Movin' Out (musical)
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Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.
Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War. The principal characters are drawn from those who appeared in various Joel tunes: high school sweethearts Brenda and Eddie ("Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"), James ("James"), Judy ("Why Judy Why"), and Tony (Anthony in "Movin' Out"). The show is unusual in that, unlike the traditional musical, it essentially is a series of dances linked by a thin plot, and none of the dancers sing. All the vocals are performed by a pianist and band suspended on a platform above the stage while the dancers act out the narrative sans dialogue.
After twenty-eight previews, the Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Tharp, opened on October 24, 2002 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it ran for 1303 performances. The cast included Michael Cavanaugh, John Selya, Keith Roberts, Elizabeth Parkinson, Ashley Tuttle, Benjamin Bowman, and Scott Wise.
The West End production opened on April 10, 2006, at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre where, despite generally good reviews, it ran for less than two months. James Fox and Darren Reeves were featured in the cast. Situated across from Victoria Station, away from the city's hub of theatre activity, and with more than 2500 seats, the Apollo Victoria was in a poor location and far-too-large for the production. The show was marketed as a traditional musical rather than the dance production it is, and Joel had not had any major hits in the UK for several years, so he wasn't a major draw for mainstream audiences.
[edit] Song list
Act I
- It's Still Rock and Roll to Me - Company
- Scenes from an Italian Restaurant - Brenda, Eddie, Tony, James, Judy, Sergeant O'Leary and Ensemble
- Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) - Tony, Eddie, James and Sergeant O'Leary
- Reverie (Villa D'Este)/Just the Way You Are - James, Judy and Ensemble
- For the Longest Time/Uptown Girl - Brenda, Eddie, Tony and Ensemble
- This Night - Tony, Brenda and Ensemble
- Summer, Highland Falls - Eddie, Brenda, Tony and Ensemble
- Waltz #1 (Nunley's Carousel) - Tony, Eddie, James, Drill Sergeant and Ensemble
- We Didn't Start the Fire - Judy, Brenda, James, Tony, Eddie and Ensemble
- She's Got a Way - Tony, Brenda and Ensemble
- The Stranger - Judy and Ensemble
- Elegy (The Great Peconic) - Judy, Brenda, Tony, Eddie, Drill Sergeant and Ensemble
Act II
- Invention in C Minor - Eddie and Ensemble
- Angry Young Man - Eddie and Ensemble
- Big Shot - Tony, Brenda and Ensemble
- Big Man on Mulberry Street - Tony, Brenda and Ensemble
- Captain Jack - Eddie and Ensemble
- Innocent Man - Eddie and Ensemble
- Pressure - Judy, Eddie and Ensemble
- Goodnight Saigon - Eddie, Judy, James, Tony and Ensemble
- Air (Dublinesque) - Brenda
- Shameless - Brenda and Tony
- James - Judy and Eddie
- River of Dreams/Keeping the Faith/Only the Good Die Young - Eddie and Ensemble
- I've Loved These Days - Tony, Brenda, Eddie and Ensemble
- Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (Reprise) - Full Company[1]
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Selya, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Parkinson, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Cavanaugh and Roberts, nominees)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Tuttle, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Choreography (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Orchestrations (winner)
- Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut (Selya, winner)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Selya, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Parkinson, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography (winner)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
- Astaire Award for Best Choreographer (winner)
- Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer (Selya, winner)
- Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer (Parkinson, winner)
