FiniansOnBroadway.com

WALL-TO-WALL EAR CANDY!”

—Daily News

“No Broadway score is as beguiling from beginning to end as Burton Lane’s savory stew of Celtic lilt, Southern gospel and bubbling pop.”
—The New York Times

Charmed

The first-ever Broadway revival of Finian’s Rainbow is one hot plate of crazy. In a good way.

—By Stephanie Zacharek Published Oct 29, 2009 / http://nymag.com

(Photo: Joan Marcus)

Finian’s Rainbow—the 1947 musical in which a horny leprechaun chases after anything in a skirt, a mute ballerina communicates via interpretive dance, and a racist white senator is turned black by a magic pot of gold—is one hot plate of crazy. And yet in a world where the Birthers are being taken semi-seriously, who couldn’t use a pot of magic gold or two? It turns out that, for all its charming loopiness, Yip Harbug, Fred Saidy, and Burton Lane’s show—essentially a dream vision of an America without racism—is still a provocative work. This marvelous, slightly unhinged revival, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, succeeds because it refuses to wink at the material or treat it as quaint.

Two Irish émigrés, the mischievous, tippling Finian (Jim Norton, in a springy, adamantly untwinkly performance) and his plucky daughter, Sharon (Kate Baldwin), show up in Rainbow Valley, Missitucky, to execute a get-rich-eventually scheme. They’re welcomed by the locals, black and white alike, among them labor organizer and town hottie Woody (Cheyenne Jackson) and the sharecroppers who make their living in the valley’s tobacco fields (their de facto mother figure is the hip-rolling, straight-talking Dottie, played by ball-of-fire Terri White). Finian and Sharon end up on the very bad side of the bigoted Senator Rawkins (David Schramm), the fat cat who will soon become a hepcat (played by Chuck Cooper)—but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Carlyle and his cast run wild with the book’s fanciful, sweetly Utopian spirit, but they also hit the play’s satirical notes dead-on. (When one of the blustery white authority figures claims the now-black senator has been “demoted,” the line pierces like a lancet.) In a change from the original staging, the new, improved version of Rawkins is played by a black actor instead of a white actor in blackface. It’s a bold, necessary adjustment, just one way in which this show’s pleasures are doled out in go-for-broke splashes instead of tasteful dabs. The musical numbers are colorful though never garish—the dancers, in their whirling circle skirts and drapey trousers, make for a cheerful, retro spectacle. Admittedly, some of the magic dust wears off in the second act: There isn’t much of a plot, just a series of situations on which to hang songs. But what songs! Beyond the love-as-witchcraft sultriness of “Old Devil Moon,” there’s the wistful beauty of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” a ballad that speaks of homesickness not for a specific geographical location but for an elusive state of being—a place we’d happily put on a map, if only we could.

Charmed

Finian’s Rainbow.

Blissful surrender is the only option

By DAVID ROONEY OCTOBER 29, 2009 / https://variety.com

With: Finian McLonergan - Jim Norton Sharon McLonergan - Kate Baldwin Woody Mahoney - Cheyenne Jackson Bill Rawkins - Chuck Cooper Og - Christopher Fitzgerald Sunny - Guy Davis Susan Mahoney - Alina Faye Sheriff - Brian Reddy Sen. Rawkins - David Schramm Dottie - Terri White Buzz Collins - William Youmans

What better time for a show that makes gentle mockery of that incurable habit of building the illusion of wealth on nothing more than a dream and a credit line, while also offering the rose-tinted consolation that such folly will turn out fine in the end? But it’s not so much the uncanny appropriateness of its pixified fairy tale as the enveloping warmth of Burton Lane’s melodies and the spry wit of Yip Harburg’s lyrics that make “Finian’s Rainbow” such an infectious charmer. Rather than try to get around the 1947 musical’s daffy story by hammering the social satire, director-choreographer Warren Carlyle and his winning cast simply embrace its quaint idiosyncrasies.

An expanded version of the Encores! concert staging from March, the production pretty much banishes concerns about the over-complicated plotting and reform-minded preachiness of Harburg and Fred Saidy’s book, skillfully adapted by Harburg archivist Arthur Perlman. From the moment music director Rob Berman raises his lighter-than-air baton on the show’s soaring overture, blissful surrender is the only option.

A patchwork scrim reveals John Lee Beatty’s Technicolor-hued picture-book set depicting a verdant valley in the mythical state of Missitucky, where rascally Irishman Finian McLonergan (Jim Norton) arrives with daughter Sharon (Kate Baldwin). Armed with a pot of gold “borrowed” from leprechaun Og (Christopher Fitzgerald), Finian’s plan is to bury the loot in the shadow of Fort Knox, then watch it multiply.

The McLonergans bail out a community of poor sharecroppers whose land is threatened by the filibustering machinations of bigoted Sen. Rawkins (David Schramm). Sharon falls instantly in love with local boy Woody () and inadvertently turns the white senator black (with Chuck Cooper stepping into the role) via one of the pot of gold’s three wishes. Meanwhile, deprived of his magic, Og attempts to locate the treasure and halt his gradual transformation to human form.

If all this sounds like a crock of pure escapist whimsy, well, it is. But the humor is surprisingly durable, while the jokes about race relations, suspect banking practices, corrupt politics and rampant consumer lust still hit the target. Intermission is bookended by matching anthems to our acquisitive culture, with “That Great ‘Come-and-Get-It’ Day” exhorting the  Valley residents to buy now, pay later, while “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich” illustrates the boost in status a little shopping can bring.

Much of the credit for the revival’s appeal goes to astute casting. Norton made a memorably sly and sozzled Dubliner in “The Seafarer” two seasons back, and he delivers a more benign version of that twinkly stereotype here, dignifying it with soulfulness, nimble physicality and a gentle comic touch.

Jackson’s supple voice and relaxed leading-man confidence are a smooth fit for Woody, while Baldwin, mostly seen on Broadway up to now in secondary roles or replacement casts, is a revelation. A Maureen O’Hara-type beauty with an agreeably feisty manner and a crystal-clear soprano, she makes gorgeous work of her wistful solo “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” and sings gloriously with Jackson and other cast members on such standards as “Old Devil Moon” and “Look to the Rainbow.”

Fitzgerald’s vaudevillian musical comedy skills are put to excellent use as the Cole Porter-quoting Og, his kelly-green suit steadily shrinking as his mortality takes hold. He also socks across the hilarious “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love,” an unapologetic confession of romantic opportunism that exemplifies Harburg’s facility for clever rhymes: “Ev’ry femme that flutters by me/Is a flame that must be fanned/When I can’t fondle the hand I’m fond of/I fondle the hand at hand.”

Terri White scores big in the showstopper “Necessity,” a fired-up spiritual about the burdens of work. Schramm makes Rawkins an amusing blowhard (“The festering tides of radicalism are upon us!”), while Cooper is a fine physical match as his black doppelganger, turning on some Cab Calloway showmanship in the rousing quartet number, “The Begat.” Guy Davis blows sweet harmonica on “Dance of the Golden Crock,” while Alina Faye, as Woody’s mute sister, Susan, responds in lissome ballet to his every phrase.

With a nod to the exhilarating moves of original choreographer Michael Kidd, Carlyle blends classical with Celtic with hoedown to buoyant effect. That eclecticism perfectly complements the textural richness of the music, which folds together gospel, blues, traditional folk strains, mellow jazz and show tunes into one of Broadway’s most consistently melodious scores, heard here in Robert Russell Bennett and Don Walker’s lush original orchestrations.

Scott Lehrer’s crisp sound design, Toni-Leslie James’ characterful costumes and Ken Billington’s sugar-kissed lighting complete the enchanting package.

Finian's Rainbow

St. James Theater; 1,701 seats; $120 top

PRODUCTION: A David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, Alan D. Marks, Michael Speyer, Bernard Abrams, David M. Milch, Stephen Moore, Debbie Bisno/Myla Lerner, Jujamcyn Theaters presentation, in association with Melly Garcia, Jamie Deroy, Jon Bierman, Richard Driehaus, Kevin Spirtas, Jay Binder, Stage Ventures 2009 Limited Partnership, of a musical in two acts with music by Burton Lane, lyrics by Yip Harburg, book by Harburg and Fred Saidy. Book adaptation, Arthur Perlman; based on the New York City Center Encores! presentation, adapted by David Ives. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. Music supervision and vocal arrangements, Rob Berman.

CREATIVE: Sets, John Lee Beatty; costumes, Toni-Leslie James; lighting, Ken Billington; sound, Scott Lehrer; hair, wigs and makeup, Wendy Parson; original orchestrations, Robert Russell Bennett, Don Walker; music coordination, Seymour Red Press; technical supervision, Hudson Theatrical Associates; associate choreographer, Parker Esse; associate producers, Andrew Hartman, Gail Lawrence; executive producer, Nicole Kastrinos; production stage manager, Tripp Phillips. Opened Oct. 29, 2009. Reviewed Oct. 27. Running time: 2 HOURS, 15 MIN.

CAST: Finian McLonergan - Jim Norton Sharon McLonergan - Kate Baldwin Woody Mahoney - Cheyenne Jackson Bill Rawkins - Chuck Cooper Og - Christopher Fitzgerald Sunny - Guy Davis Susan Mahoney - Alina Faye Sheriff - Brian Reddy Sen. Rawkins - David Schramm Dottie - Terri White Buzz Collins - William YoumansWith: Aaron Bantum, Tanya Birl, Christopher Borger, Meggie Cansler, Bernard Dotson, Leslie Donna Flesner, Sara Jean Ford, Taylor Frey, Lisa Gajda, Kearran Giovanni, Tim Hartman, Laren Lim Jackson, Tyrick Wiltez Jones, Grasan Kingsberry, Kevin Ligon, Monica L. Patton, Joe Aaron Reid, Devin Richards, Steve Schepis, Rashidra Scott, Brian Sears, Paige Simunovich, James Stovall, Elisa Van Duyne

 

A Pot of Sunny Gold in Those Green Hills

FINIAN'S RAINBOW NYT Critic’s Pick

Closing Date: January 17, 2010
St. James Theater, 246 W. 44th St. 866-870-2717
By CHARLES ISHERWOOD OCT. 29, 2009 / NYTimes

Under the nimble direction of Warren Carlyle, who also supplies the buoyant choreography, this bounteous score is being sung with lively conviction by a cast of Broadway regulars and veterans, and one confident newcomer. The morning after seeing “Finian’s Rainbow,” you may well find yourself shaking your head at the absurdities of the book by Mr. Harburg and Fred Saidy, a tipsy jumble of romance, fantasy and satire. (Topics of surprising renewed relevance: the seductions of living on easy credit, the perils of foreclosure, the “misbegotten G.O.P.”) But you will remember, above all, the soaring lift of the music.

To call Kate Baldwin a newcomer is perhaps an overstatement. Ms. Baldwin has appeared on Broadway before and has a solid list of regional and Off Broadway credits. But never has she made the bewitching impression she does here. The show’s first moment of magic arrives shortly after Ms. Baldwin’s Sharon McLonergan descends the green hills of Missitucky with her enterprising father, the rainbow-chaser of the title, played by the reliably delightful Jim Norton (a Tony winner for “The Seafarer”).

Finian has noted the resemblance to their Irish hometown, where the skylarks sing the same tunes. Sharon senses it too. Feeling a twinge of homesickness, she pauses to sing one of the score’s most famous numbers, “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” Ms. Baldwin’s cool, pure soprano gently rides the crests of the undulant melody, tugging at each question in the lyric with a sensitivity that perfectly expresses the song’s tender, yearning essence.

The tune is folk-simple, the words drenched in stock ideas of Irishness, but as performed with both sophistication and sincerity by Ms. Baldwin, it has the distilled beauty of an art song. The crinkling blue eyes of Mr. Norton’s Finian, the classic sentimental Irishman, are soon misted over with longing, but he may not be the only one in the house in need of a handkerchief.

Such magic occurs whenever Ms. Baldwin has a chance to sing; happily, this is often. She is well paired with the easygoing charmer Cheyenne Jackson as the local boy Woody, who is snared almost as soon as he sets eyes on Sharon — or as soon as Finian sets eyes on this promising prospect for his daughter. Their gleaming voices blend smoothly on the show’s other well-known song, “Old Devil Moon,” a softly swinging duet about the strange magic that turns the boy or girl next door into an object of celestial attraction.

The notion is reprised in a more impish spirit in “Something Sort of Grandish,” Sharon’s tongue-twisting duet with her other admirer, a leprechaun-on-the-lam named Og, played with zesty, bug-eyed brio by the talented comic actor Christopher Fitzgerald. Og is also drawn to Woody’s sister, Susan (Alina Faye), the aforementioned dancing mute. Ms. Faye performs Mr. Carlyle’s choreography, which deftly blends the brisk rhythms of Irish step dancing with the vocabulary of classical ballet, with a clean, bright attack.

When the characters in “Finian’s Rainbow” are not swooning beneath a heart-smiting moon, they are caught up in a complicated plot pitting the good ol’ boy Senator Rawkins (a boisterously oily David Schramm) and his minions against the poor sharecroppers looking to Woody for leadership. From this, the more comic side of the score, come the gospel-inflected showstoppers “Necessity,” sung with burly gusto and wry flair by Terri White, and the rhythmic quartet “The Begat,” led with equal charisma and vocal command by Chuck Cooper, who plays the senator miraculously transformed into a black man.

How’s that, exactly? Never mind. The charms of “Finian’s Rainbow” do not reside in the delicacies of its plotting. And Mr. Carlyle and the show’s producers seem to have concluded that trying to upgrade the bare-bones scenery from the Encores! production was not really necessary either. Although the orchestra, under the attentive baton of the musical supervisor Rob Berman, has been moved into the pit (not the case with other Broadway transfers from the series), the set designs by John Lee Beatty have been only modestly upgraded. By the standards of today’s hyper-glossy Broadway musicals, the show looks cheap, performed as it is amid a sea of green cheesecloth.

Still, it’s the songs and the singers that matter here — even the less musically adept cast members. I cannot think of an actor I cherish more than Mr. Norton, whose performances in the plays of Conor McPherson (“The Weir,” “Dublin Carol” and “Port Authority,” in addition to “Seafarer”) compose a body of work unsurpassed in its artistry, humanity and truth by that of any actor in New York in the past decade. But I freely admit I never expected — or for that matter wanted — to see him singing and dancing in a Broadway musical.

Well, here he is, carrying a tune a little gingerly, as if it were a newborn kitten he’s in danger of dropping, and leaping skyward with an enthusiasm to match anyone’s onstage. Better yet, Mr. Norton brings to his potentially stereotypical role, that of the wily-lovable Irishman with a fondness for drink, the very qualities I mentioned before, which can be scarce in confectionary Broadway musicals new or old: namely, artistry, humanity and truth.

FINIAN’S RAINBOW

Music by Burton Lane; lyrics by E. Y. Harburg; book by Mr. Harburg and Fred Saidy; directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle; music supervision and vocal arrangement by Rob Berman; sets by John Lee Beatty; costumes by Toni-Leslie James; lighting by Ken Billington; sound by Scott Lehrer; hair, wig and makeup design by Wendy Parson; book adaptation by Arthur Perlman; associate choreographer, Parker Esse; production stage manager, Tripp Phillips; original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and Don Walker; music coordinator, Seymour Red Press; associate producers, Andrew Hartman and Gail Lawrence; executive producer, Nicole Kastrinos. Presented by David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, Alan D. Marks, Michael Speyer, Bernard Abrams, David M. Milch, Stephen Moore, Debbie Bisno/Myla Lerner and Jujamcyn Theaters, in association with Melly Garcia, Jamie DeRoy, Jon Bierman, Richard Driehaus, Kevin Spirtas, Jay Binder and StageVentures 2009 Limited Partnership. At the St. James Theater, 246 West 44th Street, Manhattan; (212) 239-6200. Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes.

WITH: Jim Norton (Finian McLonergan), Kate Baldwin (Sharon McLonergan), Cheyenne Jackson (Woody Mahoney), Guy Davis (Sunny), Alina Faye (Susan Mahoney), Brian Reddy (Sheriff), David Schramm (Senator Rawkins), Terri White (Dottie), William Youmans (Buzz Collins), Chuck Cooper (Bill Rawkins), Paige Simunovich (Diana), Christopher Borger (Henry) and Christopher Fitzgerald (Og).

More Background On FiniansOnBroadway.com

When Broadway productions are remembered years after their final curtain, it is often because photographs, reviews, cast recordings, and newspaper articles survive. Increasingly, however, official websites have become equally valuable historical artifacts. FiniansOnBroadway.com is one such example. Created as the official online home for the 2009 Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow, the website documented every aspect of the production while serving as its primary source of information for audiences, theater professionals, journalists, and musical theater enthusiasts.

Although the Broadway engagement concluded in January 2010, archived versions of the website continue to preserve an unusually complete snapshot of one of Broadway's most celebrated revivals of the period. Today, FiniansOnBroadway.com provides researchers and fans with access to production history, cast biographies, creative team information, performance schedules, promotional photography, videos, reviews, and historical background that might otherwise have disappeared.

The website represents a fascinating moment in Broadway's digital evolution. Before productions depended heavily on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and streaming interviews, official websites functioned as comprehensive information centers. FiniansOnBroadway.com exemplifies that era.

The Purpose of the Website

Unlike many entertainment websites designed primarily for branding, FiniansOnBroadway.com functioned as an all-in-one information portal supporting virtually every aspect of the Broadway production.

Visitors could learn what the musical was about, meet the cast, read biographies of the creative team, purchase tickets, locate the theater, view production photographs, watch promotional videos, browse frequently asked questions, and stay informed about the latest production news.

The site successfully balanced marketing with education.

Many potential ticket buyers had never seen Finian's Rainbow and knew only a few famous songs such as "Old Devil Moon" or "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" The website introduced these visitors to the show's whimsical story while simultaneously explaining why the revival had generated so much excitement among theater critics.

Rather than assuming prior familiarity, the homepage carefully summarized the musical's setting, principal characters, famous score, and themes. This educational approach broadened the production's appeal beyond longtime Broadway fans.

Design and User Experience

Viewed today through archived versions preserved by the Internet Archive, FiniansOnBroadway.com reflects the design philosophy common to major Broadway productions during the late 2000s.

The homepage immediately emphasized the show's colorful identity through large production photography, vibrant theatrical graphics, and enthusiastic critical quotations. Visitors encountered glowing endorsements from publications such as The New York Times and Daily News, helping establish credibility before they explored the remainder of the site.

Navigation was straightforward and intuitive. Major sections focused on:

• News
• Videos
• Cast
• Creative Team
• Reviews
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Tickets
• Production Information

Unlike modern websites that often prioritize short-form video and social media feeds, FiniansOnBroadway.com relied on substantial written content. Nearly every principal actor and creative contributor received a detailed professional biography. The result was a website that rewarded exploration rather than simply directing visitors toward ticket sales.

Even by today's standards, the site feels unusually informative.

Multimedia Before Social Media Dominated Broadway

One of the website's most interesting characteristics is its use of multimedia during a transitional period for online entertainment marketing.

Broadway productions in 2009 certainly utilized YouTube and online advertising, but social media had not yet become the dominant promotional platform.

Instead, FiniansOnBroadway.com served as the production's multimedia hub.

Visitors could watch highlight reels introducing the musical, explore professionally photographed production stills, and read articles documenting the show's journey from New York City Center Encores! to Broadway.

The multimedia was carefully curated rather than continuously updated, reflecting an era when websites were designed as polished digital brochures rather than constantly changing social media feeds.

This distinction makes the site especially valuable today because much of the original content remains accessible through archived snapshots.

A Website That Documented a Production in Real Time

One of FiniansOnBroadway.com's greatest strengths was its extensive news section.

Rather than merely reposting press releases, the site assembled coverage from respected publications including Variety, The New York Times, and Playbill. Visitors could follow the production almost chronologically—from the enormously successful Encores! engagement through the Broadway transfer, casting announcements, opening night, critical reception, and ongoing reviews.

This effectively transformed the website into a living production diary.

As months passed, the site's news archive became increasingly valuable because it preserved the public conversation surrounding the revival rather than simply advertising it.

Today, that historical record is arguably even more important than it was during the show's original run.

The Cast and Creative Team as Educational Resources

Many official theatrical websites provide only brief biographies.

FiniansOnBroadway.com instead offered unusually comprehensive profiles for its principal performers and creative personnel.

Visitors could learn about Jim Norton's Tony Award-winning dramatic career, Kate Baldwin's growing reputation within musical theater, Christopher Fitzgerald's acclaimed comic performances, Chuck Cooper's distinguished Broadway résumé, and Cheyenne Jackson's rapid emergence as one of Broadway's leading men.

The creative biographies were equally detailed.

Director Warren Carlyle, producer Jack Viertel, scenic designer John Lee Beatty, costume designer Toni-Leslie James, lighting designer Ken Billington, and music director Rob Berman all received substantial coverage that placed the production within the broader history of American musical theater.

For students researching Broadway professionals, these biographies remain valuable historical references.

Marketing During Broadway's Transitional Digital Era

Perhaps the website's greatest historical significance lies in what it reveals about Broadway marketing immediately before the social media revolution.

Today, Broadway productions typically emphasize:

• Instagram reels
• TikTok clips
• influencer collaborations
• streaming interviews
• behind-the-scenes social content
• continuous online engagement

FiniansOnBroadway.com reflects an earlier philosophy.

The website itself functioned as the primary destination.

Instead of distributing information across dozens of platforms, producers concentrated everything into one authoritative location.

As a result, the archived site feels remarkably complete.

Rather than finding fragmented content scattered across expired social media accounts, researchers can still explore a centralized record of the production exactly as audiences experienced it.

Why the Website Still Matters

Although the Broadway production lasted only a few months, the website has enjoyed a much longer life through preservation efforts by the Internet Archive.

This illustrates an important point about digital preservation.

Websites originally built for temporary commercial purposes often become valuable historical documents decades later.

FiniansOnBroadway.com now serves multiple audiences:

• Broadway historians
• theater students
• librarians
• journalists
• fans of classic musicals
• researchers studying Broadway marketing
• archivists documenting early twenty-first-century web design

Its continued availability allows future generations to experience not only the production itself but also how Broadway presented productions online before social media permanently changed entertainment marketing.

A Digital Legacy Beyond the Final Curtain

Broadway productions are inherently temporary. Sets are dismantled, costumes stored, theaters prepare for new shows, and casts move on to other projects.

Official websites, however, can preserve those productions indefinitely.

FiniansOnBroadway.com has become far more than a promotional website. It now functions as a historical archive documenting one of Broadway's finest modern revivals of a classic American musical.

By preserving cast biographies, production history, reviews, multimedia, promotional materials, and contemporary press coverage, the site offers an unusually complete picture of the 2009 revival while simultaneously illustrating how Broadway embraced the web during a pivotal period in digital marketing.

For anyone interested in Broadway history, the evolution of theater marketing, or the enduring legacy of Finian's Rainbow, FiniansOnBroadway.com remains an outstanding example of how a temporary promotional website can evolve into an enduring historical resource.

Popularity and Public Reception

Unlike long-running Broadway productions such as The Lion King or Wicked, the success of Finian's Rainbow was measured less by the length of its commercial run than by the enthusiasm it generated among critics, theater professionals, and fans of classic American musicals. FiniansOnBroadway.com reflected this distinction by emphasizing critical acclaim and artistic achievement rather than simply promoting ticket sales.

The homepage prominently displayed glowing endorsements from respected publications including The New York Times, Daily News, Variety, and New York Magazine. These quotations immediately communicated that audiences were seeing one of the most highly praised revivals of the season.

The strategy was particularly effective because Finian's Rainbow was not a household title for many younger theatergoers. While people often recognized songs like "Old Devil Moon" or "Look to the Rainbow," many had never experienced the musical itself. The website therefore relied heavily on trusted critics to introduce the production to prospective audiences.

Broadway fans responded enthusiastically, particularly those interested in the Golden Age of musical theater. Discussion boards such as BroadwayWorld, All That Chat, and Talkin' Broadway featured extensive conversations praising Warren Carlyle's staging, Kate Baldwin's breakthrough performance, Christopher Fitzgerald's comic brilliance, and Rob Berman's lush musical direction. Although opinions naturally varied regarding the show's whimsical plot, there was broad agreement that the revival represented one of the finest musical restorations in recent Broadway history.

Press Coverage Beyond Broadway

One aspect that distinguished FiniansOnBroadway.com from many official theatrical websites was its effort to collect and organize extensive press coverage.

Rather than simply issuing promotional announcements, the site became a centralized archive of journalism from major entertainment publications. Visitors could read about the production's journey from New York City Center Encores! to Broadway through articles published by The New York Times, Variety, Playbill, and other respected outlets.

This approach served several purposes.

For theater fans, it offered convenient access to virtually all of the important reporting surrounding the revival. For journalists, it reinforced the production's credibility by demonstrating that leading critics and industry publications regarded the transfer as a significant Broadway event. For researchers today, these archived articles provide valuable insight into how the revival was received by the theatrical community during 2009.

The website's news archive effectively transformed temporary press coverage into a lasting historical record.

The Importance of the Internet Archive

Like thousands of websites created for theatrical productions, FiniansOnBroadway.com was never intended to exist indefinitely.

Once the production closed in January 2010, regular updates ceased, ticket sales ended, and the site's original commercial purpose disappeared. Had it not been preserved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, much of its content would likely have been lost.

The Internet Archive has become one of the most important resources for preserving digital cultural history. For Broadway productions in particular, archived websites often contain information unavailable anywhere else, including original promotional copy, cast biographies, production schedules, downloadable press materials, photographs, and multimedia that were never published in books or theatrical databases.

Researchers studying Broadway's early internet presence frequently rely on archived production websites because they capture information that was intended for contemporary audiences rather than later historical interpretation.

FiniansOnBroadway.com is an excellent example of this phenomenon. It preserves not only facts about the production but also the language, marketing strategies, design trends, and audience expectations of Broadway during the late 2000s.

A Snapshot of Broadway Web Design

Viewed from a modern perspective, FiniansOnBroadway.com illustrates how dramatically entertainment websites have evolved over the past fifteen years.

Today's Broadway productions typically maintain active social media accounts across numerous platforms while using official websites primarily for ticket sales. In contrast, the 2009 website functioned as the central hub for virtually every aspect of audience engagement.

Several characteristics were typical of Broadway websites of the period:

• large, professionally designed banner graphics
• static navigation menus rather than continuously updating feeds
• lengthy written biographies
• complete press releases
• embedded Flash or QuickTime video content
• downloadable promotional materials
• detailed FAQ sections
• direct links to Telecharge for ticket purchases

The design emphasized careful presentation rather than constant interaction. Visitors were encouraged to spend time reading, exploring photographs, learning about the production, and becoming familiar with the cast and creative team before purchasing tickets.

While contemporary websites often prioritize speed and brevity, FiniansOnBroadway.com rewarded curiosity through substantial content.

Why the Website Continues to Be Referenced

More than fifteen years after the Broadway revival closed, archived versions of FiniansOnBroadway.com continue to appear in research relating to Finian's Rainbow.

The reasons are straightforward.

First, the website provides information unavailable in many theatrical databases. Complete cast biographies, production notes, promotional copy, rehearsal information, and original multimedia are often preserved only through the archived site.

Second, it documents the revival from the perspective of the production itself. Newspaper reviews naturally evaluate the show, while databases focus primarily on factual information such as dates and credits. The official website reveals how the producers wanted audiences to understand and appreciate the musical.

Finally, the site preserves a remarkable amount of primary-source material. Rather than relying solely on retrospective summaries, historians can examine the original content exactly as Broadway audiences encountered it in 2009.

Influence on Future Revivals

Although Finian's Rainbow enjoyed only a limited Broadway run, the success of the revival influenced subsequent productions of the musical around the world.

Regional theaters frequently drew inspiration from Warren Carlyle's approach, particularly his thoughtful revisions to the book and his decision to present the story sincerely rather than ironically. The production demonstrated that classic musicals with challenging historical material could be adapted respectfully while preserving their original spirit.

The website indirectly contributed to this influence by preserving extensive documentation of the production. Directors, educators, students, and theater companies could consult archived materials to better understand the revival's creative choices.

In this way, FiniansOnBroadway.com became more than a promotional website—it became part of the historical record surrounding one of the most influential revivals of Finian's Rainbow.

Search Visibility and Discoverability

During its active life in 2009 and early 2010, FiniansOnBroadway.com served as the official online destination for the Broadway revival and was optimized around searches related to Finian's Rainbow, Broadway tickets, cast information, reviews, and production news. At the time, official production websites were expected to rank prominently in search engines because they offered the most authoritative information available.

The site's content strategy reflected search engine optimization practices of the late 2000s. Rather than publishing a steady stream of blog posts, it concentrated on comprehensive evergreen pages covering the production, including cast biographies, creative team information, news updates, frequently asked questions, videos, and ticket information. These pages naturally incorporated the terms audiences were most likely to search for while remaining useful to visitors.

Today, active search visibility is understandably limited because the production has long since closed and the original domain is no longer maintained. Most people discovering the site now do so through archived versions preserved by the Internet Archive or through references in Broadway databases and theater history resources. Even so, the archived website continues to appear in search results for historical queries about the 2009 revival, demonstrating the lasting value of well-organized primary source material.

Geographic Context

Although the website was accessible worldwide, it promoted a production performed exclusively at the St. James Theatre, located at 246 West 44th Street in the heart of New York City's Theater District. This historic venue has hosted many of Broadway's best-known productions since opening in 1927 and remains one of the largest legitimate theaters on Broadway.

The website included practical information for theatergoers traveling to Midtown Manhattan, including performance schedules, ticket purchasing instructions, and theater location details. Visitors planning a trip to New York could use the site to prepare for an evening in one of the city's most significant cultural neighborhoods, surrounded by dozens of Broadway theaters, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues within walking distance.

Because Broadway attracts audiences from across the United States and around the world, FiniansOnBroadway.com functioned not only as a production website but also as an information resource for tourists planning visits to New York's Theater District.

Why FiniansOnBroadway.com Still Matters

Thousands of promotional websites have been created for Broadway productions over the past three decades, yet relatively few remain accessible in a form that accurately reflects their original appearance and content. FiniansOnBroadway.com is one of the fortunate exceptions. Through web archiving, it continues to document not only a successful musical revival but also an era when official production websites served as the primary digital connection between Broadway shows and their audiences.

For historians, the site preserves information that complements resources such as the Internet Broadway Database (IBDB), Playbill, and newspaper archives. For fans, it provides an opportunity to revisit the excitement surrounding a production that earned widespread critical acclaim. For students of digital media, it illustrates how entertainment organizations approached online communication before social media platforms became the center of marketing campaigns.

In that sense, the website has outlived its original commercial purpose. What began as a marketing tool for a Broadway revival has become an enduring historical resource, preserving the story of a production that demonstrated how thoughtfully reimagined classic musicals can continue to resonate with modern audiences.

 

FiniansOnBroadway.com stands as an outstanding example of how an official production website can evolve into an important cultural archive. Created to support a single Broadway engagement, it ultimately became a lasting record of a production that introduced a new generation of theatergoers to one of America's most distinctive musicals.

The website documented every stage of the revival's life, from its transfer out of New York City Center Encores! through opening night, critical acclaim, cast and creative biographies, production news, and audience information. Today, those materials provide historians, educators, students, and Broadway enthusiasts with a remarkably complete picture of both the production and the digital marketing practices of the era.

As more historical websites disappear from the internet each year, preserved sites like FiniansOnBroadway.com become increasingly valuable. They remind us that websites themselves can become historical artifacts—capturing not only information but also the design, communication styles, promotional strategies, and cultural priorities of their time.

For anyone interested in Broadway history, classic American musicals, digital preservation, or the evolution of online entertainment marketing, FiniansOnBroadway.com remains an engaging and informative resource whose value has only increased with time.

FiniansOnBroadway.com