The new musical adaptation of neil gaimans 2002 novel coraline, at the lortel, restores much of the eccentricity taken away by the recent 3d movie version of the same material. Showtunes is the result of collaboration between stephin merritt with chen shizheng on three pieces of musical theatre. The single greatest idea in coraline was to cast middleage jayne houdyshell in the title role, a 9yearold girl. Alongside some murky storytelling, whimsy creeps in and becomes the tiresome. Jayne houdyshell as coraline joan marcus sometimes the price you pay for freshness is that it comes to. Jayne houdyshell will play the title role in mcc theater s upcoming musical adaptation of coraline. Coraline features music and lyrics by merritt and a book by greenspan. Original offbroadway cast recording coraline amazon. Greenspan, coraline is a grownup exercise in story theater that asks its audience to take a. Shes played by the endlessly surprising jayne houdyshell, whom philadelphia audiences may remember from the wilma theaters production of the clean house. She may technically be several decades too old to play coraline.
Still, there are extraordinary images and witty word play, as well as sophisticated disjunctions that provoke big laughs. Raised in topeka, kansas, she is the youngest of four daughters born to galen buzz houdyshell and louella taylor. The story follows nineyearold coraline jones jayne houdyshell, who has recently moved into a new house with her parents francis jue and january lavoy. Coraline jayne houdyshell is a young english girl whose family moves to a creaky old house, where she gains access to another world. Coraline is a musical written by stephin merritt and david greenspan and is based on the. Jayne houdyshell to star in mccs world premiere musical. Tony award nominee jayne houdyshell will play the title role in the musical adaptation of author neil gaimans coraline. Who ever gets the credit for casting jayne houdyshell as a young girl in this musical stage version of neil gaiman novel coraline should take a bow. Leigh silverman directs with script and role of other mother by david greenspan. Check out coraline by original offbroadway cast recording on amazon music. Based on the novel by neil gaman, coraline features music and lyrics by stephin merritt and a book by david greenspan. Coraline by original offbroadway cast recording on amazon. Houdyshell well is one of our most sensitive actresses, and her.
On tuesday evening april 21, the creative team responsible for adapting coraline for the stage will take part in a moderated discussion. Provided to youtube by ghostlight records a new house jayne houdyshell julian fleisher coraline. Staged in a nest of pianos with jayne houdyshell as the eponymous 9yearold protag and greenspan in drag as the otherworldly villain who turns coralines family life into a. When shes greeted there by a vastly loving other mother and a kindly other. Houdyshell tries to signal that shes a kid by lisping and taking. Musical adaptation of childrens novel at the lucille. Mcc theater today announced that tony award winner and mcc alum jayne houdyshell the humans. Particularly terrific is jayne houdyshell, that marvel of an everywoman comedienne whos brought childlike wonder into her roles in plays such as well and the receptionist but now invests adult wisdom in a child who really needs it to conquer fears up to and including death itself.
Merritts newest theatrical project is a musical adaptation of neil gaimans book coraline, with a script written by david greenspanwho also stars as the other mother alongside mature actor jayne houdyshell as 9yearold coraline. Jayne houdyshell will play the title role in mcc theaters upcoming musical adaptation of coraline. Those traits describe whats best about this offbeat and partially intriguing production by david greenspan book and stephin merritt songs. Magnetic fields stephin merritt debuts coraline musical. The upright is used, for instance, when coraline played by the adult actress jayne houdyshell is in her real home, and the prepared piano sounds when she gets trapped in. Orphan of zhao, peach blossom fan, and my life as a fairy tale. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. Ibdb internet broadway database archive is the official database for broadway theatre information. Fiftysomething stage veteran jayne houdyshell plays coraline, the storys plucky preteen who falls down a rabbit hole into an alternate reality inhabited by buttoneyed doppelganger versions of.
Jayne houdyshell, center, and the cast of coraline, adapted from neil gaimans childrens novel, with music by stephin merritt. Jayne houdyshell starred in the title role and is featured along with the original offbroadway cast on the recording. The musical coraline and stephin merritt make the most. Tonyawardnominee jayne houdyshell plays the title role. As the titular character, the courageous houdyshell is not only totally believable in a role significantly far from her own age but also delightful. Wells houdyshell to star in mccs coraline playbill. The linked data service provides access to commonly found standards and vocabularies promulgated by the library of congress. But late one night, her dreams of a better reality come true as she opens a big, carved, wooden door at the far end of the drawing room and passes into a perfect replica of her own world.
Its worth noting at this point that jayne houdyshell is not a nineyearold girl but a plump, middleaged woman. Counterintuitive casting will see adult actress houdyshell portray the tuners central. If you enjoyed neil gaimans coraline in book, graphic novel, videogame andor movie form and you happen to find yourself in the vicinity of new york this spring, heres an interesting way to. Shes left to rattle round her perpetually distracted, workaholic parents house all by her lonesome. Coraline by original offbroadway cast 791558443820 cd. Jayne houdyshell, 55, who was nominated for a tony award for her performance in well, will play the 9yearold coraline according to the times arts, briefly column. This includes data values and the controlled vocabularies that house them. I believe from the book of mormon musical on the 65th tony. Interviews with david greenspan, jayne houdyshell, stephin merritt, and leigh silverman. Tony nominee jayne houdyshell well, the receptionist stars in the title role, and bringing it all together is acclaimed director leigh silverman yellowface, from up here, well. An opera adaptation by markanthony turnage debuted at the barbican center in london on march 27, 2018. Most magically, theres the remarkable portrayal of coraline by jayne houdyshell, a plump actress in her 50s. Coraline is a musical written by stephin merritt and david greenspan and is based on the novella coraline by neil gaiman. But, strangely, once were inside it we dont see anything.
Jayne houdyshell was born on september 25, 1953 in topeka, kansas, and is a tony awardwinning broadway favorite. From the moment she first appears, we unquestioningly accept houdyshell as a young english girl coraline, however, doesnt sustain its early promise. She graduated from topeka high school in 1971, and she went on to graduate with honors from the academy of dramatic. She joins the previously announced david greenspan in.
Jayne houdyshell vocals phyllis chen piano january lavoy vocals,toy piano elliot villar vocals coraline cast ensemble choir, chorus technical credits houghton engineer stephin merritt composer,lyricist,producer kimberly grigsby music direction david greenspan book,synopsis jason marcucci engineer deborah hecht dialect coach. Leigh silverman is directing and jayne houdyshell wicked stars as the realityhopping coraline. Jayne houdyshell starred in the title role and is featured along with the original offbroadway cast on the recording the. It follows a young girl who is bored in her new house, and finds a new universe. This is the same coraline that was adapted into an. Coraline, lucille lortel theatre, new york financial times. Coraline features jayne houdyshell as the title star, as well as book writer david greenspan, juilian fleisher, francis jue, january lavoy, elliot. Reviews \ magnetic fields stephin merritt debuts coraline musical the indierock sophisticate unveils his experimental adaptation of neil gaimans childrens book in nyc.
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