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Leonard Bernstein.(Leonard Bernstein: Wonderful Town)(Video recording review)
Leonard Bernstein. Wonderful Town. DVD. Berliner Philharmoniker / Simon Rattle. With Kim Criswell, Audra McDonald, and Thomas Hampson. [Germany]: EuroArts Music International, 2005. 2052299. $24.99.
It can be argued that Leonard Bernstein helped change the face of Broadway. At a time when musical theater was at a crossroads, he and his various collaborators explored new directions and forms, integrated multiple styles of music and dance, and imbued the music, songs, and dance with dramatic life rarely seen. In Wonderful Town (1953), we see Bernstein and his collaborators, Betty Comden and Adolph Green for a second time celebrating Bernstein's adopted city, New York: the first time was the successful On the Town (1944). In Wonderful Town, Bernstein infuses a rather traditional musical entertainment with his trademark eclecticism that reaches maturity in West Side Story (1957) and Candide (1956).
Wonderful Town is based on the book My Sister Eileen by Ruth McKenney, and subsequently dramatized by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov. Designed as a vehicle for the talented Rosalind Russell, the collaborators create a humorous portrayal of the inhabitants of Greenwich Village. The show follows two Ohio transplants, Eileen and Ruth, as they struggle to make it in the Big Apple as singer and writer, respectively. On their way to success, they encounter a not-so-bright ex-football star, and a hard-nosed magazine editor and a host of unique characters inhabiting Christopher Street. Wonderful Town was revived in 2003 and subsequently closed January 2005 after playing almost the same number of performances as the original opening when it won a Tony award as Best Musical of 1952-3.
The EuroArts DVD performance is not staged but retains the exuberance of a Broadway show. Everyone, ...
- 'Wonderful' Bernstein tunes ring out.(Leonard Bernstein songs)(Brief Article)
- Magazine article from: Daily Variety Pincus-Roth, Zachary December 4, 2003 700+ words
Lincoln Center's winter gala Monday featured perfs of Leonard Bernstein songs by legit stars, including numbers from current Broadway hit "Wonderful Town." "It was the only Broadway album I had ever listened to (as a kid), because it was...
- INTIMATE NOTES: WONDERFUL TOWN...CRONAN JOINS NEUBURGER...TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE.
- Magazine article from: WWD December 8, 2003 700+ words
WONDERFUL TOWN: It was a celebrity-filled...the 1953 Broadway musical, "Wonderful Town," at the Al Hirschfeld Theater...related items. The revival of "Wonderful Town" featured music by Leonard Bernstein. The show originally starred...
- World Renowned Conductor, Composer Leonard Bernstein, Honored With U.S. Postage...
- Press release article from: Business Wire July 11, 2001 700+ words
...symphonies to Broadway shows. Leonard Bernstein-conductor, composer...with the issuance of the Leonard Bernstein commemorative stamp. The...for "On The Town," "Wonderful Town," the comic operetta...Postal Service. To see the Leonard Bernstein stamp, and other ...
- Leonard Bernstein Conducts His Own Music.
- Press release article from: PR Newswire August 22, 2008 700+ words
...The legacy of Leonard Bernstein -- as a conductor...Humphrey Burton. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990...On the Town, Wonderful Town and West Side Story...music. A release of Leonard Bernstein conducting his own...
- He gave classical music an American touch; New CDs of Leonard Bernstein's works...
- Newspaper article from: The Christian Science Monitor September 26, 2003 700+ words
...Science Monitor Leonard Bernstein once called his...collections, "Leonard Bernstein - A Total Embrace...Conductor" and "Leonard Bernstein - A Total Embrace...Side Story," "Wonderful Town," "On the Town...
- Leonard Bernstein hits high note: Maestro produced a classic in 'Waterfront,'...
- Magazine article from: Daily Variety Mermelstein, David December 8, 2004 700+ words
...American composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein, who died in...with "On the Town" and "Wonderful Town," he'd also achieved success...according to Humphrey Burton's "Leonard Bernstein," the composer was ambivalent...
- BOOKER VPA STAGES `WONDERFUL TOWN'.(TICKET)
- Newspaper article from: Sarasota Herald Tribune Handelman, Jay March 15, 1996 700+ words
...starring in another Leonard Bernstein musical, "Wonderful Town." The rarely seen musical...My Sister Eileen," "Wonderful Town" will be presented by...time doing them." "Wonderful Town" opened on Broadway in...
- Reviews of new pop, country/roots, classical and jazz releases.(U.S.A. (United...
- News wire article from: Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) Phillips, Amy Berkery, Patrick DeLuca, Dan Cristiano, Nick Stearns, David Patrick Stark, Karl July 19, 2005 700+ words
...plus songs by Merle Travis and Rodney Crowell, in an engaging low tenor. _N.C. ___ Classical: LEONARD BERNSTEIN ``Wonderful Town'' Kim Criswell, Audra McDonald, Thomas Hampson, Brent Barrett, Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle...
- Roger Richman feeling fancy free. (Business Briefs).(Roger Richman Agency Ltd....
- Magazine article from: The Licensing Journal June 1, 2002 700+ words
...Inc. has been selected to represent the Leonard Bernstein persona. Leonard Bernstein, considered by some to be the first true...for musical theater, including Candide, Wonderful Town, and West Side Story, and for his orchestra...
- WONDERFUL `TOWN'.(Review)
- Magazine article from: Variety August 16, 1999 700+ words
...beloved summertime Promenade Concerts of Leonard Bernstein's "Wonderful Town." To be sure, the indices were good...these days to see a full production of "Wonderful Town"? (Its 1986 London staging cast Maureen...
Source: HighBeam Research, Leonard Bernstein.(Leonard Bernstein: Wonderful Town)(Video recording...