A Grand Night For Singing
A Musical Revue in 2 acts: Conceived by Waiter Bobbie. Music by Richard Rodgers; lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Musical Arrangements by Fred Wells.
Originally produced Off-Broadway as a nightclub revue 2 March-10 April 1993 at Rainbow and Stars for 60 performances.
Originally produced by Roundabout Theatre Company at the Criterion Center Stage Right, New York; 17 November, 1993 (52 perfs)
Over three decades after the duo's final collaboration, The Sound Of Music, took the world by storm, it was this new R&H musical that opened the 1994 Broadway season, gaining wildly enthusiastic reviews. Rodgers & Hammerstein probably never imagined Shall We Dance? as a comic pas de deux for a towering beauty and her diminutive admirer, nor did they suspect that one day a lovelorn young lad might pose the musical question, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? but with innovative musical arrangements including a sultry Andrew Sisters-esque I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair, a swingin' Honeybun and a jazzy Kansas City this exhilarating revue leaves no question about how terrifically up-to-date the remarkable songs of R&H remain.
Cast: 2 + men, 3 + women
Original Cast : In order of appearance
MARTIN VIDNOVIC, JASON GRAAE, VICTORIA CLARK, ALYSON REED, LYNNE WINTERSTELLER
Musical Numbers:
(The singer's name given is that of the original Broadway performance)
ACT 1
- Carousel Waltz (from Carousel)/ So Far (from Allegro)/ It's a Grand Night For Singing (from State Fair film) - Company
- The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top (from Oklahoma!) - Jason
- Stepsisters' Lament (from Cinderella) - Lynne, Victoria
- We Kiss in a Shadow (from The King and I) - Martin
- Hello, Young Lovers (from The King and I) - Company
- A Wonderful Guy (from South Pacific) - Alyson
- I Cain't Say No (from Oklahoma!) - Victoria
- Maria (from The Sound of Music) - Jason
- Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful? (from Cinderella) - Lynne
- Honey Bun (from South Pacific) - Martin, Company
- The Gentleman Is a Dope (from Allegro) - Alyson
- Don't Marry Me (from Flower Drum Song) - Martin, Jason, Lynne, Victoria
- I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair (from South Pacific) - Alyson, Lynne, Victoria
- If I Loved You (from Carousel) - Victoria
- Shall We Dance? (from The King and I) - Lynne, Jason
- That's the Way It Happens (from Me and Juliet) - Alyson, Jason
- All at Once You Love Her (from Pipe Dream) - Martin, Jason
- Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) - Company
ACT 2
- Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' (from Oklahoma!) - Martin
- Wish Them Well (from Allegro)- Company
- The Man I Used To Be (from Pipe Dream) (Dance arrangements by Wally Harper.) - Victoria, Alyson, Jason
- It Might As Well Be Spring (from State Fair) - Lynne
- Kansas City (from Oklahoma!) - Company
- When the Children Are Asleep (from Carousel) - Company
- I Know It Can Happen Again (from Allegro) - Company
- My Little Girl (excerpt from Soliloquy, from Carousel) - Company
- It's Me (from Me and Juliet) (Dance arrangements by Wally Harper.) - Alyson, Jason, Martin
- Love, Look Away (from Flower Drum Song) - Jason
- When You're Driving Through the Moonlight (from Cinderella) - Victoria, Martin, Alyson, Jason
- A Lovely Night (from Cinderella) - Victoria, Martin, Alyson, Jason
- Something Wonderful (from The King and I) - Lynne
- This Nearly Was Mine (from South Pacific) - Martin
- Impossible (from Cinderella - Company
- I Have Dreamed (from The King and I) - Company
Instrumentation:
Reed (flute, piccolo, alto flute, clarinet, alto sax), percussion, harp, keyboard, cello, bass