BWAY: FINIAN'S cast returns for album release

by Trish Causey

Gone but not forgotten, FINIAN'S RAINBOW makes a brief encore appearance when the Broadway cast reassembles for the cast album release today at the Barnes & Noble near Lincoln Center at 5 pm EST.

The cast album officially goes on sale at online and retail shops tomorrow, February 2nd, but this public appearance allows a jump start to the album launch just a couple weeks after the show's sudden closing on Broadway.

Singing familiar tunes from the show will be Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, and Christopher Fitzgerald, who will greet fans and autograph copies of the CD album.

BWAY: Bittersweet Welcome to 2010

The year 2010 has gotten off to a rocky start for Broadway. RAGTIME and FINIAN'S RAINBOW, two shows that seemed destined for long runs, both closed after only a few months on the Great White Way. But other favorites, AVENUE Q and THE 39 STEPS are enjoying a transition to smaller houses, going from Broadway to Off-Broadway houses---but at least, they're still running.

For big musicals like RAGTIME and FINIAN's RAINBOW, venues large enough to contain a large cast and real orchestra in the pit are in short supply. (Not to mention, the lack of money available to front a move, from the producers' perspective.) Either way, it is sad to see the traditional musical swept aside.

Other musicals, such as FELA! , BILLY ELLIOT, and WEST SIDE STORY seem to be holding their own and recouping their investment, while WICKED is still breaking box office records. Let's hope that national tours are in progress and that the rest of the country will get the chance to see the RAGTIME and FINIAN'S on the road.

BWAY: FINIAN'S RAINBOW Axed

by Trish Causey

On the heels of the sudden and unexpected closing of RAGTIME, Playbill.com announces the closing of FINIAN'S RAINBOW on January 17, 2010. Some thought FINIAN'S would only last as long as RAGTIME did, but no one expected a January end so soon after Fall openings---especially after both shows made it on TIME'S Top 10 List.

This is a worrisome trend for big musicals that employ large casts and real orchestras. Perhaps it was the historical plot-points or political satire that made them less appealing to vacationing audiences seeking solely entertainment sans enlightenment?

Investors should know better than to put so much money into a show and wimp out just a couple months into it. They should be there for the long haul. When WICKED was mounted, the producers knew it could be a year before they saw a return in their investment. Even with mixed reviews, they stuck it out, and now WICKED keeps breaking records.

Broadway should remain an avenue for all types of shows, both the traditional book musical and the experimental modern music revue. We need it all. Only musical theatre makes such diversity possible, and it all needs to be supported and nurtured.

BWAY: FINIAN'S RAINBOW opens on Broadway!

by Trish Causey

Tonight marks the star-studded, red carpet Broadway opening of the revival of Finian's Rainbow. One might think the enthusiastic crowds lining the sidewalk were awaiting the arrival of rock stars or royalty. Perhaps they were.

Tommy Tune, Allison Pill, Rue McLannihan, Abigal Breslin, Deborah Monk, and Mario Cantone were just a handful of the celebrities from the world of theatre, television, and film walking the red carpet outside the St. James Theatre.

Finian's Rainbow is a fictional, romantic satire that seems blessed by the luck o' the Irish. The full-stage musical tells the tale of an Irish farmer, Finian, and his headstrong daughter, Sharon, as they encounter the interesting locals in their new home, the fictional state of Missitucky.


According to the show's website:

"The story and songs apply as much today as they did when they were written (Madoffs of the world, beware!). The unique and delightful story combines love, money, magic (literally—there's a leprechaun who grants wishes!), and social justice."

This revival of Finian's Rainbow has theatrephiles' tongues wagging as it is one more "big cast" show to stake its claim on the Great White Way in recent years. With the success of other revivals: West Side Story and Ragtime, Finian's Rainbow follows the format of a big cast, with memorable tunes, exquisite singing, and brilliant dancing. And if the infectious excitement on the social networking sites leading up to the opening is any indication, this show will run for quite some time.

The sharp-witted book is by Yip Harburg and Fred Saidy with the showtunes penned by lyricist, Yip Harburg, and composer, Burton Lane. These three theatre writers were among the best the genre has ever seen.

"Harburg, Lane and Saidy are among the most celebrated and beloved theatrical writers of our time. Yip Harburg wrote the lyrics for “Over the Rainbow” (the American Film Institute's #1 Movie Song of All Time), Burton Lane composed “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” and Fred Saidy wrote the book for Bloomer Girl, the first feminist, anti-slavery musical."

http://www.finiansonbroadway.com/faq.html

While the characters may be looking for the coveted pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow, the audience has already found theirs just by being witness to the stellar cast led by a creative team of Broadway veterans.

Cast:

• Tony Award® winner JIM NORTON (The Seafarer) stars as Finian
• KATE BALDWIN (Wonderful Town), the headstrong daughter, Sharon
• CHEYENNE JACKSON (Xanadu) as Woody, who becomes enchanted
• CHRISTOPHER FITZGERALD (Young Frankenstein) as Og, the leprechaun.

Creative Team:

• WARREN CARLYLE - Director and Choreographer
• ROB BERMAN - Music Director
• JOHN LEE BEATTY - Set Design
• TONI-LESLIE JAMES - Costume Design
• KEN BILLINGTON - Lighting Design
• SCOTT LEHRER - Sound Design
• WENDY PARSON - Hair, Wig and Make Up Design
• TRIPP PHILLIPS - Production Stage Manager
• JASON HINDELANG - Stage Manager

All in all, the opening of "Finian's Rainbow" is another feather in the cap of Broadway, no luck or magic required.

Sources:

http://www.finiansonbroadway.com/faq.html

http://www.twitter.com/finiansrainbow