The Madwoman of Central Park West

The Madwoman of Central Park West is a semi-autobiographical one-woman musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and Phyllis Newman and songs by various composers and lyricists. It focuses on the difficulties faced by an older actress who tries to balance her career with her life as a wife and mother.

The Madwoman of Central Park West
an original musical comedy
Original cast recording
BookArthur Laurents
Phyllis Newman[1]
Productions1979 Broadway

Among those whose songs are included in the production are Peter Allen, Leonard Bernstein, Jerry Bock, Martin Charnin, Betty Comden, Fred Ebb, Adolph Green, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Ed Kleban, Barry Manilow, Joe Raposo, Mary Rodgers, Carole Bayer Sager, and Stephen Sondheim.

Productions

Under the title My Mother Was a Fortune-Teller and starring Newman as basically herself, it originally was directed by Laurents at the Hudson Guild Theatre.[2] Slightly revised and with a new title, it transferred to 22 Steps where, after 15 previews, it opened on June 13, 1979, and closed on August 25 after 85 performances.[3]

The production had scenery by Phillip Jung, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge, lighting by Ken Billington, sound by Abe Jacob and musical direction by Herbert Kaplan.[3]

Musical numbers

Source:[4]

  • Up! Up! Up!
  • My Mother Was a Fortune Teller
  • Cheerleader
  • What Makes Me Love HIm?
  • Don't Laugh
  • Women's Medley
  • Up! Up! Up! - Reprise
  • Better
  • Copacabana
  • My New Friends
  • A Song of Lists

Critical reviews

In his review for New York, John Simon whose fame derived largely from being the more-condemning-than-thou-critic described it as "above all else, embarrassing" and called the writing "uniformly feeble." He thought the interpolated songs were "not great stuff" and added, "[T]hough Miss Newman is a talented musical comedienne, she cannot make them into more than they are." He did praise "a medley of old songs glorifying woman as sex object or domestic drudge - which she renders with delightful satiric brio."[5]

Richard Eder, reviewing for The New York Times wrote: "Miss Newman's performance is mostly good and sometimes quite winning, though it lacks any very specific flavor. The problem is with the personage she plays: a neurotic, well‐to‐do New Yorker torn between coping with her husband and two children, and resuming her show‐business career... The best part of the evening comes when Miss Newman cuts away from her tepid personage and goes into a marvelous medley of show songs, all of which portray women in various condescending fashions..."[6]

Recording

Twelve of the musical numbers were recorded and released by DRG Records.

References
  1. Showbill (Original Program) 22 Steps Theatre, 1979
  2. Bryer, Jackson R. and Davison, Richard Allan, The Art of the American Musical: Conversations with the Creators. Rutgers University Press 2005. ISBN 0-8135-3613-8, p. 146
  3. The Madwoman of Central Park West Playbill, retrieved July 24, 2018
  4. The Madwoman of Central Park West guidetomusicaltheatre.com, retrieved July 24, 2018
  5. New York, July 9-16, 1979, pp. 95-96
  6. Eder, Richard. "Stage: Phyllis Newman Portrays ‘Madwoman'" The New York Times, June 14, 1979

​The Madwoman of Central Park West​ at the Internet Broadway Database

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