The Glorious Ones

The Glorious Ones is a musical with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Set in 17th-century Italy, it concerns a theatre group in the world of commedia dell'arte and theatre of the Italian Renaissance.^[1]

After premiering in Pittsburgh in April 2007, the musical opened Off-Broadway in October 2007.

Production history

The musical premiered April 27, 2007, at the Pittsburgh Public Theater and closed on May 20, 2007.^{[2] [3]}

It then opened Off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, as a production of the Lincoln Center Theater on October 11, 2007 and ran through January 6, 2008. Directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele, the New York cast featured Marc Kudisch, Erin Davie, Natalie Venetia Belcon, and David Patrick Kelly.

The musical was presented at the Landor Theatre, London, from 6 March to 7 April 2012, with direction by Robert McWhir.^[4]

The Canadian premiere of The Glorious Ones took place in May 2014, presented by the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company, starring Joe Cascone (Flaminio), Joanne Kennedy (Columbina), David Haines (Dottore), Eric Botosan (Pantalone), Elizabeth Rose Morriss (Isabella), Jordan Quinn (Francesco) and Susan Sanders (Armanda).^[5]

Songs

• The Glorious Ones / Flaminio Scala, The Glorious Ones
• Making Love /Columbina, Flaminio and Troupe
• Pantalone Alone / Pantalone
• The Comedy of Love/Pantalone, Armanda Ragusa, and Troupe

Scenario – The Madness of Columbina /The Glorious Ones

• The Comedy of Love (reprise) /Pantalone, Armanda Ragusa
• The Glorious Ones (reprise) /Flaminio
• Madness to Act /Flaminio
• Absalom/ Francesco
• The Invitation to France / Dottore
• Flaminio Scala's Historical Journey to France/ The Glorious Ones
• Two Lazzi /The Glorious Ones
• Armanda's Tarantella /Armanda, Men
• Improvisation / Flaminio
• The World She Writes/ IsabeIla
• Opposite You /Franccsco, lsabella
• My Body Wasn't Why/ Columbina

Scenario – The Madness of Isabella /The Glorious Ones

• Flaminio Scala's Ominous Dream /Flaminio and Troupe
• The World She Writes (reprise) / Francesco
• Rise and Fall /Dottore and Troupe
• The Moon Woman, A Play The Glorious Ones
• The Glorious Ones (reprise) Flaminio
• I Was Here / Flaminio
• Armanda's Sack /Armanda and Troupe
• Finale/ The Glorious Ones

Characters and Off-Broadway cast

• Columbina – Natalie Venetia Belcon
• Isabella Andreini/Young Boy Actor – Erin Davie
• Dottore – John Kassir
• Pantalone – David Patrick Kelly
• Flaminio Scala – Marc Kudisch
• Armanda Ragusa – Julyana Soelistyo
• Francesco Andreini/Comic Servant – Jeremy Webb

Critical response

Charles Isherwood, in his review in The New York Times of the Off-Broadway production, wrote: "With buoyant music by Stephen Flaherty and a bawdy book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, the show mixes the lowdown pratfalls of commedia dell’arte with the rosy sentimentality of classic American musical comedy...The resulting musical is a sweet but strange hybrid, both joyfully naughty and totally innocuous."^[6]

Awards and nominations

Drama Desk Awards

• Outstanding Musical (nomination)
• Outstanding Music (nomination)
• Outstanding Lyrics (nomination)
• Outstanding Orchestrations (Michael Starobin) (nomination)
• Outstanding Costume Design (Mara Blumenfeld) (nomination)

Outer Critics Circle Award

• Outstanding New Off-Broadway New Musical (nomination)
• Outstanding Choreographer (nomination)

References

External links

• Listing at Lortel Off-Broadway Database
• The Glorious Ones at the Music Theatre International website
• Review, "New musical 'The Glorious Ones' fulfills promise of its name", pittsburghlive.com, April 28, 2007
• Listing, Pittsburgh Public Theater