Titles C
Cabin in the Sky (1964 Off-Broadway Revival)
"...a musical music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John La Touche, and a musical book by Lynn Root. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 25, 1940. Cabin in the Sky tells a version of the Faust legend in which Little Joe, a man killed over gambling debts, is given six months to redeem his soul and become worthy of entering Heaven -- otherwise his soul will be condemned to Hell."
Cabaret (OBC) & (1998 Broadway Revival)
"...a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.It is based on John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am a Camera, which in turn was adapted from the novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. Set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power, it focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw."
La Cage aux folles (OBC) & (2010 Broadway Broadway Revival)
"...a musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and lyrics and music by Jerry Herman. Based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret, it focuses on a gay couple: Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction, and the farcical adventures that ensue when Georges's son, Jean-Michel, brings home his fiancée's ultra-conservative parents to meet them."
Call Me Madam (1995 New York Revival)
"...a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. A satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed socialite widow who is appointed United States Ambassador to the fictional European country of Lichtenburg."
Call Me Mister
"...a revue with sketches by Arnold Auerbach and words and music by Harold Rome. The title refers to returning soldiers who expected to be addressed as civilians instead of by their military rank."
Camelot
"...a musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music). It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King."
Can-Can
"...a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and a book by Abe Burrows. The story concerns the showgirls of the Montmartre dance halls during the 1890s."
Candide (OBC) & (1991 Studio Cast)
"...an operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the novella of the same name by Voltaire.The operetta was first performed in 1956 with a libretto by Lillian Hellman; but since 1974 it has been generally performed with a book by Hugh Wheeler which is more faithful to Voltaire's novel. The primary lyricist was the poet Richard Wilbur. Other contributors to the text were John Latouche, Dorothy Parker, Lillian Hellman, Stephen Sondheim. Leonard Bernstein, John Mauceri, and John Wells."
Canterbury Tales
"...a musical originally presented at the Oxford Playhouse in 1964, conceived and directed by Martin Starkie and written by Nevill Coghill & Martin Starkie. It was expanded into a full length musical and presented at the Phoenix Theatre, London on 21 March 1968. The music was written by Richard Hill & John Hawkins, with the lyrics by Nevill Coghill. It was considered to be very bawdy but appealed to the audiences."
Carmelina
"...a musical with a book by Joseph Stein and Alan Jay Lerner, lyrics by Lerner, and music by Burton Lane. Based on the 1968 film Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell, it focuses on an Italian woman who has raised her teenaged daughter Gia to believe her father was an American who died heroically in World War II."
Carmen Jones
"..a 1943 Broadway musical updating of the Georges Bizet opera Carmen in an African American setting. Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the book (dialogue) and lyrics, but stuck rather closely to Bizet's original music, which was re-orchestrated for a Broadway orchestra by Robert Russell Bennett."
Carnival
"...a 1961 musical with the book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill, based on the 1953 film Lili."
Caroline or Change
"...a through-composed musical with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and score by Jeanine Tesori that combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music."
Carousel (OBC) & (1965 Lincoln Theatre Revival) & (1994 Broadway Revival) & (2018 Broadway Revival)
"...the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. The story revolves around carousel barker Billy Bigelow, whose romance with millworker Julie Jordan comes at the price of both their jobs. He attempts a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child; when it goes wrong, he has a chance to make things right. A secondary plot line deals with millworker Carrie Pipperidge and her romance with ambitious fisherman Enoch Snow."
Catch Me If You Can
"...a musical with a libretto by Terrence McNally and a theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It follows the story of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr."
A Catered Affair
"...musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by John Bucchino. It is based on both the 1956 film The Catered Affair written by Gore Vidal and the original 1955 teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky, set in 1953 in the Bronx."
Cats
"...a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot."
Chaplin
"..a musical with music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis and a book by Curtis and Thomas Meehan. The show is based on the life of Charlie Chaplin."
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
"...is a stage musical based on the 1964 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, with book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman."
Chess
"...a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other; all in the context of a Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, during which both countries wanted to win international chess tournaments for propaganda purposes.
Chicago
"...a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the 'celebrity criminal'. The musical is based on a 1926 play of the same name by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes she reported on."
Children's Letters to God
"...an Off-Broadway musical that was based on the best selling book by Stoo Hample, music by David Evans, and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen."
A Chorus Line (OBC) & (2006 Broadway Revival)
"...a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch. With nineteen main characters, it is set on the bare stage of a Broadway theatre during an audition for a musical. The show provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers."
Cinderella
"...a musical written for television, with music by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based upon the fairy tale Cinderella, particularly the French version Cendrillon, ou la Petite Pantoufle de Vair, by Charles Perrault. The story concerns a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and self-centered stepsisters, who dreams of a better life. With the help of her Fairy Godmother, Cinderella is transformed into a Princess and finds her Prince...A 2013 adaptation starring Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana, with a new book by Douglas Carter Beane, opened in 2013 on Broadway..."
Christine
"On paper, Christine boasts some eye-popping attributes: It's the only Broadway musical written by a Nobel Prize winner (Pearl S. Buck), and it marked the debut of film actor Maureen O'Hara on the singing stage. O'Hara had a surprisingly decent voice, but even she couldn't pull off the plot, which was heavily influenced by The King and I (just replace Siam with India, the king with a doctor, and the English woman with one from Ireland). This 1960 show never quite surpasses its curio status, but those with an appreciation for the more obscure reaches of the musical-theater world will get a kick out of it."
City of Angels
"...a musical comedy with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Larry Gelbart. The musical weaves together two plots, the 'real' world of a writer trying to turn his book into a screenplay, and the 'reel' world of the fictional film."
A Class Act
"...a musical with a book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price and music and lyrics by Edward Kleban. The musical is based on the life of composer-lyricist Ed Kleban, who died at the age of 48 in 1987. The musical uses flashbacks and the device of time running backwards to retrace the high and low points of Kleban's personal and professional life."
Coco
"...a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by André Previn. It starred Katharine Hepburn in her only stage musical. Set between early autumn of 1953 and late spring of 1954, fashion designer Coco Chanel, after fifteen years of retirement, decides to return to the world of haute couture and reopen her Paris salon. With her new collection derided by the critics, she faces bankruptcy until buyers from four major American department stores - Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Best & Company, and Ohrbach's - place orders with her. She becomes involved with the love life of one of her models, and flashbacks utilizing filmed sequences recall her own past romantic flings.The finale is a fashion show featuring actual Chanel designs from 1918 to 1959."
The Color Purple (OBC) & (2016 Broadway Revival)
"...a Broadway musical based upon the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It features music and lyrics written by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, with a book by Marsha Norman."
Come From Away
"...tells the true story of 38 planes and almost 7,000 passengers from around the world that were diverted to the small community of Gander, Newfoundland on September 11, 2001, doubling its population in an instant."
Company (OBC) & (1995 Broadway Revival) & (2006 Broadway Revival)
"...a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. its plot revolves around Bobby (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends. Unlike most book musicals, which follow a clearly delineated plot, Company is a concept musical composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a celebration for Bobby's 35th birthday."
The Consul (OBC) & (1997 Spoleto Opera)
"...an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. I takes place in an Eastern European country where secret police threaten the lives of freedom fighter John Sorel and his family. His wife, Magda hopes to obtain a visa so that they can leave the country but is met with endless paperwork when she tries to meet with the Consul."
The Cradle Will Rock (1985 Revival)
"The musical is a Brechtian allegory of corruption and corporate greed and includes a panoply of societal figures. Set in 'Steeltown, USA', it follows the efforts of Larry Foreman to unionize the town's workers and combat wicked, greedy businessman Mr. Mister, who controls the town's factory, press, church and social organization. The piece is almost entirely sung-through, giving it many operatic qualities, although Blitzstein included popular song styles of the time."
Crazy for You
"... a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well."
Cry for Us All
"...a musical with a book by William Alfred and Albert Marre, lyrics by Alfred and Phyllis Robinson, and music by Mitch Leigh. A sentimental melodrama adapted from Alfred's 1966 hit off-Broadway play, Hogan's Goat, it's set in Brooklyn in May 1890, when the borough still had its own mayor and power-hungry chieftains battled each other for control of the Irish community. Matt Stanton becomes a protege of the mayor, steals his mistress, and appears to be on his way to a big power grab until his wife interferes with his plans with a few ideas of her own."
Curtains
"... a musical with a book by Rupert Holmes, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander, with additional lyrics by Kander and Holmes. Based on the original book and concept by Peter Stone, the musical is a send-up of backstage murder mystery plots, set in 1959 Boston, Massachusetts and follows the fallout when the supremely untalented star of Robbin' Hood of the Old West is murdered during her opening night curtain call. It is up to a police detective who moonlights as a musical theater fan to save the show, solve the case, and maybe even find love before the show reopens, without getting killed himself."
(COMPANY - Dean Jones & ensemble)
