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Wonderful Town 1953

Opened: February 25, 1953

Wonderful Town - 1953 Broadway History , Info & More

Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway)
1634 Broadway New York, NY 10019

Based upon the play My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov and the stories by Ruth McKenney

Connie Fisher, star of The Sound of Music and winner of the BBC's How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, returns to Birmingham Hippodrome in the multi award-winning musical comedy, Wonderful Town.



Featuring a superb score by legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story), the show has received countless awards since its premiere in 1953 including the prestigious Tony Award for Best Musical.


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WONDERFUL BERNSTEIN I OPERAEN Comes to Norwegian National Ballet This Month
by Stephi Wild - Aug 2, 2022


Wonderful Town is about meeting the city that never sleeps. For this energetic musical, we also serve excerpts from West Side Story and Candide  - and promise you a concert experience that radiates.  

WONDERFUL BERNSTEIN I OPERAEN Comes to Norwegian National Ballet in August
by Stephi Wild - Jun 20, 2022


Wonderful Town is about meeting the city that never sleeps. For this energetic musical, we also serve excerpts from West Side Story and Candide  - and promise you a concert experience that radiates.  

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.

Rebecca Luker and Sally Wilfert's ALL THE GIRLS Out Today on CD
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Mar 5, 2021


PS CLASSICS has announced the release of All the Girls – the new album from Rebecca Luker and Sally Wilfert – on CD online and in stores today, Friday, March 5. It was released in digital and streaming formats in December. The album marks the final recording by Ms. Luker, a Broadway luminary for over 30 years, who passed away late last year.

Rebecca Luker and Sally Wilfert's ALL THE GIRLS Album Set to be Released
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 18, 2020


PS CLASSICS will release All the Girls – the new album from Rebecca Luker and Sally Wilfert – on Friday, December 25 in digital and streaming formats. A CD will be available on Friday, January 15, 2021. The pair have recorded a celebration of womanhood in all its complexities and expressions.

The Drama Desk Awards to Posthumously Honor Hal Prince with Namesake Lifetime Achievement Award
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 19, 2020


The 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards will celebrate the life and legacy of American theater producer and director Harold 'Hal' Prince with the Drama Desk's newly established lifetime achievement honor.

Sid Ramin, Broadway Composer, Arranger, and Orchestrator, Dies at 100
by Stephi Wild - Jul 6, 2019


BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that composer and orchestrator Sid Ramin, best known for his work on West Side Story, has died, according to The New York Times. Ramin was 100 years old.

All Broadway Theatres Will Dim Lights for Carol Channing Jan. 16
by Julie Musbach - Jan 15, 2019


The Broadway community mourns the loss of Carol Channing, a Tony Award winner and theatrical legend, who passed away on Tuesday, January 15 at age 97. To commemorate her life and work, the Committee of Theatre Owners will dim the lights of Broadway theatres in New York for one minute on Wednesday, January 16 at exactly 7:45pm. 

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.

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. 

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.

'Wonderful Town', 'Tootsie' Actor George Gaynes Dies at 98
by Caryn Robbins - Feb 17, 2016


Stage and screen star George Gaynes, perhaps best known for his roles on the 1980's sitcom 'Punky Brewster,' and the film franchise 'Police Academy' passed away on Monda

Musicals Tonight!'s 18th Season Might Not Be Its Last
by BWW News Desk - May 21, 2015


One month ago, Musicals Tonight announced its 18th and final season. But renewing subscribers expressed such dismay that Artistic Director Mel Miller has convinced his Board of Directors to reconsider their decision. 

Musicals Tonight Sets Final Season
by Tyler Peterson - May 4, 2015


Musicals Tonight has announced it will close its doors following its 2015-16 season. Its final offerings include Oh, Kay!, which will run October 13-25, 2015, Out of This World from October 27- November 08, 2015, Babes in Arms from March 8-20, 2016, Oh, Boy! from March 22-April 3, 2016, from Wonderful Town April 5 - 17, 2016. A Subscription to all five shows runs at $141.25.

Jess Goldstein, Douglas W. Schmidt & More to Receive 2015 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards
by Tyler Peterson - Mar 3, 2015


Tony Award-winning costume designer, JESS GOLDSTEIN (currently represented on Broadway with Jersey Boys and On the Town), and scenic designer DOUGLAS W. SCHMIDT are among the 2015 TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Friday, May 1, at 6:30pm, at the Hudson Theatre (145 West 44th Street). Mr. Goldstein was selected to receive the 2015 TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award for costume design and Mr. Schmidt will receive the Robert L.B. Tobin Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatrical Design.

Shirley Herz Memorial Set for Samuel J Friedman Theatre, 11/4
by Tyler Peterson - Oct 23, 2013


There will be a Celebration of legendary theatrical press agent Shirley Herz, on Monday, November 4th at 1:30 pm at the Samuel J Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street, NYC. Some of the participants are Jeffrey Alper, Sam Altman, Barry Brown, Jan Buttram, Robert Callely, Tyne Daly, Jane Friedman, Diane Judge, Angela Lansbury, 'Charlotte Moore, Tom Rhoads, Liz Smith, Iris Williams and La Cage aux Folles' Original cast members: Betsy Craig, Dan Grady, Cady Huffman, David Jackson, Eric Lamp, Tom Sesma & Jennifer Smith. Musical accompaniment by Mark Hummel and Don Pippin.

Broadway Dims Its Lights Tonight in Memory of Shirley Herz
by BWW News Desk - Aug 14, 2013


The Broadway community mourns the loss of celebrated theatrical publicist Shirley Herz, who passed away on Sunday at age 87. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory tonight, August 14th, at exactly 8:00 p.m. for one minute.

Broadway to Dim Lights August 14 in Memory of Shirley Herz
by BWW News Desk - Aug 12, 2013


The Broadway community mourns the loss of celebrated theatrical publicist Shirley Herz, who passed away on Sunday at age 87. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory on Wednesday, August 14th, at exactly 8:00 p.m. for one minute.

Legendary Theatrical Publicist Shirley Herz Dies at 87
by Tyler Peterson - Aug 11, 2013


Shirley Herz, a legendary theatrical press agent, died on Sunday, August 11, 2013 at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. The cause was complications from a stroke suffered on July 18, said Sam Altman, a longtime friend.

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.

Wonderful Town History

Other Productions of Wonderful Town

1953   Broadway Original Broadway Production
Broadway
1954   US Tour National Tour
US Tour
1955   West End London Production
West End
1961   Regional (US) Los Angeles Revival
Regional (US)
1963   Off-Broadway City Center Revival
Off-Broadway
1986   West End London Revival
West End
1994   Off-Broadway New York City Opera Production
Off-Broadway
2000   Off-Broadway Encores! Concert
Off-Broadway
2003   Broadway Broadway Revival
Broadway
2025   Off-Broadway New York City Center Encores! Production
Off-Broadway

Wonderful Town - 1953 Broadway Awards and Nominations

Note: Award winners will appear on a background
Year Ceremony Category Nominee
1953 New York Drama Critics Circle Awards Best Musical Leonard Bernstein
1953 New York Drama Critics Circle Awards Best Musical Betty Comden
1953 New York Drama Critics Circle Awards Best Musical Adolph Green
1953 New York Drama Critics Circle Awards Best Musical Joseph A. Fields
1953 New York Drama Critics Circle Awards Best Musical Jerome Chodorov)
1953 Theatre World Awards Performance Edie Adams
1953 Tony Awards Best Choreography Donald Saddler
1953 Tony Awards Best Conductor and Musical Director Lehman Engel
1953 Tony Awards Best Musical Leonard Bernstein
1953 Tony Awards Best Musical Joseph Fields
1953 Tony Awards Best Musical Jerome Chodorov
1953 Tony Awards Best Musical Betty Comden
1953 Tony Awards Best Musical Adolph Green
1953 Tony Awards Best Musical Robert Fryer
1953 Tony Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Rosalind Russell
1953 Tony Awards Best Scenic Design Raoul Pene Du Bois

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