VIDEO FLASHBACK: Happy Birthday, Frank Wildhorn!
By: Sally Henry Nov. 29, 2014
Today, the Broadway community celebrates the birthday of Tony Award-nominated composer Frank Wildhorn. His first contribution to Broadway was writing additional songs for the Julie Andrews musical, VICTOR/VICTORIA in 1995, after which he went on to compose six original Broadway musicals. In Wildhorn trivia, he is one of the only composers to have three musicals running at the same time, with JEKYLL & HYDE, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, and THE CIVIL WAR. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a video flashback of Wildhorn's Broadway career!
JEKYLL & HYDE
Broadway run: April 28, 1997-January 7, 2001
Stars: Robert Cuccioli, Linda Eder, Christiane Noll
JEKYLL & HYDE is based on the Robert Louis Stevenson book in which Dr. Jekyll's (Cuccioli) experiment to find a cure for his father's illness goes wrong, and he instead unleashes Jekyll's evil alter-ego, Mr. Hyde. The show received four Tony nominations, including Best Actor in a Musical for Cuccioli. It incidentally featured the Broadway debut of THE KING AND I's Kelli O'Hara. Below, watch Noll and Eder perform, "In His Eyes" on the Today Show.
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
Broadway run: November 9, 1997-January 2, 2000
Stars: Douglas Sills, Terrence Mann, Christine Andreas
The second of Wildhorn's literary-based musicals, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, takes place during the Reign of Terror in late 18th-century France. Percy Blakeny (Sills) is a shallow nobleman by day, and by night, a Robin Hood-like character named The Scarlet Pimpernel who leads a band of men to save French aristocrats from going to their death at the guillotine. It marked Sills' Broadway debut, earning him a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award. Below, watch the cast perform the rousing, "Into the Fire" on the Tony Awards.
THE CIVIL WAR
Broadway run: April 22, 1999-June 13, 1999
Stars: Michel Bell, Gilles Chiasson, and Cheryl Freeman
Told from the perspective of Union and Confederate soldiers as well as slaves during the American Civil War, this show featured multiple music genres, including Gospel, Folk, Country, Rock, and R&B. It received two Tony Award nominations, including Wildhorn's first Best Score nomination. Below, watch the cast perform "Freedom's Child" on the Tony Awards.
DRACULA THE MUSICAL
Broadway run: August 19, 2004-January 2, 2005
Stars: Tom Hewitt and Melissa Errico
DRACULA is based on Bram Stoker's intriguing novel about Count Dracula (Tom Hewitt) from Transylvania who seduces multiple women for their blood. It received no award nominations, though both of the show's stars went on to receive a Tony nomination. Watch Errico and Darren Ritchie sing "Over Whitby Bay," below.
WONDERLAND
Broadway run: April 17, 2011-May 15, 2011
Stars: Janet Dacal, Darren Ritchie, Kate Shindle
WONDERLAND is a new musical adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It featured Wildhorn's first pop score and earned choreographer Marguerite Derricks an Astaire Award nomination. Watch highlights from the show below!
BONNIE & CLYDE
Broadway run: December 1, 2011-December 30, 2011
Stars: Jeremy Jordan, Laura Osnes
BONNIE & CLYDE is based on the true story of how an aspiring actress, Bonnie Parker (Osnes) desires to be more famous than Clara Bow and falls in love with an aspiring criminal, Clyde Barrow (Jordan), who wants to be more notorious than Al Capone. Together, the two become bank robbers and ultimately murderers. Though this show closed very quickly, it enabled Jordan to star in the Broadway hit, NEWSIES, for which he received a Tony nomination. BONNIE & CLYDE received two Tony nominations, including Best Actress in a Musical for Osnes. Below, watch highlights from the musical!
Around the world...
ARTUS- EXCALIBUR
RUDOLF
TEARS OF HEAVEN
Have a wonderful birthday, Frank Wildhorn!
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