Michael Kidd - Gymnastics as Dance Michael Kidd - Gymnastics as Dance
Although Michael Kidd was probably best known for his choreography of the film musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," he had a very successful career as a Broadway choreographer both before and after the film. However, it was the gymnastic character of the dances in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" that influenced future movie choreograpy.
Kidd, born Milton Greenwald, grew up in a non-show business family, and he did not develop an interest in dance until high school. At that time, he began to study modern dance while also pursuing an academic interest in engineering. In 1937, he left college to study dance full-time at the School of American Ballet. Two years later, Kidd appeared on Broadway, dancing in a one-act ballet called "Filling Station." That year, he also performed on Broadway in "The Ballet Caravan."
Kidd appeared on Broadway as a dancer several times until 1947 when he finally got his break as a choreographer for the Broadway musical "Finian's Rainbow." This first effort was an immediate success and earned for Kidd his first of five Tony awards for Best Choreography. From 1948 until 1953, Kidd was the choreographer for five more Broadway musicals and he won two more Tony awards ("Guys and Dolls," 1951 and "Can-Can," 1954).
After his success on Broadway, Kidd was hired as choreographer for his third film, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." His first film choreography job was in 1937 for "Another Dawn" but he was not credited for his work on that film. His next film project was "Where's Charley?" in 1952. However, it was his creative work on "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" that made critics and audiences praise Kidd's choreography. Most notable was the long "barn raising" scene that had the male dancers performing gymnastics combined with dancing. The choreography of this film created a new type of dance style that was later seen in the work of other choreographers, such as Jerome Robbins. Although Kidd did not receive an Academy Award for "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," he received an honorary Academy Award in 1996 for his contributions to film choreography.
Kidd returned to Broadway choreography in 1956 and won his fourth Tony award for "L'il Abner." He followed this with a Danny Kaye film, "Merry Andrew," in 1958. A year later, Kidd returned to Broadway and added directing to his choreography career. From 1959 through 1966, Kidd was responsible for the direction and choreography of four Broadway musicals, plus just the choreography of two musicals. During that time, he received three Tony nominations for Best Choreography and one for Best Direction of a Musical. He won his fifth and last Tony award for his work as choreographer on "Destry Rides Again."
In 1969, Kidd returned once again to films, this time to be the choreographer for the movie version of "Hello, Dolly!" Once again, he combined gymnastics with dancing to create exciting and unusual dance numbers for a film musical. "Hello, Dolly!" was, however, Kidd's last film.
Kidd went back to Broadway in 1970 to direct and create the choreography for "The Rothschilds." Three years later, Kidd worked for the last time as choreographer on an original Broadway musical, "Cyrano." After "Cyrano," Kidd was directly involved with only two more Broadway musicals - in 1980, he was director and choreographer for a revival of "The Music Man" and in 1993, he directed the musical version of "The Goodbye Girl." Kidd died in 2007, at the age of 92.
Agnes de Mille - Ballet as Part of the Story
Agnes de Mille was born into a well-known and respected film industry family. Her uncle was the successful director, Cecil B. de Mille and her father was also a film director. De Mille started to study ballet as a child but she didn't seem to have a natural ability for classical ballet. On her own, she studied the acting of stars in her father's films and, by the age of 11, was cast in a film.
As an adult, de Mille renewed her interest in ballet. In 1933, at the age of 28, she went to London to study modern ballet. Six years later, her first choreographed ballet was produced by the American Ballet Theatre. A few years later, in 1942, her most important ballet, "Rodeo," was produced for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
In 1943, de Mille was hired as the choreographer for Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma." It was in that play that de Mille introduced a new form of dance and ballet to musical theater. For the first time, dances, including a long, dream-sequence ballet, were used as part of the storyline to express the play's actions and plot and to express the characters' emotions. This magnificent work earned de Mille a Tony award and launched her career as a choreographer. She followed "Oklahoma" with, among other plays, "Carousel" in 1945, "Brigadoon" in 1947 and "Paint Your Wagon" in 1951. In 1955, de Mille was hired to choreograph her only movie success, "Oklahoma."
Although Agnes de Mille had limited success as a film choreographer, her influence on movie musicals is apparent, particularly in such Gene Kelly classics as "An American in Paris" (1951) and later works by Jerome Robbins.
New Theme - Great Choreographers
I'm starting a new theme on great choreographers of Broadway and movie musicals. For the next few posts, I'll profile some of the greatest and most influential choreographers who have worked on both Broadway and in film musicals. Some of the choreographers I'll write about are Agnes de Mille, Michael Kidd, Onna White, Bob Fosse, and Jerome Robbins.
Kevin Kline - From Shakespeare to Gilbert and Sullivan
Although most movie goers probably know Kevin Kline as a dramatic film actor, he is primarily a stage actor, with his early starts in Shakespeare, classical drama and musicals. Kline's career on Broadway began in 1973 and he did not appear in a film until 1982. Since then, Kline has had successful careers both on Broadway and in films.
Kline's professional training started with the piano when he majored in music at Indiana University. However, after trying his hand at acting, he soon switched his focus to drama. After graduating from Indiana University, Kline attended the well-known Juilliard School of Drama in New York. Not long afterwards, Kline, along with fellow Juilliard graduates Patti LuPone and David Ogden Stiers, started the City Center Acting Company, a repertory company that performed classical plays, Shakespeare and, occasionally, musicals. They toured the US and performed on Broadway in the early to mid-1970s.
In 1978, Kline was cast in the musical "On the Twentieth Century" in a role that earned him his first Tony award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His next Tony came three years later for his Best Actor in a Musical performance in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance," a role he recreated in the filmed version in 1983. Although most of Kline's stage work has been primarily in classical plays, both of his Tony awards came as a result of his parts in musicals. His third nomination, however, came in 2004 for his performance in Shakespeare's "Henry IV."
Kline's first film role was in "Sophie's Choice" in 1982. This was followed in 1983 by "The Pirates of Penzance" and the successful "The Big Chill." Five years later, Kline appeared in the only film for which he won an Academy Award - he won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "A Fish Called Wanda."
Kline has had a successful film career that has lasted over 27 years and through more than 30 feature films. He did not, however, leave theater behind, as many other stars have done. Since his first film role in 1982, Kline has appeared in six Broadway plays, mostly revivals of classic plays with limited runs. His last performance on Broadway was in "Cyrano de Bergerac" in January, 2008. A filmed version was also released in 2008.
Liza Minnelli - From Red Menace to Cabaret Star
Liza Minnelli was born into a show business family, inheriting her mother Judy Garland's musical talent. Her father, Vincente Minnelli, directed many movie musicals, including the Academy Award winning "Gigi." Despite her parents' successful film careers, Liza's own career was launched on New York theater stages.
Minnelli's first role was in the off-Broadway musical "Best Foot Forward" in 1963, when she was only 17. Her performance was well-received and she won the Theatre World Award. Minnelli's next play came two years later on Broadway. Her performance in Kander and Ebb's "Flora the Red Menace" created a sensation and earned her critical acclaim, a Tony award and fame.
Minnelli followed her success in "Flora the Red Menace" with an equally successful film career, beginning in 1967 with the non-musical "Charlie Bubbles." Her next two films, "The Sterile Cuckoo" and "Tell Me that You Love Me, Junie Moon," were also dramatic stories that did not give Minnelli a chance to showcase her musical talents. However, her acting talents were acknowledged with an Academy Award nomination for "The Sterile Cuckoo."
Minnelli's greatest film success came in 1972 with the movie version of the Kander and Ebb musical "Cabaret." Her performance as cabaret performer Sally Bowles earned Minnelli an Academy Award.
Minnelli's other films never reached the success of "Cabaret." Her only other movie musical was another Kander and Ebb work, "New York, New York," in 1977. After a series of failed films, Minnelli went on to a successful concert career, including shows in Las Vegas. She also worked on television and recorded albums. Her efforts in these endeavors were rewarded with an Emmy award in 1972 for her concert special "Liza with a 'Z'" and a Grammy Legend award in 1989.
In the mid-1970s, Minnelli returned to Broadway and once again found success where her career started. Since 1974, she has appeared on Broadway in four plays, twice replacing the original performer (Gwen Verdon in "Chicago" in 1975 and Julie Andrews in "Victor/Victoria" in 1997) and in three concert shows. These returns to her roots resulted in two more Tony awards for Minnelli - a special award in 1974 for her one woman show, "Liza," and in 1977 for her performance in the musical, "The Act."
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Cabaret - Money
Cabaret - Mein Herr
Julie Andrews - From My Fair Lady to Mary Poppins
Julie Andrews started studying music as a child and by the age of 12 was already performing professionally. In the 1950s, while in her late teens, she appeared in plays in London's West End. Her first Broadway play, "The Boy Friend," opened in 1954, and Andrews gained the attention of critics. Two years later, she starred in "My Fair Lady" in the lead role of Eliza Doolittle, a part that led to Broadway stardom and a Tony nomination. "My Fair Lady" was followed by another Lerner and Loewe hit, "Camelot," in 1960.
Andrews' film career started in 1964, with her portrayal of "Mary Poppins." The Disney film was a huge success and the lead role earned Andrews an Academy Award for Best Actress. It also launched her movie career that spanned more than 40 years and included over 20 feature films. Her most acclaimed films include the Academy Award winning, "The Sound of Music," Andrews' first non-musical film, "The Americanization of Emily," "Torn Curtain," "Hawaii," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," and "Victor/Victoria."
In 1997, Andrews underwent throat surgery that left her unable to sing. Eleven years later, she sang once again in a short documentary entitled "Julie Andrews' The Gift of Music."
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From Broadway Musical Success to Film Star
27/May/2009
My new theme is "From Broadway Musical Success to Film Star." I will be writing about three actors and actresses who had great success in at least one Broadway musical before moving to a successful film career. The performers I will be featuring are Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli and Kevin Kline.
There are certainly other film actors and actresses whose successful careers were first launched in Broadway musicals. I've already written about Barbra Streisand, who had enormous success on Broadway and then went on to an even more successful film career. Many popular stars of early movie musicals, such as Fred Astaire, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, and Shirley MacLaine, also began their careers in Broadway musicals. A more recent star in this category is Richard Gere, but his early Broadway musical roots were not seen in movies until 2002 with "Chicago."
Amadeus (1984)
Although "Amadeus" is not an opera, it has scenes from several of Mozart's operas and it probably introduced many viewers to opera. Three of the operas featured in "Amadeus" are "Don Giovanni," "The Magic Flute" and "The Marriage of Figaro."
"Amadeus" is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Mozart and the Italian composer, Antonio Salieri. It was based on the Broadway play by Peter Shaffer, who won a Tony for the play and an Academy Award for his screenplay adaptation.
The Broadway version of "Amadeus" opened on December 11, 1980 and it ran for 1,181 performances. It starred Tim Curry as Mozart, Ian McKellen as Salieri and Jane Seymour as Mozart's wife, Constanze. The play won 5 Tony awards, including the award for Best Play.
The 1984 movie version of "Amadeus" was a huge financial and critical success. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and it won 8, including the awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (F. Murray Abraham), Best Director (Milos Foreman) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Peter Shaffer).
The score of "Amadeus" is magnificent, featuring some of Mozart's best work. It includes several arias from operas by Mozart plus the dramatic Commendatore scene from his "Don Giovanni." The music was conducted by Sir Neville Marriner and played by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields orchestra.
The film version of "Amadeus" starred primarily stage actors. Included in the cast were Tom Hulce as Mozart, F. Murray Abraham as Salieri and a young Christine Ebersole in a small supporting role. Both Hulce and Abraham were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
"Amadeus" is a superb film but it is not suitable for children due to the sexual and violent nature of some of the scenes. However, it might be of interest to older teens and could be a way to introduce them to Mozart and opera.
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The Pirates of Penzance (1983)
Joseph Papp, in 1980, produced a wonderful production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" for the Central Park Delacorte Theater. It was such a success that shortly afterwards it was moved to Broadway, where it played for 787 performances and it won the Tony award for Best Revival. This excellent production was filmed in 1983 and is available on DVD and VHS.
Papp's production starred pop singers Linda Rondstadt and Rex Smith as the young lovers, Mabel and Frederic, Kevin Kline as the suave Pirate King and, in the filmed version, Angela Lansbury as Ruth. The production was choreographed by the gifted Graciella Danielle.
The first performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" was on December 31, 1879, and it was an immediate hit. The opera has been a favorite with audiences both in the US and abroad for many years.
Papp's production is lively and filled with humor and great music and dancing. The cast is excellent and Rex Smith and Linda Rondstadt were perfectly cast as the naive young lovers. Kevin Kline's portrayal of the Pirate King was perfect and it earned him a Tony award.
The Papp production is suitable for all ages, although younger children might not grasp some of the more subtle humor. However, the slapstick style of the opera, particularly the antics and dancing of the Keystone cops, is sure to amuse even the youngest family members. For good family enjoyment, rent or buy a copy of Joseph Papp's "The Pirates of Penzance."
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Carmen - Bizet (1984)
11/May/2009 Filed in: Opera | Movies (1980s)
The film version of Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" was released in 1984. It had a superb cast of major opera performers, including Placido Domingo, Julia Migenes-Johnson and Ruggero Raimondi.
The original opera was first performed in Paris in 1875 but it was not successful initially. Bizet died just three months after the opening, so he never experienced the joy of seeing "Carmen" become one of the world's best-loved and most popular operas.
I first saw a live production of the opera "Carmen" at the age of 11 or 12 but I would not recommend this PG-rated film version for preteens. It is a raw, raunchy and, at times, violent version with sensuous scenes of seduction. The film opens with a graphic scene of a wounded bull in a bullfight.
The film is sung and spoken in French but the DVD version offers subtitles in several languages. It is a good length, running only two hours.
The music of Bizet's "Carmen" is wonderful. It is lively, passionate and memorable. After viewing this film version, I'm certain audiences left the theater humming the famous "Toreador" song or some of the other easily remembered arias. It is probably one of the most memorable and easily hummed scores of an opera.
In addition to beautiful music, "Carmen" has an interesting and suspenseful story of passion, love, sex, and violence. The music, of course, perfectly complements the plot and keeps the audience involved in the action. The music and libretto of "Carmen" form a perfect whole, especially with the realistic settings of the film version.
The cast of the 1984 film version of "Carmen" could not be better. Julia Migenes-Johnson has a beautiful voice and portrays Carmen with lust and passion, as well as defiance and self-assuredness. She is beautiful and makes a perfect match for heartthrob opera great, Placido Domingo. His performance, also, is excellent and, as always, his voice is pure perfection. The supporting cast, led by Ruggero Raimondi, is strong and that adds to the excellence of the production.
The DVD of the 1984 film version of "Carmen" is not readily available and it can be quite expensive to acquire a copy, particularly a Region 1 version. But, if you enjoy opera, it may be worth the effort and expense to find a copy of "Carmen," either on DVD or VHS.
