Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill


Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill is a musical revue with a book by Gene Lerner, music by Kurt Weill, and lyrics by various songwriting partners Weill worked with over his career. The plot follows Weill's life as he begins his career in Germany writing the music for controversial musicals, through his journey fleeing Nazi persecution, immigrating to the United States, and becoming successful on Broadway. Songs featured include those Weill collaborated on with Maxwell Anderson, Marc Blitzstein, Bertolt Brecht, Jacques Deval, Michael Feingold, Ira Gershwin, Paul Green, Langston Hughes, Alan Jay Lerner, Ogden Nash, George Tabori and Arnold Weinstein.

Song List

Happy End
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Pirate Jenny
I Wait For a Ship
Sailor Tango
Johnny Johnson
Knickerbocker Holiday
Lady In the Dark
One Touch of Venus
Progress
Street Scene
Lost in the Stars
Love Song
Moritat

Productions

The revue premiered off-Broadway on October 1, 1972 at the Theater de Lys, starring Eileen Barett, Margery Cohen, Ken Kercheval, Judy Lander, Jerry Lanning, and Hal Watters. It was directed by Donald Saddler, conducted by Newton Wayland, and ran for 152 performances before closing on February 11, 1973. When the show premiered, Christopher Street was renamed "Kurt Weill-Strauss" for an hour to honor Weill's legacy and lasting impact on off-Broadway theatre.
The first off-Broadway revival opened August 19, 2000 at the Triad Theater and closed on December 3, 2000 after 121 performances. Hal Simmons directed, with Eric Stern as musical director, and the cast included Lorinda Lisitza, Bjorn Olsson, Veronica Mittenzwei and Michael Winther.