Broadway Spring Preview 2006

There are quite a few shows opening up this spring. To qualify for the Tonys this year, a show must open by May 10, 2006, so here are some of the contenders:

New Musicals
While all these shows should be fun, only Ring of Fire is an original idea. Using Johnny Cash songs director/creator Richard Maltby, Jr. doesn't use a formal narrative with songs or one leading man. Instead, an ensemble works together. Maltby says, “…you won't find a plot, or dramatized scenes, on stage in this entertainment. [There] are glimpses of the world Cash lived in -- of home, and family, and the land; of hard work and adversity; of faith and love and compassion for people who lead hard lives or are down on their luck.”
Ring of Fire begins February 8, 2006.

All three of the other musicals opening this spring have been made into movies.

The Wedding Singer was originally a movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. In the movie (and musical), Robbie Hart, the singer, lives in his grandmother’s basement in New Jersey. He had wanted to be a singer/songwriter, but that dream is pretty much gone. All he wants now is to settle down with his fiancé. She dumps him and he becomes a bitter wedding singer, until he falls in love with waitress. Unfortunately, she is engaged. The best part of this movie is that it was set in 1985 and had a terrific soundtrack of 80’s music. The musical has new numbers, with at least one of them written by Adam Sandler. The thing that I am looking forward to with this musical is the lead. Steven Lynch will be starring in the role of Robbie. Lynch is a terrific comedian whose act is performing hysterical songs his written and should make The Wedding Singer worth seeing.
The Wedding Singer begins March 30, 2006.

Disney has created a live musical version of their musical movie Tarzan. Considering the hits of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, I am sure this show will be magical to watch once one can get tickets for it.
Tarzan begins March 24, 2006

This final musical was made into a movie, but really its fan base will be from the fans of the book. Lestat is a musical based on the main vampire from the Anne Rice novels “Interview with a Vampire” and The Vampire Lestat.” Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote the music. Given the popularity of the novels, I suspect this show will be around for awhile.
Lestat begin March 11, 2006.

New Plays
Four new plays are opening with limited runs. I don't know much about the first two, but there is a lot of star power coming to stage.

The big news this spring is Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts on stage for the first time. Three Days of Rain, by Richard Greenberg, was a Pulitzer finalist in 1998. The first act is a brother, sister and long-time friend gathered for a reading of a will. The second act is their parents, years earlier, in the same location. People who have seen this play have told me it is incredible. The show also stars Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper.
Three Days of Rain run March 28 – June 18, 2006

Rabbit Hole, produced by Manhattan Theater Club, is about a perfect couple whose world is shattered by an accident, and their search for peace and comfort Tyne Daly, Cynthia Nixon and John Slattery are in the cast.
Rabbit Hole are January 12 – March 26, 2006.

Shining City is one that I really want to see. Written by Connor McPherson, who also wrote The Weir, this is a tale of a widower who tells his therapist that he has seen the ghost of his recently deceased wife. Oliver Platt and Brian F. O’Byrne star.
Shining City run April 13 – July 2, 2006.

The History Boys, written by Alan Bennett, is the one play this spring I can't wait to see. I read the script last summer and it is a terrific story. It takes place in an all-boys grammar school in Britain, with the chaos of the students and the rivalry between faculty members, and examines the purpose of education. The History Boys has won several awards already, and I am sure it will be nominated for a Tony.
The History Boys produced by The Nation Theater of Great Britain, performances run April 14 – September 26.