| Little Dancer | |
| Music: | Stephen Flaherty |
| Lyrics: | Lynn Ahrens |
| Basis: | c. 1880 sculpture Little Dancer of Fourteen Years by Edgar Degas |
| Premiere Date: | October 25, 2014 |
| Premiere Location: | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. |
| Productions: | 2014 Kennedy Center |
Little Dancer is a musical with music by Stephen Flaherty and book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, based on Edgar Degas' 1880 statue Little Dancer of Fourteen Years. The musical premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2014. The original production was directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman.
The musical was retitled Marie, Dancing Still – A New Musical in 2018, prior to the production opening at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle in March 2019, and returned to its original title thereafter.
The musical premiered at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre on October 25, 2014. The production closed on November 30, 2014.[1] [2]
The writing team passed on a potential Los Angeles run in 2015 in order to do rewrites and revisions on the piece.[3] The invitation-only March 28, 2016 industry reading featured a newly revised draft of the show. Participants included a number of cast members from the original Kennedy Center production, including New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck, Rebecca Luker, Karen Ziemba, Kyle Harris and Michael X. Martin.[4]
A private reading was held in June 2018. The reading featured Tiler Peck, Robert Lindsay, Kate Baldwin and Karen Ziemba.[5] The musical was retitled Marie, A New Musical in 2018, and then Marie, Dancing Still. This is based on the "developmental work done by the creators to focus on the once ‘unknown’ woman at the heart of the story." The musical opened at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle on March 22, 2019 and concluded on April 14.[6] [7] The cast for the 5th Avenue Theatre production included Tiler Peck (Marie), Terrence Mann (Degas), Louise Pitre (Adult Marie), Dee Hoty (Mary Cassatt) and Karen Ziemba (Martine Van Goethem), with direction and choreography by Stroman.[8] [9] [10]
The musical is inspired by the story of Marie van Goethem, a young ballerina who posed for Edgar Degas. Marie became, inadvertently, the most famous dancer in the world. Torn by her family's poverty, her debt to the artist, and the lure of wealthy men, she struggles to keep her place in the corps de ballet. She is a girl on the verge of womanhood, caught between the conflicting demands of life and art.
| Character | Washington, D.C. (2014) | Private Reading (2016) | Private Reading (2018) | Seattle (2019) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Marie van Goethem | Tiler Peck | ||||
| Adult Marie van Goethem | Rebecca Luker | Kate Baldwin | Louise Pitre | ||
| Edgar Degas | Boyd Gaines | Robert Lindsay | Terrence Mann | ||
| Mary Cassatt, Proprietress | Janet Dickinson | Dee Hoty | |||
| Martine van Goethem | Karen Ziemba | ||||
| Charlotte van Goethem | Sophia Anne Caruso | Allie Kiesel | Sami Bray | Noelle Hogan | |
| Sabine, Madame Théodore | Michele Ragusa | Barbara Marineau | |||
| Christian, Bartender | Kyle Harris | ||||
| Monsieur Auguste Corbeil, Monsieur Pascal Plouff | Michael McCormick | Christopher Gurr | |||
| Antoinette van Goethem | Jenny Powers | Scarlett Strallen | Jenny Powers | ||
| Philippe de Marchal | Seán Martin Hingston | Seán Martin Hingston | David Elder | ||
| Luis Merante | Joseph J. Simeone | Eric Santagata | |||
| Madame Pruneau | Nina Goldman | Caitlin Abraham | |||
| Nicoline Sansouci | Jolina Javier | ||||
| Esmé Pruneau | Polly Baird | ||||
| Chantal Brett | Lyrica Woodruff | Megan Masako Haley | Lyrica Woodruff | ||
| Ondine Gigot | Juliet Doherty | Jasmine Ward | Jasmine Ward | ||
| Ensemble | Polly Baird Wendi Bergamini Lauren Blackman Sophia Anne Caruso Janet Dickinson Juliet Doherty Nina Goldman Kyle Harris Seán Martin Hingston Jolina Javier Michael X. Martin Michael McCormick James A. Pierce III Jenny Powers Katelyn Prominski Michele Ragusa John Riddle Amy Ruggiero Joseph J. Simeone Justin Urso Lyrica Woodruff | Polly Baird Sissy Bell Nina Goldman Stephen Hanna Kyle Harris Jolina Javier Michael X. Martin Claire Rathbun Sophie Silnicki Jasmine Ward | Polly Baird Sissy Bell Lauren Blackman Jim Borstelmann Sami Bray Nina Goldman Christopher Gurr Megan Masako Haley Kyle Harris Heather Hill Seán Martin Hingston Dee Hoty Jolina Javier Barbara Marineau Olivia Puckett Arbender Robinson Eric Santagata Scarlett Strallen | Caitlin Abraham Polly Baird Lauren Blackman Anaïs Blake Jim Borstelmann Abbey Del Corral David Elder Sara Esty Justin Genna Tyler Hardwick Jolina Javier Barbara Marineau Jasmine Ward Lyrica Woodruff |