View source for Swing!

{{Short description|1999 musical by Paul Kelly}}
{{About|the 1999 musical||Swing (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox Musical
|name= Swing!
|subtitle=
|image=
|caption=
|music= Various
|lyrics= Various
|book= Paul Kelly
|basis=
|productions= 1999 Broadway
<!-- Please do not include production-specific (acting, directing, etc.) awards -->
|awards= }}

'''''Swing!''''' is a musical conceived by Paul Kelly with music by various artists. It celebrates the music of the [[Swing (genre)|Swing]] era of [[jazz]] (1930s–1946), including many well-known tunes by artists like [[Duke Ellington]], [[William "Count" Basie]], [[Benny Goodman]] and others. It received a nomination for the 2000 [[Tony Award for Best Musical]] and other [[Tony Award]]s.

==Productions==
''Swing!'' premiered on Broadway at the [[St. James Theatre]] on December 9, 1999 and closed on January 14, 2001, running for 461 performances. The director and choreographer was [[Lynne Taylor-Corbett]], and the production was supervised by [[Jerry Zaks]]. Among the cast were [[Laura Benanti]], [[Ann Hampton Callaway]] and [[Everett Bradley (musician)|Everett Bradley]].<ref>Brantley, Ben. "Hit the Hot Notes and Watch 'Em Bounce", ''The New York Times'', December 10, 1999, p. E1</ref> A US tour began Nov 20, 2000 at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.<ref name=play>McBride, Murdoch.[http://www1.playbill.com/news/article/57878-Swing-Closes-Jan.-14-on-Broadway-Touring-Co.-Gets-Strong-Start-in-L.A. Swing Closes Jan. 14 on Broadway; Touring Co. Gets Strong Start in L.A.] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130201044614/http://www1.playbill.com/news/article/57878-Swing-Closes-Jan.-14-on-Broadway-Touring-Co.-Gets-Strong-Start-in-L.A. |date=February 1, 2013 }} playbill.com, January 14, 2001</ref>

The [[Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera]] production, directed and choreographed by one of the original cast members, Dana Solimando, ran in June 2009.<ref>Carter, Alice.[http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/theater/s_629337.html "Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's new show's got 'Swing!'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618095219/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/theater/s_629337.html |date=June 18, 2009 }} ''[[Pittsburgh Tribune Review]]'', June 13, 2009</ref>

The original cast album was released by Sony Classical on January 18, 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00003XAIA?tag=theguidetomusica&camp=1406&creative=6394&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B00003XAIA&adid=1YA5EKX935SC4PTPNAN1&|title=Swing!|access-date=May 29, 2023|website=Amazon.co.uk}}</ref>
The original cast album was nominated for a Grammy in the "Musical Show" category.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalhit.com/grammy/43/nominees.shtml|title=43rd Annual Grammy Awards Nominations Coverage (2001)|website=Digitalhit.com|access-date=May 29, 2023}}</ref>

==Premise==
''Swing!'' combines high energy dancing, singing and acrobatics.  There is no dialogue in the show, and the story is told entirely through music and dance. The show tries to recreate the swing style of jazz, which used large bands, fixed musical arrangements and solo-driven improvisations. Together with the development of the music, various forms of swing dancing emerged, varying by geographic regions, such as the [[Lindyhop]] or [[Jitterbug]] in Harlem or the Whip in Houston.<ref name=play/><ref name=rnh>[http://www.rnh.com/show_detail.asp?id=SW2] {{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>

There are also story-driven numbers for example "I'll Be Seeing You", with Scott Fowler and Carol Bentley doing a Gene Kelly kind of ballet.<ref>Ostlere, Hilary.[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1083/is_11_73/ai_57512722/ "Swinging On Broadway. – Brief Article – Review – dance reviews"], ''Dance Magazine'', November 1999</ref>

The show includes music and dance styles from early swing, West Coast, to other jazz styles, and even hip-hop (as shown as in an all-male version of "[[Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy]]"). Some of the individual couples, for example [[Ryan Francois]] and Jenny Thomas, perform their own choreography. Francois and Thomas are established stars in the world of swing, having been the Lindy champions in 1997 The American Swing Dance Championships and the U.S. Open Championships.<ref name=rnh/><ref name=curtain>Sommer, Elyse.[http://www.curtainup.com/swing.html "A CurtainUp Review:Swing!"], Curtainup.com, February 3, 1999</ref>

Some of the songs have new lyrics, but most are well-known swing-era hits, including "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"; "[[Sing, Sing, Sing]]", "Jumpin at the Woodside"; and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)".<ref name=curtain/>

==Songs==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Act I
* "[[It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)]]" – Lyrics by [[Irving Mills]], Music by [[Duke Ellington]]
* "[[Air Mail Special]]" – Music by [[Benny Goodman]], [[James Mundy]] and [[Charlie Christian]]
* "[[Jersey Bounce]]" – Lyrics by [[Buddy Feyne]], Music by [[Tiny Bradshaw]], Eddie Johnson, and [[Bobby Plater]]
* "[[Opus No. 1 (1943 song)|Opus One]]" – Music by [[Don George]], [[Johnny Hodges]] and [[Harry James]]
* "[[Jumpin' at the Woodside]]" – Music by [[Count Basie]]
* "Bounce Me, Brother (with a Solid Four)" (from ''[[Buck Privates]]'') – Music and Lyrics by [[Don Raye]] and [[Hughie Prince]]
* "Two and Four" – Music by [[Ann Hampton Callaway]]
* "Hit Me with a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce" – Lyrics by D. George, Music by D. Ellington
* "Rhythm" – Music by Casey MacGill
* "Throw That Girl Around" – Music and Lyrics by [[Everett Bradley (musician)|Everett Bradley]], Ilene Reid and Michael Heitzman
* "Show Me What You Got" – Music by Jonathan Smith and E. Bradley
* "[[Bli Blip]]" (from ''[[Jump for Joy (Cannonball Adderley album)|Jump for Joy]]'') – Lyrics by [[Sid Kuller]], Music by D. Ellington
* "Billy-A-Dick" – [[Paul Francis Webster]] and additional lyrics by [[Seán Martin Hingston]], Music by [[Hoagy Carmichael]]
* "[[Harlem Nocturne]]" – Music by [[Earle Hagen]] and [[Dick Rogers]]
* "Kitchen Mechanics' Night Out" – Music and Lyrics by J. Smith, Paul Kelly, [[Lynne Taylor-Corbett]] and C. MacGill
* "Shout and Feel It" – Music by C. Basie
* "[[Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy|Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B)]]" (from ''[[Buck Privates]]'') – Music and Lyrics by D. Raye and H. Prince
* "[[G.I. Jive]]" – Music and Lyrics by [[Johnny Mercer]]
* "[[A String of Pearls (song)|A String of Pearls]]" – Lyrics by [[Eddie DeLange]], Music by [[Jerry Gray]]
* "[[(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo]]" – Lyrics by [[Mack Gordon]], Music by [[Harry Warren]]
* "[[Candy (1944 song)|Candy]]" – Music and Lyrics by [[Mack David]], [[Joan Whitney Kramer]] and [[Alex Kramer (songwriter)|Alex Kramer]]
* "I'm Gonna Love You Tonight" – Lyrics by Jack Murphy, Music by C. MacGill
* "[[I'll Be Seeing You (song)|I'll Be Seeing You]]" (from ''[[Right This Way]]'') – Lyrics by [[Irving Kahal]], Music by [[Sammy Fain]]
* "[[In the Mood]]" – Lyrics by [[Andy Razaf]], Music by [[Joe Garland]]
* "[[Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)]]" – Lyrics by [[Lew Brown]] and [[Charles Tobias]], Music by [[Sam H. Stept]]
{{col-break}}
;Act II
* "Swing! Brother, Swing!" – Music and Lyrics by [[Walter Bishop, Sr.]], Lewis Raymond and [[Clarence Williams (musician)|Clarence Williams]]
* "[[Caravan (Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington song)|Caravan]]" – Lyrics by I. Mills, Music by [[Juan Tizol]] and D. Ellington
* "Dancers in Love" – Music by D. Ellington
* "[[Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton song)|Cry Me a River]]" – Music and Lyrics by [[Arthur Hamilton]]
* "[[Blues in the Night]]" – Lyrics by J. Mercer, Music by [[Harold Arlen]]
* "[[Take Me Back To Tulsa]]"/"[[Stay A Little Longer]]" – Music by [[Bob Wills]] and [[Tommy Duncan]]
* "Boogie Woogie Country" – Music by J. Murphy and Jonathan Smith
* "All of Me" – Lyrics by Seymour Simons, Music by Gerald Marks
* "I Won't Dance" (from ''[[Roberta (1935 film)|Roberta]]'') – Dorothy Fields and Additional lyrics by Ann Hampton Callaway, Music by Jerome Kern
* "Bill's Bounce" – Music by Bill Elliott
* "Stompin' at the Savoy" – Additional lyrics by Ann Hampton Callaway and Andy Razaf, Music by Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson and Chick Webb
* "Swing, Brother, Swing" (Reprise) – Music and Lyrics by Walter Bishop, Lewis Raymond and Clarence Williams
* "[[Sing,_Sing,_Sing_(With_a_Swing)]]" – Music and Lyrics by Louis Prima, Andy Razaf and Leon Berry
* "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (Reprise) – Lyrics by Irving Mills, Music by Duke Ellington<ref name=curtain/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_s/swing.htm|title=Swing - Musical Dance Revue - The Guide to Musical Theatre|website=Guidetomusicaltheatre.com|access-date=May 29, 2023}}</ref>
{{col-end}}

==Awards and nominations==
===Original Broadway production===
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
|-
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="40%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
! width="5%"| Ref
|-
| rowspan="11" align="center"| 2000
| rowspan="3"| [[Drama Desk Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical|Outstanding Musical]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="3" align="center"|<ref>[http://www.dramadesk.com/1999_2000dd.html Drama Desk Awards and nominations, 1999–2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215163031/http://www.dramadesk.com/1999_2000dd.html |date=December 15, 2010 }}, Dramadesk.com. Retrieved January 4, 2009</ref>
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography|Outstanding Choreography]]
| [[Lynne Taylor-Corbett]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations|Outstanding Orchestrations]]
| [[Harold Wheeler (musician)|Harold Wheeler]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" colspan="2"| [[Theatre World Award]]
| Everett Bradley
| {{won}}
| rowspan="2" align="center"|<ref>[http://www.theatreworldawards.org/award.html Theatre World winners], Theatreworldawards.org. Retrieved January 4, 2009</ref>
|-
| [[Ann Hampton Callaway]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="6"| [[Tony Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="6" align="center"|<ref>[http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search Tony Awards and niminations, 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831204617/http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search |date=August 31, 2016 }} tonyawards.com. Retrieved January 4, 2009</ref><br /><ref>Pogrbin, Robin. "Tony Nominations Mirror a Small World", ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 9, 2000, p. E1</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Laura Benanti]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Ann Hampton Callaway]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical|Best Direction of a Musical]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Lynne Taylor-Corbett]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Choreography|Best Choreography]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Orchestrations|Best Orchestrations]]
| [[Harold Wheeler (musician)|Harold Wheeler]]
| {{nom}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Ibdb show|id=8480}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061122220724/http://www.tuts.com/season06/Swing_study.pdf Swing study guide from TUTS]
*[http://www.swing-lyrics.com/ Swing song lyrics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601111452/http://www.swing-lyrics.com/ |date=June 1, 2011 }}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1999 musicals]]
[[Category:Broadway musicals]]