URBAN COWBOY exits with LES MIZ

Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 13:27:17 -0400 (EDT)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre.musicals
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Ernio Hernandez: the musical Urban Cowboy will officially close at the
Broadhurst Theatre, May 18 following its matinee performance. The
musical played 60 performances and 26 previews on Broadway. The closing
announcement came just hours after Urban Cowboy garnered only two Tony
Award nominations for Best Choreography (Melinda Roy) and Best Original
Score (for its numerous composers and lyricists.) The Broadway
production, which began previews Feb. 28 and opened March 27, stirred up
a slew of news in its short run. After opening to many negative reviews,
producers Chase Mishkin and Leonard Soloway announced they would close
the show, only to change their minds and keep the show open after
"receiving many encouraging calls in support of the show and seeing
audience reaction," a statement explained.
Furthermore, the Tony Award Administration Committee ruled April 24 that
the Urban Cowboy score would be ineligible for a Best Score nomination.
Following some debate from the producers that many of the songs were
written specifically for the show, the issue was revisited and reversed,
May 8.
The new Broadway musical also recently made an official announcement of
a national tour in the fall of 2004. The Urban Cowboy tour will be
presented by Ken Gentry and exclusively booked through The Booking
Group. There is no word about a cast album. Lonny Price (A Class Act)
directed Urban Cowboy. Aaron Latham, who co-wrote the original
screenplay for the movie shares credit for the book of Urban Cowboy with
the late Phillip Oesterman. The new musical featured an eclectic
collection of old and new music.