Ruthless!
Encyclopedia
Ruthless! The Musical is an all female musical with music by Marvin Laird and book and lyrics by Joel Paley that spoofs
Broadway
musicals, like Gypsy and Mame, and movies such as The Bad Seed
and All About Eve
. The musical premiered Off-Broadway
in 1992.
revivals of Annie Get Your Gun (1999) and Gypsy (2003)). The central role of Tina was played by future Broadway
actress Laura Bell Bundy
, and featured Natalie Portman
and Britney Spears
as understudies.
Ruthless! The Musical was then produced in Los Angeles
at the Canon Theatre
, where it opened on November 15, 1993. A recording was made by the 1993 Los Angeles cast on Varèse Sarabande
and released on March 29, 1994.
The show won the 1993 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The musical has had a number of professional productions, particularly in regional theatre. "Ruthless! The Musical" played at the Colony Theatre, Miami, Florida, in January and February 1995, directed by Paley.
Judy Denmark, a bland housewife, is the mother of talented eight-year-old Tina, who declares, "I was born to entertain." At the suggestion that she should postpone her stage ambitions to be a normal child, she replies, "I've had a normal childhood. It's time to move on." Sylvia St. Croix, an overbearing and sleazy agent, encourages Tina to audition for the school play, Pippi
in Tahiti, The Musical, feeding her thirst for stardom. Third-grade teacher and frustrated actress, Miss Myrna Thorn, directs Pippi. She casts an untalented (but parentally connected) girl, Louise Lerman, for the lead, making Tina the frustrated understudy. After "begging nicely and saying please," Tina "accidentally" hangs Louise from the catwalk with a jumprope so that she can play Pippi. (In the Los Angeles production, Louise is killed by a falling sandbag dropped from the rafters by Tina.) Lita Encore, Judy's adoptive mother (and Tina's grandmother) is a tart-tongued theatre critic who "hates musicals." She shows up to review the premiere of Pippi in Tahiti, and, in a series of revelations, we learn that Judy is the daughter of Ruth Del Marco, a Broadway star from the past who was believed to have committed suicide because of bad reviews from - of course - Lita Encore. Judy recognizes that she herself is talented. ("I'm talented! God help me, I'm talented!")
Act II
Once Tina's crime is discovered, she is sent away to the Daisy Clover School for Psychopathic Ingenues. Former housewife Judy Denmark is now a success on Broadway as diva Ginger Del Marco, but the world wants to know where she came from. "Modern Thespian" reporter Emily Block directs a pointed interview at Judy and discovers not only her housewife past but that she has a child. Tina is released from serving her time, and comes back to Ginger's fabulous penthouse apartment (and her jealous assistant, Eve). Tina seems to be reformed, but Ginger sees through the act ("you're not that good") and calls her bluff. Mother and daughter face off for the limelight. Sylvia re-enters, wanting nothing more than to take Tina with her. She reveals that she is Ruth Del Marco, and Ginger's mother. She did not commit suicide, as was believed, but instead went into hiding. Suddenly, Eve pulls out a gun and after revealing that she is Louise Lerman's ("Act One?") mother Betty Lerman, in a struggle with Ginger Delmarco, is shot dead. Tina then takes the gun that shot Eve and holds it to her mother, asking to be in cast in her new play. At that moment, Lita Encore bursts in and Sylvia struggles for the gun with Tina and is shot dead. She sings her final song, after which, Lita Encore comments "ah, she could never sing." Sylvia comes back to life one last time and shoots Lita. Ginger then becomes Judy again because of all the extremely stressful events that have taken place. She tells Tina that they'll never set foot on stage again to which Tina responds, "You're right, mother. there's no money in theater...we're moving to L.A....We'll do a sitcom!" Judy, realizing her daughter has not learned a single thing, proceeds to kill herself by electrocution. Tina begins to declare, gun in hand, that there's no money in Broadway, when she is interrupted by Miss Block, who returns looking for her pad and pen. Tina shoots her and finishes explaining that there's no money in Broadway and that she's moving to Hollywood to get a series.
Act II
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
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...
musicals, like Gypsy and Mame, and movies such as The Bad Seed
The Bad Seed (film)
The Bad Seed is a 1956 American horror-thrillerfilm directed by Mervyn LeRoy. It is based upon a play by Maxwell Anderson, which in turn is based upon William March's 1954 novel The Bad Seed. The play was adapted by John Lee Mahin for the screenplay of the film...
and All About Eve
All About Eve
All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve", by Mary Orr.The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star...
. The musical premiered Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in 1992.
Production history
The musical opened off-Broadway at the Players Theatre on March 13, 1992 and closed January 24, 1993 after 342 performances. It was directed by Joel Paley with musical direction by Marvin Laird. (Laird was later the musical director for the 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...
revivals of Annie Get Your Gun (1999) and Gypsy (2003)). The central role of Tina was played by future 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...
actress Laura Bell Bundy
Laura Bell Bundy
Laura Ashley Bell Bundy is an American actress and singer who has performed in a number of Broadway roles, both starring and supporting, as well as in television and film. Her best known Broadway roles are the original Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray and the original Elle Woods in the musical...
, and featured Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
as understudies.
Ruthless! The Musical was then produced in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at the Canon Theatre
Canon Theatre
-History:The Canon Theatre began as the Pantages Theatre in 1920 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture house. Designed by the great theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb, it was the largest cinema in Canada and one of the most elegant.The Pantages was built by the Canadian motion picture...
, where it opened on November 15, 1993. A recording was made by the 1993 Los Angeles cast on Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
and released on March 29, 1994.
The show won the 1993 New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. The musical has had a number of professional productions, particularly in regional theatre. "Ruthless! The Musical" played at the Colony Theatre, Miami, Florida, in January and February 1995, directed by Paley.
Synopsis
Act IJudy Denmark, a bland housewife, is the mother of talented eight-year-old Tina, who declares, "I was born to entertain." At the suggestion that she should postpone her stage ambitions to be a normal child, she replies, "I've had a normal childhood. It's time to move on." Sylvia St. Croix, an overbearing and sleazy agent, encourages Tina to audition for the school play, Pippi
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
in Tahiti, The Musical, feeding her thirst for stardom. Third-grade teacher and frustrated actress, Miss Myrna Thorn, directs Pippi. She casts an untalented (but parentally connected) girl, Louise Lerman, for the lead, making Tina the frustrated understudy. After "begging nicely and saying please," Tina "accidentally" hangs Louise from the catwalk with a jumprope so that she can play Pippi. (In the Los Angeles production, Louise is killed by a falling sandbag dropped from the rafters by Tina.) Lita Encore, Judy's adoptive mother (and Tina's grandmother) is a tart-tongued theatre critic who "hates musicals." She shows up to review the premiere of Pippi in Tahiti, and, in a series of revelations, we learn that Judy is the daughter of Ruth Del Marco, a Broadway star from the past who was believed to have committed suicide because of bad reviews from - of course - Lita Encore. Judy recognizes that she herself is talented. ("I'm talented! God help me, I'm talented!")
Act II
Once Tina's crime is discovered, she is sent away to the Daisy Clover School for Psychopathic Ingenues. Former housewife Judy Denmark is now a success on Broadway as diva Ginger Del Marco, but the world wants to know where she came from. "Modern Thespian" reporter Emily Block directs a pointed interview at Judy and discovers not only her housewife past but that she has a child. Tina is released from serving her time, and comes back to Ginger's fabulous penthouse apartment (and her jealous assistant, Eve). Tina seems to be reformed, but Ginger sees through the act ("you're not that good") and calls her bluff. Mother and daughter face off for the limelight. Sylvia re-enters, wanting nothing more than to take Tina with her. She reveals that she is Ruth Del Marco, and Ginger's mother. She did not commit suicide, as was believed, but instead went into hiding. Suddenly, Eve pulls out a gun and after revealing that she is Louise Lerman's ("Act One?") mother Betty Lerman, in a struggle with Ginger Delmarco, is shot dead. Tina then takes the gun that shot Eve and holds it to her mother, asking to be in cast in her new play. At that moment, Lita Encore bursts in and Sylvia struggles for the gun with Tina and is shot dead. She sings her final song, after which, Lita Encore comments "ah, she could never sing." Sylvia comes back to life one last time and shoots Lita. Ginger then becomes Judy again because of all the extremely stressful events that have taken place. She tells Tina that they'll never set foot on stage again to which Tina responds, "You're right, mother. there's no money in theater...we're moving to L.A....We'll do a sitcom!" Judy, realizing her daughter has not learned a single thing, proceeds to kill herself by electrocution. Tina begins to declare, gun in hand, that there's no money in Broadway, when she is interrupted by Miss Block, who returns looking for her pad and pen. Tina shoots her and finishes explaining that there's no money in Broadway and that she's moving to Hollywood to get a series.
Characters and original cast
This list shows the original casts of the principal productions| Character | Original Off-Broadway Cast | Original Los Angeles Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Tina Denmark, an 8 year-old aspiring child actress |
Laura Bell Bundy Laura Ashley Bell Bundy is an American actress and singer who has performed in a number of Broadway roles, both starring and supporting, as well as in television and film. Her best known Broadway roles are the original Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray and the original Elle Woods in the musical... |
Lindsay Ridgeway Lindsay Elizabeth Ridgeway is a former American child actress in film, television, and theater. She is a voice actor in several animated shows like Totally Spies! and plays the character Britney.... |
| Judy Denmark/Ginger Del Marco, Tina's Mother and secret Broadway prima donna Prima donna Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano... |
|
|
| Lita Encore, a drama critic and Tina's grandmother |
Denise Lor Denise Lor is an American popular singer and actress.She was a featured artist on Garry Moore's television show.Ms. Lor was married to and subsequently divorced from TV director and singer Jay Martin, with whom she had sons, Ron and Dennis. They had met when she was singing on The Garry Moore... |
|
| Myra Thorn/Reporter, Tina's teacher |
|
Nancy Linari Nancy Linari is an American voice actress who is most popular as voicing many minor Sonic the Hedgehog characters. She also has recurring roles on Duckman, W.I.T.C.H., The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, and has guest starred on a number of other TV shows. She hails from the northern suburbs of... |
| Sylvia St. Croix/Ruth DelMarco, a talent agent and Judy's real mother |
|
|
| Betty Lerman/Eve, Mother of Louise, the girl Tina killed, and Ginger's assistant |
|
|
- Note: Though the show was written for an all female cast, it has become somewhat of a tradition to have the role of Sylvia St. Croix performed by a man simply because Joel Vig gave the best audition for the original 1992 production.
Songs
Act I- Prologue – Orchestra, Sylvia
- Tina's Mother – Judy
- Born To Entertain – Tina
- Talent – Sylvia
- To Play This Part – Tina
- Teaching Third Grade – Miss Thorn
- Where Tina Gets It From – Judy, Sylvia
- The Pippi Song – Louise
- Kisses And Hugs – Tina, Judy
- Teaching Third Grade (Reprise) – Miss Thorn
- Talent (Reprise #1) – Sylvia
- I Hate Musicals – Lita
- Angel Mom – Judy, Tina
Act II
- Entr'acte/Montage – Orchestra, Judy, Tina
- A Penthouse Apartment – Eve
- It Will Never Be That Way Again – Ginger
- I Want the Girl – Sylvia
- Parents And Children – Ginger, Tina
- Ruthless! – Ginger, Sylvia, Tina
- Talent (Reprise #2) – Tina
- Ruthless! (Reprise) – Company
- Unkie's Muncle – (performed by Bernadette PetersBernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
and used as a recording in the production)(Based on the 1994 Los Angeles cast recording)
Awards and nominations
Drama Desk Awards (1991-92)- Laura Bundy -- Outstanding Actress - Musical (nominee)
- Donna English -- Outstanding Actress - Musical (nominee)
- Joel Paley -- Outstanding Director - Musical (nominee)
- Joel Paley -- Outstanding Lyrics (winner)
- "Ruthless" -- Outstanding Musical (nominee)
External links
- Ruthless! Internet Off-Broadway database listing
- Ruthless! song list and plot at guidetomusicaltheatre.com
- "New York Times" review, May 17, 1992
- An interview with Laird and Paley, talkinbroadway.com circa July 2003
- Another Times review, May 13, 1992
- Topeka Capital-Journal review with a discussion of the antecedents to Ruthless!