Grind (musical)

Grind
Music	Larry Grossmann
Lyrics	Ellen Fitzhugh
Book	Fay Kanin
Productions	1985 Broadway

Grind is a musical with a book by Fay Kanin, music by Larry Grossmann, and lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh.

Grind is a portrait of a largely African-American burlesque house in Chicago in the Thirties. Directed by Hal Prince with choreography by Lester Wilson, the cast included Ben Vereen as a song-and-dance man, Stubby Kaye as a slapstick comic, Lee Wallace as Harry, and Leilani Jones as a stripper named Satin.

It opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on April 16, 1985 and closed on June 22, 1985 after 71 performances and 25 previews.

The reviews were mixed at best. In his New York Times review, Frank Rich wrote: "...the show has become a desperate barrage of arbitrary musical numbers, portentous staging devices, extravagant costumes..., confused plot twists and sociological bromides..." "Grind" fared poorly at the box office; "The production was a disaster; the show lost its entire $4.75 million investment, and Prince and three other members of the creative team were suspended by the Dramatists Guild for signing a "substandard contract." ^[1] 1985 was a bad year for Broadway musicals, and only one hit (Big River) had emerged by the time Tony nominations were submitted. Since there was little decent competition, "Grind" received a Tony nomination for Best Musical. Ken Mandelbaum wrote of the season: "The original Big River came along at the end of a dismal season for new musicals, and Leader of the Pack, Quilters, and the fascinating but unworkable Grind posed virtually no competition.^[2]

Even critics who hated Grind were impressed by Jones' performance: Frank Rich wrote: "Miss Jones, in her Broadway debut, is a find - a gifted young performer lacking only a little flash." She received the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Theatre World Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical that year.

1 Musical numbers
2 Awards and nominations
3 References
4 External links

Musical numbers

Act I

This Must Be the Place - Company
Cadava - Solly, Gus and Romaine
A Sweet Thing Like Me - Satin and Earle's Pearls
I Get Myself Out - Gus
My Daddy Always Taught Me To Share - Leroy
All Things To One Man - Satin
The Line - Leroy and Earl's Pearls
Katie, My Love - Doyle
The Grind - Gus and Company
Yes, Ma'am - Doyle
Why, Mama, Why - Satin and Leroy
This Crazy Place - Leroy and Company

Act II

From The Ankles Down - Leroy and Earle's Pearls
Who Is He - Satin
Never Put It In Writing - Gus
I Talk, You Talk - Doyle
Timing - Romaine and Solly
These Eyes of Mine - Maybelle and Company
New Man - Leroy
Down - Doyle
A Century Of Progress - Leroy, Satin and Earle's Pearls
Finale - Company

Awards and nominations

Tony Award

Best Musical (Produced by Kenneth D. Greenblatt, John J. Pomerantz, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards, James M. Nederlander, Harold Prince, Michael Frazier; Produced in association with Susan Madden Samson, Jonathan Farkas) (nominee)
Best Book of a Musical (Fay Kanin) (nominee)
Best Original Score (Music by Larry Grossman; Lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh) (nominee)
Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Leilani Jones) (winner)
Best Scenic Design (Clarke Dunham) (nominee)
Best Costume Design (Florence Klotz) (winner)
Best Direction of a Musical (Harold Prince) (nominee)

Theatre World Award

Leilani Jones (winner)

Drama Desk Award

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Timothy Nolen) (nominee)
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Leilani Jones, winner; Sharon Murray, nominee)
Outstanding Orchestration (Bill Byers) (nominee)
Outstanding Lyrics (Ellen Fitzhugh) (nominee)
Outstanding Music (Larry Grossman) (winner)
Outstanding Lighting Design (Ken Billington) (nominee)
Outstanding Set Design (Clarke Dunham) (nominee)