Bandstand (musical)

Bandstand is an original musical composed by Richard Oberacker with book and lyrics by Oberacker and Robert Taylor. [1]

The musical tells the story of a mismatched band of military veterans who join together to compete in a national radio contest in New York City with a prize that will guarantee instant stardom to the winners. But with complicated relationships, the demands of the competition and the challenging after-effects of war, going all the way for a win in the contest seems like a dream that may break these musicians.

The original production of Bandstand, directed by Andy Blankenbuehler and starring Laura Osnes, Corey Cott and Beth Leavel, premiered at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn in October 2015 and made its Broadway debut on March 31, 2017.

 

 

Productions

A workshop of Bandstand was held in September 2014 in New York City, and featured Laura Osnes, Corey Cott and Beth Leavel.[2][3]

The show, retitled as The Bandstand, began previews on October 8, 2015, at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, before holding its official opening on October 18, 2015, for a limited run until November 8, 2015.[4] Direction and choreography was by Andy Blankenbuehler, with the cast that starred Corey Cott, Laura Osnes and Beth Leavel as Donny, Julia, and Mrs. Adams, respectively. The musical contains swing, bebop, and jitterbug.[5]

The musical, its title once again Bandstand, will premiere on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on April 26, 2017 after starting previews on March 31, and closed September 2017 after 164 0erformances with Osnes and Cott and direction and choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler.[6] The Broadway cast features Beth Leavel, Joe Carroll, Brandon James Ellis, James Nathan Hopkins, Geoff Packard, and Joey Pero.[7] (The transfer was first announced on November 5, 2015.)[8]

Synopsis

According to the musical’s official site, Bandstand “is the high-stepping musical about love in full swing and tells the story of musician Donny Novitski who is about to take on the mission of his life: leading his band of fellow veterans into competition for America’s next swing band sensation. However, complicated relationships, the demands of the competition and the challenging after-effects of war may break these musicians. The original score is strongly influenced by authentic 1940s swing music, much of which is played onstage by the characters and band members. When Donny meets a beautiful, young singer named Julia, he finds the perfect harmony in words and music that could take this band of brothers all the way to the live radio broadcast finale in New York City. But to succeed, it will require every ounce of talent, stamina and raw nerve that these musicians possess.”[9]

Musical Numbers

Characters and Original Cast

The characters and original cast:

Character	Paper Mill Playhouse (2015)[10]	Original Broadway Cast (2017) [8]
Julia Trojan	Laura Osnes
Donny Novitski	Corey Cott
Mrs. June Adams	Beth Leavel
Johnny Simpson	Joe Carroll
Davy Zlatic	Brandon J. Ellis
Jimmy Campbell	James Nathan Hopkins
Wayne Wright	Geoff Packard
Nick Radel	Joey Pero
Flora Novitski / Production Assistant	Lauren Mufson
Oscar Novitski / Sydney Lemon / James Haupt	Daniel Cooney
Dolores / Talent Booker	Jessica Lea Patty
Mr. Jackson	Ryan Kasprzak
Andre Baruch / Oliver	Thomas Cannizzaro
Blue Wisp Waitress / Entertainment Director	Tanya Birl	Morgan Marcell
Jean Ann Ryan	Stacia Fernandez	Mary Callanan
Roger Cohen	Jeff Pew	Ryan VanDenBoom
Tom	Max Clayton
Betsy	Andrea Dotto

References

External Links

• Official website

 

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