Songbook is a musical with music by Monty Norman

Monty Norman

Monty Norman is a singer and film composer best known for being credited with composing the "James Bond Theme".-Biography:...

 and book by Monty Norman and Julian More. It premiered at the Globe Theatre

Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...

, in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on July 25, 1979, and ran for 208 performances.Directed by Jonathan Lynn with musical staging by Gillian Lynne

Gillian Lynne

Gillian Barbara Lynne , CBE, born , is a British ballerina, dancer, actor, theatre director, television director and choreographer noted for her popular theatre choreography associated with the iconic musicals Cats and the current longest running show in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera.-...

 it won the Olivier Award for the Best New Musical in 1979.

The musical opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre

Morosco Theatre

The Morosco Theatre was a legitimate theatre located at 217 West 45th Street in the heart of the theater district in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States....

 on May 3, 1981 and closed after the 1 performance and 15 previews. Helmed again by Jonathan Lynn with musical staging by George Faison

George Faison

George Faison is an African-American dancer and choreographer.-Biography:Faison was born in Washington, D.C. where he studied dance with the Jones-Haywood Capitol Ballet and Carolyn Tate of Howard University while attending Dunbar High School, and appeared with The American Light Opera Company in...

, the musical featured Gary Beach

Gary Beach

Gary Beach is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Biography:Beach was born in Alexandria, Virginia and later went on to graduate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the same school as Terrence Mann, his Beauty and the Beast costar.Beach and his partner, Jeffrey...

, Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum

Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...

, Judy Kaye

Judy Kaye

Judy Kaye is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals The Phantom of the Opera, Ragtime and Mamma Mia!-Biography:...

 and Timothy Jerome as "Mooney Shapiro". All of the cast members played several characters, one of which was their real-life name. The musical received a 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...

 nomination for Best Book of a Musical.

In his review for the New York Times, Frank Rich

Frank Rich

Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...

wrote that "There's the germ of a funny, spiffy satirical revue in The Moony Shapiro Songbook, the forlorn little musical at the Morosco."

External links

• The Guide to Musical Theatre - Songbook (The Mooney Shapiro Songbook) Synopsis,Cast and song list