Music Is is a musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 with a book by George Abbott

George Abbott

George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...

, music by Richard Adler

Richard Adler

Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.-Biography:Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the Navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...

, and lyrics by Will Holt

Will Holt

Will Holt is an American singer, songwriter, librettist and lyricist known first and primarily as a folk performer during the 1950s and 1960s and as an interpreter of the music of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht in performances and recordings with Martha Schlamme...

. It is the second musical adaptation of the William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

 play Twelfth Night, following Your Own Thing

Your Own Thing

Your Own Thing is a rock-styled musical comedy loosely based on Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. It premiered off-Broadway in early 1968. The music and lyrics are by Hal Hester and Danny Apolinar with the book adaptation by Donald Driver, who also directed the original production...

in 1968.

The plot focuses on mistaken identity. Masquerading as a young page named Cesario, Viola enters the service of Duke Orsino, who is in love with Olivia. When she rejects his romantic advances, Orsino decides to use Cesario as an intermediary. Olivia, believing Cesario to be a man, falls in love with the attractive messenger. Viola, in turn, falls in love with the Duke, who also believes Cesario is a man and regards him as his confidant.

The musical had its world premiere at the Seattle Repertory Theatre

Seattle Repertory Theatre

Seattle Repertory Theatre is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore...

 in 1976. The 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...

 production, directed by Abbott and choreographed by Patricia Birch

Patricia Birch

Patricia Birch is an American choreographer and director for musical theatre and film.Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon, Goldilocks, and West Side Story . She has directed and choreographed music videos for Cyndi Lauper, the...

, opened at the St. James Theatre

St. James Theatre

The St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St. Broadway, New York City, New York. It was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger...

 on December 20, 1976 following 14 previews and closed on December 26 after eight performances. The music was orchestrated by Hershy Kay

Hershy Kay

Hershy Kay was an American composer, arranger, and orchestrator. He is most noteworthy for the orchestrations of several Broadway shows, and for the ballets he arranged for George Balanchine's New York City Ballet....

, and Paul Gemignani

Paul Gemignani

Paul Gemignani is an award-winning American musical director with a career on Broadway and West End theatre spanning over thirty years.-Life and career:...

 served as musical director.

The cast included Catherine Cox

Catherine Cox

Catherine Cox is an Australian netball player. Cox has played regularly for the Australian national team since her first appearance in 1997 and is a member of the ANZ Championship team West Coast Fever....

 as Viola, Christopher Hewett

Christopher Hewett

Christopher Michael Hewett was an English actor and theatre director best known for his role as Lynn Belvedere on the ABC sitcom Mr. Belvedere.-Career:...

 as Malvolio, Joel Higgins

Joel Higgins

Joel Franklin Higgins is an American actors and singer with a stage career spanning over 30 years.- Life and Career :...

 as Sebastian, David Holliday

David Holliday

David Holliday was an American broadway actor and voice actor.Holliday's longest-running role on Broadway was that of Richard Kiley's alternate as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, being Don Quixote in matinees and Dr Carrasco in the evening performances, from 1965 to 1971...

 as Duke Orsino, Sherry Mathis as Olivia, Joe Ponazecki as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, David Sabin as Sir Toby Belch, and Daniel Ben-Zali in the dual roles of William Shakespeare and Feste.

Birch was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography

Tony 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...

 and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography

-1970s:* 1970: Ron Field – Applause** No nominees* 1971: Michael Bennett – Follies and Donald Saddler – No, No, Nanette** No nominees* 1972: Patricia Birch – Grease and Jean Erdman – Two Gentlemen of Verona...

 but lost both to Peter Gennaro

Peter Gennaro

Peter Gennaro was an American dancer and choreographer.-Biography:Gennaro was born in Metairie, Louisiana. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Make Mine Manhattan in 1948. He followed this with Kiss Me, Kate and Guys and Dolls...

 for Annie

Annie (musical)

Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...

. Cox was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...

 but lost to Clamma Dale

Clamma Dale

Clamma Dale is an African-American operatic soprano. She is best known for portraying the role of Bess in the highly successful 1976 Houston Grand Opera production of Porgy and Bess...

 in Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...

, and Hewitt and Ben-Zali were nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...

 but lost to Ken Bichel

Ken Bichel

Ken Bichel is an American actor, composer, pianist, and synthesizer musician. Bichel attended the Juilliard School where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in piano performance in the late 1960s...

, Michael Mark

Michael Mark (musician)

Michael Mark is an American musician, composer, and actor. Mark won a Drama Desk Award for his performance in the Broadway Musical, I Love My Wife and he was also part of the original cast of Harry Chapin’s Cotton Patch Gospel, a role that he also played for the televised version of the show. Mark...

, John Miller

John Miller (musician)

John Miller is an American musician and actor known for his work on Broadway. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1968....

, and Joseph Saulter

Joseph Saulter

Joseph Saulter is an African-American musician, actor, and video game designer. He is the co-Founder of The Urban Video Game Academy and is currently the President of the DeKalb Council of the Arts, Chairman of the Diversity Advisory Board at the International Game Developers Association, and a...

, who shared the award for I Love My Wife

I Love My Wife

I Love My Wife is a musical with a book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, based on a play by Luis Rego.A satire of the sexual revolution of the 1970s, the musical takes place on Christmas Eve in suburban Trenton, New Jersey, where two married couples who have been close friends...

.

Song list

Act 1

• Music Is ..... William Shakespeare and Company
• When First I Saw My Lady's Face ..... Duke Orsino
• Lady's Choice ..... Viola and Captain
• The Time Is Ripe for Loving ..... Company
• Should I Speak of Loving You ..... Viola
• Hate to Say Goodbye to You ..... Antonio and Sebastian
• Big Bottom Betty ..... Feste
• Twenty-one Chateaux ..... Viola, Olivia and Company
• Sudden Lilac ..... Olivia
• Sing Hi ..... Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Feste and Maria

Act 2

• The Tennis Song ..... Duke Orsino, Valentine and Company
• I Am It ..... Malvolio
• No Matter Where ..... Olivia and Viola
• The Duel ..... Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Viola and Feste
• Please Be Human ..... Olivia and Sebastian
• What You Will ..... William Shakespeare and Company