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One of the Most Beloved Sitcoms of All Time Is Being Turned Into a Musical

Dec 7, 2012  •  Post A Comment

One of television’s most beloved sitcoms of all time is becoming a musical. Entertainment Weekly reports that the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego will present a new production based on “The Honeymooners.”

The original series ran during television’s early days, airing first as a sketch on the DuMont Network before evolving into a half-hour comedy on CBS during the early 1950s. The series focused on the antics of Brooklyn residents Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) and his wife, Alice (Audrey Meadows), along with Ralph’s best friend, Ed Norton (Art Carney), and Ed’s wife, Trixie (Joyce Randolph).

As we reported earlier this week, “The Honeymooners” recently finished a close second to “Seinfeld” in a poll naming the greatest sitcom of all time.

With the addition of songs and dancing, the musical "Honeymooners" will open the 2013-14 season at the Old Globe, with previews starting Sept. 8. The run will last until Oct. 27.

The plot of the musical has Ralph and Ed winning a jingle-writing contest and landing jobs on Madison Avenue. The Old Globe has been the launching pad for Broadway shows including "The Full Monty" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," so "The Honeymooners" could make it to New York if it does well in California.

Michael McGrath, who won a Tony for "Nice Work If You Can Get It," will star as Ralph. Jerry Mitchell ("Legally Blonde") will choreograph and direct. The book for the musical is by Dusty Kay and Bill Nuss with music by Stephen Weiner and lyrics by Peter Mills.

One Comment

  1. Excuse me, but this is NOTHING new. Both the original 1950s and 1960s versions of the Gleason show had this EXACT jingle-writing plot as a premise, and in fact, the 1960s Miami version has always been referred to as the “Musical Honeymooners” series. Nevertheless, nobody can ever replace the REAL Gleason and Carney as far as those of us who saw them originally are concerned. The new generation will not embrace this either. A total waste of time and money.

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