Steel Pier is a musical written by the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb from the original book by David Thompson. Productions Directed by Scott Ellis with choreography by Susan Stroman, the musical opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre 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." The musical was nominated for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book at the Tony Awards, but it ultimately lost all of these to Titanic. A new amateur production ran at the Bridewell Theatre, London, in February 2011. The UK premiere ran at the Union Theater, London, from October 31 to November 24, 2012. This rendition was directed by Paul Taylor-Mills with choreography by Richard Jones and musical direction by Angharad Sanders. Plot summary Act I 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. Aging celebrity Rita Racine, once famously known as 'Lindy's Lovebird' for being the first woman to kiss Lindbergh when he arrived home from France, comes on the stage and waits for her partner so she can enter the dance marathon on the Steel Pier. Bill appears and watches her for a moment, but as soon as she drops her suitcase, he hurries down to help her pick up her things and seizes the moment to talk with her. He asks if she has a partner yet and reluctantly walks away when she says she does. Alone, Rita rejoices the fact that this will be her last