The Me Nobody Knows

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The Me Nobody Knows
Music Gary William Friedman
Lyrics Will Holt
Book Robert H. Livingston
Herb Schapiro
Stephen M. Joseph
Based upon Anthologized writings of inner-city youths
Productions 1970 Off-Broadway
1970 Broadway

The Me Nobody Knows is a musical that debuted on Broadway in 1970. The music was composed by Gary William Friedman with lyrics by Will Holt. It received the Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical.

It first opened off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre on May 18, 1970, and closed on November 15, 1970 after 208 performances. It then opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre on December 18, 1970, transferred to the Longacre Theatre, and closed on November 14, 1971 after 378 performances. Directed by Robert H. Livingston with musical staging by Patricia Birch, young Irene Cara was a member of the original cast.

The adaptation by director Robert H. Livingston and additional lyricist Herb Schapiro was inspired by the anthologized writings of nearly 200 New York City students, aged 7 through 18. Stephen M. Joseph, a teacher, edited the collection, which was subtitled "Children's Voices From the Ghetto". Mr. Joseph wrote that the children had written about their feelings and their neighborhoods. According to Mr. Joseph, they wrote "for keeps" and "like it is." At odds with a squalid setting and a cynical, materialistic view of the world, themes of hope and renewal emerged. To guarantee uplift, samples from the students' work were interwoven with a ground-breaking score that combined rock music, classical fugues, early rap and jazz. [1]

Critics were overwhelmingly impressed by the vitality, passion, honesty and powers of observation shown by the young writers, as they painted a moving but sometimes ugly picture of inner city life, and there were hit records by The Staple Singers ("This World") and The Fifth Dimension ("Light Sings").

Contents

[edit] Songs

Act I
  • Dream Babies - Melba
  • Light Sings - William and Company
  • This World - Company
  • Numbers - Company
  • What Happens to Life - Lillian and Lloyd
  • Take Hold the Crutch - Nell and Company
  • Flying Milk and Runaway Plates - Benjamin and Company
  • I Love What the Girls Have - Donald
  • How I Feel - Catherine and Carlos
  • If I Had A Million Dollars - Company
Act II
  • Fugue for Four Girls - Lillie Mae, Catherine, Lillian and Nell
  • Rejoice - Clorox
  • Sounds - Nell and Catherine
  • The Tree - Carlos
  • Robert, Alvin, Wendell and Jo Jo - Rhoda, Lillian, Lillie Mae and William
  • Jail-Life Walk - Donald, Lloyd, Clorox and Carlos
  • Something Beautiful - Rhoda
  • Black - Benjamin, Clorox, Lillie Mae, Lloyd, Melba, Nell, Rhoda and William
  • The Horse - Lloyd
  • Let Me Come in - Company
  • War Babies - Lloyd

[edit] Awards and nominations

Tony Award

  • Best Musical -- Produced by Jeff Britton (nominee)
  • Best Book of a Musical -- Adapted by Robert H. Livingston, Herb Schapiro (nominee)
  • Best Original Score -- Music by Gary William Friedman (nominee)
  • Best Direction of a Musical -- Robert H. Livingston (nominee)
  • Best Lyrics -- Lyrics by Will Holt (nominee)

Drama Desk Award Most Promising Musical Writer

Music by Gary William Friedman; Lyrics by Will Holt (winner)

1969–1970 Obie Awards

  • Best Musical

[edit] References

  1. ^ New York Times, Alvin Klein, May 2, 1993

[edit] External links