Steel Pier (musical)

Steel Pier
Original Broadway Cast album
Music	John Kander
Lyrics	Fred Ebb
Book	David Thompson
Productions	1997 Broadway 2011 London 2012 West End

Steel Pier is a musical written by the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb from the original book by David Thompson.

Directed by Scott Ellis with choreography by Susan Stroman, it opened on Broadway on April 24, 1997, and closed on June 28, 1997, running for 76 performances (and 33 previews). It starred Karen Ziemba as Rita Racine, Daniel McDonald as Bill Kelly, Gregory Harrison as Mick Hamilton, Debra Monk as Shelby Stevens, and Kristin Chenoweth, making her Broadway debut, as Precious. David Loud was the Music Director and created the vocal arrangements.

The show opened to mixed reviews, most praising the performances and score. Ben Brantley, in his review for The New York Times, concluded "Yet despite the flashes of grace and inventiveness in Ms. Stroman's choreography and the modest melodic appeal of the work's songs, Steel Pier is insulated by a fuzzy cover of blandness. For Mr. Kander and Mr. Ebb, devils obviously make better company than angels." Nominated for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book at the Tony Awards, the musical lost all to Titanic.

A new amateur production ran at the Bridewell Theatre, London, in February 2011.

The West End premiere ran at the Union Theatre, London, from October 31 to November 24, 2012. Directed by Paul Taylor-Mills with choreography by Richard Jones, and Musical Direction by Angharad Sanders.

Stunt pilot Bill Kelly lies face down on the 1933 Atlantic City shore, his flight jacket torn. He manages to stand up, looking at a raffle ticket he holds in his hand and then to the sky, and exclaims, "Alright! I understand! I've got three weeks! Three weeks!" before hurrying off.