Doctor Zhivago – A New Musical is a musical composed by Lucy Simon, lyrics by Michael Korie and Amy Powers, and book by Michael Weller; it is based on Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel Doctor Zhivago. It premiered in San Diego, California, in 2006, played in on tour in Australia in 2011, and, after several other productions, was staged on Broadway in 2015. Further productions have followed in several countries, including a long-running German production.
Contents
Productions
The show originally premiered as Zhivago in 2006 at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, with Ivan Hernandez in the title role as Yurii Zhivago.
A 2011 Australian touring production directed by Des McAnuff premiered as Doctor Zhivago – A New Musical at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney, in 2011. The Sydney cast included Anthony Warlow as Yurii Zhivago, Lucy Maunder as Lara, Taneel Van Zyl as Tonia and Martin Crewes as Pasha. The show received glowing reviews. The production ran from February 19 through April 3, 2011, before travelling to Melbourne where it ran there from April through May 29, 2011. Following Melbourne, a limited run was originally set at Brisbane from July 6 through July 31, but was extended a further two weeks, through August 14, 2011.
A 2012 Seoul production, directed by Des McAnuff, played at the Charlotte Theatre, Seoul, in 2012. The cast included Cho Seung-woo and Hong Kwang-ho as Yurii Zhivago, Jeon Mido and Kim Jiwoo as Lara Guisher, Choi Hyunjoo as Tonia, Kang Pilsuk as Pasha. It began previews on January 25, 2012, opened on January 27, 2012, and closed on June 3, 2012. The second production in South Korea, directed by Matthew Gardiner, played at the Charlotte Theatre from February 27 to May 7, 2018. Ryu Jung-han and Park Eun-tae starred as Yurii Zhivago, Jeon Mi-do and Jo Jung-eun as Lara Guisher, Lee Jung-hwa as Tonia, and Kang Pil-suk as Pasha. Its Finnish debut was in Helsinki City Theatre on October 3, 2013. In August 2014 Doctor Zhivago had another Scandinavian production at Malmö Opera. Sanna Nielsen starred as Lara, Christopher Wollter as Zhivago and Phillip Jalmelid as Pasha. It ran from August 29 to January 31. The show was performed in Swedish.
A 2015 Broadway production, again directed by Des McAnuff, starred Tam Mutu as Yurii Zhivago and Kelli Barrett as Lara Guisher. It began previews at the Broadway Theatre on March 27, 2015, opened on April 21, 2015, and closed on May 10, 2015, due to low ticket sales and a lack of Tony Award nominations. It had played a total of 26 previews and 23 performances. The Original Cast Recording was mixed at Audio Paint Studios in New York City between June 4 and July 12.
In 2016 it had a Hungarian staging at National Theatre of Győr. It was directed by Péter Forgács. In September 2017 Doctor Zhivago played in Poland at Podlaskie Opera and Philharmonic in Bialystok. The show was directed by Jakub Szydlowski. It is still running at the Podlaskie Opera and Philharmonics main stage. In January 2018 a german production opened at the Leipzig Opera, with subsequent productions following in Pforzheim and at the german musical open-air stage Tecklenburg. The production in Leipzig continues, as of 2024 and the Pforzheim production ran from September 2018 to the beginning of 2020. The Tecklenburg production played in Summer of 2019.
A 2019 UK concert was given at Cadogan Hall in London, produced by Lambert Jackson Productions. It starred Ramin Karimloo and Celinde Schoenmaker and was directed by Jordan Murphy, with musical direction by Adam Hoskins.
Synopsis
Act I
In 1930s Moscow, a woman and a girl stand over the grave of a Russian poet, Dr. Zhivago. The scene shifts to another gravesite, decades earlier, in 1903. A young Yurii Zhivago says goodbye to his father and meets the couple who is taking him in. He becomes friends with the couple's daughter, Tonia, who is around his age. The scene shifts to yet another gravesite, 6 months later, where young Lara and her mother, Mrs. Guishar, mourn the death of Lara's father. Komarovsky, a friend of Lara's mother, buys a dress shop for Mrs. Guishar and hits on Lara, who is still a child. Young Lara, Tonia, and Yurii wonder about what the future will bring. ("Two Worlds")
Years later, in August 1914, Yurii has graduated medical school and is engaged to Tonia. A teenaged Lara has become involved with Pasha, a revolutionary with the Communist party, who asks her to hide his gun. We see Pasha and other student revolutionaries start a protest that is violently broken up by the police. Yurii rushes out to help the wounded protestors.
Meanwhile, Lara, who has been coerced into becoming Komarovsky's lover, is sick of being threatened by him and resolves to kill him. She hides Pasha's gun in her coat and follows Komarovsky to Yurii and Tonia's wedding, where Komarovsky gives a toast ("Komarovsky's Toast"). Lara tries to shoot Komarovsky, interrupting the festivities, but her aim is poor and she hits another man.
Yurii stitches up the wounded man and watches Lara and Komarovsky's conversation from afar. Yurii is intrigued by Lara and wonders what her relationship to Komarovsky is, and why she would shoot him. ("Who Is She?") After telling Komarovsky to stay away from her, Lara flees and Yurii confronts Komarovosky, who tells Yurii not to make an enemy of him.
A few weeks later, at Pasha and Lara's wedding celebration, Pasha and his friends mock the tsar and dance. ("It's a Godsend") Later that night, Lara tells Pasha how she got involved with Komarovsky, and how she shot him because he acted like he owned her and would not stay away. She couldn't keep living like that, and thought killing him was the only way she could regain control of her life. ("When the Music Played") Lara then asks for Pasha's forgiveness, but he rushes out in a rage. Lara goes after him and runs into Yurii; he gives her his umbrella. ("Who Is She? (Reprise)")
Act II
It is 1919. In the fields near Yuriiatin, some women—Lara among them—work the earth for spring planting. ("Women And Little Children") A woman called Yelenka says soldiers dragged her husband, Vasya, from their house. Lara tries to comfort Yelenka by saying that Vasya will return, and that part of him will always be there with her. Halfway through the song, she starts remembering Yurii. ("He's There")
The scene changes to the train station in Yuriiatin, where Yurii and his family have arrived from Moscow. Tonia, Sasha, and Alex go off in search of information, while Yurii is approached by Captain Liberius and other soldiers, who force him to go with them. Tonia finds out that Yurii was taken by soldiers who work for Strelnikov, the ruthless Commander of the Red Army Partisans who burns down villages for pleasure.
In Strelnikov's railway car, Yurii is questioned by Strelnikov. The audience finds out that Strelnikov is actually Lara's husband, Pasha. He wants to know if Yurii worked with a nurse called Larissa Antipova during the war, and Yurii says that she was a wonderful nurse. Strelnikov tells him that her husband did not survive the war.
A young peasant is brought in and accused of blowing up a train and spying for the White Army. Though the peasant swears he is innocent, Strelnikov says that all privileged men have to die because they showed no mercy to others during all the years they were in power, which to him is clearly tied to what Komarovsky did to Lara. Strelnikov believes that in order to forge the way for a new world, everything old has to fall. ("No Mercy At All") Tonia comes looking for Yurii and Strelnikov releases him, but orders the peasant thrown into the ravine.
Yelenka tells Lara that she is going on a date with a mystery gentleman, and asks her to lock up the library where they both work. Meanwhile, Alex, Sasha, Yurii, and Tonia open up the cottage and Alex reminisces about the estate back in its golden days. ("In This House (Reprise)") A few days or weeks later, Sasha asks to go to the library because he has read every book in the house already. Yurii reprimands him, saying that they should be content with the books they have.
While Alex tucks Sasha in, Tonia asks Yurii how long he will keep finding excuses not to write. She begs him to follow his heart and go into the library in town to write, but Yurii protests that his heart is here, with his family. Tonia insists that tomorrow he will go to the library first thing in the morning. At the library, Yurii runs into Lara and tells her he tried to stay away but could not. She says it is too dangerous for them to do anything because Strelnikov is her husband and his spies are everywhere. The main characters sing a quintet about how love is both a blessing and a curse, and how it finds you in the most unexpected places. ("Love Finds You")
Roles and original cast
The cast for the Australian premiere of Doctor Zhivago – A New Musical at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney:
Recordings
An Australian cast album was planned but not released in 2011, however two songs by Maunder and Warlow eventuated and are now able to be viewed on YouTube:
"Now"
"On the Edge of Time"
In mid-2015, the Doctor Zhivago (Original Broadway Cast Recording) was issued by Broadway Records. The album features Tam Mutu (Zhivago), Kelli Barrett (Lara), Tom Hewitt (Komarovsky), and Paul Alexander Nolan (Pasha).
A German cast recording was released in December of 2019, featuring all songs of the musical. It is a recording of live performances featuring the original german cast of the Leipzig Opera production.