Yank the Musical
Encyclopedia
Yank! A WWII Love Story is a 2005 musical
with book and lyrics by David Zellnik and music by his brother Joseph. Yank! "tells the story of Stu, a scared Midwestern kid who gets drafted for World War II in 1943, and becomes a photographer for Yank Magazine, the journal 'for and by the servicemen.' Yank! has a score that pays homage to the 1940s and explores what it means to be a man, and what it is to fall in love and struggle." Yank! takes its title from the World War II
publication Yank, the Army Weekly
.
in 2005. The workshop featured Doug Kreeger, Jeffry Denman
, Julie Foldesi, Tally Sessions and Ivan Hernandez. It was directed by Igor Goldin and choreographed by Chase Brock.
A full production of Yank! was mounted at Brooklyn's Gallery Players in the fall of 2007. The production starred Bobby Steggert
, Nancy Anderson, Tyson Kaup, James Stover, Daniel Shevlin, Chris Carfizzi, and Maxime de Toledo. Jeffry Denman
appeared again and also choreographed. Igor Goldin again directed. This production received the New York Innovative Theatre Award
for Best Musical.
In 2008, the first regional production of Yank! was produced by the Diversionary Theatrein San Diego. The cast consisted of Amy Biedel, Zachary Bryant, Jacob Caltrider, Rocky DeHaro, Eric Dowdy, Tom Doyle, Juston Harlin, Tony Houck, Trevor Peringer, Sven Salumaa
, John Whitley
and Tom Zohar. That production won L.A. Stage Scene Awards for Best Musical (intimate theatre) and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Igor Goldin).
, Joseph Medeiros, David Perlman, Christopher Ruth and Tally Sessions. It was directed by Igor Goldin and choreographed by Jeffry Denman
The York Theatre production attracted attention for its relevance during a time of national debate over the repeal effort aimed at the United States military's gay-exclusionary don't ask, don't tell
(DADT) policy. The company created partnerships with LGBT
equal rights groups including The White Knot, Broadway Impact and American Veterans for Equal Rights.
. Cromer would replace Igor Goldin, who has been with the production since the beginning.
The production was originally scheduled for Fall 2010 but changed to Fall 2011 or Spring 2012 to allow more time for further development of the script and score. In winter 2011, the Roundabout Theatre Company produced a workshop of a revised "Yank!"
gave an overall favorable review of Yank!, citing its blend of humor with drama and the quality of the songwriting. The Times noted the "accidental topicality" of the musical as it related to the DADT repeal effort. However, the paper found weaknesses in the production, notably the failure to explore some themes, specifically fidelity between gay couples and personal loyalty versus military honor. While labeling the first act "delightful", the Times found the second act to be "muddled". The creators, it says, adhere too closely to the formulas of heterosexual romantic musicals of the war era, saying that it "derails a show that had been moving along nicely". Overall, says the Times, the show suffers from being too ambitious.
The York Theatre production garnered nominations for several awards for the 2009-2010 season. These included nominations for two Lucille Lortel Awards, for Outstanding Musical and Jeffry Denman
for Outstanding Choreographer; two Outer Critics Circle Awards, for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway); and seven Drama Desk Awards nominations, for Outstanding Musical, Bobby Steggert for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, Jeffry Denman
for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, Igor Goldin for Outstanding Director of a Musical, Joseph Zellnik for Outstanding Music, David Zellnik for Outstanding Lyrics, and David Zellnik for Outstanding Book of 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 book and lyrics by David Zellnik and music by his brother Joseph. Yank! "tells the story of Stu, a scared Midwestern kid who gets drafted for World War II in 1943, and becomes a photographer for Yank Magazine, the journal 'for and by the servicemen.' Yank! has a score that pays homage to the 1940s and explores what it means to be a man, and what it is to fall in love and struggle." Yank! takes its title from the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
publication Yank, the Army Weekly
Yank, the Army Weekly
Yank, the Army Weekly was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. The idea for the magazine came from Egbert White, who had worked on Stars and Stripes during World War I. He proposed the idea to the Army in early 1942, and accepted a commission as Lieutenant...
.
Production history
The show received a workshop production as part of the New York Musical Theatre FestivalNew York Musical Theatre Festival
The New York Musical Theatre Festival is an annual three-week fall Festival which presents more than thirty new musicals at venues in New York City's midtown theater district...
in 2005. The workshop featured Doug Kreeger, Jeffry Denman
Jeffry Denman
-Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...
, Julie Foldesi, Tally Sessions and Ivan Hernandez. It was directed by Igor Goldin and choreographed by Chase Brock.
A full production of Yank! was mounted at Brooklyn's Gallery Players in the fall of 2007. The production starred Bobby Steggert
Bobby Steggert
Bobby Steggert is an American theatre, musical theatre, television, and film actor.-Biography and training:Bobby Steggert was born in Frederick, Maryland...
, Nancy Anderson, Tyson Kaup, James Stover, Daniel Shevlin, Chris Carfizzi, and Maxime de Toledo. Jeffry Denman
Jeffry Denman
-Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...
appeared again and also choreographed. Igor Goldin again directed. This production received the New York Innovative Theatre Award
New York Innovative Theatre Awards
The New York Innovative Theatre Awards were founded in 2004. These annual awards honor excellence in Off-Off-Broadway Theatre and help nurture and promote the Off-Off-Broadway community.-Mission statement:...
for Best Musical.
In 2008, the first regional production of Yank! was produced by the Diversionary Theatrein San Diego. The cast consisted of Amy Biedel, Zachary Bryant, Jacob Caltrider, Rocky DeHaro, Eric Dowdy, Tom Doyle, Juston Harlin, Tony Houck, Trevor Peringer, Sven Salumaa
Sven Salumaa
Sven Salumaa is a former professional tour tennis player who mostly played tour tennis in doubles. Born on October 21, 1966, in Huntington, New York to Eduard and Tamara Salumaa who were immigrants from Estonia, he is now an actor and musician residing in Coronado, California.-Tour career:During...
, John Whitley
John Whitley
Time magazine credited John Whitley with turning around hopelessness and violence at the largest maximum security in America—the Louisiana State Penitentiary with “little more than his sense of decency and fairness.”...
and Tom Zohar. That production won L.A. Stage Scene Awards for Best Musical (intimate theatre) and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Igor Goldin).
2010 York Theatre Production
Yank! began preview performances at the York Theatre on February 16, 2010 and opened on February 24. Originally slated to run through March 21, strong tickets sales led producers to extend the show through April 4. Steggert, Hernandez, Denman and Anderson all returned for this production and were joined in the cast by Andrew Durand, Zak Edwards, Todd Faulkner, Denis LambertDenis Lambert
Denis Lambert is a retired boxer from Canada, who competed for his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There he was defeated in the second round of the men's light welterweight division by Yugoslavia's eventual bronze medalist Mirko Puzović.-References:*...
, Joseph Medeiros, David Perlman, Christopher Ruth and Tally Sessions. It was directed by Igor Goldin and choreographed by Jeffry Denman
Jeffry Denman
-Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...
The York Theatre production attracted attention for its relevance during a time of national debate over the repeal effort aimed at the United States military's gay-exclusionary don't ask, don't tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
(DADT) policy. The company created partnerships with LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
equal rights groups including The White Knot, Broadway Impact and American Veterans for Equal Rights.
Broadway plans
Producers announced plans to move Yank! to Broadway under the direction of David CromerDavid Cromer
David Cromer is an American theatre director and stage actor. He has received recognition for his work Off-Broadway and in his native Chicago. Cromer has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including winning the Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for his direction of Our Town...
. Cromer would replace Igor Goldin, who has been with the production since the beginning.
The production was originally scheduled for Fall 2010 but changed to Fall 2011 or Spring 2012 to allow more time for further development of the script and score. In winter 2011, the Roundabout Theatre Company produced a workshop of a revised "Yank!"
Critical reception
The New York TimesThe 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...
gave an overall favorable review of Yank!, citing its blend of humor with drama and the quality of the songwriting. The Times noted the "accidental topicality" of the musical as it related to the DADT repeal effort. However, the paper found weaknesses in the production, notably the failure to explore some themes, specifically fidelity between gay couples and personal loyalty versus military honor. While labeling the first act "delightful", the Times found the second act to be "muddled". The creators, it says, adhere too closely to the formulas of heterosexual romantic musicals of the war era, saying that it "derails a show that had been moving along nicely". Overall, says the Times, the show suffers from being too ambitious.
The York Theatre production garnered nominations for several awards for the 2009-2010 season. These included nominations for two Lucille Lortel Awards, for Outstanding Musical and Jeffry Denman
Jeffry Denman
-Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...
for Outstanding Choreographer; two Outer Critics Circle Awards, for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway); and seven Drama Desk Awards nominations, for Outstanding Musical, Bobby Steggert for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, Jeffry Denman
Jeffry Denman
-Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...
for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, Igor Goldin for Outstanding Director of a Musical, Joseph Zellnik for Outstanding Music, David Zellnik for Outstanding Lyrics, and David Zellnik for Outstanding Book of a Musical.