Show History
History
Inspiration
Rothschild & Sons has a book by Sherman Yellen (Oh! Calcutta!) and music and lyrics from the dynamite team of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick ( Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello!, She Loves Me). It is based on the novel "The Rothschilds" by Frederic Morton. The story is a dramatized depiction of the life story of the Rothschilds family, from patriarch Mayer's humble beginnings in Germany to the family fortune eventually amassed, due to Mayer's sons' successful efforts in securing a declaration of rights for European Jews.
Productions
Rothschild & Sons opened Off-Broadway at the York Theatre Company on October 18, 2015. Directed by Jeffrey B. Moss and choreographed by Denis Jones, the production starred Robert Cuccioli as Mayer Rothschild and Glory Crampton as Gutele. It ran until November 8, 2015. The production re-mounted at the Park Theatre in London, running January 24 - February 17, 2018.
Rothschild & Sons is based on The Rothschilds, a 2-act musical by the same authors. On October 19, 1970, The Rothschilds opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). After closing, the musical enjoyed a second run in San Francisco. On February 10, 1990, an Off-Broadway revival, directed by Lonny Price, opened at the American Jewish Theatre. It ran for 435 performances.
Cultural Influence
- The Rothschilds is the final musical collaboration between composer Jerry Bock and composer Sheldon Harnick.
Trivia
- Rothschild & Sons was nominated for the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical Revival.
- The Broadway production of The Rothschilds was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 1971, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Lyrics.