| LoveMusik | |
|---|---|
 Poster forLoveMusik | |
| Music | Kurt Weill |
| Lyrics | Various |
| Book | Alfred Uhry |
| Basis | Lives ofKurt Weill andLotte Lenya |
| Productions | 2007Broadway 2016 Buenos Aires |
LoveMusik is amusical written byAlfred Uhry, using a selection of music byKurt Weill. The story explores the romance and lives ofKurt Weill andLotte Lenya, based onSpeak Low (When You Speak Love): The Letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, edited and translated byLys Symonette and Kim H. Kowalke.[1]Harold Prince had readSpeak Low and suggested the idea for a musical to Uhry. Uhry and Prince worked onLoveMusik for four years to develop it into a stage work.[2] The story spans over 25 years, from the first meeting of Lenya and Weill as struggling young artists, to their popularity in Europe and America, to Weill's death from a heart attack at age 50.
The musical was produced onBroadway as a limited run by theManhattan Theatre Club at theBiltmore Theatre beginning previews on April 12, 2007, opening on May 3, 2007, and closing on June 24, 2007.[3] The show was directed byHarold Prince with musical staging byPatricia Birch and starredMichael Cerveris asKurt Weill,Donna Murphy asLotte Lenya,David Pittu asBertolt Brecht and John Scherer as George Davis. The ensemble included Judith Blazer, Edwin Cahill, Herndon Lackey,Erik Liberman,Ann Morrison, Graham Rowat, Rachel Ulanet and Jessica Wright.
The production received mixed to positive reviews. It was noted for the performances of Donna Murphy and Michael Cerveris. For example, theTheaterMania reviewer wrote: "Cerveris – calculatedly diffident and consistently sympathetic as the dour Weill."[4]Ben Brantley, reviewing forThe New York Times, wrote: "Two luminous, life-infused portraits glow from within a dim, heavy frame at the Biltmore Theater, whereLoveMusik opened last night. This bio-musical about the marital and professional relationship of the German-born composer Kurt Weill and the actress Lotte Lenya, directed by Harold Prince, is sluggish, tedious and (hold your breath) unmissable—at least for anyone who cherishes stars who mold songs into thrilling windows of revelation."[5]
A production ofLoveMusik was confirmed for Japan for the 2009–2010 Japanese theatre season. The production was translated entirely into Japanese. Masachika Ichimura was cast as Kurt Weill in the Japanese production.[citation needed]
In 1924, Weill is visiting a friend in Europe, and Lenya is sent to meet him. They are immediately attracted to each other and their subsequent romance and marriage follow the course of events in pre-World War II Germany. Weill collaborates withBertolt Brecht, and the two writeThe Threepenny Opera, among other important works. But Brecht's ego and politics cause a rift, and the two part. Weill and Lenya divorce and later remarry. As theJewish Weill becomes a popular and successful composer, Weill and Lenya are forced to leave Germany.
Now in the United States, Weill has successful musicals produced on Broadway, such asLady in the Dark, and also spends time in California. The couple have anopen marriage – both have other romantic interests; and Weill is a workaholic. But they remain with each other until his death in 1950. Lenya, although devastated at his loss, is urged to return to the stage in Weill'sThe Threepenny Opera.
The musical uses songs written by Weill for stage musicals such asOne Touch of Venus,The Threepenny Opera,Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny,Street Scene,Knickerbocker Holiday, andHappy End, as well as individual songs.
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LoveMusik (the world premiere recording) was recorded in July 2007 atAvatar Studios in New York City and was released on November 27, 2007, by Ghostlight Records (an imprint ofSh-K-Boom Records).[citation needed]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Michael Cerveris | Nominated |
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Donna Murphy | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | David Pittu | Nominated | ||
| Best Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Book of a Musical | Alfred Uhry | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Michael Cerveris | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Donna Murphy | Won | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | David Pittu | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Choreography | Patricia Birch | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Harold Prince | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Orchestrations | Jonathan Tunick | Won | ||
| Outstanding Set Design | Beowulf Boritt | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Costume Design | Judith Dolan | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | Howell Binkley | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design | Duncan Robert Edwards | Nominated | ||