larry Gelbart, who wrote the film and was adapting the mu sical, passed away, Scott went on a desperate search to find someone to fill Larry’s comedic shoes. Somehow his GPS point ed towards me and I am forever grateful.When he approached me about it I got very nervous. I mean, It’s an iconic movie and comic masterpiece, but it also has plot points that I knew did not age well. I was terrified to take it on at first and passed on the offer. But then I sat down with the composer, David Yaz bek, and we talked out all the ways we could make it our own, update it, go back to just the DNA of the story and rebuild it out from there. Use humor to tell the story in a theatrical and modern way. For me, having been in show business for a while, I total ly understand that ominous question we all eventually face; what happens when the time comes that no one wants you… when you’re told you can no longer do the one thing you love most in the world? How far would desperation take you? It’s something that haunts everyone in show business, no matter how successful. To me, that was a story worth building on. What was your process of adapting Tootsie for the stage, and what was your greatest challenge? I knew from the beginning I didn’t want to just adapt the movie for stage. The movie had been done already, and incred ibly well. And I have my own point of view about whatever story I’m telling, my own co medic language and craft. This
Q&A
A WITH TOOTSIE ’S TONY AWARD®WINNING BOOK WRITER ROBERT HORN ABOUT THE SHOW Call it “musical comedy heaven” ( Rolling Stone). Call it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” (The Hollywood Reporter ). Call it Tootsie! This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. Featuring a hilarious Tony®-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony-winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punch lines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” ( Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone “Tootsie is it!”
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assignment was about creating rather than recreating. For Da vid and I, it was about starting over and making a new musi cal with the bones that were already there. Adapting it for an ever-changing social zeit geist, creating a piece of work that sang, but also building it as something theatrical rather than cinematic [with the guidance of the brilliant Scott Ellis, our director]. We took our time with it, made choices, studied every beat, asked questions, talked to greater minds than ours. It took two years just to get a first draft done. From there, we were off. What are biggest differences between the film and the Broadway musical? There were a number of large shifts, obviously the main one was taking it out of the world of soap opera, for a number of reasons. That art form felt dated and didn’t have the social reach it did in 1982 when the movie was released, which changed the story a lot. Also, trying to put a TV show on stage is not often successful for a musi cal, and would have created a whole world of challenges. We decided to put it in the world of musical theater because it felt organic to it becoming a musical…a reason for them to sing. As well, theater is such an insular community. To have the story take place in that world raised the stakes for the other characters. It all just felt like a natural shift in how we wanted to present our version of this. Another shift that needed to happen was the point of view of the female characters in the story. It was important they reflect the impact and progress women have made in society and art since the days of the original film. There is both a strength and vulnerability to the women portrayed in the musical that I think, sadly, might not have resonated back in the early ’80s. In our show, Julie does not grow by virtue of being around Michael, Michael changes and grows because of his expe rience of being with Julie—a woman who navigates her own obstacles with determination and confidence. What is the intended impact of Michael Dorsey disguising him self to act in a Broadway show, and how did it feel writing that from the perspective of a member of the theater industry? I like a story where the pro tagonist isn’t always a great character at first, but you relate to their journey, their desper ation, their desires and wants, so you follow them to watch them grow and change. We are living in ever shifting times and there is a social responsibility on all of us to adapt to changes and learn to grow from what we might not have understood just a short time ago. I relate to Michael’s reasons for being desperate, and the mistakes he makes on his journey to enlightenment. Thankfully, his life is probably a much better drama than mine. And most of all, I loved the idea of writ ing a musical that celebrates musical theater, its quirks and flaws and stunning comradery. The sacrifices we make just for the opportunity to do what we love most. The family we create along the way. Theater is a unique culture that brings people together in a way very few others do. Why do you think the story of Tootsie remains so beloved worldwide, decades after the film came out? I think comedies have a longer shelf life than certain other genres of film. And I think the film was masterful and so even though it becomes problematic as we shift culturally, there’s no denying its craft. I also think somewhere in us all there is desperation, and also hope— hope that we can be better, that we can change, that we can walk in someone else’s shoes and be part of a community. Congratulations on earning the Tony Award® for Best Book of a Musical! How did it feel to receive that honor, and what do you think makes the book of this show so special? I won’t lie, it is a surreal and humbling moment when you hear your name. Having worked so hard for so many years and having learned to accept constant rejection as a way of life, but to never have given up even after the 1,000 times you want to, then getting validation from your peers that your work might actually be respectable is all overwhelming. As for the book, I do think I worked pain fully hard to make it incredibly funny, hopefully touching at times, and to invite the audi ence to be a part of the humor, not just observers of it. No book of a musical exists without a score, and David and I worked together to create this. I think the secret to a successful book is how seamlessly it can work with the score, that it feels like one person wrote it all. David Yazbek and I laughed for three years non-stop creating this show, and I think that joy and left-of-center humor has its handprint throughout what you see onstage. Why should audiences see this show? When I watch audiences watch the show and hear that tsunami of communal laughter that just builds and builds throughout the night and lifts the ceiling, I wish I could let audiences know that writing the show was that exact same experience. Constant laughter, community, self-reflection, joy, friendships, and a love of this art form. Also, supporting the arts right now is a vital step in creating a new normal and getting back to our lives. And what better way to come out of the cave of isola tion we’ve all been in, than with laughter!
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JAGGED LITTLE PILL'S JOURNEY FROM
RECORD
BROADWAY MUSICAL By
JAGGED LITTLE PILL MARCH 28–APRIL 2, 2023
Jagged Little Pill comes to the Aronoff Center By the time the musical opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre in 2019, it had already been eight years in the making. The singer-song writer told iHeartRadio Broad way that they took their time with it, and they ended up with a dream team of collaborators. “My first thought was the only way I would want to do this is if I could be surrounded by a team of people with whom I res onated, but also, if there were to be a story told that would match and intertwine and feel married to the music.” Morissette said during the show’s creative team panel before the Broadway opening.While the musical does feature many of the chart-top ping tunes such as “Ironic,” “You Oughta Know,” and “Hand in My Pocket,” which audiences may be familiar with, the show’s story is completely original and from the mind of Diablo Cody of “Juno” fame. The singer-song writer was adamant that the show does not follow her life story, but because Cody drew the characters and their sto ries from what was already in the album, Morissette said in an interview with Jimmy Fallon that she resonated with a lot of the show and certain aspects of characters.“Theprocess became one of listening over and over to the songs and understanding what were the themes, what were the characters that were emerging organically from the songs, dis cussing that among ourselves— Tom Kitt, our musical arranger, and Diablo and Alanis—and then ultimately Diablo coming forward with this story about a family,” Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus said in an interview with Playbill. “She zoomed in on this one family and the kind of picture-perfect world they’re upholding in how they present themselves on the outside, when on the inside there’s a lot of pain, suffering, a lot of trauma, a lot of tension— which is what we’re all feeling. That’s probably closer to real life than any happy-ever-after fam ily. That felt correct, to go into that kind of storytelling.” Jagged Little Pill follows a seemingly perfect suburban HIT TO Anne Simendinger
16 • BROADWAY IN CINCINNATI 2022–2023
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Sixteen times platinum. Twelve weeks at number one. Four Grammy Awards. Three number one singles. One musical adap tation. The iconic singer-song writer, Alanis thealbumgetinlegacyLittlegroundbreakingMorissette’salbum“JaggedPill”hascreatedquiteaforitselfsinceitsrelease1995.Now,Cincinnatianswilltoexperiencethebelovedinawholenewwaywhennewmusical,
BROADWAYINCINCINNATI.COM • 17 family, the Healys. The mom, Mary Jane, works hard at main taining the illusion of the ulti mate upper-class family, includ ing her golden boy son, adopted Black, activist daughter, and successful lawyer husband. As the play unfolds, the audience sees the cracks begin to show when themes of sexual violence, drug addiction, sexuality and more come into view. The show’s creative team frequently remarks on how the story is truly representative of today’s culture. While the album may have been released in 1995, Morissette comments on the fact that twenty or twenty-five years later, it feels as though the book of the musical was written at the same time. "I don't think I set out to make an 'issues' show, believe it or not," Cody said in the Broadway.com interview. "But if you're telling a contempo rary story about society, and you want it to be truthful and unflinching, there's no way to avoid everything that's going on outWhetherthere." you have belted out “Ironic” in your car for years, or you are brand new to the singer-songwriter’s discography, Jagged Little Pill has a story that can be universally under stood and give solace to those that feel often overlooked and unheard.“Theshow is so original in its book that you feel like these songs that you thought you knew were written yesterday for the story that it is today,” Paulus told iHeart Radio Broadway. “So it operates on both levels of something really familiar and yet you hear the songs like you’ve never heard them before.” ABOUT THE SHOW SOME SHOWS YOU SEE. THIS SHOW YOU FEEL. Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, LIFE—everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show— is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-chang ingDirectedmusic. by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Waitress , Pip pin, upcoming 1776 ) with a Tony-winning book by Diablo Cody ( Juno) and Grammy-winning score, this electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family “vaults the audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). “Redemptive, rousing and real, Jagged Little Pill stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway.” (The New York TimesYou) live, you learn, you remember what it’s like to feel truly human…at Jagged Little Pill.MURPHYMATTHEW(C)PILLLITTLEJAGGEDINCOMPANYANDPATTENLAUREN(BOTTOM)MURPHYMATTHEW(C)PILLLITTLEJAGGEDINDUDLEYMORGAN&PATTENLAUREN(TOP)PHOTOGRAPHS:
THE DYNAMIC WOMEN BEHIND HADESTOWN
Creating a new benchmark for Broadway, Hadestown demand ed that theater make space for diverse voices. The show’s mod ern premise reflects the values of our changing culture through a transformative musical expe rience that reimagines Greek mythology. In 2019, it garnered 14 Tony® nominations, winning eight of them, including Best New Musical. Critics praised the show as a “theatrically resonant tale” (New York Stage Review), and “a haunting gut-punch of a new musical” (Towleroad ). Hadestown will go down in his tory as one of Broadway’s most celebrated productions, but be yond its critical acclaim, it is the show’s diversity that cements the musical’s lasting influence. One recipe for a great musi cal is the union of an innovative writer and an insightful direc tor, unafraid of expanding that writer’s vision beyond the page. Anaïs Mitchell, writer of Hades town ’s book, music, and lyrics, and director Rachel Chavkin, the women behind the show’s great ness, accentuate and deepen each other’s strengths. Between them, they found compatibility, commitment to the project, and the meaning of excellence. It was a mutual respect for each other’s art that sparked their union. “You know, I had no idea Rachel was a woman when I fell in love with her work,” says Mitchell. “We sought out the folks whose work we responded to most, and many of them were women.” Much of Hadestown ’s production and technical team include women at the fore front. Such a dynamic is a rarity on Broadway, but paid great dividends for Hadestown. “I will say it was an extraordinarily empowering experience working with so many women. I felt my instincts were really trusted,” says Mitchell. Hadestown ’s great success shows that diversity is not simply about gender or racial differences; it is also about differences in background and mindset.Mitchell was introduced to Chavkin’s work in 2012 when she saw the Ars Nova production of Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. “I was completely awestruck, and I thought, ‘Who’s that director?’ It turned out to be Rachel,” Mitchell says. The production later moved to Broadway and earned Chavkin her first Tony nomination. Mitchell’s discov ery of Chavkin’s work came at a valuable time in Hadestown ’s development. Initially a DIY community theater project in Vermont, Mitchell would develop the show into a studio album and then a touring concert. But Hadestown would prove to need the influence of Chavkin before it could reach its fullest potential as the folk opera that thrilled Broadway audiences. Mitchell decided to seek out Chavkin’s talents while trying to develop Hadestown into a full-length pro fessional musical. “Great Comet, like many of Rachel’s shows, had this combination of high ly accessible feeladmiringly.ness,”unapologeticentertainmentBroadway-styleandalsorealdowntownweirdremembersMitchell,“Rachelhasagreatformusicandmusicalsand
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Chavkin’s contributions helped escort Hadestown to Broadway’s pinnacle, where she was also recognized for excel lence. She was the only woman nominated for a 2019 Tony® in the Best Direction of a Musical category, which she won. “Wom en are very well represented on Broadway as performers and as writers, but when you look at the small number of women directing on Broadway it is shocking and more than a little depressing,” wrote Wicked producer David Stone in 2005. Little changed in the 15 years between Stone’s article and Chavkin’s win, and so Chavkin used the platform of her accept ance speech to advocate for the hiring of women and people of color in theatre: “There are so many women who are ready to go. There are so many artists of color who are ready to go. And we need to see that racial diver sity and gender diversity reflect ed in our critical establishment, too. This is not a pipeline issue. It is a failure of imagination by a field whose job is to imagine the way the world could be.”
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When assembling teams for her productions, Chavkin draws from the best and selects the most talented artists. By inten
Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, this acclaimed new show from celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and innovative director Rachel Chavkin ( Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 ) is a love story for today...and always. Intertwining two mythic tales—that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone— Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.
“Theater depicts and cele brates humanity, and humanity is diverse,” asserts Mitchell. And so, thanks to the shared commit ments of its creators, Hadestown strives for connection to every human experience, showing diversity to be colorful, produc tive, and exciting. ABOUT THE SHOW Come see how the world could be. Welcome to Hadestown, where a song can change your fate.
Hadestown became a product of each artist’s greatest strengths, blending Mitchell’s eloquent songbook with Chavkin’s innova tive directorial style. Chavkin says that she was drawn to Hadestown because of its poetic nature, admiring its balance of innovation and tra dition: “I’ve never encountered a score that feels so singular in its style while still taking up some of the storytelling rules that musical theater goes by.” Al though Chavkin says Hadestown is the hardest show she’s ever directed, Mitchell liked the way Chavkin challenged her and the show. “Rachel’s a gifted drama turg and she’s not afraid to really roll up her sleeves in the devel opment process of a show. We worked together for three years before we got an off-Broadway production, and three more before we landed on Broadway,” says Mitchell, adding: “Rachel [gave me] ‘tough love’ and she pushed me—a songwriter with almost no dramatic writing experience—to write and rewrite until the drama was satisfying.”
tionally embracing inclusivity, she builds a diverse company that understands the needs of a global audience. “I think diver sity is inextricable from excel lence, and I think all too often people, and in particular the dominant culture tends to frame it as a choice that you have to make between diversity and ex cellence. And I personally think it’s the opposite,” Chavkin as sures. “I think a [diverse] room is far more interesting, just purely on a dramatic level. It’s so much better stylistically, emotionally to have varied voices. And so, with Hadestown specifically, we have reaffirmed time and again that racial diversity in particular is core to our vision of excel lence.”Although there are numerous notable women working offstage and challenge the status quo, Hadestown ’s lead producer, Mara Isaacs, says there’s still more work to be done. “Hades town is built on a set of core val ues—the power of community, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” Isaacs says. “We are proud of the incredible women who helm this production and the talented and diverse company that brings it to life, but we recognize that there is always more work to do. We must continue to strive for equity—gender, racial, and oth erwise—throughout our industry, not just on stage. This is a chal lenge that we must recommit to every single day.”
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how to bring the best aspects of concert culture into the theater.”
20 • BROADWAY IN CINCINNATI 2020–2021 FOLLOW US /BroadwayInCincinnati • @BroadwayCincy 7-SHOW PACKAGES START AT $233 ACCESSIBLE SEATING 7 - SHOW PACKAGE PRICE 7 - SHOW PACKAGE PRICE Patron Club* Orchestra DD-O, Loge A-C Orchestra Center P-Z, Left & Right Orch P T, Loge Center D-J, Left & Right Loge D-F Left & Right Orchestra U-Z, Left & Right Loge G-J, Balcony A-C Balcony D-H Balcony J-N $795$554$473$362$233 Prices, shows, artists, dates and times are subject to change at any time without notice.The price of each subscription seat reflects the face value of your tickets, as well as $50.25 in processing fees, $29.75 in facility fees, all applicable taxes, and, if applicable, the Patron Club Subscription Fee noted below. *Patron Club Subscriptions (Orchestra Rows DD-O/Loge Rows A-C) include a $120 fee for each subscription seat purchased. Patron Club Subscribers receive priority access to premium seat locations, available only to these Subscribers, prior to tickets being placed on sale to the general public. Additional benefits included in Patron Club Subscriptions include complimentary drink vouchers and the option to be recognized in the Playbill for all Season shows if you choose. By purchasing a Season Subscription, you agree to the terms at www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/standard-season-subscription-terms/ and the terms for the 22/23 season at cincinnati.broadway.com/subscriptions. Season packages include your same seats for the six two-week shows. Seats for the one-week season options are sold in a first come-first served basis. COVID-19 health and safety protocols may be in effect for the performances in your upcoming season; you will be notified of any protocols in advance of each performance. All ticketholders are required to comply.