Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (musical)
Encyclopedia
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a musical
with a book by Jeffrey Lane
and music and lyrics by David Yazbek
. The musical tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion. It is based on the 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar
.
, Jessica Biel
, Matthew Morrison
and Paulo Szot
. Patti LuPone
, Tom Hewitt
, and Sherie Rene Scott
were in workshop readings of the musical in March 2010, with direction by Bartlett Sher
.
Women on the Verge opened on Broadway
at the Belasco Theatre
on November 4, 2010, with previews starting October 8. The musical starred Sherie Rene Scott, Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell
, and Laura Benanti
, with direction by Bartlett Sher. Justin Guarini
, the runner up from the first season
of American Idol
, made his Broadway debut as Carlos. The production was a limited engagement that was scheduled to end on January 23, 2011, but due to low grosses and ticket sales, closed early on January 2, 2011. At the time of closing, the show had played 30 previews and 69 regular performances.
The Broadway production featured scenic design by Michael Yeargan
, costume design by Catherine Zuber
, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt
and sound design by Scott Lehrer. Bartlett Sher
directed; Christopher Gattelli
served as choreographer. Comprising the rest of the creative team was musical director James Abbott and orchestrator Simon Hale
. Women on the Verge was nominated for three 2011 Tony Awards, including the award for Best Original Score
.
As day breaks, the city and its inhabitants come to life, as the ubiquitous and philosophical Mambo Taxi Driver sings of a place and time of joy and passion, a world where an entire life can be rewritten in one day ("Madrid"). Pepa, a working actress and singer, arrives at a film recording studio, where she is scheduled to dub a duet with Ivan. Still reeling from his message and hoping to get some answers, she is disappointed to learn he has already laid down his vocal tracks and gone. As she sings to his recorded voice, we hear her thoughts, the conversation she would have with Ivan if only he were there ("Lie To Me"), and she faints from the emotion of the song. A doctor is called, and Pepa admits she has been experiencing some morning sickness for the past few weeks. The doctor insists on running some tests just to be sure. Pepa protests. There's only one thing that's wrong with her, and it's an ailment that seems to be affecting every woman in town ("Lovesick"). Pepa sets off to find Ivan at his apartment and learns that he hasn't slept there in weeks. She leaves a card to let him know she was there, but it is quickly snatched away by a mysterious woman. Aided by Mambo Taxi Driver, she pursues her through the streets.
The woman is Lucia Beltran, Ivan's ex-wife, who is suing him for his desertion of her twenty years before and her resulting time in a mental facility. Back in her apartment, Lucia goes through a trunk full of memories - letters, clothes, and an old record ("Time Stood Still") which take her back to a happier time full of hope. Lucia is brought back to the present by the appearance by her shy, stammering son Carlos, and his unhappy, frustrated fiancee Marisa. They inform Lucia they will begin looking for apartments tomorrow in anticipation of their upcoming wedding. Furious at being abandoned once again, Lucia throws Carlos' suitcases out into the night. As Carlos and Marisa gather their thing from the street below, they question their relationship and their future together ("My Crazy Heart"). The next morning, Pepa returns home to an answering machine full of messages from her best friend, the fashion model and eternal romantic Candela, who has finally found the perfect man, expect for one small hitch - he just may be an international terrorist ("Model Behavior"). Pepa wanders her penthouse apartment and remembers the life she shared there with Ivan ("Island"). Meanwhile, back in his old studio, Ivan is packing to leave town, when he receives a visit from Carlos. Torn between his mother and his fiancee, the young man receives a lesson from his golden-voiced father about how to communicate with women ("The Microphone"). Pepa is about to reach the end of her rope.
She prepares a batch of gazpacho laced with sedatives in anticipation of Ivan's return. She is interrupted by the arrival of Candela, seeking refuge from both the terrorists and the police, and by Carlos and Marisa, who through a series of mix-ups have found Pepa's address on their list of apartments for rent. As their disparate lives and stories begin to come together, the women are all starting to come apart. Pepa learns that Ivan is leaving town with another woman. Marisa realizes her future with Carlos is about to slip away. Candela, trapped, terrified (and, unable to get Pepa's attention in any other way) jumps out the penthouse terrace. Just as it seems things can't get any more complicated, the Doctor announces Pepa's test results - she's pregnant ("On The Verge").
They discover a note outlining Malik's plans for an attack on the main courthouse and anonymously call the police to warn them, as the various characters all try to sort out the mess of their intertwining lives. ("Tangled") At the courthouse, Lucia is heard presenting her petition against Ivan to the Magistrates. She demands that her story must be heard. ("Invisible") As she becomes more unraveled, her case is dismissed, and she realizes she has been left with only one solution - she must find a way to make Ivan disappear for good. Pepa returns home and informs Candela that their only safe recourse is to leave town for awhile. Besides, there is nothing more for her here. ("Island" (reprise)) Just as she and Candela are about to go, the police arrive, having traced the anonymous phone tip to Pepa's number. Lucia arrives as well in search of Ivan and demanding to know where he is. Pepa puts the pieces together and realizes he is at the courthouse, about to run off with Paulina. She tries to go after them, but is stopped by the two officers. Pepa concedes and graciously offers them each a glass of the sedative-laced gazpacho. They pass out, and before Pepa can stop her, Lucia grabs the police officers' guns and heads off to the courthouse to kill Ivan. A chase ensues, with Pepa arriving just in time to warn Ivan and save him from Lucia's gunshot. (The bullet providentially wounded Malik, turning Lucia into a national heroine.)
Ivan thanks Pepa and realizes how much he really cares for her. All he wants is for the two of them to go home and pretend this day never happened. ("Lie To Me" (reprise)) Pepa does want that, but recalls her Concierge's words from earlier. She kisses Ivan goodbye and exits. Pepa returns home and is greeted by her Concierge, who tells Pepa she has been praying for her all day. Pepa smiles; she thinks it may have worked. She heads upstairs to begin her new life, as the women gather together and joyfully look toward the future ("Shoes From Heaven").
Act II
of the show will be released by Ghostlight Records on May 10, 2011. Prior to that, the recording was released on the iTunes Store
on April 18, 2011.
The recording includes two songs that were not featured in the Broadway production of the show: "Shoes From Heaven" (which was the closing song in previews), and the original chorus version of "My Crazy Heart" (which opened the show during previews). "Marisa/The Chase" and the reprise of "Lie To Me" were not recorded for this album.
writing in The New York Times
"Packed with talent and creativity, and a cast and crew bristling with Tony Awards, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is nonetheless a sad casualty of its own wandering mind...It keeps changing directions the way a teenage girl changes clothes before a first date. No sooner does this Lincoln Center Theater production start to develop a character or land a joke or sell a song than it switches gears and races on to another person or plot point or number that is, in turn, left incomplete."
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, 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 Jeffrey Lane
Jeffrey Lane
Jeffrey Lane is an author, television scriptwriter, film producer and actor. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University.-Broadway:Lane wrote the book for the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which ran on Broadway in 2005 and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical...
and music and lyrics by David Yazbek
David Yazbek
David Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown ....
. The musical tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion. It is based on the 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas...
written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
.
Productions
In October 2009, a workshop reading for the Lincoln Center Theater production of the musical was held, featuring Salma HayekSalma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
, Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...
, Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
and Paulo Szot
Paulo Szot
Paulo Szot is a Brazilian opera baritone singer and actor. In 2008, he made his Broadway debut as Emile De Becque in a revival of South Pacific. He won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance in the musical, becoming the first Brazilian to receive...
. Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
, Tom Hewitt
Tom Hewitt
Tom Hewitt is an actor and Broadway stage performer, and a native of Victor, Montana.-Life:After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee with the Professional Theatre Training Program's first class in 1981, Tom Hewitt worked with such regional powerhouses as Minneapolis's Guthrie...
, and Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott
Sherie Rene Scott is an American actress, singer and writer. She is a co-founder of Grammy winning Sh-K-Boom Records and Ghostlight Records and has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals and plays appears on numerous solo and original cast recordings.-Life and career:Scott was...
were in workshop readings of the musical in March 2010, with direction by Bartlett Sher
Bartlett Sher
Bartlett Sher , is an American theatre director. He received both the 2008 Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for his direction of the Broadway revival of South Pacific. The New York Times has described him as "one of the most original and exciting directors, not only in the American theater but...
.
Women on the Verge opened 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...
at the Belasco Theatre
Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 111 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco, the interior featured Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and expansive murals by American artist...
on November 4, 2010, with previews starting October 8. The musical starred Sherie Rene Scott, Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s...
, and Laura Benanti
Laura Benanti
Laura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:...
, with direction by Bartlett Sher. Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini is an American singer/songwriter and actor who rose to fame in 2002 as the first runner-up on the debut season of the television show American Idol.-Background:...
, the runner up from the first season
American Idol (Season 1)
The first season of American Idol premiered on June 11, 2002 and continued until September 4, 2002. It was won by Kelly Clarkson...
of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, made his Broadway debut as Carlos. The production was a limited engagement that was scheduled to end on January 23, 2011, but due to low grosses and ticket sales, closed early on January 2, 2011. At the time of closing, the show had played 30 previews and 69 regular performances.
The Broadway production featured scenic design by Michael Yeargan
Michael Yeargan
Michael H. Yeargan is an American set designer for theatre and opera.Yeargan is a professor of Stage Design at the Yale School of Drama and has designed for opera companies all over the world, including the Washington Opera and the Dallas Opera...
, costume design by Catherine Zuber
Catherine Zuber
- Broadway :Zuber's Broadway credits include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying , Born Yesterday , Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, South Pacific , The Coast of Utopia , The Light in the Piazza , Edward Albee's Seascape , Awake and Sing! ,...
, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt
Brian MacDevitt
Brian MacDevitt is a lighting designer for theatrical productions. He has worked extensively on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as touring, Regional theatre, and Industrial productions....
and sound design by Scott Lehrer. Bartlett Sher
Bartlett Sher
Bartlett Sher , is an American theatre director. He received both the 2008 Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for his direction of the Broadway revival of South Pacific. The New York Times has described him as "one of the most original and exciting directors, not only in the American theater but...
directed; Christopher Gattelli
Christopher Gattelli
Christopher Gattelli is a choreographer, performer, and director for the theatre. He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography for South Pacific and the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Choreography for Altar Boyz. He won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreograper for...
served as choreographer. Comprising the rest of the creative team was musical director James Abbott and orchestrator Simon Hale
Simon Hale
-Life:Hale was born in Birmingham, England in 1964, being dually raised there and in South Manchester before moving to London, where he studied performance and composition at Goldsmiths College, University of London between 1982-85...
. Women on the Verge was nominated for three 2011 Tony Awards, including the award for Best Original Score
Tony Award for Best Original Score
The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
.
Act I
Spain, 1987. In an answering machine, a lover's voice in the night asks – "Pepa? Pepa, are you there? Is there any good way to say goodbye..." A woman startles awake and rushes to the phone, "Ivan? Ivan?" She's too late, he's gone.As day breaks, the city and its inhabitants come to life, as the ubiquitous and philosophical Mambo Taxi Driver sings of a place and time of joy and passion, a world where an entire life can be rewritten in one day ("Madrid"). Pepa, a working actress and singer, arrives at a film recording studio, where she is scheduled to dub a duet with Ivan. Still reeling from his message and hoping to get some answers, she is disappointed to learn he has already laid down his vocal tracks and gone. As she sings to his recorded voice, we hear her thoughts, the conversation she would have with Ivan if only he were there ("Lie To Me"), and she faints from the emotion of the song. A doctor is called, and Pepa admits she has been experiencing some morning sickness for the past few weeks. The doctor insists on running some tests just to be sure. Pepa protests. There's only one thing that's wrong with her, and it's an ailment that seems to be affecting every woman in town ("Lovesick"). Pepa sets off to find Ivan at his apartment and learns that he hasn't slept there in weeks. She leaves a card to let him know she was there, but it is quickly snatched away by a mysterious woman. Aided by Mambo Taxi Driver, she pursues her through the streets.
The woman is Lucia Beltran, Ivan's ex-wife, who is suing him for his desertion of her twenty years before and her resulting time in a mental facility. Back in her apartment, Lucia goes through a trunk full of memories - letters, clothes, and an old record ("Time Stood Still") which take her back to a happier time full of hope. Lucia is brought back to the present by the appearance by her shy, stammering son Carlos, and his unhappy, frustrated fiancee Marisa. They inform Lucia they will begin looking for apartments tomorrow in anticipation of their upcoming wedding. Furious at being abandoned once again, Lucia throws Carlos' suitcases out into the night. As Carlos and Marisa gather their thing from the street below, they question their relationship and their future together ("My Crazy Heart"). The next morning, Pepa returns home to an answering machine full of messages from her best friend, the fashion model and eternal romantic Candela, who has finally found the perfect man, expect for one small hitch - he just may be an international terrorist ("Model Behavior"). Pepa wanders her penthouse apartment and remembers the life she shared there with Ivan ("Island"). Meanwhile, back in his old studio, Ivan is packing to leave town, when he receives a visit from Carlos. Torn between his mother and his fiancee, the young man receives a lesson from his golden-voiced father about how to communicate with women ("The Microphone"). Pepa is about to reach the end of her rope.
She prepares a batch of gazpacho laced with sedatives in anticipation of Ivan's return. She is interrupted by the arrival of Candela, seeking refuge from both the terrorists and the police, and by Carlos and Marisa, who through a series of mix-ups have found Pepa's address on their list of apartments for rent. As their disparate lives and stories begin to come together, the women are all starting to come apart. Pepa learns that Ivan is leaving town with another woman. Marisa realizes her future with Carlos is about to slip away. Candela, trapped, terrified (and, unable to get Pepa's attention in any other way) jumps out the penthouse terrace. Just as it seems things can't get any more complicated, the Doctor announces Pepa's test results - she's pregnant ("On The Verge").
Act II
Sometime during the intermission, Candela has changed her mind; she can't go through with it. Pepa and Carlos pull her back to safety. Shaken and upset, Candela tells them of her tormented infatuation with the wild and romantic Malik. (As soon as she saw the grenade belt, she "knew something was up".) Now the police are searching for him and she is afraid she'll be arrested for harboring the fugitive. Carlos suggests they talk to his mother's attorney, Paulina Morales. Marisa, noticing Carlos' attraction to the beautiful and fragile Candela, retreats to the kitchen, where she unknowingly drinks the sedative-laced gazpacho and passes out, as Pepa heads off to get the attorney's help. Outside her building, Pepa has a moment alone, as she considers the news of her pregnancy through memories of her own mother. ("Mother's Day") She is joined by her pious Concierge, who senses Pepa's troubles and tries to reassure her that things have a way of working out – "Sometimes you think you're praying for one thing, but God knows better". As she heads toward the lawyer's office, Pepa is unaware the woman Ivan is involved with is the same woman she is about to meet, Paulina Morales. Although Paulina tries to resist Ivan's pleas to go away with him, he eventually seduces her with his philosophy of eternal love. ("Yesterday, Tomorrow, And Today") Pepa arrives to see Paulina and is confused by the attorney's hostile reception and refusal to help Candela. Meanwhile back at the apartment, Carlos and Candela find themselves growing closer.They discover a note outlining Malik's plans for an attack on the main courthouse and anonymously call the police to warn them, as the various characters all try to sort out the mess of their intertwining lives. ("Tangled") At the courthouse, Lucia is heard presenting her petition against Ivan to the Magistrates. She demands that her story must be heard. ("Invisible") As she becomes more unraveled, her case is dismissed, and she realizes she has been left with only one solution - she must find a way to make Ivan disappear for good. Pepa returns home and informs Candela that their only safe recourse is to leave town for awhile. Besides, there is nothing more for her here. ("Island" (reprise)) Just as she and Candela are about to go, the police arrive, having traced the anonymous phone tip to Pepa's number. Lucia arrives as well in search of Ivan and demanding to know where he is. Pepa puts the pieces together and realizes he is at the courthouse, about to run off with Paulina. She tries to go after them, but is stopped by the two officers. Pepa concedes and graciously offers them each a glass of the sedative-laced gazpacho. They pass out, and before Pepa can stop her, Lucia grabs the police officers' guns and heads off to the courthouse to kill Ivan. A chase ensues, with Pepa arriving just in time to warn Ivan and save him from Lucia's gunshot. (The bullet providentially wounded Malik, turning Lucia into a national heroine.)
Ivan thanks Pepa and realizes how much he really cares for her. All he wants is for the two of them to go home and pretend this day never happened. ("Lie To Me" (reprise)) Pepa does want that, but recalls her Concierge's words from earlier. She kisses Ivan goodbye and exits. Pepa returns home and is greeted by her Concierge, who tells Pepa she has been praying for her all day. Pepa smiles; she thinks it may have worked. She heads upstairs to begin her new life, as the women gather together and joyfully look toward the future ("Shoes From Heaven").
Musical Numbers
Act I- Overture
- Madrid- Taxi Driver and Ensemble
- Lie to Me- Pepa and Ivan
- Lovesick- Pepa and Ensemble
- Time Stood Still- Lucia
- My Crazy Heart- Taxi Driver, Carlos, Marisa, and Ensemble
- Model Behavior- Candela
- Island- Pepa
- The Microphone- Ivan and Carlos
- On the Verge- Lucia, Pepa, Candela, Marisa, and the Women
Act II
- Mother's Day- Pepa
- Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today- Ivan
- Tangled- Taxi Driver, Carlos, Candela, Ivan, Pepa, Paulina, Ana, and Ambite
- Invisible- Lucia
- Island (Reprise)- Pepa, Candela, and Carlos
- Marisa/The Chase- Marisa and Ensemble
- Lie To Me (Reprise)- Ivan
- Shoes From Heaven- Pepa's Concierge, Pepa and Women
Original Broadway cast
| Character | Original Broadway cast |
|---|---|
| Pepa | Sherie Rene Scott Sherie Rene Scott Sherie Rene Scott is an American actress, singer and writer. She is a co-founder of Grammy winning Sh-K-Boom Records and Ghostlight Records and has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals and plays appears on numerous solo and original cast recordings.-Life and career:Scott was... |
| Ivan | Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s... |
| Lucia | Patti LuPone Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les... |
| Paulina | De'Adre Aziza De'Adre Aziza De'Adre Danielle Aziza is an American actress and singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Passing Strange, in which she played "teenage goddess" Edwina Williams, Dutch neo-hippie Marianna, and German revolutionary/filmmaker Sudabey... |
| Marisa | Nikka Graff Lanzarone |
| Concierge | Mary Beth Peil Mary Beth Peil Mary Beth Peil is an American actress and singer.-Early life:Born in Davenport, Iowa in 1940, Peil trained as an opera singer at Northwestern University under Lotte Lehmann. There she became a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority... |
| Taxi Driver | Danny Burstein Danny Burstein Danny Burstein is a versatile American actor who is known for his work in theater, film and television. He won the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and was nominated for the 2008 Drama Desk Award and 2008 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical... |
| Carlos | Justin Guarini Justin Guarini Justin Guarini is an American singer/songwriter and actor who rose to fame in 2002 as the first runner-up on the debut season of the television show American Idol.-Background:... |
| Candela | Laura Benanti Laura Benanti Laura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:... |
Recordings
An original Broadway cast recordingCast recording
A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast...
of the show will be released by Ghostlight Records on May 10, 2011. Prior to that, the recording was released on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on April 18, 2011.
The recording includes two songs that were not featured in the Broadway production of the show: "Shoes From Heaven" (which was the closing song in previews), and the original chorus version of "My Crazy Heart" (which opened the show during previews). "Marisa/The Chase" and the reprise of "Lie To Me" were not recorded for this album.
Response
The show baffled critics.. It was panned by Ben BrantleyBen Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
writing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
"Packed with talent and creativity, and a cast and crew bristling with Tony Awards, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is nonetheless a sad casualty of its own wandering mind...It keeps changing directions the way a teenage girl changes clothes before a first date. No sooner does this Lincoln Center Theater production start to develop a character or land a joke or sell a song than it switches gears and races on to another person or plot point or number that is, in turn, left incomplete."
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 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... |
Outstanding Music Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
David Yazbek David Yazbek David Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown .... |
|
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Sherie Rene Scott Sherie Rene Scott Sherie Rene Scott is an American actress, singer and writer. She is a co-founder of Grammy winning Sh-K-Boom Records and Ghostlight Records and has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals and plays appears on numerous solo and original cast recordings.-Life and career:Scott was... |
|||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s... |
|||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical was first awarded in the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has subsequently been awarded every year. In the 1993-1994 Drama Desk Awards the award was given under the name of Outstanding Supporting Actress - Musical... |
Laura Benanti Laura Benanti Laura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:... |
|||
| Patti LuPone Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les... |
||||
| Outstanding Orchestrations Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Simon Hale Simon Hale -Life:Hale was born in Birmingham, England in 1964, being dually raised there and in South Manchester before moving to London, where he studied performance and composition at Goldsmiths College, University of London between 1982-85... , David Yazbek David Yazbek David Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown .... and James Abbott |
|||
| Outer Critics Circle Award Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets... |
Outstanding New Broadway Musical | |||
| Outstanding New Score | David Yazbek David Yazbek David Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown .... |
|||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Laura Benanti Laura Benanti Laura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:... |
|||
| Patti LuPone Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les... |
||||
| 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... |
Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics... |
David Yazbek David Yazbek David Yazbek is an American writer, musician, composer, and lyricist. He wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown .... |
||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of the Tony Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The award, introduced in 1950, was previously named as Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical until 1976.... |
Laura Benanti Laura Benanti Laura Benanti is an American actress of television, film and Broadway theatre noted for her award winning performance as Louise in the 2008 production of Gypsy.-Early years:... |
|||
| Patti LuPone Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les... |
||||