Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr., who penned lyrics and directed the original 1989 Off-Broadway production, again helms the revue he created with his longtime collaborator composer David Shire. Performances run through April 25.
Maltby and Shire have also penned a new song for the production, entitled "Dating Again," which depicts the ups and downs of being newly single. The collaborators have also updated lyrics and added additional material to the latest incarnation. Closer Than Ever explores parenting, marriage and friendships, along with the surprises and consequences of adulthood.
Maltby and Shire previously told Playbill.com, "Closer Than Ever is [a] collection of songs we wrote about our lives and the lives of people we know. Because the songs were very personal, it was surprising to us how universal they became when they were put together in a show, how much they seemed to speak to everybody. And it's particularly wonderful to return to the material twenty years later and find that the songs seem like they were written today, and are still speaking to audiences' hearts. We've added some new songs which also come from our lives, and they feel right at home."
Mayes (Steel Magnolias, Good Ol' Girls, She Loves Me) and Wintersteller (A Grand Night for Singing, Meet Me in St. Louis) re-create their performances of "Miss Byrd" and "Life Story," respectively. Dvorsky has appeared on Broadway in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Passion and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Viviano's Broadway credits include Romance/Romance, City of Angels and The Full Monty.
Original 1989 music director Patrick Brady returns for the production that has co-direction and musical staging by J. Kurt Stamm, scenery by Roman Tatarowicz, costumes by Thom Heyer and lighting by Ryan O'Gara. Following the Queens production, Closer Than Ever will play the Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA, May 4-23.
For tickets phone (718) 760-0064 or visit QueensTheatre. The Queens Theatre in the Park is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY.
