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Altar Boyz

Altar Boyz is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila (based on an idea by Marc J. Kessler and Ken Davenport). Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the show satirizes, among other things, the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian-themed music in contemporary American culture. It began an Off Broadway run on March 1, 2005, and closed on January 10, 2010, after sixteen previews and 2,032 regular performances, making it the 9th longest-running Off-Broadway musical of all time.

Altar Boyz
MusicGary Adler
Michael Patrick Walker
LyricsGary Adler
Michael Patrick Walker
BookKevin Del Aguila
Productions2004 NY Musical Theatre Festival
2005 Off Broadway
2007-2009 U.S. tour
Korean
Hungarian
2007 Chicago Resident Production
2009 Celebration Theatre Production

Synopsis

The musical is presented in real time as the final concert of the national "Raise the Praise" tour staged by the five-member group the Altar Boyz. Four of the group's members, Matthew ("the leader"), Mark ("the sensitive one"), Luke ("the bad boy") and Juan ("the Latin Lover"), apparently are named after the authors of the four canonical Christian Gospels. The fifth member is Abraham, who, the group explains in the show's opening number, is Jewish. The members of the group address the audience directly and refer to the venue and location in which the performance is taking place.

The Altar Boyz come out to introduce themselves (We Are The Altar Boyz). They go on to explain their love of God in song (Rhythm In Me). They use a gadget from SONY called the "Soul Sensor DX-12", which tells them and the audience how many souls that need to be saved. At this performance, 99 souls need to be saved. The first attempt of saving them comes from the Boyz singing about how to behave when at church (Church Rulez). This is a success.

The five Boyz proceed to perform biased skits based on what they remember of the band's formation.

Matthew remembers having trouble writing a song for the retirement party of Father Lucas, a priest at the church he attended. Mark enters the church, but does not offer much help.

Mark remembers Matthew complimenting his hair, and becomes flustered. In this skit, Matthew says that he is writing a love song for Jesus.

In Luke's point of view, his friends are completely silent when he enters the church.

Juan recalls running in and meeting the Boyz for the first time. He dramatically explains that he was born on a church in Tijuana, but found a way to Ohio, in search of his parents. Matthew, Mark, and Luke react very insensitively to this.

In Abraham's point of view, he enters to give Luke his term paper, done for Luke by Abraham. Luke points out that Abraham is a writer, and Abraham agrees to help him write the song if he gives him a robe, and Matthew agrees. However, Abraham does not finish the song. Suddenly, they are encountered by God (Or, the voice of G.O.D), who demands for the Boyz to become a boy band. Abraham believes this is a mistake, but the Boyz obey. (The Calling).

After the song, the Boyz explain their jobs in the group. Matthew is the leader, Mark is the choreographer, Juan picked out the clothes, Abraham is the songwriter, and Luke drives the tour van. According to Matthew, Luke has had to go to rehabilitation, and Luke swears he went there for exhaustion. The Boyz break out in a rap about three of Jesus's miracles. They manage to save a few souls (The Miracle Song). Then, Abraham sings his own song, claiming that it doesn't matter who you are, but that you belong in God's family nonetheless (Everybody Fits).

Once the song is through, Matthew and the Boyz read scripted confessions, supposedly from the audience. The last of the confessions is from Larry, whose girlfriend has been pressuring him to lose his virginity. Luke and Matthew are against Larry having premarital sex. Matthew sings a love song based on abstinence, bringing up a real audience member onstage, while Mark swoons, mistaking the song to be about him (Something About You). Matthew gives a souvenir to the audience member, a towelette, that is taken by Mark as she is led off the stage. Luke, fed up with Mark's jealousy, pleads for the Boyz, as well as the audience, to focus on their souls, as he has been working on his (Body, Mind, and Soul).

The soul sensor goes down to thirty three. Matthew declares a surprise party for Juan, and gives him a very special letter addressed to him. The letter states that they have finally found Juan's parents, but said parents are no longer alive, and were found at a cemetery. The Boyz try to continue the set list like normal, but Juan begins to cry and grieves his family. Abraham takes his place in singing his big song, but gives up on the dance break and attempts to search for Juan, who has run away and is trying to leave the theater. When the Boyz get him back, he regains his confidence and continues his song with pride (La Vida Eternal).

There are ten people left whose souls still need to be saved. To save them, Mark shares his story with Episcopalian bullies, who bullied him for his voice and his stylistic choices. Out of the blue, Matthew comes in to defend him from the bullies. Mark, smitten, calls him his guardian angel. This was his Catholic awakening (Epiphany). This has saved six souls, but there are still four left in the audience.

The Altar Boyz try to save those four whose souls are still lost with a song that they have never performed before, and only perform in extreme circumstances. In the song, they try desperately to help, in any way possible, to save the audience (Number 918). This does not work. As Luke tries for an encore, Matthew stops the Boyz, and shamefully admits that he has signed a solo deal, and will be leaving the band. One by one, each boy admits that they will also be leaving the band after this performance, except for Abraham, who rejected the deal he was offered. Now, he understands why he's in the band. Abraham gives his finally complete song to the band. One by one, each boy enters the song, and they sing together for one last time, promising that they will always be friends, and there's a reason why they're here (I Believe).

Production history

Directed by Stafford Arima and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, Altar Boyz debuted at the 47th Street Theatre (The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre) in New York City as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September 2004. The NYMF cast included Cheyenne Jackson as Matthew, Tyler Maynard as Mark, Andy Karl as Luke, Ryan Dunca as Juan, and David Josefsberg as Abraham. Marc Kudisch performed the pre-recorded role of "G.O.D." Due to the nature of the festival, the NYMF run was limited to eight performances on an irregular schedule over the course of a few weeks.

After 16 preview performances, the show opened Off Broadway at Stage 4 of Dodger Stages (now New World Stages) on March 1, 2005.[1] The cast was the same as in the NYMF production, except Scott Porter played the part of Matthew and Shadoe Stevens played the pre-recorded role of "G.O.D." The production closed on January 10, 2010, after 2,032 regular performances, making it the ninth longest-running Off-Broadway musical of all time.[2]

There have been touring productions of Altar Boyz in the United States (in 2007, 2008 and 2009) and resident productions in Chicago (2007), and South Korea, Hungary, Finland, Australia, the Philippines and Japan as well as numerous regional and amateur productions. In 2013 it was performed as part of the Adelaide Fringe.

In 2020 over thirty actors previously associated with the show filmed a virtual music video of "I Believe" to raise money for The Actors Fund.[3]

Characters

  • Matthew: The leader of the band, who believes in sexual abstinence. First tenor of the group.
  • Mark: The sensitive choreographer of the band, who has a crush on Matthew, but is closeted. Countertenor of the group.
  • Luke: The bad boy of the band that drives the tour bus, who has had problems with communion wine and dropped out of school. Bass of the group.
  • Juan: The Latin lover of the band that picks out the clothes, who is searching for his parents. Second tenor of the group.
  • Abraham: The gefilte fish out of water who is also the songwriter. He is Jewish and isn't exactly sure why he's in a Catholic band. Baritone of the group.

Cast

NYMF (2004) Off-Broadway (2005)[4] Off-Broadway Closing Cast
Matthew Cheyenne Jackson Scott Porter Michael Kadin Craig
Mark Tyler Maynard Travis Nesbitt
Luke Andy Karl Lee Markham
Juan Ryan Duncan Mauricio Pérez
Abraham David Josefsberg Ravi Roth

Songs

Awards and nominations

Cast recording

Altar Boyz was recorded in March 2005 and was released on May 17, 2005, by Ghostlight Records (an imprint of Sh-K-Boom Records).

References

  1. ^ . Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-10-22.
  2. ^ Bacalzo, Dan (4 December 2009). "Altar Boyz to Close Off-Broadway January 10". TheaterMania. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  3. ^ Gans, Andrew (2 July 2020). "Over 30 Former Altar Boyz Join Forces for Virtual Rendition of 'I Believe'". Playbill. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Altar Boyz Original Off-Broadway Musical Cast 2005 | Off-Broadway World". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2023-03-20.

External links

  • MichaelPatrickWalker.com Official site for Composer/Lyricist Michael Patrick Walker
  • DelAguila.info Official site for Book Writer Kevin Del Aguila
  • StaffordArima.com Official site for Off Broadway Director Stafford Arima
  • Robyn Goodman (producer) - Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org, August 2005
  • AltarHolics.com Official Fan Site
  • TheProducersPerspective.com Blog for one of the producers of the Off Broadway production

altar, boyz, musical, comedy, with, music, lyrics, gary, adler, michael, patrick, walker, book, kevin, aguila, based, idea, marc, kessler, davenport, centering, fictitious, christian, band, from, ohio, show, satirizes, among, other, things, phenomenon, bands, . Altar Boyz is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila based on an idea by Marc J Kessler and Ken Davenport Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio the show satirizes among other things the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian themed music in contemporary American culture It began an Off Broadway run on March 1 2005 and closed on January 10 2010 after sixteen previews and 2 032 regular performances making it the 9th longest running Off Broadway musical of all time Altar BoyzMusicGary Adler Michael Patrick WalkerLyricsGary Adler Michael Patrick WalkerBookKevin Del AguilaProductions2004 NY Musical Theatre Festival 2005 Off Broadway 2007 2009 U S tour Korean Hungarian 2007 Chicago Resident Production2009 Celebration Theatre Production Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Production history 3 Characters 4 Cast 5 Songs 6 Awards and nominations 7 Cast recording 8 References 9 External linksSynopsis EditThe musical is presented in real time as the final concert of the national Raise the Praise tour staged by the five member group the Altar Boyz Four of the group s members Matthew the leader Mark the sensitive one Luke the bad boy and Juan the Latin Lover apparently are named after the authors of the four canonical Christian Gospels The fifth member is Abraham who the group explains in the show s opening number is Jewish The members of the group address the audience directly and refer to the venue and location in which the performance is taking place The Altar Boyz come out to introduce themselves We Are The Altar Boyz They go on to explain their love of God in song Rhythm In Me They use a gadget from SONY called the Soul Sensor DX 12 which tells them and the audience how many souls that need to be saved At this performance 99 souls need to be saved The first attempt of saving them comes from the Boyz singing about how to behave when at church Church Rulez This is a success The five Boyz proceed to perform biased skits based on what they remember of the band s formation Matthew remembers having trouble writing a song for the retirement party of Father Lucas a priest at the church he attended Mark enters the church but does not offer much help Mark remembers Matthew complimenting his hair and becomes flustered In this skit Matthew says that he is writing a love song for Jesus In Luke s point of view his friends are completely silent when he enters the church Juan recalls running in and meeting the Boyz for the first time He dramatically explains that he was born on a church in Tijuana but found a way to Ohio in search of his parents Matthew Mark and Luke react very insensitively to this In Abraham s point of view he enters to give Luke his term paper done for Luke by Abraham Luke points out that Abraham is a writer and Abraham agrees to help him write the song if he gives him a robe and Matthew agrees However Abraham does not finish the song Suddenly they are encountered by God Or the voice of G O D who demands for the Boyz to become a boy band Abraham believes this is a mistake but the Boyz obey The Calling After the song the Boyz explain their jobs in the group Matthew is the leader Mark is the choreographer Juan picked out the clothes Abraham is the songwriter and Luke drives the tour van According to Matthew Luke has had to go to rehabilitation and Luke swears he went there for exhaustion The Boyz break out in a rap about three of Jesus s miracles They manage to save a few souls The Miracle Song Then Abraham sings his own song claiming that it doesn t matter who you are but that you belong in God s family nonetheless Everybody Fits Once the song is through Matthew and the Boyz read scripted confessions supposedly from the audience The last of the confessions is from Larry whose girlfriend has been pressuring him to lose his virginity Luke and Matthew are against Larry having premarital sex Matthew sings a love song based on abstinence bringing up a real audience member onstage while Mark swoons mistaking the song to be about him Something About You Matthew gives a souvenir to the audience member a towelette that is taken by Mark as she is led off the stage Luke fed up with Mark s jealousy pleads for the Boyz as well as the audience to focus on their souls as he has been working on his Body Mind and Soul The soul sensor goes down to thirty three Matthew declares a surprise party for Juan and gives him a very special letter addressed to him The letter states that they have finally found Juan s parents but said parents are no longer alive and were found at a cemetery The Boyz try to continue the set list like normal but Juan begins to cry and grieves his family Abraham takes his place in singing his big song but gives up on the dance break and attempts to search for Juan who has run away and is trying to leave the theater When the Boyz get him back he regains his confidence and continues his song with pride La Vida Eternal There are ten people left whose souls still need to be saved To save them Mark shares his story with Episcopalian bullies who bullied him for his voice and his stylistic choices Out of the blue Matthew comes in to defend him from the bullies Mark smitten calls him his guardian angel This was his Catholic awakening Epiphany This has saved six souls but there are still four left in the audience The Altar Boyz try to save those four whose souls are still lost with a song that they have never performed before and only perform in extreme circumstances In the song they try desperately to help in any way possible to save the audience Number 918 This does not work As Luke tries for an encore Matthew stops the Boyz and shamefully admits that he has signed a solo deal and will be leaving the band One by one each boy admits that they will also be leaving the band after this performance except for Abraham who rejected the deal he was offered Now he understands why he s in the band Abraham gives his finally complete song to the band One by one each boy enters the song and they sing together for one last time promising that they will always be friends and there s a reason why they re here I Believe Production history EditDirected by Stafford Arima and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli Altar Boyz debuted at the 47th Street Theatre The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre in New York City as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September 2004 The NYMF cast included Cheyenne Jackson as Matthew Tyler Maynard as Mark Andy Karl as Luke Ryan Dunca as Juan and David Josefsberg as Abraham Marc Kudisch performed the pre recorded role of G O D Due to the nature of the festival the NYMF run was limited to eight performances on an irregular schedule over the course of a few weeks After 16 preview performances the show opened Off Broadway at Stage 4 of Dodger Stages now New World Stages on March 1 2005 1 The cast was the same as in the NYMF production except Scott Porter played the part of Matthew and Shadoe Stevens played the pre recorded role of G O D The production closed on January 10 2010 after 2 032 regular performances making it the ninth longest running Off Broadway musical of all time 2 There have been touring productions of Altar Boyz in the United States in 2007 2008 and 2009 and resident productions in Chicago 2007 and South Korea Hungary Finland Australia the Philippines and Japan as well as numerous regional and amateur productions In 2013 it was performed as part of the Adelaide Fringe In 2020 over thirty actors previously associated with the show filmed a virtual music video of I Believe to raise money for The Actors Fund 3 Characters EditMatthew The leader of the band who believes in sexual abstinence First tenor of the group Mark The sensitive choreographer of the band who has a crush on Matthew but is closeted Countertenor of the group Luke The bad boy of the band that drives the tour bus who has had problems with communion wine and dropped out of school Bass of the group Juan The Latin lover of the band that picks out the clothes who is searching for his parents Second tenor of the group Abraham The gefilte fish out of water who is also the songwriter He is Jewish and isn t exactly sure why he s in a Catholic band Baritone of the group Cast EditNYMF 2004 Off Broadway 2005 4 Off Broadway Closing CastMatthew Cheyenne Jackson Scott Porter Michael Kadin CraigMark Tyler Maynard Travis NesbittLuke Andy Karl Lee MarkhamJuan Ryan Duncan Mauricio PerezAbraham David Josefsberg Ravi RothSongs EditWe Are the Altar Boyz Altar Boyz Rhythm In Me Altar Boyz Church Rulez Altar Boyz The Calling Altar Boyz The Miracle Song Altar Boyz Everybody Fits Abraham amp Altar Boyz Something About You Matthew amp Altar Boyz Body Mind amp Soul Luke amp Altar Boyz La Vida Eternal Juan amp Altar Boyz Epiphany Mark amp Altar Boyz Number 918 Altar Boyz Finale I Believe Altar Boyz Bows amp Altar Boyz Remix Altar BoyzAwards and nominations EditOuter Critics Circle Award Best Off Broadway Musical winner Drama Desk Award Outstanding Musical nominee Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Tyler Maynard nominee Drama Desk Award Outstanding Choreography Christopher Gattelli nominee Drama Desk Award Outstanding Music Gary Adler amp Michael Patrick Walker nominees Drama Desk Award Outstanding Lyrics Gary Adler amp Michael Patrick Walker nominees Drama Desk Award Outstanding Book of a Musical Kevin Del Aguila nominee Drama Desk Award Outstanding Orchestrations Doug Katsaros amp Lynne Shankel nominees Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Musical nominee Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Choreography Christopher Gattelli winner Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Featured Actor Tyler Maynard nominee Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Sound Design Simon Matthews nominee Drama League Award Distinguished Production of a Musical nominee Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Award Ryan Duncan David Josefsberg Andy Karl Tyler Maynard Scott Porter nominees Theatre World Award Tyler Maynard winner Cast recording EditAltar Boyz was recorded in March 2005 and was released on May 17 2005 by Ghostlight Records an imprint of Sh K Boom Records References Edit Altar Boyz at Lortel Archives The Internet Off Broadway Database Archived from the original on 2007 09 29 Retrieved 2006 10 22 Bacalzo Dan 4 December 2009 Altar Boyz to Close Off Broadway January 10 TheaterMania Retrieved 2023 03 21 Gans Andrew 2 July 2020 Over 30 Former Altar Boyz Join Forces for Virtual Rendition of I Believe Playbill Retrieved 20 March 2023 Altar Boyz Original Off Broadway Musical Cast 2005 Off Broadway World www broadwayworld com Retrieved 2023 03 20 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Altar Boyz MichaelPatrickWalker com Official site for Composer Lyricist Michael Patrick Walker DelAguila info Official site for Book Writer Kevin Del Aguila StaffordArima com Official site for Off Broadway Director Stafford Arima Robyn Goodman producer Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing org August 2005 AltarHolics com Official Fan Site TheProducersPerspective com Blog for one of the producers of the Off Broadway production Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Altar Boyz amp oldid 1145787921, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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