Welcome to the Club (musical)

Welcome to the Club
Opening Night Broadway Playbill
MusicCy Coleman
LyricsCy Coleman
A. E. Hotchner
BookA. E. Hotchner
Productions1989 Broadway

Welcome to the Club is a 1989 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Cy Coleman. Despite its run of only twelve performances, it was nominated for two Tony Awards, and some other honors.

The musical, set in a New York City jail for alimony violators, opened on April 13, 1989, at the Music Box Theatre. The director of the production was Peter Mark Schifter.

Reviews were poor; the New York Times deemed it "embarrassingly out of touch with the present-day realities of men, women, sex, marriage and divorce", with limited praise given to Coleman's "inconsistent" score.[1] The musical closed nine days after its opening, on April 22, and was considered a flop.[2] However, the musical was nominated for two Tonys: Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Scott Wentworth) and Best Direction of a Musical (Schifter).[3] In addition, actress Sally Mayes, in her Broadway debut, won a 1989 Theatre World award.[4]

Songs

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

Year Award Category Nominee Result
1989 Tony Award Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Scott Wentworth Nominated
Best Direction of a Musical Peter Mark Schifter Nominated
Theatre World Award Sally Mayes Won

Notes

  1. ^ Rich, Frank (April 14, 1989). "Review/Theater; 'Welcome to the Club,' A Musical About Divorce". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Hawtree, Christopher (November 22, 2004). "Obituary: Cy Coleman". The Guardian. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  3. ^ Richards, David (May 9, 1989). "'Robbins' Tops the Tony Contenders". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  4. ^ "Past Recipients". Theatre World Awards. Retrieved August 3, 2023.