Contact (musical)
Encyclopedia
Contact: The Musical is a musical "dance play" (some deemed it a ballet) that was developed by Susan Stroman
and John Weidman
, with its "book" by Weidman and both choreography and direction by Stroman. It ran both off-Broadway and on Broadway
in 1999 - 2000. It consists of three separate one-act dance plays.
at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre
, Lincoln Center, on March 30, 2000 and played for 1,010 performances.
The show was received with much critical acclaim and won the 2000 Tony Award
for Best Musical
(among others - see below). However, it caused much controversy in the American theater world about what constitutes a musical, as instead of original music
, it uses pre-recorded music and songs, the actors do not sing, and there is minimal dialogue. As a result of the controversy, a new category was created for the Tony Awards: Best Special Theatrical Event
.
The original cast album was released on March 6, 2001. The idea of a cast album for a show with no original score was in itself controversial. PBS included the show's final performance in its program "Live From Lincoln Center" on September 1, 2002. The show went on to tour nationally.
A West End
production opened at the Queen's Theatre
in October 2002, and closed on May 10, 2003.
's (Stroman's husband) development executive and assistants during his brief production deal at Warner Bros. It was to be a musical film based on the swing revival currently under way in New York. Warner Bros. considered the idea, along with the idea from Ockrent's employees for a film musical of Therese Racquin
, which was also later given to Stroman as "Thou Shalt Not." After Ockrent's film deal dissolved, the ideas were then made use of by Stroman.
, Stephane Grappelli
, the Squirrel Nut Zippers
, Royal Crown Revue
, and The Beach Boys
. In each story, the central character expresses a longing to make a romantic connection.:
(in Part Two) and Boyd Gaines
(in Part Three), won Tonys for Best Featured Actress and Best Featured Actor in a Musical, respectively. The show also won Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Lighting Design.
Deborah Yates, who originated the spectacular dance role of Girl in a Yellow Dress (Part Three), was also nominated for a Tony Award that year in the same category as Karen Ziemba
.
Swinging
Did You Move?
Act II
Contact
Susan Stroman
Susan Stroman is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director, and performer. She has won the Tony Award for both her choreography and direction, notably for the stage musical The Producers.-Early years:...
and John Weidman
John Weidman
John Weidman is an American librettist. He is the son of librettist and novelist Jerome Weidman.He has written the books for a wide variety of stage musicals, three in collaboration with Stephen Sondheim: Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show...
, with its "book" by Weidman and both choreography and direction by Stroman. It ran both off-Broadway and on Broadway
Broadway 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...
in 1999 - 2000. It consists of three separate one-act dance plays.
Productions
Contact premiered at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, Lincoln Center, in September 1999 (after 1999 workshop productions of parts of the show), then moved to 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 Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a theatre located in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The structure was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, and Jo Mielziner was responsible for the design of the stage and interior.The Vivian...
, Lincoln Center, on March 30, 2000 and played for 1,010 performances.
The show was received with much critical acclaim and won the 2000 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...
for Best Musical
Tony Award for Best Musical
This 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...
(among others - see below). However, it caused much controversy in the American theater world about what constitutes a musical, as instead of original music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, it uses pre-recorded music and songs, the actors do not sing, and there is minimal dialogue. As a result of the controversy, a new category was created for the Tony Awards: Best Special Theatrical Event
Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
The Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event was awarded from 2001 to 2009 to live theatrical productions that were not plays or musicals.The category was created after the 2000 controversy of Contact winning Best Musical; the show used pre-recorded music and featured no singing...
.
The original cast album was released on March 6, 2001. The idea of a cast album for a show with no original score was in itself controversial. PBS included the show's final performance in its program "Live From Lincoln Center" on September 1, 2002. The show went on to tour nationally.
A West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
production opened at the Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
in October 2002, and closed on May 10, 2003.
Background
"Contact" was initially developed, researched, and written by Mike OckrentMike Ockrent
Mike Ockrent was a British stage director, well-known both for his Broadway musicals and smaller niche plays. He was educated at Highgate School. Through directing Educating Rita and Follies, he became an established figure in London theatre...
's (Stroman's husband) development executive and assistants during his brief production deal at Warner Bros. It was to be a musical film based on the swing revival currently under way in New York. Warner Bros. considered the idea, along with the idea from Ockrent's employees for a film musical of Therese Racquin
Thérèse Raquin
Thérèse Raquin is the title of a novel and a play by the French writer Émile Zola. The novel was originally published in serial format in the journal L'Artiste and in book format in December of the same year.-Plot introduction:Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to...
, which was also later given to Stroman as "Thou Shalt Not." After Ockrent's film deal dissolved, the ideas were then made use of by Stroman.
Structure, music and story
Contact is made up of three separate dance pieces, each set to pre-recorded music from the likes of TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
, Stephane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
, the Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
, Royal Crown Revue
Royal Crown Revue
The Royal Crown Revue is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. They are often credited with starting the Swing Revival movement. Live, RCR has been extremely successful: They participated in 1998's Vans Warped Tour, opened for the B-52s and The Pretenders and played at major US Jazz...
, and The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. In each story, the central character expresses a longing to make a romantic connection.:
- Part One - "Swinging"
- Part One, set in an 18th century French forest clearing, can be described as a contact improvisationContact improvisationContact improvisation is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation...
on FragonardJean-Honoré FragonardJean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings , of which only five...
's The SwingThe Swing (painting)The Swing , also known as The Happy Accidents of the Swing , is an 18th century oil painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. It is considered as one of the masterpieces of the rococo era.-The painting:...
, a print of which is displayed on an easel when the audience arrives. Sex and concealed identity are involved in this piece of amoral intrigue - a servant and his master each seeks the young lady's affection. Much of the action takes place on a moving swingSwing (seat)A swing is a hanging seat, usually found at playgrounds for children, a circus for acrobats, or on a porch for relaxing. The seat of a swing may be suspended from chains or ropes. Once a swing is in motion it continues to oscillate like a pendulum until external interference or drag brings it to a...
.- Part Two - Did You Move?
- Part Two, set in 1950s New York, takes place in an Italian restaurant, focusing on the empty marriage of a small-time gangsterGangsterA gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
and his wife. The wife has extensive dance sequences as she fantasizes about escaping her verbally abusive spouse, but each time is returned rudely to reality. Set to recorded orchestral music of TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
and Grieg.- Part Three - "Contact"
- Part Three, a contemporary piece, explores the emptiness of the career-driven lives of Manhattan apartment dwellers. A lonely advertising executive on the brink of suicide is somehow transported to a bar, where he encounters a stunning woman in a yellow dress. To win her and take control of his life, he must gain the confidence to make contact with another human being. http://www.curtainup.com/contact.html. It helped to create a surge of interest in acrobatic and rock and roll swing dancing.
Awards and nominations
In addition to winning Best Musical and Best Choreography, Karen ZiembaKaren Ziemba
Karen Ziemba is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre.-Biography:Ziemba was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and went on to attend the University of Akron , where she studied dance and joined the Ohio Ballet in her sophomore year.Her Broadway debut was in...
(in Part Two) and Boyd Gaines
Boyd Gaines
Boyd Payne Gaines is an American stage, film, and television actor.Gaines was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Ida and James Gaines. He has appeared in a number of films and television shows, including Fame, L.A...
(in Part Three), won Tonys for Best Featured Actress and Best Featured Actor in a Musical, respectively. The show also won Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Lighting Design.
Deborah Yates, who originated the spectacular dance role of Girl in a Yellow Dress (Part Three), was also nominated for a Tony Award that year in the same category as Karen Ziemba
Karen Ziemba
Karen Ziemba is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre.-Biography:Ziemba was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and went on to attend the University of Akron , where she studied dance and joined the Ohio Ballet in her sophomore year.Her Broadway debut was in...
.
Original Broadway cast
- Jason AntoonJason Antoon-Stage career:He is best known for his role in the 2000 Tony Award-winning musical Contact. For his performance, he received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical.-Movie career:...
- John BoltonJohn Bolton (actor)John Bolton is an American actor. He was born in Rochester, New York.-Career:Bolton has performed on Broadway, television shows, and TV commercials. He played the recurring character D.A. John Summerhill on the soap opera All My Children in 2006. He appeared in "Vacancy", a 2006 episode of Law &...
- Boyd GainesBoyd GainesBoyd Payne Gaines is an American stage, film, and television actor.Gaines was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Ida and James Gaines. He has appeared in a number of films and television shows, including Fame, L.A...
- Jack HayesJack HayesJack J. Hayes was an American composer and orchestrator.He was twice nominated for an Academy Award, for The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1964 and for The Color Purple in 1985....
- Robert Wersinger
- Scott TaylorScott Taylor (actor)Scott Anthony Taylor is an English actor.-Acting career:Taylor's acting career started at the age of 17 with a role in the 2000 Christmas special of ITV1's Heartbeat of which The Royal is a spin-off...
- Deborah Yates
- Karen ZiembaKaren ZiembaKaren Ziemba is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre.-Biography:Ziemba was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and went on to attend the University of Akron , where she studied dance and joined the Ohio Ballet in her sophomore year.Her Broadway debut was in...
- Stephanie Michels
- Sean Martin HingstonSeán Martin HingstonSeán Martin Hingston is a New York-based actor.Seán started his career as a child actor in TV commercials. He was educated at Eltham High School, Victoria, where he began his theatrical career in productions of A Midsummers Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Pippin and The Real Inspector Hound.As a...
- Mayumi Miguel
- Steve Geary
West End cast
- Helen AnkerHelen AnkerHelen Anker, born in 1972 in Banbury, Oxfordshire, is an actress and singer who trained at the Royal Ballet School and Bird College. She is best known for playing Zelda Fitzgerald in the West End musical Beautiful and Damned, a role she first played at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford before...
- Gavin LeeGavin LeeGavin Lee is an English actor who is currently starring as Bert on Broadway in the musical Mary Poppins. He previously originated the role in the original West End production. He was chosen for the Broadway role because of his critically acclaimed performance as Bert in the West End production...
- Michael PraedMichael PraedMichael Praed born Michael David Prince, 1 April 1960 in Berkeley, Gloucestershire) is a British actor, is probably best known for his role as Robin of Loxley in the British television series Robin of Sherwood, which attained cult status worldwide in the 1980s...
- Sarah WildorSarah WildorSarah Wildor is an English ballerina and theatre dancer. She is most noted as a former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.- Overview :...
- Leigh ZimmermanLeigh ZimmermanLeigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Nathan Lane and in London's West End in The Seven Year Itch and Chicago.In 1992, she had a minor role in Home...
Musical numbers
Act ISwinging
- My Heart Stood Still (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart)- Stéphane GrappelliStéphane GrappelliStéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
Did You Move?
- Anitra's Dance - New York Philharmonic Orchestra;Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
- Waltz from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 - New York Philharmonic Orchestra;Leonard Bernstein
- Farandole - New York Philharmonic Orchestra;Leonard Bernstein
Act II
- You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You - Boyd Gaines
Contact
- Put a Lid On It - Squirrel Nut ZippersSquirrel Nut ZippersThe Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
- Sweet Lorraine - Stéphane Grappelli
- Runaround SueRunaround Sue"Runaround Sue" is a pop song, originally a US No. 1 hit for the singer Dion during 1961. The song ranked No. 342 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-Original recording:...
- Dion DimucciDion DiMucciDion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles.... - Beyond the Sea - Royal Crown RevueRoyal Crown RevueThe Royal Crown Revue is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. They are often credited with starting the Swing Revival movement. Live, RCR has been extremely successful: They participated in 1998's Vans Warped Tour, opened for the B-52s and The Pretenders and played at major US Jazz...
- See What I Mean? - Al Cooper and His Savoy Sultans
- Simply Irresistible - Robert Palmer
- Do You Wanna Dance? - The Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
- Topsy - Royal Crown Revue
- Sing, Sing, SingSing, Sing, Sing"Sing, Sing, Sing " is a 1936 song, written by Louis Prima and first recorded by him with the New Orleans Gang and released in March 1936 as a 78 as Brunswick 7628 . It is strongly identified with the big band and swing eras. It was covered by Fletcher Henderson and most famously Benny Goodman...
- Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
and His Orchestra