King David (musical)
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| King David | |
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| Music | Alan Menken |
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| Lyrics | Tim Rice |
| Book | Tim Rice |
| Based upon | Biblical story of David |
| Productions | 1997 Broadway concert |
King David is a musical, sometimes described as a modern oratorio, with a book and lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Alan Menken.
Based on Biblical tales from the Books of Samuel and 1 Chronicles, as well as text from David's Psalms, a concert version, produced by Disney Theatrical Productions and André Djaoui and directed by Mike Ockrent, was presented as the inaugural production at Disney's newly-renovated New Amsterdam Theatre (the former home of the Ziegfeld Follies), playing for a nine-performance limited run in 1997. The cast included Roger Bart, Stephen Bogardus, Judy Kuhn, Alice Ripley, Martin Vidnovic, and Michael Goz, with Marcus Lovett in the title role.
The piece ran two hours and 45 minutes and was only partially staged. It provoked a lukewarm review by the New York Times (and Variety called it "Unrelentingly serious-minded and devoid of the wit")[1], but the cast album, which cuts several musical numbers and reprises, has been praised.[2] On September 6, 1997, Patti LuPone, Davis Gaines, and Rebecca Luker gave a concert at the Hollywood Bowl that ended with three selections from King David. There was a production in Dallas, Texas in 2004 and another in Newnan, Georgia, near Atlanta, in 2005. At present, there are no plans for a fully-staged Broadway production.
King David is through composed (no dialogue) and the music swings from pop to jazz to grand choral arrangements. It uses a large orchestra and a large choir. The work was conceived as an outdoor piece to commemorate the 3,000th anniversary of the city of Jerusalem. However, according to Rice, "When it proved logistically and financially impossible to do it and Disney took an interest, we changed gears.... We felt we'd been commissioned to write it as an oratorio, and still hoped it would be performed as such in Israel. ... we should have emphasized that more to avoid being judged primarily as a Broadway show."[3]
[edit] Musical numbers
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[edit] Opening night cast
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