Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater


Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is a 1979 musical that marked the first collaboration of composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman. Based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1965 novel of the same name, the musical tells the story of Eliot Rosewater, a millionaire who develops a social conscience and creates a foundation to improve the lives of the citizens of an impoverished Indiana town.

Productions

The musical had a showcase in May 1979 at the WPA Theater in New York City. Directed by Ashman, Frederick Coffin played Eliot Rosewater and Jonathan Hadary played Mushari. Menken played the keyboards.
The musical transferred to the Entermedia Theatre Off-Broadway, where it opened on October 14, 1979 and closed on November 24, after 49 performances. Directed by Ashman, the production featured Frederick Coffin, Janie Sell, and Jonathan Hadary.
The musical was produced at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in May to June 1981, again directed by Ashman and starring Coffin. The cast also featured Robert Westenberg, Steve Liebman, Theresa Rabov, and Leslie Cass.
In March 2003, Rosewater was performed in concert as part of the CooperArts series at the Cooper Union; the concert featured Jim Walton, Carolee Carmello, and David Pittu.
The New England premiere of the show was performed from April 14–24, 2016 by Cape Cod Community College, in West Barnstable Massachusetts. The cast was made up of primarily students and most had heard of the book however not many knew that it had been made into a musical.
An Encores! Off-Center staged concert ran at New York City Center from July 27–30, 2016. The production starred Skylar Astin, Santino Fontana, Brynn O'Malley, and James Earl Jones. The production also featured Rebecca Naomi Jones and was directed by Michael Mayer. This cast recorded the first studio recording of this musical in 2017.

Cast and characters

Musical numbers

Source: CurtainUp
;Act I
;Act II