Taboo (musical)
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Taboo is a musical with a book by Charles Busch adapted from the original by Mark Davies, lyrics by Boy George, and music by George and Kevan Frost.
Set in an abandoned London warehouse, the former location of what was once the city's hottest dance club, Taboo, the show is based on the life and careers of colorful pop singing sensation Boy George, who rose to prominence in the 1980s with his band Culture Club with such tunes as "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" and the album Colour by Numbers, and performance artist Leigh Bowery.
The show premiered in London's West End at the newly opened Venue Theatre on January 29, 2002. Comedienne/talk show host Rosie O'Donnell was so enamored with it that she decided to finance a Broadway production. After 16 previews, it opened on November 13, 2003 at the Plymouth Theatre where, hampered by mostly scathing reviews, it closed after 100 performances. The cast, directed by Christopher Renshaw, included Boy George (credited under his real name, George O'Dowd), Euan Morton, Raúl Esparza, Sarah Uriarte Berry, and Jeffrey Carlson. O'Donnell reportedly lost her entire $10 million investment in the project [1].
[edit] Song list
Act I
- Freak/Ode to Attention Seekers
- Stranger in This World
- Safe in the City
- Dress to Kill
- Genocide Peroxide
- I'll Have You All
- Sexual Confusion
- Pretty Lies
- Guttersnipe
- Love Is a Question Mark
- Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
- Church of the Poison Mind/Karma Chameleon
Act II
- Everything Taboo
- Talk Amongst Yourselves
- The Fame Game
- I See Through You
- Ich Bin Kunst
- Petrified
- Out of Fashion
- Il Adore
- Come on in From the Outside
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Morton, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Esparza, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
- Theatre World Award (Morton, winner)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Morton, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Esparza, winner; Carlson, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (nominee)
[edit] External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Review by Lyn Gardner, The Guardian, May 23, 2002.
- Rosie’s Bum Rap: In Defense of Taboo by Richard Zoglin in Time Magazine, November 18, 2003
- Raul Esparza - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org, April 2005
