Thom Southerland directs the acclaimed UK premiere of Death Takes a Holiday, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Peter Stone and Thomas Meehan.... the European premiere of the follow-up to Titanic by its Tony Award-winning writers. However, events soon spiral out of control as Death falls in love with the beautiful young Grazia (Evelyn Venable). In and around the Villa Felicita, the home of Duke Vittorio Lamberti, at the edge of the Lago di Garda in northern Italy. You can view Barnes & Noble’s Privacy Policy. Peter Stone Jill Paice is simply lovely as Grazia, the object of Death's affections, bringing to the role the same disarming presence that made her such a joy to watch in Curtains. He drops in rather unceremoniously at the young woman's family villa in Italy, and causes what could reasonably called a stir. It is true to its source material, and like the 90-year-old play on which it is based, utterly irony-free and with no breath of cynicism. Although "death" is in the title, the operative word is "HOLIDAY!" Her showpiece number in the second act, "Roberto," about the son that she lost in World War I, is a stunning combination of a soaring song and a laser-sharp rendition. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Death Takes a Holiday is a musical with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone and Thomas Meehan. Directed by Robert Butler. There are 0 reviews and 1 rating from Canada, Fast, FREE delivery, video streaming, music, and much more. "[4] Variety called it "the kind of story and picture that beckons the thinker, and for this reason is likely to have greater appeal among the intelligensia." Try Prime Hello, Sign in Account & Lists Sign in Account & Lists Orders Try Prime Cart. DUCHESS STEPHANIE: Female, Mid 40's (Mezzo Soprano, G3-E5). Nine is one of my favorite shows of all time, despite the execrable movie version. Death Takes a Holiday (Musical) Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston Book by Peter Stone Book by Thomas Meehan; Full Length Musical, Comedy, 1920s, 1910s / WWI; 7M, 7F; ISBN: 9780573704055; Although "death" is in the title, the operative word is "HOLIDAY!" } The show is decidedly old-fashioned, both in conception and execution, and act one was far stronger than act two. Sirki needs to be handsome. Some of the lyrics were a bit more awkward than I'm used to in Yeston's work: there were a few incidents of poor scansion and multiple uses of reversed syntax. Scripts and rental materials are not included in this estimate. CONTESSA EVANGELINA DI SAN DANIELLI: Female, Mid 70's (Range: Mezzo Soprano B3-D5)A widow, Corrado’s guardian. The story is strong, and the supporting cast is top-notch. Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston Book by Peter Stone and Thomas Meehan. You Save 3%. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. After years of questioning why people fear him, Death takes on human form (Fredric March) for three days so that he can mingle among mortals and find an answer. Scripts and rental materials are not included in this estimate. | Fringe Reviews - Yeast Nation and The Legend of Julie ». MAJOR ERIC FENTON: Male, Mid 20’s (Range: Tenor, Db3-G4). Although "death" is in the title, the operative word is "HOLIDAY!" Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2020. ", "Compellingly introspective musicals are hard to come by... Maury Yeston is one of the few Broadway composers who has demonstrated the ability to weave the necessary spell, and his score for Death Takes a Holiday hits splendid heights.". Fifth Floor Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Death Takes a Holiday (musical) is similar to these musicals: Titanic (musical), Grand Hotel (musical), Phantom (musical) and more. Based on the 1934 film, Death Takes a Holiday is a celebration of the limited time we spend on earth. [1] The home video releases have been: The film was an enormous critical success. In fact, he left the production entirely, so I wound up seeing Death Takes a Holiday with understudy and permanent replacement Kevin Earley in the role of Death/Prince Nikolai Sirki, the ultimate unwanted house. SOPHIA: Female, 18-20 (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible), LORENZO: Male, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible), CORA: Female, Age Flexible (Range: Ensemble/Part Flexible), Nothing Happened (Corrado, Grazia, Vittorio, Daisy, Alice, Stephanie, Shimmy Like They Do in Paree (Alice, Sirki), Nominee! The libretto features a good deal of what is clearly intended to be comedy, but very little of it was landing at the show I saw. Death Takes a Holiday runs through September 4th at the Laura Pels Theatre. Trust me, I'm the biggest Maury Yeston fan going. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. } else { He received his first Tony Award in 1977 for writing the book of ANNIE, his first Broadway show, and has since written the books for the musicals I REMEMBER MAMA, ... You'll have to sign in before you share your experience. Troubled over the sudden appearance of Prince Sirki and Grazia's strange behavior. | I should say Meet Joe Black is a remake of an old film called Death Takes a Holiday. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Death Takes a Holiday is firmly outside the mainstream of the modern American musical theatre. window.location=permalink+"?pintix=1"; Maury Yeston DUKE VITTORIO LAMBERTI: Male, Late 40's (Range: Baritone, D3-E4)Father of Grazia. Perusals should be used to get acquainted with the music and script. The show is currently running Off Broadway under the auspices of the Roundabout Theatre Company. by  Based on the 1934 film, Death Takes a Holiday is a celebration of the limited time we spend on earth. Concord Theatricals DAISY FENTON: Female, 16 (Range: Mezzo Soprano, A3-F5)Grazia’s best friend and Eric's sister. In the Middle of Your Life / Nothing Happened, Allegiance [Original Broadway Cast Recording], Beetlejuice [Original Broadway Cast Recording], Bring It On: The Musical [Original Broadway Cast, Gershwin: Porgy and Bess [New Broadway Cast Recording]. Maury Yeston’s music and lyrics include his internationally acclaimed Broadway musicals Nine and Titanic (both of which earned him Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Musical, as well as Grammy nominations) and Grand Hotel (Tony nomination, Olivier Award). Collaborative Theatre Project Based on the 1934 film, Death Takes a Holiday is a celebration of the limited time we spend on Earth. Death takes a human form and visits Earth to try to find out why humans want so desperately to cling to life. This estimator is only for non-equity/amateur productions. My delay in catching Death wasn't from any lack of interest on my part. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2011. The story is adapted from the 1924 Italian play La Morte in Vacanza by Alberto Casella, which was adapted in English for Broadway in 1929 by Walter Ferris.