Jason Robert Brown Composing Music for Prince of Broadway | Playbill

News Jason Robert Brown Composing Music for Prince of Broadway Multiple Tony winner Jason Robert Brown, composer of Honeymoon in Vegas, Parade, 13, The Bridges of Madison County and The Last Five Years, is composing music for Prince of Broadway, the new musical celebrating the Tony-winning Broadway career of producer-director Harold Prince.

Brown, who is the show's musical supervisor and arranger, posted on Twitter Aug. 23, "Today I’m writing an eight-minute ballet for Prince Of Broadway – how many tonal centers can I get through in 400 measures?"

 

The new musical is scheduled to play Oct. 23-Nov. 22 at Tokyu Theatre Orb in Tokyo and Nov. 28-Dec. 10 at Umeda Arts Theater, Main Hall, in Osaka. Prince of Broadway, which features words and music from many of the shows that have earned Prince a record 21 Tony Awards, has a book by two-time Tony Award nominee David Thompson, co-direction and choreography by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman and direction by Prince.

 

Besides Ramin Karimloo, the previously announced cast of Prince of Broadway includes Tony winner Shuler Hensley, Tony nominees Tony Yazbeck, Nancy Opel, David Pittu and Emily Skinner; plus Josh Grisetti, Bryonha Marie Parham, Mariand Torres, Kaley Ann Voorhees and Reon Yuzuki.

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Prince of Broadway, according to press notes, "will look at the circumstances and fortune, both good and bad, that led to Hal Prince creating some of the most enduring and beloved theatre of all time, including The Pajama Game, West Side Story, Fiorello!, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Evita, and The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history."

Prince previously commented, "The idea for Prince of Broadway was brought me to me some years ago and, a tad reluctantly, I agreed to consider the notion of a compendium show featuring material from the 34 musicals I directed and/or produced on Broadway. Subsequently, I asked Susan Stroman to choreograph and co-direct with me because so much of the material will require inspired movement. I have come to the conclusion that I don’t want to reproduce verbatim what I staged in the original productions. Instead, I plan to re-think each segment and direct it as I would today, possibly having learned more about what I’m doing in the subsequent years. Finally, I’ve asked Jason Robert Brown, a choice composer with whom I’ve worked before (Parade) to orchestrate the show, write connective musical material, and create a brand-new number for the finale. After all, my career is just a blip on the theatre screen and there will be a rich future."

The upcoming production will feature set design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt, costume design by six-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long, lighting design by Sonoyo Nishikawa and sound design by Koichi Yamamoto. Wig design is by Paul Huntley. Musical supervisor and arrangements are by three-time Tony Award winner Brown. Musical director is Fred Lassen. Casting is by Tara Rubin.

Rehearsals begin in New York Sept. 1.

 
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