The Golden Apple (musical)
The Golden Apple | |
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Light Opera Works 2014 Lyric Stage Dallas |
The Golden Apple is a musical adaptation of parts of the
Productions
The Golden Apple was one of the first musicals produced
The musical is through-composed and exhibits features similar to more operatic musicals like Porgy and Bess, The Mother of Us All, Candide, and The Most Happy Fella.[4] Jerome Moross was a classical composer of concert music and ballets, as well as a highly appreciated film score. Though the show is held in high esteem by devotees of musical theater, the full score was not commercially recorded until 2015 and the show has never been revived on Broadway. The musical is remembered in part for introducing the standard "Lazy Afternoon," sung by Ballard, and its fantastical, suggestive settings by William and Jean Eckart.[5]
The musical was presented Off-Broadway in 1961 at the Equity Library Theatre, and in 1962 it was produced at the York Playhouse. Both productions were directed by Robert Ennis Turoff and starred Roberta MacDonald as Helen and Stan Page as Ulysses.[6]
The musical continues to receive occasional productions. For example, a 1990 production by the York Theater Company in New York featured
The complete piano-vocal score was published for the first time in 2009 by
It was presented as part of the New York City Center "Encores!" staged concert series from May 10–14, 2017.[13][14]
Recordings
The Original Broadway Cast Recording, released by RCA Victor in 1954, had to cut a great deal of the lengthy sung-through score in order to fit on a single Long Playing disc. The conductor was Benjamin Steinberg. (Extended cast albums were unheard of at that time, with the precedent being set two years later with a triple LP album of Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella.) This fifty-minute version of the score was the only one available for six decades.
The record label PS Classics recorded performances of the Lyric Stage production and released the first full-length recording of the score on May 19, 2015.[15]
Roles and original cast
- Helen – Kaye Ballard
- Lovey Mars – Bibi Osterwald
- Penelope – Priscilla Gillette
- Ulysses Spelvin – Stephen Douglass
- Paris – Jonathan Lucas
- Hector Charybdis – Jack Whiting
- Menelaus – Dean Michener
- Mrs. Juniper – Geraldine Viti
- Miss Minerva Oliver – Portia Nelson
- Mother Hare – Nola Day
Synopsis
In the U.S. state of Washington, near Mt. Olympus at the turn of the 20th century, the small town of Angel's Roost is thrown into confusion when old Menelaus's fancy-free wife, Helen, runs off with a traveling salesman named Paris who is visiting the community to judge an apple pie baking contest. Ulysses, who has just returned from military service in the Spanish–American War, leaves his wife Penelope as he joins in a ten-year expedition to get Helen to return.
Musical numbers
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During the Broadway run of the show, the finale was replaced at the insistence of the producers with a reprise of "It's the Going Home Together" with chorus, and this was used for the cast album. The published score contains the original ending.
Notes
- ^ "The Phoenix Theatre listing" Internet Broadway Database, accessed November 1, 2011
- ISBN 0-7935-7750-0, p. 160
- ISBN 978-0-19-531407-6.
- ^ Schwartz, Lloyd (September 24, 2015). "New Complete Recording Restores A Forgotten Trojan War Musical". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ISBN 978-1574412123. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ "'The Golden Apple' 1962" lortel.org
- ^ Holden, Stephen. "Review/Theater;Homer in Song and Dance In 'Golden Apple' Revival" The New York Times, March 30, 1990
- ^ Williams, Albert. "Homer on the Range", The Reader, August 25, 1995, Section 1, p. 36
- ^ Connema, Richard. "A Vivacious and Ingenious Production of 'The Golden Apple'; Review, San Francisco" talkinbroadway.com (based on April production), accessed November 1, 2011
- ^ Lawrence, Mark Andrew."Shaw Festival Kicks Off Its 45th Season This Week" broadwayworld.com, accessed November 1, 2011
- ^ Churnin, Nancy (October 27, 2014). "Bite into irresistible 'Golden Apple' at Lyric Stage". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
- ^ Stevens, Rob. "'The Golden Apple' reviewed by Rob Stevens" haineshisway.com, February 9, 2015
- ^ Weinstock, Matt. "The Cult of John LaTouche’s 'The Golden Apple' and Its Long-Awaited Encores! Debut" Playbill, May 10, 2017
- ^ The Golden Apple nycitycenter.org, retrieved May 11, 2017
- ^ Krasker, Tommy."The Golden Apple - First Full Length Recording" psclassics.com, accessed February 21, 2015