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On the Town 1944

Ages: 6+
Opened: December 28, 1944

On the Town - 1944 Broadway History , Info & More

Martin Beck Theatre
302 W. 45th St. New York, NY 10036

Based on the ballet Fancy Free by Leonard Bernstein


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What Was the Golden Age of Broadway?
by Team BWW - Feb 19, 2022


We're studying up on musical theatre's most glorious time- the Golden Age. What was the Golden Age of Broadway all about and what years did it cover? Learn all about the period which began in the 1940s and produced some of the most iconic musicals.

Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation Announces Annual Gala
by Julie Musbach - Sep 19, 2018


Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the independent, not-for-profit affiliate of SDC, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, today announced unique plans for its 2019 award evening, which will feature original choreographic pieces resulting from a special commissioning program, with the application period now open. SDCF also announced that Victoria Traube would receive a special 'Mr. Abbott' Award at the event, to be held March 25 at the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF).

Leonard Bernstein's NYC Residence Mapped As An LGBT Historic Site
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 24, 2018


The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project has announced the digital publication of the Leonard Bernstein Residence at the Osborne Apartments to its online map, a dynamic continually-evolving catalogue of geographic locations significant to LGBT history.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN: THE POWER OF MUSIC At NMAJH Closes September 2
by Stephi Wild - Jul 19, 2018


The special exhibition Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music is on view through September 2 at the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH). The first large-scale museum exhibition to illustrate the famed conductor and composer's life, Jewish identity, and social activism, Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music features approximately 100 historic artifacts-from Bernstein's piano and conducting suit to family heirlooms-along with original films and immersive sound installations. The exhibition is part of the worldwide centennial celebration of Bernstein's birthday.

Jake Gyllenhaal To Play Leonard Bernstein in New Bio-Pic THE AMERICAN
by A.A. Cristi - May 1, 2018


Deadline has reported that stage and film star Jake Gyllenhaal will produce and star as legendary composer Leonard Bernstein in a new biopic titled The American. 

New York City Ballet Announces 2018/2019 Season; Tribute To Jerome Robbins And More!
by Alan Henry - Apr 16, 2018


New York City Ballet's 2018 Spring Season opens on Tuesday, April 24 and will continue for six weeks through June 3. The centerpiece of the Spring Season will be Robbins 100, a celebration of Jerome Robbins, NYCB's co-founding choreographer, whose remarkable contributions to the worlds of ballet and Broadway musical theater have made an indelible impression on both art forms. The three-week celebration will run from May 3 to May 20, featuring 20 works created by Robbins over the course of 40years, as well as two world premiere ballets in tribute to Robbins. Robbins 100 will open on Thursday, May 3 with a Spring Gala performance featuring Robbins'

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Celebrates Robbins & Bernstein Centennial With WEST SIDE STORY Suite and More
by Stephi Wild - Mar 20, 2018


This spring Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) joins in international centennial celebrations for choreographer Jerome Robbins and composer Leonard Bernstein with an all-Robbins program featuring three company premieres. "UPMC Presents West Side Story Suite + In the Night + Fancy Free" with the PBT Orchestra takes the stage May 4-6, at the Benedum Center.

2018 Tanglewood Season Tickets Go On Sale This Sunday, 1/28
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 24, 2018


The 2018 Tanglewood Season, June 15-September 2, is dedicated to the spirit of Leonard Bernstein on the centennial of his birth, with programs celebrating his iconic stature as one of the great artistic figures of the 20th century and his immeasurable contribution to the Tanglewood festival from 1940 to 1990

Jerome Robbins Centennial Celebration to Bring Performances, Screenings, Talks and More Across NYC
by BWW News Desk - Nov 21, 2017


Jerome Robbins, world renowned for his work as a choreographer and director of ballet and theater, film and television, would have been 100 years old on October 11, 2018. In honor of his life and legacy, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, partnering with other institutions across the country and around the world, will celebrate his centennial year through Spring 2019.

LEONARD BERNSTEIN: THE POWER OF MUSIC Exhibition to Feature 100 Artifacts in Philadelphia
by BWW News Desk - Oct 10, 2017


The National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) announces Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music, the first large-scale museum exhibition to illustrate the famed conductor and composer's life, Jewish identity, and social activism.

Warren Carlyle to Choreograph Jerome Robbins Tribute Ballet for NYCB
by BWW News Desk - Oct 4, 2017


This spring New York City Ballet will present a World Premiere ballet by Tony Award-winning choreographer and director Warren Carlyle that pays tribute to the legendary Broadway career of NYCB's co-founding choreographer Jerome Robbins.

VIDEO: On This Day, August 25: Happy Birthday, Leonard Bernstein!
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 25, 2017


Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He took piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin Schools. At Harvard University, he studied with Walter Piston, Edward Burlingame-Hill, and A. Tillman Merritt, among others. Before graduating in 1939, he made an unofficial conducting debut with his own incidental music to 'The Birds,' and directed and performed in Marc Blitzstein's 'The Cradle Will Rock.' Then at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, conducting with Fritz Reiner, and orchestration with Randall Thompson. 

Berkshire Theatre Group's Off-Broadway Transfer of FIORELLO! Opens Tonight
by BWW News Desk - Sep 9, 2016


BTG's exciting revival is the first ever full-scale New York City and Off-Broadway revival of the hit musical. Previews of Fiorello! will began Sunday, September 4, at East 13th Street Theater (136 East 13th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues), with opening night being held tonihgt, September 9, 2016.

Full Company Set for BTG's Off-Broadway Transfer of FIORELLO!
by BWW News Desk - Aug 18, 2016


Today, BTG is thrilled to announce the complete and final casting of this exciting revival - the first ever full-scale New York City and Off-Broadway revival of the hit musical!

Berkshire Theatre Group's FIORELLO! Will Be Musical's First Full-Scale Off-Broadway Revival
by BWW News Desk - Aug 2, 2016


Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) has just announced its sold-out production of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Fiorello! will transfer to Off-Broadway's East 13th Street Theater (136 East 13th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues), home of Classic Stage Company.

Ordway to Present BROADWAY SONGBOOG: COMDEN AND GREEN, 6/13-15
by BWW News Desk - Jun 13, 2014


The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts' Broadway Songbook series returns June 13-15 with a tribute to Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who co-wrote some of the most beloved and successful Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows in the mid-20th century. Seating for Broadway Songbook: Comden and Green is on the Ordway's Music Theater Stage, providing a unique backstage experience.

Ordway to Present BROADWAY SONGBOOG: COMDEN AND GREEN, 6/13-15
by Tyler Peterson - May 8, 2014


The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts' Broadway Songbook series returns June 13-15 with a tribute to Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who co-wrote some of the most beloved and successful Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows in the mid-20th century. Seating for Broadway Songbook: Comden and Green is on the Ordway's Music Theater Stage, providing a unique backstage experience.

Theatre Notables Sondheim, Ziegfield, Simon & More Amongst 'New York City 400'
by Robert Diamond - Sep 10, 2009


The NYC400 is the first-ever list of New York City's ultimate movers and shakers since the City's founding?from politics, the arts, business, sports, science, and entertainment.

Bill Krakauer Sings At The Cell Performance Salon 3/2
by BWW News Desk - Mar 2, 2009


BILL KRAKAUER will be singing popular songs from the 20's to the 2000's - famous or forgotten - written by women or sung by great women performers at THE CELL PERFORMANCE SALON. JONATHAN CERULLO directs, PAUL TRUEBLOOD is the accompanist and music director, and JERED EGAN performs on double bass. The production plays March 2nd at 8:00 pm. All Tickets are $25.00 (no minimum) and can be reserved by calling 212-724-7933. THE CELL is located at 338 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Bill Krakauer Sings At The Cell Performance Salon 3/2
by Gabrielle Sierra - Feb 26, 2009


BILL KRAKAUER will be singing popular songs from the 20's to the 2000's - famous or forgotten - written by women or sung by great women performers at THE CELL PERFORMANCE SALON. JONATHAN CERULLO directs, PAUL TRUEBLOOD is the accompanist and music director, and JERED EGAN performs on double bass. The production plays March 2nd at 8:00 pm. All Tickets are $25.00 (no minimum) and can be reserved by calling 212-724-7933. THE CELL is located at 338 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Krakauer Sings Songs By Women Of Tin Pan Alley 2/16, 3/1
by BWW News Desk - Feb 16, 2009


BILL KRAKAUER will be singing popular songs from the 20's to the 2000's - famous or forgotten - written by women or sung by great women performers at THE CELL PERFORMANCE SALON for just two nights only. JONATHAN CERULLO directs, PAUL TRUEBLOOD is the accompanist and music director, and JERED EGAN performs on double bass. The production plays two nights only, Monday, February 16th and Monday, March 2nd at 8:00 pm. All Tickets are $25.00 (no minimum) and can be reserved by calling 212-724-7933. THE CELL is located at 338 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Krakauer Sings Songs By Women Of Tin Pan Alley 2/16, 3/1
by Gabrielle Sierra - Feb 9, 2009


BILL KRAKAUER will be singing popular songs from the 20's to the 2000's - famous or forgotten - written by women or sung by great women performers at THE CELL PERFORMANCE SALON for just two nights only. JONATHAN CERULLO directs, PAUL TRUEBLOOD is the accompanist and music director, and JERED EGAN performs on double bass. The production plays two nights only, Monday, February 16th and Monday, March 2nd at 8:00 pm. All Tickets are $25.00 (no minimum) and can be reserved by calling 212-724-7933. THE CELL is located at 338 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

WEST SIDE STORY Cast Announced! Cavenaugh, Olivo, Green, Akram and More
by Robert Diamond - Oct 29, 2008


The producers of WEST SIDE STORY have confirmed full casting for the new Broadway production.

West Side Story Announces Dates For Broadway Engagement
by Faetra Petillo - Aug 8, 2008


It was announced today that the upcoming previously announced revival of West Side Story will begin previews on February 23, 2009 with an official opening slated for March 19, 2009.

West Side Story Returns To Broadway Starting In March 09 After DC Tryout!
by BWW News Desk - Jul 16, 2008


WEST SIDE STORY, the landmark American musical, will return to Broadway in a new production directed by two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents.

On the Town History

Other Productions of On the Town

1944   Broadway Original Broadway Production
Broadway
1959   Off-Broadway Off-Broadway Revival
Off-Broadway
1963   West End London Revival
West End
1971   Broadway Broadway Revival
Broadway
1992   West End London Concert Revival
West End
1997   Off-Broadway Off-Broadway Revival
Off-Broadway
1997   Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
1998   Broadway Broadway Transfer Production
Broadway
2005   West End English National Opera Production
West End
2005   Los Angeles Reprise! Concert
Los Angeles
2007   West End Return Engagement [ENO Production]
West End
2008   Off-Broadway Encores! Concert
Off-Broadway
2014   Broadway Broadway Revival
Broadway
2017   West End Regent's Open Air Revival
West End

On the Town - 1944 Broadway Awards and Nominations

Note: Award winners will appear on a background
Year Ceremony Category Nominee
1972 Tony Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Bernadette Peters
1945 Theatre World Awards Performance Betty Comden

Videos