ADRIANNE LOBEL (1955- ) "On the Town." Group of 23 original scenic concept designs for the 1997 adaptation performed at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre, New York, directed by George C. Wolfe. All with graphite, four images include color pencil (one with ink); one drawing on paper, the rest on tissue (some tissue drawings backed with white paper). 15 smaller drawings on 253x356 mm; 10x14-inch sheets; 8 larger ones on 356x482 mm; 14x19-inch sheets.
On the Town is one of the most beloved musicals of all time. The 1944 show about three sailors who try to cram a lifetime of New York experience into a single 24-hour leave debuted Leonard Bernstein's famous score to lyrics and script by Betty Comden & Adolph Green. This production was its first major New York revival since 1971.
In Lobel's own words, On the Town was "the biggest and most ambitious production ever attempted at the Delacorte Theatre in the park. There is nothing there - and in order to do a sprawling musical with many locations, I had to come up with a giant machine that could hold a band, have a dance floor, and bring on all the scenery - at the same time not losing the sense of the spectacular locale of the park. It was only after sketching to the jazzy music for several weeks that I realized what I was drawing - a gigantic bridge with a 1940s band sitting on top - a bridge that could become Times square, The Museum of Natural History, Coney Island and many other places." The show was a great success in its original Central Park setting but failed to repeat that magic when it moved to Broadway.
Lobel has designed sets for Broadway, off-Broadway, and metropolitan and regional theater productions worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, Le Chatelet, The Royal National Theater, BAM, the Yale Repertory Theatre, Théatre Royal de la Monnai, New York City Opera, SUNY Purchase, and Central Park's Delacorte Theater. Her prolific work for the Mark Morris Dance Group is widely acclaimed. Many of her stage maquettes and designs are housed in the permanent collection of the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, including those for the Houston Grand Opera productions of "Nixon in China" and "Street Scene." In 2002 she produced and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical for "A Year With Frog and Toad" based upon the famous children's books by her late father, Arnold Lobel, whom she credits for instilling much of her work ethic and love of art.
