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On Your Toes

Gangsters, vaudeville and the Russian Ballet come together in this riotous, romantic romp!

More information

Description

  • Full Length Musical
  • Comedy
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1930s
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings
  • Cautions: Gun Shots
  • Orchestra Size: Large

  • Performance Group:
  • Community Theatre, High School/Secondary, Professional Theatre, College Theatre / Student, Church / Religious Groups

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! Two Tony Awards including Best Revival (1983)
    Winner! Four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Revival (1983)
    Winner! Theatre World Award (1983)
Junior's folks pull him from the family's vaudeville act and pack him off to school where he becomes a music teacher. He meets Sydney, a composer, and Frankie, a coed who's fallen hard for him, and together they set about trying to sell Sydney's new jazz ballet to a Russian ballet company. The prima ballerina wants to teach Junior more than a few new steps, but with her assistance, "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" is produced with Junior dancing the lead. In one of the funniest set pieces ever devised, Junior dances the premiere while being shot at from the audience by thugs who've mistaken him for a dancer who owes on a gambling debt.

This landmark musical was directed by the legendary George Abbott and choreographed by newcomer George Balanchine, whose use of ballet here marked the first time in musical comedy that dance was a direct proponent of the plot.
REVIEWS:

"A revelation of joy."

San Francisco Chronicle

"ON YOUR TOES is very inspiring by virtue of its temperament and cheeky wit, its high musical standards, its speed, liveliness and brilliance of dancing...and delights the audience right from the prelude."

Frankfurther Rundschau

"A triumph. Lots of applause... a happy audience."

Emma Pegler Critical Dance
Premiere Production:

On Your Toes opened on Broadway on April 11, 1936, at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for seven months before transferring to the Majestic, for a total run of 315 performances. The cast included Ray Bolger, Tamara Geva and Monty Woolley. The first Broadway revival, directed by George Abbott and again choreographed by Balanchine, opened on October 11, 1954 at the 46th Street Theatre, featuring Vera Zorina, Bobby Van, Elaine Stritch and David Winters. The second Broadway revival opened on March 6, 1983 at the Virginia Theatre, where it ran for 505 performances. The opening night cast included Natalia Makarova, Christine Andreas, George de la Peña, George S. Irving and Dina Merrill.

Characters

  • Casting: 5M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Room for Extras, Flexible casting, Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle)
  • Chorus Size: Medium

  • PHIL DOLAN II - Pa
    LIL DOLAN - Ma
    PHIL DOLAN III - Junior
    STAGE MANAGER
    LOLA
    JUNIOR - 15 years later
    SIDNEY COHN
    FRANKIE FRAYNE
    JOE McCALL
    VERA BARONOVA
    ANUSHKA
    PEGGY PORTERFIELD
    SERGEI ALAXANDROVITCH
    KONSTANTINE MORROSINE
    OSCAR
    STAGE DOORMAN
    A WOMAN REPORTER
    DMITRI IVAN
    LOUIE
    PRINCESS ZENOBIA - In the "Princess Zenobia" Ballet
    BEGGAR - In the "Princess Zenobia" Ballet
    KRINGA KHAN - In the "Princess Zenobia" Ballet
    ALI SHHAR - In the "Princess Zenobia" Ballet
    AHMUD BEN B'DU - In the "Princess Zenobia" Ballet
    HANK J. SMITH
    BALLET LEADERS -In the "On Your Toes" Ballet
    TAP LEADERS - In the "On Your Toes" Ballet
    COP (2)
    MESSENGER BOY
    HOOFER - In the "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" Ballet
    STRIPTEASE GIRL - In the "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" Ballet
    BIG BOSS - In the "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" Ballet

    • Available Material

    Name Price
    Perusal Material Shipped immediately. This is optional. Order Now

    1 x Libretto-Vocal Book
    1 x Piano Vocal Score

    		$24.00
    Pre-Production Pack Shipped upon receipt of a signed License Agreement and full payment of all invoices. This is optional.

    1 x Libretto-Vocal Book
    1 x Piano Vocal Score

    		$75.00
    Rehearsal Material Shipped a minimum of 3 months before the last performance. This must be hired as a condition of the License to produce this show.

    20 x Libretto-Vocal Books
    2 x Piano Vocal Score

    		$550.00 +$135.00/pm
    Orchestral Material Shipped a minimum of 1 month before the last performance. This is optional.

    1 x Piano Vocal Score
    2 x Piano I-II (Piano II doubles Celesta)
    1 x Reed I (Piccolo, Flute)
    1 x Reed II (Oboe, English Horn, Optional Bass Oboe)
    1 x Reed III (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Sax)
    1 x Reed IV (Clarinet, Alto Sax)
    1 x Reed V (Clarinet, Tenor Sax)
    1 x Horn
    1 x Trumpet I-II
    1 x Trumpet III
    1 x Trombone
    1 x Drums (Trap Set, Wood Block, Tambourine, Timpani, Oriental Cymbal)
    1 x Percussion (2 Gongs, Xylophone, Temple Blocks, Vibraphone, Bells, Whistle Siren, Timpani, Suspended Cymbal, Finger Cymbals, Tambourine, Bass Drum, Glockenspiel, Police Whistle)
    1 x Violin A
    1 x Violin B (Divisi)
    1 x Violin C (Divisi)
    1 x Viola (Divisi)
    1 x Cello
    1 x Bass

    		$350.00 +$135.00/pm
    Lib/Vocal Book 10 Pack Shipped with (or after) Rehearsal Material. This is optional.

    10 x Libretto-Vocal Books

    		$50.00 +$50.00/pm

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