(12)
The Snow Ball
A R Gurney
Ballroom
by Jerome Kass, Bill Goldenberg, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
Broadway
Highlights
120 mins 1970s Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes
Awards & Recognition
Drama Desk Award Tony Award
Winner! 1979 Tony Award for Best Choreography Nominee: Eight 1979 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book Winner! 1979 Drama Desk Award for Best Choreography Nominee: Seven 1979 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Book
Synopsis
Based on the CBS television movie The Queen of the Stardust Ballroom starring Maureen Stapleton, Ballroom is the story of aging widow Bea Asher, who begins life anew at the Stardust Ballroom, an old-school dance palace in the Bronx.
At the ballroom, Bea meets a middle-aged mailman named Al, and the two soon fall in love.
Unfortunately, Al is trapped in an unhappy marriage, and he refuses to leave his wife.
Bea’s children and friends advise her against starting up a romance with a married man, but Bea – having found a new life and purpose – decides that “fifty percent” of someone you love is better than “all of anybody else.”
The delightfully honest and moving Broadway production was developed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Bennett, co-creator of A Chorus Line .
Press Reviews
"A very human story about love and loss and coming out the other side. It features sassy women, the men who appreciate them, and lots of song and dance with well-written lyrics by the Bergmans."
— BroadwayWorld
"It brings class to Broadway."
— New York Post
"Ballroom is a major achievement in widening our understanding of the potential of musical theatre."
— Women's Wear Daily
"Alan and Marilyn Bergman's lyrics [are] pleasantly surprising, wistfully clever, rarely overcooked. They make ordinary-sounding songs into something wonderful."
— Talkin' Broadway
"Flows with grace and glows with affect."
— Christian Science Monitor
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| BEA ASHER |
| HELEN Her sister-in-law |
| JACK Her brother-in-law |
| DIANE Her daughter |
| DAVID Her sonAt the Stardust Ballroom |
| ALFRED ROSSI |
| MARLENE Nightclub singer |
| NATHAN BRICKER Nightclub singer |
| ANGIE Bea’s best friend |
| JOHNNY “LIGHTFEET” |
| MARTHA |
| PETEY |
| SHIRLEY |
| PAUL |
| “SCOOTER” |
| ELEANOR |
| PAULINE KRIM |
| FAYE |
| HARRY “THE NOODLE” |
| MARIE |
| EMILY |
| MARIO |
| ANITRA |
| MARGARET |
| THOMAS |
+ 4 more characters
Publication
Ballroom is a play written by Jerome Kass and published by Concord Theatricals .
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Performance Rights
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