Ballroom is a
musicalMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue 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 Jerome Kaas and music by Billy Goldenberg and lyrics by
AlanAlan Bergman is an American lyricist and songwriter.Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows...
and
Marilyn BergmanMarilyn Bergman is a composer, songwriter and author.She was born Marilyn Keith in Brooklyn, New York and studied psychology and English at New York University. She and her husband Alan Bergman, whom she married in 1958, were born in the same hospital and raised in the same Brooklyn neighborhood,...
.
Based on Kaas' teleplay for the 1975
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
-winning television drama
Queen of the Stardust BallroomQueen of the Stardust Ballroom is an American television movie directed by Sam O'Steen. It was broadcast by CBS on February 13, 1975. Maureen Stapleton, Charles Durning, and Charlotte Rae were nominated for an Emmy Award for their performances....
, the plot focuses on lonely widow Bea Asher, who becomes romantically involved with Alfred Rossi, a mail carrier she meets at the local dance hall. Her dream of a happily-ever-after relationship is shattered when she discovers Alfred hasn't been as honest about his personal life as she thought.
After eleven previews, the
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
production, directed and choreographed by
Michael BennettMichael Bennett was an American musical theater director, writer, choreographer, and dancer. He won seven Tony Awards for his choreography and direction of Broadway shows and was nominated for an additional eleven....
, opened on December 14, 1978 at the Majestic Theatre, where it ran for 116 performances. The cast included
Dorothy LoudonDorothy Loudon was an American comedy actress and singer. She won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in Annie.-Early life and career:Loudon was born in...
as Bea and
Vincent GardeniaVincent Gardenia was an Italian American stage, film, and television actor.-Early life:Gardenia was born Vincenzio Scognamiglio in Naples, Italy, the son of Elisa and Gennaro Gardenia Scognamiglio. After emigrating to the United States at the age of 2, he lived most of his life in Brooklyn, New York...
as Alfred. The sets were by
Robin WagnerRobin Wagner is an award-winning American scenic designer.Born Robin Samuel Anton Wagner in San Francisco, he attended art school and started his career in theatres in that city with designs for Don Pasquale, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Tea and Sympathy, and Waiting for Godot, among others...
, and
Theoni V. AldredgeTheoni V. Aldredge is an Academy Award-winning Greek-American stage, and screen costume designer.Born as Theoni Athanasiou Vachlioti in Salonika, Aldredge received her training at the American School in Athens and at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago...
designed the costumes.
The production was Bennett's first project following
A Chorus LineA Chorus Line is a musical about seventeen Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
three years earlier.
Song list
- A Terrific Band and a Real Nice Crowd
- A Song for Dancing
- One by One
- The Dance Montage
- Dreams
- Somebody Did Alright for Herself
- The Tango Contest
- Goodnight is Not Goodbye
- I've Been Waiting All My Life
- I Love to Dance
- More of the Same
- Fifty Percent
- The Stardust Waltz
- I Wish You a Waltz
Awards and nominations
- Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre and are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are for Broadway productions and...
for Best Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Gardenia, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Loudon, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Choreography (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award, presented since 1955, is the only award that recognizes excellence in shows produced in all sectors of New York theatre, including Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway and legitimate not-for-profit theaters. It is widely considered one of the top American theater awards...
for Outstanding Book (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Loudon, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Patricia Drylie, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography (winner)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
External links