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Overview
Synopsis
Nine centers around Guido Contini, a famous Italian film director and ladies man. His last couple of movies have been panned by the critics, and Guido is under pressure to make a return to form with his latest film. However, there is one major problem: he hasn’t written a line of the script and has lost all inspiration. Guido’s professional and personal lives becomes intertwined as he attempts to save both his career and his marriage. His wife, Luisa, threatens to divorce Guido unless he can pay more attention to the marriage, but the director is constantly pulled in another direction by his saucy mistress, Carla, who shows up at the most inconvenient times.
In an attempt to find peace and inspiration, Guido suggests that he and Luisa go to a luxury spa near Venice. However, he does not expect his whole film crew and production team to follow him also. As Guido struggles to find a story line for his film, his mind becomes increasingly preoccupied, and fantasy and reality become inextricably intertwined. Carla arrives from Rome and provides a naughty distraction, while his fierce producer Liliane La Fleur pressures Guido to produce the musical he agreed to. In Guido’s confused mind, the women from his past and present all appear to him, including his Mother, Sarraghina (a prostitute), and Claudia, his muse and movie star. As he tries to create a new masterpiece, Guido must face the ultimate decision of life and death.
Show Information
- Book
- Arthur Kopit
- Music
- Maury Yeston
- Lyrics
- Maury Yeston
- Conceived By
- Maury Yeston
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- 8 1/2 [film] by Federico Fellini
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1982
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- Italy, Early 1960s
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Large Cast, Mostly Female Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Includes Adult, Child, Mature Adult, Young Adult Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Featured |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass |
Songs
Act One
Overture Delle Donne - Company
Not Since Chaplin - Company
Guido's Song - Guido
The Germans at the Spa - Maddelena, Italians, Germans **
Not Since Chaplin (Reprise) - Company
My Husband Makes Movies - Luisa
*A Call from the Vatican - Carla
Only with You - Guido
The Script - Guido
*Folies Bergeres - Lilli, Stephanie, Company
Nine - Guido's Mother, Company
*Ti Voglio Bene/Be Italian - Saraghina, Boys, Company
The Bells of St. Sebastian - Guido, Company
Act Two
A Man Like You/Unusual Way/Duet - Claudia, Guido
The Grand Canal (Every Girl in Venice/Amor/Only You) - Guido, Company
Simple - Carla
Be On Your Own - Luisa
Not Since Chaplin (Reprise) - Company
I Can't Make This Movie - Guido
Getting Tall - Young Guido
Long Ago/Nine (Reprise) - Guido, Young Guido, Luisa
**The 2003 Broadway revival cut ‘The Germans at the Spa’ from the production.
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A song that uses short stanzas to tell a story about love.
The sequence of steps and movements in dance, also the orchestrated and rehearsed movements for actors, based on the script.
The person who is responsible for all aspects of a production, including the overall concept, coordinating the designers, working with actors, and creating the artistic impact.
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher