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Zorba the Greek (musical)
Encyclopedia
Zorba is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein
, lyrics by Fred Ebb
, and music by John Kander
. Adapted from the 1952 novel
Zorba the Greek
by Nikos Kazantzakis
and the subsequent 1964 film of the same name, it focuses on the friendship that evolves between Zorba and Nikos, a young American
who has inherited an abandoned mine on Crete
, and their romantic relationships with a local widow and a French
woman, respectively.
The musical premiered on Broadway
in 1968 in a production directed by Harold Prince. It was nominated for the Tony Award
for Best Musical in a season that included Hair
, Promises, Promises
and 1776
. The last of these won the award. The original production ran for 305 performances, but a 1983 Broadway revival ran for 362 performances with a cast starring Anthony Quinn
.
The musical opened on Broadway on November 16, 1968 at the Imperial Theatre
, where it ran for 305 performances and twelve previews. Directed by Harold Prince and choreographed by Ron Field
, the cast included Herschel Bernardi
, Maria Karnilova
, Carmen Alvarez, John Cunningham, and Lorraine Serabian. Scenic design was by Boris Aronson
, costume design was by Patricia Zipprodt
, and lighting design was by Richard Pilbrow
.
The production received several Tony Award
nominations, winning the Tony award for Best Scenic Design.
1970 US tour
The musical was revised to be less "austere" and toured with John Raitt
, and included a new song for him ("Bouboulina"). Chita Rivera
played the role of "The Leader". Reviews were not favorable and the show did not return to Broadway at that time.
1983 Broadway Revival
The 1983 revival was directed by Michael Cacoyannis and choreographed by Graciela Daniele
, and opened on October 16, 1983 at the Broadway Theatre
, where it ran for 362 performances and 14 previews. The cast included Anthony Quinn
and Lila Kedrova
(who had both starred in the film version, the latter winning an Oscar
for her performance), in addition to Robert Westenberg
, Debbie Shapiro
, and Rob Marshall
.
Other productions
Zorba has been produced professionally in Argentina (2003). Cast: Raúl Lavié
, María Rosa Fugazot, Miguel Habud, Julia Zenko, Marcelo Trepat, Alejandro Viola (replaced by Gustavo Monje), Roberto Fiore and Andrea Mango.
Broadway Revival
Zorba was expected to be revived on Broadway in 2011, with David Leveaux
set to direct. Antonio Banderas
has been chosen as Zorba. As of November 2011 this revival has not been produced. In an interview with producer Fran Weissler, the revival of Zorba is set for 2011-2012.
and Mykonos
, and the show's original design reflected the "peculiar color and light of the Greek Islands, the stark white of the...buildings as against the funereal black of the...clothes. Memorably 'Zorba' was presented in severe chiaroscuro
."
Act II
§ = in 1983 revival
1969 Tony Award
s
1969 Drama Desk Award
s
1984 Tony Award
s
1984 Drama Desk Award
s
1984 Theatre World Award
s
Joseph Stein
Joseph Stein was an American playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as Fiddler on the Roof and Zorba.-Biography:...
, lyrics by Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera....
, and music by John Kander
John Kander
John Harold Kander is the American composer of a number of musicals as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.-Life and career:Kander was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernice and Harold S. Kander...
. Adapted from the 1952 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek (novel)
Zorba the Greek is a novel written by the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and mysterious Alexis Zorba...
by Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakis was a Greek writer and philosopher, celebrated for his novel Zorba the Greek, considered his magnum opus...
and the subsequent 1964 film of the same name, it focuses on the friendship that evolves between Zorba and Nikos, a young American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who has inherited an abandoned mine on Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, and their romantic relationships with a local widow and a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
woman, respectively.
The musical premiered 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 1968 in a production directed by Harold Prince. It was nominated for the 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 in a season that included Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
, Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises is a musical based on the 1960 film The Apartment. The music is by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and book by Neil Simon. Musical numbers for the original Broadway production were choreographed by Michael Bennett; Robert Moore directed and David Merrick produced...
and 1776
1776 (musical)
1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence...
. The last of these won the award. The original production ran for 305 performances, but a 1983 Broadway revival ran for 362 performances with a cast starring Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
.
Productions
Original Broadway ProductionThe musical opened on Broadway on November 16, 1968 at the Imperial Theatre
Imperial Theatre
The Imperial Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 249 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan. The theatre seats up to 1417 people....
, where it ran for 305 performances and twelve previews. Directed by Harold Prince and choreographed by Ron Field
Ron Field
Ronald Field was an American choreographer, director, and dancer.-Biography:Field was born in New York City, New York where he made his Broadway debut as a child in Lady in the Dark with Gertrude Lawrence...
, the cast included Herschel Bernardi
Herschel Bernardi
Herschel Bernardi was an American film, Broadway, and television actor....
, Maria Karnilova
Maria Karnilova
Maria Karnilova was an American actress.Born as Maria Kasnilovich in Hartford, Connecticut, Maria Karnilova made her Broadway debut in Call Me Mister in 1946...
, Carmen Alvarez, John Cunningham, and Lorraine Serabian. Scenic design was by Boris Aronson
Boris Aronson
Boris Aronson was an American scenic designer for Broadway and Yiddish theatre. He won the Tony Award for Scenic Design six times in his career.-Biography:...
, costume design was by Patricia Zipprodt
Patricia Zipprodt
Patricia Zipprodt was an American costume designer. She was known for her technique of painting fabrics and thoroughly researching a project's subject matter, especially when it was a period piece...
, and lighting design was by Richard Pilbrow
Richard Pilbrow
Richard Pilbrow is an internationally renowned stage lighting designer, author, theatre consultant, and theatrical producer, film producer and television producer...
.
The production received several 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...
nominations, winning the Tony award for Best Scenic Design.
1970 US tour
The musical was revised to be less "austere" and toured with John Raitt
John Raitt
John Emmett Raitt was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theater.-Early years:...
, and included a new song for him ("Bouboulina"). Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
played the role of "The Leader". Reviews were not favorable and the show did not return to Broadway at that time.
1983 Broadway Revival
The 1983 revival was directed by Michael Cacoyannis 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...
, and opened on October 16, 1983 at the Broadway Theatre
The Broadway Theatre
The Broadway Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1681 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan....
, where it ran for 362 performances and 14 previews. The cast included Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
and Lila Kedrova
Lila Kedrova
Lila Kedrova was a Russian-born French actress.-Biography:Kedrova claimed to have been born in 1918, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her parents were Russian opera singers. Lila Kedrova's brother was Nikolay Kedrov, Jr...
(who had both starred in the film version, the latter winning an Oscar
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her performance), in addition to Robert Westenberg
Robert Westenberg
Robert Westenberg is an American musical theatre actor and acting teacher. He married actress and singer Kim Crosby on June 19, 1991, and the couple now have three children.-Early Life:...
, Debbie Shapiro
Debbie Shapiro
Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer.Shapiro was born in Los Angeles, California, and went on to make her Broadway debut in the chorus of They're Playing Our Song in 1979...
, and Rob Marshall
Rob Marshall
Rob Marshall is an American theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and four-time Emmy winner whose most noted work is the 2002 Academy Award for Best Picture winner Chicago.-Life and career:Marshall was...
.
Other productions
Zorba has been produced professionally in Argentina (2003). Cast: Raúl Lavié
Raúl Lavié
Raúl Lavié is an Argentine entertainer prominent in the Tango genre.-Life and work:Raúl Alberto Peralta was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1937. He first sang on a local radio station in 1955 and was subsequently invited to perform on Radio Belgrano and Radio El Mundo in Buenos Aires...
, María Rosa Fugazot, Miguel Habud, Julia Zenko, Marcelo Trepat, Alejandro Viola (replaced by Gustavo Monje), Roberto Fiore and Andrea Mango.
Broadway Revival
Zorba was expected to be revived on Broadway in 2011, with David Leveaux
David Leveaux
David Leveaux is a British theatre director who has been nominated for five Tony Awards as director of both plays and musicals...
set to direct. Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
has been chosen as Zorba. As of November 2011 this revival has not been produced. In an interview with producer Fran Weissler, the revival of Zorba is set for 2011-2012.
Design elements
Director Prince visited CreteCrete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
, and the show's original design reflected the "peculiar color and light of the Greek Islands, the stark white of the...buildings as against the funereal black of the...clothes. Memorably 'Zorba' was presented in severe chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro in art is "an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted"....
."
Musical numbers
Act I- "Life Is" – Leader and Company
- "The First Time" – Zorba
- "The Top of the Hill" – Leader and Chorus
- "No Boom Boom" – Madame Hortense, Zorba, Nikos and Admirals
- "Vive La Difference" – Admirals and Dancers
- "Mine Song" § – Company
- "The Butterfly" – Nikos, Leader, The Widow and Chorus
- "Goodbye, Canavaro" – Madame Hortense and Zorba
- "Grandpapa" – Zorba, Leader and Chorus
- "Only Love" – Madame Hortense
- "The Bend of the Road" – Leader and Chorus
- "Only Love" (Reprise) – Leader
Act II
- "Yassou" – Nikos, Zorba, Madame Hortense, Leader and Chorus
- "Woman" § – Zorba
- "Why Can't I Speak"/That's a Beginning – The Widow and Girl
- "Easter Dance" § – Company
- "Miner's Dance" § – The Men
- "The Crow" – Leader and Women
- "Happy Birthday" – Madame Hortense
- "I Am Free" – Zorba
- "Life Is" (Reprise) – Leader and Company
§ = in 1983 revival
Reception
According to Sheldon Patinkin, the "material was too dark" and the "book too heavy" for a Broadway musical. "It includes a serious and often unpleasant commenting chorus, the death of the central female character, a suicide...and other depressing events. It didn't return its investment."Awards and nominations
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
- Best Musical (Nomination)
- Best Actor in a Musical (Nomination)
- Best Actress in a Musical - Maria Karnilova (Nomination)
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Lorraine Serabian (Nomination)
- Best Scenic Design (Winner)
- Best Costume Design (Nomination)
- Best Choreography (Nomination)
- Best Direction of a Musical (Nomination)
1969 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
- Outstanding Lyrics (Winner)
- Outstanding Costume Design (Winner)
- Outstanding Set Design (Winner)
1984 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
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Lila Kedrova (Winner)
1984 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
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical - Kedrova (Winner)
1984 Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
s
- Theatre World Award - Westenberg (Winner)
Characters
- Alexis Zorba (Αλέξης Ζορμπάς), a fictionalized version of the mine worker, George ZorbasGeorge ZorbasGeorge Zorbas was the character upon whom Nikos Kazantzakis based his fictional Alexis Zorbas, the protagonist of his novel Zorba the Greek....
(Γιώργης Ζορμπάς 1867–1942).