b a c k s t o r y FIORELLO ! Your behind-the-scenes look at TimeLine productions yesterday’s stories. today’s topics. message from theartistic director connection pj powers f ior e l l o ! the play Dear Friends, Upon further investigation, I and shaped By Jerome Weidman Directed by Nick Bowling m ay 6 – j u n e 18, 2 0 0 6 learned that this musical also won it into the and George Abbott previews 5/2 – 5/5 Here’s a little trivia you can pop Music Direction by Doug Peck the Tony Award for Best Musical booming on your friends to test their Music by Jerry Bock in 1960, tying The Sound of Music metropolis theater acumen: Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and beating, among others, Gypsy we know Since 1917, 75 plays have been (two musicals that are now per- today. awarded the Pulitzer Prize for formed at least every five minutes Fiorello! is a classic Broadway The Cast (in alphabetical order) The Production Team Yet Fiorello, both man and musical, Drama, yet only seven have been somewhere in America). And that musical with heartbreaking Nick Bowling: Director share similar traits. They’re surpris- Alanda Coon: Ensemble musicals. Can you name them? the creative team for Fiorello! ballads (“When Did I Fall in ing, powerful, efficient, gritty, Rebecca Finnegan: Marie Doug Peck: Music Director included such luminaries as writer Love”), rousing chorus numbers This distinguished and, I must say, packed with fire and passion, Aaron Graham: Ensemble Linda Parsons: Choreographer Jerome Weidman, director George (“Politics and Poker”) and melodic rather motley crew is Of Thee I and, perhaps most significantly, Terry Hamilton: Ben Linsey Page Morton: Abbott and the music-and-lyrics showstoppers (“Little Tin Box”) Sing, South Pacific, How To Suc- deserving of far greater attention Assistant Director team of Jerry Bock and Sheldon to tell the story of an honest Jonathan Hickerson: Ensemble ceed In Business Without Really and regard than is normally given Kevin Hagan: Scenic Designer Harnick, creators of such other man’s struggle against corruption Maris Hudson: Dora Trying, Chorus Line, Sunday in the them today. oft-produced musicals as Fiddler in big-city politics. At a time when Brendan Kelly: Ensemble Keith Parham: Lighting Designer Park With George, Rent, and… on the Roof and She Loves Me. Needless to say, it seems custom- New York was awash in vice and Michael Kingston: Morris Lindsey Pate: Costume Designer I’ll give you a hint: Look on the made for TimeLine, and we’re corruption with the Tammany Mike Tutaj: Projection and So why in the world was Fiorello! Dan Loftus: Ensemble cover of this newsletter. Indeed, honored to introduce—or perhaps Hall political machine, Fiorello Sound Designer still fairly obscure, seldom PJ Powers: Fiorello Fiorello! re-introduce—you to the great H. LaGuardia put a bright, new Julia Eberhardt: Props Designer produced and never revived on music of Fiorello! shine on the city and became Alan Schmuckler: Neil Admittedly, I couldn’t rattle off Broadway? Why had I never Brennan Parks: Dramaturg one of the most enduring figures Chuck Sisson: Ensemble this list until a couple years ago heard of this thing?!? All credit must go to director Bob Groth: Technical Director of the 20th century. Winner of Sean Sullivan: Floyd when I flipped through a book Nick Bowling, who has had Seth Vermilyea: Stage Manager I wish I had an answer. Having the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Bethany Thomas: Mitzi/ Ensemble chronicling Pulitzer Prize winners. LaGuardia-like conviction in his since done my homework and be- Prize, TimeLine is thrilled to Holly Birdsong: And, truth be told, when I got relentless pursuit to get this show Dana Tretta: Ensemble Assistant Stage Manager come quite familiar with the play present Fiorello! as our first to the page for 1960 my first on TimeLine’s stage. Yet again Cassie Wooley: Thea and its history I am even more at a fully-mounted musical. Eva Breneman: Dialect Coach response was, “Fiorello! What Nick has exciting things in store loss to explain why Fiorello! hasn’t Jesse Klug: Master Electrician in the world is Fiorello!?” for you, and I hope you will share joined the ranks of household- Jennie Martin: our passion for this musical, as After years of working in the the- name “great American musicals.” Production Manager well as our amazement at how ater, a degree from The Theatre Lara Goetsch: Marketing Director In many ways, Fiorello! is as Fiorello! has remained musical- School at DePaul University and a underappreciated as the man it theater’s best kept secret. Rob Coleman: Graphic Design personal collection of plays that portrays, Fiorello H. LaGuardia. James Keister: borders on being obsessive, I was Best Wishes, Except perhaps for native New Lobby Display Design embarrassed to admit that I knew Yorkers and political-history buffs, PJ Powers: Artistic Director nothing about Fiorello! Not a LaGuardia is a name known more Brian Voelker: Managing Director thing. Never heard of it. as an airport rather than for the PJ Powers dynamic leader who pulled New Artistic Director York City out of The Depression Fiorello H. LaGuardia at a ceremony for the army recruitment campaign, Manhattan, 1940. Backstory Credits Post-Show Discussions Sunday Scholar Series Dramaturgy & Historical Research Pictured on front cover (left to right): Join members of the cast Following the performance on To reserve tickets for the Sunday This program is made possible in by Brennan Parks. Fiorello cast; Actors Alanda Coon, Sunday, May 21, please join us for Scholar Series, please call (773) part by a grant from the Illinois Bethany Thomas and Cassie Wooley; and production team for Rehearsal Photography by Actor Dan Loftus; Actress Dana Tretta. our Sunday Scholar Series, a free 281-8463. You do not need to at- Humanities Council, the National Lara Goetsch. free post-show discussions one-hour panel discussion with tend the May 21 performance of Endowment for the Humanities Pictured on back cover (left to right): Design by Rogue Element, Inc. on May 11, 14 and 18. Actor Aaron Graham and Music experts talking about the themes Fiorello! to attend the discussion. and the Illinois General Assembly. Historical photography courtesy of Director Doug Peck; Actors Jonathan and issues of Fiorello! For names The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives, Hickerson, Brendan Kelly and Chuck of panelists and more information LaGuardia Community College/ Sisson; Director Nick Bowling; Actors on the event, please go to The City of New York. Kelli Morgan, Cassie Wooley and PJ Powers. www.timelinetheatre.com. jerome weidmanthe & g e orplaywrights g e a b b o t t new york city the setting Jerome Weidman, born in 1913, George Abbott, born in 1887, Fiorello! transports us to New of starting anew. But they faced and profiteers looking to take made his debut as a novelist studied playwriting at Harvard York City from 1916 to 1933— numerous challenges as they advantage of them. at 22 with I Can Get It for You before appearing as an actor on through World War I, into the adjusted to different customs and The city needed a positive change. Wholesale. He went on to publish Broadway in 1913 in The Mislead- economically and socially Roaring a new language. Many found it It needed a leader for the people, more than 30 novels and volumes ing Lady. He quickly became ‘20s and just entering The Depres- difficult to hold safe, secure jobs; someone who was willing to fight of short stories, among them The a highly-regarded director for sion. It was a time when the city run their businesses; or receive injustice and political corruption Enemy Camp, The Sound of Bow Broadway and Hollywood, work- welcomed millions of immigrants public services because New York at every level. Fiorello H. LaGuar- Bells and The Fourth Street East. ing on such shows and films as, and began to grow into the City’s government and court dia was poised for the challenge. He made his debut in the theater On the Town, The Pajama Game, booming metropolis it is today. system were rife with swindlers with Fiorello!, co-authored with A Funny Thing Happened on the Between 1892 and 1954, 12 George Abbott, Jerry Bock and Way to the Forum and Damn million immigrants came through Sheldon Harnick. He teamed Yankees. He was 107 when he the city, with many staying and The city needed a positive change, with them again on the musical, died in 1995. setting up lives for themselves. Tenderloin (1960) and continued These new residents, who often it needed a leader for the people, to write novels and books into left behind unsatisfactory condi- someone who was willing to fight the 1980s. He died at the age tions in their home countries, of 85 in 1998. came to America with the hope injustice and political corruption at every level. New York City in 1939. j ecomposer r r y b o c k & sheldon harnick & lyricist Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick Bock. They remained writing Bock has since retired and Harnick first collaborated in 1958 on The partners for nine other shows, has gone on to collaborate with Body Beautiful, but they had their including Tenderloin (1960), The many other musical theater first real success with Fiorello! in Apple Tree (1966), and their most composers, writing lyrics for 1959. The show ran for 795 per- famous work Fiddler on the Roof adaptations of Pinnochio (1973), formances on Broadway. It also is (1964), which won nine Tony A Christmas Carol (1981) and one of only seven musicals to win Awards and has been revived on A Wonderful Life (1986).