A Glimpse of the Rainbow as Finian Preps for Broadway

The sun was shining bright on September 23, but inside a rehearsal room at the Alvin Ailey building, Finian’s Rainbow was under the spell of that "Old Devil Moon." The charming musical, which features a book by Yip Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, music by Burton Lane, book adaptation by Arthur Perlman and original adaptation for New York City Center Encores! (where the production played earlier this year) by David Ives. And who is doing the charming in this winking, twinkling show, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle? None other than matinee idol Cheyenne Jackson, Tony winner Jim Norton, clear-voiced Kate Baldwin, Tony winner Chuck Cooper, comic talent Christopher Fitzgerald and a large cast of real pros. With its delicious score and topical themes, Finian's Rainbow is ripe for a Broadway revival... and with a cast like this, we are thanking our lucky stars that a trip to Missitucky is as close as the St. James Theatre, beginning on October 8.