1999 musical by Paul Kelly
Swing! Music Various Lyrics Various
Book Paul Kelly Productions 1999 Broadway
Swing! is a musical conceived by Paul Kelly with music by various artists. It celebrates the music of the
Swing era of
jazz (1930s–1946), including many well-known tunes by artists like
Duke Ellington ,
William "Count" Basie ,
Benny Goodman and others. It received a nomination for the 2000
Tony Award for Best Musical and other
Tony awards .
Productions
Swing! premiered on Broadway at the
St. James Theatre on December 9, 1999 and closed on January 14, 2001, running for 461 performances. The director and choreographer was
Lynne Taylor-Corbett , and the production was supervised by
Jerry Zaks . Among the cast were
Laura Benanti ,
Ann Hampton Callaway and
Everett Bradley .
[1] A US tour began Nov 20, 2000 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
[2]
The
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera production, directed and choreographed by one of the original cast members, Dana Solimando, ran in June 2009.
[3]
The original cast album was released by Sony Classical on January 18, 2000.
[4]
The original cast album was nominated for a Grammy in the "Musical Show" category.
[5]
Premise
Swing! combines high energy dancing, singing and acrobatics. There is no dialogue in the show, and the story is told entirely through music and dance. The show tries to recreate the swing style of jazz, which used large bands, fixed musical arrangements and solo-driven improvisations. Together with the development of the music, various forms of swing dancing emerged, varying by geographic regions, such as the
Lindyhop or
Jitterbug in Harlem or the Whip in Houston.
[2]
[6]
There are also story-driven numbers for example "I'll Be Seeing You", with Scott Fowler and Carol Bentley doing a Gene Kelly kind of ballet.
[7]
The show includes music and dance styles from early swing, West Coast, to other jazz styles, and even hip-hop (as shown as in an all-male version of "
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy "). Some of the individual couples, for example
Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas, perform their own choreography. Francois and Thomas are established stars in the world of swing, having been the Lindy champions in 1997 The American Swing Dance Championships and the U.S. Open Championships.
[6]
[8]
Some of the songs have new lyrics, but most are well-known swing-era hits, including "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"; "
Sing, Sing, Sing ", "Jumpin at the Woodside"; and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)".
[8]
Songs
Act I
"
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) " – Lyrics by
Irving Mills , Music by
Duke Ellington
"
Air Mail Special " – Music by
Benny Goodman ,
James Mundy and
Charlie Christian
"
Jersey Bounce " – Lyrics by
Buddy Feyne , Music by
Tiny Bradshaw , Eddie Johnson, and
Bobby Plater
"
Opus One " – Music by
Don George ,
Johnny Hodges and
Harry James
"
Jumpin' at the Woodside " – Music by
Count Basie
"Bounce Me, Brother (with a Solid Four)" (from
Buck Privates ) – Music and Lyrics by
Don Raye and
Hughie Prince
"Two and Four" – Music by
Ann Hampton Callaway
"Hit Me with a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce" – Lyrics by D. George, Music by D. Ellington
"Rhythm" – Music by Casey MacGill
"Throw That Girl Around" – Music and Lyrics by
Everett Bradley , Ilene Reid and Michael Heitzman
"Show Me What You Got" – Music by Jonathan Smith and E. Bradley
"
Bli Blip " (from
Jump for Joy ) – Lyrics by
Sid Kuller , Music by D. Ellington
"Billy-A-Dick" –
Paul Francis Webster and additional lyrics by
Seán Martin Hingston , Music by
Hoagy Carmichael
"
Harlem Nocturne " – Music by
Earle Hagen and
Dick Rogers
"Kitchen Mechanics' Night Out" – Music and Lyrics by J. Smith, Paul Kelly,
Lynne Taylor-Corbett and C. MacGill
"Shout and Feel It" – Music by C. Basie
"
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B) " (from
Buck Privates ) – Music and Lyrics by D. Raye and H. Prince
"
G.I. Jive " – Music and Lyrics by
Johnny Mercer
"
A String of Pearls " – Lyrics by
Eddie DeLange , Music by
Jerry Gray
"
(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo " – Lyrics by
Mack Gordon , Music by
Harry Warren
"
Candy " – Music and Lyrics by
Mack David ,
Joan Whitney Kramer and
Alex Kramer
"I'm Gonna Love You Tonight" – Lyrics by Jack Murphy, Music by C. MacGill
"
I'll Be Seeing You " (from
Right This Way ) – Lyrics by
Irving Kahal , Music by
Sammy Fain
"
In the Mood " – Lyrics by
Andy Razaf , Music by
Joe Garland
"
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me) " – Lyrics by
Lew Brown and
Charles Tobias , Music by
Sam H. Stept
Act II
"Swing! Brother, Swing!" – Music and Lyrics by
Walter Bishop, Sr. , Lewis Raymond and
Clarence Williams
"
Caravan " – Lyrics by I. Mills, Music by
Juan Tizol and D. Ellington
"Dancers in Love" – Music by D. Ellington
"
Cry Me a River " – Music and Lyrics by
Arthur Hamilton
"
Blues in the Night " – Lyrics by J. Mercer, Music by
Harold Arlen
"
Take Me Back To Tulsa "/"
Stay A Little Longer " – Music by
Bob Wills and
Tommy Duncan
"Boogie Woogie Country" – Music by J. Murphy and Jonathan Smith
"All of Me" – Lyrics by Seymour Simons, Music by Gerald Marks
"I Won't Dance" (from
Roberta ) – Dorothy Fields and Additional lyrics by Ann Hampton Callaway, Music by Jerome Kern
"Bill's Bounce" – Music by Bill Elliott
"Stompin' at the Savoy" – Additional lyrics by Ann Hampton Callaway and Andy Razaf, Music by Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson and Chick Webb
"Swing, Brother, Swing" (Reprise) – Music and Lyrics by Walter Bishop, Lewis Raymond and Clarence Williams
"
Sing,_Sing,_Sing_(With_a_Swing) " – Music and Lyrics by Louis Prima, Andy Razaf and Leon Berry
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (Reprise) – Lyrics by Irving Mills, Music by Duke Ellington
[8]
[9]
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
References
^ Brantley, Ben. "Hit the Hot Notes and Watch 'Em Bounce", The New York Times , December 10, 1999, p. E1
^
a
b McBride, Murdoch.
Swing Closes Jan. 14 on Broadway; Touring Co. Gets Strong Start in L.A.
Archived February 1, 2013, at
archive.today playbill.com, January 14, 2001
^ Carter, Alice.
"Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's new show's got 'Swing!'
Archived June 18, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
Pittsburgh Tribune Review , June 13, 2009
^
"Swing!" . Amazon.co.uk . Retrieved May 29, 2023 .
^
"43rd Annual Grammy Awards Nominations Coverage (2001)" . Digitalhit.com . Retrieved May 29, 2023 .
^
a
b
[1] [
permanent dead link ]
^ Ostlere, Hilary.
"Swinging On Broadway. – Brief Article – Review – dance reviews" , Dance Magazine , November 1999
^
a
b
c Sommer, Elyse.
"A CurtainUp Review:Swing!" , Curtainup.com, February 3, 1999
^
"Swing - Musical Dance Revue - The Guide to Musical Theatre" . Guidetomusicaltheatre.com . Retrieved May 29, 2023 .
^
Drama Desk Awards and nominations, 1999–2000
Archived December 15, 2010, at the
Wayback Machine , Dramadesk.com. Retrieved January 4, 2009
^
Theatre World winners , Theatreworldawards.org. Retrieved January 4, 2009
^
Tony Awards and niminations, 2000
Archived August 31, 2016, at the
Wayback Machine tonyawards.com. Retrieved January 4, 2009
^ Pogrbin, Robin. "Tony Nominations Mirror a Small World",
The New York Times , May 9, 2000, p. E1
External links