Chronicle of a Death Foretold (musical)
Encyclopedia
Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a musical with a book and lyrics by Graciela Daniele
and Jim Lewis (and additional material by Michael John LaChiusa
) and music by Bob Telson
. It is based on Gabriel García Márquez
's 1981 novella of the same name
.
at the Plymouth Theatre on June 15, 1995, and played 37 performances and 28 previews before closing on July 16, 1995. The production was conceived, directed, and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
. The original production starred Tonya Pinkins
, Saundra Santiago as Angela Vicario and dancers George de la Peña
, Alexandre Proia, Gregory Mitchell and Luis Perez. It was nominated for three Tony Award
s and six Drama Desk Award
s, although it failed to win any awards.
, writing in New York Magazine termed it a "dance-drama", with "dancing, singing, speaking, and posturing." The show has three songs and no actual book, with the "narrative propelled by dance."
of The New York Times
found the musical "a frequently stunning show that is less a conventional musical adaptation than a performance piece". Time
magazine wrote that, despite the fact that in "the novella's passage from page to stage, something of its fateful weight has been forfeited", the musical was "smart, surrealistic and visually entrancing."
Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre...
and Jim Lewis (and additional material by Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa
Michael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for complex, musically challenging shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See...
) and music by Bob Telson
Bob Telson
Robert "Bob" Eria Telson is an American composer, songwriter, and pianist best known for his work in musical theater and film, for which he has received Tony, Pulitzer, and Academy Award nominations. He is currently living and working in Argentina.-Biography:Robert Eria Telson was born in Cannes,...
. It is based on Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
's 1981 novella of the same name
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a novella by Gabriel García Márquez, published in 1981...
.
Production
The musical premiered on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Plymouth Theatre on June 15, 1995, and played 37 performances and 28 previews before closing on July 16, 1995. The production was conceived, directed, and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele
Graciela Daniele is an Argentine-American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.-Biography:Born at Buenos Aires, Daniele began her dance training at the age of seven at Teatro Colón, Argentina's equivalent of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre...
. The original production starred Tonya Pinkins
Tonya Pinkins
Tonya Pinkins is an American actress and author known for her portrayal of Livia Frye on the soap opera All My Children and for her roles on Broadway, for which she won a Tony Award.-Biography:...
, Saundra Santiago as Angela Vicario and dancers George de la Peña
George de la Peña
George de la Peña is an American ballet dancer, musical theatre performer, choreographer, actor, and teacher. He was born in New York City, New York, U.S....
, Alexandre Proia, Gregory Mitchell and Luis Perez. It was nominated for three Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s and six Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
s, although it failed to win any awards.
Synopsis
In a small town in South America Bayardo San Roman, a newly-married man rejects Angela Vicario, his young bride when he discovers that she is not a virgin. She returns to her family home, where they make her reveal her lover. She names Santiago, the best friend of her brothers, who is actually innocent. They are determined to avenge the family honor by killing their best friend: a "death foretold."Analysis
The show is called a "dance theatre" piece, "driven more by dance than by music." John SimonJohn Simon (critic)
John Ivan Simon is an American author and literary, theater, and film critic.-Personal life:Simon was born in Subotica, Bačka, County of Bačka, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later, known as Yugoslavia . He is of Hungarian descent...
, writing in New York Magazine termed it a "dance-drama", with "dancing, singing, speaking, and posturing." The show has three songs and no actual book, with the "narrative propelled by dance."
Critical reception
Vincent CanbyVincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
found the musical "a frequently stunning show that is less a conventional musical adaptation than a performance piece". Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine wrote that, despite the fact that in "the novella's passage from page to stage, something of its fateful weight has been forfeited", the musical was "smart, surrealistic and visually entrancing."
Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best MusicalTony Award for Best MusicalThis is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...
(nominee) - Tony Award for Best Book of a MusicalTony Award for Best Book of a MusicalThe Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible...
(nominee) - Tony Award for Best ChoreographyTony Award for Best Choreography-1940s:* 1947: Agnes de Mille – Brigadoon / Michael Kidd – Finian's Rainbow* 1948: Jerome Robbins – High Button Shoes* 1949: Gower Champion – Lend An Ear-1950s:* 1950: Helen Tamiris – Touch and Go* 1951: Michael Kidd – Guys and Dolls...
(Graciela Daniele, nominee) - Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Musical (nominee) - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography (Graciela Daniele, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (Graciela Daniele, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (Beverly EmmonsBeverly EmmonsBeverly Emmons is a lighting designer for the stage, dance and opera.-Career:Emmons graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1965 and then worked as an assistant to Jules Fisher. Her first credit as a lighting designer was with the Off-Broadway play Sensations in 1970. Emmons first Broadway work...
, nominee)