The Fix (musical)

The Fix

Original London Cast Recording
Music Dana P. Rowe
Lyrics John Dempsey
Book John Dempsey
Productions 1997 West End
1998 Arlington, Virginia
2010 New York University

The Fix is a musical with book and lyrics by John Dempsey and music by Dana P. Rowe. It concerns the career of a fictional U.S. politician who gets mixed up with the Mafia.

It premiered at London's Donmar Warehouse in 1997.

Production history

The Fix was originally developed in association with Cameron Mackintosh under the working title Cal: A Musical Tale of Relative Insanity. It premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, running from 29 April, 1997 through 14 June, 1997, directed by Sam Mendes and starring John Barrowman, Kathryn Evans and Philip Quast.[1] Quast won the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in The Fix. The musical was also nominated for Oliviers for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (for Barrowman), and Best Lighting Designer (for Howard Harrison).[2] Colin Welford conducted the production.[3]

It received its U.S. premiere at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, running from March 17, 1998 through April 26, 1998, where it was directed by Eric D. Schaeffer.[4]

The Fix had its Tri-State premiere at Princeton University's Theatre-Intime in 2003. Rachael Timinsky, Princeton '04, directed the production.[5]


The Fix was re imagined in a 1960s kennedy-esque guise in June/July 2012 at The Union Theatre in London directed and staged by Michael Strassen with Liz May Brice as Violet, Louis Maskell (Best Newcomer nomination) as Cal and Olivier Award winner Miles Western as Graham. It was nominated for seven Off West End Awards including Best Musical Production (pending) and received rave reviews.[6]

Plot

Days before a United States presidential election, shoo-in candidate Reed Chandler suffers a fatal coronary between the thighs of his mistress. Before the body has turned cold, the dead man's widow, Violet, and brother, Grahame (a speechwriter and spin doctor crippled from birth by polio and jealous of his brother's public success) - not keen to see their patience and preparation go to waste - are conspiring to replace him with his own son, an unambitious drifter, Calvin. Cal is enlisted in the army and married off to a perky debutante before developing a hard drug problem and being photographed during sex with his mistress, a nightclub singer named Tina McCoy. To cover up Cal's indiscretion, Grahame is forced to call upon the services of the city's criminal underworld, headed by Anthony Gliardi, who we are told is a "friend of the family". The years pass; Cal is elected governor and his wife bears a son. The list of favours owed to Gliardi grows longer, Cal's addiction deepens and Grahame's legs finally give way and he is condemned to life in a wheelchair. After a drying out period, Cal rediscovers his sense of self. He confronts the press, coming clean about his misgivings and the Chandler's relationship with Gliardi. Cal becomes the media darling once again, however on the eve of the United States Senate nominations, Gliardi uses Tina to lure Cal away from his family, then shoots them both. The play comes full circle as at Cal's funeral, Violet and Grahame move in on Cal's young son. And suddenly the future doesn't look so dim after all.

Musical numbers

At Donmar Warehouse, 1997

Act I
  • "Advocate/Architect" – Ensemble
  • "The Funeral" – Company
  • "One, Two, Three" ( play clip ) – Cal, Ensemble
  • "Embrace Tomorrow" – Violet, Grahame, Bobby
  • "Army Chant/Control" – Reed, Cal
  • "America's Son" – Cal, Violet, Grahame, Leslie, Supporters, Newscaster
  • "I See The Future" – Cal
  • "Lonely is a Two-Way Street" – Tina
  • "Simple Words" – Cal, Grahame, Reporters
  • "Alleluia/Flash, Pop, Sizzle!" – Tina
  • "Sense out of Insanity" – Grahame
  • "Dangerous Games" – Gliardi, Frankie, Ensemble
Act II
  • "Two Guys at Harvard" – Grahame, Reed, Violet, Ensemble
  • "First Came Mercy" – Grahame, Ensemble
  • "Bend the Spoon/One, Two, Three (reprise)" – Tina, Cal
  • "Cleaning House" – Violet, Peter
  • "Upper Hand" – Cal, Grahame
  • "Spin" – Violet
  • "The Ballad of Bobby "Cracker" Barrel" – Bobby, Ensemble
  • "Child's Play" – Cal
  • "Simple Words (reprise)" – Cal, Ensemble
  • "Lion Hunts the Tiger" – Ensemble
  • "Mistress of Deception" – Tina, Ensemble
  • "Finale" – Company

Musical numbers

At Signature Theater, 1998

Act I
  • "Let the Games Begin" – Reed, Ensemble
  • "The Funeral" – Company
  • "One, Two, Three" ( play clip ) – Cal, Ensemble
  • "Embrace Tomorrow" – Violet, Grahame, Bobby
  • "Control" – Reed, Cal
  • "America's Son" – Cal, Violet, Grahame, Leslie, Supporters, Newscaster
  • "I See The Future" – Cal
  • "Lonely is a Two-Way Street" – Tina
  • "Simple Words" – Cal, Grahame, Reporters
  • "Alleluia" – Tina
  • "Flash Pop Sizzle/Who Said?" – Maids, Grahame
  • "Don't Blame the Prince" – Cal
  • "Dangerous Games" – Gliardi, Frankie, Ensemble
Act II
  • "Two Guys at Harvard" – Grahame, Reed, Violet, Ensemble
  • "Mercy Me" – Grahame, Ensemble
  • "Alleluia/One, Two, Three (reprise)" – Tina, Cal
  • "Cleaning House" – Violet, Peter
  • "Upper Hand" – Cal, Grahame
  • "Spin" – Violet
  • "The Ballad of Bobby "Cracker" Barrel" – Bobby, Ensemble
  • "Child's Play" – Cal
  • "Mistress of Deception" – Tina, Ensemble
  • "Finale" – Company

Original London cast

In order of appearance:

Original Signature Theatre cast

The ensemble featured Anthony Galde, Steven Cupo, Donna Migliaccio, Lawrence Redmond, Mark Aldrich, Michael J. Bobbit, Suzanne Briar, Daniel Felton, Raquel Hecker, Amy McWilliams, Mary Jane Raleigh, David Tapper, Rod Thomas and Joel Carron.

References

  1. ↑ "The Fix production information", empirenet.com, accessed December 7, 2008
  2. ↑ "1998 Olivier Awards winners and nominations". Albermarle of London. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  3. ↑ Cast Albums, 21 July 2008
  4. ↑ Gutman, Les."DC Report, Part 1, Review of Signature Theatre The Fix", curtainup.com, April 1998
  5. ↑ "Tri-State Debut of Musical the Fix". Playbill. Retrieved 29 Sep 2002.
  6. ↑ http://thefixlondon.co.uk/index.html

External links

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