Show History

History

Inspiration

It Shoulda Been You, with book and lyrics by Brian Hargrove and music by Barbara Anselmi, invites you to all of the the mayhem and insanity surrounding the nuptials that bring together two very different families.

Composer, Barbara Anselmi, found some inspiration for It Shoulda Been You while attending an actual wedding of a friend at the Crystal Palace in Livingston, NJ. The show was then developed from a song that Anselmi presented at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York City.

Productions

It Shoulda Been You was first staged in 2011 at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ. It opened on October 4 and ran through November 4. Directed by David Hyde Pierce, the original production starred Tyne Daly, Lisa Howard and Harriet Harris.

In 2012, the show was produced at the Village Theatre in Issaquah and Everett, WA. It ran from March 15 through May 20.

It Shoulda Been You officially opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on April 14, 2015. Among the celebrated cast were Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris, Sierra Boggess, Lisa Howard, Montego Glover and Chip Zien. It closed on August 9, 2015, after 21 previews and 135 performances.

Cultural Influence

• Lisa Howard performed her character's show-stopping number, "Jenny's Blues," at the 69th Tony Awards Ceremony.

• A cast recording for It Shoulda Been You was released by Ghostlight Records.

• The cast of It Shoulda Been You performed on "The Today Show" in April 2015.