Dance a Little Closer
1983 American musical play
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Dance a Little Closer is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Charles Strouse. The story is an updated version of Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 antiwar comedy Idiot's Delight.
| Dance a Little Closer | |
|---|---|
Original Cast Recording | |
| Music | Charles Strouse |
| Lyrics | Alan Jay Lerner |
| Book | Alan Jay Lerner |
| Basis | Robert E. Sherwood's play Idiot's Delight |
| Productions | 1983 Broadway |
Plot overview
The musical is set on New Year's Eve "in the avoidable future" in the grand Alpine Barclay Palace Hotel, where the guests find themselves in the midst of a potential nuclear Armageddon. The characters are American singer Harry Aikens and Cynthia Brookfield-Bailey, who may have had a romantic fling years earlier. Among the others present are Cynthia's current paramour, Henry Kissinger-like diplomat Dr. Josef Winkler, a gay couple, a minister, and a freedom fighter.
Production
After 25 previews, the musical opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre on May 11, 1983, closing after a single performance.[1] Directed by Lerner and choreographed by Billy Wilson, the cast included Len Cariou, Noel Craig, Liz Robertson, George Rose, Don Chastain, Jeff Keller, Brent Barrett, and Alyson Reed.[2] Show business insiders dubbed it "Dance a Little Faster...Close a Little Sooner."[citation needed]
In his New York Times review Frank Rich described it as "a huge, extravagant mishmash...that seems to have taken on a rampaging, self-destructive life of its own," a sentiment similar to those expressed by the other critics.[3]
An original cast recording was released in 1987, on both vinyl and CD.
Song list
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