Over Here!

Over Here! is a musical with a score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and book by Will Holt. The original Broadway production was directed by Tom Moore and choreographed by Patricia Birch, with scenic design by Douglas W. Schmidt and costumes by Carrie F. Robbins.

Over Here! was a follow-up to the Sherman brothers' World War II musical Victory Canteen, an off-Broadway production that featured 1940s icon Patty Andrews. The setting is a cross-country train trip in the United States during World War II (hence the name of the play, in contrast to the popular patriotic war anthem entitled Over There). The show begins as a nostalgic look at 1940s America but quickly evolves into a social commentary about the fear of dying in battle, prejudice, and discrimination.

Production history

After thirteen previews, the show opened on March 6, 1974 at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 341 performances. The opening night cast included Patty and Maxene Andrews (of the Andrews Sisters) and newcomers John Travolta, Treat Williams, Marilu Henner, Samuel E. Wright, and Ann Reinking, all of whom went on to achieve successful careers. The show closed on January 4, 1975 under controversial conditions. "The producers blamed Patty and Maxine, claiming they wanted more money and made unreasonable demands, and cancelled the national tour. The Andrews sisters blamed the producers, claiming they had mismanaged the show from the beginning and were now using them as scapegoats."^[1] According to an article in The New York Times, the tour was cancelled due to a "salary dispute" between the Andrews sisters and the producers.^[2]

The show was scheduled to make its West End debut in 2007 at London's Apollo Theatre. The announced cast included Tony Award winners Donna McKechnie and Frances Ruffelle and Coronation Street actor Richard Fleeshman; however, the production never occurred.^{[3] [4] [5]}

Radar online reports that Cody Linley and rumoured Dick Van Dyke will be staring in an all new Broadway production of Over Here! set to launch early in 2010 ^[6]

An official website is launched with open auditions for the opposite role to star Cody Linley for a production set for January 2010 in Los Angeles^[7]

Song list

Awards and nominations

• Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
• Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Janie Sell, winner)
• Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
• Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
• Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
• Theatre World Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical (John Driver, Ann Reinking, and Janie Sell, winners)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (winner)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design (winner)

References

External links

• IBDb.com - "Over Here!"
• The Sherman Brothers