Broadway Opening
The Broadway production went into previews on July 7, 2005, opened August 14, 2005, in which it ran for forty-one days, and closed on September 24 of the same year.
The Broadway premiere was produced by Edgar Lansbury (who conceived the show and brought in Scardino), Clear Channel Entertainment and Jeffrey Sine.
The opening night cast of Lennon included Will Chase (who as narrator was the "lead" John Lennon), Chuck Cooper, Julie Danao-Salkin, Mandy Gonzalez, Marcy Harriell, Chad Kimball, Terrence Mann, Julia Murney, Michael Potts, Rona Figueroa, Mark Richard Ford, Nicole Lewis and Darin Murphy.
The show opened to awful reviews, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times stating:
In the immortal words of Yoko Ono, "Aieeeee!" A fierce primal scream - of the kind Ms. Ono is famous for as a performance and recording artist - is surely the healthiest response to the agony of "Lennon," the jerry-built musical shrine that opened last night at the Broadhurst Theater.
Playbill quoted Paul Shaffer in its coverage of the musical's opening night:
I just thought it was phenomenal. It reminded me of what an influence John was — how strong an influence he was not only in popular music but in culture, and how much we miss him. He was a remarkable writer. He'd do catchy so you loved the song right away, then the second time you would hear more of it. Let's face it: the more you listen to his music, the more you hear. I'm still learning things when I hear his songs.
Read more about this topic: Lennon (musical)
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