Goodtime Charley 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 Sidney Michaels, music by
Larry GrossmanLarry Grossman is a composer of numerous Broadway musicals.He has worked with a varied number of lyricists, and often in collaboration with theatre director Harold Prince....
, and lyrics by
Hal HackadyHal Hackady is an American lyricist, librettist, and screenwriter.Hackady began his career writing teleplays for early anthology series like General Electric Theater and Alfred Hitchcock Presents...
.
A humorous take on actual historical events, it focuses on the
Dauphin of FranceCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France from Paris.He was a member of the House of Valois, the son of Charles VI, but his...
, who evolves from a hedonistic young man enamored of women in general (and
Joan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII...
in particular) into a regal king while Joan follows her voices to her tragic fate.
The show underwent extensive changes throughout its development stage, especially when
Joel GreyJoel Grey is an American stage and screen actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his role as the "Master of Ceremonies" in both the stage and film adaptation of the Kander & Ebb musical Cabaret...
expressed interest in playing the lead.
Goodtime Charley 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 Sidney Michaels, music by
Larry GrossmanLarry Grossman is a composer of numerous Broadway musicals.He has worked with a varied number of lyricists, and often in collaboration with theatre director Harold Prince....
, and lyrics by
Hal HackadyHal Hackady is an American lyricist, librettist, and screenwriter.Hackady began his career writing teleplays for early anthology series like General Electric Theater and Alfred Hitchcock Presents...
.
A humorous take on actual historical events, it focuses on the
Dauphin of FranceCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France from Paris.He was a member of the House of Valois, the son of Charles VI, but his...
, who evolves from a hedonistic young man enamored of women in general (and
Joan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII...
in particular) into a regal king while Joan follows her voices to her tragic fate.
The show underwent extensive changes throughout its development stage, especially when
Joel GreyJoel Grey is an American stage and screen actor, singer, and dancer, best known for his role as the "Master of Ceremonies" in both the stage and film adaptation of the Kander & Ebb musical Cabaret...
expressed interest in playing the lead. The script and score were rewritten significantly in order to tailor the piece to his personality and talents. The producers were so keen on casting
Ann ReinkingAnn Reinking is an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. Her creative and personal association with choreographer Bob Fosse is well-known.-Biography:...
as Joan they put everything on hold while she recovered from a back injury she had sustained while performing in
Over Here!Over Here! is a musical with a score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and book by Will Holt. The original Broadway production was directed by Tom Moore and choreographed by Patricia Birch, with scenic design by Douglas W. Schmidt and costumes by Carrie F...
. The delay would prove to be damaging, since Grey had been signed for the film
Buffalo Bill and the IndiansBuffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson is a 1976 revisionist Western directed by Robert Altman and based on the play Indians by Arthur Kopit. It stars Paul Newman as Bill, with Geraldine Chaplin, Will Sampson, Joel Grey, and Harvey Keitel.The film was poorly received at the...
and had limited time to commit to the stage project.
The out-of-town run in
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
resulted in major cuts in order to trim the running time from three-and-a-half hours to a more reasonable ninety minutes before the show continued to Philadelphia and
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
After twelve 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 by
Peter H. HuntPeter Huls Hunt is an American theatre, film, and television director and a theatrical lighting designer.Born in Pasadena, California, Hunt began his career as a lighting designer at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1958. He became Artistic Director in 1989, a post he held until 1995...
and choreographed by
Onna WhiteOnna White was a Canadian choreographer and dancer nominated for eight Tony Awards. White was especially adept at choreographing dance numbers for actors with little or no dance training.-Life and career:...
, opened on March 3 1975 at the
Palace TheatreThe Palace Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre, built by California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario Martin Beck, experienced a number of problems before it opened. E. F....
, where it ran for only 104 performances, closing abruptly when the producers were unable to find a name star to replace the departing Grey. In addition to Grey and Reinking, the cast included
Susan BrowningSusan Browning was an American actress.Born in Baldwin, New York, she was nominated for two Tony Awards: for Best Actress in Company in 1971 and for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in Goodtime Charley in 1975...
,
Richard B. ShullRichard Bruce Shull was an American character actor.Shull was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Zana Marie , a court stenographer, and Ulysses Homer Shull, a manufacturing executive. Shull attended the University of Iowa and served in the U.S. Army before starting his Broadway career as a...
,
Louis ZorichLouis Zorich is an American actor. He is well-known for his portrayal of Paul Reiser's father "Burt Buchman" in the NBC series Mad About You...
, and
Grace KeagyGrace Keagy Was an American actress who is chiefly known for her work on the stage in character roles. She is best known for her Drama Desk Award nominated performance as "Rosa" in the original 1979 production of Joseph Stein and Alan Jay Lerner's Carmelina.-Career:Keagy was born in Youngstown,...
.
Song list
Act I
- History
- Goodtime Charley
- Voices & Vision
- Bits and Pieces
- To Make the Boy a Man
- Why Can't We All Be Nice?
- Born Lover
- I Am Going to Love
- Castles of the Loire
- Coronation
Act II
- You Still Have a Long Way to Go
- Merci, Bon Dieu
- Confessional
- One Little Year
- I Leave the World
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 Actor in a Musical (Grey)
- Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Reinking)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Shull)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Browning)
- Tony Award for Best Scenic Design
- Tony Award for Best Costume Design
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design
- 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 Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Grey)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Reinking)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Shull)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design