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Play On!

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Play On!
Original Cast Recording Artwork
MusicDuke Ellington
LyricsVarious (see below)
BookCheryl L. West
BasisTwelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
PremiereSeptember 1996 (1996-09): Old Globe Theatre, San Diego
Productions1996 San Diego
1997 Broadway
2024 UK tour

Play On! is a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, featuring the music of Duke Ellington, conceived by Sheldon Epps, with a book by Cheryl L. West. The musical relocates the story from Illyria to 1940s Swing-era Harlem.[1][2]

Premiering at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, the production moved to Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 1997. The New York production received three nominations at the 51st Tony Awards, including for performances by Tonya Pinkins and André De Shields.[3]

Production history

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The original production, conceived by director Sheldon Epps, premiered in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in September 1996. The show then opened March 20, 1997, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, where it ran for 61 performances.[4][5] The cast included Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, Carl Anderson, Yvette Cason, and Angela Robinson.[6] An original cast recording was released on May 20, 1997, on Varèse Sarabande.

A 1999 production of Play On! at the Pasadena Playhouse was recorded for the PBS series Great Performances.[7]

Talawa Theatre Company produced a UK tour directed by Michael Buffong, beginning September 2024 at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, then Liverpool Playhouse, Salisbury Playhouse, Birmingham Hippodrome, Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, and Bristol Old Vic.[8]

Synopsis

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Vy comes to swinging 1940s Harlem to write songs for the Duke, Harlem's greatest band leader. To overcome the sexist barriers of the time against women songwriters, she disguises herself as a man, Vy-man. She finds the Duke in tears over his loss of Lady Liv, Harlem's "queen of the blues". The Duke likes Vy-man's music, so he instructs the songwriter to go to the Cotton Club and present one of her songs as if it were a new song written by the Duke for Lady Liv. Once Lady Liv finds Vy-man to be quite charming, a series of mistaken pairings ensue.

Meanwhile, Jester and several other Cotton Club performers are rebelling against the overly serious and tyrannical club manager, Rev. Since Rev has a crush on Lady Liv, the performers persuade him that he should woo her by learning to swing and scat, giving up his old fashioned ballads. More confusion results before the truth is revealed, and the couples are appropriately united.

Cast

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Character Broadway
1997
Duke Carl Anderson
Miss Mary Yvette Cason
Jester André De Shields
Vy Cheryl Freeman
Lady Liv Tonya Pinkins
Rev Lawrence Hamilton

Musical numbers

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Awards and nominations

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Original Broadway production

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Year Award Category Nominee Result
1997 Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical André DeShields Nominated
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Tonya Pinkins Nominated
Best Orchestrations Luther Henderson Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical André DeShields Nominated
Drama League Award Outstanding Production of a Musical Play On! Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Viagas, Robert (April 21, 1997). "Playbill Critics Circle: Your Reviews of Play On!". Playbill. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "Play On!". Guide to Musical Theatre. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  3. ^ ""The Life" leads Tony Nominee". The Washington Post. May 6, 1997. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Evans, Greg (March 21, 1997). "Play On!: a musical has to work pretty hard to let such an inspired idea slip through the floorboards". Variety. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Grimes, William (April 18, 1997). "On Stage, and Off". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  6. ^ "Play On!". Playbill. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Jones, Kenneth (June 21, 2000). "Play On! Finds Its Way to Small Screen, on PBS, June 21". Playbill. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Singh, Amarjeet. "Play On! at Belgrade Theatre and on tour – Duke Ellington musical review". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
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