The Rink (musical)

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The Rink
Original Recording
Music John Kander
Lyrics Fred Ebb
Book Terrence McNally
Productions 1984 Broadway

The Rink is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander.

The tenth Kander and Ebb collaboration, it focuses on Anna, the owner of a dilapidated roller skating rink on the boardwalk of a decaying seaside resort, who has decided to sell it to developers. Complicating her plans are her prodigal daughter Angel, who returns to town seeking to reconnect with the people and places she long ago left behind. Through a series of flashbacks, revelations, and minimal forward-moving plot development, the two deal with their pasts in their attempt to reconcile and move on with their lives.

After twenty-nine previews, the Broadway production, directed by A. J. Antoon and choreographed by Graciela Daniele, opened on February 9, 1984 at the Martin Beck Theatre, where it ran for only 204 performances, despite the presence of box-office draws Liza Minnelli (as Angel) and Chita Rivera (as Anna), which couldn't overcome the mostly negative reviews. The cast also included Jason Alexander and Rob Marshall.

In the New York Times [1], Frank Rich praised Rivera but described the show as "turgid" and "sour," filled with "phony, at times mean-spirited content" and "empty pretensions." Of the book, he said, "Mr. McNally is a smart and witty playwright, but you'd never know it from this synthetic effort. His dialogue is banal, and his characters are ciphers" and he found Kander's music to be "discordant."

[edit] Song list

Act I
  • Colored Lights
  • Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
  • Don’t Ah Ma Me
  • Blue Crystal
  • Under the Roller Coaster
  • Not Enough Magic
  • We Can Make It
  • After All These Years
  • Angel’s Rink and Social Center
  • What Happened to the Old Days?
Act II
  • The Apple Doesn’t Fall very far from the tree
  • Marry Me
  • hey Mrs. A
  • The Rink
  • Wallflower
  • All the Children in a Row
  • Coda

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Rivera, winner; Minnelli, nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Rivera, winner; Minnelli, nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design (nominee)

[edit] External links

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Kander and Ebb musicals