City of Angels is a satirical musical comedy with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and a book by Larry Gelbart. The show takes a critical look at Hollywood through the eyes of Stine, a successful writer who is adapting his latest novel into a film. The musical explores two parallel storylines: one following Stine's struggles to adapt his novel, and the other taking place within the world of the film he's creating. The musical also serves an ode to the classic film noir genre of the 1940s.

Productions

; Broadway

City of Angels premiered on Broadway at the Virginia Theatre on December 11, 1989 and closed on January 19, 1992 after 879 performances and 24 previews. It was directed by Michael Blakemore with sets designed by Robin Wagner, costumes by Florence Klotz and lighting by Paul Gallo.

; US Tour

While the show continued on Broadway, the Los Angeles company opened in June 1991 at the Shubert Theater in Century City, with Stephen Bogardus as Stine, Lauren Mitchell as the villainess, with Randy Graff (Friday Oolie) and James Naughton (Stone) reprising their original roles. Jeff McCarthy replaced Naughton and Catherine Cox replaced Graff in the Costa Mesa production. This production, along with the Los Angeles cast, played at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California from October 1991 through November 10, 1991.

The production was revamped and embarked on a national tour, with Barry Williams in the role of Stone. Jordan Leeds was chosen from the tour's ensemble to play Stine, and Betsy Joslyn played the two secretaries. The tour played venues including the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa, Florida (February 1992); the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. (June 1992); the Ordway in Saint Paul, Minnesota (August 1992); the Crouse-Hinds Concert Theatre in Syracuse, New York (November 1992); and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (November 1992).

; West End

The musical opened in the West End at the Prince of Wales Theatre in March 1993. Blakemore again directed, with Roger Allam as Stone, Martin Smith as Stine, and Henry Goodman as Buddy Fidler. The Los Angeles Times reported "...it was announced that the production here of 'City of Angels'....was closing prematurely after four months, despite excellent notices." Frank Rich reported that "the West End production of the Broadway hit 'City of Angels' would close after only a four-month run. 'City of Angels' received rave reviews, and its box-office collapse was blamed on the gravity of the recession and the declining sophistication of West End audiences."

The production was nominated for five 1994 Laurence Olivier Awards: Best Director of a Musical; Best Actor in a Musical (Roger Allam); Best Actress in a Musical (Haydn Gwynne); Best Supporting Performance in a Musical (Henry Goodman); and The American Express Award for Best New Musical, winning for Best New Musical.

The first West End revival was staged at the Donmar Warehouse, opening officially on December 16, 2014 and running till February 2015. Directed by the Donmar Warehouse's artistic director Josie Rourke, the cast included Hadley Fraser as Stine, Tam Mutu as Stone, Rosalie Craig as Gabbi/Bobbi, Katherine Kelly as Alaura/Carla, Rebecca Trehearn as Donna/Oolie and Samantha Barks as Mallory/Avril. This production was nominated for five 2015 Olivier Awards: Magic Radio Best Musical Revival (Winner); White Light Award for Best Lighting Design (Winner); Best Director; Best Costume Design; and XL Video Award for Best Set Design. The production transferred to the Garrick Theatre in the West End beginning previews on 5 March 2020, however closed on 16 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The cast included Craig, Fraser and Trehearn reprising their roles from the Donmar production as Gabbi/Bobbi, Stine and Donna/Oolie, with Theo James as Stone, Nicola Roberts as Mallory/Avril and Vanessa Williams as Alaura/Carla.

; Other productions

The theatre company Reprise! Broadway's Best production ran in January–February 2006 at Freud Playhouse, UCLA, Los Angeles. The cast featured Burke Moses as Stone, Vicki Lewis as Oolie, Tami Tappan Damiano as Gabby, and Stephen Bogardus as Stine.

The work was presented by Life Like Company at the Arts Centre Melbourne from November 5, 2015 to November 8, 2015, directed by Martin Croft and starring Kane Alexander as Stone, Anton Berezin as Stine, Amanda Harrison as Donna/Oolie and Chelsea Plumley as Gabby/Bobbi.

Porchlight Music Theatre presented City of Angels as a part of "Porchlight Revisits" in Chicago, Illinois in March 2015. It was directed by Christopher Pazdernik with musical direction by Aaron Benham.

Plot

The setting is Hollywood, California in the late 1940s, with two stories occurring simultaneously: a Hollywood comedy and a detective drama. The real-life scenes feature full-color sets and costumes, while the movie scenes are in black-and-white.

Broadway cast and characters

Sources:

Recordings

There are recordings of the original Broadway cast on Sony (ASIN: B00000272K), released on February 9, 1990, and the London original cast on RCA (ASIN: B000003FN9), released October 12, 1993.

Critical response

Frank Rich wrote in his review in The New York Times: "...how long has it been since a musical was brought to a halt by riotous jokes?...This is an evening in which even a throwaway wisecrack spreads laughter like wildfire through the house, until finally the roars from the balcony merge with those from the orchestra and the pandemonium takes on a life of its own.... There is no end to the cleverness with which the creators of City of Angels carry out their stunt of double vision, starting with a twin cast list (a Hollywood Cast and a Movie Cast) in the Playbill....Mr. Coleman's score - a delirious celebration of jazz and pop styles sumptuously orchestrated by Billy Byers..."

Of the 2014 production at the Donmar, Matt Trueman from Variety wrote: "Gelbart makes his point early and his ciphers can't sustain a second act that gets itself tangled. Small matter, given the style on show. Practically every other line cracks a laugh, and Coleman's authentic jazz score is rich and infectious, combining variety with real integrity. Robert Jones's crisp greyscale design, artfully lit by Howard Harrison, and Duncan Mclean's colorful projections match them for class."

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| New York Drama Critics' Circle Award

| Best Musical

| Cy Coleman, David Zippel and Larry Gelbart

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Original London production

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References

  • Information from Tams-Witmark