It's nonstop laughs aboard the Twentieth Century, a luxury train traveling from Chicago to New York City. Luck, love and mischief collide when the bankrupt theater producer Oscar Jaffee (Golden Globe winner Peter Gallagher) embarks on a madcap mission to cajole glamorous Hollywood starlet Lily Garland (Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth) into playing the lead in his new, non-existent epic drama. But is the train ride long enough to reignite the spark between these former lovers, create a play from scratch, and find the money to get it all the way to Broadway?
Kristin Chenoweth, who established her career on Broadway but hasn't had a real impact there since 'Wicked' in 2002, returns in what's probably her most entertaining performance yet. Playing the impossibly self-centered '30s movie star Lily Garland, in the altogether delightful revival of the 1979 musical, she reminds us that, besides having a great soprano voice, she's the funniest leading lady around. Using her distinctive high-pitched speaking voice - little-girl mixed with brass - as a deadpan comic weapon, she cavorts buoyantly through the show, as nimble physically as she is verbally.
The 1976 Broadway musical by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green needs stars to reach full locomotion speed. And the current Broadway revival, which opened Sunday at the American Airlines Theatre, has at least one in tip-top form, Kristin Chenoweth.
1978 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1979 | US Tour |
National Tour US Tour |
1980 | West End |
London Production West End |
1985 | Off-Off-Broadway |
Off-Off-Broadway Revival Off-Off-Broadway |
2005 | Broadway |
Actors’ Fund Concert Broadway |
2015 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Warren Carlyle |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Andy Karl |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Peter Gallagher |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | William Ivey Long |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Scott Ellis |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Mary Louise Wilson |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design | David Rockwell |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | William Ivey Long |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | On the Twentieth Century |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Roundabout Theatre Company |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | David Rockwell |
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