On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 touched down on the moon and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on it.
To celebrate the anniversary, Playbill has gathered a list of space–related shows ranging from operas set on the moon to an Olivier Award–winning musical.
A scene from Via Galactica.
One of the most ambitious Broadway musicals to take the stage in the ’70s was Via Galactica, starring Raúl Julia (The Addams Family) and Irene Cara (Fame). The set included trampolines, suspended walkways, a flying spacecraft, and backdrop made up on ping-pong balls for hi-tech projections. The show, following a band of exiles living on an asteroid in the year 2972, had a book by Christopher Gore and Judith Ross, lyrics by Gore, and music by Galt MacDermot (Hair), and opened November 28, 1972, at the Uris (now Gershwin) Theatre.
Man on the Moon, written by John Phillips of the Mamas & The Papas, directed by Paul Morrisey, and produced by Andy Warhol, opened at Little (now Helen Hayes) Theater January 29, 1975. The musical follows an American astronaut who must save the world after an evil scientist plants a bomb on the moon. In 2009, a cast album was released through Varèse Sarabande and is currently available on Spotify.
In 2019, The Kennedy Center celebrated the moon landing with Earthrise, an original play by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Dawn Monique Williams. It follows three children of NASA employees in various departments who watch the launch of Apollo 11. The play features music and lyrics by Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk, and examines the awe and suspense that came with the mission to land a man on the moon.
Also in 2019, Leegrid Stevens’ Off-Off-Broadway play Spaceman gave audiences a look at traveling through the solar system as Molly journeys solo for eight months in an attempt to be the first person to reach Mars. The show celebrates the wonders of science, but also examines the psychological toll from spending an extended time alone in a confined space.
Return to the Forbidden Planet is a ‘50s & ‘60s jukebox musical, written by Bob Carlton, following Captain Tempest and his space crew. After landing on the mysterious planet D’Illyria. There, they meet a mad scientist and his daughter (plus their robot), who have a secret connection the new visitors. The show debuted in the West End at Cambridge Theatre in 1989, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It’s become a cult favorite among musical theatre enthusiasts thanks to its mixture of sci-fi with rock ‘n’ roll hits like “Great Balls of Fire,” “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” and “Pretty Woman.”
Vito Dieterle, Ethan Lipton, and Ian M. Riggs Joan Marcus
In 2017, The Public Theater hosted the world premiere of The Outer Space, written by Ethan Lipton with music composed and performed by Lipton, Vito Dieterle, Eben Levy, and Ian Riggs. Leigh Silverman directed the production, about a couple who leave Earth in order to find a better place to live. The show earned for a Lucille Lortel Award nomination.
In 2017, Opéra De Paris mounted a production of La Bohème, set in the future on the moon, directed by Claus Guth. You can see photos from the production below.
The ’90s saw Phillip Glass and David Henry Hwang create The Voyage, a three-act opera that celebrates the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America. Rather than center the show on him, however, the team focused on exploration through space and time. (Glass also wrote The Making of the Representative for Planet 8, which debuted in the ’80s.)
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1928 Following the birth of “talkie” films, Variety prints an article focusing on the amount of legit theatre talent that is being sought for the new medium. Among those stage actors being pursued for the silver screen is a Yiddish Theatre star named Muni Wiesenfreund, whose name is later changed to Paul Muni.
1972 A compilation of four one-act plays by Frank D. Gilroy, titled Present Tense, opens at the Sheridan Square Playhouse. Starring in Come Next Tuesday, Twas Brillig, So Please Be Kind, and the title play are Biff McGuire and Lois Smith. There are only eight performances.
1985 The Negro Ensemble Company presents Trevor Rhone’s Two Can Play at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Four. The play that explores a victory over male chauvinism is directed by Clinton Turner Davis and stars Hazel J. Medina and Sullivan H. Walker.
Today’s top stories tune in to last night’s virtual Broadway Barks hosted by Bernadette Peters, learn about an immersive production of Great Comet coming to Florida next year, and more
1966 Harold Prince’s short-lived It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman closes at the Alvin Theatre, having begun previews March 9. With a book by David Newman and Robert Benton, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, the musical starred Bob Holiday as Superman/Clark Kent. The show earned three Tony nominations: Best Actor in a Musical for Jack Cassidy, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Michael O’Sullivan, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Patricia Marand.
2008[title of show]—the musical that would rather be nine people’s favorite thing than 100 people’s ninth favorite thing—opens at the Lyceum Theatre. Originally produced at the Vineyard Theatre in 2006, the entire original cast—including co-creators Jeff Bowen (score) and Hunter Bell (book) as well as co-stars Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff—make the leap to the Broadway stage with the show.
2018 A new musical version of Twelfth Night begins at the Delacorte in Central Park. Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub, the adaptation is directed by Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Kwei-Armah with choreography by Lorin Latarro. The cast features Ato Blankson-Wood as Orsino, Nikki M. James as Viola, Andrew Kober as Malvolio, Shuler Hensley as Sir Toby Belch, and co-creator Taub as Feste. The Shakespeare musical was first performed as part of the Public Works program in 2016. Also on this day, Ivo van Hove’s adaptation of The Damned, based on the 1969 Oscar-nominated movie of the same name, begins performances at the Park Avenue Armory. It receives raves reviews.
2019 Luis Alfaro’s Mojada opens at The Public Theater Off-Broadway. Sabina Zúñiga Varela stars. Directed by Chay Yew,the play follows a young Mexican mother who gives up everything to bring her son to America.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Philippa Soo, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Okieriete Onaodowan, and Thomas Kail reflect on their Hamilton memories and the legacy of the history-making show.
Stars in the House, the daily live streamed concert series created by Playbill correspondent and SiriusXM Broadway host Seth Rudetsky and producer James Wesley, spotlights the Emmy-winning 2006–2013 TV series 30 Rock July 15 at 8 PM ET.
Guests include series creator and star, Emmy winner Tina Fey (Mean Girls), and her co-star, Tony winner Jane Krakowski (Nine, Grand Hotel). The two will be joined by surprise guests to celebrate the July 16 one-night-only return of 30 Rock onNBC for the network’s upfronts. Watch the stream above.
James Wesley and Seth Rudetsky Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Stars in the House launched March 16 to promote support for The Actors Fund and its services in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It has also raised funds for the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
New shows—streaming Monday–Saturday at 8 PM ET with afternoon shows Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM—feature performances by stars of stage and screen, in conversation and song with Rudetsky and Wesley. Peter Flynn serves as streaming director. Click here to watch previous episodes.
To make a tax-deductible donation to The Actors Fund visit ActorsFund.org/Donate. To donate to the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, visit NAACPLDF.org.
Look Back at Jane Krakowski, Liliane Montevecchi, and More in Grand Hotel on Broadway
Look Back at Jane Krakowski, Liliane Montevecchi, and More in Grand Hotel on Broadway
The show returns March 21–25 at New York City Center.
