The Act (musical)
- Michelle Craig
- Dan Connors
- Lenny Kanter
- Molly Connors
- Charley Price
- Arthur
- Nat Schreiber
- Choir, dancers
The Act is an American musical in two acts by John Kander and Fred Ebb from the year 1977. The libretto was written by George Furth. The main role was played by Liza Minnelli. The Act live up to July 1, 1978 all 233 performances at New York's Majestic Theatre and is considered the most expensive musical in Broadway history.
Action
The musical revolves around the failed actress " Michelle Craig " that hopes to make a comeback as a nightclub singer in Las Vegas. The viewer experiences them during the planning and staging of her Las Vegas show, during which they also remembered their past: a marriage with an aged film producer, an abortion, a love affair that ended in divorce by the unloved husband, as well as professional success and failures.
Songs
Act I
- Shine It On
- It's the Strangest Thing
- Bobo's
- Turning
- Little Do They Know
- Arthur in the Afternoon
- Hollywood, California
- The Money Tree
Second Act
- City Lights
- There When I Need Him
- Hot Enough for You?
- Little Do They Know
- Final
- My Own Space
Awards
Liza Minnelli won the 1978 Tony Award as Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Further nominations for this theater award went to:
Reception
Even at the rehearsal performances in the summer and autumn of 1977 during the 15-week U.S. tour ( with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago) The Act was panned by critics. Paradoxically, it recorded an unprecedented success at its premiere on Broadway and thereafter maintain until the summer of next year there.
Large negative was criticized because The Act is too specific to his lead actress Liza Minnelli. The personification of the deported movie stars " Michelle Craig " is an outstanding example of their dynamic, energetic stage art and their high vocal volume to which the respective Klimaxe the Kander & Ebb - songs were matched. Your caused by the seemingly boundless expressiveness emotional bond with the audience led, among others, Meryl Streep added later to call them and acting as a role model. But the musical itself was described by a theater critic Howard Kissel as " the highest degree arrogant approach", as would both before turning behind the scenes all about Minnelli and the effort to present them uncompromising as an entertainer full of unlimited energy. Likewise, Martin Scorsese's inexperience was criticized at the theater; he gave with The Act his directorial debut on Broadway and is rumored to have Liza Minnelli were personally on his participation.
In the audience was The Act for that very well and was able to import its high production costs of around 1 million U.S. dollars again. The musical is still regarded as one of the most expensive of its kind; it needed costumes worth about $ 92,000, while approximately 80,000 U.S. dollars have been spent for the scenes.