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The
Apple Tree
The Apple Tree is a series of three musical playlets
with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and a book
by Bock and Harnick with contributions from Jerome Coopersmith.
Each act has its own storyline, but all three are tied together
by a common theme (someone who believes that they want something,
but once they get what they wanted they realize that it wasn't
what they wanted) and common references, such as references to
the color brown. The first act is based on Mark Twain's The Diary
of Adam and Eve; the second act is based on Frank R. Stockton's
The Lady or the Tiger?; the third act is based on Jules Feiffer's
Passionella
The musical opened on Broadway on October 18,
1966 at the Shubert Theatre and ran for 463 performances, closing
on November 25, 1967. It was produced by Stuart Ostrow, directed
by Mike Nichols and starred Barbara Harris, Alan Alda, and Larry
Blyden. Harris won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
The Apple Tree also received several other major Tony nominations:
Alda for Best Actor in a Musical, Bock and Harnick for Best Composer
and Lyricist, Nichols for Best Direction of a Musical, Lee Theodore
for Best Choreography, and the show itself for Best Musical.
The Roundabout Theatre Company mounted a revival
that ran from December 14, 2006 until March 11, 2007 with Kristin
Chenoweth in Harris' roles, Brian D'Arcy James in Alda's roles
and Marc Kudisch in Blyden's. The consensus of reviews was that
the playlets themselves are all creaky with age, the music interesting
but not inspired, and Chenoweth's performance a marvel and the
evening's only important attraction.
This musical is popular for high school productions
because of its ease of presentation.
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