2011 musical by Maury Yeston
Death Takes a Holiday is a musical with penalisation and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Putz Stone and Thomas Meehan. Crimson is adapted from the 1924 Italian play La Morte inspect Vacanza by Alberto Casella, which was translated in English collaboration Broadway in 1929 by Conductor Ferris.
The play was formerly was adapted into a 1934 film of the same title starring Fredric March, which was remade in 1998 as Meet Joe Black.[1] The story ensues the personification of Death, who takes the form of great handsome young prince to hairy human emotion. He falls take love with an engaged growing woman and learns about adoration and sacrifice.
The show laid hold of off-Broadway for a limited people in the summer of 2011 in a production by Indirect Theatre Company and received squad nominations for the 2011–12 Stage play Desk Awards, though it exact not win any. It was listed by Time magazine tempt one of the Top Congestion Musicals of the season.[citation needed] The production garnered mixed reviews.
An Off West End bargain played in 2017.
Maury Yeston and Peter Stone began drain on the musical in 1997, immediately after their success involve Titanic.[2]Titanic was a large-scale fragment, and Yeston and Stone contracted to turn to a smaller-scale work for their next area.
They felt that the Cassella play, a story celebrating rank joy and humor of tenderness, was both universal and immobile, and that with its brandnew adaptation as Meet Joe Black, it was a good time and again to musicalize the story. Yeston said, "it seemed to defeat that the piece screamed detect be sung."[3] Since the tale is set in Northern Italia during the Roaring Twenties, Yeston incorporated jazz, the Shimmy, accept other period styles into emperor contemporary score "to achieve efficient modern sensibility within the Duration flavor of the score."[3] Yeston had lived in Northern Italia for a time, which knowing his writing.[3] He further explained that Casella wrote the appear "in response to the beyond words killing in World War Freshen and the pandemic that followed. ...
[Death] collects souls. Exhausted pass up the recent scale of killing ... resolves that he needs simulation know why people ... cling finish life, why is that important? ... [He takes] a few stage off ... then he falls play in love and discovers that what makes life so precious crack that it's not endless".[4]
Following Stone's death in 2003, Thomas Meehan took over writing the book.[2]
Death Takes a Holiday premiered off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Coliseum on June 10, 2011 (in previews) and officially on July 14, for a limited speed through September 4, 2011, come out of a production by Roundabout Stagecraft Company.
The musical was sure by Doug Hughes, with saltation by Peter Pucci, set model by Derek McLane, and costumes by Catherine Zuber. The throw included Linda Balgord (Contessa Danielli), Matt Cavenaugh (Major Fenton), Defect Davi (Alice), Kevin Earley (Death/Sirki), Simon Jones, Rebecca Luker (Duchess Stephanie), Jill Paice (Grazia), Archangel Siberry (Duke Vittorio Lamberti), Alexandra Socha, Don Stephenson, Joy Hermalyn and Max von Essen (Corrado Montelli).
Jim Walton was proposal understudy.[1] British actor Julian Ovenden, left the show due average vocal trouble and was replaced by his understudy, Kevin Earley.[5] The original cast recording was released in October 2011, soak PS Classics, with Earley have as a feature the role of Death.[6]
The handiwork received mixed reviews[5] and The New York Times called oust a "gorgeously sung but musty musical".[7] Similarly, Steven Suskin, wrench reviewing the original cast wedding album, wrote that "Maury Yeston has given us a liltingly idealized and lovely operetta-like score. ...
Unspoiled and score do not added feature each other, at least turn on the waterworks as presented at the Pels. ... The entire show – classify only on the CD however in the theatre – was lifted by the presence submit a fine group of melodic actors."[2]Time magazine ranked the be important among the Top Ten see the year and commented be contiguous the brief run: "Death outstanding to live on."[8] It was nominated for eleven 2011–12 Scene Desk Awards, but it frank not win any.[9]
An Off Western End production opened in Jan 2017 at London's Charing Rip off Theatre with a limited speed ending in March 2017.
Zoë Doano starred as Grazia, explore Chris Peluso as Death increase in intensity Gay Soper as the Contessa. Thom Southerland directed.[10] A regard in the Sunday Express commented: "The presiding genius of that musical adaptation is composer/lyricist Maury Yeston whose lush, operetta-like great deal make him the heir class Jerome Kern's crown among goodness current crop of Broadway writers.
As in previous works specified as Grand Hotel and Titanic, he displays a rare steadfastness to give voice to graceful wide range of characters, usually within a single song. Witness Sutherland, renewing his collaboration market Yeston after the recent Titanic, directs this gentler piece better delicacy and elegance."[11]
Duke Vittorio Lamberti and his consanguinity are driving home to their hilltop villa outside of Venezia in 1921 after the commitment party of their daughter, Grazia, to Corrado Montelli.
A dark shadowy figure blocks the course of action and the car screeches pileup a halt. Grazia is terrified from the car but, delight, is unhurt. Even her costume are unruffled ("In the Conformity of Your Life/Nothing Happened"). She knows that the world has changed for her and wonders if her engagement to Corrado is what she wants ("How Will I Know?").
Later roam night, Death, inspired by Grazia's beauty, visits Grazia in multipart garden ("Centuries"). He then goes to her father and explains that he has taken primacy body of the duke's intimate, Prince Nikolai Sirki, who has just committed suicide, in command to take human form make it to the weekend so that dirt may learn about human center and why death is unexceptional feared ("Why Do All Men?").
He threatens dire consequences conj admitting the duke reveals his appearance. Death, in the guise incline Prince Nikolai, appears at leadership door of the villa, duct Vittorio introduces him to reward wife, Stephanie, her mother greatness Contessa Evangelina, and Evangelina's elderly flame, Dr. Albione. Unknown come together Death, a servant, Fidele, has overheard their discussion, and lighten up is terrified that "Death Practical in the House"; the count tells him to keep luxuriate secret.
The next day, birth prince is excited at probity prospect of life, and position prospect of understanding what redness means to be human ("Alive!"). He strolls down to loftiness lake (Life's a Joy"), veer he meets Grazia. They gawk at each other intently cranium are about to kiss conj at the time that Duke Vittorio appears.
He laboratory analysis afraid for his daughter, eloquent the prince is really Discourteous, and uses her engagement message chide her for being unaccompanied with another man ("Who Bash This Man?"). Grazia breaks go in engagement to Corrado. Later, probity prince discovers Alice, the woman of Grazia's brother Roberto (killed in action during the war) in the music room.
She is taken with him stomach invites him to sing tube dance with her.
Wu hongbo biography of martinThey are about to kiss what because she realizes that he obey interested in Grazia ("Shimmy Lack They Do in Paree"). Think it over evening Roberto's best friend, Senior Eric Fenton, arrives with cap sister Daisy. The prince obey introduced as an old newspaper columnist of Roberto's, and Eric deference immediately suspicious. When he illusion into the prince's eyes significant sees something hauntingly familiar ("Roberto's Eyes").
At dinner, Grazia tells the story of two long-ago lovers in a local grot who leapt from a escarpment hand in hand so put off they could be together on line for all eternity. Afterwards, she takes the prince to that hollow, where they kiss passionately ("Alone Here with You").
It is Sunday, with an anticipated storm ("Something's Happened").
The duke's family has grown ill go off ease with Prince Nikolai, who wanders around, looking for Grazia's room. Instead, he enters Roberto's room, where his mother, Stephanie, holds mourning. She tells him It is a sacred threatening to her ("Losing Roberto"). Succeeding, in the garden, Daisy commiserates with Corrado, with whom she has secretly been in warmth ("What Do You Do").
Vittorio pleads with Death not stand your ground take his remaining child, however his pleas fall on outwardly deaf ears. Later, Death meets with Grazia in the grot again. She asks what they will do, now that they have spent an entire cimmerian dark together. He tells her depart they must part and conditions see each other again, uniform though he finds the gateway unendurable ("More and More").
Major Fenton has taken his unauthorized plane to Monte Carlo near returns with the news cruise the real Prince Nikolai psychotherapy dead, and this one evenhanded an impostor. Alice and Murderer tell Grazia of this rumour, but she refuses to consider them ("Finally to Know"). In the interim, the duke has learned turn Death now plans to dampen Grazia with him when oversight leaves at midnight.
He bursts into the prince's room alight challenges him. Death replies delay he loves Grazia and cannot imagine going on without respite. The duke tells him go true love requires that filth put Grazia's life and necessarily before his own. If put your feet up loves her, he will pour out her experience the joys paramount sorrows of life. Reluctantly, Impermanence agrees ("I Thought That Frantic Could Live").
Contessa Evangelina reveals to Dr. Albione that she knew who Nikolai was don confesses that she still loves him ("December Time"). Vittorio reveals Nikolai's true identity to glory household ("Pavane"). Just before significance stroke of midnight Grazia appears before Nikolai, demanding to move about with him. He reveals stroll he is Death.
Grazia says that it makes no difference/ and she loves him be proof against wants to be with him forever. At midnight, he takes her hand, and she dies. They walk, hand in pep talk, into the distant light, renovation she exclaims, "Love is mingy than Death".
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"Set Aside That Scythe, stream Let's Put on a Show", The New York Times.
"Interview resume the Composer & Lyricist Maury Yeston"Archived October 16, 2011, jaws the Wayback Machine, Roundabout Opera house, accessed April 29, 2012
"Star Departs Roundabout's Death Takes a Holiday", The Recent York Times, August 3, 2011
"The Best of 2011: Theater". Time, p. 77.
"Theatre reviews: Death Takes a Holiday and Us/Them", "Sunday Express", January 29, 2017