One That Got Away: Song and Dance

During the 1985-1986 Broadway season, my heart belonged to The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and I was interested in little else. Ah, the blissful ignorance of youth! I was still so new to the world of Broadway. That year, Bernadette Peters won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical, but I didn't really know who she was, or how important she would become in my ever-expanding theater fandom. The show was Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance, and I simply was not interested. 

One That Got Away:

Song and Dance

Then, Miss Peters left the show, and Betty Buckley, my beloved Edwin Drood, took on the role. Needless to say, I got a ticket as fast as I could! But it was not to be. My ticket - 3rd row center for the matinee on Wednesday, November 12, 1986 - was no good. The show closed the previous Sunday, and became my very first One That Got Away show. I'm still not over it.

As it turns out, I didn't exactly miss out on Song and Dance after all. The 1st National Tour came to Baltimore in the summer of 1987. It starred Melissa Manchester, and featured many of the Broadway company including Bruce Falco, Cynthia Onrubia, Scott Wise and Valerie C. Wright, plus Broadway regulars Mindy Cooper and Eugene Fleming. It was worth the wait! What a delightful story, and it has some of my favorite Lloyd Webber songs in it - "Capped Teeth and Caesar Salad," "Take That Look Off Your Face," "Unexpected Song," and "Tell Me On a Sunday." And the dance part of the show features the epic "Variations." So this one got away from me, but I caught up!

Song and Dance began previews at the Royale Theatre on September 4, 1985. After 17 previews, it opened on September 18, 1985. Following 474 performances, the show closed on November 8, 1986. Nominated for 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, and Best Direction. Bernadette Peters won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.