- Rockabye Hamlet
"Rockabye Hamlet" is a
rock musical with a book, lyrics, and music by Cliff Jones. It is based on the classic tragedy byWilliam Shakespeare and tells the story of a Danishprince who plots revenge on his uncle for killing his father.The show's original title was "Kronborg: 1582". It was commissioned by the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , which first broadcast it as an episode of theradio series "The Entertainers" onDecember 1 ,1973 . The cast included Cal Dodd as Hamlet andNancy White as Ophelia. It was staged by theCharlottetown Festival in 1974 and 1975, then toured easternCanada withBrent Carver as Hamlet andBeverly D'Angelo as Ophelia.Jones revised the show and retitled it "Rockabye Hamlet" for a Broadway production that was staged as an all-out rock concert [http://www.musicals101.com/1970bway1.htm] directed and choreographed by
Gower Champion . After 21 previews, it opened onFebruary 17 ,1976 at theMinskoff Theatre and closed after seven performances. D'Angelo reprised her role of Ophelia, and the rest of the cast included Larry Marshall as Hamlet, Leata Galloway as Gertrude,Kim Milford as Laertes,Rory Dodd as Horatio,Meat Loaf as the Priest, andChristopher Chadman and Winston DeWitt Hemsley asRosencrantz and Guildenstern .A studio cast recording featuring ten songs from the score was released on the Rising label [http://www.castalbumdb.com/rec.cfm?RNumber=3372] . Vocals were provided by Cliff Jones, Rory Dodd, [http://www.kwic.com/~pagodavista/artisans/cal/cal.htm Cal Dodd] , Lisa Hartt, and
The Irish Rovers .In 1981, Jones revised the show once again. It was staged as "Somethin' Rockin' in Denmark" at the Odyssey Theatre in
Los Angeles . In 2003, it was revived for a tour of schools in Canada.Broadway song list
;Act I
*Why Did He Have to Die?
*The Wedding
*That It Should Come to This
*Set It Right
*Hello-Hello
*Don't Unmask Your Beauty to the Moon
*If Not to You
*Have I Got a Girl for You
*Tis Pity, Tis True
*Shall We Dance
*All My Life
*Something's Rotten in Denmark
*Denmark Is Still
*Twist Her MInd
*Gentle Lover
*Where Is the Reason
*The Wart Song
*He Got It in the Ear
*It Is Done ;Act II
*Midnight-Hot Blood
*Midnight Mass
*Hey....!
*Sing Alone
*Your Daddy's Gone Away
*Rockabye Hamlet
*All By Yourself
*The Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Boogie
*Laertes Coercion
*The Last Blues
*Didn't She Do It for Love
*If My Morning Begins
*SwordfightReferences
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001890 History of the musical]
External links
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