The Complete Book of 1960s Broadway Musicals 1442230711, 9781442230712

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The Complete Book of 1960s Broadway Musicals

The Complete Book of 1960s Broadway Musicals Dan Dietz

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK

Published by Rowman & Littlefield 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com 10 Thornbury Road, Plymouth PL6 7PP, United Kingdom Copyright © 2014 by Rowman & Littlefield All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dietz, Dan, 1945–, author. The complete book of 1960s Broadway musicals / Dan Dietz. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4422-3071-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4422-3072-9 (ebook) 1. Musicals—New York (State)—New York—20th century—History and criticism. I. Title. ML1711.8.N3D53 2014 792.6'45097471—dc23 2013039578

™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Printed in the United States of America

To the memory of my beloved mother, Celia

• Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction

ix xi

BROADWAY MUSICALS OF THE 1960S 1959–1960 Season 1960–1961 Season 1961–1962 Season 1962–1963 Season 1963–1964 Season 1964–1965 Season 1965–1966 Season 1966–1967 Season 1967–1968 Season 1968–1969 Season 1969–1970 Season

1 33 85 137 187 251 313 377 425 473 517

APPENDIXES A Alphabetical List of Shows B Chronology (by Season) C Chronology (by Classification) D Discography E Filmography F Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas G New York City Center Light Opera Company Productions H New York City Opera Company Productions I Music Theatre of Lincoln Center Productions J Other Operetta Productions K Published Scripts L Theatres

533 537 543 549 553 555 557 559 561 563 565 567

Bibliography Index About the Author

573 575 609 vii

• Acknowledgments

I want to take this opportunity to thank my mother, Celia, for her encouragement in the writing of this book. I also want to thank my friends Mike Baskin and Ken DePew for their help and support.

ix

• Introduction

The 1960s saw the last hurrah of the traditional book musical, a genre which told its story through the use of original songs. The book musical was the spine of American musical theatre since the dawn of Broadway’s golden age in the 1920s and flowered with such composers, lyricists, and book writers as George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Vincent Youmans. Through the succeeding decades, fewer and fewer book musicals with new music were produced on Broadway. The 1960s saw ninety-eight new book musicals with new music, and one commercial revival. For comparison, the period from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2009, offered thirty-eight musicals with new music, and forty-two revivals. During the decades following the 1960s, fewer new musicals were seen on Broadway, and instead the jukebox musical, the composer/lyricist tribute revue, and commercial revivals flourished. The jukebox musical of the Mamma Mia variety used preexisting popular songs to tell its story. For the jukebox musical, songs that had been written years if not decades before were now grafted into a storyline and were expected to further plot, develop character, and create atmosphere, a daunting expectation for pop songs that had been written independently for popular mass consumption. The composer and lyricist tribute revue also became a distressing trend as the Broadway decades wore on. This genre began Off-Broadway in 1963 with The World of Kurt Weill in Song (aka A Kurt Weill Cabaret), and over the next fifty years some sixty such tributes were seen Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. Soon largescale tributes to Eubie Blake, Johnny Burke, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Fats Waller were produced on Broadway, in addition to a spate of tributes to pop-song lyricists and composers (The Look of Love) and singing groups (Jersey Boys). Revivals also flourished. During the 1960s, revivals were essentially relegated to noncommercial venues such as City Center and Lincoln Center. But as the decades passed more revivals than new musicals were seen in New York. If the 1960s were the last hurrah of the traditional book musical with new music, it was also a period that looked forward. The era institutionalized the concept musical, which didn’t always tell its story in traditional linear fashion. The concept musical minimized plot and character and instead emphasized mood and atmosphere to convey a particular point of view. All aspects of the concept musical (book, lyrics, music, direction, choreography, visual design, and performance) were fashioned into a narrative that generally embraced an abstract point of view that didn’t necessarily resolve the plot with a neat, clear-cut ending. In earlier years there had been the occasional concept musical, such as W. H. Auden and Benjamin Britten’s Paul Bunyan (1941) and Alan Jay Lerner and Kurt Weill’s Love Life (1948). The former used the concept of Paul Bunyan as a force of nature necessary in the development of a new nation (and a force that must necessarily be discarded once the nation is established), and the latter used vaudevillian techniques in its view of marriage in America over the decades. But Hair was the first commercially successful one, and its popularity institutionalized the concept musical, which soon found its niche and paved the way for Celebration (1969), Promenade (1969), Company (1970), Follies (1971), Mass (1971), A Look at the Fifties (1972), Chicago (1975),

xi

xii

INTRODUCTION

A Chorus Line (1975), Pacific Overtures (1976), 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976), Swing (1980), Nine (1982), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987), Assassins (1991), and The Voyage (1992). The Complete Book of 1960s Broadway Musicals examines in detail all 271 musicals that opened on Broadway from January 1, 1960, through December 31, 1969. The musicals discussed are: ninety-eight book musicals with new music, three book musicals with preexisting music, twenty-two revues, sixteen personality revues, eight revues seen at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, twenty-five imports, fifty-seven institutional revivals, one commercial revival, seven return engagements, five transfers from Off Broadway, and twentynine pre-Broadway closings. To be as inclusive as possible, I’ve included productions that don’t fall into the traditional classifications of drama, comedy, book musical, and musical revue, such as A Thurber Carnival, Beyond the Fringe, and From the Second City, which were primarily evenings of comic sketches with incidental music and songs. Each entry includes technical information and commentary. My goal is to capture basic information about each production and to provide for the reader a reference source that examines in minute detail the technical aspects surrounding each show as well as commentary that often focuses new light on many of the decade’s hit musicals. I try to personalize these productions by including obscure details (e.g., the visual joke that both closes the first act and opens the second act of Nowhere to Go but Up; Michael Kidd’s brilliant staging of the opening dream sequence for Skyscraper; the filmed overture for 13 Daughters). The technical information for each production includes: opening and closing dates; name of theatre (including transfers, if applicable); number of performances; the show’s advertising “tag” (Sherry! is “The Intoxicating New Musical!”); names of book writer, sketch writer, lyricist, and composer; names of director, choreographer, musical director, producer, and scenic, costume, and lighting designers). The names of cast members are included, with each performer’s name followed by the name of the character portrayed; e.g., Carol Channing (Dolly Gallagher Levi). Performers’ names in italics reflect those who were billed above the musical’s title. Also included are the number of acts; for book musicals, the time and place of the musical; and the titles of all musical numbers, by act (following each song title is the name of the performer, not character, who introduced each song). If a musical is based on source material, such material is referenced. The commentary includes a brief plot summary (in the case of revues, representative sketches are discussed); brief quotes from the critics; informative trivia; details about London and other foreign productions; and information about recordings, published scripts, and film and television versions. The entries also include background information about a musical’s gestation and pre-Broadway tryout history. Tony Award nominees and winners are noted, along with Pulitzer Prize and Drama Desk Award winners. Bold type indicates the nominee was the winner in its category. Throughout the book, bolded titles refer to productions that are discussed elsewhere in the text. The book includes twelve appendixes: an alphabetical listing; a seasonal chronology; a chronology divided by classification (revue, import, etc.); discography; filmography; a list of all Gilbert and Sullivan operettas produced during the decade; a list of musicals revived by the New York City Center Light Opera Company; a list of musicals revived by the New York City Opera; a list of musicals revived by the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center; a list of operettas (other than Gilbert and Sullivan) produced in New York during the decade; published scripts; and a list of all theatres where the musicals played, including transfers. The bibliography identifies the sources that were helpful in the writing of this book. Further, most of the information used in the book was drawn from source materials (playbills, souvenir programs, window cards, flyers, recordings, scripts, films, newspaper advertisements) as well as personal observations based on my attendance at many of the productions (including A Thurber Carnival, Subways Are for Sleeping, No Strings, Here’s Love, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Wait a Minim!, The Apple Tree, At the Drop of Another Hat, Mata Hari, Celebration, Dear World, Come Summer, Billy, and Coco).

• 1959–1960 Season

BEG, BORROW OR STEAL “A MUSICAL FABLE

OF THE

1950S”

Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: February 10, 1960 Closing Date: February 13, 1960 Performances: 5 Book: Bud Freeman Lyrics: Bud Freeman Music: Leon Pober Based on the unpublished short story “Steal—A Disc Jockey’s Handbook” by Marvin Seiger and Bud Freeman and the 1959 LP recording Clara. Direction: David Doyle (“staged by” Billy Mathews); Producers: Eddie Bracken with Carroll and Harris Masterson; Choreography: Peter Hamilton; Scenery: Carter Morningstar; Costumes: Carter Morningstar; Lighting: Carter Morningstar; Musical Direction: Hal Hidley Cast: Jean Bruno (Mrs. Pionsky), Biff McGuire (Junior), Estelle Parsons (Ollie), Betty Rhodes (Phil), Karen Sargent (Judy), Betty Garrett (Clara), Eddie Bracken (Pistol), Larry Parks (Rafe), Roy Stuart (Jason), Bernice Massi (Ethel), Mary Sullivan (Lover), Del Hanley (Lover), Sally Lee (Modern Dance Leader), Carmen Morales (Member of Dance Class), Garold Gardner (Member of Dance Class), Ellen Halpin (Member of Dance Class), Willard Nagel (Member of Dance Class), Michael David (Rug Hooker), Colleen Corkrey (Pottery Girl), Esther Horrocks (Bar Girl), Fran Leone (Knitter), Keith Willis (Knitter), Tom Hester (Painter), Michael Stuart (Chess Player), Arthur Whitfield (Chess Player), Adriana Keathley (Flamenco Dancer), Harold Da Silva (Flamenco Dancer), Fred Kimbrough (Guitarist), Mara Wirt (Kibitzer), John Tormey (Poet), Sheila Dee (Poetry Lover), Georgia Kennedy (Poetry Lover), Virginia Barnes (Poetry Lover), Chuck Arnett (Sculptor), Beti Seay (Model), Lucinda Stevens (Mobile Artist), Claiborne Cary (Frieda), Jack Drummond (Patriot), Richard Armbruster (Sam Lee Howard), Bill Linton (Muscle), Richard Woods (Koppisch), David Doyle (Blanding) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a run-down section of a “monster” American city during the 1950s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Some Little People” (Ensemble); “Rootless” (Biff McGuire); “What Are We Gonna Do Tonight?” (Estelle Parsons, Betty Rhodes, Karen Sargent); “Poetry and All That Jazz” (Claiborne Cary, Ensemble); “Don’t Stand Too Close to the Picture” (Larry Parks, Betty Garrett, Ensemble); “Beg, Borrow or Steal” (Recitative) (Larry Parks); “Beg, Borrow or Steal” (Larry Parks); “No One Knows Me” (Betty Garrett); “Zen Is When” (Eddie Bracken, Biff McGuire, Bernice Massi, Roy Stuart); “Zen Is When” Ballet (danced 1

2

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

by Ensemble; Colleen Corkrey, Soloist; Carmen Morales and Arthur Whitfield [Lovers]); “Clara” (Biff McGuire); “You’ve Got Something to Say” (Larry Parks, Betty Garrett); “You (You’ve) Got Something to Say” (reprise) (Larry Parks, Betty Garrett, Biff McGuire, Company) Act Two: “Presenting Clara Spencer” (Betty Garrett, “assisted” by Keith Willis, Michael Stuart, Chuck Arnett, Harold Da Silva, Willard Nagel, Garold Gardner, Arthur Whitfield); “I Can’t Stop Talking” (Betty Garrett, Biff McGuire); “It’s All in Your Mind” (Larry Parks, Betty Garrett); “In Time” (Biff McGuire); “Think” (Betty Garrett); “Little People” (Eddie Bracken, Company; danced by Keith Willis, Sally Lee, Michael Stuart); “Rafesville, U.S.A.” (Bernice Massi, Roy Stuart); “Beg, Borrow or Steal” (reprise) (Larry Parks, Ensemble); “Let’s Be Strangers Again” (Betty Garrett, Biff McGuire); “Little People” (reprise) (Company) Beg, Borrow or Steal, advertised as “a musical fable of the 1950s,” was the first musical to open on Broadway in the 1960s, premiering on February 10, ten days earlier than its previously announced opening date of February 20. The musical cut short its pre-Broadway engagement at Philadelphia’s Erlanger Theatre, where it had been scheduled to play through February 13. With a run of just five performances, it was also the decade’s first musical flop. But it had an interesting genesis. It first saw life as a concept album called Clara (the “musical comedy without a production” was released by Commentary Records LP # T-02) with Betty Garrett in the title role; the album also included Jimmie Komack (as Junior [Komack had been one of the “Heart” quartet in the original 1955 production of Damn Yankees]) as well as Johnny Standley (“Mother”) and Sid Tomack (A.C.), two “lost, lonely, addicted” types whom the era might discreetly have called Not the Marrying Kind. The quartet of characters was backed by a trio called The Sad Apples (Betty Bolling, Dee Norvus, and Jody Wilder). For Broadway, Garrett reprised her role of Clara, and Biff McGuire was Junior (the characters of “Mother” and A.C. didn’t make it beyond the record album). The liner notes for Clara and commentary in the critics’ reviews for Beg, Borrow or Steal reveal two completely different stories. There were also major differences in the scores of the album and the stage version. Of the thirteen musical sequences on the album, eight were retained for the Broadway production (“What Are We Gonna Do Tonight?,” “Rootless,” “I Can’t Stop Talking,” “It’s All in Your Mind,” “No One Knows Me,” “You [You’ve] Got Something to Say,” “Think,” and “Little People”) and five were not (“It Ain’t Gonna Be Easy,” “The Avalon Ballroom,” “Goin’ Home Blues,” “Interlude for Passage of Time,” and “It’s Never Been Done Before”). The stage production added twelve numbers (“Some Little People” [different from “Little People”], “Poetry and All That Jazz,” “Don’t Stand Too Close to the Picture,” “Beg, Borrow or Steal” [Recitative], “Beg, Borrow or Steal,” “Zen Is When,” “Zen Is When” [Ballet], “Clara,” “Presenting Clara Spencer,” “In Time,” “Rafesville, U.S.A.,” and “Let’s Be Strangers Again”). The album’s plot centered on Clara, a lonely New York City butcher who’s attracted to a customer named Junior, whom she takes home to meet the self-centered twosome “Mother” and A.C., both of whom live off her earnings. Clara and Junior’s romance has its ups and downs, and for a while “Mother” and A.C. do their best to break it up; but ultimately “Mother” and A.C. help the estranged couple reunite. If the New York reviews are any indication, the plot of the Broadway production was a somewhat confusing spoof of the era’s beatniks (John Chapman in the New York Daily News quipped that the book was a “plotnik”). The action centers on Junior (McGuire), Clara, Rafe (Larry Parks), and Pistol (Eddie Bracken, who was also one of the musical’s coproducers). Junior is a square, gray-flannel-suit type who under the inspired name of Rex All (one of the musical’s few witticisms) has written purposely bad beatnik poetry as a joke; but the real joke is that his poetry is highly regarded by the beat set. Chapman reported that Junior writes his poetry with the help of a few books and a pair of dice: he shoots craps for the book, page, and line, and from there strings words together for his poems. Junior is searching for Clara, an old girlfriend who now works in a health-food store, which also sells books on Zen Buddhism (a couple of the critics noted that when selling a particular food item, Clara tells her customers, “If you take this, it will give your hair body, and your body hair”). Soon Clara is hired by con artist Rafe, the part-owner of a beat club called Chez Pit who pretends to embrace the beatnik lifestyle but is only interested in making money off the beat scene by luring tourists into the club. Clara begins working in the Pit, where she dances in what seems to be a burlesque of a bull ring dance (at least according to Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram), beats bongo drums with her hips, and reads poetry. The Pit is co-owned by Clara’s brother Pistol, who’s clueless about Rafe’s greed and underhandedness and whose only interest is in Zen. Ultimately, Junior and Clara become a happy twosome and Rafe takes off for parts unknown, ready to con the “Numb Generation,” his term for the next “in” group which will follow the beatniks.

1959–1960 SEASON

3

The critics gave the musical a unanimous drubbing, praising only the cast members for their valiant efforts (Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times said they were “cheerful and lively as if they believed” they were in a musical masterpiece by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, and Cole Porter, with Leonard Bernstein acting as consultant). And two or three critics made note of the evening’s funniest moment, a visual joke depicting a kind of mobile-cum-collage of flowers adorning Pistol’s apartment in which the petals reach out and grab anyone who gets too close to it. The flower was certainly cousin to Audrey II, the celebrated man-eating plant in Roger Corman’s The Little Shop of Horrors, which was released in September 1960, nine months after Beg, Borrow or Steal opened and closed on Broadway. The cult film was of course later adapted into the 1982 hit Off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors (book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, music by Alan Menken). Aston warned that “man, any square” who sees Beg, Borrow or Steal “is going to get beat, real beat. Be warned”; Richard Watts in the New York Post said the evening offered “quite a bit of story” which was often “obscure” as well as “heavy-handed and disorganized”; and Walter Kerr in the New York HeraldTribune noted that the Zen aphorism “Do not try, and do not try not to try” was endlessly repeated several times during the course of the evening, and he assured his readers that the musical’s creators were “faithful” to this saying. Chapman said Garrett was a “beautnik,” but noted the “scorenik” had “more bounce than beauty” (as for the ballet “Zen Is When,” he said it lasted so long that he was thrown into “a deep state of contemplation in which I wondered dreamily if I’d ever get outdoors again”); John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the “raggedy and meandering” musical was peopled with “dreary” characters, but singled out six numbers (“Poetry and All That Jazz,” “Zen Is When,” “You’ve Got Something to Say,” “Presenting Clara Spencer,” “Little People” [which Atkinson had also praised], and the title song); and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the “musical mishmash” forced him to gaze “longingly” at the theatre’s exit signs. Watts concluded his review by noting that the previous Broadway season had offered another beatnik musical, one which had been “cruelly treated” by the critics, and so his “apologetic alternate title” for Beg, Borrow or Steal was Bring Back “The Nervous Set.” Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals of the mid- and late 1960s frequently looked at hippie culture, but the beats were represented in just two Broadway musicals, The Nervous Set (1959) and Beg, Borrow or Steal. They were also satirized in Off-Broadway revues of the era, and Lewis Funke in the New York Times once noted that beatniks, television, Marilyn Monroe, and Tennessee Williams were “all subjects of standing in the revue world.” As for The Nervous Set, it played for just twenty-three performances, but its one-of-a-kind score (its jazzy, intimate midnight-at-the-coffee-house sound is unlike any Broadway music of the era) was happily preserved by Columbia Records (LP # OL-5430 and # OS-2018; later issued on CD by DRG Records # 19020). Tommy Wolf’s sparkling music and Fran Landesman’s clever lyrics offer many delights, including two minor standards, “The Ballad of the Sad Young Men” (perhaps the first openly gay song in musical theatre since “Green Carnation” was heard in Noel Coward’s Bitter Sweet [London and New York, 1929]) and “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” (which was dropped during the musical’s tryout and thus not on the cast album). The score includes a batch of terrific topical “beat” numbers (“Man, We’re Beat,” “New York,” “How Do You Like Your Love?,” “Party Song,” “Night People”), some haunting and moody ballads (“What’s to Lose,” “Stars Have Blown My Way,” “Laugh, I Thought I’d Die”), a driving, pulsating “I’ve Got a Lot to Learn About Life,” and the infectious and irresistible Kingston Trio–flavored “Travel the Road of Love” (in which a young Larry Hagman is the featured singer). Beginning in the 1970s, it was common for “concept” studio cast recordings to be adapted into stage musicals (such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Chess, The Life, and Jekyll & Hyde). But such a practice was unusual in earlier years, and, in fact, the recording of Clara was just the second album to inspire a Broadway musical. The first was Columbia Records’ 1954 studio cast recording archy and mehitable, which was later adapted into the 1957 Broadway musical Shinbone Alley. Coincidentally, Eddie Bracken, who sang on the recording of archy and mehitable, also appeared in the stage productions of both Shinbone Alley and Beg, Borrow or Steal; further, he was in the cast of the live-action 1960 television adaptation of Shinbone Alley and was the voice of archy in the 1971 cartoon film version; he can also be heard on the belated 1993 release of the complete cast recording of Shinbone Alley, which was recorded live through the theatre’s sound system and includes the complete dialogue and musical numbers.

4

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

THE CRADLE WILL ROCK Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: February 11, 1960 Closing Date: February 21, 1960 Performances: 4 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Marc Blitzstein Direction: Howard Da Silva; Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Choreography: Billy Parsons; Scenery: David Hays; Costumes: Ruth Morley; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel Cast: Tammy Grimes (Moll), Seth Riggs (Gent, Reporter), Arnold Voketaitis (Dick), Dan Merriman (Cop), Kenneth Smith (Reverend Salvation), Jack Harrold (Editor Daily), Michael Wager (Yasha), Chandler Cowles (Dauber), John Macurdy (President Prexy), Philip Bruns (Professor Trixie), Maurice Stern (Professor Mamie), Howard Fried (Professor Scoot), Joshua Hecht (Doctor Specialist), William Griffis (Harry Druggist), Lehman Engel (Clerk), Craig Timberlake (Mr. Mister), Ruth Kobart (Mrs. Mister), Keith Kaldenberg (Junior Mister), Nancy Dussault (Sister Mister), Frank Porretta (Steve), Sophie Ginn (Sadie Polock), Robert Kerns (Gus Polock), George Del Monte (Bugs), David Atkinson (Larry Foreman), Jane Johnston (Ella Hammer), William Zachariiesen (Reporter); Ensemble: The New York City Opera Chorus The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Steeltown, U.S.A., on the night of a union drive.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I’m Checkin’ Home Now” (Tammy Grimes); “So That’s the Way” (Tammy Grimes); “Hurry Up and Telephone” (Liberty Committee); “Hard Times” (Ruth Kobart); “Chorale”/”Chorale Variation” (Kenneth Smith); “War! War!” (Ruth Kobart, Kenneth Smith, Ensemble); “Croon-Spoon” (Keith Kaldenberg, Nancy Dussault); “Freedom of the Press” (Craig Timberlake, Jack Harrold); “Let’s Do Something” (Keith Kaldenberg, Nancy Dussault); “Honolulu” (Keith Kaldenberg, Nancy Dussault, Craig Timberlake, Jack Harrold); “Summer Weather” (William Griffis, Frank Porretta, George Del Monte); “Gus and Sadie Love Song” (Robert Kerns, Sophie Ginn); “The Rich” (Michael Wager, Chandler Cowles); “Ah, There You Are” (Ruth Kobart); “Art for Art’s Sake” (Michael Wager, Chandler Cowles, Ruth Kobart) Act Two: “Nickel under the Foot” (Tammy Grimes); “Leaflets” (David Atkinson); “The Cradle Will Rock” (David Atkinson); “Lovely Morning” (John Macurdy, Craig Timberlake); “Triple Flank Maneuver” (Maurice Stern); “Do I Have to Say?” (Howard Fried); “Listen, Fellas!” (Philip Bruns); “Joe Worker” (Jane Johnston); “Stuck Like a Sandwich” (David Atkinson, Liberty Committee); “Ex-Foreman” (David Atkinson, Craig Timberlake); “Polyphonic” (David Atkinson, Craig Timberlake, Tammy Grimes, William Griffis, Liberty Committee); Finale (Ensemble) The original production of Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock was produced under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration/Federal Theatre Project, and was scheduled to open at the Maxine Elliott Theatre on June 16, 1937. But on June 10 the WPA announced that funding cuts precluded the opening of new FTP productions before July 1 (including The Cradle Will Rock). The cuts are clearly documented, but the “street” interpreted the cancellation as evidence that the government was repressing Blitzstein’s left-leaning “labor opera.” On the night of June 16, ticket-holders for the world premiere performance of The Cradle Will Rock found the Maxine Elliott closed, but the creators of the musical were determined the show would go on, and soon found an empty theatre uptown, the Venice, and so the cast and the audience marched uptown for a decidedly one-of-a-kind opening performance. As discussed in Eric A. Gordon’s biography of Blitzstein (Mark the Music: The Life and Work of Marc Blitzstein, published by St. Martin’s Press in 1989), the performers couldn’t appear on the stage of the Venice because they were still technically under the employ of the FTP, but nothing could prevent them from performing from the orchestra section of the theatre itself. The last-minute acquisition of a piano allowed Blitzstein to play the score while the actors, scattered across the auditorium, performed their roles as if they were on the stage. The original cast members included Howard Da Silva (Larry Foreman) and Olive Stanton (Moll).

1959–1960 SEASON

5

A total of fourteen performances were given at the Venice (some sources cite nineteen), and on June 27 a sequence from the musical was broadcast on radio. On the following December 5, the work was presented over four consecutive Sunday nights at the Mercury Theatre for four performances, and on January 3, 1938, the musical “officially” premiered, playing first at the Windsor Theatre and then returning to the Mercury for the final weeks of the run, for a total of 108 performances. The script of The Cradle Will Rock was published by Random House in 1938, and was one of the first musicals to appear in hardback book format (the first major musicals to be published in hardback editions were all in one way or another political in nature: Of Thee I Sing [1931], Let ’Em Eat Cake [1933], Johnny Johnson [1936], I’d Rather Be Right [1937], The Cradle Will Rock [1938], and Knickerbocker Holiday [1938]). The original cast album of The Cradle Will Rock was recorded in April 1938 by Musicraft Records on seven twelve-inch records (album # 18, with the individual records numbered 1075–1081). The recording marks the first American musical to receive a full-length recording by a domestic company (a few Broadway musicals had previously been recorded in London with their original West End casts). The Cradle recording was later released on a limited-edition LP of 1,000 copies by American Legacy Records (# T-1001). The Cradle Will Rock takes place in Steeltown, U.S.A., and the “labor opera” depicts capitalists (including Mister Mister, who owns the steel mill and runs the town) as evil and union workers (such as Larry Foreman) as saints. The political stance of the work was simplistic and lacked subtlety, but was nonetheless powerful because of the convictions Blitzstein brought to it. And unlike so many diatribes, the work was not without humor (including the characters’ names, such as Mister Mister, Mrs. Mister, Junior Mister, Sister Mister, Moll, Harry Druggist, and Larry Foreman), and Blitzstein insured his work was infused with melody and tongue-in-cheek wit (“Art for Art’s Sake,” “Croon, Spoon,” and “Honolulu”). There were also powerful character songs (such as Moll’s “I’m Checkin’ Home Now” and “Nickel under the Foot”), and the energetic, anthem-like title song. The work was revived in a “complete concert performance” at City Center for two showings on November 24 and 25, 1947. Leonard Bernstein conducted the New York City Symphony, and Howard Da Silva reprised his original role of Larry Foreman; the cast included Estelle Loring (Moll), Shirley Booth (Mrs. Mister), Jack Albertson, Will Geer, Robert Chisholm, Muriel Smith, and Jo Hurt. A month later the production transferred to Broadway at the Mansfield (now Brooks Atkinson) Theatre on December 26 for a run of thirty-four performances. The production’s cast included Alfred Drake (Larry Foreman) and Vivian Vance (Mrs. Mister), along with some of the performers who had appeared in the concert version (such as Estelle Loring). The current 1960 revival opened for a limited engagement at City Center on January 11, 1960. The cast included David Atkinson (Larry Foreman), Tammy Grimes (Moll), Craig Timberlake (Mister Mister), Ruth Kobart (Mrs. Mister), Nancy Dussault (Sister Mister), and Frank Porretta (Steve). Howard Taubman in the New York Times had seen the original production at the Venice in 1937 and he noted the musical was “dated and corny” and that Blitzstein depicted his characters as either “pure white or villainously black.” But he said the work “bursts with vitality . . . [and] it fills a theatre with excitement,” and he praised Blitzstein’s score (“torch song, Hawaiian undulation, waltz, fox trot, Bach chorale gone native, patter, recitative, and, as [Blitzstein] once put it, silly symphony”). Over the years the musical may have lost its “inflammability,” but it nonetheless “blows up a storm in the theatre that you should appreciate whatever your political allegiance.” He also noted the production’s “Broadway sheen,” and applauded the cast and musical director Lehman Engel. Howard Da Silva, who created the role of Larry Foreman in the original 1937 production, here directed the revival. On April 19, 1964, the work was revived in an abridged version as part of the Marc Blitzstein Memorial Concert (Blitzstein had been murdered the previous January 22), and the cast included Howard Da Silva, Barbara Harris, and Leonard Bernstein at the piano. On November 8, 1964, the musical was revived Off-Broadway at Theatre Four for eighty-two performances. Directed by Da Silva, the production’s cast included Jerry Orbach (Larry Foreman), Lauri Peters (Moll), Clifford David (Dauber and Professor Trixie), Nancy Andrews (Mrs. Mister), Joseph Bova (Junior Mister), Rita Gardner (Sister Mister), Micki Grant (Ella Hammer), and Gershon Kingsley (Clerk). The production was recorded by MGM Records on a two-LP set (# SE-4289-2-OC). On September 12, 1978, the musical was seen Off-Off-Broadway at the Eighteenth Street Playhouse for four performances, and on May 9, 1983, it was revived Off-Broadway at the American Place Theatre, later reopening at the Douglas Fairbanks Theatre on July 12, for a total of sixty-four performances. The American Place Theatre cast included Patti LuPone (Moll) and Randle Mell (Larry Foreman); for the reopening, Lisa Banes was Moll. The American Place Theatre production was shown on public television in 1986.

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On August 5, 1985, the musical was seen in London at the Old Vic, with LuPone and Mell. The production was recorded by Polydor Records (LP # 827-937-1-Y-1), and a complete cast recording was later issued on a two-CD set by That’s Entertainment Records (# CDTEM2-1105). A later Los Angeles production from 1994 was recorded by Lockett Palmer Records (CD # LPR-940411). Some songs from the musical are included on the soundtrack of Cradle Will Rock, a 1999 film that dealt with the drama surrounding the opening of the 1937 production. The album was released by RCA Victor/ BMG Records (CD # 09026-63577-2), and Cradle Will Rock, a coffee-table book about the film (which includes the screenplay by Tim Robbins and lyrics by Blitzstein), was published by Newmarket Press in 2000. The story of the musical’s genesis was the inspiration for Jason Sherman’s play It’s All True, which opened at the Terragon Theatre in Toronto on January 6, 1999. Blitzstein’s musical No for an Answer is another look at labor and management issues, but this time around Blitzstein was more bitter and less satiric about this seemingly eternal conflict. The work was first seen at the Mecca Auditorium (now the City Center) for three performances beginning on January 5, 1941.

STREET SCENE Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: February 13, 1960 Closing Date: February 19, 1960 Performances: 3 Book: Elmer Rice Lyrics: Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice Music: Kurt Weill Based on the 1929 play Street Scene by Elmer Rice. Direction: Herbert Machiz; “Children’s Game” sequence supervised by Robert Joffrey; Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Scenery: Paul Sylbert; Costumes: Paul Sylbert; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Samuel Krachmalnick Cast: Grant Williams (Abraham Kaplan), Dolores Mari (Greta Fiorentino), Arnold Voketaitis (Carl Olsen), Ruth Kobart (Emma Jones), Beatrice Krebs (Olga Olsen), Florence Anglin (Shirley Kaplan), Marie Louise (Mrs. Davis), Andrew Frierson (Henry Davis), Michael Mann (Willie Maurrant), Elisabeth Carron (Anna Maurrant), Frank Porretta (Sam Kaplan), Keith Kaldenberg (Daniel Buchanan), William Chapman (Frank Maurrant), Chester Ludgin (George Jones), Arthur Storch (Steve Sankey), Jack Harrold (Lippo Fiorentino), Nancy Dussault (Jennie Hildebrand), Sylvia De Van (Second Graduate), Jennie Andrea (Third Graduate), Sophia Steffan (Mrs. Hildebrand), Richard Clemence (Charlie Hildebrand), Lynn Taussig (Mary Hildebrand), Sharon Williams (Grace Davis), Helena Scott (Rose Maurrant), Joy Clements (Rose Maurrant, Alternate), Seth Riggs (Harry Easter), Sondra Lee (Mae Jones), Richard Tone (Dick McGann), Albert Lewis (Vincent Jones), John Macurdy (Dr. John Wilson), Dan Merriman (Officer Henry Murphy), George Del Monte (City Marshall James Henry), William Zakariasen (Fred Cullen), Mary LeSawyer (First Nursemaid), Rita Metzger (Second Nursemaid); Policemen, Milkman, Old Clothes Man, Music Pupil, Intern, Ambulance Driver, Married Couple, Passersby, Neighbors, Children, Others: The New York City Opera Chorus The opera was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the stoop and front sidewalk of a New York City tenement during a period of twenty-four hours in June.

Principal Musical Sequences (These are taken from the published score and the Playbill of the original 1947 production; unless otherwise noted, all lyrics are by Langston Hughes.) Act One: “Ain’t It Awful, the Heat?” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Dolores Mari, Ruth Kobart, Beatrice Krebs, Grant Williams, Arnold Voketaitis, Neighbors); “I Got a Marble and a Star” (Blues) (Andrew Frierson); “Get a Load of That” (Gossip Trio) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Ruth

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Kobart, Dolores Mari, Beatrice Krebs); “When a Woman Has a Baby” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Keith Kaldenberg, Dolores Mari, Ruth Kobart, Elisabeth Carron); “Somehow I Never Could Believe” (Aria) (Elisabeth Carron); “Get a Load of That” (reprise) (Ruth Kobart, Dolores Mari, Chester Ludgin, Arnold Voketaitis); “Ice Cream Sextet” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Jack Harrold, Ruth Kobart, Dolores Mari, Andrew Frierson, Chester Ludgin, Arnold Voketaitis); “Let Things Be Like They Always Was” (Aria) (William Chapman); “Wrapped in a Ribbon and Tied in a Bow” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Nancy Dussault, Neighbors); “Lonely House” (Frank Porretta); “Wouldn’t You Like to Be on Broadway?” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Seth Riggs); “What Good Would the Moon Be?” (Helena Scott); “Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed” (Richard Tone, Sondra Lee); “Remember That I Care” (Duet) (Frank Porretta, Helena Scott) Act Two: “Catch Me If You Can” (Children’s Game) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Richard Clemence, Lynn Taussig, Michael Mann, Children); “There’ll Be Trouble” (Trio) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (William Chapman, Elisabeth Carron, Helena Scott); “A Boy Like You” (Elisabeth Carron); “We’ll Go Away Together” (Duet) (Frank Porretta, Helena Scott); “The Woman Who Lived Up There” (Ensemble); “Lullaby” (lyric by Elmer Rice) (Mary LeSawyer, Rita Metzger); “I Loved Her, Too” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (William Chapman, Helena Scott, Ensemble); “Don’t Forget the Lilac Bush” (Duet) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Frank Porretta, Helena Scott); “Ain’t It Awful, the Heat?” (reprise) (Dolores Mari, Ruth Kobart, Beatrice Krebs, Grant Williams) Elmer Rice’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Street Scene opened on January 10, 1929, at the Playhouse Theater for 601 performances. The action unfolded on the stoop and front sidewalk of a New York City tenement during a hot summer’s day, and depicted both the trivialities and tragedies of the people who live and work there. The action centered on the Maurrant family: the doomed Anna is unhappily married to Frank, who is insanely jealous of her, and their daughter Rose seems prey to the bitterness and futility of the hardscrabble underside of Manhattan life. Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes’s operatic adaptation of the play opened at the Adelphi Theatre on January 9, 1947, for 148 performances. The cast of the original production included Polyna Stoska (Anna), Norman Cordon (Frank), and Anne Jeffries (Rose); Maurice Abravanel conducted. While not a financial success, the opera is one of the crown jewels of American musical theatre and is frequently revived. As of this writing, the opera has been produced eight times by the New York City Opera Company. The first revival opened on April 2, 1959, at City Center for seven performances; the cast included Wilma Spence (Anna), William Chapman (Frank), and Helena Scott (Rose). Other principals were Ruth Kobart, Frank Porretta, and Nancy Dussault, and Samuel Krachmalnick was the conductor. The second revival opened on September 27, 1959, for two performances; Chapman, Scott, Kobart, and Dussault reprised their roles, and Elisabeth Carron was Anna; Krachmalnick again conducted. The current 1960 revival opened on February 13 for three performances. The cast included Carron (Anna), Norman Atkins (Frank), Joy Clements (Rose), and Porretta (Sam), and Julius Rudel conducted. J.B. in the New York Times found the revival “remarkable,” noting the music had retained its “freshness” and the story its “dramatic impact.” He praised the “extraordinarily well-chosen cast,” and noted that Rudel’s “well-paced” conducting added to the power of the dramatic story. The fourth revival opened in 1963, and the fifth in 1966 (see separate entries for these productions). The sixth revival opened on October 8, 1978, at the New York State Theatre for four performances. Chapman was again Frank, and other cast members were Eileen Schauler (Anna) and Catherine Maltifano (Rose); John Mauceri conducted. These cast members as well as Mauceri were seen in the next revival, which opened on October 13, 1979, for five performances. City Opera’s eighth and most recent revival of the opera opened on September 7, 1990, for six performances; Chris Nance conducted, and the cast included William Parcher (Frank), Margaret Cusack (Anna), and Sheryl Woods (Rose). The cast album of the 1947 production was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # OL-4139; later released on CD by CBS Records Masterworks # MK-44668). For the recording, the role of Frank is sung by Cordon’s understudy Randolph Symonette, who eventually assumed the role in the Broadway production. A 1949 radio broadcast from the Hollywood Bowl was released by Naxos Musicals Records (CD # 8-120885) with Polyna Stoska and Brian Sullivan from the original Broadway cast; other singers on the recording are Dorothy Sarnoff (Rose) and Norman Atkins (Frank). Both the 1947 and 1949 recordings are abridged, but there are two fulllength two-CD interpretations of the score. The English National Opera version of a production that opened

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on October 13, 1989, was released by That’s Entertainment Records (# CDTER-2-1185), and the cast includes Kristine Ciesinki (Anna), Janis Kelly (Rose), Bonaventura Bottone (Sam), Richard van Allan (Frank), and Catherine Zeta Jones (Mae); Carl Davis conducted. Another two-CD set was a studio cast recording released by Decca Records (# 433-371-2) with a cast which included Josephine Barstow (Anna), Samuel Ramey (Frank), Angelina Reaux (Rose), and Jerry Hadley (Sam); John Mauceri conducted. “Italy in Technicolor” was cut during the tryout of the original Broadway production, and is included in the collections Kurt Weill Revisited (Painted Smiles Records CD # PSCD-108) and Lost in Boston II (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5485). The New York City Opera’s 1979 revival was telecast on public television on October 27, 1979, and a DVD of a joint production by the Huston Grand Opera, Theatre im Pfalzbau Ludwigshafen, and the Theatre des Westens, Berlin, was released by Image Entertainment (# ID924ORADVD). All lyrics, spoken dialogue, and music were included in an undated softcover edition published by Chappell & Co.

THE CONSUL Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: February 14, 1960 Closing Date: February 21, 1960 Performances: 2 Libretto and Music: Gian-Carlo Menotti Direction: Gian-Carlo Menotti (magic sequences created and directed by Fred Keating); Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Scenery and Costumes: Horace Armistead; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Werner Torkanowsky Cast: Chester Ludgin (John Sorel), Patricia Neway (Magda Sorel), Evelyn Sachs (The Mother), Joshua Hecht (Secret Police Agent), William Zachariasen (First Plainclothesman), Sam Kirkham (Second Plainclothesman), Regina Sarfaty (The Secretary), Arnold Voketaitis (Mr. Kofner), Maria Marlo (The Foreign Woman), Maria Di Gerlando (Anna Gomez), Ruth Kobart (Vera Boronel), Jack Harrold (Nika Magadoff [The Magician]), Dan Merriman (Assan), Mabel Mercer (Voice on the Record) The opera was presented in three acts. The action takes place somewhere in Europe during the recent past. Gian-Carlo Menotti’s Cold War opera The Consul premiered on March 15, 1950, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre for 269 performances, and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical and the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for music. It was a powerful self-described “musical drama” that depicted an unnamed totalitarian country whose citizens are persecuted by secret police and a Kafkaesque bureaucracy. Underground protestor John Sorel has escaped from the country, and has sent word to his wife Magda to get visa papers so that she, their baby, and his ailing mother may join him. But Magda is shadowed by the police and becomes entangled in the spider’s web of the bureaucratic maze of the consul’s office, which is run by his coldly efficient secretary (the consul himself is never seen) who tells Magda that “Your name is a number, your story is a case, your need a request, your hopes will be filed.” But the visas are elusive, as there is always one more document that must be executed in the unending morass of papers and questionnaires. Ultimately, John returns to help his family, but it’s too late: he’s arrested, his mother has succumbed to illness, the baby has died of starvation, and Magda has committed suicide. Menotti’s powerful score offered a number of highlights, including a first-act quintet (“In Endless Waiting Rooms”) for petitioners waiting in vain for their visas, and a surreal sequence in which a magician hypnotizes them (“art is the artist’s only transport”) into a dream of sweet music and waltzes (but even in this fantasy they dance in “mechanical tick-tock fashion,” and when the consul’s secretary asks the magician to produce his papers, all he can do is pull a rabbit out of his hat). The opera began with a song (“Tu reviendras”) heard on a distant radio; the voice on the recording was that of cabaret singer Mabel Mercer, and it’s become a tradition for most if not all productions of the opera to include her recording of the song. Other gripping moments were Magda’s arias “To This We’ve Come” and “I Never Meant to Do This.” And there was a tender “Lullaby” (“I shall find you shells and stars”) for the mother-in-law.

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In his review of the original production, Robert Coleman in the Daily Mirror said the opera might “open the eyes” of the “local comrades  .  .  . dim-witted dupes  .  .  . who think life behind the Iron Curtain in just dandy.” Virgil Thomson in the New York Daily Mirror said that while Menotti “was not quite a first-class composer,” his opera “may well have its place in our century’s history of the stage.” The original cast album was released by Decca Records (LP # DX-101). The original production was conducted by Lehman Engel, and starred Patricia Neway (Magda), Cornell MacNeil (John), Marie Powers (The Mother), Gloria Lane (The Secretary), Leon Lishner (Secret Police Agent), Andrew McKinley (The Magician), and George Jongeyans (Mr. Kofner). Jongeyans was later known as Jon Geyans (and still later as George Gaynes); as Jongeyans, he appeared in the original 1950 production of Cole Porter’s Out of This World (as Jupiter) and introduced “I Jupiter, I Rex” and “Hark to the Song of the Night.” As Gaynes, he created the role of Robert Baker in the original 1953 production of Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green’s Wonderful Town, and introduced “A Quiet Girl” and, with Edie Adams, the duet “It’s Love.” There are two other recordings of the score, one from the Spoleto Festival (Chandos Records CD # CHAN9706-2) and one from the Berkshire Opera Company (Newport Classic Records CD # NPD-85645/2). The libretto was published in softcover by G. Schirmer in 1950. The opera was revived eight times by the New York City Opera Company. The first revival opened at the City Center on October 8, 1952, for three performances (Neway, Lane, and Jongeyans [now Jon Geyans] reprised their original roles), the second the following spring on April 16 (original cast members Neway, Lane, and Lishner were joined by Richard Torigi [John], David Aiken [Mr. Kofner], Norman Kelley [The Magician], and Mary Kreste [The Mother]). The current 1960 production was the third revival, opening on February 14 at the City Center. Neway reprised her original role of Magda, and the cast included Chester Ludgin (John), Evelyn Sachs (The Mother), Regina Sarfaty (The Secretary), Joshua Hecht (The Police Agent), Arnold Voketaitis (Mr. Kofner), Jack Harrold (The Magician), and Ruth Kobart (Vera Boronel). Maria Marlo, who was the Foreign Woman in the original production, re-created her role for the revival. This production was filmed for closed-circuit pay television in 1960, and was shown in 1961. The cast included most of the performers seen at City Center (however, for the televised version, Leon Lishner recreated his original role of The Police Agent, and Norman Kelley sang the role of The Magician). The telecast was presented by Telemeter/Theatre-in-the-Home (Jean Dalrymple, executive producer, and Leslie Winik, program director), and was directed by Bill Butler and William A. Graham. It was shown over the period of one week, from March 16 through March 22, 1961, with both afternoon and evening showings at $1.50 per viewing. Television viewers were sent a special Playbill that included cast and other information, and they also received a “ticket” for the performance (indicating the theatre was “Your Living Room” and your seat was “A 1”; it also noted the ticket “entitles you to park your car in your own garage free during the performance”). The production was filmed at TV Studio 65 on West 26th Street, and the program notes indicated that Werner Torkanowsky conducted a thirty-eight-piece orchestra in one section of the studio while the stage action with the performers was filmed on five sets located in another part of the building (Torkanowsky watched the performers via television monitors). The Playbill stated there would be three more productions following the telecast of The Consul: Show Girl (the 1961 revue that starred Carol Channing); the 1960 Off-Broadway production of Hedda Gabler; and An Evening with Edith Piaff [sic] in Paris (the latter was filmed at the Olympia Theatre in Paris). Later pay-per-view offerings included From the Second City (as The Second City Revue). The DVD of the television production of The Consul is available on Video Artists International (# 4266). Because Neway was appearing as the Mother Abbess in the original 1959 Broadway production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The Sound of Music, she was free only on Sundays, and so the 1960 revival was given twice on two consecutive Sunday evenings. For The Sound of Music, Neway won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and introduced “Climb Every Mountain,” and (with Mary Martin) “My Favorite Things.” Besides the Mother Abbess, Neway created “mother” roles in three more New York productions within the two-year period of 1958 and 1959: New York City Opera’s 1958 premiere of Marc Bucci’s Tale for a Deaf Ear; the 1958 Broadway production of Menotti’s Maria Golovin; and New York City Opera’s 1959 world premiere of Hugo Weisgall’s Six Characters in Search of an Author. If all these mother roles weren’t enough, Neway created one more, the bitter, unforgiving mother in Fred Ebb and Paul Klein’s 1963 Off-Broadway musical Morning Sun.

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For the 1960 revival of The Consul, Ross Parmenter in the New York Times said Neway’s Magda was a performance of “stunning impact. . . . It is not often one experiences such a sense of shattering reality in the opera house.” The opera’s fourth revival at City Center opened on March 28, 1962 for four performances (with Neway); the fifth opened on March 17, 1966, for three performances at the company’s new home at Lincoln Center’s New York State Theatre (the cast included Neway, with Sherrill Milnes as John); and the sixth revival, which opened on October 6, 1966, played for two performances. This production marked Neway’s last New York performances in her signature role of Magna, a role she had played for over a period of sixteen years. The revival’s cast also included Julia Migenes. The seventh revival opened on March 27, 1974, for four performances (Olivia Stapp was Magda, and Muriel Costa-Greenspon was The Mother), and the eighth and most recent one opened on March 22, 1975, for two performances (with Stapp and Costa-Greenspon). Besides the 1960 telecast of The Consul, there have been numerous televised versions of the opera. Ken Wlaschin’s Gian Carlo Menotti on Screen: Opera, Dance and Choral Works on Film, Television and Video lists seven other television productions: a May 28, 1951, British telecast on the BBC with Neway and Powers re-creating their original Broadway roles; a February 1952 American version on the Cleveland Play House series; a January 17, 1954, adaptation on Canada’s CBC; another Canadian telecast on March 19, 1959, from a Toronto revival with Neway; an Australian production telecast on December 12, 1962; an Austrian version seen on April 19, 1963; and a 1977 Spoleto Festival production which was telecast on public television on March 29, 1978.

A THURBER CARNIVAL Theatre: ANTA Theatre Opening Date: February 26, 1960 Closing Date: June 25, 1960 Performances: 127 Sketches: James Thurber Music: Don Elliott Based on various short stories and other writings by James Thurber. Direction: Burgess Meredith (James Starbuck, Associate Director); Producers: Michael Davis, Helen Bonfils, and Haila Stoddard; Scenery: Marvin Reiss; Costumes: Ramse Stevens (men’s costumes), Jenkins Gowns (women’s costumes); Lighting: Paul Morrison; Musical Direction: Don Elliott Cast: Tom Ewell, Peggy Cass, Paul Ford, John McGiver, Alice Ghostley, Peter Turgeon, Wynne Miller, Margo Lungreen, Charles Braswell The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Sequences Act One: “Word Dance (Part I)” (Parts I and II staged by James Starbuck) (Peggy Cass, Paul Ford, John McGiver, Alice Ghostley, Peter Turgeon, Wynne Miller, Margo Lungreen, Charles Braswell); “The Night the Bed Fell” (Tom Ewell); “Fables (Part I)” (all fables staged by James Starbuck): (1) “The Wolf at the Door” (Alice Ghostley [Narrator], Wynne Miller [Daughter], Peggy Cass [Mother], Paul Ford [Father], Charles Braswell [Wolf]; (2) “The Unicorn in the Garden” (Peter Turgeon [Narrator], Paul Ford [Man], Alice Ghostley [She], John McGiver [Psychiatrist], Charles Braswell [Policeman]); (3) “The Little Girl and the Wolf” (Peggy Cass [Narrator], Paul Ford [Wolf], Wynne Miller [Little Girl]); “If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomattox” (Peter Turgeon [Narrator], Charles Braswell [Schultz], Tom Ewell [Grant], Paul Ford [Lee], John McGiver [Lee’s Staff Man], Peter Turgeon [Officer]); “Casuals of the Keys” (John McGiver [Visitor], Paul Ford [Darrel Darke]); “The Macbeth Murder Mystery” (Tom Ewell [He], Peggy Cass [She]); “Gentlemen Shoppers” (Alice Ghostley [Salesgirl], John McGiver [Westwater], Wynne Miller [Bargirl], Tom Ewell [Anderson], Paul Ford [Bailey]); “The Last Flower” (Tom Ewell)

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Act Two: “Pet Department” (Peter Turgeon [Narrator], Tom Ewell [The Pet Counsellor], Alice Ghostley [Miss Whittaker], Wynne Miller [A Girl]); “Mr. Preble Gets Rid of His Wife” (Paul Ford [Preble], Wynne Miller [Miss Daley], Peggy Cass [Mrs. Preble]); “File and Forget” (Tom Ewell [James Thurber], Margo Lungreen [Miss Bagley], Peggy Cass [Miss Alma Winege], Wynne Miller [Miss Wynne], Alice Ghostley [Jeannette Gaines], Paul Ford [Clint Jordan], John McGiver [H.F. Cluffman]); “Take Her Up Tenderly” (Paul Ford [John], Alice Ghostley [Nellie], Peggy Cass [Lou]); “Fables (Part II)”: (1) “The Owl Who Was God” (Alice Ghostley [Narrator], John McGiver [Owl], Peter Turgeon [Mole], Charles Braswell [Mole], Paul Ford [Secretary Bird], Margo Lungreen [Red Fox]); (2) “The Clothes Moth and the Luna Moth” (Tom Ewell [Narrator], Wynne Miller [Luna Moth], Charles Braswell [Clothes Moth]); “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (Peter Turgeon [Narrator], Tom Ewell [Walter Mitty], Peggy Cass [Mrs. Mitty], Charles Braswell [First Voice], Peter Turgeon [Lt. Berg], Wynne Miller [Nurse], John McGiver [Dr. Renshaw], Charles Braswell [Dr. Benbow], Peter Turgeon [Dr. Remington], Paul Ford [Mr. Pritchard-Mitford, The Leader]); “Word Dance (Part II)” (Company) Based on stories and fables written by James Thurber, and using his drawings as the inspiration for its scenery, the revue A Thurber Carnival presented sketches that depicted Thurber’s loopy worldview, with some of it accompanied by jazz-styled music composed by Don Elliott. Despite the small nine-member cast and four-man orchestra (the Don Elliott Quartet), the enjoyable revue lost money. Perhaps the quirky material would have been better served in an intimate Off-Broadway venue than in a traditional Broadway house. As a result, the revue played for just 127 performances at the ANTA (now Virginia) Theatre, opening there on February 26, 1960. During the following season, the revue was seen at the ANTA for a return engagement of ninety-six additional performances, for a total of 223 Broadway showings (see entry for the second engagement). John McClain in the New York Journal-American noted Thurber’s humor was based on the notion that “somebody is playing a big joke on humans and animals alike,” and Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times said the “freshest and the funniest show of the year” found its humor in the “simple predicament of being alive,” adding that the “wonderful” revue offered a “glorious world of meaningful nonsense.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune found the evening a “sheer delight . . . [a] small, cozy, and completely captivating revue,” and he praised the array of comics who made merry with Thurber’s humor, including Paul Ford, Alice Ghostley, Tom Ewell, Peggy Cass, John McGiver, Peter Turgeon, and Wynne Miller (Kerr noted Cass “achieves the impossible distinction of looking both beautiful and maniacal”); Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror liked the “smart revue,” and praised the “skilled comedians” and the “real cool” Don Elliott Quartet; Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram liked the “perfect” cast, and told his readers the revue offered the “clean, lovable crackling of sharp fun”; Richard Watts in the New York Post said that “humor and imagination are mixed with a fine, urbane intelligence, there is cause for nothing but delight”; and John Chapman in the New York Daily News gave his readers the address of the ANTA Theatre, noting that “anybody who shuns this house of laughter is crazy.” The evening began and ended with “Word Dance,” in which the players delivered surreal-like one-liners in time to Elliott’s musical accompaniment, comments such as: “Meet Miss Gorse, she’s in embalming”; “He’s having his books translated into French; they lose something in the original”; “How can an explosion increase population?”; and “My husband wanted me to live in sin even after we were married.” Among the sketches were a mini-version of Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (itself the basis for a 1964 OffBroadway musical of the same name); “The Macbeth Murder Mystery,” in which a mystery-novel fan proves Macbeth is innocent of murder; and “If Grant Had Been Drinking at Appomattox,” in which the dead-drunk Grant is told he’s in the “Appomattox Court House, Virginia,” to which Grant replies, “Don’t call me Virginia.” During the run, two fables in the second act (“The Owl Who Was God” and “The Clothes Moth and the Luna Moth”) were dropped. The cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-5500 and # KOS-2024, and reissued on # CKOS-2024), and was released on CD by Arkiv Music/Sony Masterworks Broadway Records (# 88691-911382). The script was published in softcover by Samuel French in 1962. Cast member Wynne Miller, who later in the year appeared in Tenderloin, was the niece of legendary band leader Glenn Miller.

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

The London production opened at the Savoy Theatre on April 11, 1962, for twenty-seven performances; Tom Ewell reprised his New York role, and others in the cast were Betty Marsden, Donna Cameron, June Thody, Mary Laura Wood, David Bauer, John Cater, Tom Chatto, Deny Graham, and the Stan Stacey Quartet. The musical director was Johnny (John) Dankworth. A sequel of sorts opened on Broadway in 1963 (The Beast in Me); the music for this production was also by Don Elliott.

GREENWILLOW “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: March 8, 1960 Closing Date: May 28, 1960 Performances: 97 Book: Lesser Samuels and Frank Loesser Lyrics and Music: Frank Loesser Based on the 1956 novel Greenwillow by B. J. Chute. Direction: George Row Hill; Producers: Robert A. Wiley in association with Frank Productions, Inc.; Choreography: Joe Layton; Scenery: Peter Larkin; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Lighting: Feder; Musical Direction: Abba Bogin Cast: John Megna (Jabez Briggs), Dortha Duckworth (Clara Clegg), Maggie Task (Mrs. Hasty), Jordon Howard (Mr. Preebs), Marie Foster (Mrs. Lunny), William Chapman (Reverend Lapp), Pert Kelton (Gramma Briggs), Elaine Swann (Maidy), Saralou Cooper (Emma), Anthony Perkins (Gideon Briggs), Ellen McCown (Dorrie Whitbred), Bruce MacKay (Amos Briggs), Ian Tucker (Micah Briggs), Lynn Brinker (Martha Briggs), Brenda Harris (Sheby Briggs), Lee Cass (Thomas Clegg), Cecil Kellaway (Reverend Birdsong), Thomas Norden (Young Churchgoer), David Gold (Will), Margery Gray (Neil), Grover Dale (Andrew); Singers: Kenny Adams, Betsy Bridge, Marie Foster, Alan Gilbert, Russell Goodwin, Jordon Howard, Marian Mercer, Carl Nicholas, Virginia Oswald, Bob Roman, Sheila Swenson, Maggie Task, Karen Thorsell; Dancers: Jere Admire, Don Atkinson, Estella Aza, Joan Coddington, Ethelyne Dunfee, Richard Englund, David Gold, Margery Gray, Mickey Gunnerson, Patsi King, Jack Leigh, Nancy Van Rhein, Jimmy White The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around the village of Greenwillow during the four seasons.

Musical Numbers Act One: “A Day Borrowed from Heaven” (The Villagers); “A Day Borrowed from Heaven” (reprise) (Anthony Perkins); “Dorrie’s Wish” (Ellen McCown); “The Music of Home” (Bruce MacKay, Anthony Perkins, Villagers); “Gideon Briggs, I Love You” (Anthony Perkins, Ellen McCown); “The Autumn Courting” (dance) (Villagers); “The Call to Wander” (Bruce MacKay); “Summertime Love” (Anthony Perkins, Villagers); “Walking Away Whistling” (Ellen McCown); “The Sermon” (William Chapman, Cecil Kellaway); “Could’ve Been a Ring” (Lee Cass, Pert Kelton); “Gideon Briggs, I Love You” (reprise) (Ellen McCown); “Halloweve” (ballet) (John Megna, Grover Dale, Young Villagers); “Never Will I Marry” (Anthony Perkins); “Greenwillow Christmas” (carol) (Lynn Brinker, Villagers) Act Two: “The Music of Home” (reprise) (Villagers); “Faraway Boy” (Ellen McCown); “Clang Dang the Bell” (Anthony Perkins, Pert Kelton, Lynn Brinker, Ian Tucker, Brenda Harris, John Megna); “What a Blessing” (Cecil Kellaway); “He Died Good” (Villagers); “The Spring Courting” (dance) (Grover Dale, Ellen McCown, Young Villagers); “Summertime Love” (reprise) (Anthony Perkins); “What a Blessing” (reprise) (Cecil Kellaway); “The Call” (Anthony Perkins); “The Music of Home” (Company) Frank Loesser’s scores never had an identifiable “sound.” He never repeated himself musically, but his works shared one essential element, his genius for composing richly melodic scores which were matched by his perfect lyrics. His five Broadway musicals (Where’s Charley? [1948; revived in 1966], Guys and Dolls

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[1950; revived in 1965 and 1966], The Most Happy Fella [1956; revived in 1966], Greenwillow [1960], and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying [1961; revived in 1966]) were completely different from one another, and ranged from traditional musical comedy to virtually sung-through opera. Guys and Dolls is considered his masterpiece, but perhaps Greenwillow is Loesser’s “desert-island” score. With shimmering, ethereal ballads (“Walking Away Whistling,” “Never Will I Marry,” “Faraway Boy”), full-bodied choral numbers (“The Music of Home,” “Greenwillow Christmas,” “Summertime Love” [the latter was reprised as a gentle solo]), an enchanting promenade that seems to have been composed of musical notes and stardust (“The Autumn Courting” / “The Spring Courting” [titled “Greenwillow Walk” on the cast album]), and alternately jubilant and sardonic comedy numbers (“The Sermon,” “Could’ve Been a Ring,” “What a Blessing,” “He Died Good”), Loesser’s entrancing score for Greenwillow was the finest heard on Broadway since the premiere of Candide in 1956. Greenwillow offers one of the greatest scores in the history of musical theatre. Based on B. J. Chute’s lovely and charming but virtually plotless 1956 novel of the same name, the musical was set in a timeless, geographically vague small village (the novel’s first sentence tells us that “long ago, centuries perhaps, the village of Greenwillow had been stood in the corner and forgotten”) which looked at the lives of its townspeople through the change of seasons. The leading character is Gideon Briggs (Anthony Perkins), who fears he’ll soon fall victim to his family’s curse: the oldest male in each generation is doomed to incessantly wander the earth and can only occasionally return to Greenwillow in order to sire a child and thus perpetuate the family’s curse and bloodline. As a result of Gideon’s fears, he’s wary of committing himself to Dorrie (Ellen McCown), whom he loves. The musical also focused on Greenwillow’s two ministers, Reverend Birdsong (Cecil Kellaway) and Reverend Lapp (William Chapman), both of whom have wildly divergent views of religion; two of Greenwillow’s elders, Grandma Briggs (Pert Kelton) and Thomas Clegg (Lee Cass), who once upon a time had a “cozy close to mostly, mighty near to nearly” relationship; and the various children living in the town, including Gideon’s young brother Jabez Briggs (John Megna, who walked, if not scampered, away with some of the best reviews of the decade). Bruce McKay, Grover Dale, Margery Gray, Marian Mercer, and Jere Admire played other villagers in the large forty-two-member cast. Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times wrote that the musical brought Chute’s novel “to life on the stage just as if it had always been there,” and thanks to the “virtuosity and taste” of the musical’s creators, the “humors and sweetness” of the novel were preserved in an “ideal” libretto. As for Loesser, “out of his bountiful music box” came a “warm and varied score,” and Atkinson singled out “Summertime Love” and “Never Will I Marry” (Perkins’s “first-rate” voice brought a “lonely beauty” to the songs); “Walking Away Whistling” (“rueful”); “Faraway Boy” (“wistful”); “Could’ve Been a Ring” (“good rowdydowdy music”); and “The Sermon” (“irresistible”). He also praised Peter Larkin’s “cut-out village scenery” set against an “epic” willow, and said Joe Layton’s dances were “joyous” (including the show-stopping “Halloweve” ballet in which Master Megna played a pivotal role). John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the book “warm and tasteful” and the score “haunting.” While the music wasn’t as “socko” as the score Loesser composed for Guys and Dolls, it was “musically more ambitious” (he singled out “Summertime Love,” “The Music of Home,” “Gideon Briggs, I Love You,” “The Spring Courting,” and “What a Blessing”). But the remaining five critics were less than enchanted with the musical, and most noted that the plot didn’t go anywhere (one of the main events in the story dealt with the blessing of a cow); but they still found a lot to like in the score, the performances, and the choreography. But with more negative than positive notices, Greenwillow lasted just three months. Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror found the book “sketchy” and the humor “primitive.” He seemed slightly disappointed with the score, but nonetheless added that it had “the stamp of integrity on it” and suggested the “folk opera” score and Don Walker’s skillful orchestrations could easily be transferred directly to the New York City Opera when that company got around to “adding Greenwillow to its roster.” He also praised the “exciting” “Halloweve” ballet. Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram noted the musical had “flashes of excellence,” the cast was “superb,” and Loesser’s contributions were “worth re-hearing,” but for all that the evening “skittered,” and he wondered what happened to Loesser’s theatrical compass. Richard Watts in the New York Post said the evening had “moments of fresh charm,” but otherwise was “upsettingly flat, stodgy and lacking in emotional effectiveness.” While he praised the cast, the choreography, and the scenic design, he felt Loesser’s score “rarely represents him at his best . . . [but] a few of the numbers are of the expected excellence.”

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

John Chapman in the New York Daily News liked the “robust, lilting . . . charming . . . splendid” songs, and said the company was “one of the best.” But he noted he was “blessed if I can tell you just what it is about.” Besides the score and the cast, he also liked the beguiling dances (particularly the “fanciful” “Halloweve”). But he cautioned that his review was an “incomplete report, because I have not yet figured Greenwillow out.” He promised to see the musical again, and if it turned out he was “just plain stupid” on opening night, he would file a second review. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said Greenwillow was theatrically “nowhere—not in Brigadoon, not in Glocca Morra,” and he chided the musical’s creators for their “do-it-yourself folklore,” which “may just be the one dish in the world that can’t be cooked to order.” But he noted that Loesser’s contributions were “honorably done,” and he singled out “The Sermon” (a lively “brimstone-and-peaches duet”); “Could’ve Been a Ring” (“a jiggy little melody”); and “The Music of Home” (when the chorus attacks “the rafters” with this number, “you do suddenly wish that these robust yeomen did have a home of their own”). He also noted that “few musicals” could boast the “legitimate, fiery-eyed intensity” that Perkins brought to his role, and he praised the “imaginative improvisation” of Layton’s “Halloweve” ballet. Two songs in the musical make interesting companions to songs introduced on Broadway during the two seasons following Greenwillow’s premiere. “He Died Good” was a tongue-in-cheek threnody about the unmourned death of the town’s Scrooge, a character who’ll be as little missed as the late husband in Johnny Burke’s mock-lament “Sad Was the Day” from Donnybrook! (1961). In “Faraway Boy,” Dorrie muses that because the “born to wander” Gideon is the first man to win her heart, any future lover must be indebted to him. Stephen Sondheim’s “That’ll Show Him” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962) was completely different in style and tone from “Faraway Boy,” but it too found the heroine noting that any spark she brought to a second romance was due to her first one. During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “My Beauty,” “A-Tangle, A-Dangle,” “The Call to Wander,” “A Head on Her Shoulders,” “Yes,” and “Riddleweed.” Zeme North was replaced by Ellen McCown in the role of Dorrie. Earlier in the 1959–1960 season, North made her first and only Broadway appearance in the role of Robert Morse’s sister Mildred in Take Me Along. As for McCown, she appeared in just two Broadway musicals; besides Greenwillow, she had a major role in the 1951 musical Seventeen (with Dick Kallman, she introduced “After All, It’s Spring,” the score’s finest number). Songs written for, but never used in, Greenwillow were: “Amos Long Entrance,” “All A-Tousle” (an early version of “A-Tangle, A-Dangle”), “Buzz a Buzz,” “Percussion Ballad,” “Heart of Stone,” and “Down in the Barley.” Although not listed in Playbill, the brief song “Blasphemy” (for Gideon) may have been performed in the Broadway production. Except for “Yes,” all the lyrics for the used, cut, and unused songs can be found in the collection The Complete Lyrics of Frank Loesser (published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2003, and edited by Robert Kimball and Steve Nelson). (The book’s index indicates the lyric of “Yes” is on page 212, but the song is unaccountably omitted from the collection.) The cast album of Greenwillow was originally scheduled for recording by Columbia Records, and it was assigned release numbers (LP # OL-5470 and # OS-2022). However, the album was instead recorded and released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOCD/LSOD-2001). Since Anthony Perkins had previously recorded for RCA, it’s possible that at the time of Greenwillow’s production he was still under contract to RCA and thus was precluded from recording for another company. So if RCA did indeed pull an Abbe Lane on him and didn’t allow him to record for Columbia, then perhaps there was no choice but for the musical’s producers to sign with another company, in this case, Perkins’s home company of RCA. Abbe Lane was under contract to RCA, and under its terms wasn’t allowed to record for other companies; although she was the female lead in the 1958 musical Oh Captain!, she couldn’t participate in Columbia Records’ cast recording of the show, and so for the album her role was assumed by Eileen Rodgers. Later, on a pop album for RCA, Lane recorded two songs from the musical, her saucy “Femininity” (here she complains that whenever she’s with a man she always finds herself staring at the ceiling) and “We’re Not Children” (which in the show was performed by Jacquelyn McKeever and Paul Valentine). RCA also issued a lavish limited-edition numbered and boxed set of Greenwillow, whose cover was festooned with willow leaves. The recording “returned” to Columbia when it was reissued under the Columbia Special Products label (LP # P-13974), and the CD was issued by DRG Records (# 19006). Music from Frank Loesser’s “Greenwillow” was an instrumental reading of the score by the Melachrino Strings that was released by RCA (LP # LSP-2229). The unused song “Heart of Stone” was recorded by Loesser’s daughter Emily

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for the collection Loesser by Loesser: A Salute to Frank Loesser (DRG Records CD # S-170), which also included a medley of songs from Greenwillow (“Summertime Love,” “Gideon Briggs, I Love You,” “The Music of Home,” and “Never Will I Marry”) performed by Emily Loesser, Jo Sullivan Loesser (Loesser’s widow, who created the role of Amy/Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella), and Don Stephenson. The collection Frank Loesser Revisited (Painted Smiles Records CD # PSCD-115) includes “Bless This Day” (sung by Emily Loesser). The liner notes indicate the song may have been intended for Greenwillow, but the Complete Lyrics reveals that the song’s manuscript is dated October 1960, some seven months after Greenwillow’s Broadway premiere. It’s more likely the song was intended for How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. The musical was revived by the Equity Library Theatre for the period December 3–20, 1970. As for scene-stealer John Megna, the seven-year-old boy must have certainly walked away whistling, what with the rave reviews he received from all seven New York critics. McClain noted Greenwillow couldn’t fail as long as two and a half members of the cast were in the show, Perkins, Kellaway, and the “preposterous” Megna, “who isn’t really big enough to add up to half an actor.” McClain said that “Master Megna . . . naturally stole every scene in which he appeared, and completely took charge of the ‘Halloweve’ ballet . . . [he] sings, dances, and is thrown around the premises like a basketball, enjoying every minute of it.” Chapman began his review by praising “a captivating small boy whom I cannot identify from the program,” and ended the review with a “P.S. The little boy who stole the show is named John Megna.” Aston found Megna a “whiz,” Coleman found him “impish,” and Watts said he “has the usual little boy actor’s success.” Atkinson noted the “business-like tot . . . brings down the house,” and Kerr said the boy had a “fine time giving the devil a bit more than his due” in the “Halloweve” ballet. After his appearance as Jabez, John Megna was seen the following season as Rufus, the little boy whose father dies, in Tad Mosel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama All the Way Home, which was based on James Agee’s 1958 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel A Death in the Family. But Megna is best known for his performance as Dill, the quirky little boy in the 1962 film version of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Incidentally, Megna was actress and singer Connie Stevens’s half-brother, and his sister Ave Marie Megna appeared in the 1963 Off-Broadway musical Morning Sun, one of Fred Ebb’s earliest New York musicals.

Awards Tony Nominations: Leading Actor in a Musical (Tony Perkins); Featured Actress in a Musical (Pert Kelton); Conductor and Musical Director (Abba Bogin); Scenic Designer for a Musical (Peter Larkin); Costumer Designer (Alvin Colt); Choreographer (Joe Layton); Stage Technician (James Orr)

BYE BYE BIRDIE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre (during run, the musical first transferred to the Shubert Theatre and then to the 54th Street Theatre) Opening Date: April 14, 1960 Closing Date: October 7, 1961 Performances: 607 Book: Michael Stewart Lyrics: Lee Adams Music: Charles Strouse Direction and Choreography: Gower Champion; Producers: Edward Padula in association with L. Slade Brown; Scenery: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Miles White; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Elliot Lawrence Cast: Dick Van Dyke (Albert Peterson), Chita Rivera (Rose Grant), Karin Wolfe (Helen, Another Sad Girl), Marissa Mason (Nancy), Sharon Lerit (Alice, Sad Girl), Louise Quick (Margie Ann, Member of Teen Trio), Lada Edmund (Penelope Ann), Jessica Albright (Deborah Sue, Member of Teen Trio), Lynn Bowin (Suzie, Cheerleader), Judy Keirn (Linda, Cheerleader), Penny Ann Green (Carol), Vicki Belmonte (Martha Lou-

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ise, Member of Teen Trio), Michael Vita (Harold), Jerry Dodge (Karl), Dean Stolber (Harvey), Ed Kresley (Henry), Bob Spencer (Arthur), Tracy Everitt (Freddie), Gary Howe (Peyton), Barbara Doherty (Ursula Merkle), Susan Watson (Kim MacAfee), Marijane Maricle (Mrs. MacAfee), Paul Lynde (Mr. MacAfee), Kay Medford (Mrs. Peterson), Lee Howard (Reporter, Neighbor, Bar Customer), Jim Sisco (Reporter, Shriner), Don Farnworth (Reporter, Shriner), John Coyle (Reporter, Shriner), Dick Gautier (Conrad Birdie), Kenny Burrell (Guitar Man), Kasimir Kokich (Conductor, Shriner), Allen Knowles (Mayor, Shriner), Amelia Haas (Mayor’s Wife, Neighbor), Michael J. Pollard (Hugo Peabody), Johnny Borden (Randolph MacAfee), Pat McEnnis (Mrs. Merkle), Dori Davis (Old Woman), Jeannine Masterson (Neighbor), Ed Becker (Neighbor, Dish Washer), Oran Osburn (Neighbor, Bar Customer), George Blackwell (Neighbor, Charles F. Maude), Charles Nelson Reilly (Mr. Henkel), Norma Richardson (Gloria Rasputin), Will Jordan (Voice of Ed Sullivan), Tony Mordente (TV Stage Manager), Dick Crowley (Shriner), Bud Fleming (Shriner) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City, Sweet Apple, Ohio, and “The World at Large.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “An English Teacher” (Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke); “The Telephone Hour” (Sweet Apple Kids); “How Lovely to Be a Woman” (Susan Watson); “We Love You, Conrad!” (Louise Quick, Jessica Albright, Vicki Belmonte); “Put on a Happy Face” (Dick Van Dyke, Sharon Lerit, Karin Wolfe); “Normal American Boy” (Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke, Company); “One Boy” (Susan Watson, Jessica Albright, Sharon Lerit); “One Boy” (reprise) (Chita Rivera); “Honestly Sincere” (Dick Gautier, Townspeople); “Hymn for a Sunday Evening” (Paul Lynde, Marijane Maricle, Susan Watson, Johnny Borden, Amelia Haas, Jeannine Masterson, Ed Becker, Oran Osburn, George Blackwell, Lee Howard); “How to Kill a Man” (ballet) (Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke, Company); “One Last Kiss” (Dick Gautier, Company) Act Two: “The World at Large” (film montage with musical background); “What Did I Ever See in Him?” (Chita Rivera, Susan Watson); “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” (Dick Gautier, Susan Watson, Teenagers); “Kids” (Paul Lynde, Marijane Maricle); “Baby, Talk to Me” (Dick Van Dyke; Quartet: George Blackwell, Lee Howard, Oran Osburn, Ed Becker); “Shriners’ Ballet” (Chita Rivera, Allen Knowles, John Coyle, Dick Crowley, Don Farnworth, Bud Fleming, Kasimir Kokich, Jim Sisco); “Kids” (reprise) (Paul Lynde, Marijane Maricle, Johnny Borden, Parents); “Spanish Rose” (Chita Rivera); “Rosie” (Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera) In 1958, Elvis Presley was drafted into the Army, and in recognition of this momentous event in the nation’s history, a song called “Bye Bye Elvis” was released by ABC-Paramount Records (45 RPM # 45-9900AMP-45-3202). Written by Norton, Goldstein, and Carol, and sung by Genee Harris, the song wondered how America’s teenagers would cope without Elvis, “Hound Dog,” and “Don’t Be Cruel” (and just what would they sing and dance to after school?). But somehow the country survived, and the nation got through Elvis’s stint in the Army (and so did Elvis). Two years later, Broadway saw a spoof of the Elvis-into-the-Army phenomenon with Bye Bye Birdie, in which the about-to-be-drafted rock ’n’ roll superstar Conrad Birdie (Dick Gautier) sings “One Last Kiss” on national television to lucky Kim MacAfee (Susan Watson), a teenager from Sweet Apple, Ohio. The musical dealt with both the MacAfee family’s newfound celebrity when Kim is chosen for the signal honor of receiving Conrad’s last kiss on The Ed Sullivan Show as well as the on-again, off-again romance of Conrad’s manager Albert Peterson (Dick Van Dyke) and Peterson’s secretary Rosie (Chita Rivera), who, like Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, has been waiting a long time for that trip to the altar. Unlike Adelaide, Rosie has to deal with a troublesome prospective mother-in-law in Mae Peterson (Kay Medford), who’s convinced that Allentown, Pennsylvania–born Rosie is really a hot tamale from south of the border. But all ends well: Birdie goes into the Army, sanity is restored to the MacAfee household, Kim can resume being a normal teenager and date her boyfriend Hugo (Michael J. Pollard), and Albert decides it’s high time he untied the silver cord and tied the knot with Rosie. The production marked the first time Gower Champion had both directed and choreographed a book musical (he had earlier choreographed the 1948 revues Small Wonder and Lend an Ear and the 1951 musical Make a Wish; and in 1955 choreographed, directed, and starred in the revue 3 for Tonight), and with the success of Bye Bye Birdie he was soon one of the most sought-after directors and choreographers of the era. His

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later successes included Carnival! (1961; 719 performances), Hello, Dolly! (1964; 2,844 performances), I Do! I Do! (1966; 561 performances), and 42nd Street (1980; 3,486 performances). Bye Bye Birdie also introduced the team of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams to Broadway, and their lively score for Birdie offered a number of popular hits (“Put on a Happy Face,” “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” and the Charleston-inspired “Kids!”). Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times felt the two stories, one of Birdie, Kim, and the issues surrounding the nationwide “one last kiss,” and the other of the Albert-Rosie-Mae “triangle,” never quite meshed, and while the opening night audience was “beside itself with pleasure,” he was “able to contain” himself. He concluded that Birdie was “neither fish, fowl nor good musical comedy. It needs work.” But he praised the cast, including Paul Lynde, Michael J. Pollard, and “the very funny dame” Kay Medford. He also noted Champion had devised “original” dances, including the nightmarish dream ballet “How to Kill a Man” (in which Rosie conjures up macabre ways to do away with the marriage-phobic Albert) and the “jumping-jack vaudeville” of the “Shriners’ Ballet” (in which Rosie inadvertently gets mixed up with some randy Shriners). Although Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt Michael Stewart’s book sometimes started “to break down and cry,” Lee’s lyrics leaned toward a “‘talk-out-the-plot’ routine,” and Strouse’s “jaunty” music was “whisper-thin,” he nonetheless enjoyed the evening and the performers, and singled out “How to Kill a Man” (“a very nice nightmare of firing squads, tumbrils, and what I took to be the Mafia”) and the even “greater inventiveness” of the “Shriners’ Ballet” (Rivera was “exhilarating” in this “impudent” dance sequence). Richard Watts in the New York Post found the new musical “bright and delightful,” saying the evening offered “fun and surprising charm.” He praised the “excellent” dances (including the “hilarious” “Shriners’ Ballet”), said the score had “freshness and imagination,” and noted that “rare and intelligent taste” was shown by having the evening end not with an “elaborate chorus number” but instead with Van Dyke and Rivera singing a “simple and charming romantic” song (“Rosie”) on a bare stage. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said Birdie was one of the “funniest, most captivating and most expert musical comedies one could hope to see in several seasons of showgoing . . . pure, plain musical comedy . . . a happy, zestful, clean, smart musical.” Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram wrote that as far as musicals went, Birdie was “the peak of the season . . . what a show!”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the musical “bright, new, funny, fast, [and] crazy,” and praised the “gay and frivolous and unpretentious score”; and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the show “looks like a champ” with its “satiric, tuneful, fast-stepping material.” The dances “How to Kill a Man” and “Shriners’ Ballet” received rave reviews from the critics, but ironically these two numbers have all but disappeared from subsequent revivals of the show (the film offered a truncated version of the latter as “The Sultans’ Ballet”). But the celebrated “Telephone Hour” has in one form or another remained with the musical in its later incarnations. For this song, Champion and scenic designer Robert Randolph came up with the ingenious notion of having the teenagers sing snatches of their telephone conversations on a huge three-story multi-leveled jungle gym of a set which incorporated separate cubicles for each teenager. The hardback script was belatedly published by DBS Publications in 1968. The original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL/OL-5510 and KOS/OS-2025). The CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records (# SK-89254), and includes a bonus track of Charles Strouse performing “Put on a Happy Face.” It appears that an early version of this song (as well as an early version of “Once Upon a Time” from All American [1962]) was first heard in the 1958 regional revue Take Me to Your Leader. (An early version of “Once Upon a Time” seems to have also been heard in the 1957 regional revue Off the Top, which opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1957, at the Craft Theatre.) The score’s demo recording by Adams and Strouse includes the unused song “All Woman.” The song “Older and Wiser” wasn’t used in Birdie (early on it was replaced by “What Did I Ever See in Him?”), but was recorded for the collection Lost in Boston III (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5563). The London production opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on June 15, 1961, for 268 performances; Chita Rivera reprised her role of Rosie, Peter Marshall was Albert, and other cast members included Angela Baddeley (Mae) and Marty Wilde (Birdie). The cast recording was released by Mercury Records (LP # MGW-13000; the CD was issued by Decca Broadway Records # 314-586-432-2). The reasonably faithful 1963 film version found Dick Van Dyke reprising his original role of Albert, and the cast included Janet Leigh (Rosie), Ann-Margret (her performance suggests Kim attended high schools in

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both Sweet Apple and Las Vegas), Maureen Stapleton (Mae), Bobby Rydell (Hugo), Jessie Pearson (Birdie), and Paul Lynde (as Mr. MacAfee, here reprising his Broadway role). Ed Sullivan appeared as himself. The film included one new number, a title song that was sung both in pre-credit and ending sequences by Ann-Margret. The film was directed by George Stevens, choreographed by Onna White, and the screenplay was by Irving Brecher. The soundtrack album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LS0-1081-RE), and a later CD release by RCA/BMG Heritage Records (# 82876-54217-2) included three outtakes, “We Love You, Conrad,” “One Last Kiss” (gym rehearsal version), and “The Sultans’ Ballet.” Bobby Rydell also recorded an album of songs from the musical on Cameo Records (LP # C-1043); for the recording, “How Lovely to Be a Woman” was refashioned for Rydell as “How Lovely to Love a Woman.” In 1989, the musical was revived by The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri, with Tommy Tune (Albert), Ann Reinking (Rosie), Marcia Lewis (Mae), Alan Sues (Mr. MacAfee), and Susan Egan (Kim). In 1991, a national tour of the musical found Tune and Reinking reprising their Muny roles; the delightful production included one new song,” Take a Giant Step” (for Albert), and, in a nod to political correctness, Rosie’s tongue-in-cheek “Spanish Rose” was reworked as “He’s Mine” for Rosie and Mae. The cast included Egan, Marilyn Cooper (Mae), and Marc Kudisch (Birdie). On December 3, 1995, a dreary television adaptation of the musical was seen on ABC; directed by Gene Saks and choreographed by Ann Reinking, the cast included Jason Alexander (Albert), Vanessa Williams (Rosie), Tyne Daly (Mae), Marc Kudisch (Birdie), Chynna Phillips (Kim), George Wendt (Mr. MacAfee), and Sally Mayes (Mrs. MacAfee). Two songs were written for this version, “Let’s Settle Down” (for Rosie) and “When a Mother Doesn’t Matter Anymore” (Daly). The production included the film’s title song as well as “Take a Giant Step” from the 1991 tour; “Spanish Rose” was also included. The soundtrack was released by RCA Victor Records (CD # 09026-68356-2), and the DVD by Crown/America Video. On October 15, 2009, Birdie was revived on Broadway for the first time, in a production by the Roundabout Theatre Company at Henry Miller’s (now Stephen Sondheim) Theatre for 117 performances. The cast of the rather cooly received production included John Stamos (Albert), Gina Gershon (Rose), Bill Irwin (Mr. MacAfee), Dee Hoty (Mrs. MacAfee), Nolan Gerard Funk (Birdie), and Jayne Houdyshell (Mae). The production included the title song written for the film version and reinstated “Spanish Rose,” but didn’t use the new songs written for the 1991 tour and 1995 television version. In preproduction, Bye Bye Birdie was first known as Love and Kisses and then later as Let’s Go Steady. Twenty-one years after Birdie’s Broadway opening, Michael Stewart, Lee Adams, and Charles Strouse wrote a sequel to the musical called Bring Back Birdie, set twenty years after the original story took place. The show opened on March 5, 1981, at the Martin Beck (now Hirschfeld) Theatre, the home of the original production. Albert and Rosie are now married, and Rosie’s wish has come true: Albert is an English teacher. But he’s called back into show business when the producers of the Grammy Awards offer him twenty-thousand dollars to find Conrad Birdie so that the former rock ’n’ roll star can be part of a tribute to former pop singers on the upcoming award show. It seems Birdie has drifted into obscurity, and so it’s up to Albert to track him down. Donald O’Connor played Albert, and Chita Rivera reprised her original role of Rosie. Albert’s mother Mae also figured into the plot, and this time around was played by Maria Karnilova. Birdie was played by real-life Elvis impersonator Marcel Forestieri, and Maurice Hines played a detective. Joe Layton directed and choreographed the musical, which was lambasted by the critics for its lame plot and weak score (Joel Siegel on WABC-TV said that while Bye Bye Birdie “cooked,” Bring Back Birdie was “defrosted”), and so the musical closed after just four performances. Although not listed in the Playbill, the score interpolated “Rosie” from the original production, and the number was included on the cast album issued by Original Cast Records (LP # OC-8132; later issued on CD by Varese Sarabande Records # VSD-5440). Sequels were not kind to Charles Strouse. Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge, with Dorothy Loudon reprising her role of Miss Hannigan, was probably the most anticipated musical of the 1989–1990 season. But the sour sequel to Annie (1977) was a cheerless affair, and closed at the Kennedy Center prior to its scheduled Broadway premiere. Incidentally, Bye Bye Birdie was one of fourteen Broadway plays and musicals whose poster artwork was featured on colorful tiles/trivets released in the early 1960s by a company called Theatre Tiles. Besides Birdie, the following shows were represented in the series: Becket, Camelot, Carnival!, Do Re Mi, Fiorello!, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Gypsy, Irma La Douce, Milk and Honey, My Fair Lady, No Strings, A Shot in the Dark, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (although the tiles were released in the early 1960s, a few shows in the series had opened in the 1950s).

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Bye Bye Birdie); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dick Van Dyke, Dick Gautier); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Chita Rivera); Best Book (Michael Stewart); Best Direction of a Musical (Gower Champion); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Elliot Lawrence); Best Scenic Designer for a Musical (Robert Randolph); Best Choreographer (Gower Champion)

FROM A TO Z “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Plymouth Theatre Opening Date: April 20, 1960 Closing Date: May 7, 1960 Performances: 21 Sketches, Monologues, Lyrics, and Music: For specific credits, see listing of sketches, monologues, and musical numbers Direction: Christopher Hewett; Producers: Carroll and Harris Masterson; Choreography: Ray Harrison; Scenery, Costumes, and Lighting: Fred Voelpel; Musical Direction: Milton Greene Cast: Hermione Gingold, Elliott Reid, Alvin Epstein, Louise Hoff, Nora Kovach, Kelly Brown, Paula Stewart, Stuart Damon, Bob Dishy, Isabelle Farrell, Michael Fesco, Larry Hovis, Doug Spingler, Beryl Towbin, Virginia Vestoff The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches, Monologues, and Musical Numbers Act One: (A) “Best Gold” (lyric and music by Jerry Herman) (Hermione Gingold, Nora Kovach, Kelly Brown, Michael Fesco, Doug Spingler, Beryl Towbin, Virginia Vestoff, Stuart Damon, Paula Stewart); (B) “Bardolatry” (sketch by Elliott Reid) (Louise Hoff, Elliott Reid); (C) “Pill Parade” (lyric and music by Jay Thompson) (Alvin Epstein [Narrator], Kelly Brown [Average Man], Michael Fesco [Vitamin], Doug Spingler [Vitamin], Beryl Towbin [Benzabang], Virginia Vestoff [Pilltown], Nora Kovach [Sexaphine], Isabelle Farrell [One More Pill]); (D) “Togetherness” (lyrics and music by Dickson Hughes and Everett Sloane) (Hermione Gingold [Grandmother], Elliott Reid [Father], Louise Hoff [Mother], Paula Stewart [Daughter], Stuart Damon [Son]); (E) “Psychological Warfare” (sketch by Woody Allen) (Alvin Epstein [Sergeant], Larry Hovis [Private], Doug Spingler [Private], Bob Dishy [Enemy], Stuart Damon [Medic], Michael Fesco [Medic]); (F) “Balloons” (lyric and music by Jack Holmes) (Nora Kovach, Kelly Brown, Michael Fesco, Doug Spingler, Beryl Towbin, Virginia Vestoff); (G) “Music Talk” (monologue by Hermione Gingold) (Hermione Gingold); (H) “Hire a Guy” (lyric by Marshall Barer, music by Mary Rodgers) (Louise Hoff [The Star], Elliott Reid [The Director], Stuart Damon [The Writer], Bob Dishy [Patsy]); (I) “Interlude” (music by Jack Holmes) (Beryl Towbin [Lady], Virginia Vestoff [Lady], Isabelle Farrell [Lady], Kelly Brown [Gentleman], Michael Fesco [Gentleman], Doug Spingler [Gentleman], Nora Kovach [A Stranger], Stuart Damon [A Man]); (J) “Hit Parade” (sketch by Woody Allen) (Hermione Gingold [Girl], Alvin Epstein [Boy]); (K) “Conventional Behavior” (monologue by Elliott Reid) (Elliott Reid); (L) “I Said to Love” (lyric by Fred Ebb, music by Paul Klein) (Louise Hoff); (M) “Winter in Palm Springs” (sketch by Herbert Farjeon) (Alvin Epstein [Colonel Spicer], Hermione Gingold [Mrs. Twiceover], Beryl Towbin [Alice]); (N) “Charlie” (lyric by Fred Ebb, music by Norman Martin) (Paula Stewart); (O) “The Sound of Schmaltz” (sketch and lyrics by Don Parks, music by William Dyer) (Louise Hoff [Head Nanny], Nora Kovach [Nanny], Beryl Towbin [Nanny], Virginia Vestoff [Nanny], Isabelle Farrell [Nanny], Hermione Gingold [Alicia Cadwallader-Smith], Elliott Reid [Baron von Klaptrap]; Klaptrap Children: Kelly Brown, Alvin Epstein, Michael Fesco, Doug Spingler, Stuart Damon, Bob Dishy, Paula Stewart) Act Two: (P) “Grand Jury Jump” (lyric by Fred Ebb, music by Paul Klein) (Nora Kovach, Paula Stewart, Beryl Towbin, Virginia Vestoff, Isabelle Farrell, Kelly Brown, Stuart Damon, Michael Fesco, Doug Spingler, Larry Hovis); (Q) “South American Way” (sketch and lyric by Norman Martin and Fred Ebb, music by Norman Martin) (Alvin Epstein, Bob Dishy); (R) “Snapshots” (sketch by Herbert Farjeon) (Hermione Gingold [She],

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Elliott Reid [He]); (S) “Time Step” (lyric by Fred Ebb, music by Paul Klein) (Kelly Brown); (T) “Bobo” (monologue by Elliott Reid) (Elliott Reid); (U) “Queen of Song” (monologue by Hermione Gingold) (Hermione Gingold); (V) “Surprise Party” (sketch by Woody Allen) (Bob Dishy [Fred], Kelly Brown [Harry], Louise Hoff [Myrna], Beryl Towbin [Linda], Nora Kovach [Ruthie], Isabelle Farrell [Rita], Virginia Vestoff [Virginia], Paula Stewart [Blonde]); (W) “On the Beach” (wordless sketch devised by Mark Epstein and Christopher Hewett) (Alvin Epstein); (X) “Park Meeting” (sketch by Nina Warner Hook) (Hermione Gingold [Governess], Louise Hoff [Woman]); (Y) “Red Shoes” (music by Jack Holmes) (sketch introduced by Bob Dishy and danced by Nora Kovach, Kelly Brown, Isabelle Farrell, Michael Fesco, Larry Hovis, Doug Spingler, Beryl Towbin, Virginia Vestoff); (Z) “Four for the Road” (lyric by Lee Goldsmith and Fred Ebb, music by Paul Klein) (Hermione Gingold); & “What Next?” (lyric by Alan Melville, music by Charles Zwar) (Company) The short-lived revue From A to Z offered twenty-six songs and sketches, each one listed from “A” to “Z” (Louis Kronenberger in The Burns Mantle Yearbook: The Best Plays of 1959–1960 said the songs and sketches appeared in “alphabetical disorder”). There was also a twenty-seventh number (“&”), the song “What Next?,” which was performed for the finale. Today the revue is best remembered for introducing Jerry Herman, Fred Ebb, and Woody Allen to Broadway. The opening number (“Best Gold”) was by Herman, whose previous musicals, all revues, had been produced Off-Broadway (I Feel Wonderful [1954], Nightcap [1958], and Parade, the latter of which opened on January 20, 1960, three months before the premiere of From A to Z). During the following season, Herman’s Milk and Honey opened on Broadway, and during the mid-1960s he was Broadway’s most successful lyricist and composer with two long-running smash hits in Hello, Dolly! and Mame. The revue also marked the Broadway debut of lyricist Fred Ebb, who contributed six songs (“I Said to Love,” “Grand Jury Jump,” “Time Step,” and “Four for the Road” [the latter with co-lyricist Lee Goldsmith], all with music by Paul Klein, and “Charlie” and “South American Way,” which were composed by Norman Martin [the lyric for the latter song was co-written by Martin and Ebb]). In 1963, Ebb and Klein’s Off-Broadway musical Morning Sun opened, and in the same year Ebb and Martin contributed material to the Off-Broadway revue Put It in Writing. In 1965, Ebb and John Kander teamed up for the first time with Flora, the Red Menace, beginning a successful partnership that, as of this writing, has seen thirteen of their musicals on Broadway (sadly, The Visit, arguably their masterwork, has yet to have a commercial New York production). The revue also offered three sketches by Woody Allen (“Psychological Warfare,” “Hit Parade,” and “Surprise Party”); during the three-week run, the final sketch was dropped and replaced by the song “Countermelody,” which was performed by Paula Stewart and Stuart Damon (lyric by Marshall Barer, music by Mary Rodgers and Jay Thompson). A fourth sketch by Allen (“Report to America”) was deleted during the out-oftown tryout. Later in the 1960s, Allen enjoyed two successes on Broadway, the comedies Don’t Drink the Water (1966) and Play It Again, Sam (1969). Perhaps the revue’s highlight was “The Sound of Schmaltz,” a spoof of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s musical The Sound of Music, which had opened on Broadway a few months earlier on November 16, 1959. The Klaptrap family lives in Manhattan, and is soon dominated by Hermione Gingold’s nanny of all nannies (some critics were less than amused, but any sketch with Gingold portraying Mary Martin must have been memorable). “Schmaltz” was Gingold’s second appearance in a parody of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. In her 1951 American stage debut in the revue It’s About Time (which closed during its preBroadway tryout), she played Anna in the sketch “I and the King” (Ronny Graham was the King). The spoof was more than topical; the tryout opened a full two weeks before The King and I premiered on Broadway. Gingold channeling Gertrude Lawrence must have been something wonderful. And “The Sound of Schmaltz” was the season’s second parody of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Less than two months after the Broadway premiere of The Sound of Music, the Off-Broadway revue The Follies of 1910 kidded the musical with “The Swiss Robinson Family, Angelic Voices Too Sweet for Words,” which included the songs “Climb That Mountain,” “Flower Scent Song,” and “The Easter Bunny Polka” (among the merrymakers was Susan Watson, who made her Broadway debut in Bye Bye Birdie three months later, creating the role of Kim MacAfee). On March 5, 1962, Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett spoofed The Sound of Music in their Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall CBS television special, which was televised on June 11, 1962. In “From Switzerland: The Pratt Family,” the Pratts sang of their favorite things, one of which was cleaning out the barn. The number is preserved on the soundtrack album, released by Columbia Records (LP # OL-5840 and # 0S-2240). And,

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like From A to Z’s “Red Shoes,” the television special also spoofed Russian ballet companies (“From Russia: The Nausiev Ballet”). Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times felt From A to Z was victim to a boatload of contributors (besides Herman, Ebb, Klein, Martin, and Allen, there were seventeen others: Mary Rodgers, Marshall Barer, Jay Thompson, Elliott Reid, Dickson Hughes, Everett Sloane, Jack Holmes, Herbert Farjeon, Hermione Gingold, Don Parks, William Dyer, Mark Epstein, Christopher Hewett, Nina Warner Hook, Lee Goldsmith, Charles Zwar, and Alan Melville). As a result, with no “official” writer and no “house” composer, the evening lacked a point of view (Atkinson felt each number was “off in another direction” from the previous one, that “everything good is dropped; nothing accumulates”). But Atkinson and the other critics liked Elliott Reid’s monologues (one as a television announcer covering a political convention [“Conventional Behavior”], another as a suave editor of a sophisticated magazine for the wealthy that costs sixty dollars an issue [“Bobo”], and one as a Shakespearean scholar [“Bardolatry”]). They also cited Paula Stewart’s lament “Charlie,” about a beatnik girl who’s abandoned by her motorcyclist boyfriend. The critics were also amused by Alvin Epstein’s “On the Beach,” a wordless sketch depicting a man on a beach who changes from street clothes into bathing trunks while wearing a raincoat. Atkinson noted that Marcel Marceau would have applauded Epstein’s “brilliant” performance. Woody Allen’s sketch “Surprise Party” divided the reviewers. The sequence depicted a party in which all the girls are in Groucho Marx drag, with the exception of one who’s dressed as Harpo. Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the sketch was one of two (the other was “On the Beach”) “screwball numbers” that “garnered lusty chuckles.” But Richard Watts in the New York Post found the sequence “downright repulsive.” Other sketches and songs dealt with South Americans lamenting the lack of a recent revolution in their country (“South American Way”); a spoof of Russian ballet companies (“Red Shoes”); a song about the mismanagement of New York City (“Grand Jury Jump”); a look at tourists who take way too many photographs (“Snapshots”); and hypochondriacs (“Winter in Palm Springs”). The critics were also divided on Hermione Gingold, commenting on her as a performer in general and as the revue’s star in particular. Gingold was an acquired taste, and so Atkinson noted that while the revue’s opening number seemed to say Gingold was “Best Gold,” he quickly added, “not necessarily so. . . . The Gingold is a comic of vast self-assurance who has very little variety.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News acknowledged her “great number of admirers,” but counted himself out, saying he didn’t think she was funny. But John McClain in the New York Journal-American said she was “excellent,” and Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram felt she was “absolutely wonderful” in “The Sound of Schmaltz” as she sang her way into the lives of “seven young monsters.” The dialogue here was “above and beyond the drip of fudge,” and he hailed Gingold: “Here’s to the steel-tipped Hermione; long may she pierce.” Watts found her “enormously funny,” and Coleman said she was a “gifted comedienne” who was “hilarious” in “The Sound of Schmaltz.” During the tryout, the following numbers were dropped: “Progressive Education,” “Jazz Fugue” (music by Milton Greene), “Memoirs” (sketch and lyric by Irving Drutman and Don Parks, music by Jay Thompson), “It Was Worth It” (lyric and music by Bart Howard), “Borgia Orgy” (Gingold was Lucretia; lyric by John Jowett, music by Robert Gordon), “Rags to Riches,” “The Philosophers” (lyric by Fred Ebb, music by Paul Klein), “Report to America” (sketch by Woody Allen), “Silent World” (lyric by Fred Ebb, music by Paul Klein), and “The Weather?” (dance with music by Milton Greene). The sketch “Astronaut” (by David Panich) was apparently in the production for some of the early performances of the New Haven tryout, but was soon replaced by “Progressive Education”; but the sketch was back in the revue by the time of the Philadelphia tryout; and while it isn’t listed in the New York Playbill, it was in the show on opening night (it was referenced by one of the critics). At least four numbers had been previously heard in London revues: “Winter in Palm Springs” (lyric by Herbert Farjeon, music by Walter Leish), “Queen of Song” (lyric by Eric Maschwitz, music by Jack Strachey), “What Next?” (lyric by Alan Melville, music by Charles Zwar), and the deleted “Borgia Orgy” (lyric by John Jowett, music by Robert Gordon). The first three numbers had been heard in the 1957 summer stock revue Sticks & Stones and the last in the above-mentioned It’s About Time, both of which starred Gingold. “Winter in Palm Springs” was originally “Winter in Torquay” in the 1939 London revue Little Show, where it was performed by another Hermione (Baddeley) and Michael Anthony, and as “Last Resorts” it was interpolated into Sticks & Stones, where it was performed by Gingold and Jack Fletcher. “Queen of Song” and “What Next?” were from the 1946 London revue Sweetest and Lowest, which starred Gingold, and the

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deleted “Borgia Orgy” was first heard as “The Borgias Are Having an Orgy” in the 1943 London revue Sweet and Low, which also starred Gingold; as mentioned, both “Queen of Song” and “Borgia Orgy” were also performed in Sticks & Stones. “Winter in Palm Springs,” “Queen of Song,” and “Borgia Orgy” were recorded by Gingold, and can be heard on the CD John Murray Anderson’s Almanac and Other Broadway-London Revues (DRG Records # 19009). Besides “Winter in Palm Springs,” “Queen of Song,” “What Next?,” and “Borgia Orgy,” two other numbers from Sticks & Stones, “Park Meeting” and “Music Talk,” were also used in From A to Z, and “Countermelody” (aka “Counter Melody”), which replaced Allen’s sketch “Surprise Party,” had earlier been heard in the 1959 Off-Broadway revue Taboo Revue (aka Timothy Gray’s Taboo Revue). Given that Herbert Farjeon, who died in 1945, was a frequent contributor to West End productions in the 1930s and early 1940s, it seems likely that “Snapshots” was from a London revue. The cast album of From A to Z had been scheduled to be recorded by Decca Records, but, like Decca’s proposed cast recordings of Carnival in Flanders (1953), Copper and Brass (1957), Rumple (1957), and The Carefree Heart (1957; closed during pre-Broadway tryout), the album was cancelled due to the show’s short run.

WEST SIDE STORY Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre Opening Date: April 27, 1960 Closing Date: December 10, 1960 Performances: 249 Book: Arthur Laurents Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Music: Leonard Bernstein Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins; loosely based on William Shakespeare’s 1594 play Romeo and Juliet. Direction: Jerome Robbins; Producers: Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince by arrangement with Roger L. Stevens; Choreography: Jerome Robbins (Peter Gennaro, Co-Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Joseph Lewis Cast: The Jets—Thomas Hasson (Riff), Larry Kert (Tony), George Liker (Action), Alan Johnson (A-Rab), Barry Burns (Baby John), Martin Charnin (Big Deal), Donald Corby (Diesel), Eddie Gasper (Snowboy), Eddie Miller (Mouth Piece), Richard Corrigan (Tiger), Glenn Gibson (Gee-Tar); Their Girls—Sandy Leeds (Graziella), Audrey Hays (Velma), Lee Lewis (Clarice), Judy Aldene (Pauline), Pat Birch (Anybodys), Barbara Monte (Minnie); The Sharks—George Marcy (Bernardo), Carol Lawrence (Maria), Allyn Ann McLerie (Anita), Miguel de Vega (Chino), Ben Vargas (Pepe), Robert Avian (Indio), Sterling Clark (Luis), Danii Prior (Estella), Vince Baggetta (Burro), Ed Dutton (Nibbles), Kent Thomas (Toro), Marc Scott (Moose); Their Girls—Gloria Lambert (Rosalia), Hope Clarke (Teresita), Anna Marie Moylan (Francisca), Poligena Rogers (Marguerita), Genii Prior (Consuelo), Genii Prior (Estella); The Adults—Albert M. Ottenheimer (Doc), Ted Gunther (Schrank), Roger Franklin (Krupke), Ross Hertz (Gladhand); Jan Canada (Singer [“Somewhere”]) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the West Side of New York City during the last days of summer.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Prologue” (danced by the Jets and Sharks); “Jet Song” (Thomas Hasson, Barry Burns, Eddie Gasper, Jets); “Something’s Coming” (Larry Kert); “The Dance at the Gym” (danced by the Jets and Sharks); “Maria” (Larry Kert); “Tonight” (Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence); “America” (Allyn Ann McLerie, Gloria Lambert, Shark Girls); “Cool” (Thomas Hasson, Jets); “One Hand, One Heart” (Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence); “Tonight” (Quintet and Chorus) (Company); “The Rumble” (danced by Thomas Hasson, George Marcy, Jets, and Sharks)

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Act Two: “I Feel Pretty” (Carol Lawrence, Gloria Lambert, Danii Prior, Poligena Rogers); “Somewhere” (danced by the Company, sung by Jan Canada); “Gee, Officer Krupke” (Martin Charnin, Glenn Gibson, Jets); “A Boy Like That” (Allyn Ann McLerie, Carol Lawrence); “I Have a Love” (Allyn Ann McLerie, Carol Lawrence); “Taunting” (danced by Allyn Ann McLerie, Jets); Finale (Company) West Side Story was the first Broadway musical to use book, lyrics, music, and choreography to tell its story. Other musicals had used a dance or two to further the plot, but most Broadway dances emanated from, or were attached to, a song. For the most part, dance segments of songs from the typical Broadway musical could have been eliminated and the plot would still have gone forward. But eliminating the dances from West Side Story is unthinkable: they advance the plot, explore character, and provide atmosphere. Without the dances, the story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, here transplanted to the New York of the 1950s with its American and Puerto Rican street gangs, would be eviscerated. Few musicals can be called landmarks, but with its innovative use of dance West Side Story is truly a landmark in the history of the American musical theatre. The original production of West Side Story opened on September 26, 1957, at the Winter Garden Theatre for 732 performances. Its creators were Arthur Laurents (book), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Leonard Bernstein (music), and Jerome Robbins (direction and choreography). The musical of course marked Sondheim’s first major Broadway assignment, and the cast included Carol Lawrence (Maria), Larry Kert (Tony), Chita Rivera (Anita), Ken LeRoy (Bernardo), and Mickey Callin (Riff). Ten months after the musical closed on Broadway, it returned for an engagement of 249 more performances, opening on April 27, 1960, at its original home, the Winter Garden. Lawrence and Kert reprised their original roles, and Allyn Ann McLerie was Anita. Other cast members included Martin Charnin (reprising his original role of Big Deal), George Marcy (Pepe from the original cast, and here playing the role of Bernardo), and future choreographer Pat Birch (Anybodys). Between the two West Side Story engagements at the Winter Garden, Lawrence returned there in a starring role opposite Howard Keel in Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s Saratoga, which opened on December 7, 1959, for eighty performances. And fifteen months before the Broadway premiere of West Side Story, Lawrence had appeared on the Winter Garden’s stage as a featured player in Shangri-La, which had opened on June 30, 1956. In reviewing the return engagement, Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times (who reported that for the opening night Bernstein himself conducted the “Prologue” sequence) said the musical “remains a major achievement of the American musical theatre . . . a wonderful piece of work.” Atkinson praised the cast, and noted McLerie was a “saucy” Anita. Besides the 1960 return engagement, the musical has of this writing been revived four times in New York. The 1964 production was seen at City Center, and the 1968 revival was produced at Lincoln Center under the mantle of the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (for more information, see entries for these productions). West Side Story was later revived at the Minskoff Theatre on February 14, 1980, for 341 performances. The cast included Jossie De Guzman (Maria), Ken Marshall (Tony), and Debbie Allen (Anita); other members of the company included Hector Jaime Mercado, Brent Barrett, Stephen Bogardus, Reed Jones, and Sammy Smith. The most recent revival opened at the Palace Theatre on March 19, 2009, for 748 performances; the leads were Josefina Scaglione and Matt Cavenaugh. The first London production opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on December 12, 1958, for 1,039 performances, and the cast included Marlys Watters (Maria), Don McKay (Tony), Chita Rivera (Anita), Ken LeRoy (Bernardo), and George Chakiris (Riff). Rivera and LeRoy reprised their original New York roles, and note that for London Chakiris played the role of Riff, one of the Jets, while in the 1961 film version he played the role of Bernardo, one of the Sharks. The 1961 film version, which was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, was released by United Artists, and won nine competitive Oscars (including Best Picture) along with a special award honoring Robbins for his choreography. The cast included Natalie Wood (Maria), Richard Beymer (Tony), Rita Moreno (Anita), George Chakiris (Bernardo), and Russ Tamblyn (Riff). Chakiris and Moreno won Best Supporting Oscars for their performances. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1958. There are numerous recordings of the classic score, but the original Broadway cast album is the best all-around version (Columbia Records LP # OL-5230 and # OS-2001; later issued on CD # SK-60724 by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records, which includes a suite of symphonic dances from the score by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Bernstein).

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

FINIAN’S RAINBOW Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 27, 1960 Closing Date: May 8, 1960 (15 performances) Commercial Revival (see below)—46th Street Theatre; Opening Date: May 23, 1960 Closing Date: June 1, 1960 (12 performances) Total Performances: 27 Book: E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg Music: Burton Lane Direction: Herbert Ross; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Herbert Ross (Peter Conlow, Co-Choreographer); Scenery and Lighting: Howard Bay; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Musical Direction: Max Meth Cast: Eddie Bruce (Buzz Collins), Tom McElhany (Sheriff), John McCurry (First Sharecropper), Knute Sullivan (Second Sharecropper), Anita Alvarez (Susan Mahoney), Michael Darden (Henry), Carol Brice (Maude), Bobby Howes (Finian McLonergan), Jeannie Carson (Sharon McLonergan), Arthur Garrison (Sam), Biff McGuire (Woody Mahoney), Howard Morris (Og), Sorrell Booke (Senator Billboard Rawkins), Barney Johnson (First Geologist), Robert Guillaume (Second Geologist), Jim McMillan (Howard), Patty Austin (Diane), Edgar Daniels (Mr. Robust), Joe Ross (Mr. Shears), Jerry Laws (First Passion Pilgrim Gospeleer), Bill Glover (Second Passion Pilgrim Gospeleer), Tiger Haynes (Third Passion Pilgrim Gospeleer), Don Gray (First Deputy), Larry Mitchell (Second Deputy); Singers: Girls—Issa Arnal, Nan Courtney, Marnell Higley, Mary Louise, Lispet Nelson, Stephanie Reynolds, Alice Elizabeth Webb, Beverly Jane Welch; Boys—John Boni, Hugh Dilworth, Bill Glover, Don Gray, Robert Guillaume, Tiger Haynes, Barney Johnston, Jerry Laws, John McCurry, Larry Mitchell, Knute Sullivan; Dancers: Girls—Marilynn Allwyn, Ellen Halpin, Sally Lee, Diane McDaniel, Carmen Morales, Mavis Ray, Sandra Roveta, Jacqueline Walcott, Myrna White; Boys— Julius C. Fields, Jerry Fries, Gene Gavin, Loren Hightower, Nat Horne, Ronald Lee, Paul Olsen, Wakefield Poole, Jaime Juan Rogers, Ron Schwinn The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around Rainbow Valley, Missitucky.

Musical Numbers Act One: “This Time of the Year” (Singing Ensemble); “This Time of the Year” (dance) (Anita Alvarez, Dance Ensemble); “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” (Jeannie Carson); “Look to the Rainbow” (Jeannie Carson, Biff McGuire, Singing Ensemble); “Old Devil Moon” (Biff McGuire, Jeannie Carson); “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” (reprise) (Jeannie Carson); “Something Sort of Grandish” (Howard Morris, Jeannie Carson); “If This Isn’t Love” (Biff McGuire, Jeannie Carson, Bobby Howes, Singing and Dancing Ensemble; Lead Dancer: Anita Alvarez; Three Couples: Ellen Halpin, Jaime Juan Rogers, Nat Horne, Myrna White, Wakefield Poole, Sandra Roveta; The Adolescents: Diane McDaniel, Ron Schwinn; The Timids: Mavis Ray, Loren Hightower; The Inquisitives: Marilynn Allwyn, Gene Gavin; The Intense Pair: Sally Lee, Paul Olson; Triangle: Carmen Morales, Julius C. Fields, Jacqueline Walcott; Others: Ronald Lee, Jerry Fries); “Something Sort of Grandish” (reprise) (Howard Morris); “Necessity” (Carol Brice, Singing Ensemble); “Great Come-and-Get-It Day” (Biff McGuire, Jeannie Carson, Dancing and Singing Ensemble) Act Two: “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich” (danced by Anita Alvarez and Dance Ensemble; sung by Jeannie Carson and Singing Ensemble); “Old Devil Moon” (reprise) (Jeannie Carson, Biff McGuire); “Dance of the Golden Crock” (Anita Alvarez; original choreography created by Michael Kidd for the 1947 production); “The Begat” (Sorrell Booke, Jerry Laws, Tiger Haynes, Bill Glover); “Look to the Rainbow” (reprise) (Jeannie Carson, Biff McGuire, Singing Ensemble); “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love” (Howard Morris, Anita Alvarez); “If This Isn’t Love” (reprise) (Ensemble); “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” (reprise/finale) (Jeannie Carson, Company)

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Finian’s Rainbow was one of two memorable musical fantasies that opened on Broadway during the 1946–1947 season. Brigadoon was a romantic operetta about a Scottish town that awakens once a century, and its lovely songs and stirring dances perfectly complemented its essentially dramatic story. On the other hand, Finian’s Rainbow was a satiric and sly old-fashioned musical comedy about an Irishman named Finian (Albert Sharpe) who steals a pot of gold from the leprechaun Og (David Wayne), travels to the United States with his daughter Sharon (Ella Logan), and proceeds to hide the treasure somewhere in the State of Misstucky. But Og follows Finian to Misstucky, determined to retrieve the stolen loot. The amusing story included an array of black and white sharecroppers, including Woody Mahoney (Donald Richards), who falls in love with Sharon, and Susan the Silent (Anita Alvarez). Also figuring into the plot was bigoted Southern Senator Billboard Rawlins (Robert Pitkin), whom Og turns into a black man in order to give the prejudiced senator a taste of what discrimination is like. Burton Lane’s richly melodic score and E. Y. Harburg’s alternately romantic and satiric lyrics gave Broadway one of its finest scores: the lovely ballads “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?,” “If This Isn’t Love,” “Look to the Rainbow,” and “Old Devil Moon” (with its insinuating and expansive melody and joyous lyric, the latter is one of Broadway’s most glorious songs); Og’s amusing comedy songs “Something Sort of Grandish” and “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love”; the satiric “Necessity” and “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich”; and the rousing revival-styled numbers “That Great Come-and-Get-It Day” and “The Begat.” The musical opened at the 46th Street (now Richard Rodgers) Theatre on January 10, 1947, for 725 performances. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1947, and the cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # ML-4062 and # OS-2080); the CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records # SK-89208 and includes bonus tracks of Harburg discussing about and singing “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?,” “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love,” and the unused song “Don’t Pass Me By.” The CD also includes an alternate take of “That Great Come-and-Get-It Day” featuring Donald Richards instead of Ella Logan. The London production opened at the Palace Theatre on October 21, 1947, and ran for a disappointing fifty-five performances. A faithful if very belated film version (which except for “Necessity” included the entire score) was released by Warner Brothers in 1968, with direction by Francis Ford Coppola. The cast included Fred Astaire (Finian), Petula Clark (Sharon), Tommy Steele (Og), and Don Francks (Woody), who created the title role in the notorious 1965 Broadway flop Kelly. As the years go by, the film looks better and better, and it’s clearly one of the most enjoyable movie musicals from an era that generally offered mammoth, dead-on-arrival film adaptations. The soundtrack was released by Warner Brothers Records (LP # BS-2550), and includes the outtake of “Necessity”; the CD was released by Warner Brothers/Rhino Records (# RHM27852) and includes the previously unissued tracks of the overture, the entr’acte, and exit music. (Years before the film’s release, a cartoon version of the musical was announced for production, but it never materialized.) The musical has been revived in New York five times. The first three revivals were seen at City Center in 1955, 1960, and 1967 (see entry for the latter). The 1955 production opened on May 18, 1955, for fifteen performances and starred Will Mahoney (Finian), Helen Gallagher (Sharon), Donn (aka Don and Donald) Driver (Og), Merv Griffin (Woody), and Anita Alvarez, reprising her original role of Susan the Silent. The current 1960 revival opened on April 27 for fifteen performances at City Center, and then on May 23 moved to the 46th Street Theatre, the home of the original production. Unlike the not-for-profit City Center mounting, the transfer was produced by Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr, with John F. Herman and Theatrical Interests Plan, Inc.; it played for twelve performances, and was the only commercial musical revival seen on Broadway during the entire decade of the 1960s. The cast for both productions included Bobby Howes (the father of Sally Ann Howes, who was making his Broadway debut in the role of Finian, which he also played in the original London production), Jeannie Carson (Sharon), Howard Morris (Og), and Biff McGuire (Woody). For the City Center mounting, Anita Alvarez again appeared as Susan, but for the Broadway transfer Carmen Gutierrez assumed the role. This production was recorded by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1057), and the CD, which was issued by RCA (# 1057-2-RG), includes the previously unreleased track of the finale/ reprise of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” Arthur Gelb in the New York Times noted the top ticket price for the City Center revival was $3.95, a “bargain” for a musical probably destined to become one of the company’s staples. He mentioned that the book wasn’t “quite . . . as fresh as a daisy,” but found the score “fetching” and the cast “enthusiastic” (Carson was “breezy,” Howes “quaint and fey,” and Morris “fey and quaint”).

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

Jim O’Connor in the New York Journal-American said the revival surpassed the original production in terms of casting (“better acted; probably better sung; danced at least as well”), and noted only the score remained the same (“melodiously beautiful”); Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the revival was in “high-spirited hands,” and praised Herbert Ross’s fast-paced direction (he noted Ross’s choreography for “If This Isn’t Love” was “right jumpy, real wild”); Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News loved the “beguiling” music, and concluded his review with the comment, “What a score. What a show”; Judith Crist in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the book was edging toward becoming a “period piece,” but reminded her readers that the show was “jammed with good music”; Richard Watts in the New York Post saluted the score, a “stream of delightful songs . . . attractive and unashamedly tuneful but also fresh and entirely endearing”; and Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram said “things are fine in Glocca Morra,” but noted the revival was only “workmanlike” and that it “bears down on racism more intensely” than the original production did, an “emphasis” which didn’t “enhance” the “delicate” fantasy upon which the show was founded. Aston and Watts also noted the lyrics underwent a bit of updating, what with references to the Gabor sisters, “Eddie and Liz,” and “Eisenhowerish” golf games. For a number of years, the musical was deemed unrevivable because of its use of blackface to depict the prejudiced Southern senator who is turned into a black by Og. But the recent 2009 New York revival solved this problem in an easy way (which should have been obvious to would-be producers long ago): they hired a white actor and a black actor who bore a basic resemblance to one another, and used each performer as a “before” and an “after.” This revival was first seen in a concert production at Encores! on March 26, 2009, for five performances, and then opened at the St. James Theatre on October 2, 2009, for ninety-two performances. The cast included Jim Norton (Finian), Kate Baldwin (Sharon), Christopher Fitzgerald (Og), and Cheyenne Jackson (Woody). The cast album was released by PS Classics (CD # PS-1088). An Off-Off-Broadway revival of the musical by the Irish Repertory Theatre opened on April 15, 2004, for 106 performances, and was recorded by Ghostlight Records (CD # 4402-2), thus marking the musical’s third of four New York cast recordings. The cast included Jonathan Freeman (Finian), Melissa Errico (Sharon), Malcolm Gets (Og), and Max Von Essen (Woody). The CD includes a bonus track of Harburg singing “Old Devil Moon.”

CHRISTINE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: April 28, 1960 Closing Date: May 7, 1960 Performances: 12 Book: Pearl S. Buck and Charles K. Peck Jr. Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster Music: Sammy Fain Based on the 1943 novel My Indian Family by Hilda Wernher. Direction: Not Credited; Producers: Oscar S. Lerman and Martin B. Cohen in association with Walter Cohen (Ben Frye, Associate Producer); Choreography: Hanya Holm; Scenery and Lighting: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: Joseph Crawford (Beggar), Arthur Tookoyan (Servant to Dr. Singh), Tony Gardell (Servant to Dr. Singh), John Anania (Servant to Dr. Singh, Priest), Nancy Andrews (Auntie), Phil Leeds (Uncle), Bhaskar (Rainath), Leslye Hunter (Jaya), Augie Rios (Rajendra), Steve Curry (Krishna), Jonathan Morris (Mohan Roy), Nicholas Bianchi (Servant to Mohan Roy), Louis Polacek (Station Master), Janet Pavek (Sita Roy), Maureen O’Hara (Lady Christine FitzSimons), Morley Meredith (Dr. Rashil Singh), Daniel Keyes (Dr. MacGowan), Barbara Webb (The Matchmaker), Mai-Lan (Tara), Jinja (Lakshmi), Laurie Archer (Amora), Anjali Devi (Twin), Sasha (Twin), Donna Lyn (Child), Jan Rhodes (Child), Luis Hernandez (Child); Dancers: Laurie Archer, Sandra Bowman, Anjali Devi, Jinja, Mai-Lan, Jonalee Sanford, Sasha, Vito Durante, Dino Laudicino, Joseph Nelson, Alan Peterson, Joe Rocco, Gil Schwartz; Singers: Bea Barrett, Diana Corto, Marceline Decker, Josephine Lang, Jen Nelson, Barbara Webb, John Anania, Nicholas Bianchi, Joseph Crawford, Tony Gardell, Louis Polacek, Arthur Tookoyan; (Dancers and Singers also portrayed Townspeople, Hindus, Muslims, Vendors, and Beggars.)

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The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the little town of Akbarabad, India, at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Welcome Song” (Nancy Andrews, Phil Leeds, Bhaskar, Children, Chorus); “My Indian Family” (Maureen O’Hara); “A Doctor’s Soliloquy” (Morley Meredith); “UNICEF Song” (Children); “My Little Lost Girl” (Maureen O’Hara, Morley Meredith); “I’m Just a Little Sparrow” (Leslye Hunter, Nancy Andrews, Bhaskar, Servants, Children); “We’re Just a Pair of Sparrows” (reprise) (Maureen O’Hara, Leslye Hunter); “Cobra Ritual Dance” (Bhaskar, Dancers); “How to Pick a Man a Wife” (Nancy Andrews, Phil Leeds); “Room in My Heart” (Maureen O’Hara); “The Divali Festival” (Bhaskar, Dancers, Singers); “I Never Meant to Fall in Love” (Morley Meredith, Maureen O’Hara) Act Two: “Freedom Can Be a Most Uncomfortable Thing” (Nancy Andrews, Friends); “Ireland Was Never Like This” (Maureen O’Hara, Dancers); “He Loves Her” (Janet Pavek); “Christine” (Morley Meredith); “Room in My Heart” (reprise) (Maureen O’Hara); “Freedom Can Be a Most Uncomfortable Thing” (reprise) (Nancy Andrews, Phil Leeds); “Kathak” (Plate Dance) (Bhaskar, Girls); “Kathakali” (Dancing Boys); “Bharatha Natyan” (Bhaskar, Dancing Girls, Dancing Boys); “The Woman I Was Before” (Maureen O’Hara); “A Doctor’s Soliloquy” (reprise) (Maureen O’Hara, Morley Meredith); “I Never Meant to Fall in Love” (Maureen O’Hara, Morley Meredith) Based on Hilda Wernher’s 1943 novel My Indian Family (“fiction based upon fact and actual experience,” according to the dust jacket and described on its cover as “A Story of East and West within a Muslim Home”), Christine was considered by many a lightweight version of The King and I, which, coincidentally, was revived at City Center just three days after Christine closed (for more information, see separate entry for this revival). There were certain similarities in both stories, since each dealt with European women who try to adjust to the customs of a foreign country. In Christine, the Irish Lady Christine FitzSimons (Maureen O’Hara) travels to present-day India to visit her daughter, who has married an older man, the Indian doctor Rashil Singh (Morley Meredith). Upon arriving in Akbarabad, she meets Singh for the first time, as well as his family, Auntie (Nancy Andrews), Uncle (Phil Leeds), their son Rainath (Bhaskar), and his little girl Jaya (Leslye Hunter). When Christine discovers that her daughter died in childbirth, and the child was stillborn, she intends to leave India immediately, but her newly found “Indian family” asks her to stay. She soon becomes engrossed in the daily life of the family, the village, and Rashil’s medical practice, but finds the difference between Eastern and Western customs somewhat disconcerting. And when she and Rashil become romantically attracted to one another, they find hostility among many in the community. In the meantime, Auntie and Uncle have been trying to find a new wife for Rashil, and ask Christine, as the “Mother” of the house, to help them choose. Christine knows she can never be the right wife for Rashil, and thus chooses Sita (Janet Pavek), a young woman who works in Rashil’s clinic and is in love with him. Rashil and Sita are married, and Christine returns to Ireland. Paul Francis Webster and Sammy Fain’s score was listenable and appealing. A couple of the serious songs were somewhat overwrought, and some of the now politically incorrect comic ones were cheesy but nonetheless amusing in their guilty-pleasure way (Indian women complain that the India “of cinnamon and spices” has now given way to “frozen curry”). The score was remarkably full-bodied, with seventeen songs, five dance sequences, and three reprises (on opening night, the first-act “Room in My Heart” was reprised in the second, but soon after the reprise was dropped in favor of a reprise of “He Loves Her” [as “I Love Him”]). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune began and ended his review by exclaiming “and she is so beautiful” in regard to Maureen O’Hara. But he found the musical a “bargain-basement version of East Is West out of The King and I,” and noted that with its “layers” of international goodwill, Oriental passivity, “straight caramel” (in regard to one of the purple-prosed lyrics), and “simple vulgarity,” Christine was more a “sandwich” than a musical, and the “heaped-up snack is generally indigestible.” He mentioned that Fain’s “sizable” score was “Hollywood Viennese, but sometimes quite pleasant,” and Hanya Holm’s choreography was “excellent” if “generally uncalled for.” Kerr also commented on Jo Mielziner’s “rather stingy single setting,” which was comprised of a “rather tricky” central platform with steps upon which most of the action took place.

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times felt that with O’Hara playing a “crotchety grandmother  .  .  . disillusion sets in early and rapidly.” Further, Broadway was not ready for a “musical drama about India,” and Buck and Peck’s book sometimes resembled a “travelogue” (a criticism also leveled at Milk and Honey [1961]). Richard Watts in the New York Post said the script was “stupendously dull, flat and undramatic,” an “inadequate vehicle.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the musical a “hopelessly watered-down version of The King and I,” but praised O’Hara (“a simply resplendent living doll with an amazingly true voice and excellent stage composure”), the “exceptional” dance numbers, and such songs as “How to Pick a Man a Wife,” “Freedom Can Be a Most Uncomfortable Thing,” “Room in My Heart,” and “I Never Meant to Fall in Love.” Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the script was “well-meaning and dull,” and noted the evening’s lesson was that even in modern-day India the twain of East and West shall never meet (“particularly when something bordering on incest is involved”). Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram felt the work never came together, and asked “How can that O’Hara be so gol-dang lovely and so wasted?” As for John Chapman in the New York Daily News, he found the musical “tender-sweet,” noting it began “promisingly” but lost its way during the second act. But O’Hara was a performer of “charm and grace,” and visually the musical was “the handsomest musical production to hit town” since Saratoga (which had opened the previous December). And Chapman praised Bhaskar (“who is as supple as the cobra he imitated in one number”), who walked away with some of the evening’s best notices. Watts found Bhaskar “brilliant,” Aston said he was “incredible” (when he dances, he “abandons bones, joints and abdomen”), and Atkinson noted he was the musical’s “most winning performer.” During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Pour It On,” “When You Come from England,” and “Happy Is the Word.” Jerome Chodorov was the director of the musical during the tryout, but for New York no one was credited. The original cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # OL-5520 and # OS-2026); the CD was released by DRG Records (# 19021). As mentioned, the score was expansive, with a total of twenty-five numbers, and Columbia’s recording is remarkably generous in preserving most of the score. Columbia was singular in its commitment to preserve our Broadway heritage, and so they gave even failures the hit treatment, as if they’d received reviews the equal to My Fair Lady; as a result, such cast recordings as Oh Captain! (1958), Juno (1959), First Impressions (1959), and The Nervous Set (1959) are notable for their inclusion of “extra” material, such as dance music, reprises, and entr’acte music. Christine marked Maureen O’Hara’s first and only Broadway appearance, and despite glowing personal reviews, she unfortunately never again returned to Broadway. The musical also featured baritone Morley Meredith in his only Broadway role; during the tryout of the original production of The Most Happy Fella, he had created the role of Joey, but was replaced by Art Lund. He was later active in opera, and his career at the Metropolitan Opera spanned the years 1962–1992, including a role in the Met’s 1964 premiere of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s The Last Savage. Pearl S. Buck and Charles K. Peck Jr. wrote Christine’s book, which marked Buck’s second Broadway flop in as many years (her 1959 drama A Desert Incident closed after seven performances). The stage version of her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Good Earth had been dramatized by Owen Davis and his son Donald in 1932, and ran for fifty-six performances (their script became the basis for the successful award-winning 1937 film). Peck returned to musicals in 1969, when he wrote the book for the one-performance flop La Strada.

THE KING AND I Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 11, 1960 Closing Date: May 29, 1960 Performances: 24 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. Direction: John Fernley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Jerome Robbins (Robbins’s choreography reproduced by Yuriko); Scenery: Jo Miel-

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ziner; Costumes: Irene Sharaff (Sharaff’s costumes “supervised” by Stanley Simmons); Lighting: Klaus Holm; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Sam Kirkham (Captain Orton), Richard Mills (Louis Leonowens), Barbara Cook (Anna Leonowens), Murray Gitlin (The Interpreter), Ted Beniades (The Kralahome), Farley Granger (The King), Mark Satow (Phra Alack), Seth Riggs (Lun Tha), Joy Clements (Tuptim), Anita Darian (Lady Thiang), Miki Lamont (Prince Chululongkorn), Susan Lynn Kikuchi (Princess Ying Yoawalak), Claude Horton (Sir Edward Ramsay); Princes and Princesses: Alfred De Arco, Delfino De Arco, Evelyn Eng, Vivian Hernandez, Lauretta Lee, Roger Mahabirshingh, Paul Petrilio, Ado Sato, Claudia Satow; Principal Dancers: Yuriko, Gemze De Lappe; The Royal Dancers: Diane Adler, Fumi Akimoto, Ted August, Ethel Bell, Paula Chin, Barbara Creed, Bettina Dearborn, Barrie Duffus, Victor Duntiere, Jan Goldin, Marion Jim, Wonci Lui, Julie Oser, Wintress Perkins, Joysanne Sidimus, Nancy Stevens, Roland Vazquez; The Singers (Wives, Priests, Amazons, and Slaves): Jyll Alexander, Jennie Andrea, Irving Barnes, Ellen Berse, Jim Connor, Marvin Goodis, Ann Marisse, Claire Richard, Beatrice Ruth The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around the King’s Palace, Bangkok, Siam, during the early 1860s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I Whistle a Happy Tune” (Barbara Cook, Richard Mills); “My Lord and Master” (Joy Clements); “Hello, Young Lovers!” (Barbara Cook); “March of the Siamese Children” (Barbara Cook, Farley Granger, The King’s Wives, The King’s Children); “A Puzzlement” (Farley Granger); “The Royal Bangkok Academy” (Barbara Cook, Pupils); “Getting to Know You” (Barbara Cook, Wives, Children; danced by Yuriko); “We Kiss in a Shadow” (Joy Clements, Seth Riggs); “A Puzzlement” (reprise) (Miki Lamont, Richard Mills); “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” (Barbara Cook); “Something Wonderful” (Anita Darian); Finale (Company) Act Two: “Western People Funny” (Anita Darian, Wives); “I Have Dreamed” (Joy Clements, Seth Riggs); “Hello, Young Lovers!” (reprise) (Barbara Cook); “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” (ballet) (Joy Clements [Narrator], Bettina Dearborn [Uncle Thomas], Wonci Lui [Little Eva], Julie Oser [Topsy], Yuriko [Eliza], Gemze De Lappe [King Simon], Marion Jim [Angel]; Royal Dancers: Diane Adler, Fumi Akimoto, Ethel Bell, Paula Chin, Barbara Creed, Barrie Duffus, Jan Goldin, Wintress Perkins, Joysanne Sidimus, Nancy Stevens; Propertymen: Ted August, Victor Duntiere, Roland Vazquez; Drummer: Murray Gitlin); “Shall We Dance?” (Barbara Cook, Farley Granger); Finale (Company) The 1960 revival of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The King and I was City Center’s second of four productions of the classic musical, which had first opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 29, 1951, for a run of 1,246 performances with Gertrude Lawrence as Anna and Yul Brynner as the King. As of this writing, the musical has been revived in New York eight times, for a total of 3,052 performances. City Center revived the musical in 1956, 1960, 1963, and 1968; the Music Theater of Lincoln Center’s revival was in 1964; and there were Broadway revivals in 1977, 1985, and 1996. (See entries for the 1963, 1964, and 1968 revivals.) City Center’s first revival opened on April 18, 1956, for twenty-three performances, and the cast included Jan Clayton (Anna), Zachary Scott (The King), Muriel Smith (Lady Thiang), Patrick Adiarte (Prince Chululongkorn), and dancer Yuriko (Eliza in the ballet “The Small House of Uncle Thomas”). Both Adiarte and Yuriko were also seen in the film version, which was released three months after the 1956 revival opened. Since we’re having a Yuriko moment, the following is a summary of her association with The King and I. She created the role of Eliza in the original 1951 production and reprised the role a number of times, in the 1956 film version as well as in all four City Center productions. For the 1960, 1963, and 1968 City Center revivals and for the 1964 Lincoln Center revival, she also re-created Jerome Robbins’s original choreography, and for the 1977 Broadway revival she re-created Robbins’s choreography and was the show’s director. After five institutional revivals, the musical was followed by three commercial ones. The first of these, which was the show’s sixth revival, opened on May 2, 1977, at the Uris (now Gershwin) Theatre for 719 performances. Brynner reprised his original role, and the cast included Constance Towers (Anna), Martin Vidnovic (Lun Tha), June Angela (Tuptim), Michael Kermoyan (The Kralahome), and John Michael King (Sir

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Edward Ramsey). Brynner returned to the role one more time in a revival that opened on January 7, 1985, at the Martin Beck (now Hirschfeld) Theatre for 191 performances; Mary Beth Peil was Anna. The eighth and most recent revival opened on April 11, 1996, at the Neil Simon Theatre for 781 performances; the cast included Donna Murphy (Anna), Lou Diamond Phillips (The King), and Jose Llana (Lun Tha). The script of the musical was published in hardback by Random House in 1951. There are numerous recordings of the musical, including later ones that offer more complete readings of the score, but the essential one for any collection is the original 1951 cast album, which was released on Decca Records (LP # DL-7-9008; issued on CD by MCA Records # MCAD-10049). The first London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on October 8, 1953, for 926 performances, and the cast included Valerie Hobson (Anna), Herbert Lom (The King), and Muriel Smith (Lady Thiang). Subsequent London productions starred Sally Ann Howes in 1973 and Elaine Paige in 1999. The 1956 film version was released by Twentieth Century-Fox with Yul Brynner re-creating his original stage role; he won the Oscar for Best Actor. Others in the cast were Deborah Kerr (Anna; her singing voice was that of Marni Nixon), Rita Moreno (Tuptim), and Terry Saunders (Lady Thiang). A 1999 animated film version was released by Warner Brothers Family Entertainment. Aimed at children, the script simplified the story, added animal characters, and included just eight songs from the original score (over the final credits, Barbra Streisand sang a medley of songs from the musical). The film’s singing voices included Miranda Richardson, Christiane Noll, and Martin Vidnovic. The soundtrack was released by Sony Classical Records # SK-63386. City Center’s 1960 production opened on the heels of Christine, another East-Meets-West musical. The cast of the revival included Barbara Cook (Anna), Farley Granger (The King), Seth Riggs (Lun Tha), Joy Clements (Tuptim), Anita Darian (Lady Thiang), and Yuriko (Eliza). Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times said The King and I was a “glorious” musical, and it was “gratifying to have it gloriously performed.” Barbara Cook was here giving the “best performance of her career,” and he noted her “cool dignity” brought “more stature” to the role. As for Farley Granger, Atkinson said he offered “a fresh point of view” to his character (“as well as a full head of hair”). Granger’s King was “arrogant, choleric, alert, inquiring . . . attractive and also disarming, and the best we have had in the past nine years.” Further, the current revival “had finer musical values” than the original production. Cook’s vocal “purity” gave “weight” to the “musical importance” of her songs, and the supporting players were equally fine. Atkinson noted the musical offered one of Rodgers’s “richest” scores, and concluded that prior to the City Center revival he had ranked the great Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals in the following order: Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and Oklahoma! But now he decided to advance The King and I by one number and to reduce South Pacific accordingly. John Chapman in the New York Daily News also praised the “splendid” musical, saying it brought the “disheartening” theatre season to a delightful and charming close; Frank Aston in the New York WorldTelegram said The King and I looked as “rich and beautiful as ever” and noted Barbara Cook kept the stage “knee-deep in enchantment”; as for Farley Granger, he could easily “keep the monarchy trade popular with taxpayers”; Richard Watts in the New York Post said the work was one of the “loveliest and most enchanting” of musicals, and found Cook “spirited and appealing”; Granger was “more petulant than impressive,” but he played the role “agreeably”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American praised the “merely magnificent” revival, and liked Cook’s “excellent” voice and “beguiling personality”; as for Granger, he somewhat lacked Brynner’s “exotic” presence, but nonetheless performed the role with “grace and ingenuity”; Herbert Kupferberg in the New York Herald-Tribune said the musical was as “fresh, fanciful and friendly” as ever in this “warm and winning” revival; said Cook’s “sure and soaring singing” gave character to the role of Anna; and noted that Granger played the King with the “bluster and bravado of an overgrown boy, and also with a good deal of boyish charm.” In his review, Atkinson had reassessed where The King and I belonged on the roster of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein shows, and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror was also inspired to grade the musical. He noted that Rodgers and Hammerstein were known to have an “especially warm spot in their hearts” for Carousel, but he chose The King and I, with South Pacific as the runner-up. As for the leads in the current production, Coleman found Cook “delightful,” and said Granger was a stand-out. There was no recording of the revival, but in 1964 Cook re-created her role on a wonderful studio cast album of the musical released by Columbia Records (LP # OL-8040 and # OS-2640; later issued on CD by Sony Broadway). Others in the cast are Theodore Bikel (The King), Jeanette Scovotti (Tuptim), Daniel Ferro

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(Lun Tha), and Anita Darian (Lady Thiang), the latter also from the 1960 revival. The album includes the first recording of “Western People Funny.”

LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatres and Performance Dates: Opened at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, on April 27, 1960, and closed at the Shubert Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, on May 7, 1960 Book: Bernard Miles Lyrics: Lionel Bart Music: Laurie Johnson Based on the 1734 play Rape upon Rape by Henry Fielding. Direction: Alfred Drake; Producers: Douglas Crawford by arrangement with the Mermaid Theatre; Choreography: Rhoda Levine; Scenery: Lloyd Burlingame (based on the original London scenic designs by Sean Kenny); Costumes: Fred Voelpel (based on the original London costume designs by Sean Kenny); Lighting: Lloyd Burlingame (based on the original London lighting designs by Sean Kenny); Musical Direction: Max Goberman Cast: Jamie Ross (First Watchman), Robin Wentworth (Staff), Al Toigo (Second Watchman), James Karr (A Gentleman), Harry Locke (Justice Squeezum), Hy Hazell (Mrs. Squeezum), Frederick Jaeger (Ramble), George S. Irving (Sotmore), Charles MacDaniels (Brazencourt), Diane Shalet (A Wench), Brendan Barry (Politic), Nancy Dussault (Hilaret), Elizabeth Hubbard (Cloris), John Michael King (Constant), John Milligan (Faithful), Norman Barrs (Dabble), Nigel McKeand (Quill), Francis Compton (Worthy) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the village of London in 1735.

Musical Numbers Act One: All’s Well” (Robin Wentworth); “A Proper Man” (Nancy Dussault, Elizabeth Hubbard); “Red Wine and a Wench” (Frederick Jaeger, George S. Irving); “’Tis Plain to See” (Nancy Dussault, Frederick Jaeger); “It Must Be True” (Brendan Barry, Norman Barrs); “On the Side” (Harry Locke); “When Does the Ravishing Begin?” (Hy Hazell); “Lovely Lover” (Nancy Dussault, John Michael King); “Lock Up Your Daughters” (John Michael King, Frederick Jaeger, George S. Irving); “Lovely Lover” (reprise) (Nancy Dussault, John Michael King) Act Two: “There’s a Plot Afoot” (Company); “When Does the Ravishing Begin?” (reprise) (Hy Hazell, Frederick Jaeger); “It Must Be True” (reprise) (Brandan Barry, Norman Barrs, John Milligan, Elizabeth Hubbard); “Mister Jones” (Harry Locke); “Sunny Sunday Morning” (Nancy Dussault, Harry Locke); “If I’d Known You” (George S. Irving); “Is This the Happy Ending?” (John Michael King, Nancy Dussault, Harry Locke, George S. Irving, Robin Wentworth, Charles MacDaniels, Jamie Ross, Al Toigo); “I’ll Be There” (Hy Hazell, Company); “Lock Up Your Daughters” (reprise) (Company) Lock Up Your Daughters! closed during its pre-Broadway tryout; after its American premiere at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on April 27, 1960, the musical then opened at the Shubert in Boston on May 2, where it permanently closed on May 7. Based on Henry Fielding’s 1734 play Rape upon Rape, the musical (sans exclamation point) was first produced successfully in London, where it opened at the Mermaid Theatre on May 28, 1959, for 330 performances; the cast included Terence Cooper (Captain Constant), Richard Wordsworth (Justice Squeezum), Stephanie Voss (Hilaret), Hy Hazell (Mrs. Squeezum), Frederick Jaeger (Ramble), and Roy Adams (Justice Worthy). It was later revived at the Mermaid on May 17, 1962, for 111 performances and then on August 16 transferred to Her Majesty’s Theatre, where it played for an additional 553 performances; for the 1962 revival, the song “The Gentle Art of Seduction” was added to the score. For the Mermaid and Her Majesty’s revivals, Hy Hazell reprised her role of Mrs. Squeezum; another member of the revival’s cast was Joss Ackland (as Sotmore), who later created the role of Peron in the 1978 British production of Evita.

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The saucy plot centered on the young lovers Hilaret (Nancy Dussault) and Constant (John Michael King). When Ramble (Frederick Jaeger) attempts to ravish Hilaret, he’s thrown into jail by the lecherous Judge Squeezum (Harry Locke), who then tries to have his way with the young woman. Moreover, the Judge unjustly accuses Constant of trying to ravish Hilaret’s maid Cloris (Elizabeth Hubbard), and imprisons him. The Judge’s equally lecherous wife Mrs. Squeezum (Hy Hazell) is delighted to know there are two potential ravishers in jail, and is hopeful one or both will ravish her. In the meantime, Hilaret devises a plot to free Constant and to show the world how corrupt Squeezum really is, and with the help of Constant’s ever-tipsy friend Sotmore (George S. Irving), her plan works. Thus Justice prevails, and the good Judge Worthy (Francis Compton) releases Constant, who is soon reunited with Hilaret, and sends Squeezum to jail. The latter is consoled by his wife that even though he may languish in jail, she’ll always be around in spirit to plague him and vex him. Variety liked the American production, saying it was “a bawdy and amusing romp, skillfully staged and beautifully acted,” but Cyrus Durgin in the Boston Globe found it “a mere vulgar comic strip in archaic terms.” For the American version, a few cast members from the original British production reprised their roles, including Hy Hazell (Mrs. Squeezum), Frederick Jaeger (Ramble), Robin Wentworth (Staff, the constable), and Harry Locke (who assumed the role of Judge Squeezum two months after the British premiere). The American version also included Brendan Barry, who created the role of Dabble in the original production, but here played the role of Politic. In the American production, the songs “Kind Fate” and “The Gentle Art of Seduction” weren’t used, and “Is This the Happy Ending?” was added. The script was published in softcover by Samuel French (London) in 1967, and includes “The Gentle Art of Seduction.” The 1959 London cast album was released by Decca Records (LP # LK-4320 and # SKL-4070). London Records had also planned to record the American cast album, which was cancelled when the musical closed prior to its scheduled Broadway production. In 1969, Peter Coe, the director of the 1959 production, directed a nonmusical film version of the work; the cast included Christopher Plummer, Susannah York, Glynis Johns, and Ian Bannen. The musical was produced by the Washington Theatre Club, Washington, D.C., in December 1968 with a cast that included John Hillerman (Politic) and Ralph Strait (Sotmore). “The Gentle Art of Seduction” and “Kind Fate” were heard in this version. The musical was also seen at Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut, March 30 through June 12, 1982, with a cast that included Carleton Carpenter (Judge Squeezum), Kevin Marcum (Brazencourt), and Jeff McCarthy (Ramble). The revival omitted “If I’d Known You” and included “The Gentle Art of Seduction” and “Kind Fate.” Neither revival used “Is This the Happy Ending?,” which had been added for the 1960 tryout.

• 1960–1961 Season

A THURBER CARNIVAL Theatre: ANTA Theatre Opening Date: September 5, 1960 Closing Date: November 26, 1960 Performances: 96 Sketches: James Thurber Music: Don Elliott Based on various short stories and other writings by James Thurber. Direction: Burgess Meredith (James Starbuck, Associate Director); Producers: Michael Davis, Helen Bonfils, and Haila Stoddard; Scenery: Marvin Reiss; Costumes: Ramse Stevens (men’s costumes), Jenkins Gowns (women’s costumes); Lighting: Paul Morrison; Musical Direction: Don Elliott Cast: Paul Ford, Peggy Cass, Eddie Mayehoff, John McGiver, Peter Turgeon, Patricia Bright, Joan Anderson, Charles Braswell, Elinor Wright The revue was presented in two acts (for more information, including a list of sketches, see entry for the February 1960 production). A Thurber Carnival had first been presented on Broadway at the ANTA (now Virginia) Theatre on February 26, 1960, for 127 performances; some two months after the production closed, it returned to the ANTA on September 5 for an additional 96 performances, for a total of 223 Broadway showings. Tom Ewell, Peggy Cass, Paul Ford, Alice Ghostley, John McGiver, Wynne Miller, Peter Turgeon, Charles Braswell, and Margo Lungreen were in the original production; for the return engagement, Cass, Ford, McGiver, Turgeon, and Braswell were joined by Eddie Mayehoff, Patricia Bright, Joan Anderson, and Elinor Wright. Sam Zolotow in the New York Times reported that due to previous contractual commitments, Mayehoff left the return engagement a few days after its opening, and beginning with the September 12 performance James Thurber himself assumed one of Mayehoff’s roles in the production, playing Mayehoff’s role of “James Thurber” in the sketch “File and Forget.” In reviewing the performance, Louis Calta in the New York Times wrote that Thurber “was the perfect Thurber for the Thurber role.” (The male members of the cast [Paul Ford, Charles Braswell, John McGiver, and Peter Turgeon] assumed Mayehoff’s other roles in the revue.)

VINTAGE ’60 “A NEW MUSICAL REVUE” Theatre: Brooks Atkinson Theatre Opening Date: September 12, 1960 Closing Date: September 17, 1960 Performances: 8 33

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Sketches, Lyrics, and Music: Ronald Axe, David Baker, Mark Bucci, Alice Clark, Fay De Witt, Mickey Deems, Fred Ebb, Tommy Garlock, Lee Goldsmith, Maxwell Grant, Phil Green, Sheldon Harnick, Barbara Heller, Armin Hoffman, Alan Jeffreys, Paul Klein, William Lanteau, Richard Levinson, William Link, Bud McReary, David Morton, David Rogers, Michael Ross, and Jack Wilson Direction: Entire production supervised by Michael Ross (comedy direction by Michael Ross and staging by Jonathan Lucas); Producers: David Merrick with Zev Bufman, George Skaff, and Max Perkins (Hal Martin, Production Associate); Choreography: Jonathan Lucas; Scenery: Fred Voelpel; Costumes: Raymond Aghayan and Ret Turner (original men’s costumes) and Fred Voelpel (supervisor of costumes for New York production); Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Gershon Kingsley Cast: Barbara Heller, Fay De Witt, Dick Patterson, Mickey Deems, Emmaline Henry, Bert Convy, Sylvia Lewis, Marc Wilder, Garrett Lewis, Bob Trevis, Bonnie Scott, Michele Lee, Larry Billman, Vilma Auld, Harvey Church, Sue Sellors, Robert (Bob) Lone. The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Numbers Act One: “The Time Is Now” (by Mark Bucci and David Rogers) (Company); “Well Dressed Man” (by Mickey Deems) (Dick Patterson [Announcer], Mickey Deems [Well Dressed Man]); “More” (by Jack Wilson and Alan Jeffreys) (Barbara Heller [Girl], Marc Wilder, Garrett Lewis, Larry Billman [Dancers]); “All American” (by David Rogers and Marc Bucci) (Garrett Lewis [First Scientist], Mickey Deems [Second Scientist], Dick Patterson [Third Scientist], Robert Lone [Officer]); “Conversation Piece” (by Mickey Deems) (Fay De Witt [Wife], Mickey Deems [Husband]); “Isms” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by David Baker) (Barbara Heller); “Five Piece Band” (by Jack Wilson, Alan Jeffreys, and Maxwell Grant) (Michele Lee [Singer], Marc Wilder, Garrett Lewis, Larry Billman, Harvey Church, Robert Lone [Band]); “Two Piece Band” (by Barbara Heller and Fay De Witt) (Barbara Heller, Fay De Witt [The Band]); “Here I Am” (by Jack Wilson and Alan Jeffreys) (Mickey Deems [Man], Larry Billman [Secretary]); “Moral Climate” (by Maxwell Grant and Alan Jeffreys) (Barbara Heller, Larry Billman [First Couple], Fay De Witt, Dick Patterson [Second Couple]); “Cat” (by Jack Wilson and Alan Jeffreys) ( Garrett Lewis [Cat], Bonnie Scott [First Girl], Sylvia Lewis [Second Girl], Sue Sellors [Third Girl]); “Dueling” (by Maxwell Grant, Alan Jeffreys, and Phil Green) (Dick Patterson); “Down in the Streets” (by Tommy Garlock and Alan Jeffreys) (Fay De Witt [Singer], Marc Wilder, Garrett Lewis, Harvey Church, Larry Billman, Robert Lone [Singers]); “Raven” (by Jack Wilson and Alan Jeffreys) (Dick Patterson [Man], Sylvia Lewis [Raven]); “Our Town” (by William Lanteau) (Mickey Deems [Narrator], Barbara Heller [Lucy Platz], Emmaline Henry [Lorretta Crawford], Bob Trevis [Villain], Larry Billman [Dancer], Dick Patterson [Pilot], Vilma Auld [Nurse]); “Convention” (by Jack Wilson, Alan Jeffreys, Maxwell Grant) (Bob Trevis [Announcer], Mickey Deems [M.C.], Barbara Heller [Barbara Bitton], Larry Billman [Representative from New York], Emmaline Henry [First Stripper], Sylvia Lewis [Second Stripper], Dick Patterson [Richard Nixon], Garrett Lewis [Representative from Arkansas], Marc Wilder [Representative from California], Fay De Witt [Pat Nixon], Bonnie Scott, Michele Lee, Vilma Auld, Sue Sellors, Harvey Church, Robert Lone [G.O.P. Chorus and Dancers]) Act Two: “Do It in Two” (by Jack Wilson and Alan Jeffreys) (Bonnie Scott [Singer], Marc Wilder, Sylvia Lewis [Lead Dancers], Garrett Lewis, Michele Lee, Larry Billman, Vilma Auld, Sue Sellors, Harvey Church, Robert Lone [Dancers]); “Dublin Town” (lyric by Fred Ebb and Lee Goldsmith, music by Paul Klein) (Fay De Witt); “Strained Relations” (by Alan Jeffreys and Maxwell Grant) (Emmaline Henry [Announcer], Larry Billman, Mickey Deems, Fay De Witt, Barbara Heller, Marc Wilder, Emmaline Henry, Dick Patterson, Bonnie Scott, Garrett Lewis, Sylvia Lewis [The Group]); “Treat ‘Em Rough” (by Ronald Axe, William Link, and Richard Levinson) (Mickey Deems [Friend], Dick Patterson [Boy], Fay De Witt [Girl]); “Angry Young Girl” (by Jack Wilson; background music by Armin Hoffman) (Barbara Heller); “No Words” (by Jack Wilson, Alan Jeffreys, and Maxwell Grant) (Marc Wilder [Lead Dancer], Sylvia Lewis, Vilma Auld, Sue Sellors, Larry Billman, Garrett Lewis, Harvey Church, Robert Lone [Dancers]); “Forget Me” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by David Baker) (Barbara Heller [Girl], Garrett Lewis [Boy]); “Mother and Son” (by Maxwell Grant and Alan Jeffreys) (Emmaline Henry [Mother], Mickey Deems [Son]); “The Man” (by Jack Wilson, Alan Jeffreys, and Maxwell Grant) (Bert Convy [Dino], Bonnie Scott [Shirley], Larry Billman [Peter], Dick Patterson [Franky]); “Tranquilizers” (by Bud McReary) (Fay De Witt); “Vanityades” (by David

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Rogers) (Mickey Deems [Husband], Barbara Heller [Wife]); “The Lobster and the Crab” (by Mickey Deems) (Mickey Deems); “Afraid of Love” (lyric and music by Alice Clark and David Morton, sketch by Michael Ross) (Barbara Heller [Woman], Marc Wilder [Waiter], Larry Billman [Waiter]); “The Kinney System Parking Lot Plot” (by Jack Wilson, Alan Jeffreys, and Maxwell Grant) (Company); Finale (Company) The short-lived topical revue Vintage ’60 was the first new musical production of the 1960–1961 theatre season as well as the first show to play at the renamed and refurbished Brooks Atkinson Theatre (formerly the Mansfield). The recently retired Atkinson was in attendance on opening night, and one critic noted Atkinson was now able to attend a show without the worry of missing a deadline. Vintage ’60 was an export from Los Angeles, where it was a hit when it opened in 1959 at the Ivar Theatre. Unfortunately, and despite some favorable New York notices, the satiric revue was a quick flop, playing only a week. The times weren’t kind to topical revues, which had last flourished on Broadway some ten years earlier, during the late 1940s and early 1950s. By the mid-1950s, the genre was most usually seen OffBroadway, and sometimes television talk and variety shows offered topical humor. If Vintage ’60 had played Off-Broadway, it’s likely it would have enjoyed a longer run than its eight New York performances. The New York critics were divided on the revue’s merits. Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram found the evening “boisterous, blatant, witty and funny . . . has a feel of stainless steel . . . hard, glistening and right,” and Jim O’Connor in the New York Journal-American said the show “is a binga-bonga on my score card. That means pow! A hit!” On the other hand, Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror noted the revue “missed the target as often as it hit,” and Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune stated the “ideas too often have circles under their eyes. Vintage ’60 is lying about its age.” And Howard Taubman, who succeeded Atkinson as the theatre critic for the New York Times, found the revue a “mixed crop.  .  .  . It goes down smoothly at times . . . later it becomes ordinary or turns sour.” The revue spoofed Irish folk songs (Fay De Witt was praised for her rendition of “Dublin Town” [lyric by Fred Ebb and Lee Goldsmith, music by Paul Klein], in which an Irish lass heads to Dublin to see her Johnny off to sea; on the way to the big city she meets a variety of men; and soon she can barely remember “what’s his name”); beatniks (a beat poet into reefers sings of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Raven”); the Cold War (“Cleaner Than Clean,” in the style of a television commercial, illustrates that American radioactivity is cleaner than Russian nuclear fission when a happy housewife proclaims she just loves the way her towels look after an American nuclear explosion); TV Westerns (Hamlet is spoofed in “Gunfight at Elsinore Junction”); and Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack (“The Man,” Bert Convy was Dino; Bonnie Scott, Shirley; Larry Billman, Peter; and Dick Patterson, Franky). Another sequence (“The Kinney System Parking Lot Plot”) dealt with an émigré scientist who plans to demolish midtown Manhattan and convert it into a gargantuan parking lot, while “Convention” was a spoof of Richard Nixon and the Republican National Convention (the revue apparently held John Kennedy and the Democrats sacrosanct). The latter skit was certainly prescient: it offered the then-fanciful notion of a presidential convention taking on the gaudy trappings of a television spectacular. Of the cast members, the critics were especially taken with Barbara Heller (“a truly funny girl,” according to Aston, and Douglas Watt in the Daily News noted the “angular redheaded gamin is that rare thing, a true comedienne . . . revues could be written around her”). Heller was particularly memorable in “Forget Me” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by David Baker), in which she beseeches a handsome young man to forget her, although it’s obvious he already has. (“Forget Me” and Stephen Sondheim and Mary Rodgers’s hilarious “The Boy From . . .,” which was introduced by Linda Lavin in the 1966 Off-Broadway revue The Mad Show, might make an interesting pairing.) Heller also scored with the surreally silly “Afraid to Love” (“I’ll always be afraid of love as long as I’m afraid of love. . . . To be afraid of love is just to be afraid of love and that’s why I’m afraid of love”), a zany bit of nonsense which could have come from a Marx Brothers’ movie. But despite the critical valentines, Heller never again appeared on Broadway. Other cast members included Bert Convy (who later created roles in the original Broadway productions of Fiddler on the Roof [1964] and Cabaret [1966]) and Dick Patterson (who played Carol Burnett’s love interest in Fade Out-Fade In [1964] and introduced the jaunty title song in Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman’s Smile [1986]). Bonnie Scott and Michele Lee also appeared in the revue, and later shared a major Broadway success. Scott created the role of Rosemary in the original production of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1961), and during the show’s marathon run, Lee performed the role and later reprised it for the 1967 film version.

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The Playbill noted that since the revue was a topical one, the skits and songs were subject to frequent change. In fact, in his review O’Connor mentioned that the proceedings on stage didn’t always reflect the material listed in the opening night Playbill (for example, “Gunfight at Elsinore Junction” [written by David Rogers] and “Cleaner Than Clean” were performed on opening night but weren’t listed in Playbill). Many cast members from the Los Angeles production (Heller, De Witt, Patterson, Scott, Lee, and others) were in the New York version of the revue; however, Los Angeles cast members Jack Albertson and Ken Berry didn’t make the transfer to Broadway. Among the numbers performed in Los Angeles but not in New York were: “Just Not That Kind of Boy” and “More” (both by Jack Wilson and Alan Jeffreys); “No Man” (by Alan Jeffreys and Maxwell Grant); and “Western Roulette” (by Fay De Witt). Incidentally, the Los Angeles program listed “Raven” as “Raven La Rue” and “Convention” as “Convention: The Man Behind the Elephant.” Over the years, four songs from the revue have surfaced in various collections, three of them in originalcast performances. “Dublin Town” (as “London Town”) and “All American” (as “The All-Americans”) were recorded by Fay De Witt for her album Through Sick and Sin (Epic Records LP # LN-3776). The former (again, as “London Town”) also became a staple for Liza Minnelli in her concerts, and she recorded the song for her 1981 collection Liza Minnelli Live at Carnegie Hall (Altel Records, unnumbered LP). De Witt’s recorded version of “The-All Americans” tells of a fräulein from Frankfurt who complains that all the men she knows are now rocket scientists for either the United States or the U.S.S.R. In the revue, “All American” is performed by three scientists (Garrett Lewis, Mickey Deems, and Dick Patterson) and a military officer (Bob Lone), and appears to be a sketch, not a song (but perhaps the song was incorporated into the sketch). Both the LP and Playbill credit “The All-Americans” and “All American” to David Rogers and Mark Bucci. Barbara Heller can be heard singing the dadaesque “Afraid of Love” on Forgotten Broadway Vol. II (Unnamed label LP # T-102), and “Isms” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by David Baker) is included in two collections, 18 Interesting Songs from Unfortunate Musicals (Take Home Tunes! Records LP # THT-777) and The Broadway Musicals of 1960 (Bayview Records CD # RNBW-027). Along with early versions of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams’s “Put on a Happy Face” and “Once Upon a Time,” it appears “Isms” was first heard in Take Me to Your Leader, a 1958 regional revue.

IRMA LA DOUCE “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Plymouth Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Alvin Theatre) Opening Date: September 29, 1960 Closing Date: December 31, 1961 Performances: 524 Book and Lyrics: Original Book and Lyrics by Alexandre Breffort; English Book and Lyrics by Julian More, David Heneker, and Monty Norman Music: Marguerite Monnot (dance music by John Kander) Direction: Peter Brook; Producers: David Merrick in association with Donald Albery and H. M. Tennent, Ltd., and by arrangement with Henry Hall; Choreography: Onna White; Scenery and Costumes: Rolf Gerard; Lighting: Joe Davis; Musical Direction: Stanley Lebowsky Cast: Clive Revill (Bob-Le-Hotu), Elizabeth Seal (Irma-La-Douce), Eddie Gasper (A Client), Zack Matalon (Jojo-Les-Yeux-Sales), Aric Lavie (Roberto-Les-Dians), Osborne Smith (Persil-Le-Noir), Stuart Damon (Frangipane), Fred Gwynne (Polyte-Le-Mou), George S. Irving (Police Inspector), Keith Michell (NestorLe-Fripe), George Del Monte (M. Bougne, Second Warder), Rico Froehlich (Counsel for the Prosecution, Third Warder), Rudy Tronto (Counsel for the Defense, A Tax Inspector), Elliott Gould (An Usher, First Warder, A Priest), Joe Rocco (An Honest Man), Byron Mitchell (Court Gendarme); Gendarmes, Prisoners, and Irma’s Admirers (George Del Monte, Michael Fesco, Rico Froehlich, Eddie Gasper, Elliott Gould, Byron Mitchell, and Rudy Tronto) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Paris, on Devil’s Island, and at sea.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Valse Milieu” (Clive Revill); “Sons of France” (Zach Matalon, Aric Lavie, Osborne Smith, Fred Gwynne, George S. Irving); “The Bridge of Caulaincourt” (Elizabeth Seal, Keith Michell); “Our Language of Love” (Elizabeth Seal, Keith Michell); “She’s Got the Lot” (George S. Irving, George Del Monte, Michael Fesco, Rico Froehlich, Eddie Gasper, Elliott Gould, Byron Mitchell, Rudy Tronto); “Our Language of Love” (reprise) (Elizabeth Seal); “Dis-Donc” (Elizabeth Seal); “Le Grisbi Is le Root of le Evil in Man” (Clive Revill, Keith Michell, Zach Matalon, Aric Lavie, Osborne Smith, Fred Gwynne); “Wreck of a Mec” (Keith Michell); “That’s a Crime” (Clive Revill, Keith Michell, Zach Matalon, Aric Lavie, Osborne Smith, Fred Gwynne) Act Two: “The Bridge of Caulaincourt” (reprise) (Elizabeth Seal, Keith Michell); “From a Prison Cell” (Keith Michell, Zach Matalon, Aric Lavie, Osborne Smith, Fred Gwynne); “Irma-la-Douce” (Elizabeth Seal); “There Is Only One Paris for That” (Keith Michell, Zach Matalon, Aric Lavie, Osborne Smith, Fred Gwynne, George Del Monte, Michael Fesco, Rico Froehlich, Eddie Gasper, Elliott Gould, Byron Mitchell, Rudy Tronto); “The Freedom of the Seas” (Keith Michell, Zach Matalon, Aric Lavie, Osborne Smith, Fred Gwynne); “Arctic Ballet” (Elizabeth Seal, Company); “There Is Only One Paris for That” (reprise) (Keith Michell, Zach Matalon, Aric Lavie, Osborne Smith, Fred Gwynne); “Our Language of Love” (reprise) (Elizabeth Seal); “But” (Keith Michell, George S. Irving, Rudy Tronto, George Del Monte, Fred Gwynne); “Christmas Child” (Company) Irma La Douce was first produced in Paris on November 12, 1956, at the Theatre Gramont, where it played four years (Colette Renard created the title role of Sweet Irma); the book and lyrics were by Alexandre Breffort, and score by Marguerite Monnot. In an English translation by Julian More, David Heneker, and Monty Norman, the musical opened in London at the Lyric Theatre on July 17, 1958, for a marathon run of 1,512 performances. Elizabeth Seal, Keith Michell, and Clive Revill created the leading roles for the West End, and reprised their performances for the Broadway production. A program note indicated Irma La Douce was more than French, it was “intensely Parisian French,” and an audience guide in the musical’s Playbill helpfully provided keys to the musical’s argot: the milieu is the Parisian underworld, poules are prostitutes, mecs are pimps, and grisbi is money. The musical told the almost fable-like tale of Irma (Seal, the only woman in the cast), a poule with a heart of gold who entrances young law student Nestor-Le-Fripe (Michell), who soon becomes jealous of Irma’s clients. To prevent her from consorting with other men, Nestor becomes her mec, and then disguises himself as Oscar, an older man who becomes her exclusive lover. As a result, Oscar pays Irma each night for her services, she in turn hands over the money to Nestor the next morning, and the following night Nestor (as Oscar) pays Irma with that money for their next liaison (how the grisbi changes hands, indeed!). Nestor can barely keep up with his double life, and, moreover, finds that he’s becoming jealous of Oscar. When he “kills” Oscar, he’s in the unique position of being arrested, convicted, and sentenced for murdering himself. Although he’s sent to prison, all ends well when he’s eventually re-united with Irma and their “Christmas child.” The tongue-in-cheek script was a perfect fit for Monnot’s jubilant hurdy-gurdy score, one of the most irresistibly melodic ever written for a musical. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the score had “a curious late-riverboat or early music-hall magic about it,” and he advised his readers to buy the cast album— good advice that still holds for today. The musical began with “Valse Milieu,” an atmospheric number in the style of Kurt Weill which introduced the setting and characters. There were a number of lustily-sung male choruses (“Sons of France,” “She’s Got the Lot,” “From a Prison Cell,” “There Is Only One Paris for That”) and even time for a tender love ballad (“Our Language of Love,” which became a hit). Further, the amusing “Wreck of a Mec” described worn-out Nestor’s plight of having to perform nightly double-duty sex with Irma as both Nestor and Oscar (“How can I keep it up?” he wearily sings). But the evening’s highlight was Irma’s merry “Dis-Donc,” a showstopper of the first order which, according to Kerr, was a “spinning gala” that sends the “whole of Montmartre into a rhythmic itch.” Otherwise, Kerr said if the musical wasn’t “so infernally cute, it might be adorable.” He felt it had the makings of a “sort of poor man’s Beggar’s Opera, or even, at times, into a beggar’s Beggar’s Opera.” Instead, the work was all “showy meringue” without the “hearty filling.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times

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liked the “cynical fairyland” of the musical’s milieu, and he praised Monnot’s “saucy, sentimental music . . . as French as the Place Pigalle, [it] casts a wholesome glow over sin.” He also liked Onna White’s choreography, and noted that the title song was performed in the dark against “glittering pinwheels.” John Chapman in the New York News predicted there wouldn’t be a more captivating musical on Broadway during the 1960–1961 season because no other could possibly top Irma La Douce for “wit, charm, impudence and theatrical skill”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the show was a “socko success,” and he praised the “just plain great” Elizabeth Seal, the “pleasant, sometimes exciting” score, and the “unpretentious but highly exciting dance numbers”; Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror praised the “rowdy and raffish romp,” the “saucy and sexy” Seal, and the show-stopping choreography; Richard Watts in the New York Post said Seal was an “utter delight” and the best new Broadway dancer since Gwen Vernon, and he praised the “charming” score and Peter Brook and Onna White’s “brilliant” direction and choreography; and while Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram was less enchanted with the musical than his colleagues (“in itself [the musical] is a fair shake of entertainment”), he was more than enchanted with Seal, a “honey” who does “splits in midair at 90 miles an hour” and “devastated” the theatre as she “divinely” danced “Dis-Donc” and the title song. (Incidentally, six of the seven critics singled out “Dis-Donc,” which Taubman noted was a “brash bouncing song number.”) Seal won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and was one of two actresses who won that award for musicals that opened during the 1960–1961 season. During this era, the Tony “year” was mid-spring to mid-spring, and so Seal won the award for 1961 and, in a tie, Anna Maria Alberghetti and Diahann Carroll won the award in 1962 for their respective performances in Carnival! (which opened in April 1961) and No Strings (which opened in March 1962). Sadly, these three Tony winners never again created roles in other Broadway musicals. Other members of the cast included George S. Irving, Stuart Damon, Fred Gwynne, Rico Froehlich, Rudy Tronto, Byron Mitchell, and, deep in the chorus, Elliott Gould. The musical director was Stanley Lebowsky, who later composed the score for the 1970 Broadway musical Gantry. It appears that only four songs from the original Paris cast were recorded, all by Colette Renard, who created the title role for the Paris stage: “Avec les anges” (“Our Language of Love”), “Dis-donc,” “Irma la Douce,” and “Y’a qu’à Paris pour ça” (“There Is Only One Paris for That”). The British cast album was released by Philips Records (LP # BBL-7274), and the Broadway cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # OL-5560 and # OS-2029; the CD was issued by Sony Broadway Records # SK-48018). A French studio cast recording with Zizi Jeanmaire and Roland Petit was released by Columbia Records (LP # WC-177), and a 2001 Paris revival was recorded by Beluga Records (CD # 7243-5-36324-2-7). An instrumental version of the score, Hit Songs from the Hit Show “Irma La Douce” by Jo Basile and His Accordion & Orchestra, was released by Audio Fidelity Records (LP # AFLP-1949 and # AFSD-5949). The British cast album was issued on CD by Sepia Records (# 1120) and includes a combination of the songs from the Zizi Jeanmaire recording as well as the four songs recorded by Colette Renard. For London, the second number in the first act was “Très très snob”; for Broadway, the song was revised and became “Sons of France.” Irma’s second-act dance number was called “Fever Ballet” in London and “Storm Ballet” in New York. The London recording includes “Très très snob” and the “Fever Ballet.” In his review, McClain mentioned that Elizabeth Seal “looks more like Carol Haney than Shirley MacLaine,” and it was MacLaine who starred in the disappointing film version, which was released in 1963 by United Artists and directed by Billy Wilder. The film was lacking in several respects. First, it was filmed as a nonmusical with new background scoring by Andre Previn (of Monnot’s score, only “Dis-Donc” and “Our Language of Love” were retained as background music). Irma La Douce was the second recent film version of a hit Broadway musical set in France that was filmed as a nonmusical (at least the 1961 film adaptation of Fanny [1954] generously offered much of Harold Rome’s score as background music). Second, the film isn’t up to the high standards one expects from Wilder: it seemed at least thirty-minutes too long, lacked a Parisian flavor, and, fatally, it just wasn’t very funny. Third, MacLaine was miscast, as was Jack Lemmon in the Nestor/Oscar role. The two lacked the worldly, continental touch required by their roles, and Lemmon in particular seemed to strain for laughs. This was MacLaine’s second disappointing performance in a film version of a hit Broadway musical set in Paris; in 1960, she and Frank Sinatra starred in Can-Can (1953), and despite the presence of Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan in supporting roles, the film seemed about as fresh and French as a three-day-old baguette. The

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dream casting of Jourdan and Leslie Caron in the leading roles might have turned a so-so film adaptation into an exciting and memorable one. The soundtrack of Irma La Douce was released by United Artists Records (LP # UAL-4109 and # UAS5109); the album includes the track for “Our Language of Love,” but not one for “Dis-Donc.” The film is included in The Billy Wilder DVD Collection (MGM Home Entertainment # 4004669).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Irma La Douce); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Elizabeth Seal); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Clive Revill); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Stanley Lebowsky); Best Costume Designer for a Musical (Rolf Gerard); Best Choreographer (Onna White)

AN EVENING WITH MIKE NICHOLS AND ELAINE MAY Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: October 8, 1960 Closing Date: July 1, 1961 Performances: 306 Material written and improvised by Mike Nichols and Elaine May Music: William Goldenberg Direction: Arthur Penn; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production) (Peter S. Katz, Associate Producer); Scenery: Marvin Reiss; Costumes: Hazel Roy; Lighting: Uncredited Cast: Mike Nichols, Elaine May The revue was presented in two acts. Sketches (There was no listing of sketches in the Playbill, which stated “the program will be announced by the performers”; the following list is taken from information on the cast album as well as from newspaper reviews and Richard C. Norton’s A Chronology of American Musical Theatre.) “Suburbia”; “Telephone”; “Adultery”; “Disc Jockey”; ”Mother and Son”; ”The Dawn of Love, or The Sun Also Rises in an Automobile”; “P.T.A. Chairman” (“P.T.A Fun Night”); “Boss and Secretary” (Cocktail Piano);“Spy Sketch” (Mysterioso) ;“Dentist” (Second Piano Concerto); “Everybody’s Doin’ It” (aka “Everybody’s Doing [Doin’] It Now”; lyric and music by Irving Berlin [1911; independent song, not from a Broadway revue or musical]); “Bach to Bach”; ”Tango”;”Psychiatrist” (Sonata for Piano and Celeste); “Father and Daughter” (Chopin); “Pirandello”; “Screen Star Interview” Mike Nichols and Elaine May were popular nightclub and television comedians who specialized in topical improvisational humor. Their witty two-person revue marked their Broadway debut; it was a smash hit, running over 300 performances. Nichols and May were among the many talented improvisational comedians who first made their mark in Chicago and then later proceeded to take New York by storm. They were the first performers to offer improvisational comedy on Broadway, and were soon followed by From the Second City; following these two successful revues, improvisational comedy found its niche Off-Broadway, where it became a staple for the next decade. In fact, Nichols and May themselves were the satirical target of such revues when the 1968 Off-Broadway revue Photo Finish offered the skit “It Seems We Stood and Talked,” which was described in the program as “Nichols fall as they may” (Nichols and May were portrayed by Jerry Clark and Lily Tomlin). The New York critics wrote valentines to Nichols and May: “merely magnificent” was the assessment of John McClain in the New York Journal-American, and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror found them “literate, ingratiating performers.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune praised the “magically inventive entertainers,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News said they were “attractive, intelligent and mischievous.” Because of the improvisational nature of the performance, the Playbill didn’t list individual sketches. While some sketches were suggested by the audience, the basic framework of other sequences had been

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previously created by Nichols and May, who then developed the sketches in front of the audience. Since traditional Broadway humor was based on written and rehearsed scripts, Nichols and May were indeed daring in their willingness to work out sketches in front of a new audience every night. This led to a bit of grumbling by Howard Taubman in the New York Times, who reported the performers sometimes hesitated as they worked out their improvisations; he found these “becalmed “ moments “discomfiting.” But, as Kerr noted, it was inevitable that some sketches would vary in quality from performance to performance. In fact, Richard Watts in the New York Post reported that the team’s often-performed “Pirandello” sketch was shortened at the opening night performance (in the sketch, Nichols and May portray two children who pretend to be their parents having a fierce argument; suddenly, the two children morph into the parents themselves having the argument; and just as quickly the parents become the performers Nichols and May in the midst of an argument). Besides “Pirandello,” the opening night sketches included one of a high school boy and girl frantically making out in the back seat of a car while still managing to discuss their college applications and keeping their cigarettes lit (“The Dawn of Love”); a telephone conversation between a domineering mother and her atomic-scientist son (“Mother and Son”); and a contrasting look at adultery from British, French, and American perspectives (“Adultery”). In another sketch (“Screen Star Interview”), a radio talk-show host interviews a famous actress who plays Gertrude Stein in her latest “pitcha” (she notes that for the film’s early scenes, Spencer Tracy plays Stein as a young girl). Perhaps the highlight of the revue was the sketch “P.T.A. Chairman,” in which May portrayed the takeno-prisoners chairwoman of a P.T.A. “fun night,” which includes a lecture by famous Southern playwright Alabama Glass (Nichols). Taubman noted that Alabama spoke in a “high-pitched voice and a magnoliascented accent” as he described the plot of his new play, which will star Louis Armstrong and Katharine Cornell. The drama, set in the Mexican quarter of a Detroit slum, concerns a young man who eventually commits suicide, not because he discovers his wife is sexually involved with all the members of a basketball team, but because he realizes he has absolutely no homosexual tendencies. Watts advised his readers to stay seated at the end of the revue because during the curtain calls Nichols and May “offered several of their best bits,” including one in which Nichols impersonated John Kennedy. (At least two reviewers noted that May looked uncannily like Anne Bancroft.) The revue included a five-piece combo which played incidental music; the score was composed and conducted by William Goldenberg, who wrote many ingratiating songs for the underrated 1978 Broadway musical Ballroom (the “ballroom” songs were more impressive than the “plot” songs). The original cast album of An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May was released by Mercury Records (LP # OCM-2200) and consisted of four sketches (“Telephone,” “Adultery,” “Disk Jockey,” and “Mother and Son”).

LAUGHS AND OTHER EVENTS Theatre: Ethel Barrymore Theater Opening Date: October 10, 1960 Closing Date: October 15, 1960 Performances: 8 Direction: Tony Charmoli; Producer: Martin Tahse; Scenery: John Robert Lloyd; Costumes and Lighting: John Robert Lloyd Cast: Stanley Holloway; Musicians: Richmond Gale (Piano), Arthur Siegel (Piano), Jerry Silverman (Banjo), Allan Atlas (Concertina) The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “A Cup o’ Tea”; “I Knew a Private”; “Gunner Joe” (monologue by George Edgar); “You Gotta Get Aut”; “My Word, You Do Look Queer” (lyric and music by R. P. Weston and Bert Lee); “Poppies”; “The ’Ole in the Ark” (monologue by Stanley Holloway); “Je sais que vous êtes jolie”; “The Christening”; “The Little Shirt My Mother Made for Me” (lyric and music by H. Wincott); “And Yet I Don’t Know” (“Buying

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a Wedding Present”) (lyric and music by R. P. Weston and Bert Lee); “Signalman Dan”; “The Lion and Albert” (monologue by Marriott Edgar); Old Tavern Songs: “Champagne Charlie” (lyric by George Leybourne, music by Alfred Lee); “So We Will Sing”; “Green Peas”; “Going to the Derby” Act Two: “Sentry Song”; “On Strike” (monologue by Charles Pond); “I Love Mary”; “Three Ha’ Pence a Foot”; “(Oh,) I Must Go Home Tonight” (lyric and music by William Hargreaves); “Old Sam” (monologue by Stanley Holloway; accompanying music by Wolseley Charles); “Brahn Boots” (lyric and music by R. P. Weston and Bert Lee); “The Gay Young Farmer”; “Return of Albert” (monologue by Marriott Edgar); “Two Lovely Black Eyes” (lyric and music by Charles Coburn); “Wotcher” (lyric and music by Charles Ingle); “A Little Bit of Cucumber” (lyric and music by T. W. O’Connor); “I’m ’Enery the VIII” (aka “I’m Henery the Eighth, I Am”!) (lyric and music by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston); “Any Old Iron” (lyric and music by Charles Collins, E. A. Sheppard, and Fred Tarry); “It’ll All Be the Same (a Hundred Years from Now)” (lyric and music by Arthur Anderson and Melville Gideon) Four years after creating his memorable portrayal of Alfred P. Doolittle in the original 1956 production of My Fair Lady (which in 1960 was still running on Broadway), seventy-year-old Stanley Holloway returned to New York in his one-man revue Laughs and Other Events. The evening was a tribute to the British music hall, and consisted of songs, patter, dance, and even a little bit of audience sing-along. The critics adored Holloway. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said he was “one of the most charming entertainers in my experience”; Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune wrote that he was “charming . . . an immaculate performer”; and Frank Aston in the New York Post said Holloway had “immense charm and good spirit.” While the critics found Holloway ingratiating, they were cool to his revue, and noted the evening was far too long (two full acts of British music hall went a long way). They suggested that perhaps a shorter version of the evening in a smaller venue (a nightclub or Off-Broadway) would have better served both the performer and the material. Holloway re-created his Doolittle role in both the 1958 London production of My Fair Lady and the 1964 film version. And he didn’t disappoint the audiences who showed up for the one-week run of Laughs and Other Events. Aston reported “the fans went wild” when, for the revue’s finale, Holloway sang a brief medley of his two My Fair Lady showstoppers, “With a Little Bit of Luck” and “Get Me to the Church on Time” (the songs weren’t listed in the Playbill and thus were a surprise to the audience). For the revue, Holloway was supported by four musicians, Richmond Gale and Arthur Siegel (pianos), Jerry Silverman (banjo), and Allan Atlas (concertina). Arthur Siegel was the Broadway and Off-Broadway composer. A cast album of sorts exists for the revue. Once My Fair Lady was settled into its marathon Broadway run, Holloway recorded ’Ere’s ’Olloway, an LP recording of songs from the British music hall (Columbia Records LP # ML-5162). Eight songs on the album were later heard in Laughs and Other Events: “My Word! You Do Look Queer!,” “The Little Shirt My Mother Made for Me,” “And Yet I Don’t Know!,” “Oh, I Must Go Home To-Night!,” “A Little Bit of Cucumber,” “Any Old Iron?,” “It’ll Be All the Same,” and “I’m Henery the Eighth, I Am!” For the album, Holloway was supported by the “Loverly Quartet” (that is, James Morris, Herb Surface, Glenn Kezer, and Reid Shelton), the four singers in the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady who accompanied Julie Andrews in “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” Incidentally, Reid Shelton went on to create the role of Daddy Warbucks in the original 1977 Broadway production of Annie. One of the songs on the ’Ere’s ’Olloway recording that wasn’t heard in Laughs and Other Events was “Sweeney Todd the Barber” (lyric and music by Robert Weston). The song encapsulated the entire Sweeney Todd story, as it told the tale of the mad barber and his baker accomplice, and noted that a poor orphan boy had his first good meal when he ate “a hot meat pie made out of his dad.”

TENDERLOIN “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: October 17, 1960 Closing Date: April 23, 1961 Performances: 216 Book: George Abbott and Jerome Weidman Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick

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Music: Jerry Bock Based on the 1959 novel Tenderloin by Samuel Hopkins Adams. Direction: George Abbott; Producers: Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince; Choreography: Joe Layton; Scenery: Cecil Beaton; Costumes: Cecil Beaton; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Hal Hastings Cast: Ron Husmann (Tommy), Eileen Rodgers (Nita), Ralph Dunn (Lt. Schmidt [The Pantata]), Maurice Evans (Reverend Andrew Brock), Lee Becker (Gertie), Margery Gray (Margie, Prostitute), Dorothy Frank (Dorothy), Patsy Peterson (Girl), Dargan Montgomery (Young Man), Irene Kane (Jessica), Wynne Miller (Laura), Gordon Cook (Ellington), Rex Everhart (Joe), Raymond Bramley (Purdy), Lanier Davis (Martin), Roy Fant (Deacon), Eddie Phillips (Frye), Jordon Howard (Rooney), Marguerite Shaw (Nellie), Michael Roberts (Becker), Jack McCann (Callahan), Erin Martin (Prostitute), Bob Fitch (Drunk), Pat Turner (Liz), Elaine Rogers (Mrs. Barker), Joe Hill (Chairman); Dancers: Jere Admire, David Evans, Bob Fitch, Dorothy Frank, Margery Gray, Mickey Gunnersen, Sandy Leeds, Jack Leigh, Erin Martin, Marjorie Pragon, Wakefield Poole, Ron Stratton, Jayne Turner, Pat Turner; Singers: Charles Aschmann, Carvel Carter, Nancy Emes, John Ford, Stokeley Gray, Maria Graziano, Joe Hill, Jordon Howard, Gail Johnson, Jack McCann, Dargan Montgomery, Patsy Peterson, Claire Richard, Michael Roberts, Elaine Rogers The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Manhattan in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Bless This Land” (Choir); “Little Old New York” (Eileen Rodgers, Lee Becker, Company); “Dr. Brock” (Maurice Evans); “Artificial Flowers” (Ron Husmann); “What’s in It for You?” (Maurice Evans, Ron Husmann); “Reform” (Lee Becker, Nancy Emes, Carvel Carter); “Tommy, Tommy” (Wynne Miller); “Artificial Flowers” (reprise) (Margery Gray); “The Picture of Happiness” (Ron Husmann, Margery Gray); “Dance” (Lee Becker, Eddie Phillips, Company); “Dear Friend” (Maurice Evans, Wynne Miller, Irene Kane, Jayne Turner); “The Army of the Just” (Maurice Evans, Lanier Davis, Jack Leigh, Charles Aschmann, Stokeley Gray); “How the Money Changes Hands” (Maurice Evans, Eileen Rodgers, Christine Norden, Eddie Phillips, Lee Becker, Company) Act Two: “Good Clean Fun” (Maurice Evans, Company); “My Miss Mary” (Ron Husmann, Wynne Miller, Singers); “My Gentle Young Johnny” (Eileen Rodgers); “The Trial” (Company); “The Tenderloin Celebration” (Eddie Phillips, Lee Becker, Company); “Reform” (reprise) (Lee Becker, Margery Gray, Christine Norden, Company); “Tommy, Tommy” (reprise) (Wynne Miller); “Little Old New York” (reprise) (Company) The trouble with Tenderloin was that its leading character wanted to cut out all the production numbers. (So wrote Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune.) Tenderloin’s leading character, reformer Reverend Andrew Brock, was inspired by real-life crusader Dr. Charles A. Parkhurst, who tried to clean up New York City’s notorious Tenderloin section during the turn of the twentieth century. Hopes were high for the musical about a reformer who takes on Manhattan’s underworld of prostitutes, pimps, corrupt politicians, and on-the-take police. A year earlier, a similar musical had opened on Broadway: the Pulitzer Prize–winning Fiorello! dealt with an unknown politician (Fiorello H. LaGuardia) who battles the Tammany machine. Most of Fiorello!’s creative team were reunited for Tenderloin: Jerome Weidman and George Abbott were coauthors of the books for both musicals; Abbott was back as director; Jerry Bock composed the music; Sheldon Harnick wrote the lyrics; Robert E. Griffith and Harold S. Prince were again producers; Hal Hastings was musical director; Irwin Kostal was the orchestrator; and Jack Elliott arranged the dance music. Further, two of Fiorello!’s cast members were also present: Ron Husmann, who had a minor role in Fiorello! (he was part of the show-stopping “Politics and Poker” quartet), had a major supporting role in Tenderloin, and Eileen Rodgers (who performed “Gentleman Jimmy” in the earlier musical) played a prostitute with the requisite heart of gold (Kerr described her as “a bad woman up to good”). But lightning didn’t strike twice. The musical was at its sparkling best when it depicted the Tenderloin and its colorful, corrupt characters, and was decidedly duller when it focused on the reverend and his dogooders. According to Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune, the reformers wanted to cut out all those show-stopping production numbers.

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And what production numbers they were! Bock and Harnick created a rollicking satirical score for the denizens of the Tenderloin. The opening number celebrated the golden goose that’s running loose in “Little Old New York,” and “How the Money Changes Hands” was a clever round-robin that merrily depicted the economics of sin by describing how everyone in the capitalist system gets rich by selling sex and champagne. “The Picture of Happiness” described a good but dull young woman whose life changes for the better when a “bounder got ‘round her” and taught her “to master a trade” in the world’s oldest profession. The tonguein-cheek “Artificial Flowers,” which spoofed sentimental turn-of-the-century story ballads, told the tale of poor orphaned Ann, who crafted artificial flowers (“for ladies of fashion to wear”) in her cold garret. In Bobby Darin’s up-tempo hit single version, the song became one of the season’s most popular show tunes. The score offered other memorable moments, including Rodgers’s haunting torch song “My Gentle Young Johnny” and the prostitutes’ sassily defiant “Reform.” But the songs for the reverend and his flock were mostly flat (they urged us to join “The Army of Just” and have “Good Clean Fun”). Actually, the do-gooders had one upbeat number, the merry polka “Dear Friend” (no relation to Bock and Harnick’s “Dear Friend” from their 1963 Broadway musical She Loves Me). Kerr felt the characters weren’t allowed to “wink” and be funny, and as a result Tenderloin was “the most serious musical comedy” he had ever seen. But he liked some of the songs (particularly “Artificial Flowers” and “The Picture of Happiness”) and praised Joe Layton’s “skipping and skittering . . . airily invented” choreography for Lee Becker and Eddie Phillips (a first-act number unimaginatively titled “Dance”). Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted that virtue won out over vice, and that was “too bad—for a musical comedy.” But he noted the score was the “best excuse” for Tenderloin, and like Kerr he singled out “Artificial Flowers” and “The Picture of Happiness.” He also praised Layton’s choreography, including one (“The Tenderloin Celebration”) in the bordello for the “outrageously accoutered” girls and their male friends. Here was a dance with a “neat, stylized quality that catches the atmosphere of the period and at the same time comments on it.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American found Tenderloin a “clinker” that failed to capitalize on its “built-in nostalgia,” and while Bock’s score was “occasionally good” (he singled out “Artificial Flowers,” “Little Old New York,” and “Tommy, Tommy”) he felt Harnick’s lyrics offered “nothing memorable.” The headline in Robert Coleman’s review for the New York Mirror read “‘Tenderloin’ Comes Up More Like Meatballs,” with Coleman noting the characters were “relatively bloodless and seldom amusing.” But he liked Bock’s “zingy” score and Harnick’s “pretty good” lyrics, and praised the cast. Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical a “disappointment,” noting there was “serious book trouble” in which the authors were unable to sustain a “mood” and thus ran the gamut from the “gaily satirical” to the sentimental and then to “sudden moral earnestness.” But he was impressed with the “excellent” songs, including “Artificial Flowers,” “The Picture of Happiness,” “How the Money Changes Hands,” and “Little Old New York.” Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram and John Chapman in the New York Daily News gave the show raves. Aston noted that George Abbott “has whomped up another whopper of a musical.  .  .  . Looks like . . . another Abbott smash.” For a while in the first act, Aston felt the story was a bit shaky in its presentation, but by intermission he was “completely Abbottized in song, dance and merriment.” He was particularly “charmed” by the score, and singled out “Artificial Flowers,” “Little Old New York,” “Reform,” “My Gentle Young Johnny,” and “My Miss Mary.” Chapman found the show “delightful and racy [and] grand,” and praised “Artificial Flowers,” “My Gentle Young Johnny,” and “Little Old New York.” He also liked Layton’s choreography, noting his “frisky” dancers employed “modern tricks” with such “oldfashioned dances like the schottische.” Cecil Beaton designed the musical’s scenery and costumes, and the critics were divided on their merits. Coleman found the costumes “drab” and “splashed with small and large dots, like a kid with the measles,” and further noted the Tenderloin gang “looked like refugees from a Surrealist masquerade ball.” Kerr reported the costumes were “fussy and they clash and they don’t add up to anything appetizing.” But Taubman said the “luridly old-fashioned costumes” gave the proceedings a “sense of style” that lifted the spirits, and Chapman liked the Police Gazette-styled look of the musical. Chapman (who noted that Maurice Evans’s first name was pronounced “Morris”) had a special word to say about Tenderloin’s magnificent overture (one of the best of all Broadway overtures, right up there with Candide [1956] and Gypsy [1959]), and he praised “some splendid trumpeter” who added appropriate 1890s frills and flourishes and furbelows to his bravura solo. The five-minute overture was also fascinating because it bounced back and forth between songs for the “good” characters (“Bless This Land” and “The Army of the

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Just”) and the “bad” ones (“The Picture of Happiness” and “How the Money Changes Hands”); and twice these songs intersect into a kind of musical battle, which, of course, is a preview of the story to come. The overture also included “Artificial Flowers,” an appropriate touch because the song straddled both sides of the fence in its sentimentality and sardonic spoofery. And the entire overture was held together with the musical glue of “The Tenderloin Celebration” (aka “The Orgy” and “Old Doc Brock”), a number, by the way, that was omitted from the cast album and was heard only in the overture. The original cast album (which included a copy of the show’s souvenir program) was released by Capitol Records (LP # S/WAO-1492), and Broadway Angel issued the CD in 1993 (CD # ZDM-7-65022-2-2). Tenderloin opened in an era when Broadway music was part of mainstream American culture, and three songs from the score were recorded by various artists: most notably, the aforementioned “Artificial Flowers” by Bobby Darin, as well as “Bless This Land” and the deleted number “First Things First” (recorded by Dakota Staton on Capitol 45 RPM # 4465), all of which enjoyed airplay. Capitol released three more full-length LPs of the score: The Pastors Cut Up Tenderloin (The Pastors, with Billy May conducting; LP # ST-1534; the album included the unused song “Lord of All Creation”); Tenderloin Dixieland (Phil Napoleon and His Memphis Five; LP # ST-1535); and Dance to the Music from “Tenderloin” (Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra; LP # ST1536; the album cover offers a stunning color photo of Eileen Rodgers and Lee Becker performing “Little Old New York”). The collection Broadway ’61 by Les Baxter and His Orchestra (Capital Records LP # ST-1480) included two numbers dropped during the tryout (“I Wonder What It’s Like” and “Lovely Laurie”). Further, An Evening with Sheldon Harnick (Laureate Records LP # LL-603), which was recorded live in 1977 at the Kaufmann Concert Hall of the 92nd Street “Y,” included Harnick and Margery Gray Harnick singing “The Picture of Happiness” (with Ron Husmann, Gray had introduced the song in the original Broadway production, punctuating Husmann’s account of the girl-who-wised-up with her mock lament of “shame, shame”). As was customary for the era, the cast album was recorded on the first Sunday following the Broadway opening and was on sale in record stores a week after the recording session. A demo recording of the score by Bock and Harnick included four songs that were dropped during the production’s tryout (“I Wonder What It’s Like” and “Lovely Laurie” as well as “Finally” and “First Things First”) and four numbers that were apparently never used (“Sea Shell Song,” “Lord of All Creation,” “Let Me Believe in You,” and an early version of “Dr. Brock”). According to Ken Bloom in his fascinating American Song, at least three other songs were written for the production: “Nobody Cares,” “Not Peace but a Sword,” and “’Tis Thy Beauty.” The musical enjoyed three Playbill covers during its six-month run: an artwork cover; then a photo of Maurice Evans (in costume, apparently for the “Dr. Brock” number); and finally a full production photo of Evans and cast members performing “How the Money Changes Hands.” In 2000, Encores! produced Tenderloin, and the concert was recorded by DRG Records (CD # 94770); the cast included David Ogden Stiers, Patrick Wilson, and Debbie (Shapiro) Gravitte. The script was published in a hardbound edition by Random House in 1961. When Maurice Evans was announced for the leading role in Tenderloin, many were surprised the noted dramatic actor was appearing in a musical. They’d forgotten he was one of the stars of Ball at the Savoy, a musical that had opened at the Drury Lane twenty-seven years earlier. The 1933 musical’s score was by Paul Abraham, its lyrics were by Oscar Hammerstein II, and the London Times stated that “Mr. Maurice Evans is the best jeune premier that there has been in musical comedy for some time.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Maurice Evans); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ron Husmann); Best Costume Designer for a Musical (Cecil Beaton)

THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre Opening Date: November 3, 1960

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Closing Date: February 10, 1962 Performances: 532 Book: Richard Morris Lyrics and Music: Meredith Willson Direction: Dore Schary; Producers: The Theatre Guild and Dore Schary, with Walter Reilly (Associate Producer); Choreography: Peter Gennaro; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Miles White; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Herbert Greene Cast: Tammy Grimes (Molly Tobin), Sterling Clark (Michael Tobin), Bill Starr (Aloysius Tobin, Wounded Sailor), Bob Daley (Patrick Tobin, The Baron of Auld), Norman Fredericks (Father Flynn, Mr. Wadlington), Cameron Prud’homme (Shamus Tobin), Alex Stevens (Brawling Miner), Joe Pronto (Brawling Miner, Gitter), Woody Hurst (Charlie), Joseph Sirola (Christmas Morgan), Tom Larson (Burt), Billy Faier (Banjo), Rae McLean (Prostitute), Anna Marie Moylan (Prostitute), Lynn Gay Lorino (Prostitute), Harve Presnell (Johnny “Leadville” Brown), Paul Floyd (A Boy), Terry Violino (Sheriff), Edith Meiser (Mrs. McGlone), Jack Harrold (Monsignor Ryan), Christopher Hewett (Roberts), Dale Malone (Professor Gardella, Maitre D’), June Card (Germaine), Mony Dalmes (Princess DeLong), Mitchell Gregg (Prince DeLong), Wanda Saxon (Countess Ethanotous), Marvin Goodis (Jenab-ashros, Male Passenger), Patricia Kelly (The Grand Duchess Marie Nicholaiovna), Michael Davis (Count Feranti, Young Waiter), Barbara Newman (Duchess of Burlingame), Ted Adkins (Duke of Burlingame), Barney Johnston (Malcolm Broderick), Lynne Osborne (Mrs. Wadlington), Bobby Brownell (Page), Nada Rowand (Mother); Singers: June Card, Ceil Delli, Pat Finch, Marian Haraldson, Patricia Kelly, Lynne Osborne, Nada Rowand, Wanda Saxon, Michael Davis, Norman Fredericks, Marvin Goodis, Woody Hurst, Barney Johnson, Tom Larson, Dale Malone, Louis Polacek; Dancers: Barbara Gine, Diana Hunter, Lynn Gay Lorino, Susan May, Anna Marie Moylan, Rae McLean, Barbara Newman, Nanette Rosen, Ted Adkins, Sterling Clark, Bob Daley, Vito Durante, Don Emmons, Joe Pronto, Mark Ross, Bill Starr, Alex Stevens, Terry Violino The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the turn of the twentieth century in Missouri, Colorado, Monte Carlo, and on the mid-Atlantic.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I Ain’t Down Yet” (Tammy Grimes, Sterling Clark, Bill Starr, Bob Daley); “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys” (Tammy Grimes, Joseph Sirola, Miners); “I’ve A’ready Started In” (Harve Presnell, Joseph Sirola, Woody Hurst, Tom Larson, Joe Pronto); “I’ll Never Say No” (Harve Presnell); “My Own Brass Bed” (Tammy Grimes); “The Denver Police” (Mark Ross, Terry Violino, Don Emmons); “Beautiful People of Denver” (Tammy Grimes); “Are You Sure?” (Tammy Grimes, Jack Harrold, Guests); “I Ain’t Down Yet” (reprise) (Tammy Grimes, Harve Presnell) Act Two: “Happy Birthday, Mrs. J.J. Brown” (Mony Dalmes, Mitchell Gregg, International Set); “Bon Jour” (“The Language Song”) (Tammy Grimes, Mitchell Gregg, International Set); “If I Knew” (Harve Presnell); “Chick-a-pen” (Tammy Grimes, Harve Presnell); “Keep-A-Hoppin’” (Harve Presnell, Johnny’s Leadville Friends); “Leadville Johnny Brown” (“Soliloquy”) (Harve Presnell); “Up Where the People Are” (dance) (Monte Carlo Guests); “Dolce Far Niente” (Mitchell Gregg); “I May Never Fall in Love with You” (Tammy Grimes); “Dolce Far Niente” (reprise) (Mitchell Gregg); “Colorado, My Home” (Harve Presnell, Tammy Grimes, Their Leadville Friends) Originally titled The Unsinkable Mrs. Brown in preproduction, The Unsinkable Molly Brown told the rags-to-riches real-life story of Molly Tobin Brown, a backwoods girl from Missouri who finds love and wealth when she goes to Colorado and meets and marries Leadville Johnny Brown, one of the richest miners in the West. When she’s snubbed by Denver society, she takes off for Europe, where she becomes the darling of the continental set. She later returns to the United States, booking passage on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic, where her bravery not only endears her to the Denver elite but also ensures her place as an American legend. The story of Molly’s life is so extraordinary it seems fictional. But Richard Morris’s uninspired book for the musical told her fabulous story in strictly by-the-numbers fashion. As Alan Pryce-Jones noted in

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Theatre Arts, “Molly shows in the first ten minutes that she is unsinkable, and she goes on showing it through twenty scenes.” Meredith Willson’s score (his first since The Music Man in 1957) offered just one hum-dinger of a song (the show’s only hit, in fact), Molly’s “I Ain’t Down Yet.” Two other numbers stood out, the ballad “Dolce Far Niente” and the turkey trot “Up Where the People Are”; some made the case for “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys,” but its would-be high spirits seem forced. Most of the score was ordinary (“Beautiful People of Denver,” “Are You Sure?,” “Happy Birthday, Mrs. J.J. Brown,” “Bon Jour” [“The Language Song”],” “Chick-a-Pen,” “Keep A-Hoppin’”); extraneous (“The Denver Police”); bombastic (the strained ballads “I’ve A’ready Started In,” “I’ll Never Say No,” and “If I Knew” as well as the tiresome “Leadville Johnny Brown“[“Soliloquy”]); or undeveloped (“I May Never Fall in Love with You” threatened to become intriguing in its jaded look at a what-might-have-been romance). Morris’s book had a couple of inspired moments. When Molly accidentally burns three-hundred thousand dollars, the script gave Grimes an opportunity for comical stage business. And the sequence in which Molly and Johnny give a big party in their Denver mansion was touching and joyous. Denver society snubs the Browns and their party, but the indefatigable Molly asks Johnny to dance with her, and so on the empty ballroom floor Molly kicks off her shoes, throws up her skirts, and the two of them swirl around the stage in a joyous polka. What clearly made Molly Brown a hit was its star, Tammy Grimes; she could make the most ordinary scene or line of dialogue seem brilliant, and she turned many of the evening’s rather ordinary songs into showstoppers. Here was a musical comedy star who could take an average musical and make it seem like a masterpiece. Because of the Tony rules in place at the time of the production, Grimes, incredibly, won the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical because her name was listed below the show’s title. But no one was fooled: in Tammy Grimes, Broadway had found a new star, perhaps the most striking and individual musical comedy personality since Carol Channing took New York by storm in the late 1940s. (During the run, Grimes’s name was placed above the title.) The cast album, which included a copy of the show’s souvenir program, was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # S/WAO-1509; the CD was released first by Capitol # CDP-7-92054-2 and then by Broadway Angel # ZDM-0777-7-64761-2-4), and is noteworthy because the overture includes “Colorado, My Home,” a song that was dropped from the production after opening night and isn’t included on the cast album except as part of the overture. Early in the show’s tryout, the number was heard in the first act as an introductory one for Johnny; by opening night, the song was the show’s final number, sung by Molly, Johnny, and the people of Leadville. After the opening night, the ending was altered to include a reprise of “I Ain’t Down Yet.” However, “Colorado, My Home” was reinstated for the 1964 film version of the musical, and, like the early tryout performances it was placed early in the story and was sung by Johnny. Among the other recordings of the score are The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Columbia Records LP # CL-1576 and # CS-8376) by Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra, which includes “Colorado, My Home”; Swing-Dance-Dream to The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Capitol Records # LP ST-1576) by Ray Anthony and his orchestra (which play the score in “orchestra,” “big band,” and “combo” styles); The Unsinkable Jonah Jones Swings The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Capitol Records LP # T-1532); and the film soundtrack album released by MGM Records (LP # E/SE-4232; the CD was issued by Rhino Records # R2-72-465 and includes seventeen previously unreleased takes and cues). The script was published in hardback by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 1961. The aforementioned film version was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1964 with Debbie Reynolds in the title role (she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress); Harve Presnell reprised his stage role as Johnny, and other members of the cast included Ed Begley and Hermione Baddeley as well as Broadway performers Grover Dale (as one of Molly’s brothers) and Maria Karnilova (as one of the prostitutes in the “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys” dance). Besides “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys” and “Colorado, My Home,” the film also retained “I Ain’t Down Yet,” “I’ll Never Say No,” “I’ve A’ready Started In,” and “Leadville Johnny Brown” (“Soliloquy”). “Dolce Far Niente” was heard as background music, and the “Up Where the People Are” dance was briefly performed. The score included one new song, “He’s My Friend.” The screenplay was by Helen Deutsch, the direction by Charles Walters, and the dances by Peter Gennaro (who had choreographed the original stage production). The DVD was issued by Warner Home Video (# 65201). As of this writing, The Unsinkable Molly Brown hasn’t enjoyed a Broadway revival (although the book has been recently revised in anticipation of a possible New York production), but Debbie Reynolds and Ron

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Raines toured with the musical in 1990. This version included “Colorado, My Home” and “He’s My Friend,” and omitted “The Denver Police,” “Beautiful People of Denver,” “Are You Sure?,” “Bon Jour” (“The Language Song”), “I May Never Fall in Love With You,” “Chick-a-Pen,” and “Keep A-Hoppin’.” Iva Withers was Tammy Grimes’s standby, and during Grimes’s vacation Withers replaced her. Virtually unknown today, Withers’s career is fascinating. During some twenty-five years on Broadway she never created a single role, but instead made a career of replacements and standbys, sometimes playing the leading female roles of the era and substituting for some of the biggest stars. She was both Laurey and Julie Jordan during the original Broadway runs of Oklahoma! (1943) and Carousel (1945), and, like Howard Keel (who also took over leading roles in those musicals, as Curly and Billy Bigelow), she sometimes on matinee days played one role in the afternoon and another in the evening. Besides playing Julie on Broadway and on tour, she also created the role for the 1950 London production, and claimed that despite playing some six hundred performances opposite John Raitt, he never once spoke to her offstage because he considered her a chorus girl (she had been in the singing chorus of Carousel prior to her promotion to the leading female role). Withers was later one of the replacements for Mary Martin in South Pacific (1949); for Vivian Blaine in Guys and Dolls (1950); for Nanette Fabray in Make a Wish (1951); for Joy Nichols in Redhead (1959); for Tammy Grimes (again) in High Spirits (1964); and for both Jeanne Arnold and June Squibb in The Happy Time (1968). On tour, she replaced Carol Channing in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), and in nonmusicals she was Grimes’s standby yet again, for Rattle of a Simple Man (1963). Her final Broadway appearance was in the original 1968 production of the comedy Forty Carats, in which she succeeded Julie Harris and June Allyson and preceded Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Tammy Grimes).

CAMELOT “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Majestic Theatre Opening Date: December 3, 1960 Closing Date: January 5, 1963 Performances: 873 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Frederick Loewe Based on the 1958 novel The Once and Future King by T. H. White. Direction: Moss Hart; Producers: Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, and Moss Hart; Choreography: Hanya Holm; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Adrian, and Tony Duquette; Lighting: Feder; Musical Direction: Franz Allers Cast: John Cullum (Sir Dinadan), Bruce Yarnell (Sir Lionel), David Hurst (Merlyn), Richard Burton (Arthur), Julie Andrews (Guenevere), Marjorie Smith (Nimue), Leland Mayforth (A Page), Robert Goulet (Lancelot), Michael Clark-Laurence (Dap), Robert Coote (Pellinore), Richard Kuch (Clarius), Christina Gillespie (Lady Anne), Leesa Troy (Lady Sybil), James Gannon (Sir Sagramore), Peter De Vise (A Page), John Starkweather (Herald), Virginia Allen (Lady Catherine), Roddy McDowall (Mordred), Michael Kermoyan (Sir Ozanna), Jack Dabdoub (Sir Gwilliam), M’el Dowd (Morgan Le Fey), Robin Stewart (Tom); Singers: Joan August, Mary Sue Berry, Marnell Bruce, Judy Hastings, Benita James, Marjorie Smith, Sheila Swenson, Leesa Troy, Dorothy White, Frank Bouley, Jack Dabdoub, James Gannon, Murray Goldkind, Warren Hays, Paul Huddleston, Michael Kermoyan, Donald Maloof, Larry Mitchell, Paul Richards, John Taliaferro; Dancers: Virginia Allen, Judi Allinson, Laurie Archer, Carlene Carroll, Joan Coddington, Katia Geleznova, Adriana Keathley, Dawn Mitchell, Claudia Schroeder, Beti Seay, Jerry Bowers, Gene DeBauer, Peter Deign, Randy Doney, Richard Englund, Richard Gain, James Kirby, Richard Kuch, Joe Nelson, John Starkweather, Jimmy Tarbutton The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place “a long time ago” in Camelot.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight?” (Richard Burton); “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood” (Julie Andrews); “Camelot” (Richard Burton, Julie Andrews); “Processional” (Guenevere’s Entourage); “Follow Me” (Marjorie Smith); “C’est moi” (Robert Goulet); “The Lusty Month of May” (Julie Andrews, Ensemble); “Then You May Take Me to the Fair” (Julie Andrews, John Cullum, James Gannon, Bruce Yarnell); “How to Handle a Woman” (Richard Burton); “The Jousts” (Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, Ensemble); “Parade” (Knights); “Before I Gaze at You Again” (Julie Andrews) Act Two: “Madrigal” (Robert Goulet); “If Ever I Would Leave You” (Robert Goulet); “The Seven Deadly Virtues” (Roddy McDowall); “What Do Simple Folk Do?” (Julie Andrews, Richard Burton); “The Persuasion” (Roddy McDowall, M’el Dowd); “Fie on Goodness!” (Knights); “I Loved You Once in Silence” (Julie Andrews); “Guenevere” (Ensemble); “Camelot” (reprise) (Richard Burton) Camelot was the most anticipated musical of the 1960–1961 season, and for good reason. Its pedigree was impeccable, as most of its creative team had fashioned My Fair Lady (1956), which, at the time of Camelot’s premiere, was nearing the end of the fifth of its seven-year Broadway run: Alan Jay Lerner returned as lyricist and book writer; Frederick Loewe as composer; Moss Hart, director; Hanya Holm, choreographer; Oliver Smith, scenic designer; Feder, lighting designer; Franz Allers, musical director; Robert Russell Bennett and Philip Lang, orchestrators; and Trude Rittman, dance and choral arrangements. My Fair Lady’s original Colonel Pickering (Robert Coote) played Pellinore, and, of course, the fair lady herself, Julie Andrews, was Guenevere. Further, Lerner and Loewe’s 1958 film Gigi had won a record nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Song. It was no wonder Camelot opened on Broadway with a then-record advance sale of over three-million dollars. Based on T. H. White’s novel The Once and Future King, Camelot told the familiar story of King Arthur (Richard Burton), Guenevere, Lancelot (Robert Goulet), and the knights of the round table. But the world premiere of the musical in Toronto (where Camelot was the first production to play at the new O’Keefe Theatre) told an even more familiar story: a big-budget musical in trouble on the road (in fact, the November 14, 1960, issue of Time ran a cover story on the musical, “The Rough Road to Broadway”). And so the musical underwent a drastic overhaul, all of which took its toll. Moss Hart was hospitalized with a heart attack; Lerner was hospitalized with an ulcer; and Loewe underwent a severe bout of the flu. It was as if the production were cursed; indeed, the musical’s original costume designer, Adrian, died before he completed the costumes, and his work was taken over by Tony Duquette. During the Toronto and Boston tryouts, at least three musical sequences were deleted: “The Quests,” which was performed by Lancelot, Pellinore, and various members of the court; the ballad “Face to Face” (for Guenevere); and a lavish ballet (often cited as the “Enchanted Forest Ballet”). A reprise of “Fie on Goodness!,” which was sung by Mordred, was replaced with a solo for him, “The Seven Deadly Virtues,” and, two nights before the New York opening, Julie Andrews was given a new song, “Before I Gaze at You Again,” which replaced “Face to Face.” Further, the musical’s twenty-four scenes were trimmed to nineteen, and a number of characters (Sir Ironside, Sir Brandiles, Sir Gareth, Sir Agravaine, Sir Constantine, Sir Gaheris, Lady Agatha, Lady Mary, and a quartet called The Orkneys) were written out of the production. With the creators’ illnesses and the constant amount of rewriting, wags were calling the new musical Costalot. And so the New York premiere must have surprised everyone: Camelot might not have been My Fair Lady, but it was no disaster. Everyone agreed the work was probably the most lavish in the history of musical theatre: the scenery and costumes were breathtaking. And probably most agreed that the first half of the first act was brilliant (indeed, Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the early scenes suggested that My Fair Lady’s creators had topped themselves). These sparkling scenes were incisively written with tongue firmly in cheek, and they promised a musical of wit and sardonic humor, including such songs as Arthur’s wry, self-deprecating “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight?,” Guenevere’s calculating and decidedly unsimple “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” Arthur’s purposely hyperbolic title song, and Lancelot’s self-obsessed “C’est Moi” (in Lancelot, Miles Gloriosis would have found another soldier who was his own parade); further, Nimue (Marjorie Smith) sang the enchanting ballad “Follow Me”; Guenevere and members of the court danced and sang to the jaunty “The Lusty Month of May”; and in “Then You May Take Me to the Fair” Guenevere and a trio of knights (John Cullum, James Gannon, and Bruce Yarnell) plotted various means to do away with the impossibly perfect and perfectly annoying Lancelot.

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But midway through the first act the book lost its lighthearted tone and became ponderous in its depiction of the story’s love triangle as well as the court intrigues that eventually bring down Camelot and Arthur’s dream of a democratic and peace-loving society. What little “humor” remained was from the tiresome sillytwit Pellinore, a character who should have been eliminated during the tryout (along with Sir Ironside and those Orkneys). While the musical never captured the warmth and wit of its early scenes, the Lerner and Loewe score nevertheless continued its high standard throughout what proved to be a very long evening. Arthur’s touching “How to Handle a Woman,” Lancelot’s gorgeous ballad “If Ever I Would Leave You,” and Arthur and Guenevere’s charming duet “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” provided impressive lyrical moments. (Note that during the tryout of Lerner and Loewe’s 1951 musical Paint Your Wagon, the song “What Do Other Folk Do?,” performed by James Barton and Olga San Juan, was dropped from the score.) Some have faulted the story-like ballad “Guenevere” for reporting the action rather than showing it; but there’s no denying the stirring number is one of the score’s melodic joys (incidentally, the song’s lead singer appears to be Michael Kermoyan). After the New York opening, two songs (“Then You May Take Me to the Fair” and “Fie on Goodness!”) were dropped in order to shorten the overly long evening. This was an era in which many a major musical tinkered with its book and score after opening night, including The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Wildcat, Do Re Mi, Kean, The Gay Life, Subways Are for Sleeping, All American, Bravo Giovanni, and Hello, Dolly! While Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune had enjoyed the musical’s early scenes, he noted the book soon made two major missteps. It failed to define the relationship between Arthur and Guenevere, and it left undeveloped her sudden love for Lancelot. So despite the “unfailing splendor” of the scenery and costumes, there was no “pulse” to mark the evening and make one care about the characters. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said Camelot was only a “partly enchanted” city. In the early scenes, the “impossible” seems to have happened: the creators of My Fair Lady had created another “miracle.” But after those introductory scenes, it took two hours to reach another “enchanted” scene, when Arthur and Guenevere sing “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” Ultimately, the musical was “weighed down” by the burdensome book, and it suffered from inconsistent plotting, shifting uneasily “between light-hearted fancy and uninflected reality.” The musical thus leaned “dangerously in the direction of old-hat operetta.” Richard Watts in the New York Post found much to like in the new musical, but noted “a curious air of heaviness” hovered over it. There was no “pattern” to the evening, and its moods ranged from “grave to gay” and left the “impression of ponderousness.” Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the musical offered “pageantry and spectacle,” but it was no My Fair Lady and the score was “just fair.” Overall, the work was an “expensive disappointment.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American found Camelot to be the “most beautiful and resplendent show in the whole world,” but was quick to note there wasn’t “much of a book” and the score offered no songs the equal of My Fair Lady’s “On the Street Where You Live.” Although Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram found the musical “ponderous,” he nonetheless said it had “gaiety and grandeur. Its beauty is almost unbelievable. It can’t miss.” And John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the musical was “magnificent . . . a thrilling work of art.” The music was a “wellspring of melody and invention,” the lyrics had “distinction,” the three leads had “complete authority” on the stage, the sets offered “beautiful picture after beautiful picture,” and the costumes were “stunning.” The lavish cast album (replete with thirteen color photos from the production) was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-5620; the CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records [CD # SK-60542]), and includes the eventually dropped “Then You May Take Me to the Fair” and “Fie on Goodness!” Curiously, three songs that remained in the show for the entire New York run didn’t make it to the cast album (“The Jousts,” “The Persuasion,” and Lancelot’s “Madrigal”; the latter was never even listed in Playbill). Moreover, two charming instrumental sequences were omitted from the Playbill, although one was listed on the cast album. These were the “Processional” (sometimes referred to as the “March”) for Guenevere’s entourage in the first scene, and the “Parade” (it too is sometimes referred to as the “March,” and its music was also used for “The Jousts”) for the knights late in the first act. The cast album is also noteworthy because “Follow Me” isn’t performed by Marjorie Smith, who originated the role of Nimue. For one reason or another, Smith wasn’t able to perform the song during the cast recording session, and so her understudy Mary Sue Berry recorded the number (later in the run, Berry assumed the role of Nimue).

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Although “Then You May Take Me to the Fair” and “Fie on Goodness!” were dropped early in the New York run, the songs have often been heard in subsequent productions, including the 1964 London premiere; further, the 1967 film version offered the former song. Moreover, “The Jousts” was recorded for the 1964 London cast album as well as for the London revival in 1982 (the latter recording also includes “Madrigal”). A combination of the various recordings, along with a home-recorded DVD of the 2008 New York Carnegie Hall concert (which includes the hitherto unrecorded “The Persuasion”) would represent the complete Camelot score as it was heard at its Broadway premiere. The London production opened on August 19, 1964, for 518 performances, and the cast included Lawrence Harvey, Elizabeth Lerner, Barry Kent, and Nicky Henson. The cast album was released by EMI Records (LP # CSD-1559), and the CD by Kritzerland Records (#KR-200184). There were several instrumental recordings of the score: Music from Lerner & Loewe’s “Camelot” (Andre Previn and His Trio; Columbia/Harmony Records LP # CL-1569 and # CS-8369 [later # HS-11229 and # HL7429]); another album also titled Music from Lerner & Loewe’s “Camelot” (Percy Faith and His Orchestra; Columbia Records LP # CL-1570 and # CS-8370); and Camelot-Percussion on Stage (Hugo Montenegro and His Orchestra; Time Records LP # 2022). John S. Wilson in Theatre Arts noted the latter album’s “glittering and imaginative arrangements make many of the tunes come to life far more brilliantly than they do in the original-cast collection.” Another instrumental version of the score (by the Living Strings) includes the deleted number “The Quests” (RCA Camden Records LP # 657; issued on CD as Two Classic Albums from Living Strings [The Living Strings Play All the Music from “Camelot” and The Living Strings Play Music of the Sea] on BMG Records CD # DMC-12434). There was also a recording of the 2001 Belgian production (unnamed and unlabeled CD) that includes “De liefdesmaand van mei,” “De zeven dwaze deugden,” and “Wat doet de man in de straat?” The 1982 London revival with Richard Harris, Fiona Fullerton, and Robert Meadmore opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on November 23 and was recorded by That’s Entertainment Records (LP # TER-1030). The cast included William Squire, who played Merlin; Squire was one of Burton’s replacements in the original Broadway production, playing Arthur to Julie Andrews’ Guenevere. The lavish but ponderous 1967 film version was released by Warner Brothers. The screenplay was by Lerner, the direction by Joshua Logan, and the cast included Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings, Lionel Jeffries, and Laurence Naismith. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the film is that Logan didn’t work in a scene for Franco Nero to emerge from a bath during the “C’est Moi” sequence. Songs retained for the film were: “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight,” “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood,” “Camelot,” “C’est Moi,” “The Lusty Month of May,” “Then You May Take Me to the Fair,” “How to Handle a Woman,” “If Ever I Would Leave You,” “What Do the Simple Folk Do?,” “Follow Me,” “I Loved You Once in Silence,” and “Guenevere.” The march was heard during the film’s overture. Warner Brothers released both the soundtrack album (LP # B-1712 and # BS-1712) and the DVD (# 12238). There have been three New York revivals of the work, plus the aforementioned Carnegie Hall concert. The first revival opened on July 8, 1980, at the New York State Theatre for fifty-six performances; Richard Burton re-created his role of Arthur, and the cast included Christine Ebersole and Richard Muenz; the revival included “Fie on Goodness!” and omitted “Then You May Take Me to the Fair” and “The Persuasion.” “Guenevere” opened the musical in a special prologue, and a reprise version was later heard in the song’s regular spot toward the end of the second act. The revival returned to New York on November 15, 1981, at the Winter Garden Theatre for fifty-seven performances, but with a new cast: Richard Harris reprised his film role as Arthur, Meg Bussert was Guenevere, and Richard Muenz was again Lancelot. This production was televised on Home Box Office in 1983, and was released on DVD by Acorn Media (# AMP-8925). The third revival was presented at the Gershwin Theater on August 7, 1993, for fifty-six performances. This time around, Robert Goulet, the original production’s Lancelot, played Arthur; rounding out the major roles were Patricia Kies and Steve Blanchard. Like the earlier revivals, “Fie on Goodness!” was included, but “Then You May Take Me to the Fair” and “The Persuasion” were omitted. Further, Lancelot’s “Madrigal,” which usually isn’t mentioned in Camelot programs, was here listed, but was performed by the court dancers and musicians. The New York Philharmonic concert version of Camelot was presented at Avery Fisher Hall for five performances beginning on May 7, 2008. The production included the entire score (save “Fie on Goodness!”),

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but was seriously marred by director Lonny Price’s unfortunate staging concepts and (with one important exception) poor casting choices. Gabriel Byrne and Marin Mazzie seemed far too mature for their roles, and Byrne lacked the gravitas demanded by his character. Further, Bobby Steggert’s Mordred was conceived as a punk rocker type, and was more fey than Morgan le Fey’s Fran Drescher, who would have been more comfortable in a Brooklyn forest than a British one. Only Nathan Gunn’s Lancelot emerged unscathed. Described as “impossibly handsome” by one critic, his was the definitive Lancelot, a good-looking matinee idol with a thrilling baritone. Gunn’s “C’est Moi” and “If Ever I Would Leave You” made you feel you were hearing the songs for the first time, and in definitive versions. The script of Camelot was published in hardcover by Random House in 1961. The production’s souvenir program was the first to use color photographs throughout.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Richard Burton); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Julie Andrews); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Franz Allers); Best Scenic Designer for a Musical (Oliver Smith); Best Costume Designer for a Musical (Adrian; and Tony Duquette)

WILDCAT “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: December 16, 1960 Closing Date: June 3, 1961 Performances: 171 Book: N. Richard Nash Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh Music: Cy Coleman Direction and Choreography: Michael Kidd; Producers: Michael Kidd and N. Richard Nash (Program Note: “The producers acknowledge their thanks to Desilu Productions, Inc., for its cooperation.”); Scenery: Peter Larkin; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Lighting: Charles Elson; Musical Direction: John Morris Cast: Paula Stewart (Jane Jackson), Lucille Ball (Wildcat Jackson), Howard Fischer (Sheriff Sam Gore), Ken Ayers (Barney), Anthony Saverino (Luke), Edith King (Countess Emily O’Brien), Keith Andes (Joe Dynamite), Clifford David (Hank), H. F. Green (Miguel), Don Tomkins (Sookie), Charles Braswell (Matt), Bill Linton (Corky), Swen Swenson (Oney), Ray Mason (Sandy), Bill Walker (Tattoo), Al Lanti (Cisco), Bill Richards (Postman), Marsha Wagner (Inez), Wendy Nickerson (Blonde); Singers: Ken Ayers, Lee Green, Jan Leighton, Urylee Leonardos, Virginia Oswald, Anthony Saverino, Jeanne Steel, Gene Varrone; Dancers: Robert Bakanic, Barbara Beck, Mel Davidson, Penny Ann Green, Valerie Harper, Lucia Lambert, Ronald Lee, Jacqueline Maria, Wendy Nickerson, Frank Pietri, Bill Richards, Adriane Rogers, John Sharpe, Gerald Teijelo, Marsha Wagner The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the border town of Centavo City, Texas, in 1912.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I Hear” (The People of Centavo City); “Hey, Look Me Over” (Lucille Ball, Paula Stewart); “Wildcat” (Lucille Ball, Townspeople); “You’ve Come Home” (Keith Andes); “That’s What I Want for Janie” (Lucille Ball); “What Takes My Fancy” (Lucille Ball, Don Tomkins); “You’re a Liar” (Lucille Ball, Keith Andes); “One Day We Dance” (Clifford David, Paula Stewart); “Give a Little Whistle and I’ll Be There” (Lucille Ball, Keith Andes, The Crew, The Townspeople); “Tall Hope” (Bill Walker, Swen Swenson, Ray Mason, Charles Braswell, The Crew)

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Act Two: “Tippy Tippy Toes” (Lucille Ball, Edith King); “El Sombrero” (Lucille Ball, Al Lanti, Swen Swenson, The Crew, The Townspeople); “Corduroy Road” (Keith Andes, The Crew, The Townspeople); “You’ve Come Home” (reprise) (Keith Andes); Finale (Entire Company) Lucille Ball’s Broadway debut in Wildcat occurred nine months after her enormously successful nine-year television series I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour went off the air in April 1960 (well, not really off the air; reruns of the classic Lucy episodes will no doubt still be shown in April 2060). In one of the I Love Lucy episodes, Lucy Ricardo buys valuable oil stock, decides it’s phony, and demands and gets her money back, only to later find that the stock went sky high and brought in a “gusher.” In Wildcat, Wildcat Jackson is also after a gusher, and by the show’s finale she strikes oil. But the musical itself came up dry. Ball’s only theatrical experience had been in the late 1940s, when she toured the country in the title role of Elmer Rice’s popular 1945 comedy Dream Girl, which later became the basis of the 1965 Broadway musical Skyscraper. In the interim she had become a television superstar with an almost unparalleled comic genius for verbal and physical humor. An old-fashioned musical comedy star vehicle seemed a natural for her, and the expectation was that Wildcat (which might have been more appropriately called Redhead if that title hadn’t already been used a year earlier) would provide a madcap evening designed to showcase her zany comic skills. But as Howard Taubman noted in the New York Times, “Everybody wanted to love Lucille Ball, but her show didn’t make it easy.” Further, Taubman wrote that Wildcat “had as much spirit and excitement as a tame, old tabby,” and although the show prospected for “Broadway oil,” it “drilled a dry hole.” Richard Watts in the New York Post reported that the new musical was a “tremendous disappointment” which “lets Miss Ball down sadly.” The book was “cumbersome and amazingly uninteresting and unhumorous,” but he liked Cy Coleman’s “always agreeably and cheerfully tuneful” score. Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram noted the evening had its weaknesses, but nonetheless proclaimed that Ball turned Wildcat into “a hit that makes your ears ring,” and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror felt that despite the “pedestrian” book, the combination of Ball and Michael Kidd’s choreography was “sensational.” He further praised Cy Coleman’s “tuneful” music and Carolyn Leigh’s “singable” lyrics. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said Lucille Ball was the “best part” of Wildcat, but went on to praise the “ingratiating” score, “admirable” and “rousing” dances, “delightful and ingenious” scenery, “pretty” costumes, and “good supporting performances.” N. Richard Nash wrote the book for Wildcat, which somewhat resembled his 1954 Broadway drama The Rainmaker, in which Bill Starbuck (the title character, created by Darren McGavin) promises to bring rain during a punishing drought. In the musical, Wildcat “Wildy” Jackson (Ball) wheedles legendary oil foreman Joe Dynamite (Keith Andes) into drilling for oil in an apparently oil-less property owned by a crusty old varmint named Sookie (Don Tomkins, whom Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune described as a “pre-shrunk Mark Twain after he’d been dragged through a dirty creek”). Kerr felt let-down by the musical’s “unsmiling” book, and while there was a lively number or two, the temperature was generally “mild” in this “big Broadway fandango, and the rueful silences are many.” Wildy and Sookie enter into a somewhat reluctant partnership. With dreams of finding oil on his property, she feeds him a line about co-leasing his land in order to grow succotash (explaining that if you’re going to cook corn and lima beans together, then why not grow them together?), while he, absolutely certain his land has no oil beneath it, complains that every time he digs for water, it comes up black and greasy. The book wasn’t much, and the jokes were few and far between. Further, Kidd’s choreography was somewhat disappointing, with Kerr observing that the dance sequences required little more than the chorus boys “lifting Miss Ball into the air at center stage and then down again, without having accomplished anything much.” Thankfully, the music by Cy Coleman (his first full-length Broadway score) and the lyrics by Carolyn Leigh (her Broadway debut) livened up the proceedings with a series of good solid show tunes, including Wildy’s “Hey, Look Me Over,” which became the musical’s hit song; “You’ve Come Home,” a haunting ballad for Dynamite; “One Day We Dance,” a tender love song for Wildy’s sister (Paula Stewart) and her suitor (Clifford David); “Give a Little Whistle and I’ll Be There,” a sprightly production number for Wildy, Dynamite, and the company; and “Tall Hope” and “Corduroy Road,” two impressively virile choral numbers. The evening’s show stopper was the comic duet “What Takes My Fancy” (for Ball and Tomkins; incidentally, the latter, along with Velma O’Neal, had introduced another show-stopper, “The Varsity Drag,” in the 1927 hit musical Good News).

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With a handful of good reviews and with a superstar at the helm, Wildcat seemed poised to become a longrunning, audience-pleasing hit, and it did good business during the early weeks of its six-month run. But due to various illnesses, Ball started missing performances, and a few weeks into the run she permanently cut two songs, the title number and “That’s What I Want for Janie.” Omitting the latter number made sense; it was a difficult solo, and its omission probably relieved Ball’s vocal chords. But deleting the former is something of a mystery: surely the number could have been restaged to allow the chorus to sing it to Wildy, where it could have become a title-song celebration in honor of the title character, similar in nature to the title song in Mame (1966), in which Mame herself never sings a single note. Scenic designer Peter Larkin created one of the era’s most impressive visual effects. As the audience watched, the cast constructed an oil derrick with working machinery, which, for the finale, gushed oil (actually, ribbons of black film). Kerr also praised Larkin’s design of an “arresting” sky, “the color of tomato juice, and another one the color of orange juice, before everyone runs out of juice.” At least two songs were deleted during the production’s tryout, “(When You’re) Far Away from Home” and “Angelina” (both duets for Andes and David). One song, “Bouncing Back for More,” was written for, but not used in, the production. During the 1976–1977 theatre season, the number surfaced in the Hellzapoppin’ revival which starred Jerry Lewis and Lynn Redgrave (it was introduced by Lewis and the entire company). Hellzapoppin’ closed prior to New York, but the song can be heard in Sara Zahn’s collection Witchcraft: The Songs of Carolyn Leigh (Harbinger Records CD # HCD-1702). The original cast recording of Wildcat was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1060; the CD was issued by RCA on CD # GD-60353). Other recordings of the score are Wildcat (Kapp Records LP # KS3223) by the Pete King Chorale & Orchestra and featuring Jack Jones and Beth Adlam (this recording includes “Angelina” and “Ain’t It Sad” [the latter was apparently dropped during rehearsals]); Cy Coleman Plays His Own Compositions from “Wildcat” (Indigo Records LP # GBM-502A), which includes “Angelina”; and Music from “Wildcat” (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM-2357) by Bob Thompson and His Orchestra and Chorus. Mel Tormé and Margaret Whiting’s collection Broadway Right Now! (released by Verve Records [LP # MG-V2146]) includes a medley of “Angelina” and “(When You’re) Far Away from Home,” and another collection, Broadway ’61 (Capitol Records LP # ST-1480) by Les Baxter and His Orchestra, also includes “Angelina” and “(When You’re) Far Away from Home.” Wildcat opened in an era when it was usual for record companies to release alternate versions of Broadway scores, and so Wildcat, Carnival!, Bravo Giovanni, No Strings, Mr. President, and other shows not only enjoyed cast recordings but also various “other” albums of instrumental and sung versions of their scores. This practice was sporadic prior to the very late 1950s and after the mid-1960s, but the period 1958–1965 was the heyday for multiple recordings of new Broadway musicals. This was of course a period when Broadway musicals were an important part of American culture: pop versions of Broadway songs dominated the Hit Parade and the airwaves; Life and other weekly magazines featured Broadway musicals on their covers; and the prime-time television series The Ed Sullivan Show often featured scenes from current Broadway productions. Incidentally, Wildcat’s musical director was John Morris, who later composed the ambitious and virtually sung-through 1966 Broadway musical A Time for Singing.

DO RE MI “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: St. James Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the 54th Street Theatre) Opening Date: December 26, 1960 Closing Date: January 13, 1962 Performances: 400 Book: Garson Kanin Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music: Jule Styne Based in part on the 1955 novella Do Re Mi by Garson Kanin. Direction: Garson Kanin (William Hammerstein, Associate Director); Producers: David Merrick (Jones Harris, Associate Producer); Choreography: Marx Breaux and DeeDee Wood; Scenery: Boris Aronson; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Lighting: Al Alloy; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel

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Cast: Marilyn Allwyn (Casa Girl, Animal Girl), Diane Ball (Casa Girl, Animal Girl), Sandra Devlin (Casa Girl, Animal Girl), Regina Groves (Casa Girl, Animal Girl), Nancy Van Rijn (Casa Girl, Animal Girl), Carol Stevens (Casa Girl, Wheeler’s Secretary, Animal Girl), Dean Taliaferro (Casa Girl, Wheeler’s Secretary, Animal Girl), Patti Karr (Dance Team Member, Animal Girl), Ray Kirchner (Dance Team Member, Sumo Student), Nancy Walker (Kay Cram), Phil Silvers (Hubert Cram), Frank Derbas (Waiter), John Reardon (John Henry Wheeler), Betty Kent (Swinger), Donna Sanders (Swinger), Suzanne Shaw (Swinger), Marc Jordan (Headwaiter, Fatso’s Lawyer), George Mathews (Fatso O’Rear), George Givot (Skin Demopoulos), David Burns (Brains Berman), Marilyn Child (Thelma Berman), David Gold (Interviewer), Stuart Hodes (Photographer), Chad Block (James Russell Lowell, IV), Nancy Dussault (Tilda Mullen), Al Nesor (Wolfie), Carolyn Ragaini (Marsha), Steve Roland (Lou, Chief Counsel), Betty Kent (Gretchen), Albert Linville (Recording Engineer, Senator Rogers), Bob McClure (Maitre D’, Commentator), Al Lewis (Moe Shtarker), Allan Stevenson (Commentator), Edward Grace (Senator Redfield), Pat Tolson (Brains’ Lawyer); The Public: Marilyn Allwyn, Doria Avila, Diane Ball, Frank Derbas, Sandra Devlin, David Gold, Edward Grace, Regina Groves, Stuart Hodes, Curtis Hood, Daniel Jasinski, Marc Jordan, Patti Karr, Betty Kent, Ray Kirchner, Barbara Lang, Josephine Lang, Bob McClure, Ken Malone, Jim Marley, James Moore, Dawn Nickerson, Ed Pfeiffer, Carolyn Ragaini, Steve Roland, Donna Sanders, Suzanne Shaw, Carol Stevens, Liza Stuart, Dean Taliaferro, Pat Tolson, Nancy Van Rhein, Richard Young The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the present time in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Waiting, Waiting” (Nancy Walker); “All You Need Is a Quarter” (Betty Kent, Donna Sanders, Suzanne Shaw); “Take a Job” (Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker); “The Juke Box Hop” (dance; Fatso’s Customers); “It’s Legitimate” (Phil Silvers, George Mathews, David Burns, George Givot, The Loaders); “I Know about Love” (John Reardon); “The Auditions” (Carolyn Ragaini, Steve Roland, Betty Kent); “Cry Like the Wind” (Nancy Dussault); “Ambition” (Phil Silvers, Nancy Dussault); “Success” (The Tilda Mullen Fans, Nancy Dussault, Phil Silvers, George Mathews, David Burns, George Givot); “Fireworks” (Nancy Dussault, John Reardon); “What’s New at the Zoo” (Nancy Dussault, Marilyn Allwyn, Diane Ball, Sandra Devlin, Regina Groves, Patti Karr, Nancy Van Rhein, Carol Stevens, Dean Taliaferro); “Asking for You” (John Reardon); “The Late, Late Show” (Phil Silvers) Act Two: “Adventure” (Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker); “Make Someone Happy” (John Reardon, Nancy Dussault); “Don’t Be Ashamed of a Teardrop” (Phil Silvers, George Mathews, David Burns, George Givot); “The Juke Box Trouble” (dance; Al Lewis, Cohorts, Company); “V.I.P.” (The Public, Phil Silvers); “All of My Life” (Phil Silvers); Finale (Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker, Company) With raves from the New York critics, Do Re Mi seemed poised to become a long-running hit. It had a fast and funny book, a lively score (including the hit song, “Make Someone Happy”), and its cast was headed by two legendary clowns, Phil Silvers and Nancy Walker. But the show ran for only a year, and lost money. The amusing plot dealt with eternal loser Hubie Cram (Silvers), who wants to make it big, not so much for the money but for the kind of fame and power that will ensure him a good table in a nightclub. His longsuffering wife Kay (Walker) strings along with him, and when he and his cronies join forces to run the city’s jukeboxes (and ultimately become involved in the recording industry), it looks like Hubie has finally made it to the winner’s circle and a ringside table. But complications ensue, and Hubie and company find themselves victimized by gangsters and involved in a Senate investigation. Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the musical was at times too much a Guys-and-Dolls wannabe, but nonetheless noted when the show “is fresh, as it often is, it is money in the bank.” He liked the “lively” songs, the high-spirited dances, and Boris Aronson’s sets, which were “full of movement and wit.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune found the evening “fun . . . silly fun, loud fun, fast fun, old-fashioned fun, inconsequential fun, grand fun. . . . As entertainment . . . it’s delectable.” He too singled out Aronson’s décor, noting especially “the indigestible marvels of glass-and-plastic jukebox colors virtually dribbling down the front-drops.” He also liked the show’s sense of humor, noting one scene in which Walker

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and Silvers are reading separate newspapers (she, the New York Daily News, he the New York Mirror): Walker glances over at Silvers’ newspaper and asks, “Did a fish bite a woman in Asbury Park in yours?” Richard Watts in the New York Post praised the “fast, professional, tuneful, funny and delightful” show, noting “the boys of the underworld haven’t been laughed at so brightly since the great Guys and Dolls”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News heralded the evening as “a great big razzle-dazzle of a musical,” and praised the “jolly” show and its lack of pretentiousness. Here was an evening of funny performances, “frisky” songs, “frankly and refreshingly old-style” dances, and scenery that contributed to the “humor and good nature” of the production. John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the “brassy and bountiful blockbuster” evening a “sure hit; it could better be called Dough Re Mi.” The show was “mounted and paced in the old tradition,” Styne “dished up one of his compelling tune sheets,” the dances were “imaginative,” the sets “delightful,” and the two stars were a “natural combination.” Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the new musical was a “smasheroo” and a “red-hot ticket,” and singled out the “blaring” sets and costumes, the “satiric and swift” dances, and songs that were sure to keep the nation’s jukeboxes “running hot.” All the critics wrote valentines to the two stars, and Nancy Walker was singled out for her bravura “Adventure,” one of the most memorable comedy songs ever written for a musical. In the song she listed all the men she could have married, but concluded that life on the lam with Hubie was preferable to the solvent but staid and stuffy men of her past. Jule Styne and Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s score offered many delights. Besides “Adventure” and “Make Someone Happy,” other highlights of the rambunctious score included Walker’s humorous complaint about always “Waiting, Waiting” for Hubie; Kay and Hubie’s funny but touching “Take a Job”; and “It’s Legitimate,” a breezy tribute sung by Hubie and his cronies to the joys of mostly honest and only slightly tarnished employment. The cast recording (with possibly the most unattractive cover in cast album history) was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOCD/LSOD-2002 and then later by RCA on CD # 09026-61994-2); it omitted three songs from the production, “Don’t Be Ashamed of a Teardrop” (which was cut from the show soon after opening night, and was singled out by Taubman, who noted it “drips with a barber-shop quartet’s nostalgia”), “Success,” and “V.I.P.” During the run, the dance number “The Juke Box Hop” honored the nation’s latest dance sensation by incorporating “The Juke Box Twist.” At the time of the Broadway production, two other albums were released of the show’s score. Do Re Mi (Mayfair/Tops Records LP # 9720-S) was performed by the Byron Allison Orchestra and Chorus, and Do Re Mi (Time Records LP # S/2032) was an instrumental reading of the songs (and included “Don’t Be Ashamed of a Teardrop”). The London production opened on October 12, 1961, at the Prince of Wales Theatre for 169 performances. Max Bygraves was Hubie, Maggie Fitzgibbon, Kay, and other cast members included Steve Arlen and Jan Waters. The cast recording was released by Decca Records (LP # LK-4413 and # SKL-4145) and later by That’s Entertainment Records (LP # TER-1075). The CD was issued by Sepia Records (# 1179), and included bonus tracks of Steve Arlen singing pop versions of “Make Someone Happy” and “I Know about Love”; Max Bygraves’s pop version of “What’s New at the Zoo?”; another version of “Zoo” by Beatrice Lillie; and Rose Marie Jun performing the cut song “Don’t Try to Figure It Out” and the unused song “Life’s Not That Simple.” The latter is also included in the collection The Unknown Theatre Songs of Jule Styne (Blue Pear Records LP # BP-1011). In May 1999, the musical was presented by Encores! for five concert performances; the cast included Nathan Lane, Randy Graff, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Heather Hedley, Louis J. Stadlen, Lee Wilkof, Tovah Feldshuh, Marilyn Cooper, and Brad Oscar. The production omitted “Don’t Be Ashamed of a Teardrop,” but included “(He’s a) V.I.P” as well as a sequence entitled “Who Is Mr. Big?” The concert was recorded by DRG Records (CD # 94768), and includes as a bonus track an interview with Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green that was taped in January 1961 during the recording session of the original Broadway cast album. The following songs were deleted during the tryout of Do Re Mi: “Who Gets the Table?” (for Phil Silvers, a headwaiter, and nightclub patrons); “Don’t Try to Figure It Out” (Walker); “Little Girl” (Silvers); and “Listen Baby” (Walker and Silvers). The following songs were dropped during rehearsals and appear in a script of the musical dated September 1960: “”What Is a Kiss?” (for Hubie); “Life’s Not That Simple” (for Tilda); and “Ooh Baby, Ow Baby” (for “The Swingers”). Do Re Mi was loosely based on a 1955 novella of the same name by Garson Kanin (with copious illustrations by Al Hirschfeld); the book’s dust jacket proclaimed the story was “one of the most hilarious exposes of the

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jukebox gangland world.” The novella was filmed by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1956 as The Girl Can’t Help It, and the cast included Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield, Edmond O’Brien, and Julie London, along with a number of guest appearances by various “jukebox” stars (such as “Fats” Domino, The Platters, and Little Richard). In 2011, Blue Apple Books released the hardback What’s New at the Zoo?, an illustrated book of the lyric with illustrations by Travis Foster and an introduction by Phyllis Newman (Mrs. Adolph Green).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Do Re Mi); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Phil Silvers); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Nancy Walker); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Nancy Dussault); Best Direction of a Musical (Garson Kanin)

SHOW GIRL “A NEW REVUE” Theatre: Eugene O’Neill Theatre Opening Date: January 12, 1961 Closing Date: April 8, 1961 Performances: 100 Sketches: Charles Gaynor (additional sketches by Ernest Chambers) Lyrics and Music: Charles Gaynor Direction: Sketches staged by Charles Gaynor (“entire production supervised by” Oliver Smith); Producers: Oliver Smith, James A. Doolittle, and Charles Lowe; Choreography: Richard D’Arcy; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Miles White; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Robert Hunter Cast: Carol Channing, Jules Munshin, Les Quat’ Jeudis The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Numbers Act One: Opening—“The Girl in the Show” (Carol Channing); “Report from Las Vegas” (Carol Channing); “Theatre Piece” (Carol Channing [Lynn], Jules Munshin [Alfred]); “Calypso Pete” (Carol Channing); “Report from Paris” (aka “Mambo Java”) (Les Quat’ Jeudis); “Keeping Up with the Noahs” (sketch by Ernest Chambers) (Carol Channing [Naomi], Jules Munshin [Elijah]); “The Girl Who Lived in Montparnasse” (Jules Munshin, Les Quat’ Jeudis); “Carol’s Musical Theatre” (Carol Channing): No. 1—The Opening Choruses: (a) “Join Us in a Little Cup of Tea” and (b) “This Is a Darn Fine Funeral”; No. 2—The Love Songs: (a) “In Our Teeny Little Weeny Nest for Two” and (b) “Love Is a Sickness”; No. 3—The Dance Numbers: (a) “The Yahoo Step” and (b) “Switchblade Bess” Act Two: “The Story of Marie” (Carol Channing, Les Quat Jeudis); “S. Eureka Presents . . .” (sketch by Ernest Chambers, music by Charles Gaynor) (Jules Munshin); “My Kind of Love” (Carol Channing, Jules Munshin); “The Inside Story” (Carol Channing); “The Foreign Star” (Carol Channing, Les Quat Jeudis); “The Palace Theatre” (this sequence included the songs “You Haven’t Lived until You Play the Palace” and “Somewhere There’s a Little Bluebird”) (Carol Channing); Finale (Carol Channing, Company) The critics adored Carol Channing and her revue Show Girl (which had been titled Show Business for much of its lengthy pre-Broadway tour, which began in 1959). But the nature of the material, along with its modest production values and small six-person cast (Channing, Jules Munchin, and a quartet called Les Quat’ Jeudis [The Four Thursdays]), led some critics to suggest the evening would have been more effective in a nightclub than a Broadway theatre. A number of the songs and skits were singled out by the reviewers, including a series of celebrity impersonations by Channing (George M. Cohan, Al Jolson, Sophie Tucker, Judy Garland, and, especially, a devastating take-no-prisoners take on Marlene Dietrich [Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune suggested

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that here the devil himself colluded with Channing as Dietrich “is hauled kicking to the block”]); a “lowbudget Biblical” spoof in which Channing and Munshin make a down payment on an ark in order to keep up with their neighbors, the Noahs; Channing’s spoof of a silent screen star who, like Singin’ in the Rain’s Lina Lamont, has major problems adjusting to the talkies; and Channing and Munshin as the Lunts, who become involved in housekeeping issues surrounding the new theatre named after them. Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror praised Munshin for his “most accurate” impersonation of cultural impresario S. Hurok (here, S. Eureka), and Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted Munshin’s “unsparing job” on Hurok was so “hilariously” performed that “culture won’t be the same for a while.” However, one or two critics thought the skit went on too long (hopefully not as long as Munshin’s endless headwaiter routine in the 1948 MGM musical Easter Parade). Hurok had also been spoofed on Broadway seventeen years earlier, in Cole Porter’s 1944 revue Seven Lively Arts. Moss Hart’s sketch “Ticket for the Ballet” depicted Beatrice Lillie as a hapless culture vulture who wants to buy a ticket for the ballet S. Hurok. Besides the sketches, many of the critics singled out Channing’s opening number (“The Girl in the Show”), Channing and Munshin’s duet “My Kind of Love,” and Channing and the quartet’s “The Story of Marie.” Coleman noted the revue was “very special, for a very special, knowing audience,” and Jim O’Connor in the New York Journal-American found the evening a “winning combination” of old and new material. And while Show Girl was essentially a one-woman show, he concluded his review by praising Channing: “What a woman! What a show! What a talent!” Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram said the revue was a “whangdoodle of a show,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News credited Channing for “one of the biggest entertainments of the season.” But Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the material shortchanged the “brilliant and dynamic” Channing, and he was let down by the “disappointingly skimpy” revue. One of the revue’s highlights was “Carol’s Musical Theatre,” in which she compared the light-hearted musicals of yesteryear to the gloomy ones of the present. For this sequence, Channing reprised three songs from her breakthrough appearance in the 1948 hit revue Lend an Ear, which also had a score by Charles Gaynor. That revue included The Gladiola Girl, an affectionate mini-musical spoof of 1920s musicals and a forerunner of Sandy Wilson’s The Boy Friend (London, 1953; New York, 1954). For Show Girl, Channing first offered a typical 1920s opening chorus (“Join Us in a Little Cup of Tea”), which was then followed by the opening number of a modern musical (“This Is a Darned Fine Funeral”). Further, a 1920s-style ballad (“In Our Teeny Little Weeny Nest for Two”) was contrasted with an angst-ridden modern ballad (“Love Is a Sickness),” and a 1920s dance number (“The Yahoo Step”) was compared with new-styled choreography (“Switchblade Bess”). “Carol’s Musical Theatre” was similar in nature to Jerry Herman’s hilarious song “A Jolly Theatrical Season,” which was first heard in his 1959 Off-Broadway revue Nightcap (where it was introduced by Jane Romano and Charles Nelson Reilly) and then later in his 1960 Off-Broadway revue Parade (this time around, Reilly was joined by Dody Goodman in their salute to serious musicals [Juno’s “great charm was” having a character sport a hook “where his arm was”]). “A Jolly Theatrical Season” can be heard on the cast album of Parade (Kapp Records LP # 7005; Decca Broadway Records CD # 440-064-738-2) as well as on Reilly and Robert Morse’s A Jolly Theatrical Season, a 1962 collection of comic songs from Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals (Capitol Records LP # T-1862; DRG Records CD # 19101). Show Girl was released by Roulette Records (LP # R/SR-80001), and then later by Forum Records (LP # F-9054); the CD was issued by Kritzerland Records in a limited edition of 1,000 copies (CD # KR-20012-9). The revue was filmed in 1961 and was shown on an early version of pay-per-view television by Telemeterin-the-Home (the cost to the subscriber was $1.50 per showing); Jean Dalrymple was the Executive Producer, and Leslie Winik the Program Director. The revue was filmed from a live performance at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, and was seen over a period of one week beginning on April 3, 1961, for “matinee” and “evening” home performances (the revue gave its final Broadway performance on April 8). Television subscribers were sent special Playbills that included song and cast listings as well as summaries of reviews by the New York critics. For most of the tryout, Channing’s costar was Wally Griffin; the sketch “Under the Influence,” which dealt with two playgoers and a bartender, was deleted prior to the New York production.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Carol Channing)

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THE CONQUERING HERO “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: ANTA Theatre Opening Date: January 16, 1961 Closing Date: January 21, 1961 Performances: 8 Book: Larry Gelbart Lyrics: Norman Gimbel Music: Moose Charlap (Mark “Moose” Charlap) Based on the 1944 film Hail the Conquering Hero (direction and screenplay by Preston Sturges) Direction and Choreography: Uncredited; Producers: “Produced under the management of” Robert Whitehead and Roger L. Stevens, and “presented by special arrangement with” Emka Ltd. Scenery: Jean Rosenthal and William Pitkin; Costumes: Patton Campbell; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Sherman Frank Cast: Lee Barry (Doorman), Walter Farrell (Pfc. Doyle), Bob Dixon (Pfc. O’Dell), Bill McDonald (Cpl. Ganz), Bernie Meyer (Pfc. Pasco), Lionel Stander (Sgt. Murdock), Marilyn Stark (Nightclub Performer), Bob Kaliban (Master of Ceremonies, Whiteman), Erik Kristen (Waiter), William LeMassena (Nightclub Manager, Judge Callan), Tom Poston (Woodrow Truesmith), Burt Bier (MP), Samye Van (Bartender), T. J. Halligan (A General, Doc Johnson), Don Morgan (Conductor), Fred Stewart (Mayor Noble), John McMartin (Forrest Noble), Edith Gresham (Mrs. Noble), Geoffrey Bryant (Reverend Cox), Jane Mason (Sue Anne Barnes), Richard Buckley (Ronnie), Elizabeth Kerr (Mrs. Truesmith), Kay Brown (Libby Callan), Kenny Kealey (Gene), John Aristides (The Enemy Captain), Brina Dexter (Effie); Dancers: Margery Beddow, Pat Ferrier, Reby Howells, Shellie Farrell, Marlene Dell, Betty Hyatt Linton, Kathe Howard, William Guske, John Aristides, Dale Moreda, Erik Kristen, Dick Korthaze, Michel Stuart, James Senn; Singers: Georgia Creighton, Brina Dexter, Marianne Gale, Charlotte Frazier, Marilyn Stark, Shirley Chester, Burt Bier, Lee Barry, Ed Mastin, Don Morgan, Tony Craig, Charles Rule The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place mostly in the small town of Hillsdale during World War II.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Girls! Girls” (Lee Barry, Marines); “Five Shots of Whiskey” (Lionel Stander, Bob Dixon, Walter Farrell, Bill McDonald, Bernie Meyer); “Hail, the Conquering Hero” (Tom Poston, Company); “Must Be Given to You” (Company); “Wonderful, Marvelous You” (Tom Poston, Kay Brown, Kenny Kealey); “Truth” (Company); “Won’t You Marry Me?” (Kay Brown); “The River Bank” (Jane Mason, Tom Poston); “Only Rainbows” (Tom Poston, Bob Dixon, Walter Farrell, Bill McDonald); “The Campaign” (Tom Poston, Ensemble); “The Battle” (Tom Poston, Bill McDonald, Dancers [although this dance isn’t listed in the New York Playbill, it was performed during the New York run as well as during the musical’s tryout, and in the tryout programs is listed as the final musical number in the first act]) Act Two: “One Mother Each” (Lionel Stander, Bob Dixon, Walter Farrell, Bill McDonald, Bernie Meyer); “Must Be Given to You” (reprise) (Company); “I’m Beautiful” (Kay Brown, Marines); “Rough Times” (Kay Brown, Kenny Kealey); “Yours, All Yours” (Tom Poston, Jane Mason, Ensemble); “Won’t You Marry Me?” (reprise) (Tom Poston); “Hail, the Conquering Hero” (reprise) (Company); “Only Rainbows” (reprise) (Company) The Conquering Hero was based on the classic 1944 film Hail the Conquering Hero, which was scripted and directed by Preston Sturges. The farce starred Eddie Bracken as a hapless 4-F who masquerades as a war hero, and the film included such clowns as Betty Hutton, William Demarest, and Franklin Pangborn. The Broadway musical version lasted a week, and because its reputation rests with being one of the biggest Broadway bombs of the 1960s (its book writer Larry Gelbart famously said “If Hitler’s alive, I hope he’s out of town with a musical”), it’s surprising to note that many of the New York critics found a lot to like in the show.

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John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the musical was “not a big one or a great one,” but was nonetheless “utterly charming, fast-moving and unpretentious” and offered an “amiable and haunting score.” And while John Chapman in the New York Daily News admitted the show wouldn’t “add one tittle to the history of Broadway’s culture,” it still offered considerable “merriment” to the theatre season and contained a score that was “frisky, inventive and funny.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the “modestly friendly evening” had an often “impudent, if easygoing, tone,” and while Howard Taubman in the New York Times labeled the musical a “dud,” he singled out such “tuneful” songs as “Wonderful, Marvelous You,” “Won’t You Marry Me?,” and “I’m Beautiful.” During the tryout, the songs “(I’m) Past the Age of Innocence,” “That (a) Kiss on the Tip of My Lips,” “Eight Weight Lifters,” “I Had Big Plans,” “The Contest,” and “Victory Celebration” were deleted. However, on two demo recordings of the score the first three songs can be heard. The original cast album had been scheduled to be recorded by RCA Victor (it was assigned release # LOC/LSO-1061), and a full-page ad for the album appeared in the show’s New York Playbill; but because of the short run, the album was cancelled. “(I’m) Past the Age of Innocence” was recorded by Sandy Stewart (Mrs. Moose Charlap) on United Artists Records (45 RPM # UA-287-ZTSP-66233) and by Marilyn Michaels (with Hugo Peretti and His Orchestra) on RCA Victor Records 45 RPM # 47-7831. One source credits the song as having been first introduced in the 1951 film Rhythm Inn. But Clive Hirschhorn’s The Hollywood Musical lists seven songs from this film, and “(I’m) Past the Age of Innocence” isn’t among them; and Norman Gimbel and Moose Charlap aren’t credited as the film’s lyricist and composer. The New Haven and Washington, D.C., programs credit Bob Fosse as the musical’s director and choreographer, and his name appears on the Washington window card. By the time of the Philadelphia engagement, he had been fired and his name removed from the program, and the New York opening night Playbill completely omitted credits for director and choreographer. However, McClain mentioned rumors that Albert Marre “had something to do” with the direction and that Fosse created the dances. He singled out “Fosse-type” dances, one recounting the title character’s supposed exploits at Guadalcanal (“The Battle,” which “shook the house up on opening night”) and one involving a mayoral campaign (“The Campaign”). It was the Guadalcanal sequence that became controversial. The programs for the three tryout cities included “The Battle” in their programs, but the number was noticeably absent from the New York Playbill even though it was performed. Kerr found the dance “fabulous . . . very deadpan and all very funny,” and noted the sequence “suggests a whole new profitable vein for musical-comedy choreography” (the lead dancer in the number was Bill McDonald, and the enemy Japanese soldiers were danced by women). Because “The Battle” was performed on Broadway without crediting Fosse, he took the producers to court, claiming the choreography was his creation and thus his property, and that he deserved official credit for it. He won the lawsuit (and received a nominal settlement), but by that time The Conquering Hero had long played out its eight New York performances. (Fosse quickly bounced back; later in the spring he received rave reviews for his successful stint in the title role of City Center’s revival of Pal Joey, and in the fall he choreographed the Pulitzer Prize–winning hit musical How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.) Fosse continued to be intrigued with choreographic depictions of war. In Pippin (1972), he created the slinky show-stopping so-called “Manson Trio” dance (the dance of this wordless number follows the song “Glory”). Set to what is perhaps the most sinuous and ingratiating music in the Stephen Schwartz songbook, Ben Vereen and two vamping chorines performed the ironically joyous dance upstage, while behind them soldiers fell to their deaths in battle. And during its early tryout performances in Boston, Fosse’s Dancin’ (1978) reportedly included an antiwar dance sequence. Television and stage performer Tom Poston received valentines from many of the critics (McClain said his performance “will remain one of the acrobatic and verbal feats in recent theatre annals”), but he never again created a role in a Broadway musical. Incidentally, Poston excelled in hilarious drunk scenes, and three Broadway comedies (The Grand Prize [1955], Drink to Me Only [1958], and But, Seriously . . . [1969]) gave him opportunities to make merry with the bottle. The Conquering Hero gave him another chance, in an early first-act scene set in a barroom where his soldier friends proceed to get him and themselves tipsy with “Five Shots of Whiskey.” The aborted cast album of The Conquering Hero is noteworthy as one of a string of RCA cast recordings (and proposed cast recordings) that starred major television personalities (Take Me Along, Jackie Gleason; Wildcat, Lucille Ball; Do Re Mi, Phil Silvers; Let It Ride!, George Gobel; Little Me, Sid Caesar; 110 in the

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Shade, Robert Horton; Holly Golightly/Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain [unrecorded]; and Mata Hari, Pernell Roberts [unrecorded]). Lyricist Norman Gimbel didn’t have much luck on Broadway. The Conquering Hero ran for just one week, and his 1958 musical Whoop-Up (which, like Hero, had a score by Moose Charlap) played for fifty-six performances (but at least Whoop-Up had a cast recording, and one of its songs, the lovely “Never Before,” enjoyed a brief vogue, especially in its cover version by Connie Francis). But Gimbel had considerably better luck with popular, non-theatre-related songs as well as songs written especially for films. He won the Oscar for “It Goes Like It Goes” from Norma Rae (1979; music by David Shire), and his English lyrics for “I Will Wait for You” and “Watch What Happens” (both from the 1964 film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and “The Girl From Ipanema” have become popular standards. As for Charlap, he enjoyed one Broadway success in Peter Pan (the 1954 version), with Carolyn Leigh as his lyricist (the score was supplemented by songs with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green). Although Whoop-Up and The Conquering Hero were failures at fifty-six and eight respective performances, they had long runs compared to Charlap’s final Broadway musical, Kelly (1965), which ran for one performance and has become practically synonymous with the word “flop.”

13 DAUGHTERS “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 54th Street Theatre Opening Date: March 2, 1961 Closing Date: March 25, 1961 Performances: 28 Book: Eaton Magoon Jr. (additional book material by Leon Tokatyan) Lyrics and Music: Eaton Magoon Jr. Direction: “Book staged by” Billy Matthews; Producer: Jack H. Silverman; Choreography: Rod Alexander; Scenery and Lighting: George Jenkins; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Paul Michael (Kahuna), Keola Beamer (Young Kahuna, Chanter), Miki Lamont (Boy), Augie Rios (Boy), Delphino De Arco (Boy), Ado Sato (Boy), Steve Curry (Boy), Sylvia Sims (Kinau), Don Ameche (Chun), Emmaloa (Monica Boyar), Ed Kenney (Mana [The Prince of Hawaii]), Diana Corto (Malia), Honey Sanders (Kamakia), John Battles (William), Richard Tone (Jacques), Gina Viglione (Isabel), Constance Di Giovanni (Susie), Vivian Hernandez (Sally), Stanley Grover (Willoughby), Diana Baffa (Jane), Karen Lynn Reed (Maude), Shirley De Burgh (Desdemona), Jo Anne Leeds (Cora), Nikki Sowinski (Mary), Connie Burnett (May), Gloria Gabriel (Millie Lee), Jeanne Armin (Minnie Lou), Isabelle Farrell (Cecilia), Paul Michael (Governor), Jack Murray (Governor), Jack Mathers (Governor), Irving Barnes (Governor), George Hirose (Prime Minister), George Lipton (Keoki [King of Hawaii]), Konrad Matthaei (David Scott [Attorney General]), Bill Jason (Guard), Jose Ahumada (Guard), Kelli Scott (Governor’s Wife), Doris Galiber (Governor’s Wife), Lynn Barret (Governor’s Wife), Veronica McCormick (Governor’s Wife), Peter Pagan (Sir Cyril), Nathaniel White (Assistant Consul); Singers: Irving Barnes, Lynn Barret, Doris Galiber, Jack Mathers, Paul Michael, Jack Murray, Veronica McCormick, Kelli Scott; Dancers: Jeanne Armin, Diana Baffa, Carlos Bas, Keola Beamer, Connie Burnett, Shirley De Burgh, Humberto D’Elia, Antony De Vecchi, Gloria Gabriel, Blair Hammond, JoAnne Leeds, Roger LePage, Carlos Macri, Michael Maurer, Jerome Michael, Mitchel Nutick, Candy Recia, Nikki Sowinski, Mary Zahn; Children: Delfino De Arco, Constance Di Giovanni, Vivian Hernandez, Miki Lamont, Karen Lynn Reed, Augie Rios, Ado Sato; Servants, Others: Jose Ahumada, Kalani Cockett, Bill Jason The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Hawaii in the late nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Kuli Kuli” (Sylvia Syms, Company); “House on the Hill” (Don Ameche); “13 Daughters” (Don Ameche, Daughters); “Paper of Gold” Dance (Richard Tone, Daughters); “Let-A-Go Your Heart” (Ed Kenney, Diana Corto); “Alphabet Song” (Children [music by Nona Beamer]); “Throw a Petal” (Diana Corto);

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“When You Hear the Wind” (Ed Kenney); “Ka Wahine Akamai” (Sylvia Syms, Honey Saunders, Monica Boyar, Daughters, Suitors); “You Set My Heart to Music” (Monica Boyar, Don Ameche, Gina Viglione); “13 Daughters” (reprise) (Don Ameche, Daughters, Suitors); “The Cotillion” (Company) Act Two: “13 Old Maids” (Daughters); “Nothing Man Cannot Do” (Don Ameche); “Hoomalimali” (Sylvia Syms); “My Pleasure” (Stanley Grover, Gina Viglione); “Puka Puka Pants” (Isabelle Farrell, Richard Tone); “My Hawaii” (Ed Kenney); “Hiiaka Ritual Dance” (Dancers); “Hiiaka” (Monica Boyar); “House on the Hill” (reprise) (Don Ameche); “My Hawaii” (reprise) (Company) In trying to marry off their daughters, musical comedy parents Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof) and Mrs. Bennett (First Impressions [1959]) didn’t have to face ancient curses in their quests to find suitable spouses for their girls. But unlucky Chun (Don Ameche) not only has three more daughters than Tevye and Mrs. Bennett combined, he also has this most cursed of curses to deal with. It seems that when wealthy Chinese Chun married a Hawaiian princess, he incurred the wrath of those always-in-a-bad-mood island gods, and so the Kahuna announces that Chun’s daughters can never marry because Hawaii’s princess had the temerity to marry a foreigner. But Chun is in a musical comedy, and so all ends well when the curse is removed and his daughters are free to wed (although a few New York critics noted that one daughter married such a boring prig she would have been better off single). 13 Daughters was written by Hawaiian native Eaton Magoon Jr. in 1955, and it premiered in Hawaii shortly thereafter. In the interim before the New York opening, Hawaii had become the nation’s fiftieth state, and so perhaps it seemed fitting that Broadway offer a musical set in the former territory. But Howard Taubman in the New York Times found 13 Daughters lacking, and noted that its song “My Hawaii” was “commonplace.” He suggested that Hawaiians might console themselves “with the thought that it took Oklahoma a few decades after achieving statehood to get a musical and song worthy of its pride.” For all that, Taubman conceded that the new musical was “so ingenious as an entertainment that it becomes oddly and partly disarming.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted the musical “originated in Hawaii before it was a state and before I was in one,” but many of the critics liked the show. John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the musical “big and rollicking and tuneful . . . good family entertainment. . . . It fills the bill wonderfully well”; Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram said the show “is a big, beautiful, wholesome entertainment for your family”; and John Chapman in the New York Daily News praised the “charming, unusual and beautifully mounted show.” The musical was singled out for its décor. Chapman praised George Jenkins’s “visually splendid” scenery and Alvin Colt’s costumes, Aston found them “stupendous,” and Taubman noted that Chun’s “multi-winged and many-tiered mansion makes a grand effect.” Both Taubman and McClain were also impressed with the opening. During the overture, a scrim filled the stage upon which a full-screen color movie showed aquamarine seas, enormous waves, and rolling surfs. The following year the Off-Broadway musical Sweet Miani (a spoof of South Sea Island film musicals of the Dorothy Lamour variety in which the title heroine is in dire danger of being sacrificed to angry island gods) also showed during its overture a color movie depicting blue seas and palm tree–laden beaches. The critics generally liked Ameche, and forgave him such lines as “A bird in the hand is twice the worth of a daughter in the bushes”; other cast members included Monica Boyar as Ameche’s wife; Isabelle Farrell as one of their daughters; Richard Tone as her suitor; Stanley Grover as the priggish missionary who marries one of the daughters; Ed Kenney as another suitor; John Battles as Ameche’s secretary; and Sylvia Sims as Boyar’s “body servant” (according to Taubman the character was a “hearty vulgarian” played, according to Chapman, in Bloody Mary tradition). The critics singled out “Let-a-Go Your Heart” (“the evening’s show-stopper,” per Chapman) as well as “House on the Hill” and “You Set My Heart to Music.” But the score is best remembered for Farrell and Tone’s song-and-dance number “Puka Puka Pants,” which today comes across as a guilty pleasure in all its campy, cheesy glory (incidentally, the critics liked the number, but Kerr felt it sometimes veered off into the melody of “Button Up Your Overcoat”). Although 13 Daughters takes place in 1880, puka puka pants seem to be suspiciously like the pedal pushers of the 1950s and 1960s (with a bit of “clam diggers” thrown in). During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Father and Son,” ”A Long and Beautiful Life,” “Daughter of Dowry,” and “Lei of Memories.” For part of the tryout, the role of Prince Mana was performed by John (Johnny) Stewart (who played the Crown Prince in the original 1951 production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The King and I); he was replaced by Ed Kenney.

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Kenney and Battles had also appeared in original productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. In 1958, Kenney created the role of Wang Ta in Flower Drum Song, introducing “You Are Beautiful,” one of the team’s most haunting and underrated songs. Battles created the role of Joseph Taylor Jr. in Allegro (1947), introducing another unjustly neglected ballad (“You Are Never Away”) and, with other cast members, the jaunty title song; he also created the role of Gabey in the original 1944 production of Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green’s On the Town, introducing the memorable ballads “Lonely Town” and “Lucky to Be Me,” and was part of the trio that extolled the virtues of the “helluva town” called “New York, New York,” the musical’s most enduring song. The cast album of 13 Daughters was scheduled to be recorded by ABC-Paramount Records, but was cancelled due to the brief Broadway run. A later Hawaiian revival of the musical was recorded by Mahalo Records (LP # M-3003), and included three songs not performed in the Broadway production (“A Long and Beautiful Life” [which had been deleted during the 1961 tryout], “Goodbye Is Hard to Say,” and “Calabash Cousins”) and omitted two (“Alphabet Song,” “Nothing Man Cannot Do”). Thankfully, “Puka Puka Pants” was preserved for posterity on this recording. Incidentally, one of the cast members of this revival (and who can be heard on the album) is Tamara Long, who later made happy impressions in the original 1968 Off-Broadway production of Dames at Sea and the 1973 Broadway musical Lorelei, which was a revised version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949) and subtitled Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes. The 1960–1961 season offered another musical set in Hawaii, but Aloha Hawaii closed during its preBroadway tryout. As for Eaton Magoon Jr., he returned to Broadway in 1972 with Heathen!, his second Broadway musical set in Hawaii. Taking place in the Hawaii of both 1819 and the present day of 1972, the first era focused on a missionary and the natives, the second on a hippy and the natives. Like 13 Daughters, Heathen! also featured a Bloody Mary–like character (Alika, played by Mokihana) who, according to Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News, was of “ample form” and “full of happy talk.” As for the musical itself, Watt noted it was “so bad that it could put a blight on tourist trade throughout the entire Pacific.” But maybe would-be tourists weren’t turned off, because the musical had only one performance to discourage them from travelling to Hawaii. Heathen! resurfaced a few years later in productions in both Hawaii and New Zealand. This time around the show was titled Aloha, and it produced a cast/studio album (Hawaiian Records LP # HOS-101) which was recorded “primarily” in New Zealand and was based on a production by the Hamilton Operatic Society. The album’s liner notes indicate its twenty-eight piece orchestrations by Derek Williams were based on the original eight-piece orchestrations and arrangements created by James Raitt for the original Broadway production. The score for Aloha included “Lei of Memories,” which had been dropped from 13 Daughters during its pre-Broadway tryout. Another musical of the period that took place in Hawaii was Paradise Island, which opened at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre on June 22, 1961, just three months after 13 Daughters had closed on Broadway. The program referred to the work as “A Hawaiian Musical Fantasy,” and the first page of the musical’s souvenir program indicated the show’s complete title was The Legend of Paradise Island. The musical ran for seventy-five performances, and returned to Jones Beach the following year, opening on June 27 for sixty-eight performances. Set in modern-day Hawaii, the plot revolved around a stuffy businessman and his son who are somehow shipwrecked in the Hawaii of the 1960s, and much of the humor derived from contrasting the Americans and the “natives.” Romantic complications arose when the son becomes involved with a Hawaiian princess. (Hopefully their romance didn’t incur the wrath of those pesky island gods.) One interracial romance that definitely annoyed the island gods cropped up in Leonard Bernstein’s satiric Trouble in Tahiti (which premiered at Brandeis University in 1952 and was first seen on Broadway in 1955 as one-third of the revue All in One). In the title song, the heroine sings of a South Sea Island movie she’s just seen (also titled Trouble in Tahiti), in which a Tahitian princess and an American Navy boy (“six feet tall, and each foot just incredible”) fall madly in love, thus causing a storm “like nothing on Earth,” with tidal waves, siroccos, hurricanes, and erupting volcanoes. In Gian-Carlo Menotti’s 1942 opera The Island God, the title character is another demanding deity, in this case a god who insists that the island’s inhabitants build a splendid temple in his honor. But the ironic opera kills off the god when man no longer worships him; the god can exist only if there’s someone who believes in him. Perhaps the ultimate show-tune tribute to Hawaii is Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s zany “Statehood Hula,” sung by Ceil Cabot in the 1958 Off-Broadway revue Demi-Dozen. Arguably the funniest comedy song in the history of the American musical, the number is performed by a supposedly naive native girl

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who adores Lester Lanin’s society orchestra music, makes a “marvelous lei,” and knows of a beach “where people naked go/Like Joshua Logan show.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Conductor and Musical Director (Pembroke Davenport); Best Scenic Design for a Musical (George Jenkins)

THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: April 3, 1961 Closing Date: June 24, 1961 Performances: 96 Book: Fred Saidy and Henry Myers; “story by” E. Y. Harburg, “with a bow to Aristophanes and Bulfinch” Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg Music: Jacques Offenbach (musical research by Jay Gorney) Based on the 411 BC play Lysistrata by Aristophanes. Direction: Cyril Ritchard; Producer: Lee Guber; Choreography: Dania Krupska; Scenery and Lighting: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Musical Direction: Robert DeComier Cast: Alton Ruff (First Courier), Ron Stratton (Second Courier), Ted Thurston (First Minister, Bacchus), Don Crabtree (Second Minister, Sergeant), Richard Winter (Third Minister, Neptune, Ulysses), Cyril Ritchard (Chief of State, Pluto, A Heckler, A Gay Blade, A Wine Smuggler, A Playwright, An Ambassador), Don Atkinson (A Herald, Mercury), Bruce Yarnell (General Kinesias), Rita Metzger (Phoebe), Dran Seitz (Lysistrata), John Napier (Captain Crito, Apollo), Michael Kermoyan (Jupiter), Lu Leonard (Juno, Myrrhina), Joy Claussen (Aphrodite, Amaryllis), Janice Rule (Diana), Norma Donaldson (Daphne), David Canary (Hector), John Wheeler (Ataraxohymonides), Nancy Windsor (Sentinel), Lainie Kazan (Theodora), Maura K. Wedge (Spartan Woman), Janice Painchaud (Rhodope); Singing Ensemble: Ellen Berse, Joy Claussen, Norma Donaldson, Lainie Kazan, Leonora Lanzillotti, Rita Metzger, Elaine Spaulding, Maura K. Wedge, Nancy Windsor, David Canary, Jeff Killian, Paul Merrill, Theodore Morill, Arthur Tookoyan, Mark Tully, John Wheeler, Richard Winter; Dancing Ensemble: Bonnie Brandon, Candace Caldwell, Natasha Grishin, Judith Haskell, Lisa James, Gloria Kaye, Susan May, Carmen Morales, Janice Painchaud, Bill Atkinson, Don Atkinson, Grant Delaney, Victor Duntiere, Louis Kosman, Alton Ruff, Kenneth Scott, Ron Sequoio, Ron Stratton The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in 400 BC in Athens.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Olympics” (ballet) (Dancers); “Cheers for the Hero” (Ensemble); “The Glory That Is Greece” (Cyril Ritchard, Bruce Yarnell, Ensemble); “The Happiest Girl in the World” (Dran Seitz, Bruce Yarnell); “The Greek Marine” (Cyril Ritchard, Ted Thurston, Don Crabtree, Richard Winter, Soldiers); “Shall We Say Farewell” (Dran Seitz); “Never Be-Devil the Devil” (Cyril Ritchard); “Whatever That May Be” (Janice Rule, Gods); “Eureka” (Michael Kermoyan, Gods); “Diana’s Arrival in Athens” (dance) (Janice Rule); “The Oath” (Dran Seitz, Women); “The Happiest Girl in the World” (dance reprise) (Dancers); “Diana’s Transformation” (Cyril Ritchard, Janice Rule, Two Suitors); “Vive La Virtue!” (Cyril Ritchard, Janice Rule); “Adrift on a Star” (Dran Seitz, Bruce Yarnell); “The Happiest Girl in the World” (reprise) (Dran Seitz, Bruce Yarnell); Finale (Dran Seitz, Bruce Yarnell, Ensemble) Act Two: “That’ll Be the Day” (Men); “How Soon, Oh Moon?” (Dran Seitz, Nancy Windsor, Women); “LoveSick Serenade” (Cyril Ritchard, Lu Leonard); “Five Minutes of Spring” (Bruce Yarnell, Dran Seitz, Janice

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Rule); “The Greek Marine” (reprise) (Soldiers); “Five Minutes of Spring” (reprise) (Soldiers); “Never Trust a Virgin” (Cyril Ritchard, Women); “Entrance of the Courtesans” (Women); “The Pied Piper’s Can-Can” (Cyril Ritchard, Dancers); “Viva La Virtue!” (reprise) (Cyril Ritchard, Janice Rule); Finale (Company) Like the earlier Kismet (1953) and the later Anya as well as a number of other Broadway and Broadwaybound musicals, The Happiest Girl in the World, a lavish retelling of Aristophanes’s 411 BC comedy Lysistrata, used preexisting music (in this case, by Jacques Offenbach) to tell its story. And so immediately there were three strikes against Happiest Girl: fate (or kismet) seems to ensure that any musical adaptation of Lysistrata, any musical which uses Offenbach’s music, and almost any musical based on a play by Aristophanes, is doomed to failure and obscurity. So The Happiest Girl in the World was gone after ninety-six performances, and in 1972 it was followed by two more adaptations, one in regional theatre and one on Broadway, both titled Lysistrata. The first opened on August 27 at the Murray Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, and closed there on September 17. Barbara Rush played the title role, the adaptation was by John Lewin, the music by Arthur Rubinstein, and the score was performed by the Electric Moussaka. And on November 13, the second adaptation opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre for eight dismal performances. The misguided production was adapted by Michael Cacoyannis, the lyrics and music were by Peter Link, and the title role was played by Melina Mercouri. Later, the Off-Off-Broadway Lyz! opened at the Samuel Beckett Theatre on January 10, 1999, for thirteen performances (book and lyrics by Joe Lauinger and music by Jim Crowdery; Jill Paxton was Lyz). Moreover, the 1964 Off-Broadway musical The Athenian Touch was a failure, closing after its first performance, and it wasn’t even based on Lysistrata—but it tempted fate by daring to reference Lysistrata in its plot and to include Aristophanes as a minor character. As if all these weren’t enough, another adaptation opened on December 14, 2011, at the Walter Kerr Theatre. With book by Douglas Carter Beane and lyrics and music by Lewis Finn, Lysistrata Jones lasted thirty performances (set in the present at Athens University, the plot dealt with the school’s losing basketball team and how their cheerleaders withhold sex until the players win a game). As for Offenbach, the 1944 Broadway musical Helen Goes to Troy employed themes by the composer, and it closed after ninety-seven performances (besting The Happiest Girl in the World by just one showing). Further, the Broadway-bound La Belle shuttered in Philadelphia after two weeks of tryout performances; the 1977 Off-Broadway Bon Voyage closed after twelve performances; and the 1986 Off-Off-Broadway La Belle Helene (a new adaptation of Offenbach’s 1865 operetta) disappeared after its announced two-week engagement. Even the “new” 1976 operatic version of Offenbach’s Christophe Columbus (which premiered in New York in 1987) doesn’t seem to have had much of an afterlife. Another musical that employed Offenbach’s themes is Anatol, which opened at the Boston Arts Center on July 31, 1961. Based on Arthur Schnitzler’s The Affairs of Anatol, the book and lyrics were by Tom Jones, and the cast included Jean-Pierre Aumont and Marisa Pavan. Except for a 1967 revival in Cincinnati, the musical has fallen into obscurity. Anatol’s 1961 premiere came just four months before The Gay Life, another musical based on The Affairs of Anatol, opened on Broadway (with a new, and glorious, score by Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz). Besides The Happiest Girl in the World, Lysistrata, Lyz!, The Athenian Touch, and Lysistrata Jones, other musicals based on plays by Aristophanes include: Al Carmines’s 1967 musical Peace (for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Best Composer), a free-wheeling adaptation that has all but disappeared since its initial 192 Off-Broadway performances; Stephen Sondheim’s The Frogs, which despite its clever score has enjoyed only sporadic productions since its 1973 premiere (it was seen briefly at Lincoln Center in 2004 for ninety-two performances); and the 1975 Off-Broadway musical Wings, which closed after nine performances (based on Aristophanes’s 414 BC play The Birds, Wings is not to be confused with Arthur Kopit’s 1978 drama Wings, which in 1993 was adapted into an Off-Broadway musical of the same name). The critics were cool to Fred Saidy and Henry Myers’s book for The Happiest Girl in the World (“no gem . . . as corny as a maize field in Iowa,” according to Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror), which occasionally used anachronistic humor to tell the familiar story of women who revolt against their warring men folk by withholding their sexual favors (frustrated husbands relax in a steam bath and gripe about the reality of this “New Frontier” in male and female relationships, and as the husbands prepare to assault a female bastion, they refer to a “countdown”). But the critics praised the familiar Offenbach music as well as E. Y. Harburg’s “very soothing and often stimulating” lyrics (per John McClain in the New York Journal-

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American), and they wrote valentines to the musical’s scenic designers. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said that “visually [the musical] has attractive, even spectacular, effects,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News wrote that William and Jean Eckart’s sets and Robert Fletcher’s costumes “are better than handsome—they are amusing.” Further, Dania Krupska’s “lively, imaginative” choreography was praised by Taubman, and Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune singled out two dance sequences, a “brightly comic” Olympic wrestling match and a delightful can-can. E. Y. Harburg’s lyrics were a natural match for Offenbach’s music, and the evening boasted a number of comedy songs that displayed typically impish Harburgian wit. But the numbers that made the most impression were two heartfelt ballads, the title song and “Adrift on a Star,” the latter a haunting love song (set to Offenbach’s “Barcarolle”) which was thrillingly sung by Bruce Yarnell and Dran Seitz. Cyril Ritchard, who played eight different roles, received enthusiastic notices, as did Dran Seitz (as Lysistrata) and Bruce Yarnell, fresh from his role of Sir Lionel in Camelot. Other interesting names in the cast were Michael Kermoyan, Lainie Kazan, David Canary, Norma Donaldson, and Lu Leonard. But the best notices went to Janice Rule, who played the goddess Diana, and who earlier had appeared in dancing roles in Miss Liberty (1949; as a cast replacement during the musical’s run) and Great to Be Alive! (1950). In 1953, Rule created the role of Madge in William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Picnic, and during the following years performed both on Broadway and in films. She was cast in a supporting role for the 1958 film version of Bell, Book and Candle, which had originally premiered on Broadway in 1951; Kim Novak, who played the role of Madge in the 1956 film version of Picnic, was the star in Bell, Book and Candle, and one wonders what Picnic’s two Madges thought of one another: Did they brush off the matter with that’s-show-business fatalism, or was the mention of Picnic verboten between them? The critics wrote valentines to Rule: “an image of grace and lightness [who] establishes herself as a dancer of elegance . . . she brings personal magic” to the production (Taubman); “as beautiful as girls in Broadway shows get to be . . . she has grown in grace . . . her dazzling eyes dominate her face . . . a spray-borne mermaid” (Kerr); “lovely . . . she seems to fly through the air like Peter Pan” (Coleman); “wispy, decorative and fast on her feet” (McClain); “a beautiful and bewitching dancer and an all-round musical comedy player” (Chapman); “any man’s dream of a dancer” (Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram); “graceful loveliness” (Richard Watts in the New York Post); and, finally, Alan Pryce-Jones in Theatre Arts wrote that she “leaps straight to stardom with enchanting grace.” Here were reviews most performers could only dream about. And yet after The Happiest Girl in the World closed, Janice Rule never again appeared on the Broadway stage. The cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-5650 and # KOS-2050) and was issued on CD by DRG Records # 19032. Columbia also released Music from “The Happiest Girl in the World” (LP # CL-1629 and # CS-8429), which was performed by Frank DeVol and His Orchestra. The instrumental album included “The Oath,” a number performed in the Broadway production but omitted from the cast album; it also includes “Hup-Two-Three,” a song dropped during the tryout and which was eventually replaced by “That’ll Be the Day.” During the tryout, at least one other song was dropped (“Honestly”).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Choreographer (Dania Krupska)

SHOW BOAT Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date April 12, 1961 Closing Date: April 23, 1961 Performances: 14 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Jerome Kern Based on the 1926 novel Show Boat by Edna Ferber.

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Direction: Dania Krupska; Producer: The New York City Light Center Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Arthur Partington; Scenery: Howard Bay; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Howard Bay; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: William Coppola (Pete, Jake), Scott Moore (Windy McLain), Carol Brice (Queenie), Joe E. Brown (Cap’n Andy), Isabella Hoopes (Parthy Ann Hawks), Jane Kean (Ellie), Richard France (Frank), Anita Darian (Julie), Herbert Fields (Steve), Robert Rounseville (Gaylord Ravenal), John J. Martin (Sheriff Ike Vallon), Jo Sullivan (Magnolia; also Magnolia in the 1920s), Andrew Frierson (Joe), J. Patrick Carter (Rubberface, Man With Guitar), Norman A. Grogan (Backwoodsman), Feodore Tedick (Jeb, Headwaiter), Carmen Lindsay (Miss Parkington), Henry Lawrence (Barkers, Jim), Jack Rains (Old Sport), Alyce Webb (Ethel), Claire Waring (Landlady), John Smith (Al), Sherry McCutcheon (Mazie), John Cooke (Pianist), Ned Wright (Charley), Miriam Lawrence (Mother Superior), Helen Guile (Kim [as a child]), Mara Wirt (Dolly), Sarah Floyd (Old Lady on Levee); Belles: Beverly Evans, Helen Guile, Miriam Lawrence, Carmen Lindsay, Hanna Owen, Betty Jane Schwering, Mara Wirt, Maggie Worth, Mimi Alexander, Margery Beddow, Geralyn Donald, Ellen Halpin, Linda Howe, Bettye Jenkins, Sherry McCutcheon, Barbara Monte; Beaux: John Bessinger, Lawrence Bogue, William Coppola, J. Patrick Carter, Norman A. Grogan, Henry Lawrence, Kellis Miller, Jack Rains, John J. Smith, Feodore Tedick, Todd Butler, Garold Gardner, Eric Kristen, Ronnie Snook; Jubilee Singers: Issa Arnal, Ruby Green Aspinall, Kay Barnes, Claretta Freeman, H. Scott Gibson, Joli Gonsalves, Robert Henson, Wanza King, Mary Louise, Rosalie Maxwell, Caryl Paige, Charles Scott, Alyce Webb, Arthur Williams, Ned Wright; Jubilee Dancers: Leu Comacho, Julius Fields, LaVinnia Hamilton, Nathaniel Horne, Bernard Johnson, Jan Aubrey Mickens, Joan Peters, Harold Pierson, Ronald Platts, Ella Thompson, Glory Van Scott, Myrna White The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place from the 1880s to the 1920s, principally in Mississippi and Chicago.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Prelude” and “Cotton Blossom” (Stevedores, Gals); “Oh! That Show Boat!” and “Cap’n Andy’s Ballyhoo” (Joe E. Brown, Townspeople); “Who Cares If My Boat Goes Upstream?” (Robert Rounseville); “Only Make Believe” (Robert Rounseville, Jo Sullivan); “Ol’ Man River” (Andrew Frierson); “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (Anita Darian, Carol Brice, Jo Sullivan, Andrew Frierson, Friends); “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” (Jane Kean, Ladies of the Ensemble); “Ballyhoo” (aka “Queenie’s Ballyhoo” and “C’mon Folks”) (Carol Brice, Jubilee Dancers, Jubilee Singers); “Olio Dance” (Richard France, Jane Kean); “You Are Love” (Jo Sullivan, Robert Rounseville); Finale (Entire Ensemble) Act Two: “At the World’s Fair” (Sightseers, Barkers, Fatima, Others); “Why Do I Love You?” (Jo Sullivan, Robert Rounseville); “Why Do I Love You?” (reprise) (Joe E. Brown, Isabella Hoopes); “Dahomey” (Jubilee Dancers, Jubilee Singers); “Rehearsal at the Trocadero” (Dancing Belles); “Bill” (lyric by P. G. Wodehouse and Oscar Hammerstein II) (Anita Darian); “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (reprise) (Jo Sullivan); “Service and Scene Music at St. Agatha’s Convent”; “Only Make Believe” (reprise) (Robert Rounseville, Bridget Knapp); “Goodbye, My Lady Love” (Cakewalk) (lyric and music by Joseph E. Howard) (Richard France, Jane Kean); “After the Ball” (lyric and music by Charles K. Harris; introduced as an interpolation in the post-Broadway tour of the 1891 musical A Trip to Chinatown) (Jo Sullivan); “Ol’ Man River” (reprise) (Andrew Frierson); “You Are Love” (reprise) (Robert Rounseville); “Nobody Else But Me” (Jo Sullivan); “Dancing in the ’20’s” (Richard France, Jane Kean, Ensemble); Finale (Company) The ground-breaking musical Show Boat returned to New York in an enthusiastically received New York City Center Light Opera Company (NYCCLOC) revival. The musical, which dealt with racism, miscegenation, and unhappy marital relationships, was somewhat shocking for its time because never before had a musical looked so unflinchingly at such adult themes. The original 1927 production ran for 572 performances; a 1932 revival played for 180 performances; a slightly revised Broadway revival in 1946 ran for 418 performances; and, prior to its 1961 revival, the NYCCLOC had earlier presented the musical in 1948 for 16 performances and in 1954 for 20 performances in a total of 3 productions (2 by the New York City Opera Company and 1 by the NYCCLOC). Further, the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center revived the work in 1966 (see entry), and in 1983 and 1994 there were two Broadway revivals,

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running respectively for 73 and 949 performances. The latter, perhaps the most definitive Show Boat seen since the original production, included “Mis’ry’s Comin’ ’Round,” which had previously been performed just one time, during the musical’s first tryout performance at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday November 15, 1927. By the next day’s matinee, the song (along with such numbers as “Cheer Up,” “My Girl,” “Coal Black Lady,” “Bully Song,” “Hello, My Baby,” and “It’s Getting’ Hotter in the North”) was gone. Two books about the musical have been published by Oxford University Press: Miles Kreuger’s Show Boat: The Story of a Classic American Musical (1977) and Todd Decker’s Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical (2012). The most definitive recording of the score is a 3-CD set released by EMI Records (# CDS-7-49108-2) in 1988; conducted by John McGlinn, the cast includes Frederica Von Stade, Jerry Hadley, and Teresa Stratas. The album includes a number of songs deleted during the production’s 1927 tryout; songs written for various revivals of the musical as well as for the 1936 film version; and songs written for, but never used, in the production. In 1934, the libretto of Show Boat was published in a softcover edition in Great Britain by Chappell & Co. and reflects the script of the 1928 London production (including the lyric of “Dance Away the Night,” which had been especially written for the London version). The lyrics of Show Boat are included in the collection The Complete Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II, which was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2008. The City Center revival was praised by Lewis Funke in the New York Times, who noted the production is “a pleasure, a loving tribute and honest testimony that though the years roll by Show Boat is far from being a museum piece.” He singled out Julius Rudel’s musical direction; Dania Krupska’s direction of “gaiety and vigor” (the revival was her second April musical; she had earlier choreographed The Happiest Girl in the World); and a cast that included Robert Rounseville, Jo Sullivan, Anita Darian, Joe E. Brown (who had played the role of Cap’t Andy in the 1951 MGM film adaptation), Jane Kean, and Carol Brice. Taubman noted that when Rounseville and Sullivan sang Gaylord and Magnolia’s trio of Show Boat ballads (“Only Make Believe,” “You Are Love,” and “Why Do I Love You?”), the songs were “full of intensity, poignancy and loveliness.” Incidentally, Darian sang the role of Julie on a 1962 studio cast album of Show Boat that was released by Columbia Records (LP # OL-5820 and # OS-2220); the CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records # SK-61877. The 1961 production included “Nobody Else but Me,” which had been written especially for the 1946 New York revival. Julian Mitchell in Theatre Arts commented that the production’s “mixture of red blood, gaiety, taut plot, [and] natural lyricism are what make a good show of show business—not the cosiness of a whimsical walrus” (this last a swipe at Carnival!, which officially premiered the day after the opening of the Show Boat revival). The lyric of “Bill” was written by P. G. Wodehouse; the lyric and music of “Goodbye, My Lady Love” by Joseph E. Howard; and the lyric and music of “After the Ball” by Charles K. Harris. In 1956, both Rounseville and Sullivan had created memorable Broadway roles; he was Broadway’s original Candide, and she was Amy/Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella. Sadly, Show Boat was her last New York appearance in a book musical; Rounseville created one more role, that of the padre in Man of La Mancha.

CARNIVAL! Theatre: Imperial Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Winter Garden Theatre) Opening Date: April 13, 1961 Closing Date: January 5, 1963 Performances: 719 Book: Michael Stewart Lyrics and Music: Bob Merrill Based on material by Helen Deutsch. Although the 1953 MGM film Lili isn’t officially credited as the musical’s source, Deutsch wrote its screenplay, which is based on the short story “The Man Who Hated People” by Paul Gallico, which originally appeared in the October 28, 1950, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. In 1954, Gallico’s revised version of the story was published as the short novel The Love of Seven Dolls. Direction and Choreography: Gower Champion (Gene Bayless, Associate Choreographer); Producer: David Merrick; Scenery and Lighting: Will Steven Armstrong; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Musical Direction: Saul Schechtman; Puppets created and supervised by Tom Tichenor; Magic and illusion design and supervision by Roy Benson

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Cast: Pierre Olaf (Jacquot), Henry Lascoe (Mr. Schlegel), Will Lee (Grobert), George Marcy (Roustabout, Miguelito), Tony Gomez (Roustabout), Johnny Nola (Roustabout), Buff Shurr (Roustabout), Bob Murray (Cyclist), Paul Sydell (Dog Trainer), Carvel Carter (Wardrobe Mistress), Nicole Barth (Harem Girl, Blue Bird), Iva March (Harem Girl, Blue Bird), Beti Seay (Harem Girl, Blue Bird), Jennifer Billingsley (Bear Girl, Blue Bird), Luba Lisa (Princess Olga), C. B. Bernard (Band Member), Peter Lombard (Band Member), Dean Crane (Stilt-Walker, Aerialist), The Martin Brothers (Jugglers), Bob Dixon (Clown), Henry Lee Rogers (Clown), Pat Tolson (Strongman), Mary Ann Niles (Gladys Zuwicki), Christina Bartel (Gloria Zuwicki), Anita Gillette (Gypsy), James Mitchell (Marco the Magnificent), Kaye Ballard (The Incomparable Rosalie), June Meshonek (Greta Schlegel), Anna Maria Alberghetti (Lili), Jerry Orbach (Paul Berthalet), Igors Gavon (Dr. Glass) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the outskirts of a town in Southern Europe.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Direct From Vienna” (Kaye Ballard, Henry Lascoe, Carnival People); “A Very Nice Man” (Anna Maria Alberghetti); “Fairyland” (Puppets); “I’ve Got to Find a Reason” (Jerry Orbach); “Mira” (Anna Maria Alberghetti); “Sword, Rose and Cape” (James Mitchell, George Marcy, Tony Gomez, Johnny Nola, Buff Shurr); “Humming” (Kaye Ballard, Henry Lascoe); “Yes, My Heart” (Anna Maria Alberghetti, George Marcy, Tony Gomez, Johnny Nola, Buff Shurr); “Everybody Likes You” (Jerry Orbach); “Magic, Magic” (James Mitchell, Kaye Ballard, Anna Maria Alberghetti); “Tanz mit mir” (Nicole Barth, Jennifer Billingsley, Iva March, Beti Seay); “Carnival Ballet” (Anna Maria Alberghetti, Carnival People, Townspeople); “Mira” (reprise) (Anna Maria Alberghetti); “Theme From ‘Carnival’” (“Love Makes the World Go ’Round”) (Anna Maria Alberghetti, Puppets) Act Two: “Yum Ticky” (Anna Maria Alberghetti, Puppets); “The Rich” (Anna Maria Alberghetti, Puppets); “Theme From ‘Carnival’” (reprise) (Anna Maria Alberghetti, Puppets); “Beautiful Candy” (Anna Maria Alberghetti, Puppets, Vendors); “Her Face” (Jerry Orbach); “Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris” (Pierre Olaf, Carnival People); “I Hate Him” (Anna Maria Alberghetti); “Her Face” (reprise) (Jerry Orbach); “Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris” (reprise) (Carnival People); “Always, Always You” (James Mitchell, Kaye Ballard); “She’s My Love” (Jerry Orbach) Carnival! was the hit of the season. Based on the popular 1953 MGM film Lili, the musical depicted the world of a small-time circus in France shortly after World War II. The plot centered on two couples, Lili (Anna Maria Alberghetti) and Paul (Jerry Orbach), and Rosalie (Kaye Ballard) and Marco (James Mitchell). The waif Lili joins the circus and becomes part of Paul’s puppet act; embittered by a war wound which has rendered him lame, Paul loves Lili but hides his feelings and inadvertently alienates her. Rosalie and Marco are part of the carnival’s magic act, and their on-again, off-again romance provided comic relief. Michael Stewart’s admirably lean book served Bob Merrill’s delightful score and Gower Champion’s inventive staging well, but he couldn’t overcome a major problem inherent in the storyline. This almost fatal flaw dealt with Lili’s character. “A grown-up girl with the mind of a child” is how she’s described in one of Merrill’s lyrics, and that’s the issue. Lili hates Paul (one of her songs is in fact titled “I Hate Him”), but loves working in his puppet act as stooge for his madcap puppets. It never occurs to her that as the puppeteer, Paul is the creator of the puppets and is indeed their voice; she’s shocked, shocked to discover the puppets are not real and exist only because of Paul. As Alan Pryce-Jones noted in Theatre Arts, Lili is a “nincompoop . . . a nincompoop pure and dreadfully simple. . . . I will not speak of her surprise when she finds” that it is not the puppets but the puppetmaster “who represents the more intense reality.” If Lili were a little girl, her confusion could be excused; but an underaged Lili would have put the kibosh on any kind of romantic relationship between her and Paul. Thankfully, the score, staging, and performances somewhat glossed over the embarrassing and awkward nature of Lili’s character. Perhaps a cartoon version of the material would work, since a cartoon Lili could come across as a girlwoman and she could be depicted as alternately childish and grown up. In fact, in the 1990s there was talk of a cartoon film version of the musical. Earlier, a proposed 1963 live-action film version by MGM (with screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and with Champion set to direct) had been shelved.

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Champion’s staging was memorable. As the audience entered the Imperial Theatre, the curtain was already up, revealing an empty meadow. Instead of a traditional overture, one of the carnival people appeared, playing a concertina. As he played, the theatre orchestra joined in the music while the stage slowly but surely filled with carnival people, roustabouts, and dancing girls, and as the audience watched, the roustabouts set up the rigging, tents, and poles for the carnival. The opening sequence was dazzling as it created the world of the carnival before the audience’s eyes. In the second act, Champion created another show-stopper in the joyous “Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris,” which depicted the carnival people’s dream of becoming a continental sensation. Further, the puppets were genuinely amusing. Horrible Henry, a walrus, is quick to detect “anti-walrus” remarks; Renardo the fox notes that one has never really danced the fox-trot until one has danced it with a fox; and Marguerite is a famous opera star noted for her “Barbara of Seville” and her “Carmen in Aida” (further, when she sings she can reach “high M above L”). Merrill had previously written the delightful lyrics and music for New Girl in Town (1957) and Take Me Along (1959), but Carnival! was his masterpiece, a richly melodic score with clever and charming lyrics. The film Lili wasn’t a musical, but offered incidental music and an occasional song, and its number “Hi-Lili, HiLo” (lyric by Helen Deutsch [who also wrote the screenplay], music by Bronislau Kaper) was a hit. Merrill came up with his own hit, the popular “Theme from ‘Carnival’” (otherwise known as “Love Makes the World Go ‘Round”). Moreover, the score was lush with melody, including the joyous “Beautiful Candy” for Lili, the puppets, and the carnival people; the sweeping “Yes, My Heart” for Lili and the carnival people; the haunting ballad “Her Face” for Paul; the torch song “Always, Always You” for Rosalie; and “A Sword and a Rose and a Cape” for Marco and the roustabouts, which laments a world without real men (“now the male Italian just gets passionate for cheese”). Another highlight was a dramatic and thrilling juxtaposition of “I Hate Him” and a reprise of “Her Face” for Lili and Paul. The original Broadway production was recorded by MGM Records (LP # E/SE-3946-OC), which omitted “Golden Delicious Fish” (which was the sequence leading into “Beautiful Candy”), “Tanz Mit Mir,” “Magic, Magic,” “Fairyland,” and the “Carnival Ballet.” The London production, which opened at the Lyric Theatre on February 8, 1963, starred Sally Logan, Michael Maurel, Shirley Sands, and James Mitchell, the latter reprising his Broadway role. It was a fast flop, running for just thirty-four performances. The cast album (which includes “Golden Delicious Fish”) was recorded by Odeon Records (LP # CSD-1476), and over the years the rarity of the LP made it a Holy Grail for cast album collectors. The album is held in high esteem by many who say it’s preferable to the Broadway recording. But this is an undeserved reputation, and the album pales in comparison to the original. The Paris cast album, titled Mouche, was released on EP format by Barclay Records (# 71094) and included four songs (“Love Makes the World Go ‘Round,” “She’s My Love,” “Beautiful Candy,” and “Always, Always You”). Lili, the 1977 Mexico City production of the musical, was released by Orfeon Records (LP # 16-H-5048), and includes “Magia, Magia” and “Oro Delicia” as well as “Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo,” which was interpolated into the score. Besides the four cast albums, there are numerous recordings of the score, among them Carnival! in Percussion (Verve Records LP # V-64051) by the Paul Smith Ensemble, which includes “Magic, Magic”; Carnival (MGM Records LP # E-3945) by Cyril Ornadel and the Starlight Symphony Orchestra (“Golden Delicious Fish”); the hyperbolic The Living Strings Play All the Music from the Broadway Hit Carnival! (RCA Camden Records LP # CAL-678) because it’s not complete (but does include “Golden Delicious Fish”); Carnival (Capitol Records LP # T-1551) with the “zither stylings” of Ruth Welcome and Klaus Ogerman’s Orchestra, including “Golden Delicious Fish,” “Tanz Mit Mir,” and “Magic, Magic”; and Carnival (International Award Series Records LP # AK-169) by the “Sound Stage” Calliope Band under the direction of Captain Tully. The Broadway cast album was issued on CD by Polydor Records (CD # 837-195-2) and includes the “Magic, Magic” track from the above-mentioned Paul Smith Ensemble collection as well as five songs performed by Bob Merrill and three apiece by Richard Chamberlain, Mel Tormé, and J. J. Johnson. Although the musical was revived in New York at City Center on December 12, 1968, for thirty performances (see entry), and then later in a concert version by Encores! for five performances beginning on February 7, 2002 (the cast included Anne Hathaway, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Debbie [Shapiro] Gravitte, and Douglas Sills), it has never enjoyed a major Broadway revival. But the work is frequently seen in regional theatre, and has enjoyed productions at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Paper Mill Playhouse. Perhaps the most lavish

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staging of Carnival! was at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre in February and March 2007. It was beautiful to look at, and Robert Longbottom’s direction and choreography were inspired, especially in his use of the roustabouts, who, in this version, seemed to be refugees from an S&M club; but this conceit worked just fine because they added a slight touch of menace to the generally sunny proceedings and emphasized the underlying darkness inherent in the material. The production’s only weaknesses were its two generally bland leads, but Natascia Diaz and Sebastian La Cause made up for that with their spectacularly theatrical Rosalie and Marco. The script was published in hardback by DBS Publications in 1968.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Carnival!); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Anna Maria Alberghetti, in a tie with Diahann Carroll [No Strings]); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Pierre Olaf); Best Book of a Musical (Michael Stewart and Helen Deutsch); Best Producer of a Musical (David Merrick); Best Direction of a Musical (Gower Champion); Best Scenic Designer of a Musical (Will Steven Armstrong) New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (1960–1961): Best Musical (Carnival!)

YOUNG ABE LINCOLN Theatre: Eugene O’Neill Theatre Opening Date: April 25, 1961 Closing Date: May 7, 1961 Performances: 27 Book: Richard N. Bernstein and John Allen (“special dialogue” by Arnold Sundgaard) Lyrics: Joan Javits (“special lyrics” by Arnold Sundgaard) Music: Victor Ziskin Direction: Jay Harnick; Producer: Arthur Shimkin (A Little Golden Theatre Production); Choreography: Rhoda Levine; Scenery, Costumes, and Lighting: Fred Voelpel; Musical Direction: Victor Ziskin Cast: Darrell Sandeen (Abe Lincoln), Lou Cutell (William Berry), Joan Kibrig (Minnie), Judy Foster (Ann Rutledge), Ray Hyson (John McNiel), Tom Noel (Bowling Green), Dan Resin (Ninian Edwards), Ken Kercheval (Josh), Robert Darnell (Jack Armstrong), Ralston Hill (Seth), Barbara Cornett (Hannah) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New Salem, Illinois, in 1833.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Same Old Me” (Darrell Sandeen, Company); “Cheer Up, Cheer Up!” (Joan Kibrig, Lou Cutell); “You Can Dance” (Judy Foster, Darrell Sandeen); “Someone You Know” (Darrell Sandeen, Judy Foster); “I Want to Be a Little Frog in a Little Pond” (Darrell Sandeen, Tom Noel, Dan Resin, Lou Cutell, Ralston Hill, Barbara Cornett); “Don’t P-P-Point Them Guns at Me” (Robert Darnell, Ray Hyson, Ken Kercheval); “The Captain Lincoln March” (Darrell Sandeen, Ken Kercheval, Tom Noel, Robert Darnell, Ray Hyson, Lou Cutell, Ralston Hill); “Run, Indian, Run” (Robert Darnell, Ken Kercheval, Ray Hyson, Lou Cutell, Ralston Hill, Darrell Sandeen) Act Two: “Welcome Home Again” (Company); “Vote for Lincoln” (Dan Resin, Tom Noel, Robert Darnell, Ken Kercheval, Ray Hyson, Ralston Hill); “I Want to Be a Little Frog in a Little Pond” (reprise) (Darrell Sandeen, Townsmen); “Cheer Up, Cheer Up!” (reprise) (Joan Kibrig, Lou Cutell); “Frontier Politics” (Dan Resin, Robert Darnell, Tom Noel, Ken Kercheval, Ray Hyson, Ralston Hill); Finale (Darrell Sandeen, Company) Before transferring to Broadway, Young Abe Lincoln had originally been produced Off-Broadway at the York Playhouse on April 3, 1961, for eighteen performances. The Broadway production opened at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on April 25 for twenty-seven performances, but due to weak ticket sales (despite bargain

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prices ranging from seventy-five cents to $2.50) the musical was soon back at the York, where it opened on May 19 for an additional forty-eight performances (the musical also gave a total of thirty-four performances at New York City area public schools). In his review of the Broadway production, Milton Esterow in the New York Times predicted the one-hour musical would “be a neighbor of the town’s hit musicals for some time.” He found the score “delightful,” praised the well-written book and ingratiating cast, and noted the musical offered “something for almost everyone in the 4-to-14-year-old group and those way beyond that set.” As the title indicated, the musical concentrated on Lincoln’s early years, from the time he operated a general store to his tenure in the Illinois state legislature. The musical also focused on his courtship with Ann Rutledge. In his review of the cast album (Golden Records LP # 76; reissued in 1975 by Wonderland Records LP # WLP-76), John S. Wilson in Theatre Arts said the “delightful musical” was now a “delightful disc . . . the songs have a sprightly insouciance that is particularly appealing.” “The Clarey Grove Song” (aka “We’re from Clary’s Grove” and “The Clary Grove Boys”) doesn’t seem to have been in any of the productions (it’s not listed in the programs of either of the York runs or in the Playbill for the Broadway run), but was heard on the cast album (identified as “We’re from Clary’s Grove” on the Golden release and as “The Clary Grove Boys” on the Wonderland reissue). The musical was revived at the fitting venue of Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on February 16, 1971, for three weeks; a few days earlier, the production had played a special performance in honor of Lincoln’s birthday at Town Hall in New York on February 13. On June 7, 1961, Young Abe Lincoln was televised on New York’s educational station WNEW.

SOUTH PACIFIC Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 26, 1961 Closing Date: May 14, 1961 Performances: 23 Book: Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on James A. Michener’s 1947 collection of short stories, Tales of the South Pacific; two of the stories (“Our Heroine” and “Fo’ Dolla’”) were the main basis for the musical. Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Scenery: Adaptation of Jo Mielziner’s original designs by Paul Morrison; Costumes: Adaptation of Motley’s original costumes by Stanley Simmons; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Vivian Hernandez (Ngana), Delfino De Arco (Jerome), Viraj Amonsin (Henry), Allyn Ann McLerie (Ensign Nellie Forbush), William Chapman (Emile De Becque), Rosetta Le Noire (Bloody Mary), Musa Williams (Bloody Mary’s Assistant), Jim McMillan (Abner), Jeff Harris (Stewpot), Dort Clark (Luther Billis), Art Ostrin (Professor), Stanley Grover (Lt. Joseph Cable, U.S.M.C.), Edmund Baylies (Capt. George Brackett, U.S.N.), Wesley Addy (Cmdr. William Harbison, U.S.N.), Kenny Adams (Yeoman Herbert Quale), Daniel P. Hannafin (Sgt. Kenneth Johnson), Don Becker (Marine Cpl. Richard West), Jim Conner (Seabee Morton Wise), Saran Wallach (Sgt. Juan Cortez), Robert Lenn (Seaman Tom O’Brien), John Aman (Radio Operator Bob McCaffery), Thomas Edwards (Marine Cpl. Hamilton Steeves), Richard Nieves (Staff Sgt. Guilio Fascinato), Ralph Vucci (Seaman James Hayes), Barbara Saxby (Lt. Genevieve Marshall), Maggie Worth (Ensign Dinah Murphy), Betty Jane Schwering (Ensign Janet MacGregor), Penny Fuller (Ensign Cora MacRae), Francesca Bell (Ensign Bessie Noonan), Miriam Lawrence (Ensign Pamella Whitmore), Sybil Scotford (Ensign Sue Yaeger), Karen Styne (Ensign Lisa Minelli), Coco Ramirez (Liat), Don Corby (Lt. Buzz Adams), Casper Roos (Shore Patrol Officer), Mark Richard Satow (Islander), Ado Sato (Islander), Eigel Silju (Islander) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on two islands in the South Pacific during World War II.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Dites-moi pourquoi” (Vivian Hernandez, Delfino de Arco); “A Cockeyed Optimist” (Allyn Ann McLerie); “Twin Soliloquies” (Allyn Ann McLerie, William Chapman); “Some Enchanted Evening” (William Chapman); “Bloody Mary Is the Girl I Love” (Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “There’s Nothing Like a Dame” (Dort Clark, Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “Bali Ha’i” (Rosetta Le Noire); “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” (Allyn Ann McLerie, Nurses); “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy” (Allyn Ann McLerie, Nurses); “Younger Than Springtime” (Stanley Grover); Finale (Allyn Ann McLerie, William Chapman) Act Two: “Soft Shoe Dance” (Nurses, Seabees); “Happy Talk” (Rosetta Le Noire, Coco Ramirez, Stanley Grover); “Honey Bun” (Allyn Ann McLerie, Dort Clark); “You’ve Got to Be Taught” (Stanley Grover); “This Nearly Was Mine” (William Chapman); “Some Enchanted Evening” (reprise) (Allyn Ann McLerie); Finale (Company) When the 2008 revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning South Pacific opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 3 to great reviews and a run of 996 performances, it was for some reason hyped (by many who should know better) that it was the first New York revival of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s masterwork, which had originally opened in 1949 for a marathon run of 1,925 performances. In truth, the 2008 production was the seventh such revival seen in Manhattan. The original production closed on January 16, 1954, and the following year the work enjoyed its first New York revival in a City Center engagement that opened on May 7 for fifteen performances (Sandra Deel was Nellie; Richard Collett, De Becque; Sylvia Sims, Bloody Mary; Herbert Banke, Cable; and Carol Lawrence was Liat). Three more City Center revivals followed: the production that opened on April 24, 1957, for twenty-three performances starred Mindy Carson as Nellie; Robert Wright as De Becque; and Allen Case as Cable; Juanita Hall, who had created the role of Bloody Mary in the original production, reprised her role; the current 1961 revival; and the final City Center production (see entry) opened on June 3, 1965, for fifteen performances and starred Betsy Palmer (Nellie), Ray Middleton, who had succeeded Ezio Pinza in the original production, and Murvyn Vye, who created the role of Jigger in the original 1945 production of Carousel, and here played the role of Brackett. Two more revivals followed, both at Lincoln Center’s New York State Theater, which is just across the plaza from the Beaumont, where the 2008 revival opened. In 1967, the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center presented the work for 104 performances with a cast that included Florence Henderson as Nellie and Giorgio Tozzi as De Becque (see entry for this production); the cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # OL-6700 and OS-3100; the CD was released under Sony’s Masterworks Broadway series # 82876-88393-2). On February 27, 1987, South Pacific returned to Lincoln Center for a run of sixty-eight performances in a production by the New York City Opera. The revival had a mostly alternating cast that included Susan Bigelow (Nellie), Cris Groenendaal (Cable), Muriel Costa-Greenspon (Bloody Mary), and Tony Roberts (Billis). Further, two other major revivals played just around the corner at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre on Long Island. On June 27, 1968, the first revival there starred Kathleen Nolan as Nellie; Jerome Hines as De Becque; and Barney Martin, Chicago’s future Mr. Cellophane, played Luther. On July 3, 1969, the second revival opened, with Hines reprising his role of De Becque; Nancy Dussault was Nellie. It’s a mystery why the 2008 production continues to be cited as New York’s first revival (in a live public television showing of that production on August 18, 2010, an interview by Alan Alda with the revival’s director and coproducer continued to give the public the impression the 2008 production was the first such New York revival). Another South Pacific mystery is why some politically correct policepersons malign the characters of Nellie and Cable as racists because the two initially have issues with interracial romance. Some begrudgingly “accept” Nellie because she outgrows her misgivings, realizes what is important in life, and embraces De Becque’s half-Polynesian children. But others feel Cable “deserves” his death because he didn’t atone for his early reaction to Bloody Mary’s proposal that he marry her daughter Liat. But it is Cable who sings “Carefully Taught,” the musical theatre’s greatest anthem against racial prejudice; and Cable’s detractors apparently forget or choose to ignore his conversation with De Becque when he tells the Frenchman he doesn’t intend to return to the States after the war because “all I care about is right here.” As for the 1961 revival, its cast included Allyn Ann McLerie, who created the role of (once-in-love-with) Amy in Frank Loesser’s Where’s Charley? (1948; see entry for the 1966 revival) and the title role in Irving Ber-

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lin’s Miss Liberty (1949); William Chapman was De Becque; Stanley Grover was Cable; and Rosetta Le Noire was Bloody Mary. Lewis Funke in the New York Times had initial misgivings about the production when he heard the overture played too tentatively; but his doubts were put to rest once the curtain went up and the first scene began. McLerie was an “intelligent” Nellie who could be “boisterous and gay” in “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy,” and New York City Opera baritone Chapman sang “Some Enchanted Evening” and “This Nearly Was Mine” with “heart, yearning and pathos.” Funke concluded that South Pacific is “one of the memorable experiences of our musical theatre.” The musical was first produced in London at the Drury Lane on November 1, 1951, for 802 performances. The cast included Mary Martin, Wilbur Evans, Peter Grant, Muriel Smith, and Ray Walston; Martin’s son Larry Hagman appeared as one of the Seabees, and during the run Sean Connery joined the cast as a Seabee. The 1958 film version, which was released by Twentieth Century-Fox and directed by Joshua Logan, starred Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. Gaynor gives an incandescent performance, and is perhaps the definitive Nellie. She’s certainly more affecting than Mary Martin, who appeared in a private film version of the London production, which was filmed live at the Drury Lane. Brazzi’s singing voice was dubbed by Giorgio Tozzi, who later appeared as De Becque in the 1967 Lincoln Center production. Other members of the film’s cast include John Kerr, Juanita Hall (reprising her role of Bloody Mary from the original production [but her voice was dubbed by Muriel Smith, who had played the role in London]), and Ray Walston, who had appeared in the London production; the soundtrack was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LSO/LOC-1032); and a DVD was issued by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (# 0-24543-38152-5); the film reinstated “My Girl Back Home,” which had been deleted during the original production’s tryout, and the lyric of another deleted song, “Loneliness of Evening,” was briefly spoken as words in a letter that a character reads aloud. There was also a misguided television adaptation seen on CBS in 2003 (Glenn Close was a most miscast Nellie, and the cast included Rade Sherbedgia and Harry Connick Jr.). The soundtrack was issued by Columbia/Sony Music Records (# CK-85684), and includes a bonus track of “My Girl Back Home,” which was filmed for, but not used in, the production; and the DVD (which includes the deleted scene of “My Girl Back Home”) was released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment DVD # 23248. There was also a concert version presented at Carnegie Hall in 2005 which was seen on public television and released on DVD by Rhino (# R2-971631); the cast included Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The CD of the concert was released by Decca Records (# B0006462-02). As of this writing, there is a proposed theatrical film version of South Pacific in the works. The cast album of the original 1949 production was issued on LP by Columbia Records (LP # ML/ OL-4180 and # OS-2040), and was the first Broadway musical released in that format; the CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records (# SK-60722), and includes bonus tracks, among them Mary Martin performing the deleted songs “My Girl Back Home” and “Loneliness of Evening” and Ezio Pinza singing “Bali Ha’i.” The cast album of the 2008 revival was released under Sony’s Masterworks Broadway (CD # 88697-32171-2); a special Barnes & Noble edition offers six bonus tracks, including Billis’s version of “Bali Ha’i” and background music. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1949, and in 2014 the script is scheduled to be republished by Applause Books. There are three books about the musical that are worth pursuing: The Tale of South Pacific, edited by Thana Skouras and designed by John De Cuir and Dale Hennesy (Lehmann Books, 1958), about the film version; The South Pacific Companion by Laurence Maslon (Fireside Books, 2008); and South Pacific: Paradise Rewritten by Jim Lovensheimer (Oxford University Press, 2010).

PORGY AND BESS Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 17, 1961 Closing Date: May 28, 1961 Performances: 16 Libretto: DuBose Heyward Lyrics: DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin Music: George Gershwin

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Direction: William Ball; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Scenery: Stephen O. Saxe; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Paul Morrison; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Billie Lynn Daniel (Clara), Jerry Laws (Mingo), Rawn Spearman (Sportin’ Life), Irving Barnes and Leonard Parker (both alternating in the role of Jake), Barbara Webb (Serena), Ned Wright (Robbins), Scott Gibson (Jim), Joseph Crawford (Peter [The Honeyman]), Edna Ricks (Lily), Carol Brice (Maria), William Warfield and Irving Barnes (both alternating in the role of Porgy), James Randolph (Crown), Leesa Foster and Martha Flowers (both alternating in the role of Bess), Harry Bessinger (Policeman), Howard Poyro (Policeman), William Coppola (Detective), Norman Grogan (Police Sergeant), Wanza King (Undertaker), Alyce Webb (Annie), Eugene Brice (Frazer), Arthur Williams (Nelson), Doreese Duquan (Strawberry Woman), Clyde Turner (Crabman), Eugene Wood (Coroner); Residents of Catfish Row: Ruby Green Aspinall, Kay Barnes, Phyllis Bash, Catherine Eason, Claretta Freeman, Victoria Harrison, Lillian Hayman, Joan Montgomery, Janet Moodyors, Caryl Paige, Joyce Phipps, Eloise C. Uggams, Catherine Van Buren, Glory Van Scott, Catherine Wallace, William H. Eaton Jr., Cortez Franklin, Joli Gonsalves, Robert Guillaume, Elijah Hodges, Cullen Maiden, Tony L. Martinez, Garrett Morris, Garwood Perkins, Harold Pierson, John Richardson, Mal Scott, James Wamen, Laurence Watson; Children: Joey Lewis, Donna Mills, Cedric Rose, Lisa Scott, Alan Weeks, Jerry Wimberly The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, and on nearby Kittiwah Island; the original Broadway production’s Playbill indicated the time was “the recent past.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “Summertime” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Billie Lynn Daniel); “A Woman Is a Sometime Thing” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Scott Gibson, Irving Barnes, Ensemble); “They Pass By Singing” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (William Warfield); “Crap Game Fugue” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Billie Lynn Daniel, Ensemble); “Gone, Gone, Gone” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Ensemble); “My Man’s Gone Now” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Barbara Webb); “Overflow” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Ensemble); “Rowing Song” (aka “It Takes a Long Pull to Get There”) (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Scott Gibson, Irving Barnes, Fishermen); “I Got Plenty of Nuttin’” (lyric by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward) (William Warfield); “Buzzard” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (William Warfield, Ensemble) ; “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” (lyric by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin) (William Warfield, Leesa Foster); “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” (lyric by Ira Gershwin) (Ensemble) Act Two: “Ha Da Da” (aka “I Ain’ Got No Shame”) (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Ensemble); “Leavin’ fo’ de Promis’ Lan’” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Leesa Foster, Ensemble); “It Ain’t Necessarily So” (lyric by Ira Gershwin) (Rawn Spearman, Ensemble); “What You Want with Bess” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (James Randolph, Leesa Foster); “Rowing Song” (reprise) (Ensemble); “Time and Time Again” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Barbara Webb, Ensemble); “Street Cries” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Doreese Duquan, Clyde Turner); “I Loves You, Porgy” (lyric by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward) (William Warfield, Leesa Foster); “Oh, de Lawd Shake de Heaven” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Ensemble); “A Red-Headed Woman” (lyric by Ira Gershwin) (James Randolph, Ensemble); “Oh, Doctor Jesus” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Ensemble); “Clara, Don’t You Be Downhearted” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Ensemble); “There’s a Boat That’s Leavin’ Soon for New York” (lyric by Ira Gershwin) (Rawn Spearman, Leesa Foster); “Occupational Humoresque” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (Ensemble); “Where’s My Bess?” (lyric by Ira Gershwin) (William Warfield, Barbara Webb, Edna Ricks); “I’m on My Way” (lyric by DuBose Heyward) (William Warfield, Ensemble) The New York City Center Light Opera Company’s revival of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess received great reviews and broke the theatre’s house record. Howard Taubman in the New York Times praised the “vivid and imaginative” production, and felt the work had “the force and excitement” of a world premiere because the cast, musical director (Julius Rudel), and director (William Ball) approached the material as if it “had just been created.” Further, in order to allow Gershwin’s music to dominate the evening, the spoken

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dialogue had “been pared to the bone” and the action “stripped to essentials.” As for William Warfield’s Porgy, it was sung with “the kind of nuance, control and potency that one rarely encounters” on Broadway, and Leesa Foster made a “sensual” Bess. Taubman also noted that Rudel conducted an orchestra of more than forty musicians. Julian Mitchell in Theatre Arts echoed Taubman’s observations that the production emphasized the score. He noted that for years there had been debates as to whether Porgy and Bess was an opera or a musical, and he concluded that City Center’s production “clearly” demonstrated the work was an opera. He stated that Warfield was the “definitive” Porgy, and noted that Rawn Spearman’s Sportin’ Life (looking “astonishingly” like Lawrence Oliver’s character of Archie Rice in the play The Entertainer [London, 1957; New York, 1958]) was “properly fawning and satanic . . . corrupting everything that fell beneath the sly shade of his white bowler.” As of this writing, Gershwin’s masterpiece has been revived in New York sixteen times. The original production premiered at the Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre on October 10, 1935, for 124 performances. In 1942, the first revival more than doubled the run of the original production, playing 286 times; the revival returned to New York the following year for 24 more performances and again in 1944, when for two slightly separated engagements it tallied up 64 performances. The work’s longest-running New York production opened in 1953 and played for 305 performances. The 1961 production played for 16 performances, and was seen at City Center three more times: in 1962 (6 performances), 1964 (15 performances), and 1965 (6 performances); see separate entries for all three productions (the 1961 and 1964 productions were presented by the New York City Light Opera Company, and the 1962 and 1965 productions by the New York City Opera). In 1976, the Houston Grand Opera’s production opened on Broadway at the Uris (now appropriately the Gershwin) Theatre for 122 performances, and in 1983 another production opened at the Radio City Music Hall for 45 performances. On February 5, 1985, the work was produced by the Metropolitan Opera for the first time (Simon Estes and Grace Bumbry sang the title roles and James Levine conducted); the opera was revived there during the 1989–1990 and 1990–1991 seasons, and as of this writing the work has enjoyed a total of 54 performances at the Met. A 2000 production by the New York City Opera played for 10 performances, and the opera was revived there in 2002 for 3 showings, one of which (the March 20 performance) was telecast live on public television. A somewhat controversial 2012 Broadway revival played for 294 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. The production caused a mini-brouhaha when many purists objected to the revival’s title (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess); they forgot, or didn’t know, that the 1983 New York revival was titled George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. The 2012 production was also touted as the longest-running New York revival of the opera; again, there were short memories, because the 1953 revival bested the 2012 revival by 11 performances. Porgy and Bess has played 1,374 performances in New York, a record for an American opera (and for perhaps any opera) produced in that city. The libretto of Porgy and Bess has been published in various softcover editions by Chappell Music Company, beginning in 1958. There are numerous recordings, including one with some members of the original 1935 production (Decca LP # DL-7-9024). Perhaps the most complete recording is the EMI Records 3-CD set (# CDS-7-49568-2) of the mid-1980s Glyndebourne Festival Opera production, with the London Philharmonic conducted by Simon Rattle and sung by Willard White, Cynthia Haymon, Damon Evans, Harolyn Blackwell, and Bruce Hubbard. Books about Porgy and Bess include: The Life and Times of ‘Porgy and Bess’ by Hollis Alpert (Knopf, 1990); The Gershwins’ ‘Porgy and Bess’: The 75th Anniversary Celebration by Robin Thompson (Amadeus Press, 2010); and The Strange Case of ‘Porgy and Bess’: Race, Culture, and America’s Most Famous Opera by Ellen Noonan (University of North Carolina Press, 2012). The lavish no-expense-spared 1959 film version of the opera was released by Columbia and was personally produced by Samuel Goldwyn; the Gershwin estate’s concerns about the film’s presentation of the music are reportedly the reason the film was withdrawn from release decades ago (the film has never been issued on home video or shown on cable television). The film’s huge cast includes Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr., Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll, Brock Peters, and Ruth Attaway, many of whom are dubbed for the musical sequences. Although the dubbing is somewhat distracting, the film is nonetheless richly musical and the performances themselves are nearly definitive. Porgy and Bess and Where’s Charley? are two major film adaptations that should be in circulation, and one hopes they’ll eventually find their way to DVD.

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DONNYBROOK! “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: May 18, 1961 Closing Date: July 13, 1961 Performances: 68 Book: Robert F. McEnroe Lyrics and Music: Johnny Burke Based on the short story “The Quiet Man” by Maurice Walsh (originally published in the February 11, 1933, issue of The Saturday Evening Post); the story was the basis for the 1952 film The Quiet Man (direction by John Ford, screenplay by Frank S. Nugent). Direction and Choreography: Jack Cole; Producers: Fred Hebert and David Kapp; Scenery and Costumes: Rouben Ter-Arutunian; Lighting: Klaus Holm; Musical Direction: Clay Warnick Cast: Bruce MacKay (Willie O’Bantie), James Gannon (Matthew Gilbane), Alfred DeSio (Gavin Collins), Clarence Nordstrom (Old Man Toomey), Darrell J. Askey (Tim O’Connell), Philip Bosco (Will Danaher), Joan Fagan (Ellen Roe Danaher), Marissa Mason (Esme Gillie), Sibyl Bowan (Sadie McInty), Grace Carney (Birdy Monyhan), Eddie Foy (Mikeen Flynn), Art Lund (John Enright), Charles C. Welch (Father Finucane), Eddie Ericksen (An Irish Boy), George Harwell (Jamie), Susan Johnson (Kathy Carey), Norman Maen (Principal Dancer); Singers: Georgia Creighton, Charlotte Frazer, Nancy Foster, Dee Harless, Georgia Kennedy, Maudeen Sullivan, Darrell J. Askey, Eddie Ericksen, John Ford, George Harwell, Charles Rule, Bon Murdock; Dancers: Gloria Ann Bowen, Judy Dunford, Mickey Gunnersen, Marissa Mason, Carol Sherman, Suanne Shirley, Pamela Wood, John Aristides, Robert Evans, Larry Fuller, William Guske, David Lober, George Martin, Keith Stewart The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present time, in and around the Irish village of Innesfree.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Overture” (Eddie Ericksen, Art Lund, Sibyl Bowan, Grace Carney, Charles C. Welch, Joan Fagan, Dancing Ensemble); “Sez I” (Joan Fagan, Clarence Nordstrom, Bruce MacKay, James Gannon, Alfred DeSio, Darrell J. Askey); “The Day the Snow Is Meltin’” (Eddie Ericksen); “Sad Was the Day” (Susan Johnson, Ensemble); “Donnybrook” (Ensemble); “The Day the Snow Is Meltin’” (reprise) (Alfred DeSio, Darrell J. Askey, Art Lund); “Ellen Roe” (Art Lund); “Sunday Morning” (Ensemble); “The Lovable Irish” (Art Lund, Charles C. Welch); “I Wouldn’t Bet One Penny” (Susan Johnson, Eddie Foy); “He Makes Me Feel I’m Lovely” (Joan Fagan); “The Courting” (Ensemble); “I Have My Own Way” (Art Lund, Joan Fagan); “A Toast to the Bride” (Clarence Nordstrom, Ensemble) Act Two: “Wisha Wurra” (Eddie Foy, Clarence Nordstrom, Bruce MacKay, James Gannon, Alfred DeSio); “He Makes Me Feel I’m Lovely” (reprise) (Joan Fagan); “A Quiet Life” (Art Lund); “Mr. Flynn” (Susan Johnson, Sibyl Bowan, Grace Carney); “Hornpipe Dance” (Dancing Ensemble); “Dee-lightful Is the Word” (Eddie Foy, Susan Johnson); “For My Own” (Joan Fagan, Art Lund); Finale (Company) John Ford’s classic 1952 film The Quiet Man was the basis for Donnybrook!, the last new musical of the 1960–1961 season. The story dealt with John Enright (Art Lund), an American boxer who accidentally killed his opponent in the ring; he vows never to fight again, and opts for early retirement in his ancestral country of Ireland, where (this being show-business Ireland) he meets a fiery lass named Ellen Roe (Joan Fagan), who lives with (this being show-business Ireland) her blustery brother Will (Philip Bosco). The latter takes an intense dislike to Enright; further, once John and Ellen Roe are married, she mistakes his avoidance of fighting as cowardice and a lack of respect for her. But the plot’s comical twists and turns are finally resolved when (this being show-business Ireland) the two men fight it out in a donnybrook to end all donnybrooks. After the fight they resolve their differences, and John and Ellen Roe are reconciled. Howard Taubman in the New York Times found Donnybrook! “ingratiating . . . it moves with grace and style”; Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the new musical was “a likeable bit of malarkey”;

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John Chapman in the New York Daily News praised the “cheerful and picturesque” evening; and John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the new musical “has enough taste and bounce and melody to come home a winner.” Further, Frank Aston in the New York World-Telegram said the show “was good from the word go . . . a good book, a solid score, a glittering array of principals.” And what a “solid score”! Johnny Burke’s lyrics and music for Donnybrook! were among the best of the era, and the critics couldn’t get enough of it. Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror noted the score was “lively” with orchestrations that “pulled out all the stops” and caused musical director Clay Warnick to use his baton “like a dervish talking sign language”; Richard Watts in the New York Post said Burke had created an “agreeable score filled with bright numbers”; Chapman found the score “easy and friendly and with nice humor”; McClain praised the “merry and haunting tunes  .  .  . tasteful and indigenous without any ostentation”; and Taubman wrote that Burke’s songs were “more attractive than those in most of this year’s musicals.” Taubman in fact singled out no less than ten musical numbers: the overture; “Sez I,” the show’s “brisk” and rousing opening song; “The Day the Snow Is Meltin’” (“as prettily sugared a tune as any Irish tenor is likely to warble”); the dance “The Courting”; “Wisha Wurra” (his early misgivings about the song derived from its title, but once he heard the song he found it “thoroughly engaging”); two comic turns, “I Wouldn’t Bet One Penny” and “Dee-lightful Is the Word” (the first “lively” and “tuneful,” the latter “amusing”); ”A Toast to the Bride” (“lovely”); “He Makes Me Feel I’m Lovely” (it “has a sweetness that should recommend it to the romantic set”); and the “sardonic” show-stopper “Sad Was the Day.” The mock-lament “Sad Was the Day” is not only the highlight of the memorable score, it’s also one of the best comedy songs ever written for a musical (Stephen Sondheim is on record for wishing he had written it). Sung in crisp dead-pan fashion by Susan Johnson as a defiantly nongrieving widow, Kerr said Johnson was “able to make an audience say uncle, or encore”; McClain noted the “amusing” song had “a strange new beat” which was “charmingly delivered” by Johnson; and Julian Mitchell in Theatre Arts praised Johnson’s “excellent treatment” of this “malicious threnody for a dead husband.” Mitchell also singled out the “rousingly vulgar” trio “Mr. Flynn,” sung by Johnson, Sibyl Bowan, and Grace Carney. He noted that Bowan and Carney were “two awful warnings of what would have happened if Toulouse-Lautrec had ever seen the inside of a Dublin bar.” The critics also praised Jack Cole’s choreography, including the danced overture, which, according to Taubman, immediately “declares the musical’s imaginative gift” as it introduces the characters and establishes the mood of the evening; Kerr noted the unusual overture “spins a mesmerizing web” as the kilted dancers took the floor. Taubman also wrote that “The Courting” was “danced with folklike formality and fervor.” Watts liked Cole’s “lively” dances, McClain praised the “sprightly jigs,” and Chapman said the dancers were probably “the best” seen on Broadway since West Side Story (1957). Aston noted that the climactic donnybrook was “something of a resin-floored ballet in itself.” Donnybrook!’s danced overture was the second unusual overture of the season (during the overture of 13 Daughters, a movie screen showed scenic views of Hawaii). The cast was praised for their vivid contributions. Joan Fagan (who replaced Kipp Hamilton during the tryout) was Ellen Roe, and Aston predicted that “twenty minutes after you read this she’s going to be Broadway’s newest darling. Maybe sooner.” (For all purposes, both Hamilton and Fagan were never heard from again, although Fagan surfaced briefly in 1963 when she was Inga Swenson’s understudy for 110 in the Shade.) Art Lund, as Enright, was, according to Taubman “a handsome figure of a man,” and Kerr noted he sang “quite handsomely.” Susan Johnson received glowing notices, as did her vis-à-vis, Eddie Foy (Jr.), the latter playing a marriage broker. Rounding out the cast was Philip Bosco in a nonsinging role as the blustery brother. (Bosco later starred in a number of Broadway dramas and comedies, and in 1989 won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Lend Me a Tenor.) Despite mostly glowing reviews, including exuberant praise for the score, the choreography, and the cast, the musical sadly closed after just two months. A few weeks into the brief Broadway run, the “Hornpipe Dance” was cut from the show. During the tryout, “Dowdling” was deleted. “If It Isn’t Everything” was an early title for “Sez I”; and “When It’s Summer” was apparently cut during preproduction. The Donnybrook! score was beautifully preserved on the vivid cast album, which was released by Kapp Records (LP # KDL-8500). In 2011, the “soundtrack” (!) of the cast album was released on CD by Master Classics Records (unnumbered). A recording of the score by the Pete King Orchestra and Chorale (Kapp Records LP # KS-3243/KL-1243) includes “If It Isn’t Everything” (which of course was later titled “Sez I”).

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Donnybrook! went unproduced for fifty-two years, but on February 17, 2013, the musical was revived by the Irish Repertory Theatre for a limited engagement. Andy Webster in the New York Times said the new production “feels fresh, like a morning after rain in the west of Ireland,” and noted the show managed a “remarkable feat: looking past the story’s fists to uncover its heart.” The revival retained ten songs (“Sez I,” “Sad Was the Day,” “Dee-Lightful Is the Word,” “I Wouldn’t Bet One Penny,” “He Makes Me Feel I’m Lovely,” “The Loveable Irish,” “For My Own,” “I Have My Own Way,” “A Quiet Life,” and the title number) and omitted eight (“Ellen Roe,” “Sunday Morning,” “The Courting,” “A Toast to the Bride,” “Mr. Flynn,” “Wisha Wurra,” “Hornpipe Dance,” and “The Day the Snow Is Meltin’”). The score was supplemented with eight interpolations: three songs from The Quiet Man, “(The Isle of) Innisfree,” lyric and music by Richard Farrelly, and two traditional Irish songs, “The Wild Colonial Boy” and “Mush Mush Mush Tural-i-addy”; two other traditional Irish songs, “Courting” (“Tae Mo Chleamhnas Aew Dheanamh”) (not to be confused with “The Courting,” which had been heard in the original Broadway production) and “The Irish Wedding Song”; and three ballads with lyrics by Burke and music by Jimmy Van Heusen, all of which had been introduced in films: “It Could Happen to You” (And the Angels Sing; 1944); “But Beautiful” (Road to Rio, 1948); and “When Is Sometime?” (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, 1949). For the revival, the hero and heroine unaccountably underwent name changes, he from John to Sean and she from Ellen Roe to Mary Kate.

PAL JOEY “A MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 31, 1961 Closing Date: June 25, 1961 Performances: 31 Book: John O’Hara Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Music: Richard Rodgers Based on a series of short stories by John O’Hara, which were published in the New Yorker (the first story appeared in the October 22, 1938, issue); the collected stories were published in book format in 1939. Direction: Gus Schirmer Jr.; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Ralph Beaumont; Scenery and Lighting: Howard Bay; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: Jack Waldron (Mike), Bob Fosse (Joey), Marjorie Graner (Kid), Sheila Bond (Gladys), Lillian D’Honau (Iris), Aura Vainio (Mickey), Dorothy Dushock (Diane), Billie Mahoney (Dottie), Pat Turner (Sandra), Barbara Monte (Adele), Ellen Halpin (Francine), Christine Mathews (Linda English), Carol Bruce (Vera Simpson), Betty Hyatt Linton (Valerie), Emory Bass (Ernest), Philip Salem (Vera’s Escort), Joe Milan (Victor), Gene Gavin (Scholtz), John Lankston (Louis [The Tenor]), Eileen Heckart (Melba Snyder), Harvey Stone (Ludlow Lowell), Charles Reynolds (O’Brien), Alexander Clark (Mr. Hoople); Dancers: Lillian D’Honau, Marilyn D’Honau, Dorothy Dushock, Ellen Fluhr, Marjorie Graner, Ellen Halpin, Carol Ann Kroon, Sara Letton, Betty Hyatt Linton, Billie Mahoney, Barbara Monte, Mona Pivar, Eleanor Rogers, Marla Stevens, Pat Turner, Aura Vainio, Judith West, Gene Gavin, Tod Jackson, Richard E. Korthaze, Vernon Lusby, Mitchell Nutick, Frank Paige, Alan Peterson, Tom Roba, Philip Salem, Bud Spencer, Vernon Wendorf The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Chicago during the late 1930s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “You Mustn’t Kick It Around” (Bob Fosse, Sheila Bond, Girls); “You Mustn’t Kick It Around” (reprise) (Joe Milan, Sheila Bond, Girls [also possibly Mitchell Nutick]); “I Could Write a Book” (Bob Fosse, Christine Mathews); “Chicago” (Girls); “That Terrific Rainbow” (Sheila Bond, Joe Milan, Girls); “What Is a Man?” (Carol Bruce); “Happy Hunting Horn” (Bob Fosse, Boys, Girls); “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” (Carol Bruce); “What Do I Care for a Dame” (Bob Fosse); “Joey Looks into the Future”

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(ballet) (Bob Fosse, Company; program note; “Mr. Fosse’s dances and variations in this ballet choreographed by himself”) Act Two: “The Flower Garden of My Heart” (John Lankston, Sheila Bond, Boys, Girls [including Marjorie Graner, Violet; Aura Vainio, Sunflower; Dorothy Dushock, Heather; Lillian D’Honau, Lily; Pat Turner, Lilac; Betty Hyatt Linton, American Beauty]); “Zip” (Eileen Heckart); “Plant You Now, Dig You Later” (Sheila Bond, Harvey Stone, Boys, Girls); “In Our Little Den” (Carol Bruce, Bob Fosse); “Do It the Hard Way” (Sheila Bond, Harvey Stone); “Take Him” (Christine Mathews, Carol Bruce); “Joey’s Tango” (Bob Fosse); “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” (reprise) (Carol Bruce); “I Could Write a Book” (reprise) (Company) One of the enduring theatrical urban legends is that the original 1940 production of Pal Joey was a failure that no one appreciated until its 1952 revival. Nothing could be more misleading. When the original production closed, it was the second-longest running of all Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s musicals, with a total of 374 performances (only the 1927 production of A Connecticut Yankee ran longer, with 418 performances). In 1942, the team enjoyed its longest run with their last original musical, By Jupiter, which ran for 427 performances. In referring to his misgivings about a musical with an “odious” story and a leading man who is a “heel,” a “punk,” and “a rat infested with termites,” Brooks Atkinson’s famous question in the New York Times (“Can you draw sweet water from a foul well?”) is also misleading, because he acknowledged that Pal Joey was “expertly done.” He praised the “wit and skill” of the score, singling out “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” for its “scabrous” lyric and “haunting” music. Further, he liked Robert Alton’s “inventive” choreography, and noted the dance sequence that closed the first act (“Joey Looks into the Future” aka “What Do I Care for a Dame?”) was an “admirable dream ballet and pantomime” that created a “wry and wistful beauty.” Further, Gene Kelly’s Joey hit the target with “remarkable accuracy”; Kelly was “a brilliant tap dancer.  .  .  . If Joey must be acted, Mr. Kelly can do it.” Of the other five New York critics, two gave the show raves: Richard Watts in the New York Herald-Tribune said the musical was a “hard-boiled delight . . . an outstanding triumph,” and Sidney B. Whipple in the New York World-Telegram found the work “bright, novel, gay and tuneful.” Burns Mantle in the New York Daily News gave the show three (out of four) stars and noted that Pal Joey introduced “signs of new life“ for the future of musicals. And while John Mason Brown in the New York Post felt the evening was “directionless” and its story “unimportant,” he said Pal Joey was an attempt to discard the “old conventions” of musical comedy in its depiction of a leading man who is a “bum.” Overall, the critics cited some eight individual song numbers as outstanding. So Pal Joey was hardly an overlooked and unappreciated musical. A 1950 studio cast recording of the musical released by Columbia Records (LP # 4364; the CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records # SK-86856) included Vivienne Segal reprising her original role of Vera (Harold Lang, fresh from Kiss Me Kate [1948], was Joey). This album was the inspiration for the 1952 revival, which starred Segal and Lang and ran for 540 performances. This time around, Atkinson gave the musical a rave, noting the 1940 production was a “pioneer in the moving back of musical frontiers. . . . [Pal Joey] renews confidence in the professionalism of the theatre.” A cast recording of the production (with Jane Froman and Dick Beavers substituting for Segal and Lang) was released by Capitol Records (LP # 310; the CD was issued by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-0777-7-64696-2-1). In 1952 a hardback edition of the script was published by Random House. The musical’s London premiere occurred on March 31, 1954, at the Princes Theatre for 245 performances; Lang was Joey, and Carol Bruce was Vera. Besides the 1961 revival at City Center, the work was presented there again two years later (see entry for more information). There were also two more revivals, both unsuccessful. On June 27, 1976, the musical opened at the Circle in the Square (Uptown) for seventy-three performances; Christopher Chadman and Joan Copeland were Joey and Vera (they replaced Edward Villella and Eleanor Parker, both of whom had played the roles during previews); the cast also included Janie Sell and Dixie Carter. On December 18, 2008, the musical was revived at Studio 54 for eighty-four performances; the cast included Matthew Risch (who replaced Christian Holt during previews) and Stockard Channing; this production included a song dropped during the 1940 tryout (Joey’s “I’m Talking to My Pal”) as well as “I Still Believe in You” and “Are You My Love?” The former was from Rodgers and Hart’s 1930 musical Simple Simon; with a different lyric, the song had been heard as “Singing a Love Song” in the team’s 1928 musical Chee-Chee (which, incidentally, is the only musical in Broadway history that centers on the would-be castration of its hero). “Are You My Love?” was from the team’s 1936 film Dancing Pirate.

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On August 21, 1978, a revised version of the musical (scripted by Jerome Chodorov and Mark Bramble) was produced in California for over five months; titled Pal Joey ’78, the musical starred Lena Horne and Clifton Davis and it interpolated songs from other Rodgers and Hart productions. A 1957 film adaptation by Columbia was considerably revised and softened. In this version, Joey was a singer, not a hoofer, and Frank Sinatra was ideally cast, as were Rita Hayworth as the worldly Vera and Kim Novak as the shy and demure Linda. The film retained a handful of songs from the stage production and added numbers from various Rodgers and Hart shows. Taken on its own merits, the film is entertaining, and Sinatra is in top vocal form; the smoky nightclub scene in which he sings “The Lady Is a Tramp” (from the 1937 Broadway musical Babes in Arms) to Hayworth is strikingly photographed, directed, and performed, and had the entire film risen to the quality of this sequence, the movie might have been one of the great screen musicals instead of just a good one. The soundtrack album was released on Capitol Records (LP # DW-912), and the film’s most recent DVD release (by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment # 25466) is part of The Kim Novak Collection. (In the film, Barbara Nichols played Gladys, a chorus girl; in the 1952 revival, she had played the role of Valerie, another chorus girl.) Besides the above-mentioned Columbia and Capitol recordings, there have been other versions of the score released over the years, including a cast album (released by DRG Records CD # 94763) of the 1995 Encores! concert, which opened on May 4, 1995, for four performances. Patti LuPone, Peter Gallagher, and Bebe Neuwirth were in the cast, and the production included “I’m Talking to My Pal.” The 1961 City Center revival was a smash, and Howard Taubman in the New York Times praised the production’s “hard, sparkling impudence . . . acerbity . . . and freshness of spirit. . . . [The revival] provides vivid proof of what a great musical can be.” Taubman hailed Bob Fosse (fresh from The Conquering Hero) for his “smooth, loose-limbed shrewdness,” noted that Carol Bruce (reprising her role from the 1954 London production) brought a “cool glitter” to Vera, and said Eileen Heckart did a “fine turn” with “Zip,” Rodgers and Hart’s hilarious tribute to Gypsy Rose Lee. Jack Waldron, in the role of Mike, reprised his role from the 1952 Broadway revival. The production was so successful it was extended (for a total of thirty-one performances), and Louis Calta in the Times reported the revival would probably break City Center’s house record of $66,000 for Porgy and Bess, which had opened earlier in the month. In 1963, Bob Fosse returned to City Center in another production of Pal Joey (see entry). Perhaps the reason recent productions of Pal Joey (and the 1957 film version) are problematic is because of the musical’s weak second act (with extraneous characters and plot excursions that seem to come out of left field) and because the score is an uneasy mix of both presentational and narrative songs, with many of the latter almost tangential to the plot. The film solved the script issues by eliminating minor characters and emphasizing the romantic triangle as well as the story’s emotional arc of Joey’s show-business ambitions. As for the score’s fourteen numbers, five are presentational (“Chicago,” “You Mustn’t Kick It Around,” “That Terrific Rainbow,” “The Flower Garden of My Heart,” and “Plant You Now, Dig You Later,” all of which are performed in the nightclub), eight are plot-driven (“I Could Write a Book,” “What Is a Man?,” “Happy Hunting Horn,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Pal Joey” [aka “Joey Looks Into the Future” and “What Do I Care for a Dame”], “In Our Little Den of Iniquity,” “Do It the Hard Way,” and “Take Him”), and one (“Zip”) comes out of nowhere and is sung by a minor character. The film almost resolved the matter of the songs by using all but two (“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and “Pal Joey”) as presentational songs (as a result, “Bewitched” and “Pal Joey” cut awkwardly into the proceedings, and seemed to come from another film). Perhaps the most viable approach for a revised Pal Joey is to eliminate the second act’s minor characters and its intrusive plot twists, and, in the manner of Fosse’s Cabaret film, use the songs in presentational rather than narrative format. The songs could be performed in the nightclub, and could comment on plot, character, and atmosphere. Many of the script’s book songs (such as “Happy Hunting Horn,” “Do It the Hard Way,” and certainly “Zip”) seem more presentational than narrative, and can easily be imagined as part of the nightclub show.

ALOHA HAWAII “A NEW MUSICAL” / “THE NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL SHOW” / “A STORY Theatre: McKinley Auditorium, Honolulu, Hawaii Opening Date: June 1961 Closing Date: Unknown

WITH

MUSIC

AND

SONGS

OF

HAWAII TODAY”

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Book: Pete Lee, Fred T. Smith, and R. Alex Anderson Lyrics and Music: Pete Lee, Fred T. Smith, and R. Alex Anderson Direction: Marvin Kline; Producer: Uncredited; Choreography: Peggy Ryan; Scenery and Lighting: Jock Purinton; Costumes: Barbara Thurston; Musical Direction: Virgil Davis Cast: H. Momi Rodriques (Sail), Alvin Lum (Slick), Bob Davis (Tugboat), Kalani Cockett (Cat), Ron Jakubee (Digger), Willa Knight (Mona), Jimmy Caesar (Stats), Mokihana Kiaaina (Opua), Beverly Chamberlin (Emma), David Anderson (Bob), Peggy Morgan (Bebe), Nona Kramer (Aloma), Mari-jo Choy (Leilani), Nina Ii (Ginger), Howard Finley (Philip), Diana Hale (Lani), Emma Veary (Malia), Estrellita Rania (Moana); Featured Dancers: Kimo Mansfield, Hatsue Han; Singing and Dancing Chorus: Jeannette Allyn, Sheila Akau, Hilde Biallas, Judy Lauri, Mary Ann Ogawa, Mike Serra, Mary Tree, Danielle Wallace, Bobby Harned, Milt Harris, Norman Ing, Keoki, Marc Smith, Vernon Stone The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, at the present time.

Musical Numbers

(Performance credits were not given in the program.) Act One: “Female Epicurean’s Society”; “Don’t Tease”; “O.W.O.H. March”; “The Best Thing for You”; “Too Young to Understand”; “You Never Can Tell”; “You’re Cheatin’ on Me”; “Poi for Two”; “Muu Muu Mama”; “Walking Down the Street”; “Don’t Tease” (reprise); “This Program with You”; “I’m So in Love”; “Welakahao Swing” Act Two: “Hawaii, U.S.A.”; “Ode of Men and Women”; “Mona’s Soliloquy”; “Please”; “Lani”; “Muu Muu Mama” (reprise); “Mona’s (Philip’s) Soliloquy” (reprise); “I’m So in Love”; “Fire in the Mountain” (Tribute to Pele); “Aloha (Is the Spirit of) Hawaii” In 1962, Foxy became the first musical to have a pre-Broadway tryout in the Yukon; although the production shuttered there, two years later a revised version made it to Broadway. In 1961, Hawaii offered two home-grown musicals to Broadway; one made it (if just barely; the other didn’t). 13 Daughters and Aloha Hawaii premiered in Hawaii, but it appears the former was originally produced as a local musical with Broadway not specifically in mind while the latter was clearly produced as a tryout prior to a Broadway production. The program of Aloha Hawaii hailed the new musical (“a story with music and songs of Hawaii today”) as “The New Broadway Musical Show,” and the souvenir program stated the original cast album would be released by Capitol Records and the songs would be published by the Laurel Publishing Company. For all that, Aloha Hawaii never made it to Broadway and was never recorded, thus forever depriving show music buffs of hearing “Poi for Two” and “Muu Muu Moma.” At least 13 Daughters had a month-long stay on Broadway, and while its New York cast album was cancelled by ABC Paramount Records, a later Hawaiian production was recorded. Aloha Hawaii opened at the McKinley Auditorium in Honolulu in June 1961. The souvenir program indicated the $100,000 production would tour the mainland before reaching Broadway, but the show never got beyond Honolulu. The plot dealt with Waikiki beach boys; a restaurant owner concerned with preserving Hawaii’s natural resources and protecting her beachfront property (in an early version of the script she was a nightclub owner who was a cross between Sophie Tucker and Bloody Mary); and the restaurateur’s niece whose property is threatened by a volcano (it’s unclear if angry island gods were involved in the proceedings). The cast included Alvin Lum, who would create a few roles in Broadway musicals, including Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen (1970), Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971), and City of Angels (1989). In 1989, he also appeared in the belated Broadway premiere of Chu Chem (the musical had closed during its pre-Broadway tryout in 1966).

HOLIDAY IN JAPAN Theatres and Dates: State Fair Music Hall, Dallas, Texas, July 1960; Shubert Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, December 12, 1960 (and other venues during summer and fall 1960)

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Direction: Paul Godkin; Producers: For the Texas production, Steve Parker was given sole credit as producer; for Boston, he was joined by Stanley Shifman and Richard Earle; Choreography: Paul Godkin; Scenery: Hachiro Nakajima (modern settings by Nicky Nadeau); Costumes: Hachiro Nakajima (modern costumes by Nicky Nadeau); Lighting: Larry Parker (as Lighting Consultant); Musical Direction: Ted Dale Cast: Izumi Yukimura, James Borges, Nagata Kings, Haru Tominaga, Rie Taniuchi, The Smoky Rangers (Akira, Nobuiko, and Toshihiko Tainaka), The Rocky-Fellers (Dorteo, Jun [Junior], Tony, and Eddie Maligmat), Emi Higuma, Chusiro Sato, Shizuko Yagi, Hisao Konuma, Takashi Hoshino, Atsumi Nishimura, Kimihiko Saijo, Kenny Saito, Victor Toyota, Toshihiko Tainaka, Kimiko Tanaka, Chico Nagata; Misses Asakawa, Ito, Kasao, Kitsuura, Miyakawa, Nagisa, Nakamura, Someya, and Yamaguchi The revue was presented in two acts. Act One: “Girls of Greeting” (Koyo) (Shizuko Yagi, Kitsuura, Nagisa, Ito, Nakamura, and Yamaguchi); “13th Century Procession of the Courtesans” (Orian dochu) (Izumi Yukimura, Company); “Spring Love” (Haru no koi) (Shizuko Yagi, Chusiro Sato, Wisteria Girls); “Koto enso” (Haru Tominaga, Akira, Nobuiko, Toshihiko Tainaka); Narrator Sequence (James Borges); “Kyoto Doll” (Kyo ningyo) (Emi Higuma [Courtesan, Doll], Hisao Konuma [The Sculptor], Takashi Hoshino [Samurai], Atsumi Nishimura [Samurai], Company [Warriors, Geishas, Maidens of Kyoto]); “Baseball” (The Nagata Kings); “The Hungry Raccoon” (Sho jo ji) (Izumi Yukimura, Misses Asakawa, Kasao, Someya, and Miyakawa [Raccoons]), Company [Lovers]) Act Two: “Toyko T.V.”: (a) “Rock a Billy” (Jun Maligmat, Teenagers); (b) “Commercial” (Kimiko Tanaka, Victor Toyota); (c) “Announcer” (James Borges); (d) “Nagasaki” (Tokyo-ettes); (e) Songs by Izumi Yukimura; Her Escorts, The Millionaires; (f) The Smoky Rangers (Akira, Nobuiko, and Toshihiko Tainaka); (g) “Lonesome Cowboy” (Chico Nagata [Big Iron], Company [Cowboys, Indians, Ladies]); (h) T.V. Finale (Izumi Yukimura, Company); Medley (James Borges); “Beatnik Blues” (Rie Taniuchi, Kanda Beatniks); The Rocky-Fellers (Dorteo, Junior, Tony, and Eddie Maligmat); “Kool Kabook”: “Jumbi,” “Tokyo Trolley,” “Wild Rose,” “Swanee,” and “Jazz Kakuki” (Izumi Yukimura, Company); Medley (Izumi Yukimura); Finale: “Hana” (Flower Song”) and “Sayonara” (“Good-Bye”) (Company) The touring production of the Japanese revue Holiday in Japan seems to have disappeared under the theatrical radar. Theatre World ignores it, and Best Plays refers to it just once, in a list of shows that closed prior to their Broadway opening. The revue was first produced on a smaller scale at the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, apparently sometime during summer 1959. James Shigeta was the leading performer as well as the master of ceremonies, and the one-act revue included nine musical sequences: Overture; “13th Century Procession of the Courtesans”; Master of Ceremonies; “Spring Love”; “Wistaria Girls”; “Koto Enso”; “Kyoto Doll”; Nagata Kings; “Nippon Nights”; and Finale. The credits stated the producer was Bill Miller, who was “presenting” Steve Parker’s revue. The production was later expanded, and the new version opened at the State Fair Music Hall in Dallas in July 1960. The program indicated the revue’s next stop would be the Latin Quarter in New York City, but it appears there was one and perhaps two more venues prior to the anticipated New York nightclub engagement because the show was booked for a short run at the Shubert Theatre in Boston on December 12, 1960. It seems that after the Boston booking the revue permanently closed (and of course never played in New York). The evening offered a combination of somewhat traditional Japanese sequences (“Girls of Greeting,” “13th Century Procession of the Courtesans”) as well as familiar American revue targets (beatniks, baseball, and television). The above list of musical numbers is taken from the Boston program; the list of numbers in the Dallas souvenir program is essentially the same, with one exception: the “Tokyo T.V.” sequence included a “Tea Ceremony” which depicted an “old” tea ceremony (performed by Orie Sasaki and James Borges) and a “new” ceremony (performed by Masae Mukai); the sequence was presented between the “Announcer” and “Nagasaki” segments. Incidentally, the Boston program noted that two groups in the revue, the Smoky Rangers and the Rocky Fellers, “have a wonderful talent for capturing the heartbeat of American western and hillbilly folklore.” Top-billed Izumi Yukimura was reported to be a “most popular film star and musical comedy performer,” with fifty-eight movies and more than 100 records to her credit (“most of them are million sellers”). The program also reported that when not wearing traditional “Oriental” dress, Yukimura liked nothing more than sporting blue jeans and cowboy boots. Further, the program noted that when she left Japan to embark on the American tour of Holiday in Japan, hundreds of weeping fans crowded the Tokyo airport to bid her farewell because she would be gone “for such a long time.” But one suspects Yukimura returned to Japan much sooner than she and her fans ever anticipated.

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At the time of the production, producer Steve Parker was married to Shirley MacLaine. Another revue titled Holiday in Japan opened in London at the Prince of Wales Theatre on July 19, 1963, for ninety-nine performances. Except for the title and general content, it wasn’t related to the earlier production.

IMPULSE! “THE NEW WAVE REVUE”/“AN EVENING

OF IMPROVISATION”

Theatre: O’Keefe Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Opening Date: March 20, 1961 (closed on March 25) Devised by Monte Kay Direction and Lighting: Ralph Alswang; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen in association with Andre Goulston, and coproduced by Monte Kay Cast: Brendan Behan, Nina Simone and Her Trio, Gerry Mulligan and His Concert Jazz Band, The African “Drums of Passion” with Olatunji and His Dancers, Drummers, and Singers, Carmen de Lavallade, John Butler Impulse! was a self-described “New Wave Revue/An Evening of Improvisation” with a disparate cast that included playwright Brendan Behan (as the conferencier), the “amazing” singer and pianist Nina Simone and Her Trio, Gerry Mulligan and His Concert Jazz Band, an African group of dancers, drummers, and singers called the “Drums of Passion” and headed by one Olatunji (aka Michael Batatunde Olatunji), and “special added attraction” dancers Carmen de Lavallade and John Butler. Apparently these elements didn’t jell, because the revue opened and closed within a week, premiering at the O’Keefe Center in Toronto on March 20, 1961, and closing there on March 25. The production had been scheduled to open on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on April 1. Carmen de Lavallade and John Butler performed a dance sequence titled “A Portrait of Billie Holliday,” which was choreographed by Butler. Oscar Brown Jr. was slated to be in the New York production; it’s unlikely he appeared during the Toronto performances (his name wasn’t in the program, but was in the New York ads and on the poster). And Canadian trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, who wasn’t listed in the New York advertisements but was listed and pictured in the Toronto program, apparently wasn’t in the Toronto tryout; it would seem that at the last minute Ferguson’s portion of the evening was filled by Gerry Mulligan (and his musicians) since they weren’t listed in the program (but Mulligan appears in publicity photos). A note in the revue’s ads and posters stated that when ordering tickets, the public should keep in mind that Impulse! “is a theatrical experiment. Although programmed for the stage, the work of its creative talents is improvisational. The unconventional framework of Impulse! allows for a periodic change of artists without any considerable change in the show’s character.” Brendan Behan had better luck on Broadway earlier in the season, when his play The Hostage opened at the Cort Theatre for a run of 127 performances. Alexander H. Cohen was (along with Leonard Sillman) one of the most flop-prone producers in American musical theatre. During a fifty-two-year period, he produced (and sometimes coproduced) fifteen flops. Besides Impulse!, his string of failures are: Of V We Sing (1942; 76 performances); Bright Lights of 1944 (1943; 4 performances); Make a Wish (1951; 102 performances); Courtin’ Time (1951; 37 performances); Lena Horne and Her Nine O’Clock Revue (closed during its pre-Broadway tryout in 1961); Rugantino (1964; 28 performances); Baker Street (1965; 313 performances); A Time for Singing (1966; 41 performances); Hellzapoppin’ 67 (with Soupy Sales; closed during its pre-Broadway tryout in 1967); Dear World (1969; 132 performances); Prettybelle (closed during its pre-Broadway tryout in 1971); Hellzapoppin’ (with Jerry Lewis; closed during its preBroadway tryout in 1977); I Remember Mama (1979; 108 performances); and Comedy Tonight (1994; 9 performances). Cohen produced two musicals which were hits: despite its somewhat brief run of 127 performances, Words and Music, a 1974 tribute to lyricist Sammy Cahn (the cast of four included Cahn himself) was profitable, as was A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (1980), which played for 588 performances. Cohen was most successful in his productions of intimate (and sometimes essentially nonmusical) revues, such as At the Drop of a Hat (1959), An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May (1960), Beyond the Fringe (1962), At the Drop of Another Hat (1966), and Good Evening (1973) as well as concert-like Broadway appearances by such personalities as Marlene Dietrich, Yves Montand, and Maurice Chevalier (see entries).

• 1961–1962 Season

THE BILLY BARNES PEOPLE “A NEW MUSICAL REVUE” Theatre: Royale Theatre Opening Date: June 13, 1961 Closing Date: June 17, 1961 Performances: 7 Sketches: Bob Rodgers Lyrics and Music: Billy Barnes Direction: Bob Rodgers; Producer: John Pool; Scenery: Spencer Davies (cartoons designed by William Box); Costumes: Grady Hunt; Lighting: Uncredited (possibly Spencer Davies); Musical Direction: Ray Henderson Cast: Joyce Jameson, Dick Patterson, Patti Regan, Dave Ketchum, Ken Berry, Jackie Joseph, Jack Grinnage, Jo Anne Worley The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Numbers Act One: “If It Wasn’t for People” (Company); “There’s Nothing Wrong with Our Values” (Joyce Jameson, Dave Ketchum, Patti Regan, Dick Patterson); “Vegas Revisited” (Jack Grinnage [Baker, Fella], Jackie Joseph [Statue], Patti Regan [Chorus Girl], Dave Ketchum [Herman Hepplewhite], Dick Patterson [Fella], Jo Anne Worley [Opera Diva]); “Don’t Bother” (Jackie Joseph, Ken Berry); “I Wrote a Book” (Joyce Jameson [Authoress], Jo Anne Worley [Fan], Dick Patterson [Fan]); “If It Makes You Happy” (The Syndicate Song) (Dave Ketchum [The Boss], Jackie Joseph [His Girl], Jack Grinnage [Boy], Ken Berry [Boy]); “Damn-A lot” (Jack Grinnage [Narrator], Patti Regan [Guenevere], Joyce Jameson [Morgan O’Fey], Dave Ketchum [King Arthur], Dick Patterson [Lancelot]); “What Do We Have to Hold On To?” (I) (Jo Anne Worley); “I Like You” (Romantic Couple: Jackie Joseph, Ken Berry; Neurotic Couple: Jo Anne Worley, Jack Grinnage; Sophisticated Couple: Joyce Jameson, Dick Patterson); “Before and After” (Dave Ketchum, Dick Patterson); “Let’s Get Drunk” (Ken Berry); “It’s Not Easy” (Patti Regan [Ethel], Joyce Jameson [Janet], Jo Anne Worley [Adele]); “The Speech Teacher” (Dick Patterson [Teacher], Jack Grinnage [Client]); “The Matinee” (Company) Act Two: “If It Wasn’t for People” (reprise) (Jack Grinnage; The Couch: Jackie Joseph, Dick Patterson; The Balcony: Jo Anne Worley, Dave Ketchum; Bus Stop: Patti Regan, Ken Berry); “Liberated Woman” (Joyce Jameson [Sally O’Toole], Jack Grinnage [Johnny], Dick Patterson [Narrator]); “What Do We Have to Hold On To?” (Jo Anne Worley); “The End?” (Dick Patterson, Ken Berry, Dave Ketchum); “Alice” (Jackie Joseph [Alice], Patti Regan [Felicia Fashion], Dick Patterson [Marty Market], Jo Anne Worley [Housewife], Joyce Jameson [Mrs. Karr], Ken Berry [Mr. Karr], Dave Ketchum [Mr. Big Business, Sr.], Jack Grinnage [Mr.

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Big Business, Jr.]); “Grauman’s Chinese” (Dick Patterson, Patti Regan, Ken Berry); “Second Best” (Joyce Jameson); “What Do We Have to Hold On To?” (II) (Jo Anne Worley); “Dolls” (Dave Ketchum, Dick Patterson, Patti Regan); “Where Is the Clown?” (Joyce Jameson, Ken Berry); “Marital Infidelity” (Company); “I Like You” (reprise) (Company) In his review of The Billy Barnes People, Howard Taubman in the New York Times mysteriously alluded to “the most difficult conditions” under which the show opened. Other reviewers filled in the back story. New York had just undergone a citywide power failure during a prolonged heat wave; but when power was restored, the air-conditioning in the Royale (now Bernard B. Jacobs) Theatre somehow failed to work. As a result, Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror reported the “perspiration drenched” opening night audience endured “intense” heat, and John Chapman in the New York Daily News said there was “incredible” heat in the “power-paralyzed theatre.” Further, the audience had to wait almost forty minutes for the curtain to rise, but not before cast member Dave Ketchum, in a pre-curtain speech, invited the men in the audience to remove their jackets (which they did). The reviewers cheered both cast and audience (Chapman said the latter “gave one of the greatest performances in my memory”) for bravely dealing with the heat, but otherwise didn’t have reason to applaud the revue. Taubman was puzzled how this “cheap, raucous affair” of “tawdry goods” could have been a longrunning hit in Los Angeles, and he wondered if “our compatriots on the other side of the continent have lost contact with reality,” while Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune suggested “The Billy Barnes People ought to speak to Billy Barnes. Sharply.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the evening an “inept and embarrassing charade,” and Chapman noted it was “too cute, too mannered and too collegiate.” Show business was a frequent revue target, and The Billy Barnes People laughed at Las Vegas chorus girls, silent films, movie-star autobiographies (Joyce Jameson, who specialized in spoofs of Marilyn Monroe, here satirized Zsa Zsa Gabor), Maria Callas (Jo Anne Worley depicted Callas doing a Las Vegas act replete with sequin-jacketed chorus boys), and the currently-running musical Camelot. Titled “Damn-A lot,” the latter sketch imagined Camelot as written by Brendan Behan in the manner of his drama The Hostage, which had been seen on Broadway during the previous season. Other skits dealt with atomic warfare, big business, and women’s liberation. Ken Berry was singled out for his dancing, especially in “Let’s Get Drunk,” where he portrayed an overworked office clerk who goes on a bender (Chapman said he brought to mind Fred Astaire, Ray Bolger, and Jack Donahue). Verve Records was scheduled to record the cast album, which was cancelled due to the revue’s oneweek run. In Los Angeles, the revue played at Las Palmas Theatre, and included the following numbers that were dropped by the time the show reached New York: “Let’s Forgive,” “Communication in the Home,” “Kennedy,” “Unfriendly Divorce,” and “The Bed.” The production’s program “starred” Joyce Jameson and Len Weinrib; “also starred” Patti Regan; with “Guest Star” Ken Berry; “Special Guest Star” Jackie Joseph; “Extra Special Guest Star” Jack Grinnage; “Extra Added Attraction” Jo Anne Worley; and Dick Patterson “as Dick Patterson.” With the exception of Weinrib, the entire cast transferred to Broadway (Dave Ketchum joined the revue for New York). While Ben Bagley and Julius Monk produced topical revues Off-Broadway, Billy Barnes was active with a series of Los Angeles–based satiric revues; unlike Bagley and Monk, Barnes wrote his own lyrics and music and left the producing to others. Over the years, Barnes offered a number of West Coast revues, a few of which played Off-Broadway. (The) Billy Barnes Revue opened Off-Broadway at the York Playhouse on June 9, 1959, for sixty-four performances, and then transferred to Broadway on August 4 at the John Golden Theatre and on September 28 to the Lyceum, for a total of eighty-seven Broadway performances. From there, the revue returned to Off-Broadway, opening on October 20 at the Carnegie Hall Playhouse for forty-eight performances. All told, the revue’s visits to the four New York theatres totaled 199 performances. The revue was recorded by Decca Records (LP # DL-9076). Another Barnes revue, Blame It on the Movies!, opened Off-Broadway on May 16, 1989, at the Criterion Center Stage Left Theatre for three performances. Barnes’s revue Billy Barnes’ L.A. opened in that city on October 10, 1962, and was recorded by BB Records (LP # 1001; reissued on CD by Kritzerland Records # KR-20016-4). In 1999, Billy Barnes Revued was released by Ducy Lee Recordings (CD # DLR-900107) and offered material from throughout Barnes’ career.

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FROM THE SECOND CITY Theatre: Royale Theatre Opening Date: September 26, 1961; December 9, 1961 Performances: 87 Scenes and Dialogue: Created by the company Music: William Mathieu Direction: Paul Sills; Producers: Max Liebman, Bernard Sahlins, Howard Alk, and Paul Sills; Scenery and Lighting: Frederick Fox Cast: Howard Alk, Alan Arkin, Severn Darden, Andrew Duncan, Barbara Harris, Mina Kolb, Paul Sand, Eugene Troobnick; Garry Sherman (Piano) The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches Act One: “Max and Moritz” (Severn Darden, Howard Alk, Barbara Harris); “Great Books” (Eugene Troobnick, Barbara Harris, Andrew Duncan, Mina Kolb, Severn Darden); “Hollywood Ten” (Alan Arkin, Mina Kolb, Severn Darden); “Phono Pal” (Paul Sand, Eugene Troobnick); ”The Hoboken Story” (Paul Sand, Barbara Harris, Mina Kolb, Andrew Duncan, Alan Arkin, Howard Alk, Severn Darden); “The Silent Film” (Severn Darden, Eugene Troobnick, Paul Sand); “The Bergman Film” (Severn Darden, Paul Sand, Barbara Harris); “Interview: West Germany” (Eugene Troobnick, Alan Arkin); “Interview: Louisiana” (Andrew Duncan, Severn Darden); “A Short Message” (Mina Kolb, Eugene Troobnick); “Football Comes to the U of C” (Andrew Duncan, Howard Alk, Eugene Troobnick, Severn Darden); “Museum Piece” (Barbara Harris, Alan Arkin); “Second City Symphony” (Company) Act Two: “Tempo” (Company); “Laos” (Paul Sand, Andrew Duncan); “I Got Blues” (Barbara Harris, Severn Darden, Howard Alk); “Minstrel Show” (Eugene Troobnick, Andrew Duncan, Paul Sand, Howard Alk); “A Piece of String” (Severn Darden, Paul Sand); “No, George, Don’t” (Alan Arkin, Mina Kolb); “News Broadcast—1965” (Eugene Troobnick); “First Affair” (Barbara Harris, Severn Darden); “Mountain Climbing” (Howard Alk, Alan Arkin, Paul Sand, Andrew Duncan, Eugene Troobnick); “Caesar’s Wife” (Mina Kolb, Barbara Harris, Howard Alk); “Noah” (Company) The Second City was a successful improvisational company based in Chicago. Although improvisational in nature, the sketches were nonetheless rehearsed and edited; the essence of their material (if not necessarily the specific lines of dialogue) became part of the company’s repertoire, but if in performance the scenes didn’t go over well with a particular audience , the cast asked the audience for suggestions. The Playbill noted that “everything is subject to change . . . with or without notice.” From the Second City marked the group’s New York debut, and the critics were impressed with the cast and the skits, although a few noted a Broadway theatre was too large for the Second City brand of comedy and suggested the material might be better served in a smaller venue. The revue played for eighty-seven performances, and a month after its closing the team regrouped at the Square East, an Off-Broadway theatre, where they presented Seacoast of Bohemia, the first of eleven Second City revues to be presented OffBroadway over a twenty-two-year period (see below for a complete list of the revues). Except for Mina Kolb, who was replaced by Lynda Segal, the entire Broadway company reunited for Seacoast, which included two sequences from the Broadway production (“No, George, Don’t” and “Phono Pal” [the latter retitled “VendA-Buddy” for Seacoast]). The New York critics praised a number of sequences in From the Second City, including “Museum Piece,” which depicted an encounter between a serious art student and a beatnik musician at the Art Institute of Chicago (Barbara Harris played the student, Alan Arkin the beatnik; John McClain in the New York Journal-American noted that Harris “runs away with this and all the subsequent scrimmages in which she is involved”); “Phono Pal” (in his review of Seacoast of Bohemia, Arthur Gelb in the New York Times noted that by depositing a nickel in a machine, a voice will speak “platitudinous words of comfort” to you); and “Noah,” in which two centaurs miss the boat. The revue also covered such topics as Ingmar Bergman films (here Seventh Seal Strawberries), silent movies, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, marijuana, Southern

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governors, Barry Goldwater, Laos, the Cold War, and West Side Story (here an adaptation of Julius Caesar titled The Hoboken Story). There are two Second City cast albums, Comedy from the Second City (LP # OCS-6201 and # OCM-2201) and From the Second City (LP # OCS-6203 and # OCM-2203), both released by Mercury Records. The first album was recorded live from a January 19, 1961, performance at the Second City Cabaret Theatre in Chicago (“No, George, Don’t” was among the sketches); the second is the cast album from the 1961 Broadway production. Theatre Arts reported that the revue (as The Second City Revue) was shown on an early version of payper-view television by International Telemeter, the same company that offered The Consul and Show Girl. It appears the telecast was taped from a Chicago performance. The following are the eleven Off-Broadway Second City revues: Seacoast of Bohemia (Square East, January 10, 1962; 258 performances); Alarums and Excursions (Square East, May 29, 1962; 619 performances); To the Water Tower (Square East, April 4, 1963; 210 performances); When the Owl Screams (Square East, September 12, 1963; 141 performances); Open Season at the Second City (Square East, January 22, 1964; 90 performances); The Wrecking Ball (Square East, April 15, 1964; 126 performances); A View from Under the Bridge (Square East, August 5, 1964; 94 performances); The Return of the Second City in “20,000 Frozen Grenadiers” (Square East, April 21, 1966; 29 performances); From the Second City (Eastside Playhouse, October 14, 1969; 31 performances); Cooler Near the Lake (Plaza 9 Music Hall, February 7, 1971; 26 performances); and Orwell That Ends Well (Village Gate Downstairs, March 1, 1984; 110 performances). The Broadway and Off-Broadway editions ran for a total of 1,621 performances. Most of the titles of the Second City revues were virtually meaningless, and in their way these titles “defined” the series, just as Ben Bagley (the word “shoestring”), Julius Monk (numerical references), and Rod Warren (sporting references) used various title themes to distinguish their revues.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Severn Darden); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Barbara Harris)

SAIL AWAY “NOEL COWARD’S NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre Opening Date: October 3, 1961 Closing Date: February 24, 1962 Performances: 167 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Noel Coward Direction: Noel Coward; Producers: Bonard Productions (Helen G. Bonfils, Haila Stoddard, and Donald R. Seawell) in association with Charles Russell; Choreography: Joe Layton (Buddy Schwab, Associate Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Helene Pond and Oliver Smith (furs designed by Alixandre); Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Peter Matz Cast: Charles Braswell (Joe, Ali), Keith Prentice (Shuttleworth), James Pritchett (Rawlings), C. Stafford Dickens (Sir Gerald Nutfield), Margaret Mower (Lady Nutfield), Grover Dale (Barnaby Slade), Henry Lawrence (Elmer Candijack), Betty Jane Watson (Maimie Candijack), Alan Helms (Glen Candijack), Patti Mariano (Shirley Candijack), Jon Richards (Mr. Sweeney), Paula Bauersmith (Mrs. Sweeney), Alice Pearce (Elinor Spencer-Bollard), Patricia Harty (Nancy Foyle), Paul O’Keefe (Alvin Lush), Evelyn Russell (Mrs. Lush), James Hurst (John [Johnny] Van Mier), Margalo Gillmore (Mrs. Van Mier), Elaine Stritch (Mimi Paragon), Richard Woods (Man from American Express); The Little Ones: Bobby Allen, Paul Gross, Bridget Knapp, Mary Ellen O’Keefe, Paul O’Keefe, Dennis Scott, Christopher Votos; Passengers, Stewards, Arabs, Italians: Jere Admire, Don Atkinson, Gary Crabbe, David Evans, Pat Ferrier, Dorothy Frank, Ann Fraser, James Frasher, Gene Gavin, S. Curtis Hood, Wish Mary Hunt, Cheryl Kilgren, Nancy Lynch, Patti Mariano, Alan Peterson, Alice Shanahan, Dan Siretta, Gloria Stevens

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The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the S.S. Coronia and in ports of call (Tangier, Italy, and Greece).

Musical Numbers Act One: “Come to Me” (Elaine Stritch, Stewards); “Sail Away” (James Hurst); “Come to Me” (reprise) (Elaine Stritch); “Sail Away” (reprise) (James Hurst, Company); “Where Shall I Find Him?” (Patricia Harty); “Beatnik Love Affair” (Grover Dale, Patricia Harty, Passengers); “Later Than Spring” (James Hurst); “The Passenger’s Always Right” (Charles Braswell, Stewards); “Useful Phrases” (Elaine Stritch); “Where Shall I Find Her?” (reprise) (Grover Dale); “Go Slow, Johnny” (James Hurst); “You’re a Long, Long Way from America” (Elaine Stritch, Company) Act Two: “The Customer’s Always Right” (Charles Braswell, Arabs); “Something Very Strange” (Elaine Stritch); “Italian Interlude” (dance) (Company); “The Little Ones’ ABC” (Elaine Stritch, Paul O’Keefe, Children); “Don’t Turn Away from Love” (James Hurst); “When You Want Me” (Grover Dale, Patricia Harty); “Later Than Spring” (reprise) (Elaine Stritch); “Why Do the Wrong People Travel?” (Elaine Stritch); “When You Want Me” (reprise) (Company) Noel Coward’s Sail Away was not only the season’s first book musical, it was also Coward’s first musical to open on Broadway prior to a West End production. And it was definitely Noel Coward’s Sail Away: he wrote the book, lyrics, and music, directed the production, designed the poster artwork, and appeared on the Playbill cover with Elaine Stritch, the show’s star. It was even Coward’s voice as the S.S. Coronia’s unseen captain which was heard over the luxury cruise ship’s loudspeaker (at one point, he announces that tonight’s shipboard movie will be Joshua Logan’s Fanny on a wide screen). The almost plotless musical took a wry revue-like look at shipboard life, tourists, and foreign locales, and for the most part the critics were generous in their reviews, emphasizing the lighthearted nature of the proceedings, the amusing Coward songs, and Stritch’s bravura performance as Mimi Paragon, the ship’s weary, seen-it-all social director who, according to Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune, invested the line “I have to go check on the ping-pong finals” with a sense of the utmost urgency. Stritch’s comic songs included the evening’s most fondly remembered number, the show-stopping “Why Do the Wrong People Travel?,” in which she’s aghast over the “mass mania/To leave Pennsylvania” when in truth all these people would be better off staying at home with the Kennedys and Kleenex; “(Useless) Useful Phrases,” in which she complains about unhelpful foreign-language guides (“Please bring me some rhubarb / I need a shampoo”); and “You’re a Long, Long Way from America,” in which she salutes American tourists, brave pioneers all, as they face the horrors of European plumbing and continental coffee. Another highlight was a spoof of The Sound of Music’s “Do Re Mi,” in which Mimi tries to entertain Children from Hell with “The Little Ones’ ABC” (“‘G’ of course / Stands for Getting a Divorce”). John Chapman in the New York Daily News reported that the “head pest of this mob” was a tyke named Paul O’Keefe, and he suggested the boy might grow up to be “the greatest actor since Edwin Booth—if he lives long enough.” And Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror offered a “salute” to the “monstrous brat” created by “Master” O’Keefe. And it isn’t just Mimi who hates cruise ship passengers. The crew complains about them, too, in “The Passenger’s Always Right,” which, in an amusing reprise, is performed as “The Customer’s Always Right” by a group of locals hoping to drain the tourists of every Yankee dollar. When Mimi becomes involved in a May-September romance with a younger man (Johnny, played by James Hurst), she explores her new feelings in the haunting “Something Very Strange,” one of Coward’s most affecting ballads (curiously, the song never became a standard and is virtually ignored by cabaret artists). Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical an “agreeable and at times brilliant entertainment”; Howard Taubman in the New York Times praised the “big, handsome, rakish vessel of a musical”; and Coleman noted the show “has an invigorating vitality that we found irresistible.” On the other hand, Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram wrote that Sail Away could have been “the musical of the year” if it had opened in 1936, and Kerr felt the show was “easy . . . too easy.” But all the critics had high praise for Stritch, who received some of the season’s best notices. Coleman noted that “seldom has a show owed so much to one exuberant, serpent-tongued personality. She’s terrific.”

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Taubman said she gave “the performance of her career,” and John McClain in the New York Journal-American wrote she had been “long unheralded,” and was now “finally given a whopping part in which to display her rare gifts as a comedienne and song sender.” During the tryout, the musical was radically revised. In the original plot, Mimi isn’t romantically involved with Johnny; instead, he’s seeing an older (and married) woman (Verity, played by second-billed Jean Fenn). Verity had three solos, “I Am No Good at Love,” “This Is a Changing World,” and “Something Very Strange,” and with Johnny she shared the duet “This Is a Night for Lovers.” When the plot was reworked and the romance between Mimi and Johnny was introduced, Jean Fenn and William Hutt (who played Verity’s husband) were written out of the musical and of the four songs in the Verity-Johnny subplot, only “Something Very Strange” remained in the score (as a solo for Mimi). (Before the role of Verity was completely eliminated, for at least one Philadelphia performance the role was played by Annamary Dickey, Fenn’s standby; Dickey had originated the role of Joseph Taylor Jr.’s mother in the original 1947 production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Allegro, and with William Ching introduced “A Fellow Needs a Girl,” one of the score’s most enduring numbers.) Fenn didn’t have much luck in musical theatre. Not only was her Sail Away role eliminated during the tryout, but her starring role (as Queen Isabella) in Meredith Willson’s 1491 (1969) came to naught when the musical closed during its pre-Broadway tour. As mentioned, of the four songs heard in the Verity-Johnny subplot, only “Something Very Strange” was retained. Two songs were added during the tryout, both for Johnny: “Go Slow, Johnny” and “Don’t Turn Away from Love.” The tryout’s “Sicilian Interlude” wedding sequence became “Italian Interlude” for New York, and after the Broadway opening, “The Little Ones’ ABC” was shifted from the second to the first act. Further, during the run three minor speaking roles were added (Carrington [David Evans], Deck Steward [James Frasher], and Girl Passenger [Ann Fraser]). An earlier version of the title song was heard in Coward’s 1950 London musical Ace of Clubs, and “Go Slow, Johnny” is lyrically related to “Wait a Bit, Joe” from Coward’s 1945 London revue Sigh No More. “This Is a Changing World” and “This Is a Night for Lovers” were first heard in Coward’s 1946 London musical Pacific 1860. According to Noel Coward: The Complete Lyrics, an unfinished song for Verity and Johnny was “Let’s Have One More Try,” and another duet for them (“If We’d Met”) didn’t even make it to rehearsals. Further, Coward wrote two other (unused) songs that were variants on the theme of the wrong people traveling (“Patterson, Pennsylvania” and “Don’t Let Father See the Frescoes”). All the lyrics for the songs from Sail Away are included in this collection. Sail Away played for just 167 performances, but on June 21, 1962, just a few months after the Broadway closing, the musical was remounted for London at the Savoy Theater, where it ran for 252 performances (but, like the New York production, it still lost its investment). Elaine Stritch re-created her Mimi for London, and David Holliday (who later appeared in Coco) was Johnny. Grover Dale also reprised his New York role for the West End. For the London production, Coward added a new song, “Bronxville Darby and Joan,” for Edith Day and Sydney Arnold. Other London cast members included John Hewer and Dorothy Reynolds. Day had created the title role in the original 1919 Broadway production of Irene, introducing “Alice Blue Gown,” the musical’s most enduring song; she also starred in the original London productions of a number of Broadway hits, including Irene, Rose-Marie, The Desert Song, Show Boat, and Rio Rita. Hewer originated the title role in the 1954 Broadway production of The Boy Friend, and Reynolds had co-written with Julian Slade the book and lyrics of Salad Days, the hit London musical that played for 2,283 performances. The score of Sail Away was recorded four times. The Broadway cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # S/WAO-1643; was later issued on CD by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-0777-7-64759-2-9; and then again on CD by DRG Records # 19083). The latter issue also included bonus tracks of Coward performing numbers from the score. The London cast album was released by HMV Records (LP # CLP-1572 and # CSD1445; later re-issued by Stanyan Records LP # 10027); the CD was issued on CD by Fynsworth Alley Records (# 302-062-179-2). Coward’s recording of the score was first released by Capitol Records (LP # SW/W-1667), and, as mentioned, these tracks can be heard on the DRG CD release of the Broadway cast album. Dance to the Music of “Sail Away” was an instrumental version of the score recorded by Ted Straeter and His Society Dance Orchestra (Capitol Records LP # ST/T-1666). For Coward’s centenary, a limited-engagement revival of the musical was presented at Carnegie Hall on November 3, 1999, for ten performances. Stritch was again Mimi, and the cast included Jerry Lanning

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(Johnny), Jane White, Jane Connell, Marian Seldes, Danny Burstein, and Alison Fraser. “Bronxville Darby and Joan” was heard in this production. Incidentally, when Sail Away premiered on Broadway, the first-night audience was treated (if that’s the word) to a memorable one-time-only event. In one scene, Stritch gave seven cast members of the canine persuasion a walk on the deck. One forgot himself, and, in the words of Chapman, the poodle decided to “steal the show” with a bit of “ad-libbing” (Kerr assumed the unfortunate incident was due to the pooch’s “opening night nerves”). Fortunately, an actor who played one of the ship’s stewards took his role to heart and came to the rescue, but not before James Hurst made his entrance with an all too apposite line of dialogue (“I think we’re getting near land. There’s a change in the air”).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Elaine Stritch); Best Producer of a Musical (Helen Bonfils, Haila Stoddard, and Charles Russell)

MILK AND HONEY “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: October 10, 1961 Closing Date: January 26, 1963 Performances: 543 Book: Don Appell Lyrics and Music: Jerry Herman Direction: Albert Marre; Producer: Gerard Oestreicher; Choreography: Donald Saddler; Scenery: Howard Bay; Costumes: Miles White; Lighting: Howard Bay; Musical Direction: Max Goberman Cast: Burt Bier (Porter), Johnny Borden (Shepard Boy), Ronald Holgate (Policeman), Mimi Benzell (Ruth), Robert Weede (Phil), Molly Picon (Clara Weiss), Ellen Berse (The Guide), Addi Negri (Mrs. Weinstein), Dorothy Richardson (Mrs. Strauss), Rose Lischner (Mrs. Breslin), Diane Goldberg (Mrs. Segal), Ceil Delli (Mrs. Kessler), Thelma Pelish (Mrs. Perlman), Lanna Saunders (Barbara), Tommy Rall (David), Juki Arkin (Adi), Ellen Madison (Zipporah), Lou Polacek (Cantor), David London (Cantor), Matt Turney (Maid of Honor), Renato Cibelli (Café Arab), Art Tookoyan (Man of the Moshav), Reuben Singer (Mr. Horowitz); Wedding Couples: Jose Gutierrez, Linda Howe, Michael Nestor, Jane Zachary; Soldiers, Arabs, Tourists, Waiters, Tradesmen, and Farmers: Marceline Decker, Urylee Leonardos, Terry Marone, Sandra Stahl, Marilyn Stark, Patti Winston, Myrna Aaron, Nina Feinberg, Penny Ann Green, Judith Haskell, Linda Howe, Susan May, Matt Turney, Jane Zachary, Burt Bier, Gerald Cardoni, Renato Cibelli, Murray Goldkind, David London, Ed Mastin, Lou Polacek, Robert Rue, Art Tookoyan, Anthony De Vecchi, Louis Gasparinetti, Jose Gutierrez, Stuart Hodes, Alex Kotimski, Carlos Macri, John Mandia, Michael Nestor, Dom Salinaro, Walter Stratton, Eddie Roll, Ronald Holgate The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Israel during the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Shepherd’s Song” (Johnny Borden, Robert Weede); “Shalom” (Robert Weede, Mimi Benzell); “Independence Day Hora” (Company); “Milk and Honey” (Tommy Rall, Juki Arkin, Company); “There’s No Reason in the World” (Robert Weede); “Chin Up, Ladies” (Molly Picon, Addi Negri, Dorothy Richardson, Rose Lischner, Diane Goldberg, Ceil Delli, Thelma Pelish); “That Was Yesterday” (Mimi Benzell, Robert Weede, Juki Arkin, Company); “Let’s Not Waste a Moment” (Robert Weede); “The Wedding” (Mimi Benzell, Robert Weede, Company)

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Act Two: “Like a Young Man” (Robert Weede); “I Will Follow You” (Tommy Rall); “Hymn to Hymie” (Molly Picon); “There’s No Reason in the World” (reprise) (Mimi Benzell); “Milk and Honey” (reprise) (Juki Arkin, Company); “As Simple as That” (Mimi Benzell, Robert Weede); “Shalom” (reprise) (Mimi Benzell, Robert Weede, Company) Milk and Honey marked Jerry Herman’s first full Broadway score. He made his New York debut in the 1954 Off-Broadway revue I Feel Wonderful, which was followed by two more Off-Broadway revues, Nightcap (1958) and Parade (1960). Six months before the premiere of Milk and Honey, he made his Broadway debut in the revue From A to Z (see entry; he contributed one song, “Best Gold,” the show’s opening number). Two months after the Broadway opening of Milk and Honey, Herman returned to Off Broadway one more time, with the book musical Madame Aphrodite. After Milk and Honey, he enjoyed three long-running blockbusters on Broadway: Hello, Dolly! (1964; 2,844 performances); Mame (1966; 1,508 performances); and La Cage Aux Folles (1983; 1,761 performances). Dear World (1969), Mack & Mabel (1974), and The Grand Tour (1979) weren’t commercially or critically successful, but their strong scores have ensured an afterlife in regional and foreign productions as well as concert versions. Although Milk and Honey was generally well-received by the critics, enjoyed a minor pop hit in “Shalom,” ran for 543 performances, and had a national touring company, the musical nonetheless lost money, the first 500-plus-performance show to do so and a dire warning of things to come, when sometimes even a run of 1,000 performances couldn’t guarantee a return on a musical’s initial investment. The plot centered around a group of American Jewish widows (headed by Molly Picon) on vacation in Israel in search of husbands; the romance between one of the tourists (Mimi Benzell) and an American businessman (Robert Weede), who is separated from his wife and is in Israel for his daughter’s wedding; and the conflict between a young Israeli married couple (Tommy Rall and Lanna Saunders) when the wife decides she wants to return home to the United States. Howard Taubman in the New York Times liked the “authenticity” of the show’s atmosphere and its honest characters, noting that Don Appell’s “modest and simple” book was nonetheless “engaging” and that Herman’s score ranged from “functional to exultant” (he singled out seven musical numbers). John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the show “sumptuous, melodic and rousing”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News wrote that in spite of the “sticky” plot, he liked the “charming” cast, “zippy” songs, “extraordinarily good” dances, and the “picturesque” décor. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that when the new musical exuded “the sunniness of a travel poster” it was just fine, but felt it faltered when it took on the “stiff and self-conscious” aspects of a tourist-guide book. As for the cast, Metropolitan singers Robert Weede (who had first appeared on Broadway in 1956 when he created the title role in The Most Happy Fella) and Mimi Benzell (her Broadway debut) thrillingly sang a batch of first-rate Jerry Herman songs (“Shalom,” “There’s No Reason in the World,” “That Was Yesterday,” “Let’s Not Waste a Moment,” “Like a Young Man,” and “As Simple as That”). (There were rumors Weede had a cold and the opening might be postponed, but he was there for the premiere, and the critics noted he was in great voice.) Molly Picon, celebrating her fiftieth year in Yiddish theatre, was here making her first appearance in a traditional Broadway musical (in 1942, she had made her Broadway debut in Oy Is Dus a Leben! [Oh, What a Life!], an autobiographical musical in Yiddish and English for which she wrote the lyrics), and Herman gave her two show-stoppers, “Chin Up, Ladies,” a football-march-like spoof of uplifting show tunes (“Climb every mountain to find your Mister Snow”), and “Hymn to Hymie,” an amusing song directed to her late but beloved husband (a few months earlier, Susan Johnson in Donnybrook! had also sung about her late [but unlamented] husband in “Sad Was the Day”). McClain noted that for these two numbers Picon’s “sprightly kicks and buck-and-wing antics . . . defy both the Christian and Hebrew calendars.” Taubman said she danced “as gay as a young sprig,” and Kerr was amused that when she encouraged her fellow widows to “climb every mountain,” she danced on her knees. Incidentally, when Picon left the show, her replacement was Hermione Gingold, who has the distinction of being the first performer to introduce a Jerry Herman song on Broadway (she sang “Best Gold” in From A to Z). The critics also liked the jubilant title song (which, like West Side Story’s “America,” offered contrasting views about a country). Further, Donald Saddler received raves for his choreography of “Independence Day Hora” and ”The Wedding” (but the critics were divided on the merits of Tommy Rall’s solo ballet, which followed “I Will Follow You”) .

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Chapman’s rave review included one quibble, however. He criticized the use of amplification, and wondered why “the annoyingly artificial aid of mikes and giant loudspeakers” was deemed necessary when the musical employed the strong voices of Weede, Benzell, and Rall as well as a chorus of “well-trained” singers. Chapman could never have anticipated what was to come as future Broadway seasons rolled by. Soon amplification systems blended and equalized all stage voices into a vocal melting pot, resulting in audience members sometimes having no idea where a single on-stage voice was coming from. And what would Chapman have thought of those annoying body mikes (or, more to the point, face mikes)? But Chapman admitted the amplification worked rather well for the scene in which Weede milked a goat (“I could hear the stuff squirting into the pail”). The unbilled goat was one of two musical-comedy goats who made it on Broadway during the period (Lady Astor in Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen [1970] had a shorter run, but at least she received program credit). The original cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1065); early pressings of the album used musical-note artwork on the cover, and later pressings a photograph of dancers. The CD was first issued by RCA (# 09026-61997-2; with artwork cover), and then later by DRG Records (# 19114; with photo cover; this CD includes a bonus track of Robert Goulet singing “Shalom”). The score’s demo (Associated Recording Studios LP # CI-5-7640) includes “A Short Forever” (that is, “Let’s Not Waste a Moment”) and “Mazeltov” (intended for the wedding sequence, this was an early version of “Independence Day Hora”). During the musical’s tryout, one song (“Give Me a Word”) was deleted. As of this writing, Harbinger Records is scheduled to release a one (possibly two) CD set of the backers’ audition of the musical. Don Appell narrates the plot, and Jerry Herman plays the piano and performs the songs. Milk and Honey was not only Jerry Herman’s first Broadway score, it was also the first Broadway musical to take place in Israel. At the beginning of the 1961–1962 season, it looked as if two musicals set in Israel would be produced during the season, but Blue Star never got off the ground. Its book was by Joshua Logan and Alfred Palca, the lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, and the music by Burton Lane; David Merrick was set to produce, and Anne Bancroft was mentioned for the leading role. During preproduction, Milk and Honey was titled Shalom. During the tryout, “Chin Up, Ladies” was titled “The Widow’s Song,” and “Give Me a Word” (sung by Mimi Benzell) was deleted and a reprise of “There’s No Reason in the World” was substituted. On October 11–23, 2011, the musical was revived by Musicals Tonight!; for this production, “Shepherd’s Song” was titled “Arab Song.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Milk and Honey); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Molly Picon); Best Producer of a Musical (Gerard Oestreicher); Best Composer (Jerry Herman); Best Costume Designer (Miles White)

LET IT RIDE! “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Eugene O’Neill Theatre Opening Date: October 12, 1961 Closing Date: December 9, 1961 Performances: 68 Book: Abram S. Ginnes (additional book material by Ronny Graham) Lyrics and Music: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans Based on the 1935 play Three Men on a Horse by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott. Direction: Stanley Prager; Producer: Joel Spector; Choreography: Onna White; Scenery and Lighting: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Guy Kent; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: George Gobel (Erwin), Paula Stewart (Audrey), Stanley Grover (Carver), Harold Gary (Harry), Albert Linville (Charlie), Larry Alpert (Frankie), Barbara Nichols (Mabel), Sam Levene (Patsy), Dort Clark (Nice Nose Brophy), Maggie Worth (Mother), Ted Thurston (Chief Schermerhorn, Announcer’s Voice), Stanley

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Simmonds (Repulski), John Ford (First Cop); Birthday Girls: Pat Turner, Sandra Devlin, Ann Johnson, Sandy Walsh, Rae McLean, Carol Glade, Sally Lee, Sally Kirk, Barbara Marcon; Dancers: Ted Adkins, Robert Bakanic, Rhett Dennis, Sandra Devlin, Bob Evans, Dick Gingrich, Ann Johnson, Sally Kirk, Sally Lee, Jack Leigh, Vernon Lusby, Rae McLean, Barbara Marcon, Pat Turner, Sandra Walsh, Marty Allen, Marc West; Singers: Helen Baisley, Francine Bond, Austin Colyer, Clifford Fearl, John Ford, Carol Glade, Robert Lenn, Virginia Perlowin, Michael Roberts, Maggie Worth The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Run, Run, Run” (Singers, Dancers); “The Nicest Thing” (Paula Stewart); “Hey, Jimmy, Joe, John, Jim, Jack” (George Gobel); “Broads Ain’t People” (George Gobel, Harold Gary, Larry Alpert, Albert Linville); “Let It Ride” (Sam Levene, Singers, Dancers); “I’ll Learn Ya” (George Gobel, Sam Levene); “Love, Let Me Know” (Paula Stewart, Stanley Grover); “Happy Birthday” (Pat Turner, Sandra Devlin, Ann Johnson, Sandy Walsh, Rae McLean, Carol Glade, Sally Lee, Sally Kirk, Barbara Marcon); “Everything Beautiful” (George Gobel, Pat Turner, Sandra Devlin, Ann Johnson, Sandy Walsh, Rae McLean, Carol Glade, Sally Lee, Sally Kirk, Barbara Marcon); “Who’s Doing What to Erwin” (Paula Stewart, Ted Thurston, Stanley Grover, Maggie Worth); “I Wouldn’t Have Had To” (Barbara Nichols) Act Two: “There’s Something about a Horse” (Singers, Dancers); “He Needs You” (George Gobel, Larry Alpert, Albert Linville); “Just an Honest Mistake” (Ted Thurston, Stanley Simmonds, Cops); “His Own Little Island” (George Gobel); “If Flutterby Wins” (George Gobel, Sam Levene, Larry Alpert, Albert Linville, Harold Gary, Hoods); Finale (Company) Let It Ride! was based on the hit Broadway comedy Three Men on a Horse, which opened at the Playhouse Theatre on January 30, 1935, for a run of 835 performances. John Cecil Holm and George Abbott’s play told the story of mild-mannered greeting-card writer Erwin Trowbridge (in the musical, he was played by television star George Gobel) who has a knack for picking winning horses, but only if he himself doesn’t place bets and only if he makes his predictions while riding the bus. When professional gamblers (including Patsy, played by Sam Levene, who reprised his original 1935 role for the musical) get wind of Erwin’s gift, they hope to make a killing at the track. Besides its long run on Broadway, Three Men on a Horse has been revived three times (in 1942, 1969, and 1993). A film version was released in 1936, and a television special was aired in 1957. Further, twenty years before the premiere of Let It Ride!, another musical version of the material was seen on Broadway. Banjo Eyes opened at the Hollywood (later Mark Hellinger) Theatre on December 25, 1941, for 126 performances (about twice the run of Let It Ride!) with Eddie Cantor as Erwin and Lionel Stander as Patsy. The book was by Joe Quillan and Izzy Ellinson, the lyrics by John LaTouche (with additional lyrics by Harold Adamson), and the music by Vernon Duke. Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times liked the “big, noisy” musical, and praised Duke’s “vibrant score of metallic music” and LaTouche’s “witty handsprings for lyrics.” Banjo Eyes introduced two enduring songs. “We’re Having a Baby (My Baby and Me)” (lyric by Adamson) was later featured on a key I Love Lucy episode. “Not a Care in the World” (lyric by LaTouche) was thrillingly sung by Eddie Korbich in the 2000 Off-Broadway revue Taking a Chance on Love: The Lyrics and Life of John LaTouche (the cast album was recorded by Original Cast Records [CD # OC-4444]. The song had originally been introduced in Banjo Eyes by William Johnson, who later created leading roles in Cole Porter’s Something for the Boys [1943] and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Pipe Dream [1955]). Banjo Eyes didn’t enjoy a profitable run, and neither did Let It Ride! Richard Watts in the New York Post said Let It Ride! was “lacking in festive spirit” and was “commonplace and disappointing”; Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror felt the new musical was an “also-ran” which wasn’t “in a class with its sire”; Howard Taubman in the New York Times found the book “sluggish,” but complimented Onna White on her dances, which livened up the proceedings; and Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted he couldn’t say the musical was “terrible” because it was “too tame to tell.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American also felt the new musical was an “also ran,” and noted the score was “less than monumental” (although he singled out the “quite haunting” ballad “Everything

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Beautiful”). But John Chapman in the New York Daily News liked the “bright and intelligent” and “entertaining” show, praised the “deft and original” songs, White’s energetic choreography, and noted that Barbara Nichols was a “doll” and a “first class comedienne.” Jay Livingston and Ray Evans were extremely successful in Hollywood, winning Oscars for three songs: “Buttons and Bows” (The Paleface, 1948), “Mona Lisa” (Captain Carey, U.S.A., 1950), and “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera Sera)” (The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956). Other hit songs from their films include “Tammy,” “Dear Heart,” “To Each His Own,” “Almost in Your Arms,” and the Christmas standard “Silver Bells.” For television, they wrote the theme songs for Bonanza and Mr. Ed. In 1958, Livingston and Evans’s first Broadway musical, Oh Captain!, offered a delightful (and underrated) score which includes “All the Time,” “Surprise,” “Femininity,” and “You’re So Right for Me” (which had originally been heard in their 1954 television musical Satins and Spurs). The critics praised the gentle ballads “Everything Beautiful” and “His Own Little Island,” and were charmed by Gobel’s “Hey, Jimmy, Joe, John, Jim Jack.” Another ballad, the up-tempo “Love, Let Me Know,” should have been a hit; it was delivered in pure show-business splendor by Paula Stewart and Stanley Grover. The critics also liked the opening number, “Run Run Run,” which depicted a hectic New York City rush hour. A couple of months later, Broadway was treated to another busy rush hour in Subways Are for Sleeping: the breathless “Station Rush” was Michael Kidd’s dizzying and swirling view of a harried morning commute that included an (almost) flying nun. And yet another musical look at the rush hour (evening edition) occurred when How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying told us it had “Been a Long Day.” But it was the hilarious “Just an Honest Mistake” which stopped the show. Sung by sixteen cops, the song celebrated and rationalized theirs and others’ ineptitude, and Kerr noted that while the number “has nothing to do with the show at hand . . . the show at hand hasn’t had anything like it, musically speaking, in an act and a half.” The cast album was released by RCA Victor (LP # LOC/LSO-1064; the CD was issued by Arkiv Music/ RCA # 05086). Living Voices on Broadway (arranged and conducted by Johnny Douglas; RCA Camden Records LP # CAL/CAS-692) included two songs from the musical (“Everything Beautiful” and “His Own Little Island”). During the tryout, “Sweet Man,” “Honest Work,” “Trust Me,” and “Love Is the Greatest,” were deleted. On January 31, 1991, the musical was revived Off-Off-Broadway for fifteen performances at the Unitarian Church of All Souls. The score included “Sweet Man” as well as a number of songs that had been written for the original production and apparently dropped during rehearsals (“Through Children’s Eyes,” “It Just Didn’t Happen That Way,” and “The Best Undressed Girl in Town”).

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING “THE NEW FRANK LOESSER

AND

ABE BURROWS MUSICAL”

Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: October 14, 1961 Closing Date: March 6, 1965 Performances: 1,417 Book: Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert Lyrics and Music: Frank Loesser Direction: Abe Burrows; Producers: Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin in association with Frank Productions, Inc.; Choreography: Hugh Lambert (musical staging by Bob Fosse); Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Musical Direction: Elliot Lawrence Based on the 1952 book How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying by Shepherd Mead. Cast: Robert Morse (Finch), Ray Mason (Gatch, Toynbee), Robert Kaliban (Jenkins), David Collyer (Tackaberry), Casper Roos (Peterson), Rudy Vallee (J.  B. Biggley), Bonnie Scott (Rosemary), Paul Reed (Bratt), Claudette Sutherland (Smitty), Charles Nelson Reilly (Frump), Ruth Kobart (Miss Jones), Sammy Smith (Mr. Twimble, Womper), Virginia Martin (Hedy), Mara Landi (Scrubwoman, Miss Krumholtz), Silver Saundors (Scrubwoman), Lanier Davis (Ovington), Bob Murdock (Policeman); Singers: David Collyer, Lanier Davis, Robert Kaliban, Bob Murdock, Casper Roos, Charlotte Frazier, Mara Landi, Fairfax Mason, Silver Saundors, Maudeen Sullivan; Dancers: Nick Andrews, Tracy Everitt, Stuart Fleming, Richard

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Korthaze, Dale Moreda, Darrell Notara, Merritt Thompson, Carol Jane Abney, Madilyn Clark, Elaine Cancilla, Suzanne France, Donna McKechnie, Ellie Somers, Rosemarie Yellen The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City at the new Park Avenue office building of World Wide Wickets Company, Inc.

Musical Numbers Act One: “How To” (Robert Morse); “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” (Bonnie Scott); “Coffee Break” (Charles Nelson Reilly, Claudette Sutherland, Office Staff); “The Company Way” (Robert Morse, Sammy Smith); “The Company Way” (reprise) (Charles Nelson Reilly, Sammy Smith, Office Staff); “A Secretary Is Not a Toy” (Paul Reed, Charles Nelson Reilly, Office Staff); “Been a Long Day” (Robert Morse, Bonnie Scott, Claudette Sutherland); “Been a Long Day” (reprise) (Rudy Vallee, Virginia Martin, Charles Nelson Reilly); “Grand Old Ivy” (Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee); “Paris Original” (Bonnie Scott, Claudette Sutherland, Ruth Kobart, Secretaries); “Rosemary” (Robert Morse, Bonnie Scott); Finaletto (Robert Morse, Bonnie Scott, Charles Nelson Reilly) Act Two: “Cinderella, Darling” (Bonnie Scott, Claudette Sutherland, Secretaries); “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” (reprise) (Bonnie Scott); “Love from a Heart of Gold” (Rudy Vallee, Virginia Martin); “I Believe in You” (Robert Morse, Charles Nelson Reilly, Paul Reed, Executives); “The Yo Ho Ho” (The Jolly Wickets and Wickettes); “I Believe in You” (reprise) (Bonnie Scott); “Brotherhood of Man” (Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee, Charles Nelson Reilly, Paul Reed, Sammy Smith, Ruth Kobart, Office Staff); Finale (Company) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying was the decade’s first blockbuster. It received dream notices from all seven New York critics, ran for 1,417 performances, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (it was the fourth musical to do so, following Of Thee I Sing [1931], South Pacific [1949], and Fiorello! [1959]). Boasting one of the funniest books in the canon of musical theatre, the hilarious story followed the merry, albeit cut-throat, office adventures of World Wide Wickets, Inc., employee J. Pierpont Finch (Robert Morse), who rises as clerk from the lowly mailroom to the lofty penthouse office as chairman of the board. In his relentless drive to the top, Finch stampedes over everyone through the use of shameless toadying and backstabbing office intrigues and, most especially, from a How To book that advises him in the fine art of avoiding petty office friends, selecting whom to lunch with, and dealing with gorgeous if incompetent private secretaries (avoid the latter at all costs, because the “smaller” her office skills, the “bigger” her protector in the upper echelons of the company). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that what had been killing musical comedy was its “sincerity,” and he was happy to report that “not a sincere line is spoken” in Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser’s “crafty, conniving, sneaky, cynical, irreverent, impertinent, sly, malicious, and lovely, just lovely” new musical. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said How to Succeed “belongs to the blue chips among modern musicals”; Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram said the musical “maintains an almost unbelievable level of satirical brilliance”; Richard Watts in the New York Post praised the “brilliant . . . smashing success”; Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror found the show a “socko success”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the evening was the “most inventive and stylized and altogether infectious new musical in recent recollection”; and John Chapman in the New York Daily News noted that if Guys and Dolls (1950) was the “definitive musical about low life in New York,” then How to Succeed . . . was the “definitive” musical about the city’s high life. And to a man the critics were charmed by Robert Morse’s brilliant performance as the boyish conniver who will stop at nothing to succeed. Indeed, everyone in the musical is in one way or another out only for himself. Even Finch’s girlfriend, Rosemary (Bonnie Scott), seems drawn to him only because he’s clearly going “onward and upward” in the business world and thus she’s perfectly willing to stay at home in New Rochelle and bask in the glow of “his perfectly understandable neglect.” Loesser’s score spoofed the business world: its conformity (“The Company Way”); secretaries (“A Secretary Is Not a Toy”); and the most important event in the daily office routine (“Coffee Break”). Further, the evening’s showstopper (and the show’s hit song) was the ballad “I Believe in You,” which wasn’t sung by

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Finch to Rosemary, but by Finch to himself as he lovingly gazes at his reflection in the mirror of the executive washroom while the other executives sing in counterpoint that they “gotta stop that man” in his rise to the top. In the ironic “Brotherhood of Man,” Finch reminds his coworkers that we’re all in this together as brothers in that great big club of humanity, but his suggestion to “keep a-giving each brother all you can” is decidedly questionable considering what Finch has done to his office “brothers.” Another highlight of the score included “Grand Old Ivy,” a college football song parody performed by Finch and J. B. Biggley (Rudy Vallee, the company’s president) when Finch gives Biggley the impression that he too graduated from Old Ivy. Other cast members included Charles Nelson Reilly as Biggley’s nefarious nephew and Virginia Martin as Hedy La Rue, a girl with a heart of brass who’s Biggley’s mistress. Also making memorable impressions were Sammy Smith (in a double role as Mr. Twimble, the head of the mailroom, and Womper, the chairman of the board) and Ruth Kobart as Biggley’s secretary. During the tryout, “I Worry about You” (for Rosemary) was cut, and “The Yo Ho Ho” was titled “The Treasure Hunt.” The musical was produced in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre on March 28, 1963, for 520 performances; Warren Berlinger was Finch, and Billy De Wolfe was Biggley. The 1967 film version was released by United Artists, and a number of original cast members reprised their roles for the film (Morse, Vallee, Smith, and Kobart). Michele Lee played Rosemary during the Broadway run, and repeated the role for the film, as did Maureen Arthur, who played the role of Hedy on tour and then later joined the New York company. The film is a delightful adaptation, replete with cartoon-like settings and colors, all very Mad Men in atmosphere and look. The film retained many key numbers (“How To,” “The Company Way,” “A Secretary Is Not a Toy,” “Been a Long Day,” “Grand Old Ivy,” “Rosemary,” “I Believe in You,” and “Brotherhood of Man”), but deleted a number of others (“Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm,” “Coffee Break,” “Paris Original,” “Cinderella Darling,” and “Love from a Heart of Gold”). “Paris Original” is heard as background music, and “I Believe in You” was reprised as a straight ballad for Rosemary to sing to Finch. “Coffee Break” was filmed, but deleted before the premiere; the build-up to the song is retained in the final cut, and those who know the song will feel a sense of frustration as the scene abruptly cuts to the next one. The footage for the number hasn’t surfaced and isn’t included as part of the DVD release by MGM Home Entertainment (# 908095), but the song is preserved on the soundtrack album, which was issued by United Artists Records (# UAL-4151 and # UAS-5151); the CD was issued by Ryko Records (# RCD-10728). The musical has been revived three times, first at City Center in 1966 as part of the company’s Frank Loesser festival (see entry), and then on Broadway in 1995 when it returned to the 46th Street Theatre (which had undergone a name change to the Richard Rodgers Theatre) for 548 performances; Matthew Broderick was Finch, and the cast recording was released by RCA Victor (CD # 09026-68197-2). The production suffered from weak leads as well as political correctness (“Cinderella, Darling” was cut; the female characters seemed too assertive for the material; and Biggley’s secretary was black [one questions whether the president of World Wide Wickets, Inc., would have employed a black secretary in 1961]). A third revival opened on March 27, 2011, at the Hirschfeld (formerly Martin Beck) Theatre for 473 performances. Starring Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe (who was succeeded first by Darren Criss and then by Nick Jonas), the revival was more in keeping with the spirit and the times of the early 1960s, and “Cinderella, Darling” was reinstated. But Ben Brantley in the New York Times felt the “charm-free” production lacked “a sensibility to call its own,” and Peter Marks in the Washington Post said Radcliffe’s casting was a “misfire”; he found it “painful” to watch the performer try to keep up with the Broadway gypsies in “Grand Old Ivy,” an “overcaffeinated” number that included chorus boys and turned the song into an “athletic event” (in the original production, the song was a duet for Finch and Biggley). The cast recording was released by Decca Records (CD # B0015645-02) , and included “The Yo Ho Ho” (here, “Pirate Dance”); and Broadway Records (CD/EP # BR-CD00212E) released Songs from “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying,” a collection of five numbers from the show performed by Nick Jonas and other cast members (“How to Succeed,” “The Company Way,” “Rosemary,” “I Believe in You,” and “Brotherhood of Man”). The 1961 original cast album was recorded by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1066), which also released the CD (# 82876-56051-2). The CD includes bonus tracks, including Loesser himself performing early versions of “The Company Way” (as “Organization Man”) and “A Secretary Is Not a Toy”; sequences from the 1995 revival that hadn’t been previously released (the narrator’s comments [by Walter Cronkite] and reprise versions of “How To” and “Been a Long Day”); jazz renditions of two songs (“I Believe in You”

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and “Brotherhood of Man”); and interviews with Morse and Reilly. The London cast album was also released by RCA (LP # RD-7564/SF-7564). Besides the three original cast albums and the film soundtrack recording, there are a number of other versions of the score: a 1963 British studio cast recording (World Records LP # T/ST-322); a 1964 Brazilian cast recording (Som Livre Records; no catalog number); a 1964 Paris cast recording (Philips Records LP # B-77988-L); an Austrian cast recording (Ariola LP # 74007); and a 1996 revival by the Japanese Takarazuka cast (Takarazuka Creative Arts CD # 52/53). There are also two instrumental recordings of the score: one by the Gary McFarland Orchestra (Verve Records LP # V-8443), the other by Ray Ellis and His Orchestra (LP # LPM/ LSP-2493). And, last but not least, there’s a recording of a 1966 Roosevelt High School production (Bruno & Dean Records LP # 12-BD-226). Roosevelt High is, appropriately, located in New Rochelle, New York. The script was published in softcover by Frank Music Co. London, in 1963. The original production of How to Succeed won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical (for more information, see below). During preproduction, Dorothy Loudon signed for a role in the musical, but a few months before the tryout the New York Times reported she asked to be released from her contract because revisions in the script had “altered” her role. One assumes she hadn’t been cast as Smitty, an important secondary character who has a major singing presence in four songs. So perhaps the diminished role was that of Miss Krumholtz, which was eventually played by Mara Landi. How to Succeed is probably the only musical to have inspired a board game. In 1963, Milton Bradley released How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (the box’s artwork incorporated the logo of the Broadway production), a game whose object was to work one’s way up from window washer to chairman of the board. Players must bluff their way to the top, but daren’t take a coffee break or they might lose their turn. The game’s directions noted it was a “spoof on big business and an exaggeration of people found in almost every organization.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Robert Morse); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Charles Nelson Reilly); Best Author of a Musical (Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert); Best Producer (Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin); Best Director of a Musical (Abe Burrows); Best Composer (Frank Loesser); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Elliot Lawrence) New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (1961–1962): Best Musical (How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying) Pulitzer Prize for Drama (1961–1962): How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying

KWAMINA “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 54th Street Theatre Opening Date: October 23, 1961 Closing Date: November 18, 1961 Performances: 32 Book: Robert Alan Aurthur Lyrics and Music: Richard Adler Direction: Robert Lewis; Producer: Alfred de Liagre Jr. Choreography: Agnes de Mille; Scenery and Lighting: Will Steven Armstrong; Costumes: Motley; Musical Direction: Colin Romoff Cast: Brock Peters (Obitsebi), Norman Barris (Blair), Robert Guillaume (Ako), Sally Ann Howes (Eve), Ethel Ayler (Naii), Joseph Attles (Akufo), Terry Carter (Kwamina, aka Peter), Ainsley Sigmond (Kojo), Vaughn Fubler (Child), Renaye Fubler (Child), Rex Ingram (Nana Mwalla), Rosalie Maxwell (Alla), Lillian Hayman (Mammy Trader), Ronald Platts (Policeman), Edward Thomas (Policeman); Singers: Issa Arnal, Doreese DuQuan, Victoria Harrison, Lillian Hayman, Lee Hooper, Mary Louise, Rosalie Maxwell, Helen Phillips,

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Joseph Crawford, Scott Gibson, Wanza King, James Lowe, John Miles, Clark Morgan, Mal Scott, Rawn Spearman, George Tipton, Gordon Watkins, Arthur Wright; Dancers: Hope Clarke, Doris deMendez, Altovise Gore, Minnie Marshall, Joan Peters, Lucinda Ransom, Joan Seabrook, Barbara Teer, Glory Van Scott, Myrna White, Camille Yarborough, Pepsi Bethel, Zebedee Collins, Julius Fields, Frank Glass, Louis Johnson, Charles Moore, Ronald Platts, Mike Quashie, Charles Queenan, Philip Stamps, Edward Thomas The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a village in West Africa at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Cocoa Bean Song” (Robert Guillaume, Scott Gibson, Gordon Watkins, and Company); “Welcome Home” (Scott Gibson, Mal Scott, Lee Hooper, and Company; with Mike Quashie; Charles Moore [Spear Dancer], Charles Queenan [Spear Dancer]; Fonga Dancers: Joan Seabrook, Barbara Teer, Glory Van Scott, and Myrna White); “The Sun Is Beginning to Crow” (Company); “Did You Hear That?” (Sally Ann Howes, Terry Carter); “You’re as English as” (Sally Ann Howes); “Seven Sheep, Four Red Shirts and a Bottle of Gin” (Joseph Attles, Company; with Scott Gibson, Charles Queenan, and George Tipton); “Nothing More to Look Forward To” (Robert Guillaume, Ethel Ayler); “What’s Wrong with Me?” (Sally Ann Howes); “Something Big” (Terry Carter, Company); “Ordinary People” (Sally Ann Howes, Terry Carter); “Mammy Traders” (dance; Glory Van Scott [Girl with Parasol], Charles Moore [Admirer], Zedebee Collins [Admirer], and Dance Company); “A Man Can Have No Choice” (Brock Peters); “What Happened to Me Tonight?” (Sally Ann Howes) Act Two: “Naii’s Nuptial Dance” (Ethel Ayler, Hope Clarke, and Company); “One Wife” (Wives, with Lillian Hayman, Rosalie Maxwell, Issa Arnal, Victoria Harrison, Lee Hooper, Mary Louise, Helen Philips, and Dancers); “Nothing More to Look Forward To” (reprise) (Ethel Ayler); “Something Big” (reprise) (Company); “Another Time, Another Place” (Sally Ann Howes); “Fetish” (Brock Peters; Priests: Zebedee Collins, Frank Glass, Charles Moore, Mike Quashie, Charles Queenan, Philip Stamps) Kwamina (which means “Sunday-born,” or “born on a Sunday”) dealt with a young African doctor (Terry Carter) who upon receiving his medical degree in London returns to his native land to practice medicine and hopefully rid his countrymen of ancient superstitions and self-defeating tribal customs, all this as the country is on the verge of winning its independence from Britain. He meets Eve, a young African-born white doctor (Sally Ann Howes) who shares his goals, and she and Kwamina unite to bring their country into the twentieth century. They also fall in love, despite the insistence of Kwamina’s father (Brock Peters) that he marry Naii (Ethel Ayler), betrothed to Kwamina since birth but who now loves Ako (Robert Guillaume). Some wags unfairly dubbed Kwamina as “The King and I Goes to Africa,” but there’s no escaping the fact that Eve and Kwamina sometimes seem like sparring partners in the tradition of Anna and the King, and that Naii and Ako are patterned after Tuptim and Lun Tha. Despite its run of one month, the musical was surprisingly well received by the New York critics. Much praise went to Agnes de Mille’s exciting dances (Kwamina appears to be one of the most dance-driven musicals of the era) and Richard Adler’s melodic score. John Chapman in the New York Daily News termed the evening an “opera-ballet,” and called the work “distinguished” and “splendid and exciting”; he also cited the “bold originality” of Adler’s score. Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the musical ventured “bravely where virtually no straight plays have dared,” and observed that because the musical’s creators were “attempting an overwhelming theme” the work made “few obeisances to easy popularity . . . [in] exploring new paths, [Kwamina] cannot be condemned harshly for holding fast to some old landmarks.” John McClain’s overall assessment in the New York Journal-American was that the musical was “dreary”; but he nonetheless noted the story was given a “sumptuous, rousing, rhythmic and frequently absorbing consideration in a titanic new musical.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the “well-intentioned” musical wanted to demolish the “white notion” that Africans are “better” at dancing and singing than at walking and talking. But he noted the musical then proceeded to show that the natives were at their “best” when dancing and singing (“Kwamina is its own worst advertisement”). But all the critics agreed that Agnes de Mille’s dances were electrifying, including spear and ceremonial dances, a nuptial dance, and a fetish sequence.

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Later in the season, the successful No Strings dealt with the interracial romance between a white man and a black woman, but Kwamina was doomed to a one-month run. Many noted that the tenor of the times was more accepting of a romance between a white man and a black woman than between a black man and a white woman. Adler’s score was his first on Broadway since his collaboration with Jerry Ross in The Pajama Game (1954) and Damn Yankees (1955); after Ross’s untimely death in 1955, Adler wrote the lyrics and music for two musicals that were televised in 1958, Little Women and Gift of the Magi (the latter featured Sally Ann Howes, to whom he was married at the time); Olympus 7-0000, his third television musical, was telecast in 1966 (all three were recorded). He wrote two more Broadway musicals, but despite its entrancing score Music Is (1976) lasted just one week and A Mother’s Kisses (1968) closed during its pre-Broadway tryout. The critics praised Adler’s score for Kwamina, although a few complained that some songs weren’t always germane to the action and others felt that a few numbers were in the mode of My Fair Lady. “The Cocoa Bean Song” is one of the most rousing opening numbers in the history of the Broadway musical, and it mightily impressed the reviewers (Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram noted it “is a crescendo of sound and action” with “compelling rhythm” and “fetching melody”). The score offered a number of memorable ballads, most noticeably Naii and Ako’s haunting “Nothing More to Look Forward To,” but “What’s Wrong With Me?,” “Ordinary People,” “What Happened to Me Tonight?,” and “Another Time, Another Place” were also richly melodic. The “African” songs included the rhythmic “Welcome Home” and the charming “The Sun Is Beginning to Crow.” During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Barbarians,” “I’m Troubled about Your (My) Son,” “I’m Seeing Rainbows,” and “Happy Is the Cricket” (aka “Cricket Song”). An early version of the script includes the songs “Did You See How He Did It?,” “Aren’t You Glad You’re Back?,” “Keep Your Spirits High,” “From the Beginning of Time,” and “Sweet Democracy.” The cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # S/W-1645), and was later issued on CD by Broadway Angel Records (# ZDM-0777-7-64891-2-4). Mercury Records offered The Original Jazz Score of Kwamina (LP # MG-20654 and MG-60654) by the Billy Taylor Orchestra (the recording included “I’m Seeing Rainbows” and “Happy Is the Cricket,” both of which are also heard on the musical’s demo recording).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Costume Designer (Motley); Best Choreographer (Agnes de Mille, in a tie with Joe Layton [No Strings]).

AN EVENING WITH YVES MONTAND Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: October 24, 1961 Closing Date: December 16, 1961 Performances: 55 Direction: Yves Montand; Producers: Norman Granz in association with Jacques Canetti and Alexander H. Cohen; and Salle Productions, Inc.; Lighting: Yves Montand; Musical Direction: Bob Castella Cast: Yves Montand The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers

(All songs performed by Yves Montand.) Act One: “Je suis venu a pieds” (lyric and music by Francis Lemarque); “Battling Joe” (lyric by Jean Guigo, music by Louis Gaste); “La tête a l’ombre” (lyric and music by Paul Misraki); “Une demoiselle sur une balançoire” (“A Young Lady in a Swing”) (lyric by Jean Nolan, music by Mireille); “Just in Time” (lyric by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Jule Styne; from the 1956 musical Bells Are Ringing); “Gilet

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rayé” (“The Night Porter”) (lyric by Henri Contet, music by Louiguy); “Sous le ciel de Paris” (“Under the Paris Sky”) (lyric by Jean Drejac, music by Hubert Giraud); “Le carrosse” (“The Golden Chariot”) (lyric by Henri Contet, music by Mireille); “Les grands boulevards” (lyric by Jacques Plante, music by Norbert Glanzberg); “Flamenco de Paris” (lyric and music by Leo Ferre); “Un garçon dansait” (“A Boy Was Dancing”) (lyric by Jacques Mareuil, music by Georges Liferman) Act Two: “Mais qu’est-ce que j’ai?” (“What’s Wrong with Me?”) (lyric by Edith Piaf, music by Henri Betti); “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” (lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe; from the 1956 musical My Fair Lady); “Dis-moi Jo” (“Tell Me Jo”) (lyric by Jean Cosmos, music by Henri Crolla); “La Marie-vison” (“Marie’s Mink Coat”) (lyric by Roger Varnay, music by Marc Heyral); “Planter Café” (lyric by Eddy Marnay, music by Emil Stern); “Le chef d’orchestre est amoreux” (“The Conductor Is in Love”) (lyric by Jacques Mareuil, music by Georges Liferman); “C’est à l’aube” (“Dawn”) (lyric by Flavien Monod, music by Philippe Gerard); “Barbara” (poem by Jacques Prevert); “À Paris” (lyric and music by Francis Lemarque); “Il fait des . . . le fanatique du jazz” (lyric by Edith Piaf, music by Edouard Chekle); “Mon manège a moi” (lyric by Jean Constantin, music by Norbert Glanzberg) Italian-born Yves Montand was a popular French music-hall singer and film actor who made his American debut at Henry Miller’s (now Stephen Sondheim) Theatre on September 22, 1959, in An Evening with Yves Montand. The production, in which he sang and spoke entirely in French, soon transferred to the Longacre Theater, where it tallied up a total of forty-two performances. At the time, Montand was relatively unknown in the United States, but when his second evening on Broadway opened in 1961, he had become famous, with three Hollywood films under his belt: Let’s Make Love (1960, in which he costarred with Marilyn Monroe); Sanctuary (1961, with Lee Remick); and Goodbye Again (1961, with Ingrid Bergman). Prior to the opening of his second one-man show, he had completed his fourth film, My Geisha (with Shirley MacLaine), which was released in 1962. During the interim between the two Broadway productions, he had also learned English, and while the overwhelming majority of his songs were still performed in French, this time around he introduced them in English. Further, for the second production he added two show tunes from 1956 to his repertoire: “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” (from My Fair Lady) and “Just in Time” (Bells Are Ringing). And for two nights in a row Broadway was offered two different songs titled “What’s Wrong with Me?”; the night before Montand’s opening, Sally Ann Howes had introduced Richard Adler’s affecting and haunting ballad in Kwamina; Montand’s song had been written by Edith Piaf and Henry Betti. Montand was married to French actress Simone Signoret, who won the 1959 Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Room at the Top. Montand later appeared in the exciting political thriller Z, which won the Oscar as 1969’s Best Foreign Film, and in 1970 starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the desultory film adaptation of the Broadway musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. In reviewing Montand’s second Broadway evening, a few critics noted he wore his trademark brown slacks, brown open-necked shirt, and brown suede shoes, only occasionally donning a hat or using a walking stick. Howard Taubman in the New York Times found the concert “almost as gay and sentimental” as a visit to Paris, and Judith Crist in the New York Herald-Tribune noted the evening was for those “who revel in the perfection of showmanship and the charming simplicity of this entertainer.” Justin Gilbert in the New York Mirror suggested Montand was “Paree personified”; Richard Watts in the New York Post found him “distinguished . . . a brilliant, winning and quietly humorous performer”; and John McClain in the New York Journal-American hailed him as the “latter-day Chevalier.” On the other hand, William Peper in the New York World-Telegram found Montand “marvelous” but his show “monotonous” (if you didn’t speak French and weren’t a girl). And Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News suggested that the “disarming and able” Montand should have returned to New York in either a cabaret performance or a full-fledged musical. Among the highlights of the production were “Un garçon dansait,” which told of a young man who dreams of being a famous dancer like Fred Astaire; “Il fait des .  .  . le fanatique du jazz,” which depicted a beatnik torn between classical music and hot jazz; and “Le chef d’orchestre est amoureux,” which told of the plight of a conductor of classical music who falls in love with a young woman who hates music (with the exception of Viennese waltzes). Montand was supported by a six-man orchestra conducted by Bob Castella; for the evening’s entr’acte, they played Cole Porter’s “I Love Paris” (from Can-Can; 1953). About half the numbers in the current Evening had been heard in the previous one, and many of these songs were recorded by Montand over the years, including one album titled An Evening with Yves Montand

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(Columbia Records LP # WL-167), which was released at the time of the 1959 production. The album includes five numbers heard in the 1961 Evening: “Une demoiselle sur une balançoire,” “La Marie-vison,” “Il fait des . . . le fanatique du jazz,” “Flamenco de Paris,” and “Un garçon dansait.” On February 28, 1962, An Evening with Yves Montand opened in London at the Saville Theatre.

KEAN “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Broadway Theatre Opening Date: November 2, 1961 Closing Date: January 20, 1962 Performances: 92 Book: Peter Stone Lyrics and Music: Robert Wright and George Forrest (ballet and incidental music by Elie Siegmeister) Based on the 1951 play Kean by Jean-Paul Sartre (which in turn had been based on the 1836 play Kean by Alexandre Dumas pere) Direction and Choreography: Jack Cole; Producer: Robert Lantz; Scenery and Costumes: Ed Wittstein; Lighting: John Harvey; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Alfred DeSio (Christie), Christopher Hewett (Barnaby), Alfred Drake (Edmund Kean), Alfred Toigo (Stage Manager), Robert Penn (Ben), Arthur Rubin (Francis), Truman Smith (Solomon), Roderick Cook (Lord Neville), Joan Weldon (Countess Elena De Koeberg), Patricia Cutts (Lady Amy Goswell), Patrick Waddington (Count De Koeberg), John Lankston (Lord Delmore), Martin Ambrose (Major-Domo, Henchman), Oliver Gray (Prince of Wales), Lee Venora (Anna Danby), Eddie Ericksen (Prop Boy), Joseph McGrath (Secretary), Larry Shadur (Maxwell, Guard), George Harwell (Pott), Rene Jarmon (St. Albands), Margaret Gathright (Sparrow), Gloria Warner (Bolt), Randy Doney (Tim), John Jordan (David), Paul Jordan (Pip), Charles Dunn (Patrick), John Wheeler (Guard); the dancers and singers performed the roles of lords, ladies, actors, stage hands, sailors, barmaids, prostitutes, street hawkers, servants, and citizens of London; Dancers: John Aristides, Barbara Beck, Johanna Carothers, Lois Castle, Charles Corbett, Kenneth Creel, Randy Doney, Judy Dunford, Larry Fuller, Mickey Gunnersen, Pamela Hayford, Jim Hutchison, Lisa James, Rene Jarmon, Richard Lyle, George Martin, Roger Puckett, Suanne Shirley; Singers: Martin Ambrose, Charise Amidon, Charles Dunn, Eddie Ericksen, Nancy Foster, Margaret Gathright, Maggie Goz, George Harwell, John Lankston, Joseph McGrath, Lispet Nelson, Mary Nettum, Larry Shadur, Susan Terry, Alfred Toigo, Gloria Warner, John Wheeler The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in London during the early part of the nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Penny Plain, Twopence Colored” (Alfred DeSio); “Man and Shadow” (Alfred Drake); “Mayfair Affair” (Joan Weldon, Patricia Cutts, Dancing and Singing Ensemble); “Sweet Danger” (Joan Weldon, Alfred Drake); “Queue at Drury Lane” (Christopher Hewett, Robert Penn, Arthur Rubin, Ensemble); “King of London” (Christopher Hewett, Robert Penn, Arthur Rubin, Ensemble); “To Look upon My Love” (Alfred Drake, Truman Smith); “Let’s Improvise” (Alfred Drake, Lee Venora); “Elena” (Alfred Drake, Arthur Rubin, Ensemble); “Social Whirl” (Joan Weldon, Patricia Cutts, Oliver Gray, Patrick Waddington); “The Fog and the Grog” (Christopher Hewett, Robert Penn, Arthur Rubin, Alfred Drake, Ensemble); Finale (Alfred Drake, Ensemble) Act Two: “Civilized People” (Alfred Drake, Lee Venora, Joan Weldon); “Service for Service” (Joan Weldon, Alfred Drake); “Willow, Willow, Willow” (Lee Venora); “Fracas at Old Drury” (Christopher Hewett, Robert Penn, Arthur Rubin, Alfred DeSio, Ensemble); “Chime In!” (Alfred DeSio, Christopher Hewett, Robert Penn, Arthur Rubin, Ensemble); “Swept Away” (Joan Weldon, Alfred Drake); “Domesticity” (Lee Venora, Alfred Drake); “Clown of London” (Ensemble); “Apology?” (Alfred Drake)

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Encouraging reports from the pre-Broadway engagements of Kean led everyone to believe a smash hit was headed for New York. And while some of the critics liked Kean, most were cool to the new musical about eighteenth-century British Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean (Alfred Drake) and his romantic entanglements with married Countess Elena De Koeberg (Joan Weldon) and young aspiring actress Anna Danby (Lee Venora). The musical also explored Kean’s double life: although renowned on the stage for his electric interpretations of Shakespeare, his celebrity went only so far, and the “great” actor was also considered a “mere” person of little social standing in the Britain of his life and times. Howard Taubman in the New York Times found Kean “so imaginative, touching and gallant . . . one can forgive it for not making the final leap to glory,” and noted the “exciting” musical was “an almost perfect one.” Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the evening was “colorful, flavorsome, tuneful and stirring . . . a stunning production” that was “excitingly” directed and choreographed by Jack Cole. He further noted that Alfred Drake was “giving the performance of his life.” Norman Nadel in the New York WorldTelegram had reservations about the musical, but even so he praised the “bawdy and boisterous scenes, crisply epigrammatic dialogue, eye-filling costumes and climaxes that are highly and generously theatrical.” Further, Ed Wittstein’s décor was “lavish and mobile,” Cole’s direction was “lively,” and his choreography was “strong.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt Kean was an “enormously ambitious entertainment” which nonetheless failed to ignite (the characters remain “porcelain strangers to one another”), and thus the production’s “visual glory” and the “jumping-jack numbers” were “only way stations . . . on a journey” to a destination that perhaps didn’t exist. Kean was the first musical with an original score by Robert Wright and George Forrest to open on Broadway. The team had heretofore adapted music by other composers: for Song of Norway (1944), Edvard Grieg; Gypsy Lady (1946), Victor Herbert; Magdalena (1948), Heitor Villa-Lobos; and Kismet (1953), Alexander Borodin. In 1965, their Broadway musical Anya was based on music by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Despite its richly melodic score, Kean has been sadly ignored over the decades, but perhaps the score is now attracting more attention. The haunting “Sweet Danger” (for Elena and Kean), one of the loveliest theatre songs of its era, was recorded by Judy Garland, and recently her rendition has been reissued; Anna’s “Willow, Willow, Willow” is a gorgeous setting of Shakespeare, and recently opera singer Deborah Voigt included the song in her concerts (and will hopefully record it); “Penny Plain, Twopence Colored” is a catchy street-vendor cry heard throughout the musical; “Mayfair Affair” is a richly melodic dance number; Elena’s amusing “Swept Away” is a waltz on steroids; “King of London” and “Clown of London” share the same music but offer differing views of Kean; “Civilized People” is a viperous trio for Elena, Anna, and Kean, as the two women trade insults while Kean tries in vain to play referee; “Elena” is an intriguing sequence in which Kean prepares for his performance (“a Romeo of forty,” he complains) while the opening dialogue of Romeo and Juliet is set to stunningly beautiful music by the ensemble; and the raucous drinking song “The Fog and the Grog” tells the tale of a frog (from a bog into the London fog for a bit of a grog) who in a pea-souper has an unfortunate romantic “fiddle-faddle” with a drinking pal and not a “lady frog.” The musical ended with the triumphant “Apology?” During a performance of Othello, Kean has insulted the Prince of Wales, who later forces Kean to make a public apology to him from the stage of the Drury Lane. Before the Prince and a packed house, Kean “apologizes” by appropriating purposely ambiguous phrases from Shakespeare’s plays that in truth vindicate Kean rather than humble him (from Measure for Measure [Act 2, Scene 1], he notes, “Let us be keen”). With this “apology,” Kean also has an epiphany in which he realizes he is alive only on stage, and it is indeed Shakespeare who makes him alive (“Oh, Shakespeare, how much kinder author you had been/Had you but written me a role called Kean”). A private live audio recording of the entire production reveals a fast-moving show with an amusing script (indeed, the audience seems to be continuously laughing at the dialogue and bits of stage business) and a musical that is even more musical than one suspected (the evening includes extended scenes set to music that aren’t on the cast recording). And from the rapturous reaction of the audience, “The Fog and the Grog” and “Civilized People” are clearly the evening’s show-stoppers. During the tryout, “Impromptu,” “Disorder and Genius,” “Inevitable,” and “The Enchanted Archer” were deleted, and after the New York opening “Social Whirl” and “Domesticity” were dropped (and are omitted from the Broadway cast album, which was released by Columbia Records LP # KOL-5720 and # KOS-2120; issued on CD by DRG Records # 19029). Music from “Kean” by Robert Mersey and His Orchestra (Columbia Records LP # CL-1732 and # CS-8532) includes “Social Whirl” and “Inevitable.” Wright and Forrest’s collection A Bag of

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Popcorn and a Dream: An Intimate Bigscreen Revue (Original Cast Records CD # OC-8801) includes “Inevitable” (sung by Judy Kaye) and “Domesticity” (Kaye and David Green). An earlier version of “Elena” was heard as “Isola” in Wright and Forrest’s 1958 musical At the Grand, which closed during its pre-Broadway tryout. “Isola” was introduced by Arthur Rubin, who, in Kean, got “his” song back when he, Alfred Drake, and the ensemble performed “Elena.” Thirty-one years later a revised version of At the Grand opened on Broadway for 1,077 performances; the production included songs by the team as well as new ones by Maury Yeston (who also revised some of Wright and Forrest’s lyrics). After Kean, Lee Venora and Joan Weldon never again returned to Broadway in new musicals, and Drake was seen in just one more “new” Broadway musical, the stage adaptation of Gigi, which opened in 1973 for a brief run. Weldon, incidentally, was the female lead in the 1954 science fiction film classic Them! In the same year, she appeared in Deep in My Heart, MGM’s biography of Sigmund Romberg; with Tony Martin, she sang “Lover, Come Back to Me” (from The New Moon). (Trivia buffs may want to note that William Olvis also appears in the film as Prince Karl in the sequence from The Student Prince and sings “Serenade.” Two years later, Olvis created the role of the Governor in the original Broadway production of Candide and introduced the serenade “My Love”; he was also a third of the “Quiet” trio and was the lead singer in “Bon Voyage,” the wickedly merry spoof of Gilbert and Sullivan.) In 2007, Kean was revived in a lavish production by the all-female Japanese Takarazuka company. With the exception of “Willow, Willow, Willow,” the revival includes most of the score, and the production was released on DVD by Takarazuka Star Troup (# TCAD-193).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Alfred Drake); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Pembroke Davenport)

THE GAY LIFE Theatre: Shubert Theatre Opening Date: November 18, 1961 Closing Date: February 24, 1962 Performances: 113 Book: Fay and Michael Kanin Lyrics: Howard Dietz Music: Arthur Schwartz Based on the 1893 play Anatol (aka The Affairs of Anatol) by Arthur Schnitzler. Direction: Gerald Freeman; Producer: Kermit Bloomgarden; Choreography: Hebert Ross; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Lucinda Ballard; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Herbert Greene Cast: Jules Munshin (Max), Sterling Clark (Usher), Walter Chiari (Anatol), Leonard Elliott (Franz), Jeanne Bal (Helene), Barbara Cook (Liesl Brandel), Loring Smith (Herr Brandel), Lu Leonard (Frau Brandel), Yvonne Constant (Mimi), Michael Quinn (Proprietor), Jack Adams (The Great Gaston), Rico Froehlich (Otto, Doorman), Ted Lambrinos (Waiter), Russell Goodwin (Waiter), Joanne Spiller (Anna), Aura Vainio (Grandmother), Gerald Teijelo (Photographer), Carl Nicholas (Headwaiter), Hal Norman (Waiter), Elizabeth Allen (Magda); Singers: Ken Ayers, Russell Goodwin, Tony LaRusso, Ted Lambrinos, Carl Nicholas, Hal Norman, Michael Quinn, Loyce Baker, Joan Bishop, June Card, Luce Ennis, Jeanne Grant, Carole O’Hara, Nancy Radcliffe, Joanne Spiller; Dancers: Kip Andrews, Karoly Barta, Sterling Clark, Thatcher Clarke, Ray Kirchner, Louis Kosman, Michel Stuart, Gerald Teijelo, Patrick King, Bonnie Brandon, Carolyn Clark, Marion Fels, Carol Flemming, Leslie Franzos, Bettye Jenkins, Doris Ortiz, Eleonore Treiber, Aura Vainio, Jenny Workman The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Vienna and Carlsbad in 1904.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “What a Charming Couple” (Ensemble); “Why Go Anywhere at All?” (Jeanne Bal); “Bring Your Darling Daughter” (Jules Munshin, Ensemble); “Now I’m Ready for a Frau” (Walter Chiari, Jules Munshin); “Frau Ballet” (Bettye Jenkins [Shy Girl], Jenny Workman [Tennis Girl], Marion Fels [Mountain Climber], Aura Vainio [Mountain Climber], Leslie Franzos [Girl on Horseback]); “Magic Moment” (Barbara Cook); “Who Can? You Can” (Walter Chiari, Barbara Cook); “Oh, Mein Liebchen” (Ensemble); “Liebchen Waltz” (Jenny Workman, Thatcher Clarke, Aura Vainio, Louis Kosman, Sterling Clark, Ensemble); “The Label on the Bottle” (Barbara Cook; danced by Louis Kosman, Ray Kirchner, Michel Stuart); “That Kind of a Girl” (Walter Chiari, Barbara Cook); “The Bloom Is Off the Rose” (Jules Munshin, Male Ensemble); “Who Can? You Can” (reprise) (Ensemble); “Now I’m Ready for a Frau” (reprise) (Walter Chiari); “Magic Moment” (reprise) (Barbara Cook) Act Two: “I’m Glad I’m Single” (Jules Munshin, Male Ensemble); “I’m Glad I’m Single” (Vignettes) (Leslie Franzos [Nursemaid], Sterling Clark [Anatol, as a boy], Louis Kosman [Strong Man], Marion Fels [Celestina], Jenny Workman [Magda], Ray Kirchner [Anatol, as a man], Eleonore Treiber [Third Swan from the Left], Aura Vainio [Helene], Bonnie Brandon [Mimi]); “I’m Glad I’m Single” (reprise) (Male Ensemble); “Now I’m Ready for a Frau” (reprise) (Walter Chiari, Jules Munshin); “Something You Never Had Before” (Barbara Cook); “You Will Never Be Lonely” (Loring Smith, Lu Leonard, Ensemble); “You’re Not the Type” (Walter Chiari, Barbara Cook); “Come A-Wondering with Me” (Elizabeth Allen, Male Dancers); “I Never Had a Chance” (Walter Chiari); “I Wouldn’t Marry You” (Barbara Cook); “For the First Time” (Walter Chiari) The Gay Life was based on Arthur Schnitzler’s play Anatol, and like Gigi’s Gaston Lachailles, Anatol is a handsome and wealthy turn-of-the-century European playboy who is romantically involved with various glamorous women who in truth don’t mean all that much to him. And, like Gaston, Anatol (Walter Chiari) ultimately realizes that a friend’s relative, a young girl named Liesl (Barbara Cook) whom he’s known for many years, has suddenly grown into a beautiful woman, and he decides wedded bliss with her is worth more than a series of meaningless affairs with women he doesn’t really love. Except for its book, The Gay Life was well received, and it brought out the sweet tooth in many critics. John Chapman in the New York Daily News described the evening as a “great, big, gorgeous confection of Viennese pastry” (in what is perhaps the most memorable advertisement in cast album history, the ad featured, along with Chapman’s quote, a photograph of the LP jacket surrounded by an array of mouth-watering pastries); Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted the “warm Viennese street scenes .  .  . seem formerly to have been wrapped around chocolate bars”; and Howard Taubman in the New York Times found the musical “sweet. The Schlagober, whipped cream that floats deliciously on Viennese coffee, skims the surface” of the musical, which, he added, was also “happily . . . spiced with paprika, red and hot.” As for Fay and Michael Kanin’s book, a few critics found it sometimes slow and aimless, and occasionally lacking in humor; further, in Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz’s song “The Label on the Bottle,” Liesl decides she’s going to be a naughty Parisian temptress in order to capture Anatol (she notes that in her satin she will flatten any Latin, and will consider smoking small cigars), but the book never developed this conceit. Oliver Smith’s stunning scenery and Lucinda Ballard’s gorgeous costumes impressed the critics. Noting that Smith employed a turntable to display his Old Vienna decor, John McClain in the New York JournalAmerican reported that the series of sets “descend, slide, revolve and fly,” and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the scenery was “huge” and “sumptuous.” Moreover, the scenery offered revolving water fountains (with real water), and, because part of the musical took place during the Christmas holidays, Smith created a snowy Viennese street on Christmas Eve. Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram reported that Ballard’s costumes “re-evoked the flourish and elegance of an era, [and] she has recaptured the loftiest level of taste as well.” Further, Herbert Ross received raves for his stunning choreography. One highlight was “Oh, Mein Liebchen” (a melodious waltz “worthy of Johann Strauss,” according to Taubman) in which twelve female dancers in red and their twelve partners in white ties and tails whirl around the dance floor at Sacher’s Restaurant (the girls, all of whom are more interested in Anatol than in their dancing partners, wear red because they’ve

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been told it’s Anatol’s favorite color and hence they hope to attract his attention). Another show-stopping dance, following the bachelor party in which the men sing the breezy “I’m Glad I’m Single” (“no wedding ring’ll take the tingle from me”), depicted a series of comically danced vignettes from Anatol’s bachelor days. Finally, when Anatol meets up with old-flame gypsy hellcat Magda (Elizabeth Allen) in the Paprika Café, all hell breaks loose in a free-for-all that, according to Taubman, makes “the Viennese joint jump like a New Orleans jive spot at Mardi Gras time.” Other dances included a male trio who joined Cook for “The Label on the Bottle,” and “Now I’m Ready for a Frau” was followed by the “Frau Ballet.” The richly melodic score and alternately clever and touching lyrics marked Dietz and Schwartz’s first Broadway score since their collaboration on the 1948 revue Inside U.S.A. Moreover, The Gay Life was their first book musical since Between the Devil opened on Broadway in 1937. Cook’s gorgeous ballad “Magic Moment” was undeniably the score’s highlight, and a close second was her haunting “Something You Never Had Before” (part of the latter’s music was adapted from Schwartz’s “Oh, But I Do!,” which had been heard in the 1946 film musical The Time, the Place and the Girl [lyric by Leo Robin]). Other delightful numbers in the score were the sardonic and breezy “The Bloom Is Off the Rose”; the fascinating duet “You’re Not the Type,” in which Liesl becomes more and more disenchanted with the idea of marrying Anatol while, conversely, he realizes she’s the only girl for him; and “You Will Never Be Lonely,” an assurance from Anatol’s prospective in-laws that seems more threatening than comforting. Further, while Dietz and Schwartz had offered two revues about travel, At Home Abroad in 1935 and the above-referenced Inside U.S.A., The Gay Life included two songs with opposing views of travel for two of Anatol’s amours: Helene’s world-weary “Why Go Anywhere at All?” and Magda’s raucous “Come A-Wondering with Me.” (There was also a “third” Dietz and Schwartz travel revue, Bon Voyage. The “Exciting Musical Journey” was presented during fall 1954 at the Versailles supper club in New York, and one suspects it was a compendium of songs from the team’s earlier travel revues.) When The Gay Life premiered on Broadway, Liesl and Anatol’s wedding served to bracket the evening, but within a few weeks the book was revised. The first two scenes were deleted as well as two songs (”What a Charming Couple” and “Why Go Anywhere at All?”), and Jeanne Bal’s role was eliminated. For the second act, a reprise of “Magic Moment” was added for Barbara Cook. The musical was the first to try out at Detroit’s new Fisher Theatre, and even there it underwent considerable revision. The musical’s opening number “I Lost the Love of Anatol” was sung by Gusti (Anita Gillette), who was yet another of Anatol’s amours; by the time the musical moved on to Toronto at the O’Keefe Center, Gillette and her song were long gone. The tryout also included “Drink the Waters” and a title song, both of which were deleted prior to the Broadway opening (“Drink the Waters” might have been revised as “Bring Your Darling Daughter”). The cast album was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # S/WAO-1560; the CD was issued by Broadway Angel # ZDM-0777-7-64763-2-2, and then later by DRG Records # 19069) and includes “What a Charming Couple” and “Why Go Anywhere at All?” Another recording of the score, Magic Moments from “The Gay Life” by Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra, was issued by Capitol (LP # T-1670). In 1986, the script was belatedly published in a softcover edition by Samuel French; because the word “gay” now had different connotations, the show and the script were titled The High Life (the script reflects the opening night version of the musical, and thus includes “What a Charming Couple” and “Why Go Anywhere at All?”). The musical won Lucinda Ballard (Mrs. Howard Dietz) the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. For another musical based on the The Affairs of Anatol, see The Happiest Girl in the World, which references an adaptation that opened in regional theatre a few months before the Broadway premiere of The Gay Life. Other musicals based on writings by Arthur Schnitzler are Rondelay (1969) and Hello Again (1994), two Off-Broadway offerings adapted from his 1900 play La Ronde, and the 1987 Off-Broadway production Romance Romance, which was based on his short story “The Little Comedy.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Elizabeth Allen); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Herbert Greene); Best Costume Designer (Lucinda Ballard).

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SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: St. James Theatre Opening Date: December 27, 1961 Closing Date: June 23, 1962 Performances: 205 Book and Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music: Jule Styne Based on the 1956 short story “Subways Are for Sleeping” by Edmund G. Love, which was originally published in the March 1956 issue of Harper’s Magazine, and later in his collection of related short stories. Direction and Choreography: Michael Kidd (Marc Breaux, Associate Choreographer); Producer: David Merrick; Scenery and Lighting: Will Steven Armstrong; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Musical Direction: Milton Rosenstock Cast: Gene Varrone (Sleeper, Jack, Max Hillman), Cy Young (Sleeper, Gus Holt), Bob Gorman (Sleeper, Freddie), John Sharpe (Sleeper, Mac, Photographer, Teenager), Grayson Hall (Myra Blake), Carol Lawrence (Angela McKay), Sydney Chaplin (Tom Bailey), Robert Howard (Station Guard, Lt. Pilsudski, Relief Doorman), Joe Hill (J. Edward Sykes, Social Worker, Mr. Barney), Anthony Saverino (Bill, Joe), Eugene R. Wood (Harry Shelby), Orson Bean (Charlie Smith), Jim Weiss (A Drunk), Phyllis Newman (Martha Vail), Gordon Connell (Mr. Pitman), Michael Bennett (A Delivery Boy, Teenager), Horase (Lancelot Zuckerman), Sari Clymas (Model), Diane Ball (Model), Lawrence Pool (Zack Flint), Dean Taliaferro (Mary Tompkins); Singers: Helen Baisley, Vicki Belmonte, Bob Gorman, Stokely Gray, Joe Hill, Robert Howard, Jeannine Michael, Bruce Payton, Anthony Saverino, Joan Sheller, Ruth Shepard; Dancers: Diane Ball, Carlos Bas, Michael Bennett, Pepe de Chazza, Sari Clymas, Joel Craig, Robert Evans, Ted Forlow, Valerie Harper, Reby Howells, Gene Kelton, Victoria Mansfield, Wendy Nickerson, Larry Roquemore, Sandra Roveta, Ron Stratton, Dean Taliaferro, Jim Weiss The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Subways Are for Sleeping” (Gene Varrone, Cy Young, Bob Gorman, John Sharpe); “Girls Like Me” (Carol Lawrence); “Station Rush” (dance; People Who Are Going Places); “I’m Just Taking My Time” (Sydney Chaplin); “I Was a Shoo-In” (Phyllis Newman); “Subway Directions” (Sydney Chaplin, Carol Lawrence, Subway Riders); “Ride through the Night (Sydney Chaplin, Carol Lawrence, Subway Riders); “Who Knows What Might Have Been” (Carol Lawrence, Sydney Chaplin); “Swing Your Projects” (Sydney Chaplin); “Strange Duet” (Phyllis Newman, Orson Bean); “I Said It and I’m Glad” (Carol Lawrence); “Be a Santa” (Sydney Chaplin, Carol Lawrence, Santas, Shoppers) Act Two: “Subway Incident” (dance; Carol Lawrence, John Sharpe, Michael Bennett); “How Can You Describe a Face?” (Sydney Chaplin); “I Just Can’t Wait” (Orson Bean); “Comes Once in a Lifetime” (Carol Lawrence, Sydney Chaplin); “What Is This Feeling in the Air?” (Sydney Chaplin, Carol Lawrence, Orson Bean, Company) Subways Are for Sleeping is best remembered today for producer David Merrick’s classic publicity stunt in which he took out a newspaper ad touting the glories of his new musical by using quotes from (and photos of) seven men who just happened to have the same names as the seven New York newspaper theatre critics. Except for the New York Herald-Tribune, all the New York papers pulled the plug on the full-page ad before they went to press. Subways Are for Sleeping is sometimes described as the first musical about the homeless. But Subway’s homeless are homeless by choice, as they’ve decided to drop out of conventional society by sleeping in subways, lofts, museums, fire escapes, and car lots; further, they wear suits and take the occasional job (such

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as dog-walking or donning Santa Claus costumes for the Community Chest). Tom Bailey (Sydney Chaplin), the unofficial leader of the dropouts, “works” out of Grand Central Station where he alerts his cronies about available odd jobs and sleeping quarters. One of Tom’s fellow “bums” is Charlie Smith (Orson Bean), who soon becomes involved with Martha Vail (Phyllis Newman, who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical), another drop-out of sorts who is close to being evicted from her hotel for nonpayment of rent. However, Martha evades eviction by wearing only a towel, on the premise that the hotel manager won’t throw her out on the street if she’s nearly naked. In the meantime, Tom falls in love with writer Angela McKay (Carol Lawrence) when she goes undercover to gather material for a magazine article about the drifters. When he discovers her deception, the romance briefly sours, but all ends well with a reconciliation of the lovers and Tom’s determination to enter the work force by opening up a coffee delivery service, which he then turns over to Charlie and Martha so that he and Angie can write Subways Are for Sleeping, a book about his life on the street. The critics were cool to the musical, but Merrick’s publicity stunt and two popular songs (“I’m Just Taking My Time” and “Comes Once in a Lifetime”) helped coast the show to a six-month run and a nearrecoupment of its investment. Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror found the new musical “breezy,” and while he acknowledged it was no masterpiece, he praised the “highly enjoyable” evening that director and choreographer Michael Kidd staged “at an exciting pace, with choreographic invention and irresistible showmanship.” Richard Watts in the New York Post felt there was an “unfinished” feeling about the musical, but he nonetheless found it a “likeable entertainment” of “agreeable freshness.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram said the evening was a “near-miss” which still had enough “gaiety, talent and good will” to satisfy theatergoers. John Chapman in the New York Daily News was reserved in his praise, but noted the musical was “at its best when Michael Kidd turns his dancers loose,” and summed up the onstage proceedings as “noisy, energetic and good-natured.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the show “disappointing,” and said he found nothing enjoyable or believable “in this hoked-up kingdom of vagrants who infest this city.” But he noted Styne’s score “towers over the evening like a kiosk: gay, haunting, slick and singable,” and he singled out eight songs. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune was cool to the musical, but admitted it was “in some zany respects a noble try.” As for the New York Times, Howard Taubman suggested someone gave the show “barbiturates instead of Benzedrine,” but he praised Styne’s “agreeable” score, including the “brisk, jingly” “Be a Santa” sequence, which turns some eighteen Santas into “a bouncing company of jollity.” As for the “critics” in Merrick’s publicity stunt, “John Chapman” said Subways Are for Sleeping was “the best musical of the century,” and “Howard Taubman” found it “one of the few great musical comedies of the last thirty years, one of the best of our time.” “Richard Watts” said the show “deserves to run for a decade,” and “John McClain” wrote that “sooner or later, everyone will have to see Subways Are for Sleeping.” Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne’s score is arguably the team’s best. Besides the popular “I’m Just Taking My Time” and “Comes Once in a Lifetime,” the score offered two terrific comic show-stoppers: “I Was a Shoo-In” described Martha’s many accomplishments (Miss Watermelon, Miss Cotton Blossom) and included a “musical dramatic playlet” she performed at a beauty contest, and Charlie’s “I Just Can’t Wait” described his erotic yearning to see Martha in clothes. Further, the title song was a felicitous blend of various melodies in which harmonies shifted in surprising and agreeable fashion; the shimmering “Ride through the Night” offered richly expansive music and a mesmerizing lyric to describe a nocturnal romantic journey of an idealized subway ride; “Subway Directions” was an amusing look at “helpful” subway regulars giving directions to the uninitiated; “Be a Santa” was a roof-raising holiday song; and Charlie and Martha’s “Strange Duet” was an irresistibly catchy number that they sang over the phone to one another. Another highlight of the musical was Michael Kidd’s terrific dance numbers. “Subway Rush” was a whirling free-for-all which depicted commuters on their way to somewhere (earlier in the season, Let It Ride!’s “Run, Run, Run” explored the same territory) while “Subway Incident” was a gentle, bittersweet trio for Carol Lawrence and two teenagers (Michael Bennett and John Sharpe). “Ride through the Night” described a nighttime subway ride, and made clever use of treadmills. And “Be a Santa” rocked the St. James Theatre with its chorus of dancing Santa Clauses (“a kind of Bolshoi ballet,” per Watts, and “a joyous and whooping riot,” according to Chapman). During the tryout, part of the plot dealt with Angie’s engagement to Stewart Gates (James Nichols); by the time of the New York opening, this aspect of the plot had been eliminated, and so Nichols (and his and Angie’s song “Getting Married”) was jettisoned. Further, Grayson Hall’s role (as Angie’s editor) was all but

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reduced to a walk-on. Besides “Getting Married,” three other songs were eliminated during the tryout: “Mr. Vision,” “Got to Think of Her,” and “Now I Have Someone.” In 1968, “Strange Duet” was refashioned as “Putney on the Thames” for Darling of the Day. During the New York run, “I Said It and I’m Glad” and “How Can You Describe a Face?” were cut, but both can be heard on the original cast album (Columbia Records LP # KOL-5730 and # KOS-2130). Three other recordings of the score were released. The McGuire Sisters Sing “Subways Are for Sleeping” (Coral Records LP # CRL-57398) included “Getting Married” and “Now I Have Someone.” Percy Faith and His Orchestra’s Music from “Subways Are for Sleeping” (Columbia Records LP # CL-1733 and # CS-8533; CD released by Sony Collectibles COL-CD-7480/Sony A-545401 [the CD also included Percy Faith’s instrumental album of songs from Do I Hear a Waltz?) also included “Getting Married” and “Now I Have Someone,” as did A Jazz Version of the Broadway Hit “Subways Are for Sleeping” (Epic Records LP # LN-3829 and # BN-622) by Dave Grusin (“at the piano”) with Milt Hinton (bass) and Don Lamond (drums). The demo recording (Stratford Music Corp. Records LP # XTV-69396/7) included “Getting Married” and the unused song “(Hey, Charlie,) Let’s Talk.” The CD release of the Broadway cast recording was issued on Fynsworth Alley Records (# FA-001-LE) and included bonus tracks of Comden, Green, Rose Marie Jun, and Jack Haskell performing “Getting Married,” “I’m Just Taking My Time” (and its reprise, “I Walk a Little Dog”), “(Hey, Charlie,) Let’s Talk,” “A Man with a Plan,” and “Life’s Not That Simple.” The latter had been originally intended for Do Re Mi. The collection The Unknown Theatre Songs of Jule Styne (Blue Pear Records LP # BP-1011) includes “Getting Married,” “(Hey, Charlie,) Let’s Talk,” and “Now I Have Someone.” Subways Are for Sleeping was the subject of a fascinating NBC television documentary which was shown on December 27, 1961, the night of the New York opening. Telecast in color, this episode of David Brinkley’s Journal was narrated by Brinkley, who followed the musical’s genesis, including rehearsals, costume fittings, and pre-Broadway engagements. Brief scenes from the musical were shown, including a generous sampling of the “Be a Santa” production number. Nine months before the Broadway premiere of Subways Are for Sleeping, Off-Broadway explored a similar musical about Manhattan dropouts. Hobo, which opened at the Gate Theatre on April 10, 1961, for thirty-two performances, dealt with Jonah (Ronald Holgate, in his New York debut), who chooses the hobo life of the Bowery in order to retain his individuality.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Orson Bean); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Phyllis Newman); Best Choreographer (Michael Kidd)

A FAMILY AFFAIR “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Billy Rose Theatre Opening Date: January 27, 1962 Closing Date: March 25, 1962 Performances: 65 Book and Lyrics: James Goldman and William Goldman Music: John Kander Direction: Harold Prince; Producer: Andrew Siff; Choreography: John Butler (musical numbers staged by Bob Herget); Scenery and Lighting: David Hays; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Musical Direction: Stanley Lebowksy Cast: Rita Gardner (Sally Nathan), Larry Kert (Gerry Siegal), Shelley Berman (Alfie Nathan), Morris Carnovsky (Morris Siegal), Eileen Heckart (Tilly Siegal), Paula Trueman (Mrs. Forsythe), Lulu Bates (Mother Lederer), Beryl Towbin (Babs Sanditz), Barbara Ann Walters (Selma Siegal), Joan Lowe (Cindy), Cathryn Damon (Jenny Stone), Kelli Scott (Irma), Linda Lavin (Wilma, Crying Daughter, Fifi of Paris, Quiet Girl), Carolsue Shaer (Betty Jane), Judi West (Marie Rose), Alice Nunn (Mother, Stop and Shop Answering

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Service), Randy Garfield (Christopher Sanditz), Jack De Lon (Mr. Weaver), Sam Greene (Wolfgang Demott, Sports Announcer), Bill McDonald (Kenwood Sanditz), Ferdinand Hilt (Morton Lederer), Lynne Charnay (Bernice Lederer), Bill Linton (Milton Lederer), Yettanda Enelow (Helene Lederer), Don Crabtree (Simon Lederer), Eddie Becker (Emil Lederer), Jean Bruno (Big Sadie Lederer), Maggie Task (Little Sadie Lederer), Bibi Osterwald (Miss Lumpe), Gino Conforti (Harry Latz), Charlene Carter (Brash Girl); Singers: Eddie Becker, Theodora Brandon, Jean Bruno, Yettanda Enelow, Sam Greene, Linda Lavin, Gary Leatherman, Ripple Lewis, Alice Nunn, Kelli Scott, Maggie Task, Barbara Ann Walters; Dancers: Tom Abbott, Robert Bishop, Charlene Carter, Jeremy Ives, Bob La Crosse, Carolsue Shaer, Judi West The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Chicago and its suburbs at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Anything for You” (Larry Kert, Rita Gardner); “Beautiful” (Shelley Berman); “Beautiful” (reprise) (Eileen Heckart); “My Son, the Lawyer” (Eileen Heckart, Lulu Bates, Beryl Towbin, Ladies); “Every Girl Wants to Get Married” (Rita Gardner, Beryl Towbin); “Right Girls” (Shelley Berman, Jack De Lon, and the Gentlemen of the Gym; staged by John Butler); “Kalua Bay” (Eileen Heckart, Morris Carnovsky; staged by John Butler); “There’s a Room in My House” (Larry Kert, Rita Gardner); “Siegal Marching Song” (Beryl Towbin, Her Family); “Nathan Marching Song” (Shelley Berman, His Friends); “Harmony” (Bibi Osterwald, Jack Le Don, Gino Conforti, Linda Lavin) Act Two: “Now, Morris” (Morris Carnovsky); “Wonderful Party” (Larry Kert, Bill McDonald); “Revenge” (Shelley Berman, The Voices; staged by John Butler); “Summer Is Over” (Eileen Heckart); “Harmony” (reprise) (Shelley Berman, Eileen Heckart, Bibi Osterwald, Their Staffs); “I’m Worse Than Anybody” (Eileen Heckart, Morris Carnovsky, Shelley Berman); “What I Say Goes” (Larry Kert); “The Wedding” (Company) For the finale of many musicals, the hero and heroine decide to get married and live happily ever after. In a reverse of this procedure, the opening scene of A Family Affair begins with the engagement of Sally Nathan (Rita Gardner) and Gerry Siegal (Larry Kert), and only at the end of the musical are they married. What comes in between is less about the happy couple and more about their very unhappy families, who war over the size and scope of the wedding. Sally’s uncle (and guardian) Alfie (Shelley Berman) wants a small wedding in his living room, and Gerry’s mother and father, Tilly (Eileen Heckart) and Morris (Morris Carnovsky), want a huge blockbuster of a wedding at their country club. Matters get even more complicated when Miss Lumpe (Bibi Osterwald), a wedding planner from Hell, becomes involved in the proceedings. A Family Affair was a one-joke show stretched perhaps a bit too far, and might have been more successful had it been a compact one-act musical. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that while the show had “genuine charm,” a stronger viewpoint “might easily land [it] in the big time . . . [but] as it stands, [the musical is] not to be sneezed at.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times admitted the musical was based on a “single fragile idea,” but he praised the “delightfully mad and exhilarating” production numbers, “bouncing tunes,” and the comic antics of Berman, Heckart, and Carnovsky. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the new musical was a “cheerful, friendly and funny affair”; Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram announced that the opening of the “absolutely lovable . . . top musical play” allowed Valentine’s Day to arrive early; and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the show was “fast and funny,” but warned that to succeed on Broadway these days a show needed to be “great,” not “good.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the show should “have been kept there—in the family,” and Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical’s “potential charm . . . disappears in the midst of the bickering.” A Family Affair marked John Kander’s first full-length Broadway score, and it was well received by the critics, who liked “Revenge” (Kerr praised the “wild” Bolero-styled number in which Berman plots against the Siegal family); “Now, Morris” (Taubman liked the song’s “quick, rhythmic moan” as Carnovsky lashes out at “practically everybody, and particularly his wife”); the “proud busy beat” of Heckart’s “My Son, the Lawyer” was praised by Taubman; “Harmony” was, according to Kerr, “a sassy, old-fashioned ragtime tune. . . . I defy you not to whistle it on the sidewalk at intermission”; and there were several gentle ballads (“Anything for You,” “There’s a Room in My House,” and “Beautiful”). But the evening’s show-stopper was “I’m Worse

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Than Anybody,” in which Alfie, Morris, and Tilly out-whine one another over who’s been the most badly behaved during the planning of the wedding (“You can carve it on my tombstone, ‘Tilly Siegal, Big Schlemiel’”). One of the most amusing sequences in the musical was a dreamlike, limbo sequence (“Siegal Marching Song” and “Nathan Marching Song”) in which the Siegal and Nathan clans fight it out in a confrontation patterned after rival football teams. A Family Affair marked Rita Gardner’s first Broadway musical, and her first New York appearance after creating the role of The Girl (Luisa) in the long-running 1960 Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks. Moreover, Word Baker, who was that musical’s director, was to be making his Broadway debut as director of the production. But during the tryout he was replaced by Harold Prince, who, in turn, was also making his Broadway directorial debut after having established himself as one of Broadway’s major producers. During the tryout, John Butler was credited with the choreography, but for New York there was also a “musicalnumbers-staged-by” credit for Butler (for the songs “Right Girls,” “Kalua Bay,” and “Revenge”), and Bob Herget was also credited with musical staging. Within a month of the New York opening, Eileen Heckart withdrew from the production in order to take a role in the film My Six Loves (starring Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gower Champion, the film was released in 1963); Carol Bruce succeeded Heckart in the role of that big schlemiel Tilly. Heckart played another domineering Jewish mother in the 1968 film No Way to Treat a Lady, a delicious black comedy–mystery which was based on co-librettist and co-lyricist William Goldman’s novel of the same name. The musical marked Larry Kert’s first new Broadway role after he created the role of Tony in the original production of West Side Story in 1957; A Family Affair also afforded Linda Lavin an opportunity to shine (Kerr noted that in three roles “she builds her own bright fire whenever she steps on stage”), and other members of the cast included Gino Conforti, Lulu Bates, Beryl Towbin, and Cathryn Damon. During the tryout, the program listed not only the songs but the overall sequences in which the songs were performed: “The Proposal,” “The Announcement,” “The Trousseau,” “The Guest List,” “The Preparation of Details,” “The Gifts,” “The Bachelor Dinner,” “The Rehearsal,” “The Bridal Dinner,” and “The Wedding.” Two songs were deleted during the tryout, “Milwaukee” and “Mamie.” With a new lyric (by Fred Ebb), the latter song became “Arthur in the Afternoon” in The Act (1977), where it was introduced by Liza Minnelli. The cast album of A Family Affair was released by United Artists Records (LP # UAL-4099 and # UAS5099); the CD was issued by DRG Records (# 19068). In case you’re wondering who won the war of the wedding, it was decidedly the Siegals.

LEONARD SILLMAN’S NEW FACES OF ’62 “A NEW MUSICAL REVUE” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: February 1, 1962 Closing Date: February 24, 1962 Performances: 28 Sketches: R. G. Brown, Joey Carter, Ronny Graham, Herbert Hartig, Paul E. Lynde, David Rogers, Jean Shepherd, Arnie Sultan, and Marvin Worth Lyrics: Mark Bucci, June Carroll, Joey Carter, Jim Fuerst, Tony Geiss, Ronny Graham, Jack Holmes, Michael McWhinney, Richard Maury, Mavor Moore, and David Rogers Music: Mark Bucci, Marie Gordon, Ronny Graham, Jack Holmes, Mavor Moore, William Roy, and Arthur Siegel Direction: Leonard Sillman (sketches co-staged by Richard Maury); Producers: Carroll and Harris Masterson; Choreography: Mostly by James Moore; Scenery and Lighting: Marvin Reiss; Costumes: Thomas Becher; Musical Direction: Abba Bogin Cast: Tom Arthur, Charles Barlow, R. G. Brown, Joey Carter, Jim Corbett, Juan Carlos Copes, Michael Fesco, Travis Hudson, Helen Kardon, Patti Karr, Sylvia Lord, Erin Martin, Marian Mercer, James Moore, Maria Nieves, Sylvia, Joan Thornton, Mickey Wayland The revue was presented in two acts.

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Sketches and Musical Numbers Act One: “Opening” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham; dialogue by Joey Carter; choreography by James Moore [“gowns from the collection of Luis Estevez”!]) (Introduced by Jim Corbett; Company); “Quickies” (Company); “The Reds Visit Mount Vernon” (sketch by Paul Lynde) (Introduced by Patti Karr; R. G. Brown [Father], Marian Mercer [Mother], Joey Carter [George]); “Moral Rearmament” (lyric and music by Jack Holmes) (Travis Hudson, James Moore, Tom Arthur); “Pi in the Sky” (sketch by Jean Shepherd) (Introduced by Sylvia; Michael Fesco [Pilot], Maria Nieves [Stewardess], Mickey Wayland [Stewardess]; Passengers: Patti Karr, James Moore, Erin Martin, Charles Barlow, Joan Thornton, R. G. Brown, Marian Mercer, Michael Fesco, Helen Kardon, Jim Corbett); “In the Morning” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham) (Sylvia Lord); “Happiness” (lyric by David Rogers, music by Marie Gordon) (R. G. Brown [Man]; Happiness Girls: Joan Thornton, Helen Kardon, Sylvia, Marian Mercer, Travis Hudson, Mickey Wayland); “Impressions and Folk Songs” (dialogue, lyrics, and music by Joey Carter) (Joey Carter); “Togetherness” (lyric and music by Mavor Moore) (R. G. Brown [Cardinal], Charles Barlow [Bishop], Michael Fesco [Patriarch], James Moore [Moderator]); “A Moment of Truth” (song “suggested” by Ronny Graham; lyric and music by Jack Holmes) (Patti Karr); “I Want You to Be the First to Know” (lyric by June Carroll, music by Arthur Siegel) (Mickey Wayland, Charles Barlow, Michael Fesco; First Couple: James Moore and Erin Martin; Second Couple: Juan Carlos Copes and Maria Nieves; Third Couple: Jim Corbett and Patti Karr; Tom Arthur [Young Man]); “Lemon Coke” (sketch by R. G. Brown) (R. G. Brown [Boy), Marian Mercer [Girl]); “ABC’s” (lyric by David Rogers, music by Mark Bucci) (Helen Kardon [Girl]; Children: Erin Martin, Maria Nieves, Jim Corbett, Juan Carlos Copes, James Moore); “It Depends on How You Look at Things” (lyric by June Carroll, music by Arthur Siegel) (R. G. Brown [Husband], Travis Hudson [Wife]; Things: Helen Kardon, Joan Thornton, Mickey Wayland, Erin Martin, Patti Karr, Maria Nieves, Sylvia); “It Takes a Heap” (sketch by Tony Geiss and Paul Lynde) (Introduced by Patti Karr; Joey Carter [Foreman]; Michael Fesco, Helen Kardon, Jim Corbett, Patti Karr, Mickey Wayland, Maria Nieves, Erin Martin); “Freedomland” (lyric and music by Jack Holmes) (Marian Mercer); “Over the River and into the Woods” (lyric and music by Jack Holmes [gown from the collection of Luis Estevez!]) (Sylvia Lord); “Nose Cone” (sketch by R. G. Brown) (Michael Fesco [Reporter], R. G. Brown [Mr. Thurman], Marian Mercer [Mrs. Thurman]); “Johnny Mishuga” (sketch by David Rogers; lyrics by David Rogers and Mark Bucci, music by Mark Bucci) (Introduced by Tom Arthur; Travis Hudson [Momma], Joey Carter [Hymie], Jim Corbett (Waiter), Charles Barlow [Gringo], R. G. Brown [Johnny], Marian Mercer [Yasmin], James Moore [Deputy]; Customers: Erin Martin, Patti Karr, Sylvia, Maria Nieves, Helen Kardon, Michael Fesco) Act Two: “Entr’acte” (choreography by James Moore) (Introduction by Joan Thornton and Sylvia; Dancers: Jim Corbett, Juan Carlos Copes, Michael Fesco, Patti Karr, Erin Martin, James Moore, Maria Nieves; Argentinian section choreographed by Juan Carlos Copes and danced by him and Maria Nieves); “Quickies” (Company); “The Scarsdale Sentence” (sketch by David Rogers; Introduced by Patti Karr; Marian Mercer [Bettina], R. G. Brown [Warren]); “Madison Avenue Executive” (sketch by Ronny Graham) (James Moore [Executive]); “Collective Beauty” (lyric by Michael McWhinney, music by William Roy) (Travis Hudson [Lady]; Revlonites: Helen Kardon, Mickey Wayland, Charles Barlow, Jim Corbett, Maria Nieves, Patti Karr; Customers: Erin Martin, Sylvia, Joan Thornton); “Happy Person” (sketch by Herbert Hartig; Marian Mercer [Girl], R. G. Brown [Boy]); “Untouchables” (sketch by Joey Carter) (Erin Martin, Charles Barlow); “The Other One” (lyric by June Carroll, music by Arthur Siegel [gowns by Baba Originals!]) (Marian Mercer [Woman], Jim Corbett [Man]; Dancers: Patti Karr, Sylvia, Joan Thornton, Mickey Wayland, Tom Arthur, Charles Barlow, Michael Fesco, Juan Carlos Copes); “Our Models” (Joan Thornton, Sylvia); “The Untalented Relative” (lyric by Joey Carter and Richard Maury, music by Arthur Siegel) (Introduced by Patti Karr; Joey Carter [Folk Singer]; Folk: Patti Karr, Juan Carlos Copes, Marian Mercer, Mickey Wayland, James Moore, Michael Fesco, Charles Barlow, Helen Kardon, Erin Martin, Jim Corbett); “It’s All in a Day’s Work” (sketch by Joey Carter) (Joan Thornton [Girl]); “Love Is Good for You” (lyric by June Carroll, music by Arthur Siegel) (Sylvia Lord); “Where Are Our Parents” (sketch by Ronny Graham, Arnie Sultan, and Marvin Worth) (Joey Carter [Father], Marian Mercer [Mother], R. G. Brown [Roger], Mickey Wayland [Mary], Jim Corbett [Cop]); “Wall Street Reel” (lyric by Jim Fuerst, music by Arthur Siegel; introduction written by Richard Maury) (Introduced by Patti Karr; Company); Finale (Company)

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Leonard Sillman’s occasional series of New Faces revues visited New York seven times during a thirtyfour-year period. Besides the current revue, which was the series’ penultimate offering, there was a final 1968 edition (see entry). The first five revues are as follows (with year; number of performances; and names of some of the new faces): 1934, 149 performances (Henry Fonda, Imogene Coca); 1936, 193 performances (Van Johnson; the cast also included Karl Swenson, who in 1944 created the title role in Arthur Miller’s first Broadway play The Man Who Had All the Luck); 1942, 94 performances (Irwin Corey, Alice Pearce); 1952, 365 performances (Eartha Kitt, Alice Ghostley, Paul Lynde, Ronny Graham, Robert Clary, Carol Lawrence); and 1956, 221 performances (Maggie Smith, Jane Connell, Tiger Haynes, John Reardon, Virginia Martin, Inga Swenson). Sillman also produced other musicals, such as the revue All in Fun (1940, 3 performances) and the book musicals If the Shoe Fits (1946, 20 performances) and Happy as Larry (1950, 3 performances). Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of ’62 had the shortest run of the series, with twenty-eight performances (the final edition ran for fifty-two performances). The critics were generally unimpressed. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the revue was a “disgrace,” and Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the evening’s “poverty of invention and viewpoint.” Richard Watts in the New York Post commented that New Faces was “seldom more than mediocre,” and John McClain in the New York Mirror suggested that new writers rather than new faces were needed in order to salvage the revue. On the other hand, John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the revue “as lively as a cricket,” noting that the songs and sketches “come skittering by most agreeably.” Among the revue’s targets were folk songs (three of them, no less, including spoofs of Burl Ives and Harry Belafonte); communism (“The Reds Visit Mount Vernon”); religious diversity (“Togetherness”); Madison Avenue executives; Moral Rearmament (we’re told the movement is “anti-war, ante-bellum, and Auntie Mame”); juvenile delinquents (“Where Are Our Parents,” in which Marian Mercer assures her teenage son that she hates him and that she’s always hated him); method acting (in this case, Patti Karr is a “method stripper”); and suburbia (“The Scarsdale Sentence”). In “Freedomland,” Marian Mercer sang of a clueless bus passenger who thought her bus was going to Freedomland in the Bronx but instead found herself with civil rights protesters on a bus headed for the Deep South. (For her performance in Promises, Promises [1968], Mercer won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.) Earlier in the season Sail Away had offered a spoof of The Sound of Music’s “Do Re Mi” with “The Little Ones’ ABC.” New Faces also had a “Do Re Mi” spoof called “ABC’s” (A stands for atom, B for bomb, etc.). Perhaps the most amusing sequence of the evening was the mini-musical Jewish Western Johnny Mishuga, which spoofed Milk and Honey, and, to some extent, the recently opened A Family Affair (with a song titled “My Son, the Marshall”). The sketch “Pi in the Sky” was written by Jean Shepherd, the comedy writer and radio commentator who later achieved holiday-movie immortality with the 1983 film A Christmas Story, which was based on In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, a memoir of his early childhood (the film was later adapted into a musical of the same name which premiered on Broadway in 2012). The cast recording was cancelled by Columbia Records due to the revue’s brief run. Sylvia Lord was a “new face” in the revue, and some three months after it closed she appeared in the OffBroadway revue The Cats’ Pajamas where she sang three songs she introduced in New Faces: “It Depends on How You Look at Things,” “Over the River and into the Woods,” and “Love Is Good for You.” A fourth song from New Faces (“I Want You to Be the First to Know”) was heard in 1963 in another Off-Broadway revue, the second edition of Seven Come Eleven.

NO STRINGS “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 54th Street Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre) Opening Date: March 15, 1962 Closing Date: August 3, 1963 Performances: 580 Book: Samuel Taylor

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Lyrics and Music: Richard Rodgers Direction and Choreography: Joe Layton (Buddy Schwab, Associate Choreographer); Producers: Richard Rodgers in association with Samuel Taylor; Scenery and Lighting: David Hays; Costumes: Fred Voelpel and Donald Brooks; Musical Direction: Peter Matz Cast: Diahann Carroll (Barbara Woodruff), Richard Kiley (David Jordan), Noelle Adam (Jeanette Valmy), Alvin Epstein (Luc Delbert), Polly Rowles (Mollie Plummer), Don Chastain (Mike Robinson), Mitchell Gregg (Louis dePourtal), Bernice Massi (Comfort O’Connell), Ann Hodges (Gabrielle Bertin), Paul Cambeilh (Marcello Agnolotti); Dancers: Alan Johnson (Lead Dancer); Women: Susanne Cansino, Julie Drake, Jean Eliot, Ginny Gan, Ellen Graff, Kay Hudson, Ann Hodges, Diana Hrubetz, Sandy Leeds, Anna Marie Moylan, Patti Pappathatos, Janet Paxton, Dellas Rennie, Bea Salten, Carol Sherman, Mary Zahn; Men: Gene Gebauer, Scott Hunter, Larry Merritt, Michael Maurier, David Neuman, Wakefield Poole, Calvin van Reinhold; Instrumental Characters: Walter Wagner (Flute), Aaron Sachs (Clarinet), Ernest Mauro (Oboe), James Sedler (Trumpet), James Dahl (Trombone), Ronnie Bedford (Drums), Walter Kane (Bassoon) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Paris, Monte Carlo, Honfleur, Deauville, and St. Tropez at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Sweetest Sounds” (Diahann Carroll, Richard Kiley); “How Sad” (Richard Kiley); “Loads of Love” (Diahann Carroll); “The Man Who Has Everything” (Mitchell Gregg); “Be My Host” (Richard Kiley, Bernice Massi, Don Chastain, Alvin Epstein, Ann Hodges, Dancers); “La La La” (Noelle Adam, Alvin Epstein); “You Don’t Tell Me” (Diahann Carroll); “Love Makes the World Go” (Polly Rowles, Bernice Massi, Dancers); “Nobody Told Me” (Richard Kiley, Diahann Carroll) Act Two: “Look No Further” (Richard Kiley, Diahann Carroll); “Maine” (Richard Kiley, Diahann Carroll); “An Orthodox Fool” (Diahann Carroll); “Eager Beaver” (Bernice Massi, Don Chastain, Dancers); “No Strings” (Richard Kiley, Diahann Carroll); “Maine” (reprise) (Diahann Carroll, Richard Kiley); “The Sweetest Sounds” (reprise) (Richard Kiley, Diahann Carroll) With No Strings, Richard Rodgers began a new phase in his remarkable career by not only composing the score for the new musical but by writing its lyrics as well. His sixteen-year partnership with Oscar Hammerstein II had ended in June 1960 with the latter’s death (The Sound of Music [1959] was their final collaboration), and for his latest musical Rodgers decided to go it alone. It was no surprise that Rodgers’s new score was melodic (arguably his best work since The King and I nine years earlier), but for many it was a revelation to discover he wrote alternately romantic and comic lyrics. Howard Taubman in the New York Times assured everyone that Rodgers “need not have worried. He is still a magician of the musical theatre,” and noted his lyrics were a happy combination of the “wholesome ease” of Hammerstein and the “peppery impertinence” of Lorenz Hart. Rodgers offered a bouquet of four romantic ballads for the two leads David Jordan and Barbara Woodruff (Richard Kiley and Diahann Carroll): “The Sweetest Sounds” (the musical’s most popular number), “Nobody Told Me,” “Look No Further,” and the title song. Moreover, Bernice Massi (as Comfort O’Connell, a rich playgirl from Tulsa) and company rocked the stage in the jazzy “Be My Host,” while Carroll’s “You Don’t Tell Me” and “An Orthodox Fool,” along with Mitchell Gregg’s “The Man Who Has Everything,” were incisive character songs. Polly Rowles and Massi’s “Love Makes the World Go” spoofed the “Theme from Carnival (Love Makes the World Go ’Round)”; Kiley’s “How Sad” exuded carefree blasé insouciance; and the saucy “La La La” (for two minor characters, Jeanette [Noelle Adam, whose husband Sydney Chaplin was appearing a few blocks away in Subways Are for Sleeping], and Luc [Alvin Epstein]) allowed Jeanette to sing the notes “La-la-la-la-la,” while Luc helpfully translates (“She says, ‘La-la-la-la-la’”). “Maine,” a fifth duet for Kiley and Carroll, was a charmingly delivered, rather upbeat number which pointed out the geographic (and implicit racial differences) between the two characters. And, yes, No Strings told the then-daring story of interracial romance (earlier in the season, Kwamina had of course explored this theme) between two Americans living in Europe, she (Carroll) a famous Parisian fashion model and he (Kiley) an expatriate Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist. Unfortunately, Samuel Taylor’s book

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was just a bare-bones construction that set up the basic plot but never really explored it. It seemed dishonest to present two leading characters who never refer to their racial differences except in the most oblique of ways. Wouldn’t two sophisticated people have some thoughts, some ideas, something pertinent to say about their unusual relationship? And wouldn’t other characters comment on it? But in referring to the character of Barbara in a preface for the published script, Taylor insisted that “the play itself never refers to her color.” It’s the book that has relegated No Strings to theatrical oblivion. After its initial Broadway success, the show was produced in summer stock, and even enjoyed a London production. But except for an Encores! revival in 2003, the musical has gone virtually unseen since the mid-1960s. There’s definitely a show there, but someone needs to radically revise the tentative plot. Besides Rodgers’s score and the attractive leading performances (Diahann Carroll won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical [in a tie with Anna Marie Alberghetti in Carnival!]), No Strings was stylishly staged by Joe Layton and cleverly designed by David Hays (with an assist from Fred Voelpel and Donald Brooks’s chic costumes), and it was their contributions that glossed over the inadequacies of the wispy book. First and foremost, Rodgers’s score took the title literally: there were no strings in the orchestra, and, in fact, the orchestra was supplemented by seven “Instrumental Characters” who weaved in and out of the action as they played the flute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone, bassoon, and drums. Further, the scenic design employed movable panels, including ones with muted spotlights, and these too glided in and out of the action while necessary props and scenery popped up in order to establish a time and place. For the stunning opening, Layton introduced both Carroll and Kiley in limbo space as they sang “The Sweetest Sounds” without ever seeing or hearing one another, and Taubman reported that often the chorus-girl fashion models moved like mannequins while in another scene party guests become part of a “stylized background . . . like figures in a fashionable shop window.” During the tryout, “Yankee, Go Home” (for Barbara) was deleted. Early window cards for No Strings indicated the musical would open at the Mark Hellinger Theatre (it appeared the long run of My Fair Lady was nearing its end); in fact, an opening date of March 1 was announced for the musical’s premiere at the theatre. But the Lerner and Loewe success continued to be profitable, and remained at the Hellinger until late February, when it moved to the Broadhurst Theatre (and then still later to the Broadway Theatre). Because of the initial uncertainty of the Hellinger’s availability, No Strings was booked into the generally jinxed 54th Street Theatre (originally, the Craig and later the Adelphi, and, by the mid-1960s, the George Abbott). But No Strings ended up in one of My Fair Lady’s former homes when it eventually transferred to the more centrally located Broadhurst Theatre. The original cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # S/0-1695; the CD was issued twice, first by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-0777-7-64694-2-3 and then by DRG Records # 19065). Other recordings of the score include Richard Rodgers’ “No Strings”: An After-Theatre Version by La Vern Baker, Chris Connor, Herbie Mann, and Bobby Short (Atlantic Records LP # 1383; the CD was issued by Collectables Records # COL-CD-6714); Music from the Richard Rodgers Broadway Hit “No Strings”(with Strings) by Ralph Burns and His Orchestra (Epic Records LP # LN-3840; the CD was released by DRG Records # 19028 [Burns had orchestrated the Broadway production]); Music from “No Strings” (Columbia Special Products Records LP # CSRP-8617) which featured the No Strings Sextet (all of them were the “Instrumental Characters” from the original production) and was conducted by Peter Matz, the musical director of the Broadway production; and The Sweetest Swingin’ Sounds of Richard Rodgers’ “No Strings” (Billy May and His Orchestra; Capitol Records LP # T-1709). The London production opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on December 30, 1963, for 135 performances (some sources give 151 performances). Art Lund and Beverley Todd were the leads, and other cast members included Hy Hazell, David Holliday, and Marti Stevens. The cast recording was released by Decca Records (LP # LK/SKL-4576) and then later by Stet/DRG Records (LP # DS-15013); the CD was issued by Must Close Saturday Records) # MCSR-3019). The Encores! production was presented at City Center on May 8, 2003, for five performances; James Naughton and Maya Days headed the cast, which included Len Cariou, Penny Fuller, Marc Kudisch, Emily Skinner, and Casey Biggs. In the early 1960s, there was talk of a film version (to be produced by Seven Arts, with Frank Sinatra rumored for the role of David Jordan), but the project never materialized. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1962.

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (No Strings); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Richard Kiley); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Diahann Carroll, in a tie with Anna Maria Alberghetti [Carnival!]); Best Director of a Musical (Joe Layton); Best Composer (Richard Rodgers); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Peter Matz); Best Scenic Designer (David Hays); Best Costume Designer (Donald Brooks); Best Choreographer (Joe Layton, in a tie with Agnes de Mille [Kwamina])

ALL AMERICAN Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre Opening Date: March 19, 1962 Closing Date: May 26, 1962 Performances: 86 Book: Mel Brooks Lyrics: Lee Adams Music: Charles Strouse Based on the 1950 novel Professor Fodorski (A Politico-Sporting Romance) by Robert Lewis Taylor. Direction: Joshua Logan; Producers: Edward Padula in association with L. Slade Brown; Choreography: Danny Daniels; Scenery and Lighting: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Patton Campbell; Musical Direction: John Morris Cast: Lori Rogers (Airline Stewardess), Robert Lone (Flight Attendant, Cowboy, First Boy), Barney Martin (Head Immigration Officer, Taxi Driver, Assistant Coach, Red Stern), Michael Gentry (Immigration Officer, Taxi Driver), Mort Marshall (Fleisser, Drunk, Coach Hulkington [Hulk] Stockworth), David Thomas (Shindler, Park Avenue Man, Professor Dawson), Bernie West (Feinschveiger, Sightseeing Tour Guide, Dr. Snopes), Betty Oakes (Katrina, Park Avenue Woman, House Mother, Whistler’s Mother, Secretary), Will B. Able (Immigrant, Taxi Driver, Peddler, President Piedmont), Jed Allan (Immigrant, Policeman, Football Player, Craven), Don Atkinson (Immigrant), Vicki Belmonte (Immigrant), Bonnie Brody (Immigrant, Bride, Chewing Gum Girl), Bill Burns (Immigrant, Cowboy, Football Player, Wyler), Trudy Carole (Immigrant, First Girl), John Drew (Immigrant, Football Player), Anthony Falco (Immigrant, Phillips), Mary Jane Ferguson (Immigrant, Mannikin), Catherine Gale (Immigrant), Joseph Gentry (Immigrant, Con Ed Worker, Football Player), Linda Rae Hager (Immigrant), Warren Hays (Immigrant, Professor White), Jerry Howard (Immigrant, Football Player), Bill Landrum (Immigrant, Football Player), George Lindsey (Immigrant, Second Sightseeing Tour Guide, Moose), Selma Malinou (Immigrant), Joe McWherter (Immigrant, Football Player), Norman Riggins (Immigrant, Taxi Driver), Bill Starr (Immigrant, Football Player, Farquar), Sharon Vaughn (Immigrant, Homecoming Queen), Ray Bolger (Professor Fodorski), Fred Randall (Taxi Driver, Football Player), Bob Bakanic (Gorilla, Fountainhead), Eileen Herlie (Elizabeth Hawkes-Bullock), Anita Gillette (Susan), Ron Husmann (Edwin Bricker), Karen Sargent (Second Girl, Baton Twirler), Ed Kresley (Second Boy), Fritz Weaver (Henderson); Singers: Vicki Belmonte, Bonnie Brody, Catherine Gale, Selma Malinou, Lori Rogers, Sharon Vaughn, Jed Allan, Bill Burns, John Drew, Anthony Falco, Warren Hays, Norman Riggins; Dancers: Trudy Carole, Cathy Conklin, Mary Jane Ferguson, Linda Rae Hager, Charlene Mehl, Karen Sargent, Don Atkinson, Bob Bakanic, Ed Kresley, Bill Landrum, Robert Lone, Kip Watson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the present time in the United States (mostly on the S.B.I.T. campus in South Carolina).

Musical Numbers Act One: “Melt Us” (Ray Bolger, Immigrants); “What a Country!” (Ray Bolger, Company); “Our Children” (Ray Bolger, Eileen Herlie); “Animal Attraction” (Anita Gillette, Ron Husmann); “Our Children” (reprise) (Ray Bolger, Eileen Herlie); “We Speak the Same Language” (Ray Bolger, Ron Husmann); “I Can Teach Them!” (Ray Bolger, Eileen Herlie, Ron Husmann, David Thomas); “It’s Fun to Think” (Ray Bolger, Professors, Students); “Once Upon a Time” (Ray Bolger, Eileen Herlie); “Nightlife” (Anita Gillette, Girls);

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“I’ve Just Seen Her” (Ron Husmann); “Once Upon a Time” (reprise) (Eileen Herlie); “Physical Fitness” (The Football Team); “The Fight Song” (Ray Bolger, The Football Team); “What a Country!” (reprise) (Ray Bolger, Company) Act Two: “I Couldn’t Have Done It Alone” (Ron Husmann, Anita Gillette); “If I Were You” (Ray Bolger, Eileen Herlie); “Have a Dream” (Ray Bolger, Fritz Weaver, Company); “I’ve Just Seen Him” (reprise) (Anita Gillette); “I’m Fascinating” (Ray Bolger); “Once Upon a Time” (reprise) (Eileen Herlie); “The Real Me” (Eileen Herlie); “It’s Up to Me” (Ray Bolger); “The Fight Song” (reprise) (Ray Bolger, Company); “It’s Fun to Think” (reprise) (Company) All American marked Ray Bolger’s return to Broadway after his long run in Where’s Charley? (1948; see entry for 1966 revival). Unfortunately, his new vehicle was a shaky one, lasting only a few weeks. The story dealt with immigrant Professor (“Just call me Stanislaus”) Fodorski (Bolger) who takes a teaching position at S.B.I.T. (The Southern Baptist Institute of Technology), only to find he has the unfortunate knack of alienating his students. When he begins to relate mathematics and engineering to the mechanics of football, he becomes the campus hero and a national phenomenon, but not before he’s conned into a mercenary partnership with one Henderson (Fritz Weaver) and his questionable company Exploiters Unlimited (Henderson is so corrupt he apparently lacks a first name). All ends well when the professor renounces Henderson’s schemes, is reunited with the school’s dean (Eileen Herlie), and becomes an American citizen. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said Mel Brooks’s script was “broad enough to drive Jackie Gleason through,” and noted that Joshua Logan’s production was so desperate it sent the footballplayer chorus boys down into the aisles of Winter Garden’s auditorium, where they passed footballs to one another, over the heads of the audience. But he liked the notion of “high in the air” Weaver manipulating Bolger as if the latter were a puppet on a string (this conceit “makes you remember the special delights musical comedy has room for”). For All American, Lee Adams and Charles Strouse were now in college, having graduated from the highschool world of Bye Bye Birdie, and if their new score wasn’t as consistently entertaining as Birdie, it nonetheless offered some pleasant songs, including Ron Husmann’s winning “I’ve Just Seen Her” and “I Couldn’t Have Done It Alone” as well as regal Eileen Herlie’s “The Real Me,” which gave her the opportunity to cut loose in Sophie Tucker fashion. The score also included the delicate and haunting ballad “Once Upon a Time,” which became a standard and is the score’s most enduring song. It appears that an earlier version of the number was performed in Strouse and Adams’s revue Off the Top, which opened at the Craft Avenue Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1957, and the song may also have been heard in Take Me to Your Leader, a regional revue which opened in 1958. For the latter revue, it also appears that an early version of “Put on a Happy Face” (later used in Bye Bye Birdie) was performed, along with Sheldon Harnick and David Baker’s “Isms,” which was later used in the revue Vintage ’60. But many numbers in All American marked time: the opening number “Melt Us” was an unappealing request by Fodorski and the immigrants to be assimilated into their new country; “It’s Fun to Think,” for the S.B.I.T. students, was apparently performed straight, with no sense of humor (but surely Adams and Strouse were having a little fun here; with Bolger in their cast, perhaps the song was a sly wink at his “If I Only Had a Brain” in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz); “Physical Fitness” for the mostly undraped S.B.I.T. football players; and the jaw-droppingly cheesy “Nightlife” for Anita Gillette as a coed with nightclubs on the brain (she dreams of a moon and a Cole Porter tune). Gillette would get her second cheesy comedy song of the year a few months later when she introduced “The Secret Service (Makes Me Nervous)” in Mr. President. As for “Physical Fitness,” John Simon in Theatre Arts found it the “pinnacle of bad taste” as the chorus boys created a human pyramid (“it’s supposed to represent football practice but is more suggestive of other practices”). He noted that by some kind of “queer magic” the locker room was suddenly transformed into “muscle beach.” Indeed, musicals, plays, and films directed by Joshua Logan almost always had a “muscle” moment or two. Only Logan would cast Marilyn Monroe in a movie (Bus Stop [1956]) but feature just the male lead (Don Murray) in a bathtub scene. Simon also mentioned that the Playbill’s scene listing made many references to S.B.I.T., and he wondered how this “misprint” could occur so frequently. The cast album of All American was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-5760 and # KOS-2160; the CD was issued by Sony Broadway # SK-48216), and omitted four numbers heard in the Broadway production,

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three of which were heard on opening night (“Animal Attraction,” “I Can Teach Them!,” and “It’s Up to Me”) and one which was added during the run (“Back to School Again”). Soon after the opening, “Which Way?” temporarily replaced “It’s Up to Me,” but by the end of the run the latter was reinstated (but “Which Way?,” not “It’s Up to Me,” was recorded for the cast album). A live backer’s audition performed by Adams and Strouse was commercially released by Harbinger Records (CD # HCD-2401), and includes songs and narrative. The recording includes “Animal Attraction,” “Back to School Again,” “I Can Teach Them!,” and “Which Way?” as well as two numbers dropped prior to the Broadway production (“I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It” and “Pripoz Diva Se”). There were two other recordings of the score. Music from the Broadway Musical “All American” by LeRoy Holmes and His Orchestra was released by MGM Records (LP # E/SE-4034), and includes “The Old Immigration and Naturalization Rag” (which during rehearsals was replaced by “Melt Us”). The recording includes “Back to School Again” and the “All American March (It’s Up to Me).” The Champs Play Joshua Logan’s “All American” was released by Challenge Records (LP # 2514), and, in a salute to the era’s major dance craze, includes “All American Twist” and “Our Kids Twist” (the former is a variation of “The Old Immigration and Naturalization Rag,” the latter, “Our Children”). The liner notes for the LP proclaim that with their All American album, Challenge Records “has created a new sound for Broadway, and one that’s going to be around for a long, long time.” The notes also mention that “The Real Me” is offered in a “Tequilla”-styled version, as opposed to the “sultry-voiced rendition” given the song by Anita Gillette on Broadway. (To this day, Gillette must wonder why she can‘t recall singing “The Real Me” eighty-six times on Broadway.) A revised version of the script (adapted by June Walker Rogers) was published in softcover by the Dramatic Publishing Company in the 1970s (no date was given on the title page). The script includes “The Old Immigration and Naturalization Rag” and “Which Way?” All American was revived by Musicals Tonight! for a limited run from October 25 to November 6, 2011; the production included “Animal Attraction,” “Back to School Again,” “I Can Teach Them!,” and “Which Way?”

I CAN GET IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE “A MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre: Shubert Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Broadway Theatre) Opening Date: March 22, 1962 Closing Date: December 8, 1962 Performances: 300 Book: Jerome Weidman Lyrics and Music: Harold Rome Based on the 1937 novel I Can Get It for You Wholesale by Jerome Weidman. Direction: Arthur Laurents; Producer: David Merrick; Choreography: Herbert Ross; Scenery and Lighting: Will Steven Armstrong; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel Cast: Barbra Streisand (Miss Marmelstein), Jack Kruschen (Maurice Pulvermacher), Ken LeRoy (Meyer Bushkin), Elliott Gould (Harry Bogen), James Hickman (Toosie Maltz), Marilyn Cooper (Ruthie Rivkin), Lillian Roth (Mrs. Bogen), Sheree North (Martha Mills), William Reilly (Mario), Barbara Monte (Mitzi), Edward Verso (Eddie), Bambi Linn (Blanche Bushkin), Harold Lang (Teddy Asch), Kelly Brown (Buggo), Pat Turner (Miss Springer), Francine Bond (Velma), William Sumner (Lenny), Stanley Simmonds (Norman), Luba Lisa (Manette), Wilma Curley (Gail), Marion Fels (Rosaline), Jack Murray (Noodle), Don Grilley (Sam), Ed Collins (Moxie), Steve Curry (Sheldon Bushkin), Margaret Gathright (Edith) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in 1937, both in New York City’s Garment District and the Bronx.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Well Man” (Barbra Streisand, Jack Kruschen); “The Way Things Are” (Elliott Gould); “When Gemini Meets Capricorn” (Marilyn Cooper, Elliott Gould); “Momma, Momma” (Elliott Gould, Lillian

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Roth); “The Sound of Money” (Elliott Gould, Sheree North, Barbara Monte, William Reilly, Edward Verso); “Family Way” (Lillian Roth, Elliott Gould, Marilyn Cooper, Harold Lang, Bambi Linn, Ken LeRoy); “Too Soon” (Lillian Roth); “Who Knows?” (Marilyn Cooper); “Have I Told You Lately?” (Bambi Linn, Ken LeRoy); “Ballad of the Garment Trade” (Barbra Streisand, Marilyn Cooper, Bambi Linn, Elliott Gould, Harold Lang, Ken LeRoy, Company) Act Two: “A Gift Today” (Steve Curry, Elliott Gould, Lillian Roth, Bambi Linn, Ken LeRoy, Marilyn Cooper); Dance (Bambi Linn, Ken LeRoy, Steve Curry); “Miss Marmelstein” (Barbra Streisand); “The Sound of Money” (reprise) (Elliott Gould); “A Funny Thing Happened” (Marilyn Cooper, Elliott Gould); “What’s in It for Me?” (Harold Lang, Sheree North); “What Are They Doing to Us Now?” (Barbra Streisand, Kelly Brown, James Hickman, Luba Lisa, Wilma Curley, Pat Turner, Creditors); “Eat a Little Something” (Lillian Roth, Elliott Gould); Epilogue (Company) With I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Broadway found its biggest heel since Pal Joey. But Joey was a pussycat compared to Harry Bogen (Elliott Gould), a tough go-getter who will do anything to succeed in New York’s garment trade. J. Pierpont Finch in How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying was a go-getter, too, but he was a charming one who didn’t destroy lives on his crusade to conquer Madison Avenue. Harry will do anything in his drive for money and power on Seventh Avenue, and so he cheats his business partners Teddy Asch and Meyer Bushkin (Harold Lang and Ken LeRoy); dumps his faithful Bronx girlfriend Ruthie (Marilyn Cooper) for avaricious showgirl Martha Mills (Sheree North); and even uses his mother (Lillian Roth) if she can serve his business purposes. He soon tricks the trusting, naive Meyer into opening a secret checking account (in Meyer’s name only, of course) which will siphon off company funds, and soon the business is in bankruptcy and Meyer is facing prison. Unrepentant to the end, Harry saves Meyer from prison only because of his mother’s pleas, not from remorse. And now that Martha has dumped him, he’s only too willing to take up with Ruthie again (and her ten-thousand-dollar dowry). Jerome Weidman’s tough, incisive book (which was based on his 1937 best-selling novel) was matched by Harold Rome’s magnificent score, arguably his best. “Momma, Momma,” a joyous, pulsating duet for Harry and his mother, underscored his willingness to give her expensive gifts funded by what was to have been a business-only loan from Ruthie; the haunting bar mitzvah sequence (“A Gift Today”) was equally ironic, because the “gift” of the party and college-tuition check comes from money stolen from Harry’s company; “The Sound of Money” was a sparkling ode to the greenback; and even Teddy and Martha’s breezy duet “What’s in It for Me?” had the markings of a shrewd business deal. Other highlights of the score included the expansive and almost surreal choral sequence “What Are They Doing to Us Now?,” in which Harry’s innocent employees watch helplessly as the business falls apart and the company’s furnishings are repossessed; “Miss Marmelstein” (in the vein of Rome’s “Nobody Makes a Pass at Me” [Pins and Needles, 1937]) was a show-stopping lament for an overworked and underappreciated secretary (Barbra Streisand, in her Broadway debut); and Lillian Roth’s devastating “Eat a Little Something” was a chilling sequence in which she comes to the realization that her son is no good. The dazzling “Ballad of the Garment Trade” depicted a showroom being readied for a buyers’ fashion show, and it offered the contrasting perspectives of models elegantly parading their dresses in the show room for prospective buyers while simultaneously looking at the backstage frenzy as the models frantically change from one outfit to another. “Momma, momma, momma, what a good solid show,” began Walter Kerr in his rave review in the New York Herald-Tribune, and he concluded that the “highly original” musical keeps “both its musical and dramatic intentions honor-bright.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the downbeat story was “not exhilarating matter for the musical theatre,” but admitted the production was “keenly professional in its disenchanted hymn to getting ahead. . . . [The musical] generates a lot of momentum.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram said if the new musical “doesn’t charm the ever-loving daylights out of New York, I don’t know what will.” But despite praise for the cast, score, choreography, and staging, the other critics were less than enthusiastic and emphasized the antihero and his “depressing” story. So the musical never quite charmed the everloving daylights out of New York, and while it managed a 300-performance run (and briefly toured with Larry Kert), it lost money and is very rarely produced (perhaps its most notable revival occurred on March 15, 1991, when it was produced Off-Off-Broadway for a limited engagement at the American Jewish Theatre with a cast that included Evan Pappas, Patti Karr, Vicki Lewis, Alix Korey, and Carolee Carmello).

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With Wholesale, Elliott Gould enjoyed his first starring role (he had previously been in the choruses of Rumple [1957], Say, Darling [1958], and Irma La Douce [1960]), and he would later star in the underrated Drat! The Cat! (1965). Barbra Streisand of course made her Broadway debut in Wholesale (earlier in the season she had appeared in the one-performance Off-Broadway flop Another Evening with Harry Stoones). During the run of Wholesale, she and Gould were married. The musical marked a comeback for veteran Lillian Roth, perhaps best known to the public for her autobiography I’ll Cry Tomorrow (which was filmed with Susan Hayward in 1955). Other cast members included Harold Lang, who played the title role in the 1952 revival of Pal Joey and who created the roles of Bill Calhoun/Lucentio in Kiss Me Kate (1948); Bambi Linn, who created roles in the original Broadway productions of Oklahoma! (1943; in the 1955 film version, she appeared as the Dream Laurey) and Carousel (1945; she was Louise, Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan’s daughter) as well as the title role in the 1948 Broadway revival of Sally; Broadway Baby Marilyn Cooper, who created roles in a number of musicals (including West Side Story [1957], Gypsy [1959], and Woman of the Year [1981], for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical); and Ken LeRoy, who created the role of Bernardo in the original production of West Side Story. Shortly after Wholesale’s opening, Louise Lasser succeeded Marion Fels in the role of Rosaline; Lasser was also Streisand’s understudy. The memorable original cast recording was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-5780 and # KOS2180; later issued on CD by Columbia # CK-53020). The Boston tryout program includes a full-page ad for the forthcoming cast album, which has an artwork logo cover; but when the recording was released, the artwork had been jettisoned in favor of one of the most boring of all cast album covers (the title and credits are in white lettering against a background of “David Merrick Red”). An instrumental rendering of the score (Sy Oliver and His Orchestra Play Music from the Broadway Production “I Can Get It for You Wholesale”) was released by Columbia Records (LP # CS-8615). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1962. Weidman’s novel was filmed by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1951, but poor Harry underwent a major sex change for the movie. This time around, Harry Bogen was Harriet Boyd (played by Susan Hayward in her best tough-cookie mode), and other cast members included Dan Dailey, George Sanders, and Sam Jaffe. The film was directed by Michael Gordon, and was adapted by Vera Caspary and Abraham Polonsky. When the film was released for television syndication, its title was changed to Only the Best (the DVD was issued as I Can Get It for You Wholesale).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Barbra Streisand)

THE CONSUL Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: March 28, 1962 Closing Date: April 8, 1962 Performances: 4 Libretto and Music: Gian-Carlo Menotti Direction: Roger Englander; Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Scenery and Costumes: Horace Armistead; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Werner Torkanowsky Cast: Richard Fredericks (John Sorel), Patricia Neway (Magda Sorel), Evelyn Sachs (The Mother), William Chapman (Secret Police Agent), Glenn Dowlen (First Plainclothesman), Norman Grogan (Second Plainclothesman), Marija Kova (The Secretary), George Gaynes (Mr. Kofner), Maria Marlo (The Foreign Woman), Mary LeSawyer (Anna Gomez), Teresa Racz (Vera Boronel), Norman Kelley (Nika Magadoff [The Magician]), Fredric Milstein (Assan), Mabel Mercer (Voice on the Record) The current 1962 production of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s 1950 opera The Consul was the New York City Opera’s fourth revival of the work (as of this writing, the company has revived the opera eight times; for more information, see entry for the third revival, which opened in 1960).

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In his review of the 1962 revival, Alan Rich in the New York Times praised the “strong and exciting piece of musical drama” and regretted the house was “far from full.” He felt the opera was a “rebuke” to the “largescaled operatic compositions” that had premiered during the twelve years following The Consul’s Broadway premiere, for here was a “vivid and original” work of “serious musical theatre.” Rich noted Patricia Neway’s performance was “a classic impersonation in the annals of American opera” and her aria (“To This We’ve Come”) caused “pandemonium in the audience.” The cast also included Richard Fredericks (John), Evelyn Sachs (The Mother), William Chapman (Secret Police Agent), Marija Kova (The Secretary), and George Gaynes (formerly known as both George Jongeyans and Jon Geyans), who reprised his role of Mr. Kofner from the original 1950 production.

PORGY AND BESS Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: March 31, 1962 Closing Date: April 7, 1962 Performances: 6 Libretto: DuBose Heyward Lyrics: DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin Music: George Gershwin Direction: William Ball; Producer: The New York City Opera; Scenery: Stephen O. Saxe; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Gwendolyn Walters (Clara), Harold Pierson (Mingo), Rawn Spearman (Sportin’ Life), Irving Barnes (Jake), Barbara Webb (Serena), Ned Wright (Robbins), Scott Gibson (Jim), Jerry Crawford (Peter [The Honeyman]), Edna Ricks (Lily [The Strawberry Woman]), Carol Brice (Maria), Lawrence Winters (Porgy), James Randolph (Crown), Leesa Foster (Bess), Glenn Dowlen (Policeman), James Fels (Policeman), Walter Riemer (Policeman), Wanza King (Undertaker), Alyce Webb (Annie), Eugene Brice (Frazier), Doreese Duquan (Strawberry Girl), Richard Fredericks (Detective), Arthur Williams (Nelson), Clyde Turner (Crab Man), Richard Krause (Coroner), Norman Grogan (Police Sergeant); Residents of Catfish Row: The New York City Opera Chorus The New York City Opera Company’s 1962 production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess was the second of four revivals of the opera seen at City Center during the 1960s. For general information about the opera, including a list of the musical numbers, see entry for the 1961 revival; also, for specific information about the other three revivals (1961, 1964, and 1965), see entries for those productions. The 1961 and 1964 productions were presented by the New York City Light Opera Company, and the 1962 and 1965 productions by the New York City Opera. In reviewing the 1962 revival of Porgy and Bess for the New York Times, the newspaper’s music critic Raymond Ericson mentioned the long-running debate over the work’s classification. Was it “musical show, musical play, light opera, folk opera, or just plain opera?” He felt the question was “academic,” because Porgy and Bess was “an important work in the American lyric theatre, more viable than most other serious contemporary American operas, and certainly more successful with the public.” For this production, Lawrence Winters was Porgy (a “gentle, mature” Porgy with a voice of “warmth and breadth and .  .  . considerable power”), and, from the New York City Center Light Opera Company’s 1961 production, Leesa Foster and Rawn Spearman reprised their respective roles of Bess and Sportin’ Life. Other cast members included Gwendolyn Walters (Clara), Barbara Webb (Serena), Carol Brice (Maria), and James Randolph (Crown).

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM “A MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Alvin Theatre (during run, the musical first transferred to the Mark Hellinger Theatre and then to Majestic Theatre) Opening Date: May 8, 1962

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Closing Date: August 29, 1964 Performances: 964 Book: Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart Lyrics and Music: Stephen Sondheim Based on the “style and spirit” of the twenty-six surviving plays by the third-century Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus, including his play Mostellaria. Direction: George Abbott; Producer: Harold Prince; Choreography: Jack Cole; Scenery and Costumes: Tony Walton; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: Zero Mostel (Prologus, Pseudolus), Eddie Phillips (A Protean), George Reeder (A Protean), David Evans (A Protean), David Burns (Senex), Ruth Kobart (Domina), Brian Davies (Hero), Jack Gilford (Hysterium), Lycus (John Carradine), Roberta Keith (Tintinabula), Lucienne Bridou (Panacea), Lisa James and Judy Alexander (The Geminae), Myrna White (Vibrata), Gloria Kristy (Gymnasia), Preshy Marker (Philia), Raymond Walburn (Erronius), Ronald Holgate (Miles Gloriosus) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place two hundred years before the Christian era, on a day in spring on a street in Rome in front of the houses of Erronius, Senex, and Lycus; the action is continuous.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Comedy Tonight” (Zero Mostel, Eddie Phillips, George Reeder, David Evans, Company); “Love, I Hear” (Brian Davies); “Free” (Zero Mostel, Brian Davies); “The House of Marcus Lycus” (John Carradine, Zero Mostel, Courtesans); “Lovely” (Brian Davies, Preshy Marker); “Pretty Little Picture” (Zero Mostel, Brian Davies, Preshy Marker); “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” (David Burns, Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, John Carradine); “I’m Calm” (Jack Gilford); “Impossible” (David Burns, Brian Davies); “Bring Me My Bride” (Ronald Holgate, Zero Mostel, Courtesans, Eddie Phillips, George Reeder, David Evans) Act Two: “That Dirty Old Man” (Ruth Kobart); “That’ll Show Him” (Preshy Marker); “Lovely” (reprise) (Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford); “Funeral Sequence and Dance” (Zero Mostel, Ronald Holgate, Courtesans, Eddie Phillips, George Reeder, David Evans); “Comedy Tonight” (reprise) (Company) Earlier in the season, Ruth Kobart (as Miss Frump) was seen in the long-running (and long-titled) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. At season’s end, she was back again in another long-titled musical which would also enjoy a long run. How to Succeed and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum were not only the two most enduring musicals of the season, they are perhaps the two funniest musicals ever seen on Broadway Forum’s prologue announced there was to be a “Comedy Tonight,” and almost as soon as the curtain went up the madcap free-for-all farce was knee-deep in one-liners, eccentric characters, amusing songs, and wild no-holds-barred plot complications. The musical’s hero (Hero, played by Brian Davies) falls in love with Philia (Preshy Marker), the virgin next door. Trouble is, “next door” is Marcus Lycus’s bawdy house, and Philia is scheduled to be sold to celebrity-warrior Miles (“I am a parade”) Gloriosis (Ron Holgate). Hero promises to free his slave Pseudolous (Zero Mostel) if the latter can secure Philia from Lycus (John Carradine), who is hailed as “a gentleman and a procurer.” Further madness ensues when Hero’s father, Senex (David Burns), becomes interested in Philia, and not just as a daughter-in-law. And when Senex’s wife, Dominia (Ruth Kobart), gets wind of the situation, there are further fireworks. Moreover, for twenty years Erronius (Raymond Walburn) has been searching for his son and daughter, who as babies were stolen by pirates. There was a “happy ending, of course,” but not before Senex’s slave Hysterium (Jack Gilford) must don Philia drag and impersonate her. As the cast album liner notes explain, the resolution of the plot was worked out by the authors “on an IBM machine.” Forum was the first Broadway musical with both lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim (he had written lyrics only for West Side Story [1957; see entry for the 1960 return engagement] and Gypsy [1959]), and his deliciously amusing score offered the infectious opening song; the loony quartet “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid”; the loopy and, yes, lovely ballad “Lovely” (in which Philia tells us “Lovely is the one thing I can do”); the duet “Impossible,” in which Hero and Senex realize the “horrible, impossible possibilities” of father and son wanting to bed the same girl; and Kobart’s red-hot lament “That Dirty Old Man” (“of mine”).

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The New York reviews were surprisingly mixed, with critics complaining that the evening was strained, “old-hat,” and “wispy.” But Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted the “funny thing” about the show was that it was indeed funny, and Howard Taubman in the New York Times wrote that those who relish old-time “corn” and the “ancient and honorable style of fooling” will give a “thumbs up for this uninhibited romp,” and he delighted in lines that “ought” to make one cringe, such as when a slave remarks, “I live to grovel,” and a courtesan warns a eunuch, “Don’t you lower your voice to me!” Further, when Hero and Philia realize that happiness will never be theirs to know, they decide they’ll just have to learn to be happy without it; and a clumsy eunuch is told he’ll end up being a eunuch all his life. The critics were generally dismissive of Sondheim’s score, and it wasn’t even nominated for a Tony Award. Richard Watts in the New York Post found Sondheim’s contributions “modest but pleasant”; Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram said the lyrics were “catchy,” but the music “would have been a second-rate score even in 1940”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American noted that “Lovely” was a “fair” ballad and that Sondheim’s “lyrics far surpassed his music”; and John Chapman in the New York Daily News wrote that Sondheim “comes up with an occasional bright and funny number.” Kerr felt the “score is in and out, but wins out. The lyrics are fine,” and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the score “falls pleasantly on the ears.” Taubman liked the score, noting that the songs were “accessories to the pre-meditated offense” and that “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” was reminiscent of the Marx Brothers during their heyday, while Mostel and Gilford took the “romantic and pretty ‘Lovely’” and turned it into “irresistible nonsense.” For most of the New Haven and Washington, D.C., tryouts, the opening number was “Love Is in the Air.” The song, which promised a light-hearted romantic musical, didn’t prepare the audience for the zany shenanigans to follow, but when it was replaced by “Comedy Tonight” (with special staging by Jerome Robbins) everybody knew exactly what was in store. The new opening number is generally credited with saving the show. In New Haven, Hero and Philia sang “Love Story” in the first act and “Echo Song” in the second. “Lovely” was first heard in the second act, and was introduced by Mostel and Gilford. “Love Story” and “Echo Song” were eventually deleted, and “Lovely” was moved to the first act as a duet for Hero and Philia, and Mostel and Gilford reprised the number in the second. Another song deleted during the tryout was “Your Eyes Are Blue.” The Washington tryout program lists “The Chase” as the final number, following the “Funeral Sequence and Dance.” By New York, the programs omitted “The Chase,” but the published script describes the nonspoken-and-sung sequence, which follows the “Funeral Sequence and Dance” and precedes the finale, a reprise of “Comedy Tonight.” During the tryout, Pat Fox (Hero) and Karen Black (Philia) were replaced by Brian Davies and Preshy Marker. Davies had previously appeared as Rolf in the original 1959 production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The Sound of Music; with Lauri Peters, he introduced the charming duet “You Are Sixteen (Going on Seventeen).” After Forum, thirty-eight years passed before he returned to Broadway, in the 2000 musical James Joyce’s The Dead. After Forum, Preshy Marker was never heard from again, at least as far as Broadway was concerned (she had previously appeared in the 1955 concert-revue Hear! Hear!). Forum played for 964 performances, the longest run of any Sondheim musical. Mostel was eventually succeeded by Jerry Lester, Dick Shawn, and Danny Dayton (in 1973, Mostel reprised the role in summer stock). The production won five Tony awards, and the Broadway cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # S/ WAO-1717; first issued on CD by Bay Cities Records # BCD-3002, and then later by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-0777-7-64770-2-2). The script was published in hardback by Dodd, Mead, in 1963. In 1983, Dodd, Mead, published a paperback edition of the script in a volume that also included Sondheim’s 1973 musical The Frogs, and in 1991 Applause Theatre Book Publishers issued both hardback and softcover editions of the script. Both the 1983 and 1991 editions include the lyrics for a number of dropped songs, some of which were deleted during the tryout (“Love Is in the Air,” “Your Eyes Are Blue”); others that never made it to rehearsals (“Invocation,” “There’s Something About a War,” and “The Gaggle of Geese” [the latter in the 1991 edition only]); one that was dropped during rehearsals (“I Do Like You”); “Farewell,” which was written for the 1971 revival; and a complete version of “The House of Marcus Lycus.” The lyrics are also in Sondheim’s Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes (published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2010). Sondheim’s demo of the score includes “Invocation,” “Love Is in the Air,” “Your Eyes Are Blue,” “I Do Like You,” “Echo Song,” “The Gaggle of Geese,” “There’s Something About a War,” and “The Window

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Across the Way” (the latter was apparently dropped during rehearsals). Another song that appears to have been dropped during rehearsals is Hero’s “What Do You Do with a Woman?” (Most of these songs can also be heard in various Sondheim collections.) A softcover edition of the script was also published by Frank Music Co (London) in 1963. The London production opened on October 3, 1963, at the Strand Theatre for 762 performances; Frankie Howerd was Pseudolus, and Leon Greene was Miles Gloriosus, a role he reprised for the 1966 film version released by United Artists. Directed by Richard Lester, the film preserved Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford’s Broadway performances, and other members of the film cast included Michael Crawford (Hero), Phil Silvers (Marcus Lycus), and Buster Keaton (Erronius). As a comedy, the film was amusing, but it offered too little of Sondheim’s score, retaining only five numbers (“Comedy Tonight,” “Lovely,” “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid,” “The Dirge” [aka “Funeral Sequence”], and “The Chase”). It appears “Free” was filmed, because a scene between Mostel and Crawford leads right up to the song before there’s an abrupt cut to the next scene. As of this writing, the film is no longer available in an individual DVD release, but is included in at least two DVD collections of film musicals. The soundtrack was released by United Artists Records (LP # UAS-5144 and # UAL-4144; the CD was issued by Ryko Records # RCD-10727). The London cast recording was released by His Master’s Voice/EMI Records (LP # CLP-1685 and # CSD-1518; later issued on Stet Records LP # DS-15028; the CD was released by EMI Records # 0777-7-89060-2-5). Howerd later reprised his role in a London revival that opened on November 14, 1986, at the Piccadilly Theatre for forty-nine performances (Leon Greene was again Miles Gloriosus). The musical has been twice revived on Broadway. The 1972 revival originated in Los Angeles, where it opened at the Ahmanson Theatre on October 13, 1971, for forty-seven performances. The cast included Phil Silvers as Pseudolus (for the film version he had played the role of Marcus Lycus), and other cast members were Nancy Walker (Dominia), Lew Parker (Senex), and Ann Jillian (Tintinabula). (Jillian had appeared as Dainty June in the 1962 film version of Gypsy.) The production added “Farewell” (a new song for Walker), reinstated “Echo Song,” and deleted “That’ll Show Him.” The Los Angeles production opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 30, 1972, for 156 performances. Silvers won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical (due to illness, he was eventually replaced by John Bentley and Tom Poston), and Larry Blyden (Hysterium) won the Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Unfortunately, the revival wasn’t recorded. The production included “Farewell” and “Echo Song”; “Pretty Little Picture” and “That’ll Show Him” were deleted. The second revival opened at the St. James Theatre on April 18, 1996, for 715 performances; the cast included Nathan Lane (Pseudolus), Mark Linn-Baker (Hysterium), Lewis J. Stadlen (Senex), Mary Testa (Dominia), Ernie Sabella (Marcus Lycus), and Cris Groenendaal (Miles Gloriosus). Like Mostel and Silvers before him, the role of Pseudolus/Prologus won Lane the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. With the exception of “Pretty Little Picture,” all the songs from the 1962 production were heard, including “That’ll Show Him” (“Farewell” and “Echo Song” weren’t used in the revival). The cast album was released by Angel Records (CD # 7243-8-52223-2-0). Other recordings of the score are an EP recording of the Mexico City cast (titled Amor al Reves es Roma, it was released by CBS Records # EPC-274), which includes four songs from the production (“Comedy Tonight,” “Love, I Hear,” “Lovely,” and “Pretty Little Picture”), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum . . . in Jazz, an instrumental version by the Trotter Trio (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5707) which includes “Your Eyes Are Blue.” In a preface to the 1991 edition of the script, co-librettist Larry Gelbart noted that he and Burt Shevelove’s goal had been to create a musical in the “style and spirit” of the twenty-six surviving comedies by thirdcentury-Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus. Their working title was A Roman Comedy, and believe it or not, one of Plautus’s comedies was titled Mostellaria.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Zero Mostel); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (David Burns); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Jack Gilford); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Ruth Kobart); Best Author of a Musical (Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart); Best Producer of a Musical (Harold Prince); Best Direction of a Musical (George Abbott)

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CAN-CAN Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 16, 1962 Closing Date: May 27, 1962 Performances: 16 Book: Abe Burrows Lyrics and Music: Cole Porter Direction: Gus Schirmer, Jr.; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Ellen Ray; Scenery and Lighting: Jo Mielziner’s scenic and lighting designs for the original 1953 production adapted by Helen Pond; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Musical Direction: James Leon Cast: Phil Roth (Bailiff, Café Waiter), Peter Saul (Registrar), George del Monte (Policeman), Darrell Sandeen (Policeman, Second Waiter, Customer, Second), Warner Schreiner (Judge Paul Barriere), Charles Reynolds (Court President, Doctor), George Gaynes (Judge Aristide Forestier), Mara Lynn (Claudine), Maggie Worth (Gabrielle), Lillian D’Honau (Marie), Marilyn D’Honau (Celestine), Ferdinand Hilt (Hilaire Jussac), Gabriel Dell (Boris Adzinidzinadze), Iggie Wolfington (Hercule), Bob Dishy (Theophile), Jack Fletcher (Etienne), Michael Cavallaro (Waiter), Genevieve (Le Mome Pistache), Nora Bristow (Nun, Customer), Betty Linton (Model), Dorothy D’Honau (Mimi), Victor Duntiere (Rainbow), Jack Davison (Prosecutor); Dancers: Joseph Ahumada, Marilyn Charles, Sterling Clark, Victor Duntiere, Gloria Danyl, Dorothy D’Honau, Lillian D’Honau, Marilyn D’Honau, Don Emmons, Peter Gladke, Natasha Grishin, Janan Hart, Douglas Hinshaw, Robert Holloway, Betty Linton, Sally Lou Lee, David Lober, Jami Landi, Mary Jane Moncrieff, Louise Quick, Peter Saul, Fabian Stuart, Alice Shanahan The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Paris in 1893.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Maidens Typical of France” (Laundresses); “Never Give Anything Away” (Genevieve); “C’est magnifique” (Genevieve, George Gaynes); “Quadrille” (dance; Mara Lynn, Laundresses, Friends); “Come Along with Me” (Ferdinand Hilt, Mara Lynn); “Come Along with Me” (reprise) (Gabriel Dell); “Live and Let Live” (Genevieve); “I Am in Love” (George Gaynes); “If You Loved Me Truly” (Gabriel Dell, Mara Lynn, Bob Dishy, Iggie Wolfington, Jack Fletcher, Maggie Worth, Marilyn D’Honau, Lillian D’Honau); “Montmartre” (Ensemble); “Garden of Eden Ballet” (Mara Lynn [Eve], Peter Gladke [Snake], Jami Landi [Penguin], Joseph Ahumada [Penguin], Alice Shanahan [Kangaroo], Sterling Clark [Kangaroo], Dorothy D’Honau [Flamingo], Douglas Hinshaw [Flamingo], Mary Jane Moncrieff [Inchworm], Bob Holloway [Inchworm], Natasha Grishin [Frog], Don Emmons [Frog], Louise Quick [Sea Horse], Peter Saul [Sea Horse], Janan Hart [Cat], David Lober [Cat], Bob Dishy [Adam]); “Allez-vous-en” (Genevieve) Act Two: “Never, Never Be an Artist” (Gabriel Dell, Bob Dishy, Iggie Wolfington, Jack Fletcher, Betty Linton); “It’s All Right with Me” (George Gaynes); “The Apaches” (dance; Mara Lynn, Dancers); “I Love Paris” (Genevieve); “C’est magnifique” (reprise) (George Gaynes, Genevieve); “Can-Can” (Genevieve, Mara Lynn, Laundresses); Finale (Company) When the original Broadway production of Can-Can opened at the Shubert Theatre on May 3, 1953, the critics praised Michael Kidd’s show-stopping choreography and Jo Mielziner’s lavish décor. And they were knocked out by one of the featured performers, Gwen Verdon, who after Can-Can would be featured no more, for here was a Broadway star of the first magnitude, one who would go on to create leading roles in five hit musicals. But the critics weren’t enthusiastic about Abe Burrows’s book and Cole Porter’s score, which told the tale of the naughty can-can dance, and how a music hall owner who presents the shocking new dance gets in trouble with the law. In light of the dancing, scenery, and attractive cast, the slight story was tolerated by most of the aisle sitters, but a few took Burrows and Porter to task. Walter Kerr in the New York HeraldTribune warned his readers to not expect “inspiration” because Burrows and Porter were in a “hand-me-down mood,” and Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times found the evening “heavy-handed.” Robert Coleman

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in the New York Daily Mirror may have spoken for the ticket-buying public when he noted the new musical was “no masterpiece” but nonetheless was “a swell evening of fun.” As a result, Can-Can chalked up 892 performances, and when it closed it was the seventh-longest-running book musical in Broadway history. Further, the score produced four Cole Porter standards, “I Love Paris,” “C’est magnifique,” “Allez-vous-en,” and “It’s All Right with Me.” The London production opened at the Coliseum Theatre on October 14, 1954, for 394 performances, and in 1960 a lavish if miscast film version was released by Twentieth Century-Fox. The original Broadway cast album was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # S/W-452; later issued on CD by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-7-64664-2-2). The musical was first revived in New York for six performances at the Theatre-in-the-Park beginning on August 25, 1959; Genevieve and David Atkinson were the leads, and Pat Turner played Claudine (the Verdon role). Also in the cast was Eric Rhodes, reprising his role of Hilaire Jussac from the original production. Lewis Funke in the New York Times said the 1962 revival at City Center was a “decidedly pleasant surprise. . . . [The musical] is alive . . . sprightly and fresh . . . gay and naughty.” He found Burrows’s book only “serviceable,” and it was Porter’s score that provided the evening’s “zest” and “flavor.” Of the cast members, Genevieve was “admirable,” George Gaynes was “excellent,” and Mara Lynn (as Claudine) was “electric.” But Can-Can fell off the theatrical radar for nineteen years. Despite a cast that included Zizi Jeanmaire, Ron Husmann, Swen Swenson, and David Brooks, the revival at the Minskoff Theatre on April 30, 1981, ran for just five performances. Howard Kissel in Women’s Wear Daily felt the “contrived plot and stale gags seem particularly ramshackle” and he damned the “tacky” disco arrangements (this was the early 1980s, after all), while Frank Rich in the New York Times reported that “mediocre material, no matter how it’s sliced, is still mediocre material.” The revival omitted two songs, “If You Loved Me Truly” and “Every Man Is a Stupid Man.” Note that Tenderloin’s Ron Husmann was now playing the “Maurice Evans” role, for here he was the judge out to ban the can-can and all those production numbers. An Encores! production presented the musical in concert format on February 12, 2004, for five performances; Patti LuPone and Michael Nouri were the leads, Charlotte d’Amboise was Claudine, and Eli Wallach was billed as “special guest star” for his portrayal of Judge Paul Barriere.

BRAVO GIOVANNI “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre Opening Date: May 19, 1962 Closing Date: September 15, 1962 Performances: 76 Book: A. J. Russell Lyrics: Ronny Graham Music: Milton Schafer Based on the 1959 novel The Crime of Giovanni Venturi by Howard Shaw. Direction: Stanley Prager; Producer: Philip Rose; Choreography: Carol Haney (Buzz Miller, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Ed Wittstein; Musical Direction: Anton Coppola Cast: Cesare Siepi (Giovanni Venturi), George S. Irving (Signor Bellardi), Rico Froehlich (Uriti Waiter, Musician, Professor Musa), Joe McGrath (Uriti Waiter), Ed Dumont (Uriti Waiter), Barney Johnson (Uriti Waiter, Policeman), David Opatoshu (Amedeo), Harry Davis (Furniture Dealer, Professor Panfredoni), Al Sambogna (Nino, Helper), Thatcher Clarke (Gino, Soup Cook), Buzz Miller (Dino, Night Club Manager, Head Chef), Michele Lee (Miranda), Arnold Soboloff (Moscolito), Al Lanti (Carlo), Maria Karnilova (Signora Pandolfi), Gene Varrone (Musician, Troubadour, Pizza Maker, Brigadiere), Nino Banome (Musician, Baker), Lu Leonard (Celestina), Gene Gavin (Salad Chef), Larry Fuller (Baker), Alan Peterson (Helper), Alvin Beam (Helper), Penny Gaston (Signora Elli), Lainie Kazan (La Contessa), John Taliaferro (Signor Brancusi); Singers: Jyll Alexander, Norma Donaldson, Penny Gaston, Marcia Gilford, Maria Graziano, Lainie Kazan, Betty Kent, Rita Metzger, Ed Dumont, Tom Head, Barney Johnson, Ronald Knight, Joe McGrath, Richard Park, John Taliaferro; Dancers: Ann Barry, Ellen Halpin, Shellie Farrell, Michele Franchi, Herad Gruhn, Baayork Lee, Barbara Richman, Nikki Sowinski, Nino Banome, Alvin Beam, Thatcher Clarke, Larry Fuller, Gene Gavin, Alan Peterson, Al Sambogna, Claude Thompson

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The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Rome at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Rome” (Cesar Siepi); “Uriti” (George S. Irving, Ensemble); “Breachy’s Law” (Cesar Siepi, David Opatoshu); “I’m All I’ve Got” (Michele Lee); “The Argument” (Cesar Siepi, George S. Irving); “Signora Pandolfi” (David Opatoshu, Maria Karnilova, Buzz Miller, Gene Varrone, Nino Banome, Rico Froehlich); “The Kangaroo” (Maria Karnilova, Buzz Miller, Rico Froehlich, Joe McGrath, Ed Dumont, Barney Johnson, Gene Varrone, Nino Banome, Alan Peterson, Alvin Beam, Al Sambogna); “If I Were the Man” (Cesar Siepi); “Steady, Steady” (Michele Lee); “We Won’t Discuss It” (Cesar Siepi, David Opatoshu); “Ah! Camminare” (Gene Varrone, Cesar Siepi, Company) Act Two: “Breachy’s Law” (reprise) (Cesar Siepi, David Opatoshu, Maria Karnilova, Michele Lee); “Uriti Kitchen” (George S. Irving, Arnold Soboloff, Al Lanti, Buzz Miller, Gene Varrone, Gene Gavin, Nino Banome, Larry Fuller, Thatcher Clarke, Alan Peterson, Alvin Beam, Al Sambogna); “Virtue Arrivederci” (George S. Irving); “Bravo, Giovanni” (Cesar Siepi, George S. Irving, Ensemble); “One Little World Apart” (Michele Lee); “Connubiality” (Maria Karnilova, David Opatoshu); “Miranda” (Cesar Siepi) Like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which had opened earlier in the month, Bravo Giovanni, the season’s final new offering, was also set in Rome. Unfortunately, theatrical lightning didn’t strike twice, and Bravo Giovanni soon disappeared. After its mid-May opening, the musical played for two months before temporarily closing on July 14. It resumed performances on September 7, and permanently closed on September 15, for a total of seventy-six performances. The amusing if somewhat complicated plot dealt with Giovanni Venturi (Cesar Siepi), the owner of the modest restaurant Trattoria da Giovanni in the Trastevere quarter of Rome, who faces competition three doors down the street with the opening of a new branch of Uriti, a tourist-friendly fast-food chain that serves instant minestrone, homogenized tortoni, and mozzarella burgers on a bun. Uriti’s manager, Signor Bellardi (George S. Irving), boasts that Uriti’s chef comes directly from a luncheonette at the United Nations, and the formica décor of the restaurant’s interior includes restroom stalls that are replicas of the Arch of Constantine. Matters look grim for Giovanni, until his friend Amedeo (David Opatoshu), whose bookshop is next door to Giovanni’s trattoria, devises a plan to build a tunnel between the two restaurants (which includes burrowing under the bookstore as well as under the home of six-times widowed Signora Pandolfi [Maria Karnilova]). Once the tunnel is in place, the Uriti dumbwaiter (which delivers meals from its basement kitchen to the dining room above) will be extended to a hidden floor below the kitchen. Amedeo’s cousin, who works at Uriti, will hijack the dinners and Amedeo’s niece Miranda (Michele Lee) will take them through the tunnel to Giovanni’s restaurant. As a result, Giovanni will have no overhead because all the food and wine served in his restaurant will be “furnished” by Uriti. The confusing and plot-heavy musical got even heavier with two romantic subplots, the May-September one of Giovanni and Miranda, and the other dealing with Signora Pandolfi’s decision to make Amedeo her seventh husband. Further, once the tunneling is underway, an invaluable Etruscan tomb is unearthed which soon brings in police and archeologists. The critics were divided on the merits of the new musical. Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram said the “exuberant” and “magnifico” musical was a “Roman holiday. . . . The Broadhurst Theater has a long-term tenant.” Jim O’Connor in the New York Journal-American liked the “merry, melodious” musical, one that was “a real rouser. . . . Boom! Boom-boom! An explosion on Broadway . . . a new hit is here.” And John Chapman in the New York Daily News noted that “a funny thing happened on the way across the Tiber . . . a big, smart-looking, thoroughly enjoyable musical . . . a lively, tuneful, colorful evening.” But Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that while Siepi’s “great, big booming voice” didn’t need to be amplified, the plot did, with a libretto “not even the actors could possibly believe in.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted that “speed and vigor abound” in the new musical, and while less than impressed by the proceedings, he praised the cast, the choreography, the scenery, and singled out seven songs. The underrated score offered a number of delights, the most memorable being the haunting “Ah! Camminare” (which roughly translates as “Let’s go for a stroll”), one of the best theatre songs of the era. Beautifully

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sung by Gene Varrone as a troubadour serenading the guests at a festa hosted by Giovanni, the heart-rending melody was heard throughout the musical, first in the overture; then in Varrone’s solo; followed by a first-act finale sequence performed by Siepi, Varrone, and the party guests; and finally in an up-tempo tarantella-like version for the curtain calls. “Ah! Camminare” was a musical comedy song for the ages, and if nothing else in the score equaled it, there were nonetheless many ingratiating numbers, including Siepi’s “Rome,” “If I Were the Man,” and “Miranda”; Siepi and Opatoshu’s two duets, “Breachy’s Law” (which sets the tunneling plan into motion) and “We Won’t Discuss It” (in which Giovanni tries to put aside his growing feelings for the young Miranda); and Miranda’s “Steady, Steady,” in which she realizes she loves Giovanni. Choreographer Carol Haney contributed two wild dance sequences. In order to tire out Signora Pandolfi so she’ll sleep through the tunneling under her house, Amedeo takes her out for a night on the town. But the tireless Pandolfi wears out Amedeo and everyone else with her dance “The Kangaroo,” which Taubman praised for its “capital fooling.” And in “Uriti Kitchen,” Haney devised a madcap comic ballet for the Uriti chefs, all of whom focus on their given chores while the kitchen, according to the script, becomes a “veritable playground of flying foodstuff: pineapples, grapes, lobster, bananas, etc.” Taubman found the dance “marvelously demented. . . . [It] has the sharp, comic comment of moments in Rene Clair’s À Nous la Liberté and Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times.” Robert Randolph’s scenery was praised, especially for the finale’s chase scene. Here he designed a stunning two-level set that depicted a tunnel below and a piazza above. During the tryout, the following songs were dropped: “Try to Cross the Piazza Today,” “Love Must Have Time,” “Price War,” “Here I Am,” and “Give All Your Love Away.” Early in the Broadway run, “Connubiality” (for Pandolfi and Amedeo) was replaced by “Jump In” (“Matrimony is a lake, dear / —Jump in!”). Although the Broadway cast recording (Columbia Records LP # KOS-2200 and # KOL-5800; issued on CD by DRG Records # 19031) includes “Jump In” and “Uriti Kitchen” in the list of songs on the album, the two numbers aren’t included on the recording. Another rendering of the score (Music from the Broadway Production “Bravo Giovanni”) is an instrumental version by Luther Henderson and His Orchestra (Columbia Records LP # CL-1820). In her 1966 solo album A Taste of the Fantastic (Columbia Records LP # CS-9286/ CL-2486), Michele Lee sang a new version of “Steady, Steady,” which was later added as a bonus track for the CD release of the cast album. The golden-voiced Siepi would return to Broadway one more time, in Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane’s short-lived 1979 musical Carmelina. The cast of Bravo Giovanni included a number of Broadway stalwarts, including Buzz Miller, Al Lanti, Gene Varrone, Rico Froehlich, Lu Leonard, Lainie Kazan, and Larry Fuller. Buzz Miller, along with Carol Haney and Peter Gennaro, introduced “Steam Heat” in The Pajama Game (1954), and danced “The Pick-Pocket Tango” with Gwen Verdon in 1959’s Redhead. Rico Froehlich was one of the “Abbondanza” trio in The Most Happy Fella (1956), and Larry Fuller later choreographed the original London (1978) and New York (1979) productions of Evita. Eleven years after Bravo Giovanni closed, Michele Lee and Lainie Kazan shared a leading musical role in Seesaw, Dorothy Fields and Cy Coleman’s 1973 lyric adaptation of William Gibson’s long-running 1958 comedy drama Two for the Seesaw. Kazan originated the role of Gittel Mosel in Seesaw, performing the part during most of the Detroit tryout at the Fisher Theatre, which had seen the world premiere of Bravo Giovanni over a decade earlier. But Kazan was soon replaced by Michele Lee, and Kazan’s dismissal was fodder for the Broadway gossip mills, resulting in an in-depth article in the New York Times, which was soon followed by an in-depth letter to the Times’ editor by Kazan herself. Bravo Giovanni’s musical director was Anton Coppola, the uncle of Francis Ford Coppola and Talia Shire, and great-uncle of Nicholas Cage and Sofia Coppola. Besides Giovanni, he conducted the original Broadway productions of New Faces of 1952, The Boy Friend (1954), and Rugantino (1964). In addition to conducting many of City Center’s musical revivals, he was also the conductor for the premiere of Jack Beeson’s opera Lizzie Borden, which was produced by the New York City Opera on March 25, 1965.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Composer and Lyricist (Milton Schafer and Ronny Graham); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Anton Coppola); Best Choreography (Carol Haney)

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BRIGADOON Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 30, 1962 Closing Date: June 10, 1962 Performances: 16 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Frederick Loewe Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (James Jamieson, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith (Watson Barratt, Art Director); Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Uncredited (possibly Peggy Clark); Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Peter Palmer (Tommy Albright), Farley Granger (Jeff Douglas), Kenny Adams (Sandy Dean), Ann Fraser (Meg Brockie), Moultrie Patten (Archie Beaton), Edward Villella (Harry Beaton), Alexander Clark (Andrew MacLaren), Sally Ann Howes (Fiona MacLaren), Jenny Workman (Jean MacLaren), Walter Blocher (Angus McGuffie), Harry Snow (Charlie Dalrymple), Gemze de Lappe (Maggie Anderson), Richard Rutherford (Sword Dancer), James Clouser (Sword Dancer), James McArdle (Sword Dancer), David Shields (Sword Dancer), Frank Andre (Sword Dancer), John C. Becher (Mr. Lundie), Maurice Eisenstadt (Bagpiper), Felice Orlandi (Frank), Susan Fellows (Jane Ashton); Singers: Faith Daltry, Beverly G. Evans, Susan Fellows, Helen Guile, Marilyne Mason, Hanna Owen, Betty Jane Schwering, Kelli Scott, Lynn Wendell, Kenny Adams, John Aman, Ken Ayers, Donald E. Becker, Jerry Crawford, Harris W. Davis, Marvin Goodis, Robert Lenn, George T. McWhorter, John Sarkis; Dancers: Barbara Beck, Lynn Broadbent, Mickey Gunnerson, Michele D. Hardy, Rosalie Kurowska, Lucia Lambert, Loi Leabo, Anna-Marie, Jane Meserve, Esther Villavicencio, Frank Andre, Robert Bishop, James Clouser, Ben Gillespie, Art Hutchinson, Vernon Lusby, Jim McArdle, Charles B. McCraw, Richard Rutherford, David Shields The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Brigadoon (a village in the Scottish Highlands) and in New York City during May of last year.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Once in the Highlands” (Chorus); “Brigadoon” (Chorus); “Down on MacConnachy Square” (Kenny Adams, Ann Fraser, Townsfolk); “Waitin’ for My Dearie” (Sally Ann Howes, Girls); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” (Harry Snow, Townsfolk); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” Dance (Gemze de Lappe, Edward Villella, Fishmongers, Dancers); “The Heather on the Hill” (Sally Ann Howes, Peter Palmer); “The Love of My Life” (Ann Fraser); “Jeannie’s Packin’ Up” (Girls); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” (Harry Snow); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” Dance (Jenny Workman, Dancers); “Almost Like Being in Love” (Peter Palmer, Sally Ann Howes); “The Wedding Dance” (Jenny Workman, Harry Snow, Dancers); “Sword Dance” (Edward Villella, Richard Rutherford, James Clouser, James McArdle, David Shields, Frank Andre, Dancers) Act Two: “The Chase” (Men of Brigadoon); “There but for You Go I” (Peter Palmer); “My Mother’s Wedding Day” (Ann Fraser, Townsfolk); “Funeral Dance” (Gemze de Lappe); “From This Day On” (Peter Palmer, Sally Ann Howes); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” (reprise) (Sally Ann Howes); “The Heather on the Hill” (reprise) (Sally Ann Howes); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” (reprise) (Harry Snow); “From This Day On” (reprise) (Peter Palmer, Sally Ann Howes); Finale (Company) City Center’s spring revival of Brigadoon was the classic musical’s third visit to New York since the original production of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s musical opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on March 13, 1947, for 581 performances. As of this writing, the musical has enjoyed ten New York revivals. The fantasy told of the Scottish town of Brigadoon, which comes to life every one hundred years (during each night, a century passes). By not remaining too long in any one century, the townsfolk remain untouched (and untainted) by any one period of time. But the magic spell will be broken if any villager steps beyond the prescribed boundaries of the town. Everyone’s happy with this arrangement, with the ex-

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ception of Harry Beaton, who feels Brigadoon is his own personal brig. When two present-day New Yorkers (Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas) stumble upon Brigadoon, Tommy is immediately attracted to both the village and Fiona MacLaren, whose sister Jean is betrothed to Charlie Dalrymple, much to the consternation of Harry, who tries to escape from Brigadoon before he’s inadvertently shot by Jeff. (Among the other townsfolk is Meg Brockie, an Ado Annie–type who has her sights set on a man . . . any man.) Tommy and Jeff leave Brigadoon, but when Tommy later returns a miracle occurs when the town wakes up during its night’s sleep and Tommy is forever united with Fiona. Besides its unusual story, Brigadoon offered one of the most romantic scores of post–World War II musicals with such songs as “Almost Like Being in Love,” “The Heather on the Hill,” “Come to Me, Bend to Me,” “Waitin’ for My Dearie,” and “There but for You Go I,” as well as many highly charged dance numbers, such as “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” and the wedding, sword, and funeral dances (Agnes de Mille created the choreography for the original production and for many of its revivals). The first New York revival opened at the City Center on May 2, 1950, for twenty-four performances; the cast included Phil (Philip) Hanna (Tommy), Virginia Oswald (Fiona), and Susan Johnson (Meg). On March 27, 1957, the musical returned to City Center (and then briefly transferred to Broadway at the Adelphi Theatre) for a total of forty-seven performances; the cast included David Atkinson (Tommy), Helen Gallagher (Meg), Robert Rounseville (Charlie), and, from the 1950 revival, Virginia Oswald (Fiona). The cast of the current 1962 revival included Broadway’s original Li’l Abner, Peter Palmer (Tommy); Sally Ann Howes (Fiona); Farley Granger (Jeff); and New York City Ballet dancer Edward Villella (Harry). On January 30 of the following year, the fourth revival opened for fifteen performances, and the City Center cast included Palmer, Howes, and Villella (see entry). In a surprise move by the Tony Award Committee, which normally didn’t recognize Off-Broadway and City Center productions, the current revival picked up three nominations (see below). The fifth revival opened at City Center on December 23, 1964, for seventeen performances, with Palmer and Villella returning (Linda Bennett was Fiona), and the sixth City Center visit opened on December 13, 1967, for twenty-three performances; the cast included Bill Hayes (Tommy), Margot Moser (Fiona), Karen Morrow (Meg), with Villella as Harry for the fourth time. (For more information about these revivals, see separate entries.) On October 16, 1980, a lavish revival opened at the Majestic Theatre for 133 performances; the cast included Martin Vidnovic (Tommy), Meg Bussert (Fiona), and John Curry (Harry). The production was thrillingly sung, but sadly didn’t leave behind a cast recording. On March 1, 1986, the musical was presented by the New York City Opera at the New York State Theatre for forty performances (Richard White and John Leslie Wolfe alternated in the role of Tommy, and Sheryl Wood and Beverly Lambert alternated as Fiona). The company revived the work two more times: on November 7, 1991, for twelve performances (John Leslie Wolfe and George Dvorsky alternated as Tommy, Michele McBride and Elizabeth Walsh as Fiona) and on November 13, 1996, for fourteen performances, with Brent Barrett (Tommy), Rebecca Luker (Fiona), and Judy Kaye (Meg). Brigadoon was first presented in London on April 14, 1949, at His Majesty’s Theatre for 685 performances, which was a longer run than the Broadway production. The cast included Phil Hanna (Tommy), Patricia Hughes (Fiona), Hiram Sherman (Jeff), Noele Gordon (Meg), and James Jamieson (Harry). The musical was filmed by MGM in 1954; Vincente Minnelli directed, and the cast included Gene Kelly (Tommy), Cyd Charisse (Fiona), and Van Johnson (Jeff). A television version was seen on ABC in 1967; the cast included Robert Goulet (Tommy), Sally Ann Howes (Fiona), Edward Villella (Harry), Marilyne Mason (Meg), and Peter Falk (Jeff). The script of Brigadoon was published in hardback by Coward-McCann in 1947, and an undated softcover edition of the script was issued in Great Britain by Chappell & Co. Ltd. The original Broadway cast album was recorded by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1001; later issued by RCA on CD # 1001-2-RG). There are numerous recordings of the score, but perhaps the most satisfying is a studio cast version issued by Columbia Records (LP # CL-1132 [reissued on # OL-7040]; CD released by DRG Records # 19071) with Jack Cassidy (Tommy), Shirley Jones (Fiona), Susan Johnson (Meg), and Frank Porretta (Charlie); this version is more complete than the Broadway cast album, and includes the previously unrecorded “The Love of My Life,” “Jeannie’s Packin’ Up,” and “The Chase.” As for the 1962 revival at City Center, Milton Esterow in the New York Times felt that “everyone . . . should give a cheer” because Brigadoon was back “as brilliant and beautiful as ever.” With My Fair Lady (in its seventh year) playing just a few blocks away, Esterow noted that New Yorkers were “fortunate in having

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two of the brightest jewels of the musical comedy stage” in town at the same time. He noted that Sally Ann Howes had “grace, beauty and a lovely voice,” and that Peter Palmer sang “excellently.” Further, Edward Villella “nearly stopped the show” and deserved a “special cheer.” Although the script of Brigadoon is original and not based on any specific source material, the musical’s basic premise forms the plot of Friedrich Gerstacker’s 1862 short story “Germelshausen.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Sally Ann Howes); Best Direction of a Musical (John Fernley); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Julius Rudel)

KICKS & CO. “THE DEVIL-MAY-CARE MUSICAL!” Theatre and Performance Dates: Opened at the Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, on October 11, 1961, and closed there on October 14, 1961, after playing 4 performances Book: Oscar Brown Jr. (in collaboration with Robert Barron Nemiroff) Lyrics: Oscar Brown Jr. Music: Oscar Brown Jr. (dance music by Dorothea Freitag) Direction: Vinnette Carroll; Producers: Burt Charles D’Lugoff and Robert Barron Nemiroff; Choreography: Donald McKayle and Walter Nicks; Scenery and Lighting: Jack Blackman; Costumes: Edith Lutyens Bel Geddes; Musical Direction: Jack Lee Cast: Burgess Meredith (Mr. Kicks), Herman Howell (Robber), Ross Lashbrook (Policeman, Customer), Jack Eddleman (Teenager, Trooper), Jan Goldin (Teenager, Customer), Mabel Robinson (Teenager), Mark Taylor (Teenager, Trooper), Barbara Wallach (Teenager, Customer), Dudley Williams (Teenager), Carol Arthur (Honeymooner, Waitress), Gino Conforti (Honeymooner, Traveller), Louanna Gardner (Other Woman), Darrell J. Askey (Other Man, D. J.), William Dwyer (Will Wenchin), Lynne Forrester (Laurie Lee), Miriam Burton (Dorothy), Vi Velasco (June Young), Bernard Johnson (Eggy), Nancy Ray Noel (White Coed, The Blonde), Zabethe Wilde (Lillian), Paul Reid Roman (Larry), Caryl Paige (Barbara), Ella Thompson (Virginia), Gus Solomons Jr. (Milt), Lonnie Sattin (Ernest Black), Barbara Creed (D. J.), Al Freeman Jr. (Silky Satin), Nichelle Nichols (Hazel Sharpe), Lavinia Hamilton (Coed), Leu Comacho (Coed), Jacqueline Walcott (Coed); Ensemble: Betty Anders, Carol Arthur, Darrell J. Askey, Miriam Burton, Leu Comacho, Gino Conforti, Barbara Creed, Chuck Daniel, Jack Eddleman, Mercedes Ellington, Louanna Gardner, Jan Goldin, Herman Howell, Bernard Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Ross Lashbrook, Carmen Morales, Nancy Ray Noel, Thelma Oliver, Caryl Paige, Rod Perry, Harold Pierson, Gilbert Price, Pearl Reynolds, Mabel Robinson, Jaime Rogers, Paul Reid Roman, Gus Solomons Jr., Mark Taylor, Kent Thomas, Ella Thompson, Jacqueline Walcott, Barbara Wallach, Zabethe Wilde, Dudley Williams, Joseph Williams The musical was presented in three acts. The action takes place today, mostly on the campus of Freedman University and in Chicago.

Musical Numbers Act One: Prologue (Burgess Meredith, Company); “Mr. Kicks” (Burgess Meredith); “What’s In It for Me?” (Lynne Forrester); “Lucky Guy” (William Dwyer); “Hooray for Friday” (Vi Velasco, Students); “While I Am Still Young” (Vi Velasco, Caryl Paige, Zabethe Wilde, Ella Thompson); “Opportunity, Please Knock” (Lonnie Sattin); “Turn the Other Cheek” (Burgess Meredith, Company); “Hazel’s Hips” (Al Freeman Jr., Nichelle Nichols, Male Students); “I’ll Get You Killed” (Nichelle Nichols) Act Two: “The Comb Is Hot” (Ella Thompson, Zabethe Wilde, Caryl Paige); “Beautiful Girl” (Lonnie Sattin); “Like a Newborn Child” (Nichelle Nichols, Vi Velasco, Lonnie Sattin); “Virtue Is Its Own Reward” (Burgess Meredith, Al Freeman Jr., Ella Thompson, Caryl Paige, Zabethe Wilde, Bernard Johnson, Gus Solomons Jr., Paul Reid Roman); “Most Folks Are Dopes” (Burgess Meredith)

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Act Three: “Call of the City” (Burgess Meredith, William Dwyer, Nancy Ray Noel, Lynne Forrester, Nichelle Nichols, Al Freeman Jr., Vi Velasco, Lonnie Sattin, Company); “World Full of Grey” (Lonnie Sattin), “Hazel’s Ballet” (Burgess Meredith, Nichelle Nichols, Company); “While I Am Still Young” (reprise) (Vi Velasco); Finale (Burgess Meredith, Company) Oscar Brown Jr.’s Kicks & Co. had one of the shortest pre-Broadway tryouts in memory: it opened at Chicago’s new Arie Crown Theatre on October 11, 1961, and abruptly closed there on October 14 after playing just 4 performances. Kicks & Co. may hold the record for the shortest tryout engagement; perhaps its only equal in recent tryout history is Spotlight, which opened at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., on January 11, 1978, and closed there on January 14 (because the four-day run included matinee days, the musical played five performances before cancelling its four-week engagement). Burgess Meredith played the role of Mr. Kicks, otherwise known as Satan. He and his sidekick Silky Satin (Al Freeman Jr.) are involved in the pornography business (which at one point is equated with racism), and plan on using beautiful college student Hazel Sharpe (Nichelle Nichols) as the “Negro Orgy Maiden” of the month for the centerfold of their porn magazine Orgy. But just as Damn Yankees’ Joe and Meg Hardy banish Applegate from their lives through love, Hazel and her boyfriend Ernest Black (Lonnie Sattin) are able to overcome the insidious Mr. Kicks. However, in an epilogue, Mr. Kicks nonchalantly brushes off the two souls he lost, because there are always others out there “who may go for Kicks.” The musical was originally set to begin previews during the week of September 24, and a special program insert indicates the official opening night was set for October 7. But the preview period was pushed back, and the first one didn’t occur until October 11. The insert noted that preview audiences might get an extra “kick” out of seeing a new musical during its “creative process,” but apparently the kicks were few and far between. Variety said the musical was a “$400,000 fiasco.” Vinnette Carroll was the production’s original director, but she was replaced by playwright Lorraine Hansberry, who was the wife of Robert Barron Nemiroff, one of the musical’s coproducers. And for at least one of the four Chicago performances, Mr. Kicks was performed by Harold Scott. The script includes the following songs not listed in the Chicago playbill: “Take the Money,” “Love’s Young Dream,” and “Someone on the Side.” The production underwent an unusual backers’ audition. On the Today television show hosted by Dave Garroway, Oscar Brown Jr. and other singers performed numbers from the musical in the hope of interesting potential angels to invest money in the production. The musical’s flyer proclaimed that because of the television exposure, the show “has already been seen and acclaimed by 5 million people”; the flyer also reported that Life magazine said the musical was “a sure bet for Broadway” (a November 1961 opening was anticipated). Some twenty-five years after Kicks & Co. shuttered in Chicago, it resurfaced as Kicks & Company in a revised version that was produced at Frostburg State College in Frostburg, Maryland. This time around, Brown himself played the role of Mr. Kicks. The revival included all the songs from the Chicago tryout as well as “Take the Money,” “Love’s Young Dream,” and “Someone on the Side.” Four songs were added for this production: “Soul Stomp,” “Excuse Me for Livin’,” “A Needle and a Bottle,” and “I’m Bettin.’” The Chicago cast of Kicks & Co. included Gino Conforti, who created three brief but memorable roles in three classic Broadway musicals in three consecutive years: he was the noisy violinist who spoiled the romantic atmosphere in She Loves Me (1963), the Fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof (1964), and the merry little barber in Man of La Mancha (1965). In his collection Oscar Brown, Jr.—Between Heaven and Hell (Columbia Records LP # CS-8574), Brown included seven songs from Kicks & Co.: “Mr. Kicks,” “Lucky Guy,” “Hymn to Friday” (aka “Hooray for Friday”), “Opportunity, Please Knock,” “Hazel’s Hips,” “Love is Like a New Born Child,” and “World Full of Grey.” “Love Is Like a New Born Child” can also be heard on Barbra Streisand’s collection A Happening in Central Park (Columbia Records CD # CK-9710).

LENA HORNE IN HER NINE O’CLOCK REVUE Theatres and Performance Dates: Opened at the O’Keefe Theatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 16, 1961; opened at the Colonial Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, on October 30, 1961, and closed on November 18, 1961, at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut

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Direction and Lighting: Ralph Alswang; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen (Andre Goulston, Associate Producer); Costumes: Miss Horne’s gowns by Robert Mackintosh; Musical Direction: Lennie Hayton Cast: Lena Horne, The Delta Rhythm Boys, Don Adams, Augie & Margo The revue was presented in two acts. Act One: The Delta Rhythm Boys; Augie & Margo; The Delta Rhythm Boys; Don Adams; Lena Horne (singing a medley from the 1957 musical Jamaica; lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, music by Harold Arlen) Act Two: Don Adams; “Lena Horne and the Composer” (songs by Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington, E. Y. Harburg, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and Jule Styne) Lena Horne’s revue played for little more than a month before shuttering prior to its scheduled New York engagement at the John Golden Theater as part of producer Alexander Cohan’s “nine o’clock” series (which included An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May and An Evening with Yves Montand). The revue opened on October 16, 1961, at Toronto’s O’Keefe Theatre, and closed permanently at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven. In between, it played the Colonial in Boston. Joining Horne were the singing quintet The Delta Rhythm Boys, the dance team Augie and Margo (who, according to their program bio, were “terpsichorean topnotchers”), and comedian and impressionist Don Adams. The latter’s program bio noted his participation in the revue required him to delay his “European commitments” (but no doubt he was soon jetting off to Europe to honor those commitments). It seems the revue was lost in large touring houses, and would have been more comfortable in a nightclub format. The first act consisted mostly of routines by the Delta Rhythm Boys, Augie and Margo, and Don Adams. At the end of the act, Horne appeared and sang a medley of songs from her hit Broadway musical Jamaica, which had opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 31, 1957, and ran for 558 performances; included in this medley of E. Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen songs were “Push de Button,” “Savannah,” and “Yankee Dollar.” For the second act, after Don Adams’s appearance, Horne sang numbers by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, Jule Styne, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and other composers and lyricists. Songs in this sequence included “What’s New at the Zoo?” (from Do Re Mi), “It’s All Right with Me” (Can-Can; see entry for revival), and her signature song “Stormy Weather.” She even found time to sing “A New Fangled Tango” from Happy Hunting (1956). Lena Horne made her Broadway debut in the short-lived revue Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1939, which opened at the Hudson Theatre on February 11, 1939, for nine performances. On October 30, 1974, she and Tony Bennett appeared in concert for thirty-seven performances at the Minskoff Theatre in Tony Bennett and Lena Horne Sing, and on May 12, 1981, she scored one of the greatest successes of her career with her concert Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which opened at the Nederlander Theatre for 333 performances.

WE TAKE THE TOWN “A MUSICAL ADVENTURE” Theatres and Performance Dates: Opened at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, on February 17, 1962, and closed at the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 1962 Book: Felice Bauer and Matt Dubey Lyrics: Matt Dubey Music: Harold Karr Based on the 1934 film Viva Villa! (directed by Jack Conway, screenplay by Ben Hecht). Direction: Alex Segal; Producer: Stuart Ostrow; Choreography: Donald Saddler; Scenery: Peter Larkin; Costumes: Motley; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Colin Romoff Cast: Mike Kellin (Fierro), Eddie Roll (Tomas), H. F. Green (Pedro), Leon B. Stevens (Mayor), Eugene Wood (Don Miguel), David Gold (Judge), Robert Preston (Pancho Villa), Lester Rawlins (Don Felipe del Castillo), Mark Lenard (Rudolfo Pascal), John Cullum (Johnny Sykes), Carmen Alvarez (Rosita Morales), Joe Ross (Emilio Chavito), Pia Zadora (Child), Jolina Warren (Child), Tommy Pitegoff (Child), Romney Brent (Francisco Madero), Kathleen Widdoes (Teresa del Castillo); Dorados, Peons, Townspeople, and Aristocrats: Kip Andrews, John Aristides, Loyce Baker, Margery Beddow, Connie Burnett, Johanna Carothers, Mona Elson, David Gold, Lee Hooper, Nathan Horne, Woody Hurst, Violetta Landek, Herb Mazzini, Jane Ann Meserve,

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Caroline Parks, Claire Richard, Jaime Rogers, Noel Schwartz, Larry Shadur, Robert Sharp, Gerald Teijelo, Harry Theyard, Ken Urmston, Terry Violino, John Wheeler, Eugene Wood, Arline Woods The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Mexico during the early part of the twentieth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Viva Villa!” (The Dorados); “Killing” (Robert Preston); “I Marry You” (Robert Preston); “Pancho, the Bull” (Robert Preston, Joe Ross); “I Don’t Know How to Talk to a Lady” (Robert Preston); “How Does the Wine Taste?” (Kathleen Widdoes); “Silverware” (Mike Kellin, Eddie Roll, H. F. Green); “Please Don’t Despise Me” (Mike Kellin); “Pleadle-Eadle” (Mike Kellin, Eddie Roll); “I’ve Got a Girl” (John Cullum); “We Take the Town” (Robert Preston, John Cullum, The Dorados); “Mr. Madero and Pancho” (Robert Preston, Romney Brent); “Good Old Porfirio Diaz” (The People of Juarez) Act Two: “When?” (Robert Preston, Carmen Alvarez); “A Wedded Man” (Joe Ross, Mike Kellin, Wedding Guests); “Ode to a Friend” (John Cullum); “Jesus” (Carmen Alvarez); “Beautiful People” (Kathleen Widdoes, The Aristocracy of Mexico City); “Pancho’s Thoughts” (Robert Preston); “The Only Girl” (Robert Preston) Based on the 1934 film Viva Villa!, We Take the Town told the story of the rough-and-tumble bandit Pancho Villa (Robert Preston), who supports Francisco Madero in his quest to form a Mexican republic. But the polished Madero eventually shuns the uncouth Villa, who nonetheless continues to roam Mexico with his banditos as errant Robin Hoods who favor Madero’s vision of a new government. U.S. reporter Johnny Sykes (John Cullum) is impressed with Villa and paints him as a legendary figure, even to the point of incorrectly proclaiming that Villa has taken the town of Santa Rosalia—which Villa and Company then proceed to do. Plot complications ensue when Villa becomes enamored with regal Teresa del Castillo (Kathleen Widdoes), much to the consternation of Villa’s girlfriend Rosita Morales (Carmen Alvarez) and Teresa’s brother Don Felipe del Castillo (Lester Rawlins), who eventually kills Villa. The musical began its pre-Broadway engagement on February 17, 1962, at New Haven’s Shubert Theatre, and closed permanently at Philadelphia’s Shubert Theatre on March 31. The programs as well as the souvenir program called the show “A Musical Adventure,” but Ernest Schier in Philadelphia’s Evening Bulletin found the new musical “one of the season’s major disappointments . . . a cumbersome and confused” work that was “bogged down” in book troubles. The musical had been scheduled to premiere in New York at the Broadway Theater on April 5. We Take the Town was Preston’s first musical after his triumph in The Music Man (1957), and the rather lighthearted title perhaps led critics and audiences to expect a rascally Pancho Villa by way of Harold Hill, and certainly not a musical in which the star dies at the final curtain. Nonetheless, Pancho Villa was reportedly Preston’s favorite role. The cast album was scheduled to be recorded by Columbia Records (it was assigned release # KOL5790 and # KOS-2190), but was cancelled when the show permanently shuttered in Philadelphia. (In 1978, Preston returned to Philadelphia in another big musical, The Prince of Grand Street, and it too never made it to New York.) The music for We Take the Town was composed by Harold Karr, and the lyrics were by Matt Dubey. They had written the score for Ethel Merman’s creaky 1956 vehicle Happy Hunting, which played on Broadway for one year and enjoyed a hit song in “Mutual Admiration Society.” Two songs from We Take the Town are particularly noteworthy: the lovely ballad “How Does the Wine Taste?” (for Teresa), which was recorded by Barbra Streisand, and the madcap tongue-twisting comedy song “Silverware” (for three of Villa’s cronies [played by Mike Kellin, Eddie Roll, and H. F. Green]), which Stephen Sondheim has singled out as a song he wishes he had written. “Silverware” is included in the collection Unsung Musicals (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5462). During the tryout, the song was performed midway through the first act, but was eventually moved to the first scene of the act, following the opening number “Viva Villa!” Another song that has surfaced from the score is “A Wedded Man,” which was recorded by Frankie Laine. The musical’s demo recording includes the three-aforementioned songs as well as “I Don’t Know How to Talk to a Lady,” “The Only Girl,” “When?,” “I Marry You,” “I’ve Got a Girl,” and a medley (performed by Dubey and Kerr) of “Viva Villa!,” “Ode to a Friend,” “We Take the Town,” “Pancho’s Thoughts,” and “Pancho, the

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Bull.” A recording of Preston himself singing “I Don’t Know How to Talk to a Lady” can be heard on the collection Forgotten Broadway Vol. II (unnamed label # LP-T-102); the recording is apparently taken from a television appearance by Preston. Two songs dropped from the score between the New Haven and Philadelphia engagements are “Jesus” and “Killing.” One of the children in the musical was Pia Zadora; Art Lund was Preston’s standby. Spring 1962 was not the best of times for “bandito” musicals. Besides the failure of We Take the Town, the Off-Broadway musical The Difficult Woman, set in Buenos Aires at the turn of the nineteenth century, opened on April 25 at the Barbizon-Plaza Theater and closed there after three performances. Thirty years earlier, the 1932 Broadway musical There You Are! opened at the Cohan Theater for eight performances; Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times found the “down in Mech-hi-co” musical hackneyed and dull, with “stock” songs and a “muddled” book. And while some find Rouben Mamoulian’s 1936 bandito comedy-with-music The Gay Desperado an entertaining spoof of gangster films, the movie is in truth tiresome and shrill; moreover, it suffers from an anemic score and an annoying performance by Metropolitan Opera star Nino Martini. Pancho Villa and Major Young, with book, lyrics, and music by Marcel Achille, was open to the public for a one-performance run-through on March 28, 1978; since this initial showing, the musical seems to have disappeared.

• 1962–1963 Season

FIORELLO! Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: June 13, 1962 Closing Date: June 24, 1962 Performances: 16 Book: Jerome Weidman and George Abbott Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Music: Jerry Bock Direction: Dania Krupska; Producer: The New York City Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Kevin Carlisle; Scenery and Lighting: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Costume “supervision” by Joseph Cordori; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: Del Horstmann (Radio Voice, Dealer), Sorrell Booke (Fiorello), Richard France (Neil), Paul Lipson (Morris), Helen Verbit (Mrs. Pomerantz), Tony Cardell (Lopez), Joseph Crawford (Mr. Crawford), Dody Goodman (Dora), Barbara Williams (Marie), Art Lund (Ben Marino), Terry Violino (Seedy Man), Mike Quinn (Third Player), Ned Wright (Fifth Player, Politician), Feodore Tedick (Second Player, Senator), Walter P. Brown (Fourth Player), Will Roy (Kibitzer), Mike Scrittorale (First Heckler, Frank Scarpini), Bobby Barry (Second Heckler, Judge), Louis Kosman (Third Heckler, Drunk, Frantic), Ed Pfeiffer (Fourth Heckler), Paul Eden (Fifth Heckler), Jeanna Belkin (Nina), Jami Landi (Sophie), Dort Clark (Floyd), Lola Fisher (Thea), Mary Louise Jones (Washington Secretary), Norman Grogan (Butler), Jack K. Rains (Politician, Tough Man), John Martin (Commissioner), Sheila Smith (Mitzi), Robert Kya-Hill (Reporter), Maggie Worth (Florence); Singers: Rosalind Cash, Doreese Du Quan, Joanne Hill, Mary Louise Jones, Bobbi Lange, Estelle Moss, Maura Wedge, Betty Weston, Maggie Worth, Bobby Barry, Walter P. Brown, Joseph Crawford, Tony Gardell, H. Scott Gibson, Norman Grogan, Edward D. Horstmann, Robert Kya-Hill, Michael Quinn, Jack K. Rains, Will Roy, Feodore Tedick, Ned Wright; Dancers: Chele Abel, Nancy Baron, Margery H. Beddow, Jeanna Belkin, Louise Ferrand, Lois Grandi, Carole Kroon, Jami Landi, Lynn G. Lorino, Carol Sue Shafer, Jere Admire, Jean L. Blanchard, Sterling Clark, Paul Eden, Bob Holloway, Bernard Johnson, Louis Kosman, Ed. A. Pfeiffer, Paul R. Roman, Mike Scrittorale, Terry Violino The musical was presented in two acts. The first act takes place in New York City shortly before World War I, the second act ten years later.

Musical Numbers Act One: “On the Side of the Angels” (Richard France, Paul Lipson, Barbara Williams, Joseph Crawford, Tony Cardell, Helen Verbit); “Politics and Poker” (Art Lund, Will Roy, Del Horstmann, Feodore Tedick, Mike Quinn, Walter F. Brown, Ned Wright); “Unfair” (Dody Goodman, Sorrell Booke, Girls); “Marie’s Law” (Barbara Williams, Paul Lipson); “The Name’s LaGuardia” (Sorrell Booke, Chorus); “The

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Bum Won” (Art Lund, Will Roy, Del Horstmann, Feodore Tedick, Mike Quinn, Walter F. Brown, Ned Wright); “I Love a Cop” (Dody Goodman); “I Love a Cop” (dance) (Dody Goodman, Dort Clark); “I Love a Cop” (reprise) (Dody Goodman, Dort Clark, Chorus); “Till Tomorrow” (Lola Fisher, Barbara Williams, Paul Lipson, Chorus) Act Two: Entr’acte Music; “Home Again” (Chorus); “When Did I Fall in Love?” (Lola Fisher); “Gentleman Jimmy” (Sheila Smith); “Gentleman Jimmy” (dance) (Chorus); “Where Do I Go from Here?” (Barbara Williams); “Gentleman Jimmy” (reprise) (Chorus); “Little Tin Box” (Art Lund, Will Roy, Del Horstmann, Feodore Tedick, Mike Quinn, Walter F. Brown, Ned Wright); “The Very Next Man” (Barbara Williams); “Politics and Poker” (reprise) (Men); “The Very Next Man” (reprise) (Barbara Williams, Men, Sorrell Booke) Because City Center presented lavish, full-bodied limited-run revivals of recent and not-so-recent Broadway musicals, and all with large casts (often with Broadway stars), full orchestra, and tickets for about half the price of Broadway shows, audiences could count on faithful revivals that adhered to the texts and scores of the original productions. They wouldn’t see an Oklahoma! (1943) that reinstated “Boys and Girls Like You and Me” (which was deleted during the tryout) or a Pajama Game (1954) with “The World Around Us” (which was sung on opening night and dropped so quickly it didn’t even make it to the cast recording session three days later). So it was a welcome surprise to find the lovely ballad “Where Do I Go from Here?” in City Center’s 1962 revival of Fiorello! The song had been heard during the show’s tryout, when it was performed by Patricia Wilson. But when the musical opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 23, 1959, the song was gone, and although it lived on in occasional recordings, it was never again part of the score during the musical’s 795-performance Broadway run, its lengthy national tour, and its London production, which opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on October 8, 1962, for a disappointing run of fifty-six performances (Derek Smith played the title role). Tom Bosley created the musical’s title role, and won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (the Tony Award rules of the era relegated performers whose names were billed below the title to the “featured,” not “leading,” category). The musical was the third to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (after Of Thee I Sing [1931] and South Pacific [1949]). After the early 1960s, Fiorello! faded. There was no film version, and the musical was only occasionally performed. After its 1962 City Center production it wasn’t seen in New York until February 9, 1994, when it became the first musical to be produced in the Encores! series of limited-run revivals; it played for four performances (Jerry Zaks was Fiorello); Encores! also revisited the musical on January 30, 2013, for six performances (Danny Rutigliano played the title role). Perhaps the lack of a hit song and the absence of a film version worked against any kind of viable afterlife for the show. And, sadly, as the years went by most audiences probably had no idea who Fiorello H. LaGuardia was. Indeed, they probably wondered why the overture began with the sound of a fire truck’s siren, unaware that Fiorello often joined firemen on their way to an emergency call. In reviewing the 1962 City Center revival for the New York Times, Milton Esterow noted a “vote for Fiorello! is a vote for good musical theatre. . . . Fiorello! is a landslide. . . . Republicans, Democrats, independents, and everyone else should stuff the ballot boxes” for Fiorello! Esterow noted that Sorrell Booke had been Bosley’s standby during the Broadway run, but had never gone on, and so for the City Center revival Booke finally had his chance to play the role. Esterow said his performance “shines,” and he also praised Art Lund, Dody Goodman, Paul Lipson, Lola Fisher, and Barbara Williams (who sang “Where Do I Go from Here?”). The production was directed and choreographed by Dania Krupska, and the cast members included Broadway and Off-Broadway stalwart Sheila Smith as Mitzi, who sang “Gentlemen Jimmy” (a tribute to New York’s Mayor James J. Walker), one of the musical’s many showstoppers. Other memorable songs in the score included two brilliant comedy songs about politics (“Politics and Poker” and “Little Tin Box”), the fetching waltz “Till Tomorrow,” and the stirring “Home Again,” which welcomed the boys back from World War I. Incidentally, in 1968 Broadway offered Jimmy, about James J. Walker. The musical closed after a few weeks, but, like Mayor, the 1985 Off-Broadway revue about Edward I. Koch, left behind a cast album. And while Fiorello! saluted Walker with “Gentlemen Jimmy,” Jimmy didn’t return the favor with a song about the Little Flower.

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The script of Fiorello! was published in hardback by Random House in 1960. The original cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # S/WAO-1321; released on CD by Capitol # CDP-7-92052-2 and then later by Broadway Angel # ZDM-7243-5-65023-2-1). There were two orchestral interpretations of the score (The Leon Merian Jazz Quartet Plays “Fiorello!” [Seeco Records LP # CELP-459]) and The Oscar Peterson Trio’s Fiorello! [Verve Records LP# MG-V-8366]); both recordings include “Where Do I Go from Here?” With the Living Strings, Florence Henderson recorded The Best from the Broadway Productions “Fiorello!” and “The Sound of Music” (RCA Camden Records LP # CAS-599); the set includes five songs apiece from the two musicals. The role of Fiorello, along with the King (and I), offers surprisingly few songs for its leading man. Fiorello has just two, both in the first act; in one, he’s joined by another character and the chorus, and for the other he’s backed by the chorus. In order to give the role more vocal weight, decades after the opening of the original production, Bock and Harnick created a special solo second act reprise of “The Name’s LaGuardia,” which provided the character an introspective musical moment. One song in the musical has fallen victim to political correctness. In “The Very Next Man,” Fiorello’s secretary, Marie, who carries a torch for him, decides in hyperbolic fashion to marry the very next man she meets, telling the New York newspapers they can quote her philosophy that a girl who waits too long for her ship to come in is likely to miss the boat. She also sings that if a man “likes” her, then she doesn’t care how often he “strikes” her. Since this lyric offended those who demand PC, Harnick later revised the words. Apparently we must have political correctness at any price, and even fictional characters mustn’t be allowed to voice offensive thoughts. But to follow “The Very Next Man” to its logical conclusion, why not drop the entire song? Why allow Marie to voice the decidedly old-fashioned and sexist notion that marriage is the beall and end-all of a woman’s existence?

EDDIE FISHER AT THE WINTER GARDEN Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre Opening Date: October 2, 1962 Closing Date: November 3, 1962 Performances: 40 Special Material: Gordon Jenkins Direction: John Fearnley; Producers: Monte Proser and Milton Blackstone (Bernie Rich and Bob Abrams, Associate Producers) (A Ramrod Production); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Lighting: Peggy Clark (Bernie Rich, Lighting Consultant for Eddie Fisher); Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Eddie Fisher, Miss Juliet Prowse, Dick Gregory; The Robert Lenn Singers: Robert McClure, Lee Hooper, Robert Lenn, Elsie Warner, Ray Hyson, Mary Ellen, Penny Gaston, Paul Flores, Dick Engel, Barbra Lange

Musical Numbers and Specialty Acts Act One: “The Broadway Zoo” (lyrics and music by Gordon Jenkins) (projection designed by Glenn Holse) (The Robert Lenn Singers); Dick Gregory; Miss Juliet Prowse (lyrics and music by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen) (staged and choreographed by Tony Charmoli) (costumes by Ray Aghayan) (Miss Juliet Prowse was backed up by “The Boys” [Nicholas Covacevich, Lance Avant, Bradford Craig, John Frayer, Norman Edwards, Burnell Deitch]) Act Two: Eddie Fisher (orchestra conducted by Eddy Samuels); Fisher’s songs weren’t listed in the program, but the cast recording includes the following numbers: Overture Medley: (a) “Heart” (lyric and music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross; Damn Yankees, 1955); (b) “Wish You Were Here” (lyric and music by Harold Rome; Wish You Were Here, 1952); (c) “Oh, My Papa” (aka “Oh! My Pa-Pa!” and “Oh, Mein Papa”) (music and German lyric by Paul Burkhard; English lyric by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons; from the 1950 Swiss musical Das Feuerwerk [Fireworks], produced in London in 1957 as Oh! My Papa!; in the London production, the song was introduced by no less than Rachel Roberts, Peter O’Toole, David Bird, and Robert Lang); “Don’t Let It Get You Down” (lyric by E. Y. Harburg, music by Burton Lane; from Hold On to Your Hats, 1940); “Back in Your Own Backyard” (lyric and music by Al Jolson, Billy Rose, and Dave Dreyer); West Side Story Medley (lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by Leonard Bernstein; 1957):

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(a) “Tonight”; (b) “Maria”; and (c) “Something’s Coming”; “You Made Me Love You” (“I Didn’t Want to Do It”) (lyric by Joseph McCarthy, music by James V. Monaco); “Never on Sunday” (lyric and music by Manos Hadjidakis; English lyric by Billy Towne; from 1960 film Never on Sunday); “This Nearly Was Mine” (lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers; South Pacific, 1949); “Mack the Knife” (original German lyric by Bertolt Brecht, English lyric by Marc Blitzstein, music by Kurt Weill; Blitzstein’s lyric was used in the 1954 Off-Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera, which originally premiered in Berlin in 1928); “Hava Nagilah [aka Hava Nagila]” (“Dance, Everyone, Dance”) (traditional song; this version was apparently adapted by Sid Danoff); “Moon River” (lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by Henry Mancini; 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s); Al Jolson Medley #1: (a) “Swanee” (lyric by Irving Caesar, music by George Gershwin; from the Capitol Theatre’s Ned Wayburn’s Demi Tasse Revue, 1919; a few weeks after the song was introduced in the revue, Jolson interpolated it into the touring version of his Broadway musical Sinbad); (b) “About a Quarter to Nine” (lyric by Al Dubin, music by Harry Warren; from 1935 film Go into Your Dance); (c) “Liza” (“All the Clouds’ll Roll Away”) (lyric by Gus Kahn and Ira Gershwin, music by George Gershwin; from Show Girl, 1929); (d) “I’m Sitting on Top of the World” (lyric by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young, music by Ray Henderson); and (e) “Toot, Toot, Tootsie!” (“Goodbye”) (lyric by Gus Kahn, music by Ernie Erdman and Ted Fiorito); Al Jolson Medley #2: (a) “April Showers” (lyric by B. G. [Buddy] DeSylva, music Louis Silvers); (b) “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” (lyric and music by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Lewis E. Muir); (c) “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby” (lyric by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young, music by Jean Schwartz); “Sonny Boy” (lyric by B. G. [Buddy] DeSylva and Lew Brown, music by Ray Henderson; from 1927 film The Jazz Singer); “Makin’ Whoopee” (lyric by Gus Kahn, music by Walter Donaldson; Whoopee, 1928); Eddie Fisher’s Hits Medley: (a) “Anytime” (lyric and music by Herbert “Happy” Lawson); (b) “I Need You Now” (lyric and music by Jimmie Crane and Al Jacobs); (c) “Wish You Were Here” (lyric and music by Harold Rome; Wish You Were Here, 1952); (d) “Heart” (lyric and music by Richard Adler and Jerry Rose; Damn Yankees, 1955); and (e) “Oh My Papa” (see above for more information); “What Kind of Fool Am I?” (lyric and music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley; Stop the World—I Want to Get Off [London, 1961; New York, 1962]); “Belz” (“That Wonderful Girl of Mine”) (cast recording credits lyric and music to Bregman, Vocco, and Conn and to J. J. Kammen, but they appear to be the music publishers, not the lyricist and composer of song); “The Sweetest Sounds” (lyric and music by Richard Rodgers; No Strings, 1962). Eddie Fisher’s limited-engagement concert at the Winter Garden Theatre also included quips by stand-up comedian Dick Gregory; a series of musical-comedy spoofs by (Miss) Juliet Prowse; and an opening sequence by the Robert Lenn Singers. Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the evening was a series of “unrelated acts” headlined by Fisher, and felt if tumblers and an animal act had been included, “you’d swear vaudeville had come back.” Taubman had positive words to say about Fisher, but noted the singer was dependent on his microphone (without it, he’s a “colorless” singer, but with it he “belts . . . like a home-run slugger”). Taubman also mentioned Fisher dexterously managed the long cord of his mike (“a lesser performer might end up being ensnared” by it “like Laocoon by the serpents”). The musical opened with a sequence performed by the Robert Lenn Singers titled “The Broadway Zoo” (lyrics and music by Gordon Jenkins). Next on the bill was Dick Gregory (Taubman felt his “relaxed delivery” would be more at home in a nightclub); and the first act ended with (Miss) Juliet Prowse (and six “athletic young men,” according to Taubman) in a sequence with lyrics by Jimmy Van Heusen and music by Sammy Cahn which spoofed how modern musical theatre might tell stories of Camille, Joan of Arc, and Cleopatra. The second act was devoted to Eddie Fisher in concert. As for (Miss) Prowse’s musical theatre spoofs, Cleopatra would soon find her way to Broadway in Her First Roman (1968), and Joan of Arc’s story was told three times, twice Off-Broadway in the musicals The Survival of St. Joan (1971) and Al Carmines’s Joan (1972) and once on Broadway in the musical Goodtime Charley (1975). In 1959, The Triumph of St. Joan, an operatic version of Joan’s story, was produced by the New York City Opera, and in 1966 Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra was the first opera to play at the Met’s new home in Lincoln Center. John Chapman in the New York Daily News also remarked on Fisher’s mike, noting it boasted a cord “long enough to run a vacuum cleaner from my basement to my attic.” As for (Miss) Juliet Prowse, Chapman didn’t give a “hoot” whether she called herself “Miss” or “Mrs.,” and said she was a “combination cooch dancer and shouter” who was “very, very vulgar.” He noted the Joan of Arc spoof was the “most tasteless

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exhibition” he had seen for some time. (Miss) Prowse was also pounced upon by Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror, who found her “strictly for the Las Vegas trade,” and he mentioned the Joan of Arc sequence was “particularly offensive.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun blasted Fisher, saying his amplification probably sounded better on Tenth Avenue than in the front row seats of the Winter Garden. He also reported that Fisher was “grievously flat half the time” and in the Al Jolson sequence Fisher was “not only poor Jolson,” he was also “poor Eddie Fisher.” The evening marked Fisher’s Broadway debut. In his program bio he noted that years earlier he had unsuccessfully auditioned on the Winter Garden stage for a role in the 1950 revue Michael Todd’s Peep Show. (Michael Todd and Eddie Fisher. There’s a connection somewhere.) After his Winter Garden concert, Fisher returned to New York at the Palace Theatre in 1967 (see Buddy Hackett/Eddie Fisher). The cast album of Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden was released on a two-LP set by Ramrod Records (LP # RRS 1-2). The album included only Eddie Fisher’s concert, and omitted the other non-Fisher musical sequences. Note that besides his Jolson tribute, Fisher sang a number of Broadway standards, including the current hit “The Sweetest Sounds” (from No Strings, which had opened in New York the previous spring) and an even more current hit, “What Kind of Fool Am I” (from Stop the World—I Want to Get Off, which premiered on Broadway the night after Fisher’s opening). Fisher also offered up a bit of old-time esoterica with “Don’t Let It Get You Down” (from the 1940 musical Hold on to Your Hats, which starred Al Jolson [but the song was introduced by Jack Whiting and other cast members]).

STOP THE WORLD—I WANT TO GET OFF “A NEW-STYLE MUSICAL” Theatre: Shubert Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Ambassador Theatre) Opening Date: October 3, 1962 Closing Date: February 1, 1964 Performances: 556 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley Direction: Anthony Newley; Producers: David Merrick in association with Bernard Delfont; Choreography: John Broome’s original West End choreography restaged by Virginia Mason; Scenery and Lighting: Sean Kenny; Costumes: Uncredited (for the West End production, costumes were credited to Kiki Byrne); Musical Direction: Milton Rosenstock Cast: Anthony Newley (Littlechap), Anna Quayle (Evie, Anya, Isle, Ginnie), Jennifer Baker (Jane), Susan Baker (Susan); Chorus: Rawley Bates, Bonnie Brody, Diana Corto, Jo-Anne Leeds, Karen Lynn Reed, Sylvia Tysick, Stephanie Winters, Mark Hunter, Paul Rufo The musical was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra); “The A.B.C. Song” (Chorus); “I Want to Be Rich” (Anthony Newley, Chorus); “Typically English” (Anna Quayle, Anthony Newley); “A Special Announcement” (Chorus); “Lumbered” (Anthony Newley); “Welcome to Sludgepool” (Chorus); “Gonna Build a Mountain” (Anthony Newley, Chorus); “Glorious Russian” (Anna Quayle); “Meilinki Meilchick” (Anthony Newley, Anna Quayle, Chorus); “Family Fugue” (Anthony Newley, Anna Quayle, Susan Baker, Jennifer Baker); “Typische Deutsche” (Anna Quayle, Chorus); “Nag! Nag! Nag!” (Anthony Newley, Anna Quayle, Susan Baker, Jennifer Baker, Chorus) Act Two: “All American” (Anna Quayle); “Once in a Lifetime” (Anthony Newley, with unidentified chorus girl); “Mumbo Jumbo” (Anthony Newley, Chorus); “Welcome to Sunvale” (Chorus); “Someone Nice Like You” (Anthony Newley, Anna Quayle); “What Kind of Fool Am I?” (Anthony Newley) Stop the World—I Want to Get Off, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse’s self-styled “New-Style Musical,” was first seen in London on July 20, 1961, at the Queen’s Theatre, where it played for 485 performances. Newley was Littlechap, Anna Quayle his wife Evie, Jennifer and Susan Baker their daughters, and they were backed by seven women (including Marti Webb) who served as a Greek chorus to the events at hand.

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Taking place in a circus tent–like setting with the performers wearing clownish Marcel Marceau–like makeup and togs and occasionally employing mime to tell its story, the pompous little musical followed the topical revue–like exploits of Littlechap, who marries the boss’s daughter Evie, but has numerous affairs with Russian, German, and American women, all played by Quayle. Periodically, Littlechap announces, “Stop the world, I want to get off!” (and in his quest for sexual adventure, it seems he takes literally the title’s double meaning). Littlechap succeeds in both business and politics, but at the end of his life wonders What Was It All For. All for naught, apparently, because he was a fool who never realized Evie was his only love. (Some audience members might have been forgiven for briefly thinking they were about to see a musical version of Archibald MacLeish’s 1958 Pulitzer Prize–winning drama J.B., which had also looked at life from the perspective of the circus tent and dealt with a very much put-upon businessman.) The tiresome allegorical aspects of the evening, the pretentiousness of the staging and décor, and the lame humor (“If you’re just dying to fly, fly Crash American Airlines”) almost did the show in. What saved the musical was its ingratiating if somewhat Las Vegas–inspired score, which seemed to be written with Sammy Davis Jr. in mind. (Oh, wait: See below.) “Gonna Build a Mountain,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Someone Nice Like You,” and, especially, “What Kind of Fool Am I?” were hit-paradable numbers that took on a life of their own outside the theatre. And there were some amusing songs for Quayle as Littlechap’s Russian, German, and American girlfriends (“Glorious Russian,” “Typische Deutsche,” and “All American”). And such musical moments as “Lumbered” and “Mumbo Jumbo” offered mild amusement. The New York critics were divided over the musical. On the positive side was Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun, who found the work “wonderfully invigorating” and “unexpectedly fresh.” Somewhat in the middle was Robert Coleman in the New York Daily Mirror, who said he could “take it or leave it, mostly leave it.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News was disappointed. From all the hype, he expected the musical to be “the last word in style and wit,” but what he got was an “overly precious affair” in which “for no particular reason” the leading character periodically cries out “Stop the world!” and then “walks around a bit mewling like a sick kitten.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the musical tried to be a “brave attempt” at fantasy and satire, but only succeeded in being “commonplace and repetitious.” Further, its theatrical trappings tried for “novelty,” but “the substance’ was “bland.” But he acknowledged the evening contained “several engaging songs,” and he praised the “delightful” Anna Quayle (“for any musical, old style or new,” she was good “to have around”). Quayle won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. During the course of the New York run (and then later on tour), Joel Grey assumed the role of Littlechap. The London cast album was released by Decca Records (LP # LK-4408 and # SKL-4142; the CD was issued by Must Close Saturday Records # MCSR-3028), and the Broadway cast album by RCA Victor (LP # CSO/ COP-106). The 1966 film version was released by Warner Brothers, and it stayed in theatres for what seemed like five minutes. Directed by Philip Saville, it was essentially a filmed stage production (the film began in black and white, and then switched to color). Tony Tanner played Littlechap (he had earlier played the role in London, succeeding Newley in the original production), and Millicent Martin was Evie. The film included two new songs, “The New York Scene” and “I Believed It All” (lyrics and music by Al Ham), and retained most of the songs from the stage production (for the film, Littlechap’s conquests include a Japanese girl, and so “Typically Japanese” replaced “Typische Deutsche”). The soundtrack album was released by Warner Brothers Records (LP # B-1643) and the film was released on videocassette and laser disk. The musical was revived on Broadway at the New York State Theatre on August 3, 1978, for twentynine performances with, yes, Sammy Davis Jr.; Marian Mercer was Evie and Shelly Burch played one of their daughters. The production omitted “The A. B. C. Song,” “A Special Announcement,” and “Nag! Nag! Nag!” A new song was added (“Life Is a Woman”), and “Welcome to Sludgepool” was retitled “Welcome to Sludgeville.” The cast recording was released by Warner Brothers Records (LP # HS-3214). A film version produced by SEE Theatre Network was released in 1978 as Sammy Stops the World. Directed by Mel Shapiro, the film, like the 1966 film version, is essentially a filmed stage production. The musical was revived in London at the Lyric Theatre in 1989. Newley reprised his role of Littlechap and directed the production; Rhonda Burchmore was Evie. The revival omitted “A Special Announcement” and “Typische Deutsche,” and added “Welcome to Wedlock.” And this time around “What Kind of Fool Am I?” began the show as well as ended it. The production didn’t include “Life Is a Woman.”

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In 1995, Jay Records released a studio cast album of the musical (CD # CDJAY-1236) which included previously unrecorded material such as the entr’acte, exit music, “Welcome to Sludgepool,” and “Welcome to Sunvale.” Incidentally, Littlechap wasn’t the first musical-comedy character to cry out, “Stop the world, I want to get off!” In 1951, the B. G. Bigelow character in Flahooley (played by Ernest Truex) also shouted out such a wish.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Stop the World—I Want to Get Off); Leading Actor in a Musical (Anthony Newley); Featured Actress in a Musical (Anna Quayle); Best Author of a Musical (Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley); Best Composer and Lyricist (Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley)

MR. PRESIDENT “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: St. James Theatre Opening Date: October 20, 1962 Closing Date: June 8, 1963 Performances: 265 Book: Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse Lyrics and Music: Irving Berlin Direction: Joshua Logan; Producer: Leland Hayward; Choreography: Peter Gennaro; Scenery and Lighting: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: David Brooks (Manager, Governor Harmon Bardahl), Robert Ryan (President Stephen Decatur Henderson), Nanette Fabray (Nell Henderson), Jack Rains (Walter O’Connor), Warren J. Brown (David Caldwell), Anita Gillette (Leslie Henderson), Jerry Strickler (Larry Henderson), Jack Washburn (Youssein Davair), Charlotte Fairchild (Tippy Taylor), Jack Haskell (Pat Gregory), Stanley Grover (Charley Wayne), Wisa D’Orso (Princess Kyra), Jack Mette (Russian Soldier), Van Stevens (Colonel Wilson), Marian Haraldson (Mrs. Lotta Pendleton), Beau Tilden (George Perkins, Sergeant Stone), Carl Nicholas (Mr. Thomas, The Deacon), Baayork Lee (Deborah Chakronin), Jack McMinn (Arthur Blanchard, Commentator), John Aman (Radio Operator), Anthony Falco (Ali Hassoud), Carlos Bas (Abou), Louis Kosman (Commentator), Dan Siretta (A Workman), Lispet Nelson (Miss Barnes), John Cecil Holm (Chester Kincaid), Carol Lee Jensen (Betty Chandler); Singers: Kellie Brytt, Marian Haraldson, Carol Lee Jensen, Mary Louise, Donna Monroe, Lispet Nelson, Ruth Shepard, Maggie Worth, John Aman, Anthony Falco, Jack McMinn, Jack Mette, Carl Nicholas, Jack Rains, Van Stevens; Dancers: Lynn Bernay, Connie Burnett, Baayork Lee, Lynn G. Lorino, Anna Marie Moylan, Barbara Newman, Lynn Ross, Mari Shelton, Arline Woods, Don Atkinson, Bob Bakanic, Carlos Bas, Sterling Clark, Laverne French, Louis Kosman, Bob LaCrosse, Lowell Purvis, Dan Siretta; Dancers and Singers in The Trip: Tahitians: Louis Kosman, Carlos Bas, Lynn G. Lorino; Butterflies: Anna Marie Moylan, Barbara Newman, Mari Shelton; Kabuki Spider: Lowell Purvis; Japanese Beatniks: Lynn Ross, Bob Bakanic; Kabuki Lion: Anthony Falco; South Sea Warrior: Laverne French; Elephant: Carlos Bas, Louis Kosman; Lord Krishna: Connie Burnett; East Indian Marching Team: Lynn Bernay, Anna Marie Moylan, Barbara Newman, Mari Shelton, Arline Woods, Don Atkinson, Sterling Clark, Dan Siretta; Leader: Baayork Lee The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the present time at the White House, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, in Mansfield, and in locales around the world, including the Middle East.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Opening” (David Brooks); “Let’s Go Back to the Waltz” (Nanette Fabray, Ensemble); “In Our HideAway” (Nanette Fabray, Robert Ryan); “The First Lady” (Nanette Fabray); “Meat and Potatoes” (Jack

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Haskell, Stanley Grover); “I’ve Got to Be Around” (Jack Haskell); “The Secret Service” (Anita Gillette); “It Gets Lonely in the White House” (Robert Ryan); “Is He the Only Man in the World?” (Nanette Fabray, Anita Gillette); “The Trip” (Nanette Fabray, Dancers [see cast listing for performers in this sequence]); “They Love Me” (Nanette Fabray); “Pigtails and Freckles” (Jack Haskell, Anita Gillette); “Don’t Be Afraid of Romance” (Jack Washburn); “Laugh It Up” (Nanette Fabray, Robert Ryan, Anita Gillette, Jerry Strickler); “Empty Pockets Filled with Love” (Jack Haskell, Anita Gillette); “In Our Hide-Away” (reprise) (Nanette Fabray, Robert Ryan) Act Two: “Glad to Be Home” (Nanette Fabray, Ensemble); “Laugh It Up” (reprise) (Nanette Fabray, Robert Ryan); “You Need a Hobby” (Nanette Fabray, Robert Ryan); “Don’t Be Afraid of Romance” (reprise) (Jack Washburn); “The Washington Twist” (Anita Gillette, Dancers); “Pigtails and Freckles” (reprise) (Jack Haskell); “The Only Dance I Know” (Wisa D’Orso); “Meat and Potatoes” (reprise) (Jack Haskell); “Is He the Only Man in the World?” (reprise) (Anita Gillette); “I’m Gonna Get Him” (Nanette Fabray, Anita Gillette); “This Is a Great Country” (Robert Ryan); Finale (Company) Mr. President opened at the St. James Theatre on October 20, 1962, with reportedly the largest advance sale in the history of Broadway. And no wonder. The musical was Irving Berlin’s first Broadway score since his hit Call Me Madam opened in 1950 for 644 performances. Since then, his 1954 film White Christmas had been that year’s highest grossing film. And it didn’t hurt that the script was by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, whose hit 1959 musical The Sound of Music was still running on Broadway at the time of Mr. President’s premiere. So the ticket-buying public turned out in droves and box office records were toppled. But once the unenthusiastic reviews came out, interest in the show diminished, and by June 1963 the advancesale money had run out and so had the show. After Mr. President, Broadway would never again see a new Irving Berlin musical. The meandering story followed the President (Robert Ryan), the First Lady (Nanette Fabray), their daughter (Anita Gillette), and son (Jerry Strickler) during the waning months of his second term and the family’s post-Washington lives when the new president asks his predecessor to take an active role in international politics and become a global representative of the United States. And, oh, yes, the First Son is involved with a belly dancer who goes by the moniker Princess Kyra (Wisa D’Orso). As for Berlin’s contributions, Ryan and Fabray’s “In Our Hide-Away,” a jingly tea-for-two-styled number, was the score’s best song, followed by Fabray and Gillette’s gentle ballad “Is He the Only Man in the World?” (which technically wasn’t a new song: with a different lyric, the number was sung by Lupe Velez as “Where Is the Song of Songs for Me?” in the 1929 film Lady of the Pavements). Unaccountably, many of the songs emphasized the various characters’ annoyances: the President lugubriously complains that “It Gets Lonely in the White House”; the First Lady buoyantly complains about her social duties in “The First Lady”; the First Daughter complains about her lack of romantic privacy in the cheesy “The Secret Service (Makes Me Nervous)”; and even a secret service agent (Jack Haskell) complains about his job in “I’ve Got to Be Around.” Besides the delightful “The First Lady,” Fabray scored in the driving, pulsating “Glad to Be Home,” and Berlin offered two contrasting dances—the lovely “Let’s Go Back to the Waltz” and, in a nod to America’s latest dance craze, the amusing “The Washington Twist” (a cousin to Call Me Madam’s “Washington Square Dance”). But many of the songs (“Meat and Potatoes,” “Pigtails and Freckles,” “I’ve Got to Be Around,” “Empty Pockets Filled with Love,” “Don’t Be Afraid of Romance,” “You Need a Hobby,” “Laugh It Up,” and “The Only Dance I Know”) were bland, undistinguished time-killers, and half were unaccountably assigned to Jack Haskell’s tiresome character Pat Turner (to add insult to injury, Haskell reprised two of them, when once had been more than enough); further, “This Is a Great Country,” which was clearly hoping to be another “God Bless America,” was forced and awkward, and it stalled at the starting gate. In Berlin’s hit 1940 political musical Louisiana Purchase, the opening chorus (in an overall sequence that was titled “Apologia”) offered an amusing musical disclaimer that the stage proceedings were based on real life. In Mr. President, Berlin offered similar advice when David Brooks in the role of the show’s stage manager (in Boston, his role was listed as that of the show’s producer) sang “Opening” (aka “Mr. President [Opening]” and “Prologue”) in which he informed the audience the musical wasn’t about the Kennedys because the show’s first family numbered four, and with the Kennedys “there’d have to be more than four.” Brooks, who also played the role of Governor Harmon Bardah and was Ryan’s standby, was the leading man in two hit musicals of the 1940s: in Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg’s Bloomer Girl (1944), he introduced “Evalina” and “Right as the Rain,” and in Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s Brigadoon (1947), he introduced “The Heather on the Hill” as well as “Almost Like Being in Love,” one of the most enduring ballads in all musical theatre.

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During the tryout, “Once Ev’ry Four Years” and “Anybody Can Write” were deleted. The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin indicate “Poor Joe,” “If You Haven’t Got an Ear for Music,” “Nepotism,” and “Why Shouldn’t I Like Me?” were written for, but never used, in the musical, and “Words without Music” may have been considered for the show at one point. Howard Taubman in the New York Times asked if there had ever been as “dull” a president as the one in Mr. President, but noted that Nanette Fabray’s First Lady was a “musical-comedy adornment” and without her the musical would have been “as diverting as a budget message.” He felt the new show was “mechanical in an old-fashioned way” and that Berlin’s “second-best is superior to the generality of machine-made songs.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune was unimpressed, noting the new musical had “so much talent, so little cheer.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the show “an old-fashioned dud”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the work was “middle-of-the-road” and not “very funny”; like Taubman, Richard Watts in the New York Post found the score “second-best”; Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror pronounced the book “dull” and the score “merely pleasant . . . [the lyrics and music] don’t have the Berlin cachet”; and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram felt the score was “singularly lacking in flavor” and noted Berlin’s lyrics “are the show’s greatest weakness.” The original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-5870 and # KOS-2270; issued on CD by Sony Broadway Records # SK-48212). The Best of Irving Berlin’s Songs from “Mr. President” (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-2630) was a studio cast album that included Perry Como, Kaye Ballard, Sandy Stewart, the Ray Charles Singers, and the Mitchell Ayers Orchestra. There were two instrumental versions of the score: Music from Irving Berlin’s “Mr. President” (Columbia Records LP # CL-1921) by Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra and (You Are Cordially Invited to) Dance to Irving Berlin’s “Mr. President” (Epic Records LP # LN-24025) by Lester Lanin and His Orchestra (featuring the Dancing Pianos). The demo recording of the score included “Poor Joe.” The above-mentioned “Where Is the Song of Songs for Me?” was included in the collection Stars of the Silver Screen 1929–1930 (RCA Victor Records LP # LPV-538). On August 2, 2001, Forbidden Broadway’s Gerard Alessandrini offered a send-up of the musical by updating most of the lyrics and adding new characters (George Schrub Jr., Chillary Clinton, Al Bore, and Dick Brainy). The program noted that the new Mr. President was “conceived, rewritten, and politically corrected,” but Donald Lyons in the New York Post stated Berlin “must be turning in his grave—not at the irreverence, but at the tastelessness of it all.” Ben Brantley in the New York Times said the satire lacked freshness, and “despite the liveliness of the ever-game cast,” “the dust of déjà-vu” settled over the production. With Mr. President, Alessandrini hoped to present a series of Gongcores (similar to the Encores! presentations) devoted to flop musicals. But Mr. President was the first and only show in the Gongcores series. Alessandrini’s version included a few songs from Berlin’s score and added others from the Berlin songbook, some with their original lyrics and others with revised words by Alessandrini. Performed mostly with their original lyrics were: “Empty Pockets Filled with Love,” “I’m Gonna Get Him,” “Let’s Go Back to the Waltz,” “Is He the Only Man in the World?,” “Don’t Be Afraid of Romance,” and “This Is a Great Country.” Other songs from the score with revised lyrics were: “Opening,” “The Secret Service (Makes Me Nervous),” “It Gets Lonely in the White House,” “In Our Hide-Away,” “The First Lady,” and “The Washington Twist.” Other Berlin songs included “Shakin’ the Chads Away” (“Shaking the Blues Away” [Ziegfeld Follies of 1927]) and “Only for Republicans”/”Only for New Democrats” (“Only for Americans” [Miss Liberty, 1949]).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Nanette Fabray); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Jay Blackton); Best Stage Technician (Solly Pernick). Irving Berlin was given a special Tony recognition for “his distinguished contribution to the musical theatre for these many years.”

BAMBOCHE! Theatre: 54th Street Theatre Opening Date: October 22, 1962 Closing Date: October 28, 1962 Performances: 8

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Direction and Choreography: Katherine Dunham; Producer: Stephen Papich in association with Dorothy Gray and Ludwig Gerber; Scenery and Costumes: John Pratt; Lighting: Joseph Privitier Sr.; Musical Direction: Leslie Harnley Cast: Katherine Dunham, Bessie Griffin; Dancers, Singers, and Musicians of the Katherine Dunham Company: Dancers—Carlton Johnson, Lucille Ellis, Hope Clarke, Joan Seabrook, Odile Reifsteck, Lois Rollins, Maria Costoza (some sources, Maria Costoso), Candy Alexander, Vanoye Aikens, Ural Wilson, Ricardo Avalos, Clifford Fears, Glenn Standifer, Wesley Gale, Monique LaSalle, David Henderson, Zach Thompson, Pearl Reynolds; Singers—Dorothy Speights, Robert Guillaume, Rosalie Maxwell, Clark Morgan, Gordon Watkins; Drummers—Camara Ladji, Julio Mendez, La Rosa Estrada; Pianist—Charles Barnett; Bass Saxophone—Jerome Richardson; The Royal Troupe of Morocco—Che Dad Salem, Messaoud Ben Othman, Abderkader Ben Ahmed, El Kaaoui Allal, Marir Boujema, Driss Beid Mohammed, Hayat Khaddouj, Anouar Rabha, Heto Said Ben Brahim, Abderaham Ali Abderahaman, El Serife Buker, Ahmed Abselam, El Serife Takrchtba, Fatima Lahoucine, Tibikcht Fatima Brahim The revue was presented in three acts.

Dances and Musical Sequences Act One: “Marrakech!” (music adapted from original themes by Leslie Harnley) (El Kaaoui Allal [Guitera], Abderkader Ben Ahmed [Acrobat], Hope Clark [Dancing Girl], Lois Rollins [Dancing Girl], Odile Reifsteck [Wife of Sultan], Maria Costoza [Wife of Sultan], Candy Alexander [Wife of Sultan], Lucille Ellis [Wife of Sultan], Hayat Khaddou [Berber Girl of Khenifra in the “Dance of the Tasadbat” sequence], Anouar Rabha [Berber girl of Khenifra in the “Dance of the Tasadbat” sequence, Bechra Ben Mohammed (Guedra Dancer], El Serife Takrchtba [Guedra Dancer], Fatima Lahouchine [Guedra Dancer], Tibikcht Fatima Brahim [Guedra Dancer], Messaud Ben Othman [Gamni Dancer], Marir Boujema [Gamni Dancer], Abderaham Ali Abderahaman [The Tjballa Dancer]); “The Desert Scene”/“Danse de Ventre” (Katherine Dunham, Vanoye Aikens, Singers, Dancers, Musicians); “Brazilian Suite”: “Choros” (“Variations of a Brazilian Quadrille from the Nineteenth Century”) (Hope Clark, Odile Reifsteck, Clifford Fears, Carleton Johnson); “Batucada” (Katherine Dunham, Vanoye Aikens, Company);“Los Indios” (Maria Costoza, Jean Seabrook, Carleton Johnson); “Haitian Suite”: “Yanvalou” (Dorothy Speights, Robert Guillaume, Men of the Company; Ural Wilson [La Place]); “Bamboche!” (lyric and music by Katherine Dunham) (Katherine Dunham, Vanoye Aikens, Company) Act Two: “The Diamond Thief” (lyrics by Le Clerc, music by Richard Markowitz); this mini-musical takes place somewhere in South Africa, and its five sequences are “The Diamond Mine”; “Street of the Money Lender”; “The Happy Village”; “De Highlife Bar”; and “The Diamond Mine” (Vanoye Aikins [Zulu Warrior], Allan Cooke [The Overseer], Robert Guillaume [Leader], Ricardo Avalos [The Diamond Thief], Bessie Graham [The Matriarch], Ural Wilson [Witch Doctor], Katherine Dunham [Lady in the Gold Dress], David Henderson [Waiter], Camara Ladji [Drummer], Singers, Dancers) Act Three: “Interior of the Mission House” (Charles Barnett [The Piano Player], Ural Wilson [Preacher], Robert Guillaume [A Worshipper], Bessie Griffin [The Visiting Evangelist], Congregation Members); “Barrelhouse”: “Florida Swamp Shimmy” (Katherine Dunham, Vanoye Aikens, Joan Seabrook, Ensemble); “Flaming Youth”: “Charleston,” “ Black Bottom,” “Mooch, Fishtale, and Snakehips” (Bessie Griffin [Kansas City Woman], Lucille Ellis [A Woman from Kansas City], Clifford Fears [Snakehips], Lois Rollins [Drunken Woman]); “Nostalgia”: “Songs from the Turn of the Century” (Dorothy Speights, Robert Guillaume, Rosalie Maxwell, Clark Morgan, Gordon Watkins); “Cakewalk” (Katherine Dunham, Vanoye Aikens, Lucille Ellis, Ural Wilson) Katherine Dunham’s dance revue Bamboche! marked her final Broadway appearance. Her first Broadway credit was the choreography for a song added in 1939 for the labor revue Pins and Needles, which had opened in 1937. In 1940, she appeared in the original Broadway production of Cabin in the Sky, creating the role of Georgia Brown and introducing “Love Me Tomorrow” and “Honey in the Honeycomb.” After Cabin, she frequently returned to Broadway in a series of dance revues (and one book musical) as director, choreographer, and performer: Tropical Revue (1943; eighty-seven performances; director, choreographer, and performer);

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Tropical Revue (1944 return engagement; twenty-four performances; director, choreographer, and performer); Blue Holiday (1945; eight performances; she created the choreography for the sequences in which the Katherine Dunham dancers appeared [the company included Eartha Kitt and Talley Beatty]); Concert Varieties (1945; thirty-six performances; she created the choreography for the sequences in which the Katherine Dunham Dancers appeared [Dunham also danced in this production]); Carib Song (1945; thirty-six performances; codirector, choreographer, and performer; the company included the Katherine Dunham Dancers); Bal Negre (1946; fifty-four performances; director, choreographer, and performer; members of the Katherine Dunham Dancers appeared in the production); Katherine Dunham and Her Company (1950; 37 performances; director, choreographer, and performer); Katherine Dunham and Her Company (1955; thirty-two performances; director, choreographer, and performer). For Bamboche!, which played for just eight performances, Dunham directed, choreographed, and starred. Allen Hughes in the New York Times praised Dunham’s energy, noting that in Bamboche! she performed the shimmy, a cakewalk, and a belly dance, “all with the gusto of a youngster. . . . The years have not diminished Miss Dunham’s vitality.” But he also noted the years had not done much in the way of altering her dance-revue style, and he felt the evening was a “hodgepodge of a show, or perhaps three shows presented under one title.” He reported the numbers had their roots in the native dances of Africa, South America, the West Indies, and the United States, but these “roots are pretty well covered by” a “‘show biz’ approach.” Since audiences were used to seeing “ethnic” dances in “pure styles,” it was a bit disconcerting to see the dances in Bamboche! “hoked up with the trappings, manners and general hullabaloo of the music hall and nightclub.” Hughes felt the weakest material was in the first act, but he praised the second act dance-drama “The Diamond Thief” and the third act’s offerings of songs (gospel, spirituals, and blues) and dances (the shimmy, Charleston, and cakewalk). Hughes said the company was “absolutely first-rate,” and the fact that Dunham was back on Broadway “will probably be enough to satisfy her devoted fans.” Hughes also reported that a first-act sequence titled “Marrakech!” was performed by a dance troupe from Morocco who appeared with the permission and assistance of King Hassan II. But he felt the overall impact of the dance was “too diffuse and confused . . . to be very meaningful.” During the tryout, “Los Indios” and “Tango” were omitted from the first act, and the “Brazilian Suite” was added. The sequence “Nostalgia: Songs from the Turn of the Century” was titled “Strutters Ball: Songs from the Turn of the Century” during the tryout. In Milk and Honey, Jerry Herman defined the word “shalom” as meaning “a million lovely things,” including “hello” and “goodbye.” It appears that the title of Dunham’s revue was an all-encompassing word as well. The Playbill defined “bamboche” as a Haitian-Creole word meaning “get-together to have a good time.” For the record, the program noted the Royal Troupe of Morocco appeared “with the consent of His Majesty Hassan II, King of Morocco, and the cooperation of S. E. Moulay Ahmed Aloui, Minister of Information and Tourism of Morocco, and S. S. Ali Bengelloun, Ambassador of Morocco in the United States, and in gratitude for their many kindnesses: His Excellency Leopold Senghor, President of the Republic of Senegal and Sir Adesoji Adermi, Oni of Ife, Governor of Western Provinces of Nigeria.”

BEYOND THE FRINGE Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: October 27, 1962 Closing Date: May 30, 1964 Performances: 667 (which includes performances of Beyond the Fringe 1964, a revised version which opened on January 8, 1964, as part of the revue’s continuous run) Sketches and Musical Sequences: Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, Dudley Moore Direction: Staging by Alexander H. Cohen (original London production directed by Eleanor Fazan); Producers: Alexander H. Cohen by arrangement with William Donaldson and Donald Albery (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production); Scenery: John Wyckham; Lighting: Ralph Alswang Cast: Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, Dudley Moore The revue was presented in two acts.

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Sketches and Musical Sequences Act One: “Steppes in the Right Direction” (Company); “Royal Box” (Dudley Moore, Peter Cook); “Man Bites God” (Company); “Fruits of Experience” (Alan Bennett); “Bollard” (Company); “A Piece of My Mind” (Jonathan Miller); “Deutscher Chansons”: “La nuit s’épanouit” and “Die Flabbergast” (Jonathan Miller, Dudley Moore); “The Sadder and Wiser Beaver” (Peter Cook, Alan Bennett); “Groves of Academe” (Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller); “The Prime Minister Speaks” (Peter Cook); “And the Same to You” (Dudley Moore); “Aftermyth of War” (Company) Act Two: “Civil Defense” (Company); “Real Class” (Company); “Little Miss Britten” (Jonathan Miller, Dudley Moore); “The Suspense Is Killing Me” (Company); “Porn Shopping” (Jonathan Miller); “Studio 5” (Company); “Sitting on the Bench” (Peter Cook); “Men Only” (Company); “Take a Pew” (Alan Bennett); “So That’s the Way You Like It” (Company); “The End of the World” (Company) The early 1960s ushered in a theatrical era that offered topical and political humor, often improvisational in nature. The Second City revues (From the Second City), along with The Committee, the Establishment, the Stewed Prunes, and other groups brought an array of bright satirical material to Broadway and Off-Broadway. Probably no such revue was more popular than the four-man Beyond the Fringe, a British quartet composed of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore, all of whom wrote and performed their routines first in London, and then later New York (Moore composed the music for the revue). Beyond the Fringe was first presented at the Edinburgh Festival during the summer of 1960, and later opened in the West End at the Fortune Theatre on May 10, 1961, for a long run of 1,189 performances. When the revue opened in New York, it received raves from the New York critics and was awarded a special citation by the New York Drama Critics Circle. Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the comic foursome were “like serpents striking at any succulently pretentious prey in sight, and their fangs are envenomed.” Among the targets were royalty, religion, racism, politics, a documentary about World War II, pornography, German and French art songs, Shakespeare, and the Cuban Missile Crisis (which occurred at the time of the revue’s opening, hence Taubman’s now cryptic comment that the revue offered laughter “in a time of peril”). The other New York critics echoed Taubman’s accolades: “Side-splitting” (Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune); “Enormously funny” (Richard Watts in the New York Post); “Beyond the Fringe may be beyond many, but they will be the last to admit it” (John McClain in the New York Journal-American); “See it twice” (Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram); and “Just plain exhilarating” (John Chapman in the New York Daily News). Only Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror had reservations. He felt God and religion, racial groups, capital punishment, the atomic bomb, and the U.S. government’s Cuban policy weren’t proper subjects for laughter. But he noted if laugh meters were installed in Broadway theatres, the one at the John Golden “would have ticked off the loudest . . . [the revue] can’t lose. It’s got to be a hit.” One of the evening’s most amusing sketches (“Civil War,” which was titled “Civil Defense” during the Broadway tryout) depicted a civil defense meeting by a group of pompous and oblivious speakers who suggest that if an atom bomb falls, be sure to get out of the danger area. When asked if public services will be resumed after a nuclear holocaust, one speaker notes that only “skeleton service” will be available. Dudley Moore scored with “And the Same to You,” in which he endlessly played the main theme (the “Colonel Bogie March”) from the 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai because he couldn’t conclude it, all the while somehow managing to bring in snatches of “Hernando’s Hideaway” and Beethoven. He also spoofed Benjamin Britten (“Little Miss Britten”) when he offered the composer’s “setting” of that “old English air ‘Little Miss Muffet’”; and Jonathan Miller introduced Moore’s look at European songs in which the lyrics always “bemoan” events: in “La nuit s’épanouit,” Moore bemoans the evil spirits that live at the bottom of his garden, and then, according to Miller, Moore continues to play the piano as he sings “Die Flabbergast,” in which a poet and his lover “bemoan, and bemoan, and bemoan.” Another sketch (“So That’s the Way You Like It”) demolished Shakespeare, and Taubman noted it was the revue’s “most uninhibited hilarious number” as four Shakespearean hams “rabid with high art . . . make a hash of bardolatry.” A few sketches performed during the tryout underwent title changes: “The Heat-Death of the Universe” became “A Piece of My Mind”; “Words and Things” became “Groves of Academe”; “Bread Alone” became “Men Only”; and “Civil Defense” became “Civil War.” “Fruits of Experience” seems to have been earlier known as both “Man of Principle” and “Let’s Face It.” For New York, there were two sketches between

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“The Suspense Is Killing Me” and “Sitting on the Bench”: “Porn Shopping” and “Studio 5.” But during the tryout, three sketches were performed between the two sequences: “Alright, Sir, It Doesn’t Whistle,” “Frank Speaking,” and “Black Equals White,” all of which appear to have been permanently dropped. During the New York run, “The Prime Minister Speaks” (titled “T.V.P.M.” during the tryout) was replaced by “The Great Train Robbery.” The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1963. The British cast album was recorded by Parlophone Records (LP # PMC-1145), and included ten sketches. The album was released in the U.S. by Capitol Records (LP # S/W-1792; later issued on CD by Broadway Angel Records CD # ZMD-0777-7-64771-2-1). In 1964, the original cast members reunited in London for a farewell performance, which was taped for television. The almost two-hour telecast was released on DVD by Acorn Media (CD # AMP-7990), and includes fourteen skits from the original London and New York versions as well as “Black Equals White” and eight other skits and musical numbers (including “The Weill Song”) which were added during the years since the revue first premiered. As part of the revue’s continuous run, a revised version (which included both old and new material) opened on January 8, 1964, some fourteen months after the revue originally premiered. Titled Beyond the Fringe 1964, the new version included original cast members Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, and Dudley Moore, who were joined by Paxton Whitehead, who replaced Jonathan Miller. During the remainder of the run, these four performers were succeeded by Dan Bly, Robert Cessna, Ted D’Arms, and James Valentine. The revised revue ran five months, and the two editions tallied up a total of 667 performances. Six months after the revue closed, another revised edition opened as Beyond the Fringe ’65 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 15, 1964, for thirty performances. The revue included old and new material, and the cast members were Robert Cessna, Donald Cullen, Joel Fabiani, and James Valentine. (For more information, see entries for these productions.) In 1971, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook’s revue Behind the Fridge opened in Australia and New Zealand for a five-month run; two performances were taped, and highlights were seen on Australian television (the television adaptation was later released on DVD). The revue was later seen in London, opening at the Cambridge Theatre on November 21, 1972, for a nine-month run. Retitled Good Evening, the show opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on November 14, 1973, for 438 performances.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Stage Technician (Milton Smith). A special Tony Award was presented to Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore for their “brilliance which has shattered all the old concepts of comedy.” New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (1962–1963): Special Citation (Beyond the Fringe)

NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre Opening Date: November 10, 1962 Closing Date: November 17, 1962 Performances: 9 Book and Lyrics: James Lipton Music: Sol Berkowitz Direction: Sidney Lumet; Producers: Kermit Bloomgarden and Herbert Greene with Steven H. Scheuer; Choreography: Ronald Field; Scenery: Peter Larkin; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Herbert Greene Cast: Tom Bosley (Izzy Einstein), Martin Balsam (Moe Smith), Bruce Gordon (Anthony Baiello), Dorothy Loudon (Wilma Risque), Bert Convy (Tommy Dee), Mary Ann Mobley (Joan Morgan), Phil Leeds (Hymie, Hop Wong), Robert Avian (Beggar, Gang Member), Sally Ann Carlson (Lady with Laundry), Sally Lee (Member of Hop Family, Sally), Jodi Kim Long (Member of Hop Family), Bill Starr (Member of Hop Family, Gang

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Member), Eleonore Treiber (Member of Hop Family), Rico Froehlich (Policeman), H.  F. Green (Reporter/ Photographer), Val Avery (Reporter/Photographer, Policeman), Art Wallace (Reporter/Photographer), Frank Campanella (Lupo), Marty Allen (Gang Member), Tod Jackson (Gang Member), Larry Merritt (Gang Member), Frank Pietri (Gang Member), Gerald Teijelo (Gang Member), James Weiss (Gang Member), Blair Hammond (Gang Member), Michael Maurer (Gang Member), Joel Craig (Stage Manager), Don Rehg (Guard); La Vie Girls: Nicole Barth, Sally Ann Carlson, Diane Coupe, Dorothy D’Honau, Lillian D’Honau, Maureen Hopkins, Jami Landi, Sally Lee, Sandra Roveta, Dean Taliaferro, Barbara Marcon, Eleonore Treiber The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City during the 1920s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Ain’t You Ashamed” (Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam); “The ‘We Makin’ Cash with Sour Mash; No Rickie-Tickie No Licq-ie’ Rag” (Phil Leeds); “The ‘We Makin’ Cash with Sour Mash; No Rickie-Tickie Bo Licq-ie’ Rag” (reprise) (Phil Leeds, Sally Lee, Jodi Kim Long, Bill Starr, Eleonore Treiber, Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam); “Live a Little” (Dorothy Loudon, Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam, Company); “Yes, Mr. Baiello” (Bruce Gordon, Marty Allen, Robert Avian, Tod Jackson, Larry Merritt, Frank Pietri, Bill Starr, Gerald Teijelo, James Weiss, Blair Hammond, Michael Maurer); Dance (Marty Allen, Robert Avian, Tod Jackson, Larry Merritt, Frank Pietri, Bill Starr, Gerald Teijelo, James Weiss, Blair Hammond, Michael Maurer); “When a Fella Needs a Friend” (Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam, Bert Convy, Mary Ann Mobley); Dance (Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam, Bert Convy, Mary Ann Mobley); “The Odds and Ends of Love” (Dorothy Loudon); “Nowhere to Go but Up” (Dorothy Loudon, Nicole Barth, Sally Ann Carlson, Diane Coupe, Dorothy D’Honau, Lillian D’Honau, Maureen Hopkins, Jami Landi, Sally Lee, Sandra Roveta, Dean Taliaferro, Barbara Marcon, Eleonore Treiber); “Take Me Back” (Bruce Gordon, Mary Ann Mobley); “Yes, Mr. Baiello” (reprise) (Bruce Gordon, Marty Allen, Robert Avian, Tod Jackson, Larry Merritt, Frank Pietri, Bill Starr, Gerald Teijelo, James Weiss, Blair Hammond, Michael Maurer); “I Love You for That” (Dorothy Loudon, Martin Balsam); “Nowhere to Go but Up” (reprise) (Nicole Barth, Sally Ann Carlson, Diane Coupe, Dorothy D’Honau, Lillian D’Honau, Maureen Hopkins, Jami Landi, Sally Lee, Sandra Roveta, Dean Taliaferro, Barbara Marcon, Eleonore Treiber) Act Two: “Baby, Baby” (Martin Balsam, Dorothy Loudon); “Natural Allies” (Tom Bosley, Nicole Barth, Sally Ann Carlson, Diane Couple, Dorothy D’Honau, Lillian D’Honau, Maureen Hopkins, Jami Landi, Sally Lee, Sandra Roveta, Dean Taliaferro, Barbara Marcon, Eleonore Treiber); “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” (Bert Convy); “Follow the Leader” Septet (Bruce Gordon, Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam, Dorothy Loudon, Mary Ann Mobley, Bert Convy, Phil Leeds); “Dear Mom” (Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam); “Dear Mom” Responses (Bruce Gordon, Frank Campanella, Marty Allen, Robert Avian, Tod Jackson, Larry Merritt, Frank Pietri, Bill Starr, Gerald Teijelo, James Weiss, Blair Hammond, Michael Maurer); “Nowhere to Go but Up” (Tom Bosley, Martin Balsam, Company) In Fiorello! (1959), Tom Bosley played the title role of a crusading politician in the 1920s, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in a show that played for two years and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In Nowhere to Go but Up, he again played a crusader in the 1920s, this time a prohibitionist. For all his efforts, his new musical came up dry and closed after nine performances. The musical’s working title was Izzy and Moe, and it told the true story of Izzy Einstein (Bosley) and his partner Moe Smith (Martin Balsam), two federal agents who became famous for donning madcap disguises in order to penetrate the underworld of gangsters and their illegal supplies of hooch. So Bosley and Balsam were literally dragged out in every conceivable disguise (blonde nightclub floozies, Romanian undertakers, cleaning ladies, locksmiths, telephone repairmen, manicurists, piano-players, even rabbis) as they battle crime, mostly with gangster Anthony Baiello (Bruce Gordon), so tough he murders one of his henchmen because the “yes man” said “no.” Other characters include Baiello’s girlfriend, singer Wilma Risque (Dorothy Loudon, in her Broadway debut), who works at a nightclub called La Vie Est Gaie (Wilma pronounces her last name as “Riskay,” explaining “it’s French, I ain’t”); another nightclub singer, Jean Morgan (Mary Ann Mobley, who was Miss America 1959), upon whom Baiello has designs; and Jean’s boyfriend Tommy Dee (Bert Convy), who is also a nightclub singer.

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Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the musical wasn’t a “little horror,” it was a “big one”; Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that if a show is nothing but a series of blackouts and jokes, then they’d better be “extremely good . . . [but] here they range from mild to maybe”; and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said Nowhere to Go but Up “seldom goes anywhere, and most certainly not up.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the musical was “delicious bathtub gin”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American admitted the show didn’t go “anywhere,” but was nevertheless “full of zip and frequently zany enough to be quite endearing”; and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram noted the show might not be “great musical theater, but more often than not, it’s great, great fun.” But James Lipton’s meandering book and weak jokes (“This man is a regular Genghis Cohen,” “No man is a Coney Island”) did the show in, even though the critics liked Ronald Field’s choreography (Coleman noted it was “refreshing to see old time hoofing instead of neurotic ballet”) and were generally positive about the “razz-ma-tazz jangle” of the score (Nadel). Lipton and Sol Berkowitz’s contributions were described as “peppy” (Taubman), “zingy” (McClain), and “tinkly and hummable” (Kerr), and the critics singled out eight songs (“Live a Little,” “The Odds and Ends of Love,” “ Baby, Baby,” “I Love You for That,” “Natural Allies,” “The ‘We Makin’ Cash with Sour Mash, No Rickie-Tickie No Licq-ie’ Rag,” “Yes, Mr. Baiello,” and the title song). The title song and “When a Fella Needs a Friend” were particularly impressive and received a bit of air play at the time. Taubman noted the musical offered a “rare touch of imaginative fooling” in an amusing sequence that occurred at the end of the first act and the beginning of the second. For the first act finale, a gangster’s funeral is held at La Vie Est Gaie, where the showgirls, garbed as sexy angels, give the mobster a merry send-off with a reprise of “Nowhere to Go but Up.” As the curtain falls, the “angels” are whisked heavenward to the theatre’s flies, but, at the beginning of the second act, one of the chorus girls is still up there, hanging aloft, having been completely forgotten by her fellow chorines. During the tryout, the following numbers were deleted: “Ain’t It a Joy,” “Here We Are,” “A Couple of Clowns,” and “Montage,” a production number that depicted the rise of Izzy and Moe. In Philadelphia, “The ‘We Makin’ Cash with Sour Mash; No Rickie-Tickie No Licq-ie’ Rag” was titled “The ‘We Makin’ Dough You So and So; No Rickie-Tickie No Washie’ Rag.” An early version of the script includes “Ain’t It a Shame” (which precedes “Ain’t It a Joy” in the show’s first scene [both songs probably share the same music]) and “Morning-After Blues” (a dance). Lipton and Berkowitz had previously collaborated on the 1960 Off-Broadway musical Miss Emily Adam; in 1967, Lipton wrote the book and lyrics of Sherry!, a musical version of The Man Who Came to Dinner (Laurence Rosenthal composed the music). Nowhere to Go but Up was not only Dorothy Loudon’s Broadway debut, it also marked the beginning of a fifteen-year period in which she garnered rave reviews in nothing but flop musicals. Her Tony Award-winning Miss Hannigan in Annie (1977) broke the spell, but in between she appeared in Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato (1968, forty-four performances); The Fig Leaves Are Falling (1969, four performances); and Lolita, My Love (1971, closed prior to Broadway). For director Sidney Lumet, Nowhere to Go but Up was his first and only Broadway musical, although he later directed the 1978 film version of The Wiz (1975). Columbia Records was to have recorded the cast album (it was assigned release # KOL-5890 and # KOS2290), which was canceled due to the show’s brief run (the opening night Playbill included a full-page ad for the recording [“To Hear! To Enjoy! Again & Again”]). The show’s artwork included one of the showgirl “angels”; for whatever it’s worth, the show’s poster used this artwork against a vivid orange background, while the mock-up of the cast-album-that-never-was used the artwork against a background of vivid green. The show’s title song, along with “Baby, Baby,” were recorded by Stuart Foster on Mohawk Records (45 RPM MO-9081/82). The latter song was also included in the collection Lost Broadway and More Volume 3 (no label and unnumbered, but apparently released by Original Cast Records).

LITTLE ME “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: November 17, 1962

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Closing Date: June 29, 1963 Performances: 257 Book: Neil Simon Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh Music: Cy Coleman Based on the 1961 novel Little Me by Patrick Dennis. Direction: Cy Feuer and Bob Fosse; Producers: Ernest Martin and Cy Feuer; Choreography: Bob Fosse; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Musical Direction: Charles Sanford Cast: John Anania (Butler), Peter Turgeon (Patrick Dennis), Nancy Andrews (Miss Poitrine [today]), Adnia Rice (Momma), Virginia Martin (Belle, Baby), John Sharpe (George Musgrove [as a boy]), James Senn (Brucey), Else Olufsen (Ramona), Sid Caesar (Noble Eggleston, Mr. Pinchley, Val du Val, Fred Poitrine, Otto Schnitzler, Prince Cherney, Noble Eggleston Jr.), Nancy Cushman (Mrs. Eggleston), Gretchen Cryer (Miss Kepplewhite), Mickey Deems (Pinchley Jr., Defense Lawyer, German Officer, Production Assistant, Yulnick), Margery Beddow (Nurse), Burt Bier (Kleeg), Michael Smuin (Newsboy), Joey Faye (Bernie Buchsbaum), Mort Morshall (Bennie Buchsbaum), Swen Swenson (George Musgrove), Ken Ayers (Preacher), Michael Quinn (General), Eddie Gasper (Courier), Sandra Stahl (Red Cross Nurse), David Gold (Steward), Marcia Gilford (Secretary), Marc Jordan (Victor); Singers: Gretchen Cryer, Marcia Gilford, Else Olufsen, Sandra Stahl, Lory Stark, John Anania, Ken Ayers, Burl Bier, Harris Hawkins, Marc Jordan, Michael Quinn; Dancers: Barbara Beck, Margery Beddow, Reby Howells, Odette Phillips, Dounia Rathbone, Barbara Sharma, Renata Vaselle, Eddie Gasper, Gene Gavin, David Gold, James Kirby, John Sharpe, Michael Smuin, James Senn, Michael Stuart The musical was presented in two acts. The action in the present takes place in Belle’s estate in Southampton, Long Island; the action in the past takes place in Venezuela, Illinois; Peoria; Chicago; somewhere in France; on the North Atlantic; Hollywood; Monte Carlo; a principality in Middle Europe; and in the Dakotas.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Truth” (Nancy Andrews, Peter Turgeon, John Anania); “The Other Side of the Tracks” (Virginia Martin); “Birthday Party” (dance; aka “The Rich Kids’ Rag”) (Boys, Girls); “I Love You” (Sid Caesar, Virginia Martin); “The Other Side of the Tracks” (reprise) (Virginia Martin); “Deep Down Inside” (Sid Caesar, Virginia Martin, Mickey Deems, Poor People); “Be a Performer!” (Mort Marshall, Joey Faye); “Dimples” (Virginia Martin, Police Escort); “Boom-Boom” (Sid Caesar, Girls); “I’ve Got Your Number” (Swen Swenson, Virginia Martin); “Real Live Girl” (Sid Caesar); “Real Live Girl” (reprise) (Doughboys); “Boom-Boom” (Virginia Martin, Howitzers) Act Two: “Poor Little Hollywood Star” (Virginia Martin); “Little Me” (Nancy Andrews, Virginia Martin); “The Prince’s Farewell” (Sid Caesar, Mickey Deems, Loyal Subjects); “Here’s to Us” (Nancy Andrews, Guests); Finale (Sid Caesar, Virginia Martin) Patrick Dennis’s 1961 novel Little Me was a delicious send-up of tell-all as-told-to autobiographies by Hollywood actresses (it was dedicated to “Agnes, Arlene, Bette, Billie, Cobina . . . Sophie, Tallulah, Wendy, Yvonne, Zsa Zsa and those whose life stories will follow”), telling the tale of fictitious Belle Poitrine (born Bessie Schlumpfert), a talent-free actress who stops at nothing as she claws her way up the ladder of mediocrity (as well as “wealth, culture and social position”). The book included dozens of hilarious photographs depicting her life and times, from her childhood in turn-of-the-century Venezuela, Illinois (as a sign of respect, her mother was the only woman in town called “madam”), to present-day 1960, when the “frankly forty” Belle finds God in Southampton. After decades of ups and downs in the world of show business, she recalls the triumphant opening of her musical film version of “Nat” Hawthorne’s immortal classic novel The Scarlet Letter (now updated to life on a college campus called Allstate, where coed Hester proudly wears the red-letter “A” on the sweater of her cheerleading outfit). The four-hour epic opens at eight o’clock on New Year’s Eve in a film palace on Times Square, and when Belle leaves the theatre at midnight, the “wildly cheering populace of New York” erupts in applause, shouts, whistles, horns, and confetti. Belle knows she has finally “arrived.”

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For the musical version, Virginia Martin (who had memorably portrayed the gold digger Hedy La Rue in the previous season’s How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying) was the younger Belle, and Nancy Andrews was the older Belle who narrates the story. Sid Caesar was cast as seven of the men in Belle’s life, and while this notion was clever and led to some hilarious sequences for Caesar, the musical became a vehicle for Caesar and thus threw the show off-focus because it relegated Belle to a supporting role in her own story. The musical received mostly rave reviews. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune found the evening “a happy holiday of a show . . . a blockbuster so genial it looks like a breeze”; John Chapman in the Daily News hailed the “funny, inventive, attractive and expertly staged” musical; John McClain in the New York Journal-American suggested if the show’s press agents wanted a quote from him, they could use “Sumptuous Success,” “Smash Hit,” and “Hail, Caesar!”; Justin Gilbert in the New York Mirror praised the “avalanche of low comedy, high jinks, slow takes and fast gags”; and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the musical was “Broadway’s biggest boon and brightest benefit” since How to Succeed had opened. But while Richard Watts in the New York Post found the show “fast, robust and at times very funny,” he was also “disappointed,” feeling it “should have been better.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times said that in a “nonvintage year ordinary wine must do,” noting the new musical looked especially good because it arrived “after a poor crop of musicals.” For all that, he praised the “speed, pacing and sheen” of the show. Choreographer and codirector Bob Fosse created a number of show-stopping dances, including “Rich Kids’ Rag” (aka “Birthday Party”) (Nadel called it “the choreographic coup of the season so far”) and Swen Swenson’s male striptease “I’ve Got Your Number” (according to Watts, the song was “brilliantly danced” and was “the highlight of the show”). Cy Coleman’s tuneful score and Carolyn Leigh’s amusing lyrics added to the gaiety of the evening, especially in such comic turns as “I Love You” (Belle’s suitor loves her as much as he is able, considering she’s “riffraff” and he’s “well-to-do”) and “The Prince’s Farewell” (aka “Goodbye”) (when a dying monarch tells his subjects that someday they’ll all meet again, they solemnly reply, “We hope it isn’t soon”). “Boom-Boom” was a sly spoof of Maurice Chevalier; “The Other Side of the Tracks” was an alternately wistful and harddriving “wanting” song for Belle; “The Truth” a fast-moving song for the Older Belle; “Poor Little Hollywood Star” a plaintive air for the Younger Belle; “Here’s to Us,” a triumphant toast to life by the Older Belle; “Little Me,” an I-Am-My-Own-Best-Friend duet for the Two Belles; and “Real Live Girl,” a humdinger of a ballad sung by lonely soldiers on the front in World War I (some critics said the song was a kinder and gentler “There’s Nothing Like a Dame”). Two back-to-back numbers are fascinating precursors to Fosse’s 1975 musical Chicago. In the Chicago of the 1920s, Belle has helpfully sent her rich benefactor to his early reward and is thus arrested for murder. In “Be a Performer!,” two sleazy vaudeville agents encourage her to capitalize on her notoriety (“You got a million dollars’ publicity”) by appearing on the vaudeville circuit, and so “direct from her triumphant two-week trial” Belle is on stage with her song “Dimples,” in which she wonders why a gunshot (just a “little indentation,” mind you) could lead to a “criminal investigation.” One assumes Fosse mulled over this sequence, recalled Maurine Watkins’s play Chicago (and its film version Roxie Hart), and eventually decided Chicago had the makings of a cynical musical comedy. Chicago’s original run chalked up 898 performances, and as of this writing its 1996 revival is the longest-running revival in Broadway history with over 7,000 performances to its credit (and is now the third-longest running production in Broadway history). During the tryout, “Lafayette, We Are Here!” and “Don’t Let It Getcha” were deleted. The original cast album was released by RCA Victor (LP # LOC/LSO-1078; RCA also issued the CD # 09026-61482-2). The script was later published in hardback by Random House in 1979 in The Collected Plays of Neil Simon Vol. II. The London production opened at the Cambridge Theatre on November 18, 1964, with Bruce Forsyth and Eileen Gourlay (like Virginia Martin, who created the role of Hedy La Rue in the Broadway production of How to Succeed, Gourlay was Hedy for the London edition of the show). For London, Swen Swenson reprised his Broadway role. The cast album was recorded by Pye Records LP # NPL-18107 and # NSPL-83023, later reissued by World Records LP # T-789 and ST-789 and by PRT Records LP # FBLP-8077; the CD was released by DRG Records # 13111. In many respects the London cast album is superior to the Broadway recording (it also includes “Rich Kids’ Rag,” which was omitted from the Broadway cast album). A late 1960s proposed film version never got off the ground. A two-full-page advertisement in the November 13, 1968, issue of Variety announced that “You’ll love mad-cap, man-made, much-married, money-mad, mini-minded, maxi-mated, mink-mantled and mainly musical Little Me!” The projected Avco Embassy film

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was to be produced by Joseph E. Levine, directed by Joe Layton, and written by Larry Gelbart, with filming set to begin in October 1969 as an “in Color . . . Major Road Show Attraction.” At one point, Carol Channing and Golde Hawn were mentioned for the two Belles. “Rich Kids’ Rag” and “I’ve Got Your Number” were later included in the American Dance Machine company’s repertoire of Broadway dances, and Swen Swenson re-created his performance in the latter. Despite mostly rave reviews, Sid Caesar’s popularity, and the air play of such songs as “Real Live Girl,” “I’ve Got Your Number,” and “The Other Side of the Tracks,” the musical never quite caught on, and closed at a loss after just 257 performances (ironically, the poorly received Mr. President lasted a week longer, closing after 265 performances). But the merry book and score, along with juicy roles for the leading performers, will probably guarantee periodic revivals of Little Me. In 1964, the musical began a national tour with Caesar, Virginia Martin, Nancy Andrews, and Swen Swenson reprising their original Broadway roles. On January 21, 1982, the musical was revived (and slightly revised) on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre for a short run of thirty-six performances. This time around, Caesar’s multiple roles were divided between James Coco and Victor Garber; Mary Gordon Murray was Belle, and Don Correia assumed Swen Swenson’s role. The production added two songs (“Don’t Ask a Lady” and “I Wanna Be Yours”), and deleted four (“The Truth,” “Dimples,” “Poor Little Hollywood Star,” and “Be a Performer!” [the latter was heard during the revival’s Broadway previews]). On November 12, 1998, the musical was again revived (and revised) on Broadway, opening at the Criterion Center Stage Right Theatre in a Roundabout Theatre Company production for 101 performances. Martin Short (who won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical) and Faith Prince headlined. With the exception of “The Truth,” all the songs from the original 1962 production were included; “I Love You” was heard in the first act, and a revised version (“I Love Sinking You”) was heard in the second; and the two songs added for the 1982 revival were omitted. The cast album was released by Varese Sarabande Records (CD # VSD-6011). On May 30, 1984, the musical was revived in London at the Prince of Wales Theatre; Russ Abbot and Sheila White starred (the production was based on the 1982 Broadway revival and included the two new songs added for that version; it also included “Dimples” [as “Oh Dem Doggone Dimples”]).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Little Me); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Sid Caesar); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Swen Swenson); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Virginia Martin); Best Author of a Musical (Neil Simon); Best Producer of a Musical (Ernest Martin and Cy Feuer); Best Director of a Musical (Cy Feuer and Bob Fosse); Best Composer and Lyricist (Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh); Best Costume Designer (Robert Fletcher); Best Choreographer (Bob Fosse)

OLIVER! “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Imperial Theatre Opening Date: January 6, 1963 Closing Date: November 14, 1964 Performances: 774 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Lionel Bart Based on the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Direction: Peter Coe; Producers: David Merrick and Donald Albery; Choreography: Uncredited; Scenery and Costumes: Sean Kenny; Lighting: John Wyckham; Musical Direction: Donald Pippin Cast: Bruce Prochnik (Oliver Twist), Willoughby Goddard (Mr. Bumble), Hope Jackman (Mrs. Corney), Ruth Maynard (Old Sally), Barry Humphries (Mr. Sowerberry), Helena Carroll (Mrs. Sowerberry), Cherry Davis (Charlotte), Terry Lomax (Noah Claypole), Clive Revill (Fagin), David Jones (The Artful Dodger), Georgia Brown (Nancy), Alice Playten (Bet), Danny Sewell (Bill Sikes), Geoffrey Lumb (Mr. Brownlow),

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John Call (Dr. Grimwig), Dortha Duckworth (Mrs. Bedwin); Workhouse Boys and Fagin’s Gang: Johnny Borden, Eugene Endon, Bryant Fraser, Randy Gaynes, Bobby Gold, Sal Lombardo, Christopher Month, Patrick O’Shaunghnessy, Alan Paul, Barry Pearl, George Priolo, Robbie Reed, Christopher Votos; Londoners: Jed Allen, Barbara Bossert, Jack Davison, James Glenn, Lesley Hunt, John M. Kimbro, Michael Lamont, Allan Lokos, Dodie Marshall, Richard Miller, Moose Peting, Ruth Ramsey, Nita Reiter, Ray Tudor, Maura (K.) Wedge The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in London during the nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Food, Glorious Food” (Boys); “Oliver!” (Willoughby Goddard, Hope Jackson, Bruce Prochnik, Boys); “I Shall Scream” (Hope Jackson, Willoughby Goddard); “Boy for Sale” (Willoughby Goddard); “That’s Your Funeral” (Barry Humphries, Willoughby Goddard, Helena Carroll); “Where Is Love?” (Bruce Prochnik); “Consider Yourself” (David Jones, Bruce Prochnik, Crowd); “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two” (Clive Revill, Bruce Prochnik, Boys); “It’s a Fine Life” (Georgia Brown, Alice Playten); “I’d Do Anything” (David Jones, Georgia Brown, Bruce Prochnik, Alice Playten, Clive Revill); “Be Back Soon” (Clive Revill, David Jones, Bruce Prochnik, Boys) Act Two: “Oom-Pah-Pah” (Georgia Brown, Company); “My Name” (Danny Sewell); “As Long as He Needs Me” (Georgia Brown); “Where Is Love?” (reprise) (Dortha Duckworth); “Who Will Buy” (Bruce Prochnik, Chorus); “It’s a Fine Life” (Danny Sewell, Georgia Brown, Clive Revill, Boys); “Reviewing the Situation” (Clive Revill); “Oliver!” (reprise) (Willoughby Goddard, Hope Jackson); “As Long as He Needs Me” (reprise) (Georgia Brown); “Reviewing the Situation” (reprise) (Clive Revill); Finale: “Food, Glorious Food” (reprise) (Boys); “Consider Yourself” (reprise) (Boys); “I’d Do Anything” (Company) Oliver!, with lyrics, book, and music by Lionel Bart, was a smash hit in London, where it opened on June 30, 1960, at the New Theatre for a run of 2,618 performances. The original London cast included Ron Moody (Fagin), Georgia Brown (Nancy), Keith Hamshere (Oliver), Danny Sewell (Bill Sykes), Hope Jackman (Mrs. Corney), Martin Horsey (The Artful Dodger), and Barry Humphries (Sowerberry). The latter of course became famous for his theatrical alter-ego, Dame Edna, the waspish take-no-prisoners-or-possums virago who never met a man (or woman) who wasn’t ripe for ridicule. The American production of Oliver! opened after a long pre-Broadway tryout, and so by the time of the New York premiere the musical had already recouped its investment. The reviews were mixed, and while the show ran for 744 profitable performances, the Broadway version didn’t match the marathon run of the British production. For New York, Brown, Sewell, Jackman, and Humphries reprised their original roles. Clive Revill (now trading the underworld of Paris and Irma La Douce for the underworld of London) was Fagin, David Jones was the Artful Dodger, and Bruce Prochnik played the title role. Bart’s “freely” adapted version of Dickens’s sprawling novel was true to the basic plot of the orphaned Oliver Twist, his adventures with Fagin and his band of young pickpockets, and his eventual discovery that he’s from a wealthy family. Sean Kenny’s clever revolving unit set offered a number of locales and kept the story moving at a fast pace. There were two prominent dissenters among the critics. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune admitted the musical had “enormous energy,” but quickly noted it was “energy of a peculiarly mechanical kind.” He felt the humor was strained, the songs were “top ten stuff,” and, most damningly, the “comicbook condensation” failed to offer “genuine emotional involvement.” And Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the musical too often settled for “stridency, smoke, easy laughs and facile show-business razzmatazz.” But the rest of the critics liked the show: “A remarkable production, inventively mounted and wonderfully well performed” (John McClain in the New York Journal-American); “the bold new musical . . . will still be strong when this new year is old” (Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun); “an exciting and stunningly beautiful musical play” (Richard Watts in the New York Post); “one of the most impressive British products to be imported here since the first Rolls Royce” (John Chapman in the New York Daily News); and “a masterpiece of showmanship” (Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror).

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Bart’s score was an audience-friendly one, beginning with the winning orphans’ chorus of “Food, Glorious Food”; the Artful Dodger’s welcome to Oliver (“Consider Yourself”); Nancy’s irresistibly cynical “Oom-PahPah” (this song and Tenderloin’s “The Picture of Happiness” make an interesting thematic pairing); the street vendors’ cry of “Who Will Buy?”; the charm song “I’d Do Anything”; Fagin’s “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two” and “Reviewing the Situation”; and two ballads, Oliver’s “Where Is Love?” and Nancy’s “As Long as He Needs Me” (the latter two sound suspiciously like trunk songs shoe-horned into the plot). Fagin is looked upon by many as an offensive Jewish caricature bordering on the anti-Semitic, and to ensure no one was offended, producer David Merrick insisted all traces of Jewishness were leavened out of Fagin’s character by the time of the New York premiere. Taubman noted that Bart “nowhere identifies [Fagin] as a Jew,” but by a “strange coincidence” Fagin is given a song (“Reviewing the Situation”) that “bears a close resemblance to Jewish folksong . . . a lush violin obbligato seems to stress racial strains.” And Nadel noted that during the tryout, a Los Angeles critic mentioned that Bart’s Fagin was “the kind of lovable old codger you’d invite to a Hadassah tea.” The British cast album was released by Decca Records (LP # SKL-4105 and # LK-4359, issued by Decca on CD # 422-820-590-2), and the Broadway cast album, which was recorded during the tryout, was released by RCA Records (LP # LOCD/LSOD-2004). The LP was first issued on CD by Broadway Angel # ZDM-07777-64890-2-5), and then later by RCA (CD # 82876-51432-2) in a deluxe edition that included three songs from the London cast album (“That’s Your Funeral,” “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two,” and “Reviewing the Situation”), “As Long as He Needs Me” (by Patti LuPone, who appeared as Nancy in the 1986 Broadway revival [see below]), and an interview with Donald Pippin. There are numerous recordings of the score, perhaps most notably the recording of the London revival that opened on December 8, 1994, at the London Palladium with Jonathan Pryce in the role of Fagin (Angel Records CD # CDQ-7243-5-55456-2-6). During the extended pre-Broadway tryout, Michael Goodman was the Artful Dodger, but for New York the role was played by David Jones, who, incidentally, was later part of the popular singing group the Monkees. Similarly, the character of Sowerberry was performed by Frederic Warriner during the tryout, but when the musical opened on Broadway, Barry Humphries assumed the role, which he had created for the original London production. Once Humphries joined the American company for the New York opening, his song “That’s Your Funeral,” which had been omitted during the tryout, was reinstated for Broadway. But because the cast album was recorded during the pre-Broadway tryout, “That’s Your Funeral” is omitted from the recording; further, for the album Michael Goodman sings the role of the Artful Dodger. Another London revival opened on April 26, 1967, at the Piccadilly Theatre for 331 performances. This time around, Barry Humphries played Fagin (not Sowerberry), and the cast included Marti Webb. The overblown 1960s film adaptation (is “overblown 1960s film adaptation” redundant?) was produced by Columbia Pictures and directed by Carol Reed. It unaccountably won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1968 (the soundtrack album was released by Colgems Records LP # S/COSD-5501). For the film, Ron Moody reprised his original stage role, and others in the cast were Mark Lester, Shani Wallace, Jack Wild, Oliver Reed, Sheila White, and Harry Secombe. Carol Reed won the Oscar for Best Direction, and the film also won for Best Art Direction and Best Scoring. For her choreography, Onna White was awarded a special Oscar citation. The musical has been revived on Broadway twice. In 1965, it opened at the Martin Beck (now Hirschfeld) Theatre for sixty-four performances (see entry), and on April 29, 1984, it played at the Mark Hellinger Theatre for a surprisingly short run of seventeen performances. For this production, Ron Moody was Fagin. He had created the role in the original 1960 London version and later reprised it for the 1968 film; the brief two-week revival was his only Broadway appearance. Patti LuPone was Nancy, Braden Danner was Oliver, and Frances Cuka was Mrs. Sowerberry.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Oliver!); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Clive Revill); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Georgia Brown); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (David Jones); Best Author of a Musical (Lionel Bart); Best Producer of a Musical (David Merrick and Donald Albery); Best Director of a Musical (Peter Coe); Best Composer and Lyricist (Lionel Bart); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Donald Pippin); Best Scenic Designer (Sean Kenny)

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MAURICE CHEVALIER Theatre: Ziegfeld Theatre Opening Date: January 28, 1963 Closing Date: February 23, 1963 Performances: 29 Producer: Alexander H. Cohen; Scenery and Lighting: Raoul Pene DuBois; Costumes: Mr. Chevalier’s clothes by Larsen in Paris; Musical Direction: Fred Stamer Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Fred Stamer (Piano) The evening was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Numbers From a note in the Playbill: “These are the songs associated with Chevalier, most of which he will sing for you this evening in the order that fits the mood and the music”: “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” (lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe; from the 1958 film Gigi); “Quai de Bercy” (lyric by Maurice Chevalier, music by Louis Poterat Alstone); “Le Twist Canotier” (lyric and music by Noel Roux and Georges Garvarentz); “I Still See Eliza [sic; Elisa]” (lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe; Paint Your Wagon, 1951); “Place Pigalle” (lyric by Maurice Chevalier, music by Louis Poterat Alstone); George Gershwin Medley; “Spectators” (sketch by Maurice Chevalier); “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” (lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by Harry Warren; from the 1938 film Hard to Get); “Some of These Days” (lyric and music by Shelton Brooks); “Contre l’amour y’a rien a faire” (lyric and music by Michel Rivgauche and Eva Wallis); “How to Handle a Woman” (lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe; Camelot, 1960); “Les Chapeaux” (lyric and music by Jacques Mareuil and Fred Freed); “You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It)” (lyric by Joseph McCarthy, music by James V. Monaco); “From Rag to Twist” (sketch by Maurice Chevalier); “Yankee Doodle Parisien” (lyric and music by George M. Cohan; apparently a variation of Cohan’s “Yankee Doodle Dandy” [aka “Yankee Doodle Boy”] which had first been introduced in the 1904 Broadway musical Little Johnny Jones); “There’s a Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder” (lyric and music by Billy Rose, Dave Dreyer, and Al Jolson; from the 1928 film The Singing Fool); “Ah donnez m’en de la chanson” (lyric by Rene Rouzaud, music by Marguerite Monnot); “Louise” (lyric by Leo Robin, music by Richard A. Whiting; from the 1929 film Innocents of Paris); “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore” (lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe; from the 1958 film Gigi); “À Las Vegas” (lyric and music by Albert Willemetz and Louiguy); “Accents melodiques” (sketch by Maurice Chevalier); Medley from Cole Porter’s Can-Can (1953); “Mimi” (lyric by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rodgers; from the 1932 film Love Me Tonight); “Valentine” (lyric and music by Albert Willemetz and Henri Christine; some sources also credit Herbert Reynolds as one of the song’s contributors; although not written for 1929 film Innocents of Paris, the song was included in the film’s score); “Stations of Life” (sketch by Maurice Chevalier); “La tête de roi” (lyric and music by Jean-Pierre Moulin) The triumphant return to New York of legendary French entertainer Maurice Chevalier was his sixth Broadway visit in thirty-three years. He had first been seen in An Evening with Maurice Chevalier at the Fulton Theatre on March 30, 1930, for fifteen performances; he then returned on February 9, 1932 (Fulton Theatre, seventeen performances); on March 10, 1947 (Henry Miller’s Theatre, forty-six performances); on March 28, 1948 (John Golden Theatre, thirty-three performances); and on September 28, 1955 (Lyceum Theatre, forty-seven performances). In the time between the 1955 and 1963 visits, Chevalier’s film career had flowered for a second time. In the early 1930s, he had appeared in a number of hit films, including Love Me Tonight (1932), one of the greatest of all film musicals (in the slightly naughty Sleeping Beauty-styled fairy tale, he introduced such Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart standards as “Mimi” and “Isn’t It Romantic”). Then in 1958, he appeared in Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s hit film musical Gigi, which won a then-record eight Oscars (including Best Picture) and a special honorary Oscar for Chevalier. In the film he introduced another crop of standards

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(“Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” “I Remember It Well,” and “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore”), and later appeared in the film versions of the Broadway musicals Can-Can (1960) and Fanny (1961). For his 1963 New York engagement (called Maurice Chevalier on the title page of the Playbill and An Evening with Maurice Chevalier on the Playbill cover), Chevalier’s program included a number of songs he introduced (such as “Louise,” “Mimi,” and “Thank Heaven for Little Girls”); a tribute to the late Marguerite Monnot; a serenade to all the women in the audience with “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby”; a series of impersonations; a sketch about a priest attending a music hall; a medley of songs by George Gershwin; another medley, this one of songs from Can-Can; and other numbers, such as Lerner and Loewe’s “I Still See Elisa” (Paint Your Wagon [1951]) and “How to Handle a Woman” (Camelot [1960]). (There was even a tribute to the twist in “From Rag to Twist.”) Chevalier was accompanied by pianist Fred Stamer as well as a drummer and a double-bass player. Ross Parmenter in the New York Times wrote that Chevalier is “one of the most likable entertainers to have won fame in this century,” and “he continues to be a heart-warming performer.” Chevalier told the audience his show was his “seventy-fifth birthday gift,” although his actual seventy-fifth birthday wasn’t until September of that year. In 1965, Chevalier returned to Broadway for the last time in Maurice Chevalier at 77. For the current New York engagement, Parmenter noted that Chevalier reopened the Ziegfeld Theatre after a seven-year period when the theatre was an NBC television studio. The theatre’s inaugural production was Rio Rita in 1927, and over the years a number of hit musicals premiered there (including Show Boat [1927], Brigadoon [1947], Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [1949], Kismet [1953]). For the re-opening, Parmenter reported that Billy Rose, the theatre’s owner, spent $250,000 in refurbishing the theatre in order to restore it to its former glory and to the intentions of its architect, Joseph Urban. But it was all for naught. The theatre had less than three years of life left; it was soon demolished after Anya (1965 [see entry]) closed.

THE HOLLOW CROWN “A ROYAL REVUE” Theatre: Henry Miller’s Theatre Opening Date: January 29, 1963 Closing Date: March 9, 1963 Performances: 46 Devised by John Barton Direction: John Barton; Producers: Bonard Productions (Helen G. Bonfils, Haila Stoddard, and Donald R. Seawell) by arrangement with the Governors of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon; Musical Direction: Brian Priestman Cast: Max Adrian, John Barton, Paul Hardwick, Dorothy Tutin, Richard Golding (Bass), John Lawrenson (Baritone), Stephen Manton (Tenor), James Walker (Piano and Harpsichord) The revue was presented in two acts.

Readings and Songs Act One: Kings According to Legend and the Chroniclers: Prologue—“The Hollow Crown” (William Shakespeare, Richard II) (Max Adrian); “The Death of Kings” (from Stow and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles): William I, William II, Henry I, and Stephen (John Barton); “An Anonymous Ballad Concerning Henry II and Queen Elinor” (Max Adrian); “16th- and 17th-Century Chroniclers” (Holinshed, Hall, Baker, and Churchill) on Henry II, Richard I, John I, Henry III, Edward I, and Edward II (Paul Hardwick); “Ballade” (by Richard I) (John Lawrenson); “Richard II Surrenders at Flint Castle to Henry IV (at that time the Duke of Lancaster” (from Froissart’s Chronicles, Lord Berners) (John Barton); “A Partial, Prejudiced and Ignorant Historian” (by Jane Austen, at age fifteen) on Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I (Dorothy Tutin); “Henry V” (Agincourt Song) (Stephen Manton, John Lawrenson, Richard Golding); The Monarchs Speak for Them-

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selves: “Diplomacy” (Henry VII) (Max Adrian, John Barton); “The Queen’s Command” (music by Orlando Gibbons) (James Walker on the harpsichord); “A Speech” (Mary I) (Dorothy Tutin); “The King’s Hunt” (Henry VIII) (Stephen Manton, John Lawrenson, Richard Golding); “Letter” (Henry VIII) (Paul Hardwick); “Letter” (Anne Boleyn) (Dorothy Tutin); “Kingdoms Are But Cares” (poem by Henry VI) (John Barton); “As the Holly Groweth Green” (poem by Henry VIII) (Paul Hardwick); An untitled poem by Elizabeth I (Dorothy Tutin); “I Pass All My Hours in a Shady Old Grove” (poem by Charles II) (Max Adrian); “Here’s a Health unto His Majesty” (Charles II) (Stephen Manton, John Lawrenson, Richard Golding) Act Two: The Stuarts: “A Reel” (by James I) (James Walker); “Counterblast to Tobacco” (James I) (Max Adrian); A Confrontation (Charles I) (Paul Hardwick, John Barton); “Ayre” (Charles I) (Stephen Manton); Two Speeches (Charles II) (Max Adrian, John Barton); The Vicar of Bray Upholds the Protestant Succession (Charles II, James II, William and Mary, Anne, George I) (Richard Golding, John Lawrenson, Stephen Manton); The Illustrious House of Hanover: “The Death of George II’s Wife” (Lord Hervey) (Paul Hardwick); Burial of George II (Horace Walpole) (Max Adrian); Discussion of Arts with Fanny Burney (George III) (Dorothy Tutin); Eulogy on George III and the House of Hanover (performer[s] unknown); “The Madness of George III” (Marianne Thornton to E.  M. Forster) (Dorothy Tutin); “The Greville Memoirs” (regarding William IV) (Paul Hardwick); The Victorian Age—“A Ballad for an Absent Friend” (music by Albert, Prince Consort, and lyric by his brother Ernest) (Richard Golding, John Lawrenson); Description of Her Coronation (by Victoria; from her private journal) (Dorothy Tutin); “Variations on ‘God Save the King’” (Beethoven) (James Walker); Epilogue (from Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory) (Max Adrian, Paul Hardwick, John Barton) The Hollow Crown was an evening of readings, a “Royal Revue” that depicted British royalty from William the Conqueror (1066–1087) to Queen Victoria (1837–1901). The revue used excerpts from chronicles, letters, memoirs, diaries, speeches, poems, and plays to tell the stories of the “hollow crown” of British monarchy. These writings were sometimes by Shakespeare, Austen, and Malory, but more often were in the words of the monarchs themselves. Although not a musical, the revue also offered occasional period music, such as ballades and reels. The evening consisted of four performers (Max Adrian, John Barton, Paul Hardwick, and Dorothy Tutin) dressed in formal clothing in an elegant living-room setting who delivered the writings by and about the kings and queens of England. The quartet were supported by three singers (Richard Golding, John Lawrenson, and Stephen Manton), who were accompanied by a pianist and harpsichordist (James Walker). Brian Priestman was the musical director. The work was devised and directed by cast member John Barton, who first introduced the revue in London, when it was presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company on June 12, 1961, at the Aldwych Theatre. The British production featured Peggy Ashcroft (who was succeeded by Dorothy Tutin), Max Adrian, Richard Johnson, and Barton. The revue received rave notices in New York, but as John McClain in the New York Journal-American noted, the evening was clearly “caviar,” and Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror warned that “if you are seeking easy escapism, The Hollow Crown may not be for you.” Clearly, the work was not for the tired businessman, but for those seeking an unusual evening of theatre, the revue was “an ingratiating entertainment of immense theatrical flair” (Howard Taubman in the New York Times), a “remarkable production” with “a strange, subtle yet compelling magic” (John Chapman in the New York Daily News), and “a delightfully civilized evening in the theatre” (Richard Watts in the New York Post). One sequence several reviewers singled out was Max Adrian’s James I, who strikes out against the “precious stink” of tobacco (Taubman noted the diatribe “has the contemporary touch of an anti-cigarette campaign”). Some of the evening’s best notices went to Dorothy Tutin, who was here making her New York debut. Taubman praised her, saying he was “convinced” she was “one of the finest young players on the Englishspeaking stage today.” There was hope she would return to Broadway in a play, but sadly she never did. Her only other New York appearance was in an evening similar to The Hollow Crown, when in 1968 she returned to the Henry Miller’s stage in Portrait of a Queen, a two-character piece that she had previously performed in London in 1965. Tutin played Queen Victoria, and Dennis King was Disraeli. The Hollow Crown made an impressive return visit to the United States in 1973, and was part of the Kennedy Center’s month-long Shakespeare tribute when it played in Washington, D.C., in September of that year. Besides Peggy Ashcroft from the original London production and Paul Hardwick from the first American visit,

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the revival included Michael Redgrave and Roy Dotrice. They were joined by Martin Best, who performed the songs, accompanied by his guitar and lute. John Barton again directed.

BRIGADOON Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: January 30, 1963 Closing Date: February 10, 1963 Performances: 16 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Frederick Loewe Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director; Julius Rudel, Musical Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (“assisted by” James Jamieson); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Peter Palmer (Tommy Albright), Russell Nype (Jeff Douglas), William Kennedy (Sandy Dean), Ann Fraser (Meg Brockie), John Carver (Archie Beacon), Edward Villella (Harry Beaton), Frank Milan (Andrew MacLaren), Virginia Bosler (Jean MacLaren), Sally Ann Howes (Fiona MacLaren), Daniel Hannafin (Angus McGuffie), Harry David Snow (Charlie Dalrymple), Jenny Workman (Maggie Anderson), Frank Andre (Sword Dancer), Ben Gillespie (Sword Dancer), Loren Hightower (Sword Dancer), Art Hutchinson (Sword Dancer), Vernon Lusby (Sword Dancer), Charles McGraw (Sword Dancer), Paul Olson (Sword Dancer), John C. Becher (Mr. Lundie), Maurice Eisenstadt (Bagpiper), Felice Orlandi (Frank), Kelly Stevens (Jane Ashton); Singers: Peggy Gaston, Helen Guile, Betsy Hepburn, Marilyne Mason, Hanna Owen, Julie Sargent, Betty Jane Schwering, Jamie Thomas, Lynn Wendell, Robert Carle, Jerry Crawford, Harris W. Davis, James Fels, Marvin Goodis, William Kennedy, Robert Lenn, Herbert Surface, Ralph Vucci; Dancers: Virginia Allen, Lucia Lambert, Loi Leabo, Diana Lee Nelson, Mavis Ray, Dorothy Scott, Evelyn Taylor, Mona Jo Tritsch, Esther Villavicencio, Toodie Wittmer, Frank Andre, Robert Charles Bishop, Dennis Cole, Ben Gillespie, Jose Gutierrez, Loren Hightower, Art Hutchinson, Vernon Lusby, Charles McGraw, Paul Olson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Brigadoon (a village in the Scottish Highlands) and in New York City during May of last year.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Once in the Highlands” (Chorus); “Brigadoon” (Chorus); “Down on MacConnachy Square” (William Kennedy, Ann Fraser, Townsfolk); “Waitin’ for My Dearie” (Sally Ann Howes, Girls); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” (Harry David Snow, Townsfolk); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” Dance (Jenny Workman, Edward Villella, Fishmongers, Dancers); “The Heather on the Hill” (Sally Ann Howes, Peter Palmer); “The Love of My Life” (Ann Fraser); “Jeannie’s Packin’ Up” (Girls); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” (Harry David Snow); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” Dance (Virginia Bosler, Dancers); “Almost Like Being in Love” (Peter Palmer, Sally Ann Howes); “The Wedding Dance” (Virginia Bosler, Harry David Snow, Dancers); “Sword Dance” (Edward Villella, Frank Andre, Ben Gillespie, Loren Hightower, Art Hutchinson, Vernon Lusby, Charles McGraw, Paul Olson, Dancers) Act Two: “The Chase” (Men of Brigadoon); “There but for You Go I” (Peter Palmer); “My Mother’s Wedding Day” (Ann Fraser, Townsfolk); “Funeral Dance” (Jenny Workman); “From This Day On” (Peter Palmer, Sally Ann Howes); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” (reprise) (Sally Ann Howes); “The Heather on the Hill” (reprise) (Sally Ann Howes); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” (reprise) (Harry David Snow); “From This Day On” (Peter Palmer, Sally Ann Howes); “Down on MacConnachy Square” (reprise) (Townsfolk); Finale (Company) The 1963 revival of Brigadoon marked the musical’s fourth of six City Center visits (for more information about the musical and its ten New York revivals, see entry for the 1962 City Center production).

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Peter Palmer, Sally Ann Howes, and Edward Villella had appeared in the 1962 revival, and reprised their roles for the current one (Peters and Villella also appeared in City Center’s 1964 revival, and Howes and Villella appeared in a 1967 television adaptation). Russell Nype appeared as Jeff Douglas. Howard Taubman in the New York Times praised the “taste and style” of the production, noting John Fearnley’s direction was lively and bright, and Julius Rudel’s conducting “showed a musician’s regard for a score worthy of respect.” Taubman hailed Villella’s “bravura” showmanship, and felt Palmer and Howes made an “attractive” leading couple. He also liked Nype’s crisp way with a line. As for Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s score, it held up “impressively” and remained “singularly untarnished” in the sixteen years since he had seen the original Broadway production.

WONDERFUL TOWN Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: February 13, 1963; February 24, 1963 Performances: 16 Book: Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music: Leonard Bernstein Based on the 1938 collection of short stories My Sister Eileen by Ruth McKenney and the 1940 play My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov. Direction: Gus Schirmer Jr.; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director; Julius Rudel, Musical Director): Choreography: Ralph Beaumont; Scenery: Raoul Pène du Bois; Costumes: Ruth Morley; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel Cast: Warren Galjour (Guide, Associate Editor, Policeman), Phil Leeds (Appopolous), Walter Kelvin (Lonigan), Pat Turner (Helen), Stewart Rose (Wreck), Betty Hyatt Linton (Violet), Ted Beniades (Valenti), Jacquelyn McKeever (Eileen), Kaye Ballard (Ruth), Eric Barnes (A Strange Man, Drunk), Stephen Elmore (Drunk, Shore Patrolman), Robert Kaye (Robert Baker), Reid Shelton (Associate Editor, Policeman, Ruth’s Escort), Paula Trueman (Mrs. Wade), Jim Kirkwood (Frank Lippencott), Taylor Reed (Chef), Vito Durante (Waiter), Will MacKenzie (Delivery Boy), Gabriel Dell (Chick Clark), Dom Salinaro (First Cadet), Jose Ahumada (Second Cadet); Greenwich Villagers: Singers—Darrell Jay Askey, Eric Barnes, James E. Carville, Norma Donaldson, Stephen Elmore, Lynne Ephron, Maria Graziano, Ginger L. McFadden, Will MacKenzie, Larry Mitchell, Judy Rawlings, Taylor Reed, Will Roy, Patricia Sigris, Elise Warner; Dancers—Jose Ahumada, Guy Allen, Gerard Brentte, Vito Durante, Mercedes Ellington, Shellie Farrell, Barbara Heath, Sally Kirk, Svetlana McLee, Eleanor Rogers, Nanette Rosen, Dom Salinaro, Marc Scott, Mark Taylor, Pat Trott, Aura Vainlo, Doug Weese, James E. M. Weiss The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Greenwich Village during the 1930s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Christopher Street” (Warren Galjour, Tourists, Villagers); “Ohio” (Kaye Ballard, Jacquelyn McKeever); “Conquering New York” (dance) (Kaye Ballard, Jacquelyn McKeever, Villagers); “One Hundred Easy Ways” (Kaye Ballard); “What a Waste” (Robert Kaye, Reid Shelton, Warren Galjour); “Story Vignettes” (by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) (spoken sequence with musical underscoring) (Larry Mitchell [Rexford], Taylor Reed [Mr. Mallory], Will Roy [Danny], Eric Barnes [Trent], Kaye Ballard); “A Little Bit in Love” (aka “Never Felt This Way Before”) (Jacquelyn McKeever); “Pass the Football” (Stewart Rose, Villagers); “Conversation Piece” (aka “Nice People, Nice Talk”) (Kaye Ballard, Jacquelyn McKeever, Jim Kirkwood, Robert Kaye, Gabriel Dell); “A Quiet Girl” (Robert Kaye); “Conga!” (Kaye Ballard, Cadets) Act Two: “My Darlin’ Eileen” (Jacquelyn McKeever, Police); “Swing!” (Kaye Ballard, Villagers); “Ohio” (reprise) (Kaye Ballard, Jacquelyn McKeever); “It’s Love” (Robert Kaye, Villagers); “Village Vortex Blues” (dance) (aka “Ballet at the Village Vortex”) (Villagers); “Wrong Note Rag” (Kaye Ballard, Jacquelyn McKeever, Villagers); “It’s Love” (reprise) (Company)

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Wonderful Town was based on My Sister Eileen, a series of short stories by Ruth McKenney that had originally appeared in the New Yorker and was later published in book format in 1938. In 1940, the stories were adapted by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov into the Broadway comedy My Sister Eileen, which ran for 864 performances (Shirley Booth was Ruth, Jo Ann Sayers was Eileen). (Four days before opening night, the real-life Eileen and her husband writer Nathanael West were killed in an automobile accident.) The short stories, the play, and subsequent adaptations of the material told of the frothy big-city adventures of two small-town sisters, Ruth and Eileen Sherwood, and all neatly managed to avoid the fact that the real-life Ruth was a Communist who, in Marion Meade’s fascinating Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010), stated she wanted “to smash up things” (and this from the wacky gal who tells us she was just “re-reading Moby Dick the other day . . . it’s about this whale”). As for Eileen, she was apparently a “mild” Communist who never actually joined the party. The film version of the play was released in 1942 (with Rosalind Russell and Janet Blair), and on February 25, 1953, Wonderful Town opened at the Winter Garden Theatre for a run of 559 performances (Russell reprised her film role of Ruth, and Edith [later Edie] Adams was Eileen). In 1958, a faithful television adaptation of the musical was seen on CBS (with Russell and Jacquelyn McKeever), and in 1960 the stories were adapted for a CBS television series (with Elaine Stritch and Shirley Bonne), which lasted for one season. The musical has been revived in New York five times, three times by City Center. The first City Center revival opened on March 5, 1958, for fifteen performances (with Nancy Walker and Jo Sullivan). After the current 1963 revival, the work was seen once more at City Center in a 1967 production with Elaine Stritch and Linda Bennett (see entry). The musical’s fourth New York revival occurred on 1994 for fourteen performances in a production by the New York City Opera at the New York State Theatre (Kay McClelland and Crista Moore were the leads), and on November 23, 2003, the musical was revived on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre for 497 performances (with Donna Murphy and Jennifer Westfeldt). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1953 and in 1997 was included in the collection The New York Musicals of Comden and Green (Applause Books). There have been a number of recordings of the bright score. The original Broadway cast album was released by Decca Records (LP # DL-7/9010; the CD was issued by Decca Broadway Records # 440-014-602-2). The 1958 television soundtrack album was released by Columbia (LP # OL-5360 and # OS-2008), and the CD was issued by Sony Broadway Records (# SK-48021). The 2003 revival was recorded by DRG Records # DRG-12999, and included bonus tracks of Betty Comden and Adolph Green performing “Ohio,” “It’s Love,” “A Quiet Girl,” and “Wrong Note Rag.” When Brooke Shields and Jennifer Hope Wills replaced Donna Murphy and Jennifer Westfeldt, the 2003 recording was reissued with their tracks (DRG Records CD # DRG-94776). Seven songs were recorded by the cast of the original London production, which opened on February 23, 1955, at the Prince’s Theatre for 205 performances (Pat Kirkwood and Shani Wallis were the leads), and these tracks can be heard in the collection Americans in London (Encore’s Box Office Production Records CD # ENBO-CD-2/91). The cast album of the 1986 revival at the Queens Theatre (with Maureen Lipton and Emily Morgan) was released by First Night Records (CD # OCRCD-6011). A 1998 studio cast recording (with Karen Mason and Rebecca Luker) was issued on a two-CD set by Jay Records (# CDJAY2-1281), and is the most complete rendering of the score (the set includes the “Conquering New York” dance, the entr’acte and exit music). Another studio recording was released in 1999 (with Kim Criswell and Audra McDonald, and conducted by Simon Rattle) by EMI Records (CD # 7243-5-56753-2-3). A concert version of this recording (recorded live at the Philharmonie in Berlin on December 30 and 31, 2002), was released on DVD (EuroArts # 2052298). There is also a cast album of a 1961 Los Angeles production (Location Records LP # 1261-368). Incidentally, another musical version of the material is Columbia’s 1955 film My Sister Eileen (released on CD by Columbia Pictures # 07327). The lyrics are by Leo Robin, the music by Jule Styne, and Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh are the leads (featured prominently in the cast are Bob Fosse and Jack Lemmon). As for the current City Center revival, Kaye Ballard and Jacquelyn McKeever were the leads, the latter reprising her role from the 1958 television version. Howard Taubman in the New York Times confessed he went to the revival “out of a sense of duty,” but “remained to have a fine time.” He found the “cheerfully rowdy” musical “as hale and bouncy as it was when new,” and he praised the “talented” Ballard and the “pretty” McKeever.

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Just a few weeks before the original production of Wonderful Town went into rehearsal, the show’s lyricist Arnold B. Horwitt and composer Leroy Anderson left the musical due to artistic differences with Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and the producers. Leonard Bernstein (who had collaborated in 1944 for On the Town [the lyric of “New York, New York,” that musical’s most famous song, had praised New York as a “wonderful town”]) re-teamed and wrote a new score within a few weeks. Joseph Fields and Jerome Chordorov wrote the book for the “new” Wonderful Town. It would be fascinating to hear Horwitt and Anderson’s score and compare their songs to the ones written by Comden, Green, and Bernstein. As unrecorded scores go, the Horwitt-Anderson Wonderful Town must surely be at or near the top of anyone’s wish list. But the score is reportedly lost (although such an assertion seems questionable), and one can only hope the “lost” songs will someday surface.

OKLAHOMA! Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: February 27, 1963 Closing Date: March 10, 1963 Performances: 15 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director; Julius Rudel, Musical Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (“assisted by” Gemze de Lappe); Scenery: Lemuel Ayers; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Betty Garde (Aunt Eller), Peter Palmer (Curly), Louise O’Brien (Laurey), Richard France (Will Parker), Daniel P. Hannafin (Jud Fry), Ann Fraser (Ado Annie Carnes), Gabriel Dell (Ali Hakim), Marilyne Mason (Gertie Cummings), Gemze de Lappe (Sylvie), William Tierney (Andrew Carnes), John Carver (Cord Elam); Dancers: Mavis Ray Booth, Virginia Bosler, Lucia Lambert, Loi Leabo, Beatrice Lismore, Sybil Scotford, Dorothy W. Scott, Evelyn Taylor, Esther Villavicentio, Toodie Wittmer, Frank Andre, Paul Berne, Dennis Cole, Ben Gillespie, Loren Hightower, Vernon Lusby, Richard Lyle, Charles McGraw; Singers: Penny Gaston, Helen Guile, Betsy Hepburn, Marilyne Mason, Hanna Owen, Julie Sargant, Betty Jane Schwering, Jamie Thomas, Lynn Wendell, Robert Carle, Jerry Crawford, Harris W. Davis, James Fels, Marvin Goodis, William Kennedy, Robert Lenn, Herbert Surface, Ralph Vucci The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) just after the turn of the twentieth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” (Peter Palmer); “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” (Peter Palmer, Louise O’Brien, Betty Garde); “Kansas City” (Richard France, Betty Garde, Boys); “I Cain’t Say No” (Ann Fraser); “Many a New Day” (Louise O’Brien, Girls; also danced by Evelyn Taylor [The Girl Who Falls Down]); “It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!” (Gabriel Dell, Boys, Girls); “People Will Say We’re in Love” (Peter Palmer, Louise O’Brien); “Pore Jud” (Peter Palmer, Daniel P. Hannafin); “Lonely Room” (Daniel P. Hannifin); “Out of My Dreams” (Louise O’Brien, Girls); “Laurey Makes Up Her Mind” (Ballet) (Dancers: Gemze de Lappe [Dream Laurey], Kelly Brown [Dream Curley], George Church [Dream Jud], Judy Thelen [The Child]; Jud’s Post Cards: Mavis Ray Booth, Lucia Lambert, Esther Villavicencio; Laurey’s Friends: Virginia Bosler, Loi Leabo, Dorothy Scott, Mona Tritsch, Toodie Wittmer; Cowboys: Frank Andrea, Paul Berne, Dennis Cole, Ben Gillespie, Loren Hightower, Vernon Lusby, Richard Lyle, Charles McGraw; Other Post Cards: Evelyn Taylor, Sybil Scotford) Act Two: “The Farmer and the Cowman” (William Tierney, Betty Garde, Peter Palmer, Richard France, Ann Fraser, Ensemble); “All er Nothin’” (Ann Fraser, Richard France; danced by Evelyn Taylor and Virginia

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Bosler); “People Will Say We’re in Love” (reprise) (Peter Palmer, Louise O’Brien); “Oklahoma” (Peter Palmer, Louise O’Brien, Betty Garde, Ensemble); “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” (reprise) (Louise O’Brien, Peter Palmer, Ensemble); Finale (Ensemble) Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Oklahoma! first opened at the St. James Theatre on March 30, 1943, for a then record-breaking run of 2,212 performances. The original cast members included Alfred Drake (Curly), Joan Roberts (Laurey), Celeste Holm (Ado Annie), Howard Da Silva (Jud Fry), Betty Garde (Aunt Eller), Lee Dixon (Will Parker), and Joseph Buloff (Ali Hakim). As of this writing, the musical has returned to New York nine times. A return engagement by the musical’s national touring company opened on May 29, 1951, at the Broadway Theatre for seventy-two performances. Among the cast members were Ridge Bond (Curly) and Patricia Northrop (Laurey). The next production (the first of five that were produced by the New York City Center Light Opera Company) opened on August 31, 1953, for forty performances; Ridge Bond was again Curly, Florence Henderson was Laurey, and Barbara Cook was Ado Annie. The third revival (City Center’s second production of the musical) opened at City Center on March 19, 1958, for fifteen performances. Herbert Banke was Curly, Lois O’Brien, Laurey, and Helen Gallagher, Ado Annie. Gene Nelson, who played the role of Will Parker in the 1955 film version, reprised the role for City Center, as did Betty Garde, who created the role of Aunt Eller in the original Broadway production. After the current February 1963 production (which played for fifteen performances), the musical returned to City Center for fifteen more performances later in the spring (see entry for the return engagement). The sixth New York revival (and the fifth and final City Center production of the musical) opened on December 15, 1965, for twenty-four performances (see entry); the cast included John Davidson (Curly), Susan Watson (Laurey), Karen Morrow (Ado Annie), Ruth Kobart (Aunt Eller), Jules Munshin (Ali Hakim), and Sammy Smith (Andrew Carnes). The musical was next produced on June 23, 1969, at the New York State Theatre in a Music Theatre of Lincoln Center revival which played for eighty-eight performances (see entry); the cast included Bruce Yarnell (Curly), Lee Beery (Laurey), Lee Roy Reams (Will Parker), Spiro Malas (Jud Fry), and Margaret Hamilton (Aunt Eller). The splendid 1979 revival, welcome for its slightly dark and brooding interpretation, opened on December 13 at the Palace Theatre for 301 performances; the cast members included Laurence Guittard (Curly), Christine Andreas (Laurey), Mary Wickes (Aunt Eller), Christine Ebersole (Ado Annie), Harry Groener (Will Parker), Bruce Adler (Ali Hakim), and an especially notable Martin Vidnovic (as Jud Fry). The most recent Broadway revival (based on the 1998 London production) opened on March 21, 2002, at the Gershwin Theatre for 388 performances; Patrick Wilson was Curly, and Josefina Gabrielle was Laurey. The script of Oklahoma! was published in hardback by Random House in 1943 (it was also included in Random House’s Six Plays by Rodgers and Hammerstein, a hardback edition that first appeared in 1959); in 2010, the script was published in softcover by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. Max Wilk’s Ok! The Story of “Oklahoma!” was published in hardback by Grove Press in 1993 (republished in softcover by Applause Books in 2002). There are numerous recordings of the score, but probably the most essential one is still the first, the 1943 Broadway cast album released by Decca Records (LP # DL-8000; most recently issued on CD by MCA Classics Records # MCAD-10798, which includes an alternate take and complete version of “Pore Jud Is Daid”). As a runner-up, the recording of the 1979 production is also highly recommended (RCA Victor Records LP # CBL1-3572). The musical was first produced in London at the Drury Lane on April 29, 1947, for 1,548 performances (Howard Keel was Curly, Betty Jane Watson, Laurey). The most recent London production opened on July 15, 1998, at the Royal National Theatre, with a cast that included Hugh Jackman and Josefina Gabrielle (who reprised her role for the 2002 New York production). A television version of this production was released on DVD by Image Entertainment (# ID105570OKDVD). The film version was released in 1955, first by Magda Theatre Corporation as a presentation by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and then by Twentieth Century Fox. The film is notable for its traditional (Gordon MacRae [Curly] and Shirley Jones [Laurey]) and offbeat (Rod Steiger [Jud Fry] and Gloria Grahame [Ado Annie]) casting. Oklahoma! was photographed twice, in CinemaScope and in Todd-AO (although Car-

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ousel was photographed in both regular CinemaScope and in a special process called CinemaScope 55, the scenes didn’t have to be filmed twice because technology at the time permitted both formats to be filmed simultaneously), and a recent two-DVD set (released by Twentieth Century Fox # 0-24543-20843-3) includes both versions of the film. A Japanese production by the Takarazuka company was also released on DVD (Takarazuka Creative Arts Co. Ltd. # TCAD-149). City Center’s 1963 production was the company’s third revival of the work; the cast included Peter Palmer (Curley), Louise O’Brien (Laurey), and Betty Garde (Aunt Eller), here reprising her original role from the 1943 production. Howard Taubman in the New York Times apologized for reviewing a preview performance, but noted it was “pleasant” to see a production in the “relaxed” atmosphere of a preview (he said City Center’s official opening nights were “neither posh nor edgy” like the ones on Broadway, but they nonetheless had their own “tensions and pretentions”). As for the musical, he mentioned the book was still “too sugary for comfort” and seemed “ostentatiously cornfed.” But all was forgiven once the “cornucopia” of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s songs took over, and he noted that every song in the score was a standard (he mentioned three exceptions, “It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!,” “Lonely Room,” and “The Farmer and the Cowman”). Taubman praised the “personable and lively” company, Agnes de Mille’s choreography, and Julius Rudel’s conducting. He felt Rudel and the “particularly engaging” orchestra could teach “Broadway’s pit maestros” a few lessons on how to eliminate the “routine cannonading” from Broadway orchestras.

JACK BENNY Theatre: Ziegfeld Theatre Opening Date: February 27, 1963 Closing Date: April 6, 1963 Performances: 50 Direction: Musical Numbers for Jane Morgan “coordinated by” Robert Allen; Producers: Theatre Guild Productions, Inc., and Irving A. Fein; Scenery: “scenic design” by Sam Leve; Costumes: Jane Morgan’s clothes designed by Maj Hagman; Lighting: Sam Leve; Musical Direction: Mahlon Merrick Cast: Jack Benny, Jane Morgan, Clara Ward and the Ward Singers, Toni Marcus, The Half Brothers (Roberto and Al Halfss), The Waukegan Hillbillies The revue was presented in two acts.

Comic Routines and Musical Numbers Act One: Overture; The Half Brothers; A Few Minutes with Jack Benny; A Few Songs by Jane Morgan; Jack and Jane; Clara Ward and the Ward Singers Act Two: Mr. Benny Again; Miss Morgan Again; Buck (Jack) Benny and the Waukegan Hillbillies, with Toni Marcus; Jack and Toni; Jack Benny Jack Benny was justly famous in his time, but unfortunately he seems to have faded from public consciousness. He began his career in vaudeville, appeared on the stage and in films, but his true métier was radio, and later television, in which he created his show business persona. Part of his shtick was that of being a tightwad (when accosted by a robber who demands his money or his life, Jack replies, “I’m thinking, I’m thinking”). He also insisted he was always thirty-nine years old, and made much ado about his genius with the violin. More than anything, he was a master of the dead-pan and the slow take as he folded his arms and dealt with whatever annoyances life threw at him. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Jack, along with Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, George and Gracie Allen, and Milton Berle, defined television comedy. Benny’s engagement at the Ziegfeld marked his first Broadway appearance in thirty-three years. His first outing was in the 1926 revue The Great Temptations, which was followed by the 1930 revue Earl Carroll Vanities. In 1934, he appeared in George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind’s farce Bring on the Girls, which closed during its tryout (it included one song, “Down on the Old-Time Farm,” lyric by Ryskind and music by Arthur Schwartz).

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Benny’s most famous movie is The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945), not because it was a hit but because throughout the years he joked about its being so bad it almost ruined his career. Actually, the surreal fantasy is rather amusing and it sports some delightful scenic designs. As himself, Benny appeared in a cameo role in the 1962 film version of Gypsy. Benny was the Ziegfeld Theatre’s second of three essentially one-man entertainments which played during the 1962–1963 season. Benny followed Maurice Chevalier and preceded Danny Kaye. Besides Benny’s brand of stand-up comedy, the show included songs by Jane Morgan (including her hit “Fascination”), gospel numbers by Clara Ward and the Ward Singers (who were in the revue for part of its run), fourteen-year-old violinist Toni Marcus, the Waukegan Hillbillies, and the Half Brothers, a juggling act. The evening was in many respects similar to one of the era’s typical television variety shows. Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the evening was a “modest” entertainment with “occasional doldrums,” but its reward was “seeing a contemporary giant of comedy back on the stage.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune thought Shakespeare described Benny quite well (he waits “like patience on a monument, smiling at grief”), but felt the evening itself was “pretty routine” with the “impersonal nightclub glossiness” of Morgan, the “fright-wig lameness” of the Waukegan Hillbillies (who invite Jack “Buck” Benny to join them in a bit of fiddling), and the “matter-of-fact sameness” of Clara Ward’s gospel songs.

TOVARICH “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Broadway Theatre (during run, the musical first transferred to the Majestic Theatre and then to the Winter Garden Theatre) Opening Date: March 18, 1963 Closing Date: November 9, 1963 Performances: 264 Book: David Shaw Lyrics: Anne Croswell Music: Lee Pockriss Based on the 1936 play Tovarich by Robert Sherwood (which in turn was based on the 1933 play Tovarich by Jacques Deval). Direction: Peter Glenville; Producers: Abel Farbman and Sylvia Harris in association with Joseph Harris (Monty Shaff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Herbert Ross; Scenery: Rolf Gerard; Costumes: Motley; Lighting: John Harvey; Musical Direction: Stanley Lebowsky Cast: Alexander Scourby (Gorotchenko), Paul Michael (Vassily), Jean Pierre Aumont (Mikail), Michael Kermoyan (Admiral Boris Soukhomine), Gene Varrone (Count Ivan Shamforoff), Katia Geleznova (Baroness Roumel), Rita Metzger (Marina), Don McHenry (M. Chauffourier-Dubieff), Vivien Leigh (Tatiana), Louise Troy (Natalia Mayovskaya), Margery Gray (Helen Davis), Byron Mitchell (George Davis), George S. Irving (Charles Davis), Louise Kirtland (Grace Davis), Maggie Task (Louise), Tom Abbott (Ballet Master, Count Yuriev Neglinsky), Barbara Monte (Nadia, Katrina Volinin), Pat Kelly (Mme. Van Hemert), Eleonore Treiber (Mme. Van Steuben, Mme. Boruvsky), Harold Horn (Footman, Baron General Rasumov), Dale Malone (Night Club Singer, General Boruvsky), Bettye Jenkins (Kukla Katusha, Maria Soukhomine), William Reilly (Ivan, Colonel Yarov), Larry Roquemore (Sergei, Prince Ossipovsky), Elliott Savage (Footman), Michele Franchi (Baroness Rasumov), Antony De Vecchi (Prince Dobrynin), Marion Fels (Princess Dobrynin), Joan Trona (Lady Soukhomine), Will Parkins (Count Rostoff), Carol Flemming (Mme. Muratova), Lorenzo Bianco (Essaul of Cossacks Volinin), Charlene Mehl (Elena Volinin), Pat Kelly (Princess Mondovska), William Glassman (Igor Mondovska); Singers: Alice Evans, Pat Kelly, Rita Metzger, Maggie Task, Joan Trona, Del Horstmann, Barney Johnstone, Jeff Killion, Dale Malone, Elliott Savage; Dancers: Marion Fels, Carol Flemming, Michele Franchi, Katia Geleznova, Bettye Jenkins, Charlotte Mahl, Barbara Monte, Barbara Richman, Eleonore Treiber, Tom Abbott, Lorenzo Bianco, Antony De Vecchi, Harald Horn, William Glassman, Will Parkins, William Reilly, Larry Roquemore The musical was presented in two acts. The action in the prologue takes place in Russia; the subsequent scenes take place in Paris; the time is the late 1920s.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Nitchevo” (Jean Pierre Aumont, Michael Kermoyan, Gene Varrone, Rita Metzger, Singers, Dancers); “I Go to Bed” (Jean Pierre Aumont); “You’ll Make an Elegant Butler (I’ll Make an Elegant Maid)” (lyric by Joan Javits, music by Philip Springer) (Vivien Leigh); “Stuck with Each Other” (Margery Gray, Byron Mitchell); “Say You’ll Stay” (Louise Kirtland, George S. Irving); “You Love Me” (Vivien Leigh, Jean Pierre Aumont); “Introduction Tango” (Vivien Leigh, Margery Gray, Jean Pierre Aumont, Byron Mitchell); “That Face” (Louise Troy); “Wilkes-Barre, Pa.” (Vivien Leigh, Byron Mitchell); “No! No! No!” (Margery Gray, Jean Pierre Aumont); “A Small Cartel” (Louise Kirtland, Byron Mitchell, Singers) Act Two: “It Used to Be” (Michael Kermoyan, Gene Varrone, Louise Troy, Paul Michael); “Kukla Katusha” (dance; Dancing Ensemble); “Make a Friend” (Vivien Leigh, Margery Gray, Louise Troy, Jean Pierre Aumont, Byron Mitchell, Michael Kermoyan, Gene Varrone, Larry Roquemore, William Reilly); “The Only One” (Vivien Leigh); “Uh-Oh!” (Margery Gray, Byron Mitchell); “Managed” (Jean Pierre Aumont); “I Know the Feeling” (Vivien Leigh); “All for You” (Vivien Leigh, Jean Pierre Aumont); “Grande Polonaise” (Margery Gray, Louise Kirtland, Byron Mitchell, George S. Irving, Dancers) Based on Robert Sherwood’s 1936 stage success (which he adapted from Jacques Deval’s 1933 Paris hit, which played for over two years), Tovarich (meaning “comrade”) was a comedy about two White Russian émigrés, the Grand Duchess Tatiana and her consort Prince Mikal (Vivien Leigh and Jean-Pierre Aumont in the musical), who keep their identities secret while they work as maid and butler for a family of wealthy Americans living in Paris in the 1920s (George S. Irving and Louise Kirtland were the parents, Byron Mitchell and Margery Gray their teen-aged children). To complicate matters, they have a small fortune that belonged to the czar that they plan to return to the royal coffers once the Communists are out of power. Marta Abba and John Halliday performed the roles in the 1936 New York version, and an earlier London production featured Eugenie Leontovich and Cedric Hardwick; the 1937 film version starred Claudette Colbert and Charles Boyer. With its operetta-like trappings of royal intrigue taking place in a foreign capital, a musical version of Tovarich seemed a natural for Robert Wright and George Forrest in their dead-composers mode. Perhaps they could have adapted themes by Rachmaninoff for the musical’s score. But wait. Two seasons after Tovarich’s premiere, they (almost) did just that with Anya, their operetta-like adaptation of the play Anastasia. Like Tovarich, Anya was based on a French play that dealt with white Russian royalty (and perhaps pseudo-royalty) living in a European capital during the 1920s and the various underhanded attempts by some to get their hands on the czar’s fortune. And all this was set to themes borrowed from Rachmaninoff. The score for Tovarich was by Anne Croswell (lyrics) and Lee Pockriss (music), who had contributed delightful songs for the 1960 Off-Broadway musical Ernest in Love. While their Tovarich score didn’t make much of an impression with the public (there were no hit songs, and virtually nothing in the score received any kind of air play), it was a pleasant set of songs that over the decades has grown more and more charming, including “I Go to Bed,” “A Small Cartel,” “Wilkes-Barre, PA.,” and “Uh-Oh!” Along with Mr. President, Tovarich was the “event” musical of the season. But this time around it wasn’t the return of a famous songwriter that caused the excitement. It was the show’s star who made the news. For here was screen legend Vivien Leigh in her one and only Broadway musical. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune hailed her as “incontestably one of the crown jewels,” and John McClain in the New York Journal-American wrote she was “probably the most graceful, stylish, elegant, bewitching and generally attractive lady in the theatre today.” And the valentines just kept on coming. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said she was “incredibly beautiful, incredibly graceful and incredibly charming,” and Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted she was “beautiful” and “gifted,” and made the “transition to musical comedy with the greatest of ease.” That she couldn’t sing all that well didn’t matter (Kerr noted her singing was “something on the order of Marlene Dietrich with a head cold,” and McClain wrote that her “persuasive and entirely untrained voice [is] resonant and somewhat like Marlene Dietrich’s”) because her charm, beauty, acting, and game dancing more than made up for what she lacked as a singer. For her efforts, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. The critics generally liked the score, singling out “Uh-Oh!,” “All for You,” “It Used to Be,” “A Small Cartel,” and “Wilkes Barre, Pa.,” and Herbert Ross’s choreography was praised for its Russian-inspired dances as well as a tango for Leigh, and, later in the evening, a spirited Charleston for her and Mitchell. Jean-Pierre

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Aumont’s charming and deft performance was singled out, as was Alexander Scourby’s Russian commissar, who, upon his entrance, received appropriate hisses from the audience. During the tryout, “The Highness and Her Husband” was deleted, and Taina Elg and John Emery were replaced by Louise Troy and Roger DeKoven. Further, director Delbert Mann was replaced by Peter Glenville. When the musical opened in New York, “You’ll Make an Elegant Butler (I’ll Make an Elegant Maid)” was added to the score; it wasn’t by Croswell and Pockriss but by Joan Javits (lyric) and Philip Springer (music). The number was eventually dropped during the New York run, while another song (“I Refuse,” for Leigh, and written by Croswell and Pockriss) was added. The cast album was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # S/TAO-1940; later issued on CD, first by Broadway Angel Records # 19025 and then by DRG Records # ZDM-0777-7-64893-2-2). The cast album omitted five numbers heard on opening night; besides “You’ll Make an Elegant Butler” (which as mentioned above was dropped during the run), four musical sequences which remained in the musical for the entire run weren’t included on the album (“Introduction Tango,” “Kukla Katusha,” “Managed,” and “Grand Polonaise”). And “I Refuse,” which was interpolated during the run, also went unrecorded. However, live performance tapes were made of “You’ll Make an Elegant Butler,” “Kukla Katusha,” “Managed,” and “Grand Polonaise,” and these recordings have made the rounds of show-tune collectors. Croswell and Pockriss also recorded three songs that were written for, but not used in, the musical (“When Opportunity Knocks,” “Lullaby for a Princess,” and “Poor Little Coffee Pot”). In the conclusion of his review, Chapman noted that whoever got the idea of casting Leigh in a musical should get “a great big medal . . . and I hope she stays in Tovarich for several years.” Unfortunately, the musical lasted less than eight months, tallying up a disappointing 264 performances. Because of personal problems (including “nervous exhaustion”), Leigh didn’t complete the run, and on October 7, her role was assumed by her standby Joan Copeland. On October 21, Eva Gabor took over the role for the remaining weeks of the run (during the following summer, Aumont and Gabor toured with the musical in summer stock). During the Broadway run, the musical played at no less than three theatres, opening at the Broadway and then transferring to the Majestic and then finally to the Winter Garden.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Vivien Leigh); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Louise Troy)

DANNY KAYE Theatre: Ziegfeld Theatre Opening Date: April 10, 1963 Closing Date: May 11, 1963 Performances: 47 Producer: Uncredited; Costumes: Fashions for Female Members of the Johnny Mann Singers by Mr. Mort; Lighting: David Bines; Musical Direction: Johnny Mann Cast: Danny Kaye, Senor Wences, The Dunhills (Art Stanley, John Buwen, and Jerry Kurland), The Marquis Family (Chimps Marquis, Enoch, and Candy; Gene Detroy, Trainer), The Johnny Mann Singers (Gloria Gilbert, Pat Morling, Karen Wessler, Kelly Wood, Bill DeBell, John Guarnieri, David McDaniel, Tom Traynor, Dick Wessler, and Ted Wills); Sammy Prager (Piano), Sidney Kaye (Drums) The evening was presented in two acts. The Playbill didn’t list individual musical numbers. Act One: Overture; The Dunhills; The Marquis Family; Senor Wences Act Two: Danny Kaye (with The Johnny Mann Singers) Danny Kaye was a superstar in his time, but today his fame is rather hard to fathom. Perhaps he’s an acquired taste, or maybe you just had to be there. Today, his recordings and films don’t hold up well. He

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specialized in rapid-fire comedy songs, a genre that, like contortionist dancing, has aged poorly, and many of his films seem strained and unfunny. Two of his movies still have some currency, but not necessarily for his presence. Hans Christian Andersen (1952) is tolerable only for its melodic Frank Loesser score, and White Christmas (1954) remains a welcome holiday perennial, a pleasant 1950s rehash of the superior Holiday Inn (1942), upon which it is partially based. Kaye made his Broadway debut in 1939’s The Straw Hat Revue, and later appeared in three book musicals. He found stardom in a supporting role in the original 1941 production of Kurt Weill’s Lady in the Dark, bringing down the house with Ira Gershwin’s verbal pyrotechnics in “Tschiakowsky,” the song that opened the door for his soon-to-be trademark tongue-twisting routines. Later in the year, he starred in Cole Porter’s hit Let’s Face It!, which included two (non-Porter) tongue-twisting comedy songs (“A Fairy Tale” and “Melody in Four F”), but he didn’t return to a book musical until 1970, when he starred in Richard Rodgers’s mostly dismal Two by Two (at the performance I saw, Kaye seemed more animated during the curtain calls than in the preceding two acts). But Kaye must have had something. To my knowledge, he’s the only entertainer in show business who introduced songs by Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin, and Richard Rodgers. That’s impressive, no matter how you slice it. As for his show at the Ziegfeld, he received seven raves from the seven New York critics: “No one in possession of his senses would think of naming the great entertainers of the world without placing Danny Kaye high on the list” (Richard Watts in the New York Post); “How can you beat an act like Danny Kaye?” (Howard Taubman in the New York Times); “All he has to do is smile at you and he has you in his pocket” (John Chapman in the New York Daily News); “Kaye is priceless. A bountiful performer, he is the gift of the season” (Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun); “Kaye is truly a magnifico of the profession” (Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror); “Kaye was in excellent form” (John McClain in the New York Journal-American); and Kaye is “as captivating as ever and he remains the entertainer extraordinary” (Judith Crist in the New York Herald-Tribune). Kaye appeared in the second half of the bill, and was backed by the Johnny Mann Singers and Sammy Prager at the piano. The set began with the “Glory Hallelujah Twist” (we’re in the early 1960s, after all), and from there Kaye performed a number of routines, including an impersonation of Maurice Chevalier hawking cigarettes on a television commercial; a television commercial about Yoga; rapid-fire bits in Scottish (a Harry Lauder take-off), Japanese, Greek, Hawaiian, Indian, and American South dialects, including a Japanesedubbed version of Gunsmoke; some audience-participation (“Minnie the Moocher” [lyric and music by Cab Calloway, Clarence Gaskill, and Irving Mills]); a few show tunes (the above-mentioned “Tschaikowsky” as well as Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine” [from the 1935 musical Jubilee]); and, in what seems to be the evening’s most interesting sequence, a spoof of madrigals (“I Took My Love to See ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’”) which Taubman described as “chastely classic.” For the first act, the entertainment was supplied by The Dunhills, a three-man dancing group; The Marquis Family, a trio of chimpanzees and their trainer Gene Detroy; and Senor Wences, a ventriloquist and sometime juggler. Wences didn’t use wooden dummy dolls, but instead made his characters with his fist, hand muscles, fingers, and a few props. “Johnny” was his most famous creation, a sort of Latino version of Jerry Mahoney and Charlie McCarthy, and Johnny appeared in the revue along with Pedro (who lives in a box) and Cecilia Chicken, who seems to be an opera diva (a la Carnival’s Marguerite). Like Jack Benny’s Ziegfeld visit a few weeks earlier, the evening had the trappings of a glorified television variety show. Between his engagements in Let’s Face It in 1941 and his current 1963 show at the Ziegfeld, Kaye appeared in another “evening” on Broadway in Danny Kaye with His All-Star International Show at the RKO Palace Theatre. The revue opened on January 18, 1953, and played for 128 performances. Included in the cast were The Dunhills and The Marquis Family, both acts that appeared with Kaye in his current 1963 revue; also on the bill were Fran Warren (“Queen of Song”), The Peiro Brothers (“Our Good Neighbors from Argentina”), and Darvas and Julia (“Europe’s Foremost Dancing Stars”). In 1953, the legendary Palace was light years away from its heyday as the country’s premiere vaudeville theatre and was now primarily a movie theatre that only occasionally booked live entertainment. Besides Kaye, during the early 1950s the Palace hosted memorable engagements by Judy Garland and Betty Hutton; it wasn’t until 1966 that it returned to the legitimate fold with the premiere of Sweet Charity.

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SOPHIE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre Opening Date: April 15, 1963 Closing Date: April 20, 1963 Performances: 8 Book: Phillip Pruneau Lyrics and Music: Steve Allen Based on the life of Sophie Tucker (1886–1966). Direction: Jack Sydow; Producers: Len Bedsow and Hal Grossman in association with Michael Pollock and Max Fialkov; Choreography: Donald Saddler; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Fred Voelpel; Musical Direction: Liza Redfield Cast: Libi Staiger (Sophie Tucker), Douglas Clarke (Moe), Berta Gersten (Mama), Phil Leeds (William Morris), Diana Hunter (Theona, Stella), Urylee Leonardos (Mrs. Quive), Don Crabtree (Schmidt, Reporter), Nat Horne (Policeman), Ralph McWilliams (Policeman), Ted Thurston (Chris Brown, Julian Mitchell, Theatre Manager), John Drew (Stage Manager, Reporter), Bella Shalom (Girl), Janet Gaylord (Mother), Tim Harum (Acrobat), Patsi King (Sylvain Krouse), Jordan Bowers (Stagehand), Stuart Hodes (Juggler), Rosetta LeNoire (Mollie), David Thomas (Marcus Loew, Harry Emerson, Mr. Kilby, Metropole Manager), Eddie Roll (Mickey Muldoon), Art Lund (Frank Westphal), Maralyn Thoma (Queenie), Richard Hermany (Sandy, Reporter), Betty Colby (Nora Bayes), Michael Nestor (Ted); Ensemble: Jordan Bowers, Carol Carlin, Douglas Clarke, Betty Colby, John Drew, Louise Ferrand, Janet Gaylord, Ellen Graff, Tim Harum, Florence Hayle, Richard Hermany, Stuart Hodes, Nat Horne, Diana Hunter, Urylee Leonardos, Ralph McWilliams, Michael Nestor, Kelli Scott, Beti Seay, Bella Shalom, Maralyn Thoma, Elizabeth Wullen The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the early years of Sophie Tucker’s professional life in Hartford, Connecticut, New York City, London, and other cities.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Red Hot Mama” (Libi Staiger); “Sunshine Face” (Libi Staiger); “Mr. Henry Jones” (Libi Staiger); “Sophie in New York” (Libi Staiger, Company); “Patsy” (Rosetta LeNoire); “I’ll Show Them All” (Libi Staiger); “I’ll Show Them All” (reprise) (Libi Staiger); “Hold On to Your Hats” (Phil Leeds, Rosetta LeNoire); “Fast Cars and Fightin’ Women” (Art Lund); “Queen of the Burlesque Wheel” (Patsi King, Ensemble); “When You Carry Your Own Suitcase” (Libi Staiger, Eddie Roll, Ensemble); “When You Carry Your Own Suitcase” (reprise) (Art Lund); “When I’m in Love” (Libi Staiger, Rosetta LeNoire); “Hold On to Your Hats” (reprise) (Libi Staiger, Art Lund, Rosetta LeNoire, Phil Leeds); “Sailors of the Sea” (Ensemble); “I Want the Kind of a Fella” (Libi Staiger); “I’ll Show Them All” (reprise) (Libi Staiger) Act Two: “Who Are We Kidding?” (Eddie Roll, Patsi King);”Don’t Look Back” (Company); “I’d Know It” (Art Lund); “You’ve Got to Be a Lady” (Rosetta LeNoire); “Ragtime” (Ensemble); “Waltz” (Libi Staiger, Art Lund, Ensemble); “When I’m in Love” (reprise) (Art Lund); “I Love You Today” (Libi Staiger, Art Lund); “With You” (Libi Staiger); “Red Hot Mama” (reprise) (Libi Staiger); “I’ve Got ’Em Standin’ in Line” (Libi Staiger); “They’ve Got a Lot to Learn” (Art Lund); “Red Hot Mama” (reprise) (Libi Staiger) There were reports that at the final curtain of the New York premiere of Sophie, Sophie Tucker was seen crying in her box at the Winter Garden Theatre. Posterity will never know if she was overcome with emotion from seeing her life portrayed on stage, or whether the tears were born of frustration at the ineptitude of the musical that bore her name. The musical focused on the early years of Red Hot Mama Sophie Tucker’s life, a fifteen-year period beginning in 1906 in her hometown of Hartford, Connecticut, where she appeared in amateur nights, and ending with her star-making appearance at the Café Metropole in London. In between, Sophie (Libi Staiger) treads the boards in burlesque and vaudeville, but misses her chance to appear in the Ziegfeld Follies because Nora Bayes (Betty Colby) is jealous of her. Along the way, she meets and marries piano player Frank Westphal

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(Art Lund), gets encouragement from her friend and maid Mollie (Rosetta Le Noire), bickers with agent William Morris (Phil Leeds), and, in general, lives through a clichéd by-the-numbers showbiz story. As Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun noted, in Phillip Pruneau’s libretto Sophie comes across as a generic “determined young singer” whose “every line and situation is a routine ‘I’m gonna make it or bust’ device right out of heaven-only-knows how many previous stage and screen musicals.” Yes, more than anything, the book did the show in. Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical seemed to take its inspiration from Gypsy (an “infinitely superior musical”) by not romanticizing the leading character. But this approach went too far, because Sophie becomes a “humorlessly hard-driving” woman seen in “dull and colorless” light with “little wit and no liveliness.” Watts also mentioned that the “lucklessly flat and common place show” turned an “exciting woman with a thrilling history into the tiresome narrative of a dullard.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times asked “Didn’t Miss Tucker have any fun? Didn’t she give audiences excitement and pleasure?” From the proceedings on the Winter Garden stage, Sophie is seen “with scarcely a smile or a smidgen of charm,” and he remarked that Sophie was a musical of “shattering dullness” that poor Sophie Tucker herself had to sit through. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune complained that “nothing happens” during the musical’s two acts, and he felt Miss Tucker was wise to acknowledge the audience from her box and take a bow before the show began, noting her “timing” was “immaculate” because “before the show started was the time to do it.” But he predicted she would “survive her own musical biography. She, at least, is not all tuckered out.” The critics were generally kind to Steve Allen’s score. Nadel said the songs “have the swinging, zinging flavor of those early years of this century,” and John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the score was “first class.” But Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror and John Chapman in the New York Daily News qualified their praise: Coleman said the music “falls pleasantly on the ears” but was not “distinguished,” and Chapman noted the “pleasant” songs won’t “set Tin Pan Alley ablaze.” On the negative side, Kerr remarked that Richard Rodgers was famous for the perfect “wrong” note in his songs, and said Allen always arrived at the “right” note . . . and “you have no idea how monotonous that can be.” Watts found the score “startlingly ordinary.” Of the score’s twenty-three numbers, Rosetta Le Noire’s “You’ve Got to Be a Lady” was the song most singled out by the critics. There were apparently no show-stoppers in the choreography created by Donald Saddler, but various critics liked his interpretations of such period dances as the waltz, maxixe, and bunny-hug. As for Libi Staiger, she bore little resemblance to Sophie Tucker, but the critics liked her and felt she did all she could with the ordinary book and mostly average songs. Watts noted she was “loud and brassy, and is able to belt out a song,” but was unable to bring life to her character. McClain praised her “remarkably powerful and effective voice,” noting she had a “very assured and likable stage presence,” and Nadel said her singing filled the theatre with a “sure, strong and accurate musical sound, but with the freshness of her own personality.” However, Kerr liked the “infectious presence” of Le Noire, and felt she sounded more like Tucker than Staiger. Art Lund had the thankless role of Tucker’s first husband. Staiger began and ended her ten-year Broadway career at the Winter Garden Theatre, where she appeared in both Wonderful Town (1953; see entry for the 1963 revival) and Sophie, a chorus girl in the former and leading lady in the latter. In between, she was in By the Beautiful Sea (1954), and was a featured singer in that show’s song “Hooray for George the Third”; played Cleo in the 1959 City Center revival of The Most Happy Fella (reprising the role for the 1960 premiere of the London production and its cast album [with Art Lund recreating his 1956 role of Joey]). In 1959, she was in Destry Rides Again (and was Dolores Gray’s understudy); Rosetta Le Noire was also in the production. Sophie was Staiger’s one shot at stardom, but after its one-week run she never again appeared on Broadway. In noting a successful show-business musical biography, Watts mentioned Jule Styne’s iconic Gypsy (1959), and the following year, almost to the day of the opening of Sophie, the Winter Garden hosted another musical biography, Styne’s Funny Girl. Like Sophie, the script of Funny Girl was often clichéd and uninspired, but the story of Fanny Brice overcame its book with a bountiful and tuneful score and the presence of Barbra Streisand in the title role. An early draft of Sophie reveals that dance was envisioned as an integral part of the story-telling. There were to be four major dance/ballet sequences (with occasional spoken dialogue) which in montage fashion depicted Sophie’s rise to the top: “The Sophie Ballet” presents her first months in New York; “The Vaudeville Ballet” depicts her years in vaudeville; an untitled “happy, positive” ballet which, according to the script,

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shows the “development of Sophie as a person”; and another untitled ballet and dance sequence which shows more of Sophie’s development as a performer as well as the deterioration of her marriage. The concept of using dance to tell Sophie’ story was of course dropped, and just one (“The Sophie Ballet,” which became “Sophie in New York”) of the proposed four dance sequences made it to the final version. At one point, a decision was made to emphasize songs rather than dance, and so the musical was top-heavy with thirty musical numbers (twenty-three songs and seven reprises). The early draft included two songs (“Isn’t It a Shame” and “Fight for the Man”) that weren’t in the final score; the draft’s “You’d Know It” became “I’d Know It (If I Were in Love).” During the tryout, the song “You’ll Never Understand” was deleted, and director Gene Frankel was replaced by Jack Sydow. A combination cast and studio cast recording of the score was released by AEI Records (LP AEI-1130), with five songs performed by Libi Staiger (including the unused “Fight for the Man”), one by Steve Allen, and others by various singers (notably Linda Lavin and Jerry Vale) and chorus. The LP includes fourteen songs: “Red Hot Mama,” “Sunshine Face,” “Patsy,” “I’ll Show Them All,” “Queen of the Burlesque Wheel,” “When You Carry Your Own Suitcase,” “”Fight for the Man,” “When I’m in Love,” “I Want the Kind of Fella,” “Who Are We Kidding,” “Don’t Look Back,” “I Love You Today,” “With You,” and “They’ve Got a Lot to Learn.” When the LP was issued on CD (AEI # AEI-CD-027), “I’d Know It (If I Were in Love)” was added to the main score, and “Fight for the Man” was included as a bonus track. The CD offered other bonus tracks, including “They Led Me to Believe” (the latter apparently dropped during rehearsals). Also on the LP was “I Love You Today,” sung by Kathy Keagan; the CD added a track of the number that was recorded by Staiger, and this was added to the CD in performance order, while Keagan’s version was included as a bonus track. Finally, the CD offered a bonus-track medley of three songs sung by Judy Garland and Steve Allen (“I Love You Today,” “When I’m in Love,” and “I’ll Show Them All”). The Playbill bio for the musical’s producers noted that Sophie was “conceived after much thought and consideration,” and they wanted their first Broadway presentation to be “based on the life of the woman who has given so much of herself to the world, Sophie Tucker—the Queen Mother of Show Business.” Sophie has the distinction of being the first musical to premiere on Broadway that boasted a female musical director. During the original Broadway run of The Music Man (1957–1961), Liza Redfield made history when she became the show’s musical director in 1960 (Herbert Greene was the show’s original musical director), and she made history a second time because with Sophie she became the first woman to conduct the orchestra for the premiere of a Broadway musical. There have been at least two more musical versions of Sophie Tucker’s life. On October 29, 1987, the Jewish Repertory Theatre’s Sophie opened Off-Off-Broadway for twenty performances. The book and lyrics were by Rose Leiman Goldemberg, the music by Debra Barsha, and Judith Cohen played the title role. On May 8, 2002, the York Theatre production of Red Hot Mama opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Peter’s for ninety-one performances. Sharon McNight’s one-woman show consisted entirely of songs associated with Sophie Tucker.

HOT SPOT “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Majestic Theatre Opening Date: April 19, 1963 Closing Date: May 25, 1963 Performances: 43 Book: Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert Lyrics: Martin Charnin Music: Mary Rodgers (dance music by Trude Rittman and John Morris) Direction: Not Credited; Producers: Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr with John Herman; Choreography: Not Credited; Scenery and Costumes: Rouben Ter-Arutunian; Lighting: John Harvey; Musical Direction: Milton Rosenstock Cast: James Cresson (Anderson, Duke), Charles Braswell (Henderson), Judy Holliday (Sally Hopwinder), Conrad Bain (George Higgins), Mary Louise Wilson (Sue Ann [Peace Corps Member]), Bob McClure (Howard

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Mason [Peace Corps Member]), James Moore (Vernon Breen [Peace Corps Member]), George Furth (Harley, Sumner Tubb Jr.), Arny Freeman (The Nadir of D’hum), Joseph Bova (Shim), Jack Dabdoub (Minister of State), Howard Kahl (Minister of State), Jack Eddleman (Dave), Carmen DeLavallade (Iram), Buzz Miller (Rami, Pulski), Joseph Campanella (Gabriel Snapper), Howard Freeman (Sumner Tubb, Sr.), Virginia Craig (Mrs. Sumner Tubb), Sheila Smith (Allison Kent), Gerald Teijelo (Grobanykov); Singers and Dancers: Sandra Devlin, Jill Bartholomew, Virginia Craig, Audre Johnston, Virginia Oswald, John Herbert, Diane Ede, Gloria Mills, Diane Coupe, Dean Taliaferro, Gildo DiNunzio, Marty Allen, Rhett Dennis, David Bean, Jim McArdle, Doria Avila, Bill Richards, Alvin Beam, Jamie Landi, Lee Hooper, Mary Sue Berry, Marnell Bruce, John Cunningham, Frank Bouley The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place primarily in the nation of D’hum as well as in Washington, D.C., and Moscow.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Don’t Laugh” (Judy Holliday); “Don’t Laugh” (reprise) (Judy Holliday, Mary Louise Wilson, Bob McClure, James Moore); “Welcome” (D’humians); “Welcome Dance” (Carmen DeLavallade, James Moore, Buzz Miller); “This Little Yankee” (Joseph Campanella); “Smiles” (Judy Holliday, Jack Eddleman, John Cunningham, Howard Kahl, Bob McClure, John Herbert, David Bean, Alvin Beam, Buzz Miller); “A Little Trouble” (Judy Holliday, Joseph Bova, Army Freeman, D’humians); “You’d Like Nebraska” (James Moore, Carmen DeLavallade); “Hey, Love” (Judy Holliday); “I Had Two Dregs” (Judy Holliday, Joseph Bova, Howard Freeman, D’humians); “Rich, Rich, Rich” (Arny Freeman, Mary Louise Wilson, Peace Corps Members, D’humians) Act Two: “That’s Good—That’s Bad” (Judy Holliday); “Iram and the Royal D’humian Dancers” (Carmen DeLavallade, Dancers); “I Think the World of You” (Mary Louise Wilson, Joseph Bova); “Gabie” (Judy Holliday); “A Matter of Time” (Joseph Campanella, Judy Holliday); “Gabie” (reprise) (Joseph Campanella); “Big Meeting Tonight” (Buzz Miller, Gerald Teijelo, Ensemble); “Russian Dance at the Yakacabana” (Judy Holliday, Buzz Miller, Gerald Teijelo); “A Far, Far Better Thing” (Judy Holliday); “Don’t Laugh” (reprise) (Judy Holliday, Joseph Campanella, Ensemble) Hot Spot was a failed attempt to create a frothy musical comedy spoof about the Peace Corps. On paper, the show looked promising. Judy Holliday was the lead (in what was sadly her last New York appearance; she died two years later); Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert wrote the book (they had cowritten the script of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, which was still playing on Broadway at the time of Hot Spot’s production); and Mary Rodgers wrote the music (with Once upon a Mattress on her resume, she knew something about lighthearted musical spoofs). Further, Morton Da Costa, the director of The Music Man (1957), was at the helm (he was credited as director during the musical’s tryout and prolonged New York preview period [a then-record five weeks], but come opening night his name was no longer in the Playbill, and, in fact, no director was credited in the program). Similarly, choreographer Onna White (who created the dances for The Music Man) was credited with the dances during the tryouts and preview performances, but by opening night there was no credit for the “motherless and fatherless” dances (according to Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune). During the tryout, the show even lost its musical director, Fritz Allers, who was replaced by Milton Rosenstock. (Hot Spot was in such disarray that the New York Times reported Holliday jokingly remarked that the musical would have to be frozen for at least the final five minutes prior to the New York opening night curtain.) The promising if somewhat obvious plot dealt with D’hum, a forgotten country in the Himalayas which lacks even one single card-carrying Communist. In order to get foreign aid from the United States, troubleprone Peace Corps member Sally Hopwinder (Holliday) drums up an artificial crisis by proclaiming that D’hum is infested with Reds. Soon Uncle Sam is throwing money at D’hum and all the natives are suddenly awash in American Express and Diners’ Club cards. For further plot complications, the Russians actually enter the picture; Sally falls in love with the American ambassador (Joseph Campanella); and there’s another romance, between Peace Corps member Sue Ann (Mary Louise Wilson) and native D’humian Shim (Joe Bova). Other characters included the Nadir of D’hum (Arny Freeman), Red-baiting Congressman Sumner Tubb Sr. (Howard Freeman), and his son (George Furth).

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Most of the critics blasted the book: Kerr noted the Holliday character is sent off to a country “where nothing can happen, and just about doesn’t”; Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the plot was “still in crude outline form”; Richard Watts in the New York Post pronounced the evening “hopeless”; Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror said the new musical “falls flat on its face”; and John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the musical was “a hopeless patch work, a crazy quilt held together with flimsy thread.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun admitted the show went off “in all directions” and left part of the plot “dangling,” but he nonetheless felt Hot Spot was a “boisterous evening of theatre, laced with timely wit and infused with indestructible charm.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News was on the fence, noting there was major book trouble but also mentioning that the musical had its attractive side, including Mary Rodgers’s “lilting” score. Indeed, Mary Rodgers’s agreeable score received generally good reviews, with the critics singling out a number of songs, including “Don’t Laugh,” “I Think the World of You,” “I Had Two Dregs,” “Big Meeting Tonight,” “Smiles,” “A Far, Far Better Way,” “Gabie,” “That’s Good,” “A Little Trouble,” “Hey, Love,” “Rich, Rich, Rich,” “You’d Like Nebraska,” and “A Matter of Time” (in the latter, the ambassador dreams of being on the cover of the national weekly magazine). Taubman liked the “agreeable” songs, and Kerr noted the score included “a couple of first-rate tunes and some workable showpieces.” Judy Holliday received raves for her performance, and she stopped at nothing in order to bolster the flimsy plot. In one scene, she impersonated three male Peace Corps members, and in another she pretended to be the ambassador’s houseboy. She was even a Mata Hari type in one scene, and was in twelve of the musical’s twenty-one numbers. Kerr surmised that during intermission she was probably down in the wardrobe department, helping to sew costumes. Of the dance numbers, Buzz Miller and Gerald Teijelo’s Russian-flavored “Big Meeting Tonight” was probably the best. Taubman said they “burn up the stage,” McClain said they scored “solidly,” and Nadel found them “fabulous” (he noted the song was in the style of “Hernando’s Hideaway,” but with flashlights instead of matches). During the tryout and preview period, the following songs were deleted: “Over,” “Simple People,” “See What You Can Do for Me,” “From the Red,” “This Gallant Girl,” “You Can Always Count on Us,” and “A Little Glory.” “State Is Nebraska” became “You’d Like Nebraska,” and “Dance in the Night Club” became “Russian Dance at the Yakacabana.” Years after the production closed, Blue Pear Records (CD # 1020) issued a live recording of one of the New York preview performances. The recording included most of the songs heard on opening night (with the exception of “Don’t Laugh,” “I Had Two Dregs,” and “A Matter of Time”) and included one (“You Can Always Count on Us”) that was dropped during New York previews. The CD also included four commercial recordings of the score (“Don’t Laugh,” “Hey, Love,” “Gabie,” and “I Think the World of You”) and a demo of songs performed by Mary Rodgers and Martin Charnin (“A Little Trouble,” “I Had Two Dregs,” “From the Red,” “Make Her Comfortable,” “This Gallant Girl,” “The Defection,” a Russian version of “I Had Two Dregs,” and two versions of “Welcome”). “Make Her Comfortable” and “The Defection” may have been cut prior to rehearsals. Cast members Mary Louise Wilson and James Cresson were later in Flora, the Red Menace (1965), and for Grey Gardens (2006), Wilson won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. John Cunningham and Sheila Smith were Off-Broadway and Broadway Baby stalwarts. Cunningham was later seen in major roles in a number of musicals, including Zorba (1968) and Company (1970), as well as the role of Flan Kittridge in John Guare’s 1990 play Six Degrees of Separation. Sheila Smith was in the original productions of Follies (1971) and Sugar (1972); George Furth later wrote the book for Company; Charles Braswell later appeared in Mame (1966) and introduced the popular title song; he was also in Company. Buzz Miller and Gerald Teijelo were reliable Broadway dancers. Miller appeared in the original productions of Me and Juliet (1953), The Pajama Game (1954; he was one of the trio who introduced “Steam Heat”), Redhead (1959; with Gwen Verdon, he danced the “Pick-Pocket Tango”), and others, while Teijelo appeared in the original productions of The Music Man (1957), The Gay Life (1961), Jennie (1963), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965; he was one of the quartet who introduced “On the S.S. Bernard Cohn”), and Coco (1969). Mary Sue Berry made her mark when she substituted for Marjorie Smith on the cast album of Camelot, singing “Follow Me.” “Don’t Laugh” was added to the musical late during the New York previews; its lyric is by Stephen Sondheim and Martin Charnin, and its music by Sondheim and Mary Rodgers.

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“Don’t Laugh” was heard in Phyllis Newman’s 1978 one-woman show My Mother Was a Fortune-Teller as well as in a 1979 revised edition of the show titled The Madwoman of Central Park West, and the song is on the latter’s cast album (DRG Records CD # CDSL-5212). Hey, Love was a 1993 Off-Off-Broadway tribute to Mary Rodgers, which also played in 1996 as Three of Hearts: The Songs of Mary Rodgers. The latter production was recorded by Varese Sarabande Records (CD # VSD-5772) as Hey, Love, and it included a number of songs from the Hot Spot score. Some, like “Hey, Love,” “You’d Like Nebraska,” and “Don’t Laugh,” were heard in the New York production. “Show Me” was an earlier version of “Hey, Love,” and “Don’t Take My Word for It” and “Who Knows?”/”I’ll Know” appear to have been written for, but never used in, the musical. The original lyric of “Who Knows” was written by Sondheim and Charnin, with music by Sondheim and Rodgers (“I’ll Know” was a revised version of the song with a lyric by Mark Waldrop). If the window card, flyer, and souvenir program of Hot Spot look familiar, it’s because an old photo of Judy Holliday performing “I’m Goin’ Back” in Bells Are Ringing was used.

SHE LOVES ME “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Eugene O’Neill Theatre Opening Date: April 23, 1963 Closing Date: January 11, 1964 Performances: 301 Book: Joe Masteroff Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Music: Jerry Bock Based on the play Illatszertar (Parfumerie) by Miklos Laszlo. Direction: Harold Prince; Producers: Harold Prince in association with Lawrence N. Kasha and Philip C. McKenna; Choreography: Carol Haney; Scenery and Lighting: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Patricia Zipprodt; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: Ralph Williams (Arpad), Nathaniel Frey (Mr. Sipos), Barbara Baxley (Miss Ritter), Jack Cassidy (Mr. Kodaly), Daniel Massey (Georg Nowack), Ludwig Donath (Mr. Maraczek), Jety Herlick (Window Shopper, Fifth Customer, Nurse), Judy West (Window Shopper, Fourth Customer, Magda), Marion Delano (First Customer), Peg Murray (Second Customer), Trude Adams (Third Customer), Barbara Cook (Amalia Balash), Vicki Mansfield (Sixth Customer, Stefanie), Gino Conforti (Mr. Keller, Violinist, Caroler), Wood Romoff (Waiter), Al De Sio (Busboy), Pepe de Chazza (Victor), Bob Bishop (Ferencz), Jo Wilder (Caroler), Joe Ross (Caroler), Les Martin (Paul); Couple: Peg Murray, Joe Ross The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a city in Europe during the 1930s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Good Morning, Good Day” (Ralph Williams, Nathaniel Frey, Barbara Baxley, Jack Cassidy, Daniel Massey); “Sounds While Selling” (Daniel Massey, Nathaniel Frey, Jack Cassidy, Marion Delano, Peg Murray, Trude Adams); “Thank You, Madam” (Nathaniel Frey, Daniel Massey, Jack Cassidy, Barbara Baxley, Marion Delano, Peg Murray); “Days Gone By” (Ludwig Donath); “No More Candy” (Barbara Cook); “Three Letters” (Barbara Cook, Daniel Massey); “Tonight at Eight” (Daniel Massey); “I Don’t Know His Name” (Barbara Baxley); “Perspective” (Nathaniel Frey); “Goodbye, Georg” (Daniel Massey, Barbara Baxley, Nathaniel Frey, Jack Cassidy, Ralph Williams, Customers); “Will He Like Me?” (Barbara Cook); “Ilona” (Jack Cassidy); “I Resolve” (Barbara Baxley); “A Romantic Atmosphere” (Wood Romoff, Al De Sio, Gino Conforti, Peg Murray, Joe Ross, Vicki Mansfield, Pepe De Chazza, Judy West, Bob Bishop); “Tango Tragique” (Daniel Massey); “Dear Friend” (Barbara Cook) Act Two: “Try Me” (Ralph Williams); “Days Gone By” (reprise) (Ludwig Donath); “Where’s My Shoe?” (Barbara Cook, Daniel Massey); “Ice Cream” (Barbara Cook); “She Loves Me” (Daniel Massey); “A Trip to the

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Library” (Barbara Baxley); “Grand Knowing You” (Jack Cassidy); “Twelve Days to Christmas” (Jo Wilder, Gino Conforti, Joe Ross, Company); “Ice Cream” (reprise) (Barbara Cook, Daniel Massey) When Barbara Cook’s previous Broadway musical The Gay Life opened in 1961, the critics’ sweet tooth showed (John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the musical was a “great, big gorgeous confection of Viennese pastry”), and in his review of She Loves Me, Howard Taubman in the New York Times called her new musical “a bonbon.” Based on Miklos Laszlo’s play Illatszertar (Parfumerie) which in turn was adapted into the charming 1938 MGM film The Shop Around the Corner, the intimate and romantic story was set in a Hungarian parfumerie and dealt with its owner Maraczek (Ludwig Donath) and his employees, earnest head clerk Georg Nowack (Daniel Massey), the serious Sipos (Nathaniel Frey), the flighty Ilona (Barbara Baxley), the cadish Kodaly (Jack Cassidy), and the ambitious Arpad (Ralph Williams). When Amalia Balash (Barbara Cook) joins the staff, she and Georg take an immediate dislike to one another, not realizing their anonymous lonely-hearts correspondence is with one another. After various complications, all ends well when the two unite on a snowy and romantic Christmas Eve. Although the musical never enjoyed blockbuster status (the original production’s 301-performance run lost money) and its 1993 New York revival and various London productions had disappointing runs, the musical continues to be produced and is a favorite with discriminating audiences and musical theatre cognoscenti. With the exception of Walter Kerr’s churlish review in the New York Herald-Tribune (“things seem a little shopworn around the corner”), the New York critics wrote valentines to the musical. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the “confectioners” who created the musical “found the right ingredients of sugar and raisins and nuts to add to their fluffy dough,” creating a “tasty surprise, like an inspired dobas torta” found in “long ago” Budapest. John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the show was “just darling” and “enormously ingratiating,” while John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the work “charming, so deft, so light and so right it makes all the other music-shows in the big Broadway shops look like clodhoppers.” Further, Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror found the show a “diverting frolic . . . disarmingly appealing, a salute to nostalgia”; Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun proclaimed that the theatre season “finally has a musical play with which everyone can fall in love,” calling it dear, charming, and wholeheartedly romantic”; and Richard Watts in the New York Post said the show was “most refreshing . . . a highly likable entertainment . . . an engaging musical comedy.” Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s score is their masterpiece, a cornucopia of delicious songs with bright, wry lyrics and lush melody. Bock and Harnick told the story in an almost continuous flow of songs (twentyfive separate numbers, almost twice that of the average musical), and each one furthered the plot, delineated characters, and created the “romantic atmosphere” appropriate for the musical’s mood and locale. Indeed, one of the score’s highlights is “A Romantic Atmosphere,” which takes place at a restaurant where Georg and Amalia have arranged to meet after many months of correspondence. Despite his efforts, the headwaiter (Wood Romoff) has to battle with a noisy busboy (Al De Sio), a loud violinist (Gino Conforti), and unruly customers. Another highlight was the chorale “Twelve Days to Christmas,” in which last-minute Christmas shoppers complain about those perfect planners who have their names printed on their Christmas cards in June and who mail their packages in August. The song was all the more effective because the shoppers’ commentary was presented in counterpoint to a touching scene between Georg and Amalia. Another unusual song was “Sounds While Selling,” which presented amusing fragments of conversations between customers and clerks, and “Thank You, Madam” was the clerks’ inevitable closure to each customer transaction. “A Trip to the Library” described the dizzy Ilona’s first time at such an institution (“so many books,” she notes), and in Harnick’s brilliant lyric she tells us she met an optometrist (who has eyes only for her) whom she once slapped because he told her she couldn’t go wrong with The Way of All Flesh. But she decides she likes his “novel approach” to romance. Sipos’s “Perspective” summed up his philosophy of the workplace: “Do not lose your job.” As for Kodaly, Bock and Harnick gave him two outstanding numbers, the sultry Porteresque beguine “Ilona” and the shuffle-off-to-Buffalo-styled “Grand Knowing You,” in which he kisses off the parfumerie and his coworkers when he is fired. Jack Cassidy won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance, and “Grand Knowing You” was the first of his three egotistical “cad” songs in 1960s musicals (the other two are “My Fortune Is My Face” from Fade Out-Fade In [1964] and “The Woman for the Man (Who Has Everything)” from It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN [1966]).

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And there were romantic songs as well: Maraczek’s lovely waltz “Days Gone By” was worthy of Strauss; Georg’s jubilant title song; and Amalia’s ballads “Will He Like Me?” and “Dear Friend” (not to be confused with Bock and Harnick’s polka “Dear Friend” from Tenderloin [1960]). Amalia also had the gentle and sweet “No More Candy” (in which she sells a musical cigarette box as a candy box) and the fiery “Where’s My Shoe?,” when she believes Georg is spying on her when she’s home sick. In the restaurant scene, Georg sang the wry and cautionary “Tango Tragique” (which is sometimes omitted from revivals, perhaps because of political correctness). But the score’s most enduring song is Amalia’s brilliant aria “Ice Cream,” one of the greatest set pieces in all musical theatre. Amalia sings of her contradictory feelings about Georg, and comes to the realization that his simple gift of vanilla ice cream has opened her eyes to a side of his character she’s never suspected. For decades, “Ice Cream” has become Barbara Cook’s signature song, a welcome part of her cabaret performances. The glorious original cast album was released on a two-LP set by MGM Records (# E/SE-4118-0C-2; later issued on Polydor Records CD # 831-968-2), and the script was first published in hardback by Dodd, Mead & Company in 1964, and later by Fireside Theatre in 1993. The musical was revived on Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the Criterion Center Stage Right Theatre on June 10, 1993, and transferred to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on October 7, 1993, for a total of 355 performances; the cast included Boyd Gaines (Georg), Judy Kuhn (Amalia for the first run, Diane Fratantoni for the Atkinson reopening), Sally Mayes (Ilona), and Howard McGillin (Kodaly). The slightly revised production omitted “Tango Tragique,” and the cast recording was released by Varese Sarabande Records (CD # VSD-5464). The first British production opened on April 29, 1964, at the Lyric Theatre for 189 performances; the cast included Gary Raymond (Georg), Anne Rogers (Amalia), and Rita Moreno (Ilona). For London, “I Resolve” was rewritten as “Heads I Win” and can be heard on the cast album (E.M.I. Records Limited LP # CSD-1546; issued on CD by EMI/West End Angel Records # 7243-8-28595-2-9). The Roundabout production opened in London at the Savoy Theatre on July 12, 1994, with John Gordon Sinclair (Georg) and Ruthie Henshall (Amalia); it was recorded by First Night Records (CD # CD-44), and includes “Tango Tragique.” Other recordings of the score include The Music from “She Loves Me” by Danny Davis and His Orchestra and Chorus (MGM Records LP # SE-4134) and Music from the Hit Broadway Show “She Loves Me” by Frank Chacksfield and His Orchestra (Decca Records LP # LK-4591). The deleted songs “Tell Me I Look Nice” and “Christmas Eve” are included in the respective collections Lost in Boston III (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD5563) and A Broadway Christmas (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5517). In 1978, a 105-minute television adaptation was produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Directed by Michael Simpson, the production starred Gemma Craven (Amalia), Robin Ellis (Georg), David Kernan (Kodaly), and Diane Langton (Ilona). This shortened version was necessarily abbreviated and didn’t include all the songs, but it was nonetheless delightful. After the BBC presentation, the adaptation was shown on American television. During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Seasonal Pleasures,” “Mr. Nowack, Will You Please?,” “My Drug Store,” and “Christmas Eve.” “Mr. Nowack, Will You Please?” can be heard on the 1994 London cast album. Besides “Mr. Nowack, Will You Please?,” “Christmas Eve,” and “My Drug Store,” a demo recording performed by Bock and Harnick includes the deleted songs “Hello, Love,” “Tell Me I Look Nice,” “Merry Christmas Bells,” and “The Touch of Magic.” An earlier version of the material was the 1949 MGM musical In the Good Old Summertime, which starred Judy Garland and Van Johnson. The film used mostly old songs (such as “I Don’t Care” and the title number), but a new one (“Merry Christmas” by Janice Torre and Fred Spielman) has become a minor holiday standard.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (She Loves Me); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Jack Cassidy); Best Author of a Musical (Joe Masteroff); Best Producer of a Musical (Harold Prince); Best Director of a Musical (Harold Prince)

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STREET SCENE Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 26, 1963 Closing Date: May 10, 1963 Performances: 3 Book: Elmer Rice Lyrics: Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice Music: Kurt Weill Based on the 1929 play Street Scene by Elmer Rice. Direction: Herbert Machiz; Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Choreography: Sondra Lee and Richard Tone; Scenery and Costumes: Paul Sylbert; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Skitch Henderson Cast: Howard Fried (Abraham Kaplan), Dolores Mari (Greta Fiorentino), Arnold Voketaitis (Carl Olsen), Ruth Kobart (Emma Jones), Muriel (Costa) Greenspon (Olga Olsen), Florence Anglin (Shirley Kaplan), Andrew Frierson (Henry Davis), Robert Buckley (Willie Maurrant), Elisabeth Carron (Anna Maurannt), William DuPree (Sam Kaplan), L. D. Clements (Daniel Buchanan), Robert Trehy (Frank Maurrant), Richard Wentworth (George Jones), Richard Armbruster (Steve Sankey), Jack Harrold (Lippo Fiorentino), Barbara Maier (Jennie Hildebrand), Anthea DeForest (Second Graduate), Marilyne Mason (Third Graduate), Anita Lynch (Mrs. Hildebrand), Charles Cash (Charlie Hildebrand), Neva Small (Mary Hildebrand), Andrea Frierson (Grace Davis), Joy Clements (Rose Maurrant), John Reardon (Harry Easter), Sondra Lee (Mae Jones), Richard Tone (Dick McGann), Albert Lewis (Vincent Jones), Glenn Dowlen (Dr. John Wilson), David Smith (Officer Harry Murphy), Arthur Graham (City Marshall James Henry), Don Yule (Fred Cullen), Helen Guile (First Nursemaid), Lou Ann Wyckoff (Second Nursemaid); Policemen, Milkman, Old Clothes Man, Music Pupil, Interne, Ambulance Driver, Married Couple, Passersby, Neighbors, Children, etc.: The New York City Opera Chorus The opera was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the stoop and front sidewalk of a New York City tenement during a period of twenty-four hours in June. As of this writing, the current 1963 revival of Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes’s 1947 opera Street Scene was the New York City Opera’s fourth of eight revivals of the work (for more information, including a list of musical numbers, see entry for the 1960 revival). In his review of the 1963 production, Howard Klein in the New York Times said Weill’s score “retains its vigor, poignance and down to earthiness that keeps the whole rooted in reality,” and singled out “Wrapped in a Ribbon and Tied in a Bow,” the “absurdly funny” anthem to “Ice Cream,” and the neighbors’ gossiping banter about the weather and the goings-on of their fellow apartment dwellers. The “most spectacular” aspect of the evening was Sondra Lee and Richard Tone’s “Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed” dance sequence; it was “quite sexy, but just this side of bad taste.” Tone also co-choreographed the sequence, and he of course will always be revered, cherished, and remembered for 13 Daughters and “Pooka Pooka Pants” (his duet with Isabelle Farrell), one of the guilty pleasures of 1960s musicals. Klein liked most of the performances, singling out Robert Trehy (Frank), John Reardon (Harry Easter), and Joy Clements (Rose); other cast members included Muriel Costa-Greenspon, Ruth Kobart, and Neva Small. But Klein felt Elisabeth Carron was miscast as Anna, noting she was a “petite soubrette” with a “small and light” voice, an image that didn’t square with Anna’s “steamy frustration.” It’s fascinating to note the evening’s conductor was the popular Skitch Henderson.

OKLAHOMA! Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 15, 1963 Closing Date: May 26, 1963

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Performances: 15 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director; Julius Rudel, Musical Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (“assisted by” Mavis Ray); Scenery: Lemuel Ayers; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Betty Garde (Aunt Eller), Peter Palmer (Curly), Louise O’Brien (Laurey), Richard France (Will Parker), Daniel P. Hannafin (Jud Fry), Fay De Witt (Ado Annie Carnes), Barry Newman (Aki Hakim), Marilyne Mason (Gertie Cummings), William Tierney (Andrew Carnes), Kermit Kegley (Cord Elam), Grover Dale (Dream Curley), Evelyn Taylor (Dream Laurey), George Church (Dream Jud]), Judy Thelen (Child [in ballet]), Mavis Ray (The Girl Who Falls Down [in “Many a New Day”]); Dancers: Virginia Bosler, Lucia Lambert, Loi Leabo, Beatrice Lismore, Marlene Mesavage, Susana Aschieri, Judy Thelen, Mona Jo Tritsch, Esther Villavicencio, Toodie Wittmer, Frank Andre, Paul Berne, Dennis Cole, Ben Gillespie, Loren Hightower, Vernon Lusby, Charles McGraw, Paul Olson; Singers: Faith Daltry, Penny Gaston, Helen Guile, Marilyne Mason, Hanna Owen, Julie Sargant, Sharon J. Vaughn, Christine Watson, Lynn Wendell, Robert Carle, Jerry Crawford, Harris W. Davis, James Fels, Marvin Goodis, William Kennedy, Robert Lenn, Herbert Surface, Ralph Vucci The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) just after the turn of the twentieth century. After its mid-winter run at City Center, Oklahoma! returned there in the spring for fifteen performances. The revival was the fourth of five City Center visits for the musical (for more information about the musical, including a list of the musical numbers, see entry for the February 1963 production). For the spring engagement, Peter Palmer, Louise O’Brien, and Betty Garde again headlined, and this time around were joined by Fay De Witt (as Ado Annie). Louis Calta in the New York Times said that “like Ado Annie, ‘you cain’t say no’ to Oklahoma!,” and noted the revival “warrants a visit, even if it’s a return one.” He praised the “lovely as ever” score, noted Peter Palmer’s performance was winning (with “flawless” interpretations of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II evergreens), and that Louise O’Brien had a “highly agreeable voice.” He also liked the “wonderfully able” supporting cast and the “gusto and loving kindness” of Julius Rudel’s conducting.

THE BEAST IN ME “A NEW MUSICAL REVUE” Theatre: Plymouth Theatre Opening Date: May 16, 1963 Closing Date: May 18, 1963 Performances: 4 Adaptation of Sketches: James Costigan Lyrics: James Costigan Music: Don Elliott Based on the 1940 collection Fables for Our Time by James Thurber (full title is Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated). Note: Thurber’s collection The Beast in Me and Other Animals was published in 1948. Direction: John Lehne; Producer: Bonard Productions (Helen Bonfils, Haila Stoddard, Donald R. Seawell); Choreography: John Butler; Scenery and Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Costumes: Leo Van Witsen; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel Cast: Kaye Ballard, Allyn Ann McLerie, Richard Hayes, James Costigan, Bert Convy, Nancy Haywood, Don Elliott and His Orchestra The revue was presented in two acts.

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Sketches Act One: “There’s a Beast in Everybody” (Company); “The Sea and the Shore” (Kaye Ballard [Gibbous Female], Richard Hayes [Gibbous Male]); “The Lover and His Lass” (Kaye Ballard [Mrs. Hippo], Richard Hayes [Hippo], Allyn Ann McLerie [Mrs. Parrot], Bert Convy [Parrot], Nancy Haywood [Girl]); “The Lady of the Legs” (Richard Hayes [Tourist], Allyn Ann McLerie [Frog], James Costigan [Restaurateur]); “Tea for One” (Kaye Ballard [Bride], Richard Hayes [Groom]); “The Wolf Who Went Places” (Richard Hayes [Professor], Bert Convy [Wolf], Allyn Ann McLerie [Wolfess]); “The Unicorn in the Garden” (James Costigan [Man], Kaye Ballard [Wife], Richard Hayes [Dr. Clisbie], Bert Convy [Policeman], Allyn Ann McLerie [Nymph], Nancy Haywood [Nymph]) Act Two: “The Foolhardy Mouse and the Cautious Cat” (Allyn Ann McLerie [Pouncetta], James Costigan [Mervyn], Richard Hayes [Ring Leader], Kaye Ballard [Gang Member], Nancy Haywood [Gang Member], Bert Convy [Gang Member]); “A Moment with Mandy” (Kaye Ballard [Mandy], Bert Convy [Daddy]); “The Moth and the Star” (James Costigan [Old Moth], Allyn Ann McLerie [Mother Moth], Richard Hayes [Father Moth]); “The Stork Who Married a Dumb Wife” (Allyn Ann McLerie [Cigarette Girl], Kaye Ballard [Spouse], Richard Hayes [Stork], Nancy Haywood [The Girl], Bert Convy [Mysterious Stranger], James Costigan [Waiter]); “The Shore and the Sea” (Kaye Ballard [Evangelist], James Costigan [Scholarly Lemming], Allyn Ann McLerie [Member of Congregation], Nancy Haywood [Member of Congregation], Richard Hayes [Member of Congregation], Bert Convy [Member of Congregation])

Musical Numbers

Note: Playbill did not identify performers of songs, nor did it associate songs with specific sketches. Act One: “Percussion”; “So Beautiful”; “You’re Delicious”; “J’ai”; “I Owe Ohio”; “Go, Go, Go!”; “Breakfast”; “Eat Your Nice Lily, Unicorn”; “Bacchanale” Act Two: “Glorious Cheese”; “Calypso Kitty”; “Why?”; “What Do You Say?”; “When I’m Alone”; “Hallelujah” Although their production of A Thurber Carnival wasn’t a financial success, coproducers Helen Bonfils and Haila Stoddard’s revue with incidental music played over six months on Broadway, was recorded, and enjoyed a national tour as well as a London production. So perhaps they felt a more traditional, full-fledged musical revue of James Thurber’s writings would be luckier. The revue was tested in summer stock beginning on June 16, 1962, at Nash’s Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut, with a script credited to Stoddard and music by Don Elliott, who had composed the incidental music for A Thurber Carnival. Eleven months later the revue opened on Broadway as the final new work of the 1962–1963 season. The Playbill credits noted the production was “conceived” by Stoddard, but James Costigan was credited with book and lyrics, and Elliott returned as both composer and musical director. “Book” may have been too strong a word to describe the script because it was a series of playlets with songs that were based on various short stories by Thurber (in fact, Thurber’s fable “The Unicorn in the Garden” had been seen in A Thurber Carnival, albeit not in a musicalized version). The intimate revue included six cast members (Costigan, Kaye Ballard, Allyn Ann McLerie, Richard Hayes, Bert Convy, and Nancy Haywood), and Elliott, at least in previews, conducted a nine-man orchestra (which included Judd Woldin, who would go on to write a number of Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals, including the Tony Award-winning Raisin, which opened on Broadway in 1973 for a run of 847 performances and included “Sidewalk Tree,” one of the finest theatre songs of the era). As mentioned, during previews Elliott was the musical’s conductor, but shortly before the opening he was replaced by Lehman Engel, and so for the premiere (and for the musical’s remaining three performances) Elliott was part of the orchestra, playing the mellophone, trumpet, and vibes. During previews, Pulitzer Prize– winning playwright Marc Connelly was brought in as the evening’s narrator, but the day before the opening his role was eliminated. The opening night Playbill still listed Connelly in the cast. The four-performance run would indicate the revue received highly negative notices, but in truth The Beast in Me was rather gently handled by the critics, who, for the most part, found it charming. Reading the

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reviews as well as an early version of the script leads one to conclude that, like A Thurber Carnival, The Beast in Me might have fared better in an intimate Off-Broadway theatre. The evening began with “Percussion,” which demonstrated there’s a bit of the beast in all of us (“proud as a peacock,” “hairy as an ape”) and ended with the title song, in which the “crass menagerie” of a cast raises a toast to the audience, applauding our inner beast. Costigan provided amusing lyrics, and so the evening moved along from one fable to another, with perhaps “The Moth and the Star” and “The Unicorn in the Garden” the most well received of the evening. The former told the story of a moth who’s fascinated with the glow of a star, which he assumes is caught between the branches of a tree; and so while his fellow moths die as they are drawn to candle flames and such, the star-struck moth lives to a ripe old age. The latter dealt with a henpecked husband who claims to have seen a unicorn in the garden; he’s derided by his wife, who calls him crazy, but it is she who’s eventually committed to an asylum. In the script, “The Sea and the Shore” (in the production, “The Shore and the Sea”) included the song “Love Sends a Little Gift of Seaweed,” which was dropped prior to the Broadway production. In Costigan’s dazzling lyric, an amoeba’s intuition tells her better times are coming, for although she’s now “a Knox’s plain gelatin aspic / Of indistinguishable sex,” one day she’ll be “Lillian Gish-able / For poor or for Rich / Barthelmess.” Costigan’s lyrics are delicious and clever, and it’s the musical theatre’s loss that he never again wrote lyrics for Broadway. Two of his plays were seen in New York. Based on his teleplay of the same name, the drama Little Moon of Alban (1960; with Julie Harris and Robert Redford) lasted just twenty performances, but its affecting script is worthy of revival, perhaps in regional theatre. His second play, the somewhat surreal three-character comedy Baby Want a Kiss (1965), starred Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Costigan; it was a slight and confusing exercise, but managed 145 performances and turned a profit. As for the critics, Howard Taubman in the New York Times found the revue “fragile . . . [with] a little humor, a little charm, a little wisdom and, alas, a good deal of pallor,” and he noted the evening was perhaps too “loyal” to Thurber when it should have emphasized more theatricality. But he liked much of the humorous wordplay (a housebreaking mouse announces “We all must be mice and quiet”), and he liked Elliott’s score, which was “simple, yet as sophisticated as” Thurber’s fables. Richard Watts in the New York Post said the revue was “no blockbuster . . . but it is agreeably Thurberian”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the evening was “pleasant” and that Elliott had written an “appropriate and amusing” score; Leonard Harris in the New York World-Telegram and Sun also said the evening was “pleasant,” and he praised Elliott’s “singable tunes and occasional swinging jazz passages”; and while John G. Mitchell in the New York Journal-American said the evening was a “chameleon . . . alternating between bursts of brightness and wheezing banality,” he nonetheless singled out Elliott’s “superb” score. Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror found the evening “too fey,” but liked Elliott’s “pleasantly jazzy musical” contributions, and Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune respected all the effort that had gone into the revue (the production and the performances were “impeccable”), but felt the material was too delicate and special, all “mice-quiet and moth-weight.” Columbia Records was set to record the cast album (it was assigned release # KOL-5970 and # KOS-2370), which was cancelled due to the revue’s half-week run. Incidentally, the Playbill credited Leo Van Witsen for the costumes, but in a program note the producers thanked Andy Warhol for his “costume concept.”

PAL JOEY “A MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 29, 1963 Closing Date: June 9, 1963 Performances: 15 Book: John O’Hara Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Music: Richard Rodgers Based on a series of short stories by John O’Hara, which were published in the New Yorker (the first story appeared in the October 22, 1938, issue); the collected stories were published in book format in 1939.

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Direction: Gus Schirmer Jr.; Producer: The New York City Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: George and Ethel Martin; Scenery: Howard Bay; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Art Barnett (Mike), Bob Fosse (Joey), Pat Turner (Kid), Elaine Dunn (Gladys), Dorothy D’Honau (Iris), Carol Kroon (Mickey), Dorothy Dushock (Diane), Shellie Farrell (Dottie), Mercedes Ellington (Sandra), Jann La Prade (Adele), Marilyn D’Honau (Francine), Rita Gardner (Linda English), Viveca Lindfors (Vera Simpson), Betty Hyatt Linton (Valerie), Emory Bass (Ernest), John Coyle (Vera’s Escort), Charles Basile (Victor), George Zima (Schultz), John Lankston (Louis [The Tenor]), Kay Medford (Melba Snyder), Jack Durant (Ludlow Lowell), Lester Wilson (Lester), George Church (O’Brien), John D. Seymour (Mr. Hoople); Girl Dancers: Nancy Baron, Carol Carlin, Sheila Cass, Dorothy D’Honau, Marilyn D’Honau, Dorothy Dushock, Mercedes Ellington, Shellie Farrell, Judith Haskell, Carole Kroon, Jann La Prade, Sigyn Lund, Carmen Morales, Barbara Richman, Patricia Sigris, Babs Warden; Boy Dancers: Alan Castner, Gerard Brentte, John Coyle, Larry Davids, Hamp Dickens, Jim Hovis, Danny Jasinski, David M. Lober, Paul Reid Roman, Bentley Roton, Roy Smith, George Zima The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Chicago during the late 1930s. City Center’s Pal Joey opened exactly two years after its highly successful 1961 production with Bob Fosse, who reprised the title role for the second revival. For more information about the musical and for a list of the musical numbers, see entry for the 1961 revival. The current 1963 cast included Viveca Lindfors (Vera), Rita Gardner (Linda), Kay Medford (Melba), and, in a surprise, Jack Durant, in his original role of Ludlow Lowell from the 1940 production. The second act of the 1961 production included “Joey’s Tango” for Bob Fosse; for this spot in the 1963 production, the sequence was titled “Joey’s Class Act” (for Fosse and Lester Wilson). Lewis Funke in the New York Times noted the musical was “one of the magnificent creations,” and he praised Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s “indestructible” score. But he was disappointed in some of the performances. He admitted Fosse (“chewing gum as if his life depended on it”) was “lean, sporty, graceful and looking every inch a Runyan race-track lout,” but felt he missed some of the role’s “bite and brittleness.” As for Lindfors, he praised her acting skills but lamented her vocal ones, noting that “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” “should have been a triumph. It was not.” He was also disappointed with Durant, feeling he did “little” with his songs. But he had nothing but praise for the “amusing comedienne” Medford, a “delight” in her “deadpan” role as the newspaper columnist who has seen it all. He said she brought “a dash of pure fun” to the revival and stopped the show with “Zip.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Bob Fosse)

FOXY “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre and Performance Dates: The Palace Grand Theatre, Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, from July 2 to August 18, 1962, for a total of 43 performances Book: Ian McLellan Hunter and Ring Lardner Jr. Lyrics: Johnny Mercer Music: Robert Emmett Dolan Based on the 1606 play Volpone, or The Fox by Ben Jonson. Direction: Robert Lewis; Producers: Robert Whitehead and Stanley Gilkey in association with the Canadian Theatre Exchange Limited; Choreography: Matt Mattox; Scenery, Costumes, and Lighting: Ben Edwards; Musical Direction: Joseph Lewis Cast: Buzz Halliday (Brandy), Ralph Dunn (Bedrock), Edward Greenhalgh (Buzzard), Jack Bittner (Shortcut), Robert Flavelle (Two-Step), Tony Kraber (Drunk), Bert Lahr (Foxy), Larry Blyden (Doc Mosk), Scott Mer-

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rill (Inspector Stirling), Bill Hayes (Ben), Robin Craven (Lord Rottingham), Kit Smythe (Celia), William Becker (Mountie), Mary Ann Corrigan (Marie, Dance Hall Girl), Michele Karaty (Laurette, Dance Hall Girl), Jerry Michael (Bartender Oliver, Prospector), Fred Jayne (Eskimo, Prospector), John Waller (Eskimo, Prospector), Will Parkins (Eskimo, Prospector), Jerry Blair (Eskimo, Prospector), Joan Jaffe (Eskimo Girl, Dance Hall Girl), Todd Butler (Prospector), Nina Armagh (Dance Hall Girl), Jean Hilzinger (Dance Hall Girl), Audrey Saxon (Dance Hall Girl) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Klondike during the late nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Share and Share Alike” (Ralph Dunn, Edward Greenhalgh, Jack Bittner); “A Child of the Wild” (Bert Lahr); “Share and Share Alike” (reprise) (Ralph Dunn, Jack Bittner, Edward Greenhalgh); “Many Ways to Skin a Cat” (Larry Blyden, Bert Lahr); “Rollin’ in Gold” (Buzz Halliday, Ensemble); “Money Isn’t Everything” (Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden, Ralph Dunn, Edward Greenhalgh, Jack Bittner); “Larceny and Love” (Larry Blyden, Buzz Halliday); “The S.S. Commodore Ebenezer McAfee the Third” (Ensemble); “The Power of Love” (Kit Smythe, Bill Hayes); “The Power of Love” (reprise) (Bill Hayes); “Take It from a Lady” (Buzz Halliday, Kit Smythe); “Bon Vivant” (Bert Lahr); “The S.S. Commodore Ebenezer McAfee the Third” (Ensemble) Act Two: Opening Dance (Ensemble); “Life’s Darkest Moment” (Kit Smythe, Ensemble); “Life’s Darkest Moment” (reprise) (Bill Hayes); “Till It Goes Outta Style”(Buzz Halliday, Larry Blyden); “The Letter of the Law” (Scott Merrill, Ensemble); “In Loving Memory” (Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden, Ralph Dunn, Edward Greenhalgh, Jack Bittner); Finale (Company) Foxy closed out of town, way out of town, in the Yukon, where it played for forty-three performances at the Palace Grand Theatre in Dawson City, from July 2 to August 18, 1962, as part of the Dawson City Gold Rush Festival. It has the distinction of being the first and only Broadway musical to try out in the Yukon. The souvenir program noted that once the scenery was constructed, it was shipped to Dawson, while the costumes were flown there (as for the cast, they traveled “by land, sea and air”). Canadian-born Beatrice Lillie, who had co-starred with Foxy’s star Bert Lahr in The Show Is On (1936) and Seven Lively Arts (1944), was on hand for the premiere. The musical was an appropriate one for the Gold Rush Festival, as it was an updated version of Ben Jonson’s 1606 play Volpone, or The Fox, which was now set in the Klondike during the late nineteenth-century gold rush. Foxy was produced by Robert Whitehead and Stanley Gilkey in association with Canadian Theatre Exchange Limited; the direction was by Robert Lewis, the choreography by Matt Mattox, and Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden, and Bill Hayes headed the cast, which included Scott Merrill, Buzz Halliday, and Ralph Dunn. Seventeen months after the musical shuttered in the Yukon, it resurfaced at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit in a revised version produced by David Merrick. The new Foxy opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on February 18, 1964, where it played for a disappointing seventy-two performances. See entry for the 1964 production, which discusses the changes in cast, credits, and songs between the two productions as well as information about the two Foxy recordings. Another lyric work based on the material is the opera Volpone, with libretto by Alfred Perry and music by George Antheil, which first premiered in January 1953 by the Opera Workshop at the University of Southern California. On July 6 of that year, the opera premiered Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre for approximately forty-five performances. Another operatic version of the material opened on March 10, 2004, when Volpone premiered at The Barnes at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, for three performances; the libretto was by Mark Campbell and the music by John Musto (during the summer of 2007, the work was revived at Wolf Trap for four more performances). Sly Fox, Larry Gelbart’s non-musical adaptation of Volpone, was a Broadway hit in 1976 (George C. Scott was Foxwell J. Sly), and was revived there in 2004 (Richard Dreyfuss was Sly). Another musical that dealt with the Klondike during the Gold Rush days of the 1890s was Bonanza Bound!, which closed during its pre-Broadway engagement in Philadelphia during the 1947–1948 theatre

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season. The book and lyrics were by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the score was by Saul Chaplin, and the cast included Green himself along with his then wife Allyn Ann McLerie. Unlike Foxy, Bonanza Bound! never got a second chance for a Broadway production, but its score was recorded by RCA Victor Records on December 27, 1947 (the day after its Philadelphia opening). Although RCA never released the cast album, pirated copies have surfaced over the years, and the recordings of Bonanza Bound! and Foxy make for fascinating comparison. In The Best Plays of 1944–1945, the Chicago Tribune critic Claudia Cassidy reported that during the season Alaskan Stampede opened at the Coliseum. She noted that the “gold rush musical on ice” was a “cold storage turkey.” In the mid-1940s, there were two musical films set in the Yukon’s gold rush days, both with lyrics by Johnny Burke and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. The rather dull but colorful Belle of the Yukon starred Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Dinah Shore. The delightful score more than made up for the sluggish script and direction and the surprisingly lackluster performances, and two of its songs, “Sleigh Ride in July” and the especially lovely “Like Someone in Love,” became standards. In 1946, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour appeared in their fourth “road” movie, Road to Utopia; the gag-filled farce included another pleasing score, the highlights being Lamour’s peppery “Personality” and the boys’ “insult” duet “Put It There, Pal” (which was a close cousin to Cole Porter’s “Friendship”) in which they take jabs at one another’s failures (Hope brings up Crosby’s Dixie, Crosby doesn’t let Hope forget Let’s Face It).

GET ON BOARD! THE JAZZ TRAIN “AN EXCITING NEW MUSICAL” Theatres and Performance Dates: Opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on September 10, 1962, and closed at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 22, 1962 Music: Original music by J. C. Johnson Direction: Mervyn Nelson; Producer: Manning Gurian; Choreography: Herbert Harper; Scenery and Lighting: Perry Watkins; Costumes: Unknown; Musical Direction: Eddie Barefield Cast: Gilbert Adkins, Danny Barker, Cook and Brown, Stoney Marteeni, Rosalie Maxwell, Fred Mitchell, Jim Mosby, Thelma Oliver, Rawn Spearman, Esther Sutherland; with Harold Pierson, Albert Popwell, Barbara Fuller, Charles Moore, Joe Comadore, Artie Sheppard, Marie Young, Clark Morgan, Rosalind Cash, Helen Haynes, Barbara Teer, Julius Fields, Joan Peters, Lester Wilson, James Garner, Johanna Testman The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: Prologue; “Jungle”; “Spiritual Car”; “Plantation Car”; “Gospel Car”; “Frankie and Johnny Car”; “Minstrel Car”; “Blues Car” Act Two: “Street Cries”; “Caribbean Car”; “Stars Car”; “Dance Car”; “Rock-and-Roll Car”; “Workers’ Car”; Finale The obscure revue Get on Board! The Jazz Train (some sources give the title as Get on Board—The Jazz Train, others Get on Board the Jazz Train) appears to have been on track for New York, but the train got derailed. The revue, which had first been produced in Europe and played in such cities as Rome, London, and Munich, opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Montreal on September 10, 1962, and permanently closed at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto on September 22. The evening consisted of scenes, or “cars,” which provided an array of dances and songs, much of it set to original music by J. C. Johnson. There were, among others, a “Spiritual Car,” a “Gospel Car,” a “Dance Car,” and “Rock-and-Roll Car.” But no “Twist Car,” apparently. It appears the Age of the Twist was virtually over, as far as revues and musicals were concerned. (But a photograph from the production shows Esther Sutherland in what appears to be full twist mode, so maybe there was a twist number in either the “Dance Car” or “Rock-and-Roll Car” sequences.)

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The cast included Rawn Spearman, Thelma Oliver, Harold Pierson, Lester Wilson, and Rosalind Cash. The latter would make her mark in a series of blaxploitation films that included Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde (aka The Watts Monster). Are “train” musicals cursed? The 1978 Off-Broadway musical A Bistro Car on the CNR (which had originally premiered in Canada as Jubalay) lasted for just sixty-one performances; Broadway’s melodious art deco operetta On the Twentieth Century (1978) played for 460 performances without returning its investment; the 1980 Off-Broadway musical Frimbo, which actually opened at Grand Central Station in the area of Tracks 39–42, played for one performance; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s highly successful London production of Starlight Express opened on Broadway in 1987, and although it ran for two years it closed in the red; and the Off-OffBroadway musical American Enterprise (about George M. Pullman) lasted two weeks. As of this writing, Orphan Train was produced at Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall on October 11 and 12, 2013. With a book by L. E. McCullough, lyrics by Michael Barry Greer, and music by Doug Katsoros, the musical is based on true events of the latter half of the nineteenth century, when “orphan trains” took parentless children from the streets of New York City to homes in America’s heartland. A press release indicated the event could be a “potentially groundbreaking production,” but if “groundbreaking” means first, then Frimbo holds that honor because it pulled into the station thirty-three years earlier.

LA BELLE “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre and Performance Dates: Opened at the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 13, 1962, and closed there on August 25 Book: Brendan Gill Lyrics: Marshall Barer Music: Jacques Offenbach (music adapted by William Roy; dance music by Genevieve Pitot) Based on an unidentified (and apparently unproduced) libretto by Bill Hoffman. Direction: Albert Marre; Producer: Gerard Oestreicher; Choreography: Todd Bolender; Scenery and Lighting: Ed Wittstein; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Howard Da Silva (Calchas), Charles Karel (Sergeant), George Segal (Paris), Bob McClure (Archon), Menasha Skulnik (Menelaus), Joan Diener (Helen), Mimi Turque (Graphis), Lette Rehnolds (Chloe), Thayer David (Agamemnon), John Zacherle (Ulysses), Roberta Lubell (Venus in “Vengeance” Ballet), Marilyn D’Honau (Diana in “Vengeance” Ballet), Gail Israel (Girl in “Vengeance” Ballet), Louis Gasparinetti (Boy in “Vengeance” Ballet), Jack Kauflin (Soldier), John Mandia (Soldier), Louis Polacek (Soldier); Soldiers, Citizens, Ball Guests, Waiters: Marilyn D’Honau, Carol Flemming, Louis Gasparinetti, Murray Goldkind, Mickey Gunnersen, Nancy Haywood, Gail Israel, Charles Karel, Jack Kauflin, Roberta Lubell, Don Maloof, John Mandia, Carmen Morales, Mari Nettum, Louis Polacek, Joan Sheller, Marilyn Stark The musical was presented in three acts (later, two; see below). The action of the prologue takes place in the Theatre des Varieties in Paris during the 1860s; the rest of the musical takes place in ancient Sparta.

Musical Numbers Act One: “It Isn’t the Way You Play the Game” (Howard Da Silva, Soldiers); “How Will I Know?” (Bob McClure, George Segal); “I’m Called the King” (Menasha Skulnik); “There Is No Such Thing as Love” (Joan Diener); “Play Nice” (Menasha Skulnik, Lette Rehnolds, Mimi Turque); “The Golden Crowns of Greece” (Thayer David, John Zacherle, Ensemble); “Vengeance” (ballet; Louis Gasparinetti, Gail Israel, Roberta Lubell, Marilyn D’Honau, Bob McClure); “Go to the Mountains” (Howard Da Silva, Joan Diener, Menasha Skulnik, Ensemble) Act Two: “This Is the Night” (Howard Da Silva, Ensemble); “Transformation” (Joan Diener); “Oh! What a Ball!” (Menasha Skulnik, Ensemble); “The Canard” (Menasha Skulnik, Ensemble); “Night Music” (Bob McClure, George Segal)

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Act Three: “No One Is Perfect” (Menasha Skulnik, Joan Diener); “I Give Up” (Howard Da Silva, Thayer David, John Zackerle); “I’ll Fall in Love Again” (Joan Diener); “No Sad Songs for Me” (Menasha Skulnik, Joan Diener, Bob McClure, George Segal); Finale (Company) La Belle was yet another failed attempt to set the music of Jacques Offenbach to a new story. In this case, the musical used the framework of performers in 1860s Paris who concoct a new version of the legend of Helen of Troy. Soon the backstage action in the Theatre des Varieties fades, and the performers’ musical about Helen begins in the square before the Temple of Jupiter in ancient Sparta. The musical’s amusing conceit is that the principals involved in the action—Helen (Joan Diener), her lover Paris (George Segal), and her cuckolded husband (Menasha Skulnik)—don’t want a war to begin over Helen and Paris’s affair. But it’s Helen’s destiny as the face that launched a thousand ships to be the catalyst of the Trojan War. The musical opened at the Shubert Theatre in Philadelphia on August 13, 1962, and prematurely closed there on August 25, thus cancelling its scheduled Broadway opening at the Plymouth Theatre on November 18. RCA Victor Records was to record the cast album (it was assigned release # LOC/LSO-1072), which was cancelled due to the musical’s out-of-town closing. When La Belle opened in Philadelphia, it was in three acts, but the evening was quickly compressed into two. The second and third acts were combined, and their grand total of eleven scenes was reduced to eight. The book was by Brendan Gill, the lyrics by Marshall Barer, and Offenbach’s score was adapted by William Roy. Albert Marre directed, and La Belle marked the third of five musicals in which he directed his wife Joan Diener; the other four were Kismet (1953), At the Grand (1958), Man of La Mancha (1965), and Cry for Us All (1970). La Belle had first been produced at the Cambridge Drama Festival in Summer 1960 as Helen of Troy; Skulnik and Diener appeared in that version. For more information about failed musicals that used themes by Offenbach for their scores, see The Happiest Girl in the World. Other musicals based on the Helen of Troy story include the Off-Broadway (and later Broadway) masterpiece The Golden Apple (1954) and Off Broadway’s spoofy Sing Muse! (1961). There were also two Off-Off-Broadway productions that were based on the legend, Helen (1978) and La Belle Helene (1986). Another lighthearted look at the famous story was Homer’s Follies, a comedy with music that was announced for a Broadway opening in February 1960. But unlike La Belle, Homer’s Follies never got beyond its preproduction phase.

• 1963–1964 Season

THE KING AND I Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: June 12, 1963 Closing Date: June 23, 1963 Performances: 15 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Jerome Robbins (choreography reproduced by Yuriko); Scenery: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Irene Sharaff (costumes supervised by Stanley Simmons); Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Sam Kirkham (Captain Orton), Tommy Leap (Louis Leonowens), Eileen Brennan (Anna Leonowens), Paul Flores (The Interpreter), Ken LeRoy (The Kralahome), Manolo Fabregas (The King), John Garces (Phra Alack), L. D. Clements (Lun Tha), Joy Clements (Tuptim), Anita Darian (Lady Thiang), Ramon Caballero (Prince Chululongkorn), Lisa Jo Abe (Princess Ying Yoawalak), John D. Seymour (Sir Edward Ramsay); Princes and Princesses: David Aguilar, Paula Chin, Delfino DeArco, Capri Hermany, Roma Hermany, Vivian Hernandez, Lawrence Kikuchi, Susan I. Kikuchio, Peter Martinez, Ado Sato, Ramon Torres; The Royal Dancers: Susan Aschieri, Hadassah Badoch, Mavis Ray Booth, Noemi Chiesa, Miriam Cole, Barbara Creed, Victor Duntiere, Carol Fried, Phyllis A. Gutelius, Edith Jerell, Loi Leabo, Paul E. Olson, Clive Thompson; Singers (Wives, Priests, Amazons, Slaves): Faith Daltry Compo, Harris W. Davis, James Fels, Helen Guile, Janet Hayes, Bill Kennedy, Joy L. Sica, Sharon Vaughn, Lynn Wendell The musical was presented in two acts. The 1963 City Center revival of The King and I was the company’s third of four productions of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s classic musical, and was the third of eight New York revivals of the show (for more information about the musical and its various revivals, including song listing, see entry for the 1960 City Center production). The 1963 revival starred Eileen Brennan (Anna), Manolo Fabregas (The King; Fabregas was a Mexican performer here making his New York debut), and Anita Darian (Lady Thiang; Darian had also appeared in the 1960 City Center revival). Lewis Funke in the New York Times said the classic was “enchantingly revived . . . [with] a first-rate troupe of players. . . . This is a King and I to be remembered.” Funke noted that Brennan made a “fine” Anna and gave her songs “full value.” Later in the season, Brennan created roles in two musicals: Merry May Glockenspiel in The Student Gypsy, or The Prince of Liederkranz and Irene Molloy in Hello, Dolly!

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SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY Theatre: Booth Theatre (during the run, the revue transferred to the Belasco Theatre) Opening Date: September 29, 1963 Closing Date: January 4, 1964 Performances: 111 Poems: Edgar Lee Masters Lyrics: Charles Aidman Music: Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn Based on the 1915 collection of poems Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. Direction: Charles Aidman (production supervised by Robert Weiner); Producers: Joseph Cates (A Cates Brothers Production); originally produced by The Theatre Group, University Extension, University of Southern California; Scenery: Uncredited; Costumes: Uncredited; Lighting: Jules Fisher Cast: Betty Garrett, Robert Elston, Joyce Van Patten, Charles Aidman, Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Lynch The revue was presented in two acts.

Poems and Musical Numbers Act One: “He’s Gone Away” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “The Hill” (Charles Aidman); “Tom Beatty” (Charles Aidman); “Illinois” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Lynch); “Mrs. Williams” (Joyce Van Patten); “Dora Williams” (Betty Garrett); “Archibald Higbie” (Robert Elston); “Walter Simmons” (Charles Aidman); “Deacon Taylor” (Robert Elston); “Emily Sparks” (Betty Garrett); “Benjamin Pantier” (Charles Aidman); “Mrs. Benjamin Pantier” (Joyce Van Patten); “Emily Sparks” (Betty Garrett); “Reuben Pantier” (Robert Elston); “Emily Sparks” (Betty Garrett); “Margaret Fuller Slack” (Joyce Van Patten); “Soldier, Oh Soldier” (song; Hal Lynch); “Knowlt Hoheimer” (Charles Aidman); “Lydia Puckett” (Betty Garrett); “Fiddler Jones” (Robert Elston); “Ollie McGee” (Betty Garrett); “Fletcher McGee” (Charles Aidman); “Hamilton Green, Elsa Wertman” (Robert Elston, Joyce Van Patten); “Rosie Roberts” (Betty Garrett); “Russian Sonia” (Joyce Van Patten); “Lucius Atherton” (Robert Elston); “Times Are Gettin’ Hard, Boys” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “Eugene Carman” (Charles Aidman); “The Water Is Wide” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Lynch); “Yee Bow” (Betty Garrett); “Enoch Dunlap” (Charles Aidman); “Mrs. Kessler” (Joyce Van Patten); “Nancy Knapp” (Betty Garrett); “George Gray” (Charles Aidman); “Harry Williams” (Robert Elston); “Nellie Clark” (Joyce Van Patten); “Paper of Pins” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Lynch); “Roscoe Purkapile” (Charles Aidman); “Mrs. Purkapile” (Betty Garrett); “A.  D. Blood” (Robert Elston); “Shack Dye” (Charles Aidman); “Freedom” (song; Hal Lynch); “Hannah Armstrong” (Betty Garrett); “Faith Matheny” (Joyce Van Patten) Act Two: “Three Nights Drunk” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “Judge Selah Lively” (Charles Aidman); “Zilpha March” (Betty Garrett); “Searcy Foote” (Robert Elston); “Mrs. Charles Bliss” (Joyce Van Patten); “Far Away from Home” (song; Hal Lynch); “Pauline Barrett” (Betty Garrett); “The Village Atheist” (Robert Elston); “Mabel Osborne” (Joyce Van Patten); “Franklin Jones” (Charles Aidman); “In the Night” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “Dippold the Optician” (Charles Aidman, Company); “In the Night” (song; reprise; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “Elijah Browning” (Robert Elston); “Mornin’s Come” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Lynch); “Alexander Throckmorton” (Charles Aidman); “Amanda Barker” (Betty Garrett); “Willard Fluke” (Robert Elston); “Lois Spears” (Joyce Van Patten); “God Bless the Moon” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “Sow Took the Measles” (song; Hal Lynch); “Abel Melveney” (Robert Elston); “Hod Putt” (Charles Aidman); “Ida Frickey” (Betty Garrett); “Silas Dement” (Charles Aidman); “Aner Clute, Daily Fraser” (Joyce Van Patten, Betty Garrett); “’Indignation’ Jones” (Robert Elston); “Minerva Jones” (Joyce Van Patten); “Doctor Meyers” (Charles Aidman); “Mrs. Meyers” (Betty Garrett); “Who Knows Where I’m Goin’?” (song; Hal Lynch); “Reverend and Mrs. Sibley” (Robert Elston, Joyce Van Patten); “My Rooster” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “Willie Metcalf” (Charles Aidman); “I Am, I Am” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn); “A Horse Named Bill” (song; Hal Lynch); “Batterton Dobyns” (Robert Elston); “Flossie Cabanis” (Betty Garrett); “Hortense Robbins” (Joyce Van Patten); “Frank Drummer” (Robert Elston); “Barney Hainsfeather” (Charles Aidman); “Spoon River” (song; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Davis); “Lucinda Matlock” (Betty Garrett); “Petit, the Poet” (Robert Elston); “Anne Rutledge” (Joyce

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Van Patten); “Spoon River” (song; reprise; Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Lynch); Last Poem (Epilogue) (Charles Aidman) In 1915, Edgar Lee Masters, a successful lawyer from Chicago (his law partner was Clarence Darrow), wrote Spoon River Anthology, a book of 241 short poems based on the mostly sad and empty lives of people he knew from his youth when he was raised in Petersburg and Lewistown, Illinois, both of which were located on the Spoon River. Masters employed the format of epitaphs to allow the dead from his past to speak about themselves. The evening was conceived and directed by Charles Aidman, and the performers were Aidman, Betty Garrett, Robert Elston, and Joyce Van Patten, who portrayed seventy different characters. They were accompanied by Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn and Hal Lynch, who sang folk songs as well as a few original ones (with lyrics by Aidman and music by Hirshhorn). Of the eighteen songs performed during the evening (not counting reprises), four were credited to Aidman and Hirshhorn (“I Am, I Am,” “Freedom,” “In the Night,” and “Spoon River”). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune found much to enjoy, although he had some reservations about the intrinsic nature of the material. He noted Aidman had created a “lively graveyard” for the “trollops, boozers, hypocrites, and worthy citizens” who are now side by side in the “eternal equality” of the graveyard, and he praised Aidman’s “first-rate” staging and the “excellent production.” But he felt the verses were “strangely abstract,” and he missed the aura of “actuality” that could be found in similar works, such as Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted that while “not a drama,” Spoon River Anthology was “dramatic” and rich in dramatis personae. The evening was a “glowing theater experience . . . a brooding and loving folk poem” brought to theatrical life; Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror told his readers the evening was not “just” a reading: “It’s absorbing theatre for a special audience”; Richard Watts in the New York Post found the work “an evening of astonishingly stirring emotional satisfaction . . . a touching and admirable production to the new theatre season”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the work “has punch and humor and bitterness, and often it stabs the heart”; and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the New York stage was enriched by Spoon River Anthology, and those unfamiliar with Masters would have a “bright discovery.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American began his review by noting he was “selfishly opposed” to Sunday night openings and was a “mild antagonist” of theatrical readings that took place in Broadway theatres at regular-theatre prices. But he nonetheless found Spoon River Anthology “an enormously warm and compelling experience in the theatre,” and he praised Aidman’s “skilled and tasteful” adaptation that brought Masters’s characters “radiantly to life.” The work had first been presented on May 1, 1963, by the Theater Group at the University of California in Los Angeles. An original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # OS-2410 and # OL-6010); a two-LP set would have included all the readings and songs, but the single recording captures the atmosphere of the Broadway production with a generous sampling of the poems and songs. During the show’s brief 111-performance life, it played in two Broadway theatres, opening at the Booth and then transferring to the Belasco. As Spoon River, the work opened in London at the Royal Court Theatre on February 13, 1964, for thirtysix performances; the cast members included Donald Sutherland and Betsy Blair. Again as Spoon River, the production was seen on April 21, 1969, as a one-hour television special on CBS. The cast included Jason Robards and original cast members Joyce Van Patten, Naomi Caryl Hirshhorn, Hal Lynch, and Charles Aidman (who wrote the teleplay). An operatic adaptation of Spoon River Anthology was performed at La Scala.

THE STUDENT GYPSY, OR “THE PRINCE OF LIEDERKRANZ” “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 54th Street Theatre Opening Date: September 30, 1963 Closing Date: October 12, 1963

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Performances: 16 Book, Lyrics, Music, and Direction: Rick Besoyan; Producer: Sandy Farber; Choreography: Ray Harrison; Scenery and Costumes: Raoul Pène du Bois; Lighting: Paul Morrison; Musical Direction: Shepard Coleman Cast: Allen Swift (“Papa” Johann Sebastian Glockenspiel), Mitzie Welch (Ginger Glockenspiel), Joleen Fodor (Edelweiss Glockenspiel), Eileen Brennan (Merry May Glockenspiel), Don Stewart (Rudolph von Schlump), Dom DeLuise (Muffin T. Ragamuffin, D.D., Ret.), Bill Fletcher (Gryphon Allescu), Shannon Bolin (Zampa Allescu), Dick Hoh (Colonel Helmet Blunderbuss), Edward Miller (P.F.C. Wolfgang Humperdinck), Donald Babcock (Osgood the Good), Linda Segal (Elsie Umlaut); The Glockenspiel Girls (Ladies of the Ensemble): Rosemary McNamara (Brunhilde), Mary Jay (Puppchen), Jean Palmerton (Dresden), Maria Graziano (Ermintrout), Jacque Dean (Shoenheit), Ann Collins (Rosalinde), Jean Middlebrooks (Zucker), Katherine Sutter (Schmetterling), Jamie Simmons (Pampelmuse); Privates of the Royal Grenadiers (Gentlemen of the Ensemble): Ralph Vucci (Offenbach), Doug Robinson (Romberg), Robert Edsel (Korngold), Marc Destin (Strauss II), Richard Marshall (von Weber), William Wheless (Mozart), Nino Galanti (Lehar), Tony Marlowe (von Flotow), Arnold Whyler (Sullivan) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Kingdom of Singspielia late in the nineteenth century. Act One: “Welcome Home Anthem” (The Glockenspiel Girls); “Singspielia” (The Glockenspiel Girls); “Romance” (Eileen Brennan, The Glockenspiel Girls); “Somewhere” (Don Stewart); “It’s a Wonderful Day to Do Nothing” (Dom DeLuise); “The Gypsy Life” (Shannon Bolin, Dom DeLuise, Eileen Brennan); “The Grenadiers’ Marching Song” (Dick Hoh, The Grenadiers); “Welcome Home Anthem” (reprise) (The Glockenspiel Girls); “Greetings” (The Grenadiers); “Kiss Me” (The Glockenspiel Girls, The Grenadiers); “Ting-A-Ling-Dearie” (Mitzie Welch, Dick Hoh); “Merry May” (Dom DeLuise, Eileen Brennan); “Seventh Heaven Waltz” (Eileen Brennan, Don Stewart); “A Gypsy Dance” (Shannon Bolin, Dom DeLuise, Bill Fletcher); “Walk-on” (Shannon Bolin); Finale Act I: “You’re a Man” (Tutti) Act Two: “A Whistle Works” (Edward Miller); “Gypsy of Love” (Don Stewart); “Our Love Has Flown Away” (Eileen Brennan); “A Woman Is a Woman Is a Woman” (Dick Hoh, Don Stewart, Dom DeLuise); “Romance” (reprise) (The Glockenspiel Girls); “Very Much in Love” (Mitzie Welch, The Glockenspiel Girls); “My Love Is Yours” (Don Stewart, Eileen Brennan); “There’s Life in the Old Folks Yet” (Allen Swift, Shannon Bolin, Donald Babcock); “The Drinking Song” (Eileen Brennan, Dom DeLuise, Mitzie Welch, Dick Hoh); Finale Act II (Tutti) Little Mary Sunshine, Rick Besoyan’s 1959 spoof of operettas of the 1920s, enjoyed a long and profitable Off-Broadway run of 1,143 performances. But lightning didn’t strike twice with The Student Gypsy, or “The Prince of Liederkranz,” his spoof of operettas of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The musical was gone in two weeks, and has seldom since been produced. It’s a pity, because the book and lyrics read well, and those songs that have been recorded are melodic. Perhaps the musical should have been produced Off-Broadway in a scaled-down version at a more intimate venue than the cavernous 54th Street Theatre. The musical was set in the Kingdom of Singspielia, which is at war with the Kingdom of Liederkranz because the two countries (in the words of Round Robin Tavern owner “Papa” Johann Glockenspiel, played by Allen Swift) are trying “to prove vitch country vas de most democratic.” In the meantime his adopted daughter, the ugly-duckling bespectacled Merry May (Eileen Brennan) decides to go forth into the woods in search of adventure and romance. She soon signs up with the local gypsies, and as a student gypsy must ensure she has her gypsy union card before joining the United Gypsy Guild. She also meets up with Private Rudolph von Schlump (Don Stewart), a Liederkranzian Royal Grenadier (the other privates in his outfit are Offenbach, Romberg, Korngold, Strauss II, von Weber, Mozart, Lehar, von Flotow, and Sullivan) who also looks for romance as he searches in vain for “a dreamless dream that’s but a dream.” Rudolph is actually His Royal Highness Prince Rudolph of Liederkranz, but no one is supposed to know this except his trusty sidekick Blunderbuss (Dick Hoh). Rudolph is taken to highfalutin’ purple prose, and when he informs Merry May that “I’ve found you at last, [and] my anguished soul will know only torment until that love is consummated on the altar of breathless desire,” another character quickly admonishes him with a “Watch that.” But Rudolph is of royal blood, and Merry May is a lowly commoner. What to do? Complications upon complications ensue, including a backstory about babies who were switched at birth, but by the finale everything is (somewhat) resolved and Rudolph and Merry May may marry.

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The critics didn’t have much good to say about the musical, but one suspects they’d have been more tolerant had the show premiered Off-Broadway. Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt it was almost impossible to write a spoof of operettas that were old-hat even when new, but he liked Besoyan’s score, singling out “Kiss Me,” “Seventh Heaven Waltz,” “Drinking Song,” “Walk-on” (a parody of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”),” and, especially, “Ting-A-Ling-Dearie,” which was praised by four of the critics. Performed by Mitzie Welch (as one of “Papa” Glockenspiel’s daughters) and Dick Hoh, the song managed to turn into a Swiss bell-ringing act, which John Chapman in the New York Daily News said was the “highlight” of the show. Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror liked Besoyan’s score (it “should have a wide appeal . . . its numbers . . . could have been included in good operettas”), but otherwise he had to cast a “negative ballot” for the weak book. John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the score was “excellent,” but said the “burlesque” aspects of the evening went astray and the book became “impossibly complicated.” Richard Watts in the New York Post liked the “charming and tuneful” songs, but found the book “tedious,” and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun praised the score but scolded Besoyan for writing too many lame jokes. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the performers didn’t play it straight enough, as good satire demands, and instead winked too much at the audience. Further, he noted that once Rudolf Friml has been spoofed, there isn’t much to gain by then spoofing Victor Herbert, and he wondered if perhaps Besoyan had “pastiched himself into a corner.” A “final version” of the script was published in softcover by Metromedia-On-Stage (not dated, but circa 1970). The script included “Seventh Heaven Waltz” (as “My Love Is Yours”), but in his notes for the script Besoyan suggested future productions cut the number. The script omitted “Walk-on,” “A Whistle Works,” and “There’s Life in the Old Folks Yet,” and Besoyan mentions that “Wake Up Singing” is omitted from the script as well (the song was heard during New York previews). Besides “Wake Up Singing,” “Schtine, Schtine (Sleep, Sleep)” was dropped during previews. The show’s demo includes six songs. Living Strings—New from Broadway! (RCA Camden Records LP # CAL/CAS-790) included four numbers from the score (“Somewhere,” “Romance,” “My Love Is Yours,” and “It’s a Wonderful Day to Do Nothing”), and Ed Ames recorded two songs (“Somewhere” and “My Love Is Yours”) for his collection Opening Night with Ed Ames (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-2781). A pirated recording has made the rounds of theatre-music collectors and includes live performances from a New York preview (and thus includes “Wake Up Singing”) as well live performance tracks from a later Los Angeles production with Fay De Witt (including “Schtine, Schtine” and “Walk-on”). RCA Victor Records was set to record the cast album, which was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run (the album had been assigned release # LOC/LSO-1077). In her collection Times Like These (Original Cast Records CD # OC-6061), Linn Maxwell includes three songs from the show (“[It’s] Romance,” “Somewhere,” and “Seventh Heaven Waltz”). Of the ninety-eight book musicals with new music discussed in this book, all but four had traditional tryouts, ones that opened in such cities as Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. (the decade temporarily saw a new normal in which many tryouts also occurred in Detroit and Toronto) or in regional theatre. But The Student Gypsy, Café Crown, Billy, and Coco bypassed traditional pre-Broadway venues and instead opened on Broadway after a series of New York previews.

HERE’S LOVE “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Shubert Theatre Opening Date: October 3, 1963 Closing Date: July 25, 1964 Performances: 334 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Meredith Willson Based on the 1947 novel Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies and the 1947 film of the same (screenplay and direction by George Seaton). Direction: Stuart Ostrow; Producer: Stuart Ostrow; Choreography: Michael Kidd; Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Elliot Lawrence Cast: Laurence Naismith (Mr. Kris Kringle), Craig Stevens (Fred Gaily), Valerie Lee (Susan Walker), Fred Gwynne (Marvin Shellhammer), Janis Paige (Doris Walker), Michael Bennett (Clerk), Gene Kelton

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(Clerk), Bill Stanton (Clerk), Patrick Cummings (Clerk), Diane Ball (Clerk), Sandra Roveta (Clerk), Patti Pappathatos (Clerk), Elaine Cancilla (Clerk), Paul Reed (R. H. Macy), Sal Lombardo (Harry Finfer), Mara Landi (Mrs. Finfer, Girl Scout Leader), Kathy Cody (Hendrika), Suzanne France (Hendrika’s New Mother), Reby Howells (Miss Crookshank), David Doyle (Mr. Psawyer), Darrell Sandeen (Governor, Marine), Hal Norman (Mayor, Mailman), William Griffis (Mr. Gimbel, Murphy), Bob McClure (Policeman, Marine), Mary Louise (Clara), Cliff Hall (Judge Martin Group), Larry Douglas (District Attorney Thomas Mara), Arthur Rubin (Tammany O’Halloran), Leesa Troy (Nurse), John Sharpe (Marine), Del Horstman (Bailiff), Ronnie Kroll (Thomas Mara, Jr.); Children: Debbie Breen, Kathy Cody, Sal Lombardo, Ronnie Kroll, Terrin Miles; Dancers: Diane Ball, Michael Bennett, Duane Bodin, Elaine Cancilla, Patrick Cummings, Suzanne France, Reby Howells, Gene Kelton, Baayork Lee, David Lober, William Louther, Patti Pappathatos, Sandra Roveta, John Sharpe, Bill Stanton, Carolsue Shaer; Singers: Ceil Delli, Penny Gaston, Del Horstman, Mara Landi, Mary Louise, Bob McClure, Hal Norman, Darrell Sandeen, Leesa Troy The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the present time in New York City, from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas Eve.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Big Clown Balloons” (Paradesters); “Arm in Arm” (Janis Paige, Valerie Lee); “You Don’t Know” (Janis Paige); “The Plastic Alligator” (Fred Gwynne, Michael Bennett, Gene Kelton, Bill Stanton, Patrick Cummings, Diane Ball, Sandra Roveta, Patti Pappathatos, Elaine Cancilla); “The Bugle” (Laurence Naismith, Kathy Cody); “Here’s Love” (Laurence Naismith, Craig Stevens, Customers, Clerks, Employees’ Children); “My Wish” (Craig Stevens, Valerie Lee); “Pine Cones and Holly Berries” (Laurence Naismith, Janis Paige, Fred Gwynne); “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” (Janis Paige); “Look, Little Girl” (Craig Stevens); “Look, Little Girl” (reprise) (Janis Paige); “Expect Things to Happen” (Laurence Naismith); “The Party” (aka “The Imagination Ballet” [see text for more information]) and “Love, Come Take Me Again” Waltz (Ballet Corps) Act Two: “Pine Cones and Holly Berries” (reprise) (Laurence Naismith, Valerie Lee); “She Hadda Go Back” (Craig Stevens, John Sharpe, Bob McClure, Darrell Sandeen); “That Man Over There” (Paul Reed); “My State” (Janis Paige, Paul Reed, Fred Gwynne, Arthur Rubin, Cliff Hall); “Nothing in Common” (Janis Paige); “That Man Over There” (reprise) (Court Personnel, Spectators) Meredith Willson’s Here’s Love was based on the 1947 film and novel Miracle on 34th Street (the work was first conceived for the screen, and the publication of the book followed the release of the film), and dealt with Kris Kringle, a kindly old man (Laurence Naismith) who insists he’s the real Santa Claus. He becomes involved with cynical, divorced Doris Walker (Janis Paige), a Macy’s employee who’s in charge of the store’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, her young daughter Susan (Valerie Lee), and their neighbor Fred Gaily (Craig Stevens), a lawyer who eventually defends Kris and proves without a doubt that he’s the one and only Santa Claus. The charming film won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and Edmund Gwenn (as Kris Kringle) won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. There were no awards, Tony or otherwise, for the charmless musical based on one of the most endearing holiday perennials Hollywood has ever produced. Willson’s score was shockingly ordinary, with one dull song following another: “You Don’t Know,” “Look, Little Girl,” “Expect Things to Happen,” “She Hadda Go Back,” and “My State.” Further, the promising title number ended up being a boring list song; “Pine Cones and Holly Berries,” which was the show’s desperate hope for a Christmas standard, didn’t make the grade; “Arm in Arm” tried for a jaunty “Side by Side” effect, but fell flat; and “My Wish” was a charmless charm song. Even the brief, would-be comedy song “The Plastic Alligator” disappointed, one of those trifling songs destined for oblivion when it’s not even included on the cast album. The lovely and delicate “Love, Come Take Me Again,” which should have been Doris’s breakthrough emotional moment when she realizes she’s lived without love for too long, was inexplicably thrown away as part of a dance sequence (during the Detroit and Washington, D.C., tryouts, Paige sang the number toward the end of the second act, but by the Philadelphia stop the song itself was gone and the music was used for a dance sequence). The score came alive just twice. The opening number, the lavish “The Big Clown Balloons,” was a showstopping song-and-dance sequence that offered a mini-version of the complete Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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With such a breathlessly exciting opening, it seemed Here’s Love couldn’t miss. Here was a show that seemed to know exactly what it wanted to do, and could do it exactly right with razz-ma-tazz Broadway know-how. So the beloved movie began with the big parade? Well, right up there on the Shubert stage was a musical comedy dream of a parade, and Michael Kidd’s magical dancers knocked you out just the way musical comedy folk are supposed to. Unfortunately, another such inspired moment didn’t occur until the middle of the second act. When Mr. Macy himself (Paul Reed) is on the witness stand and is asked by the prosecutor if Kris is indeed Santa Claus, Macy, who heretofore has looked upon Kris as just a nice old man, suddenly has an epiphany in which he realizes “That Man Over There” is indeed Santa Claus. The song exploded into joyous musical comedy nirvana, the right song for the right moment. Toward the end of the first act, Kris sings “Expect Things to Happen” to Susan, in order to encourage her to use her imagination and believe in the impossible. At the end of the song, Kidd devised a dream sequence depicting Susan’s fantasies at her birthday party when her mother and Kris bring her a birthday cake. But who will cut the cake? An array of toy characters, such as Raggedy-Ann, Indians, and a fireman, dance for her, but none are acceptable cake-cutters. Soon Kris gives Susan a huge birthday package, and before she knows it, out pops Fred, a perfect candidate for cake-cutter (and, incidentally, father). The colorful sequence utilized music from “Love, Come Take Me Again,” and, curiously, throughout the run the New York Playbill identified the dream sequence by that title (and the performers taking part in it were called the “Ballet Corps”). Some of the tryout programs didn’t identify the number by name either, but occasional programs did, coyly calling it “The Ima Gee Nation Ballet” in some programs and “The Imagee-nation Ballet” in others; at least these two titles were more appropriate than “Love, Come Take Me Again.” Another omission from the New York Playbill was the interpolation of Willson’s 1951 holiday standard “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” which was sung by Janis Paige following “Pine Cones and Holly Berries.” The song was also omitted from the song listing on the cast album jacket, but it was performed on the album by Paige and was listed on the label of the LP itself. During the tryout, director Norman Jewison was replaced by Stuart Ostrow; “Love, Come Take Me Again” and “Dear Mister Santa Claus” was deleted, and, most importantly, “The Big Calown Balloons” underwent a title change to “The Big Clown Balloons.” “The Big Clown Balloons” was one of four musical comedy parades sung about during the 1963–1964 season. Here’s Love depicted an actual parade, but the parades in Hello, Dolly!, Funny Girl, and Anyone Can Whistle were more metaphorical in nature. Incidentally, among the show’s dancers was Michael Bennett, who had also appeared in Kidd’s Subways Are for Sleeping. Later in the run, John Payne, Lisa Kirk, and Bill Hinnant replaced Stevens, Paige, and Fred Gwynne. Payne had created the role of Fred Gaily in the 1947 film. Here’s Love received mixed reviews from the critics, and their generally lackluster reception, the lack of a hit song (and this was the era in which show tunes were still part of the public consciousness), and stiff competition from Hello, Dolly! and Funny Girl later in the season, resulted in a money-losing run of 334 performances. Howard Taubman in the New York Times damned the show with faint praise, saying it’s “right off the assembly line, shrewdly engineered, the model of an efficient musical.” He noted that once musicals were put together for the proverbial tired businessman, but now “they aim for the family trade” (he could never have anticipated the onslaught of family-theme-park musicals to come in later decades). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt Here’s Love needed more than love and instead required “a bit of wit, a lot of editing, a sense of style.” As for John McClain in the New York Journal-American, he lamented that it was “a sad day for the Meredith Willson Admiration Society” and he was “sorely disappointed” with the new musical. On the other hand, Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the musical was Willson’s “generous gift to New York,” and he praised Kidd’s “exciting” contributions, while Robert Coleman in the New York Mirror exclaimed that the musical “breezed triumphantly” into New York, and told his readers not to miss it. On the fence were Richard Watts in the New York Post (the show’s “concentration on benevolence could bring out the beast in you”) and John Chapman in the New York Daily News (Here’s Love is “more charming in detail than in substance”). The original cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-6000/KOS-2400; issued on CD by Sony Broadway Records # SK-48204), which omitted two numbers heard in the production throughout

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its run (“The Plastic Alligator” and “Nothing in Common”). Columbia also issued Hit Songs from the New Broadway Musical Meredith Willson’s “Here’s Love” (Columbia Special Products/Special Archives Series LP # CSRP-8899/CL-2099) by the Merrill Staton Voices. This recording included both the Dutch and English versions of “The Bugle,” which had been performed on the cast album in Dutch only. Also included was the medley of “Pine Cones and Holly Berries” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” The Living Strings—New from Broadway recording (RCA Camden LP # CAL-790/CAS-790) included four songs from Here’s Love, including “Love, Come Take Me Again.” Another collection of songs from the musical was released by Argo Records (LP # 728); this instrumental version was performed by Hank Jones, Kenny Burrell, Milt Hinton, and Elvin Jones, and included “Love, Come Take Me Away” and “Dear Mister Santa Claus.” The musical was revived by the Goodspeed Opera House on October 2, 1991, in an adaptation by Larry Carpenter. Paul Schoeffler and Jan Maxwell were the leads, and Jerry Lanning was Macy. This version interpolated Willson’s 1950 independent song “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You,” and included “Adeste Fideles March,” “Fa La La, Fa, Fa La La,” and “Marine March.” Omitted from the production were “Love, Come Take Me Again,” “My State,” and “Nothing in Common.” The musical has surfaced in community theatre as It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, and on December 12, 2011, a one-performance-only revival (as a benefit for The Actors Fund) was seen at St. Luke’s Theatre as Miracle on 34th Street The Musical (the cast included Tony Yazbeck, Jim Brochu, and Steve Schalchkin). Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Here’s Love was William and Jean Eckart’s rather strange décor. In its early scenes the musical gave the impression of being under-designed, but as the evening progressed it became clear the Eckarts had opted for a somewhat minimalist look with partially representational locales, a certain amount of spare simplicity (such as the backdrop for the parade sequence), and vivid colors more appropriate for an advertising spread in a ladies’ magazine of the period. In retrospect, Here’s Love boasts the most 1960s “look” of all the decade’s musicals (with Robert Randolph’s scenery for How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying tying for second place).

JENNIE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Majestic Theatre Opening Date: October 17, 1963 Closing Date: December 28, 1963 Performances: 82 Book: Arnold Schulman Lyrics: Howard Dietz Music: Arthur Schwartz Based on the 1955 biography Laurette: The Intimate Biography of Laurette Taylor by Marguerite Courtney “by arrangement with” Alan J. Pakula, who had produced the 1960 play Laurette, which had been based on the biography (for more information, see below). Direction: Vincent J. Donehue; Producers: Cheryl Crawford and Richard Halliday; Choreography: Matt Mattox; Scenery: George Jenkins; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: John Lesko Cast: Mary Martin (Jennie Malone), George Wallace (James O’Conner), Elaine Swann (Bessie Mae Sue), Linda Donovan (Stella), Jeremiah Morris (Sydney Harris), Rico Froehlich (Frank Granada), Stephen Elmore (Casey O’Harrison, Delivery Man), Kirby Smith (Gregory Hyman), Jay Velie (Sheriff Pugsley, Gentleman, Fire Chief), Jack De Lon (Abe O’Shaughnessy), Brian Chapin (Kevin O’Connor), Imelda DeMartin (Lois Houser), Bernice Saunders (O’Conner’s Wardrobe Mistress), Martin Ambrose (Deputy), Oran Osburn (Deputy), Connie Scott (Linda O’Conner), Ethel Shutta (Nellie Malone), Stan Watt (Charlie [The Juiceman], Stage Manager), Debbie Scott (Flower Girl), Diane Coupe (Rita Bradley), Robin Bailey (Christopher Lawrence Cromwell), Robert Murray (Shine Boy), Sean Peters (Teddy), Woody Kessler (The Piano Player), Misty (The Pony); Dancing Ensemble: Sally Ackerman, Diane Coupe, Mollie Sterns, Blair Hammond, Robert Murray, Al Sambogna, Gerald Teijelo; Singing Ensemble: Lispet Nelson, Julie Sargant, Bernice Saunders, Sharon Vaughn, Martin Ambrose, Stephen Elmore, Rico Froehlich, Oran Osburn

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The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in 1906 in a small town in South Dakota, New York City, and Seattle.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Mountie Gets His Man, or Chang Lu, King of the White Slavers” (Melodrama) (Mr. Kirby Smith [The Evil Chang Lu], Mr. George Wallace [Randolph of the Royal Mounted], Mr. Gerald Teijelo [Lu Wong, A Misguided Coolie]), Mr. Robert Murray [Dong Foo, A Misguided Coolie]), Miss Mary Martin [Our Melissa]), Mr. Jeremiah Morris [The Bear], Miss Elaine Swann [The Wicked Owner of a House of Ill Repute], Miss Linda Donovan [A Tragic Virgin Sold into White Slavery], Miss Sharon Vaughn [A Sinful Woman of Ill Repute], Mr. Stephen Elmore [A Croupier], Mr. Rico Froehlich [A Woodsman], Miss Julie Sargant [A Pioneer Woman]); “Waitin’ for the Evening Train” (Mary Martin, George Wallace); “When You’re Far Away from New York Town” (Jack De Lon, Company); “I Still Look at You That Way” (Mary Martin); “When You’re Far Away from New York Town” (reprise) (Brian Chapin, Sewing Girls); “For Better or Worse” (Ethel Shutta); “Born Again” (Mary Martin, Jack De Lon, Company); “Over Here” (Robin Bailey, Mary Martin); “Before I Kiss the World Good-Bye” (Mary Martin); “Sauce Diable” (dance) (The Dance Company, with Imelda DeMartin, Gerald Teijelo, Diane Coupe, Blair Hammond, Sally Ackerman, Robert Murray, Sharon Vaughn, Al Sambogna); “Where You Are” (Robin Bailey, Mary Martin); “The Jig” (Robin Bailey, Mary Martin, Company); “See Seattle” (George Wallace) Act Two: “High Is Better Than Low” (George Wallace, Mary Martin, Company); “The Night May Be Dark” (Mary Martin, Ethel Shutta); “Dance Rehearsal” (Harem Girls); “I Believe in Takin’ a Chance” (George Wallace, Jack De Lon); “Welcome” (Harem Girls); “Lonely Nights” (Mary Martin); “The Sultan’s 50th Bride” (Melodrama) (Mr. Kirby Smith [Sultan], Miss Diane Coupe [Harem Girl], Miss Sally Ackerman [Harem Girl], Miss Linda Donovan [Harem Girl], Mr. Gerald Teijelo [Guardian], Mr. Robert Murray [Guardian], Mr. Al Sambogna [Guardian], Mr. Blair Hammond [Eunuch], Mr. Martin Ambrose [Eunuch], Mr. Jeremiah Morris [Indian Fakir], Miss Mary Martin [Shalamar], Mr. George Wallace [Omar]); “Before I Kiss the World Good-Bye” (reprise) (Mary Martin) Laurette Taylor (1884–1946) is one of the legends of the American theatre. Her career spanned five decades, and she created major roles throughout her long career on Broadway, from the title character in Peg o’ My Heart (1919), which ran for 604 performances, to her final Broadway appearance in 1945 as Amanda Wingfield in the original production of Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, which played for 563 performances. But two major attempts to tell her life story on the stage were major flops. In 1960, Judy Holliday starred in Stanley Young’s drama Laurette, which was based on Marguerite Courtney’s biography of her mother. The play began its tryout in New Haven on September 26, and closed in Philadelphia on October 1, after giving just one preview performance. The play later surfaced in Dublin in 1964, with Siobhan McKenna in the title role. In 1963, Mary Martin starred in Jennie, and it too was based on (or at least “suggested by”) Courtney’s book. While Jennie didn’t close during its tryout, it shuttered after eighty-two disappointing performances. The musical dealt with Laurette Taylor’s early years when she toured the country in old-fashioned melodramas with her caddish actor-producer-husband James O’Connor (George Wallace), whom she eventually leaves. Upon returning to New York, she meets playwright Christopher Lawrence Cromwell (Robin Bailey), and romance blossoms. But she’s soon reconciled with James, and they go off touring. When Christopher enters the picture again, he presents Laurette with a copy of his new play, which is based on her Irish family and background. In the meantime, Laurette is still playing in James’s melodrama The Sultan’s 50th Bride when one of his flashy props literally “flashes” and a fire destroys the theatre. James then goes on a bender, but not before he tells Jennie to leave him forever. She does, and heads for New York to meet her theatrical destiny with the starring role in Peg o’ My Heart. Howard Taubman in the New York Times found the musical a “soggy saga,” and although he enjoyed two amusing sequences that spoofed old-time melodrama, the “lachrymose” book kept intruding on the fun. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune also enjoyed the spoofs, but felt Arnold Schulman’s book “couldn’t be more determined to oppress us . . . a woeful tale of some woeful people told in a woeful way.” Kerr found

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James O’Connor uninteresting, and noted that when Laurette and Christopher embrace it’s “like watching store-window mannequins try to warm up to each other.” Laurette’s life was so “dull” it was no wonder she was a great actress (“Sublimation, clearly”), and what the stage Jennie so desperately needed was “some other musical comedy.” “Jennie missed me,” Kerr concluded (in a sly reference to the title of his wife Jean Kerr’s first play, Jenny Kissed Me [1948]). Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun began his review with “Poor Jennie,” and noted the evening gave Laurette Taylor’s story a “disappointing hackneyed treatment,” and Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical “curiously disappointing” with an “uningratiating” book that lacked humor. But John McClain in the New York Journal-American found Jennie a “good” if not “great” show, and John Chapman in the New York Daily News generally liked the evening although he noted it was often “tearful” and “somber.” Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz’s score was their final one for Broadway, and it was distinctly disappointing. Most of the songs were little more than adequate, and lacked inspiration. Perhaps the best of the lot was the jaunty old-time shuffle “Waitin’ for the Evening Train.” Taubman felt their score was not the “most notable” of their careers; Kerr felt they were in a “hit-and-miss mood”; and Nadel noted some of the songs “work passably” but could “hardly be termed startlingly original.” Watts felt Schwartz’s contributions weren’t “distinguished,” but were nonetheless “pleasant and tuneful.” As mentioned, the two melodrama spoofs were the highlights of the evening. The first, The Mountie Gets His Man, or Chang Lu, King of the White Slavers, took place against a real waterfall in which “Our Melissa” (Mary Martin) meets up with all sorts of trouble. She fights off two Chinese (described as “two misguided coolies” in the program), knifes the evil Chang Lu, saves her baby from drowning, and is almost done in by a bear, but is saved from that horrible fate when the hero Randolph of the Royal Mounties (George Wallace) breaks free of his shackles and kills the beast. The second spoof, The Sultan’s 50th Bride, finds Shalamar (Mary Martin) living in a harem as one of the sultan’s fifty wives. When she incurs the sultan’s wrath, she’s tied to a “kind of revolving weenie-roast” (per Kerr), and at each revolution cobras try to strike her. But while the segment was amusing, Kerr found fault with Shalamar’s song (“Lonely Nights”), noting it was “not for one moment funny or ingratiating.” During the tryout, the songs “O’Connor,” “Close Your Eyes,” “On the Other Hand,” “No Hope for the Human Race,” and “It Isn’t What You Have” were deleted. Dennis O’Keefe originated the role of James O’Connor, but during the tryout was replaced by George Wallace. The supporting cast of Jennie included Broadway veteran Ethel Shutta, who eight years later appeared in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies and stopped the show with “Broadway Baby.” Other interesting names in the large cast were Stephen (Steve) Elmore, Gerald Teijelo, and Rico Froehlich, all of whom peppered Broadway musicals throughout the era with their various singing and/or dancing talents. The cast album was recorded by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1083; the CD was released by RCA # 09026-60819-2).

110 IN THE SHADE “A NEW MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre Opening Date: October 24, 1963 Closing Date: August 8, 1964 Performances: 330 Book: N. Richard Nash Lyrics: Tom Jones Music: Harvey Schmidt (dance music by William Goldenberg) Based on the 1954 play The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash. Direction: Joseph Anthony; Producer: David Merrick; Choreography: Agnes de Mille; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Motley; Lighting: John Harvey; Musical Direction: Donald Pippin Cast: George Church (Toby), Stephen Douglass (File), Will Geer (H. C. Curry), Steve Roland (Noah Curry), Scooter Teague (Jimmie Curry), Inga Swenson (Lizzie Curry), Lesley (Ann) Warren (Snookie), Diane Deering (Mrs. Jensen), Seth Riggs (Phil Mackey), Christopher Votos (Tommy), Renee Dudley (Belinda), Don

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Crabtree (Geshy Toops), Jerry Dodge (Gil Demby), Leslie Franzos (Olive Barrow), Dori Davis (Hannah), Loren Hightower (Wally Skacks III), Evelyn Taylor (Maurine Toops), Vernon Lusby (Bo Dollivon), Robert Shepard (Mr. Curtis), Robert Horton (Bill Starbuck), Carl Nicholas (Wally Skacks); Townspeople: Lynne Broadbent, Leslie Franzos, Lucia Lambert, Paula Lloyd, Evelyn Taylor, Esther Villavicencio, Florence Wilson, Don Atkinson, Frank Derbas, Jerry Dodge, Ben Gillespie, Loren Hightower, Vernon Lusby, Arthur Whitfield, Barbara Bossert, Gretchen Cryer, Dori Davis, Diane Deering, Carolyn Kemp, Urylee Leonardos, Donna Sanders, Clifford Fearl, David London, Carol Nicholas, Stan Page The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Texas from dawn to midnight of a summer day in a time of drought.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Another Hot Day” (Stephen Douglass, Townspeople); “Lizzie’s Coming Home” (Will Geer, Steve Roland, Scooter Teague); “Love, Don’t Turn Away” (Inga Swenson); “Poker Polka” (Stephen Douglass, Will Geer, Steve Roland); “Hungry Men” (Townspeople); “The Rain Song” (Robert Horton, Townspeople); “You’re Not Foolin’ Me” (Inga Swenson, Robert Horton); “Raunchy” (Inga Swenson, Will Geer); “A Man and a Woman” (Inga Swenson, Stephen Douglass); “Old Maid” (Inga Swenson) Act Two: “Everything Beautiful Happens at Night” (George Church, Scooter Teague, Leslie Warren, Townspeople); “Melisande” (Robert Horton); “Simple Little Things” (Inga Swenson); “Little Red Hat” (Leslie Warren, Scooter Teague); “Is It Really Me?” (Inga Swenson, Robert Horton); “Wonderful Music” (Stephen Douglass, Robert Horton, Inga Swenson); “The Rain Song” (reprise) (Company) In the fall of 1963, New York City was in the midst of a drought, and water restrictions were in place. Oddly enough, two Broadway productions opened in late October 1963 which reflected rain or the lack of it. On October 22, Howard Teichmann’s comedy A Rainy Day in Newark opened for a one-week run, and two days later 110 in the Shade premiered. If the musical wasn’t a blockbuster, it nonetheless ran throughout the season for a total run of 330 performances and showed a small profit. During the 1963–1964 season, 110 in the Shade had to compete with such smash hits as Hello, Dolly! and Funny Girl as well as an array of big-name stars (Carol Channing, Barbra Streisand, Beatrice Lillie, Tammy Grimes, Steve Lawrence, and Carol Burnett). Moreover, despite its memorable score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, the show didn’t have a hit song to readily identify it to potential ticket-buyers. But the musical has continued to be produced over the decades, and is probably more appreciated now than it was in 1963. Its heartfelt story may well be the most touching and dramatic of the entire season’s worth of musicals, and its intelligent, melodic score offers atmospheric songs, character-driven soliloquies, ballads, and choral numbers. N. Richard Nash based his libretto on his 1954 Broadway play The Rainmaker. The plot took place from dawn to dusk in a small Texas town in a time of drought, and focused on Lizzie Curry (Inga Swenson), a rather plain young woman in the midst of her own emotional drought as she contemplates a long future as a spinster who keeps house for her father H. C. (Will Geer) and two unmarried brothers Noah (Steve Roland) and Jimmie (Scooter Teague). Suddenly into Lizzie’s life walks con-man Bill Starbuck (Robert Horton), a spiritual cousin not only to Harold Hill but to Joe Dynamite, the leading male character in Nash’s libretto for the 1960 musical Wildcat: Joe Dynamite promises oil, Starbuck promises rain. In the meantime, the town’s lonely, divorced, and slightly embittered Sheriff File (Stephen Douglass) is attracted to Lizzie but is too shy to show his love. Ultimately, Lizzie faces one of the most common of all musical comedy dilemmas, whether to choose a flashy, exciting, but probably unreliable man or one who is stalwart, dependable, and slightly dull. But her problem wasn’t presented in a facile manner, and was instead handled with intelligence and taste on the part of Nash, Jones, and Schmidt, especially in the “challenge” song between Starbuck and File in which each beckons Lizzie with his own brand of “Wonderful Music.” The rich score offered a striking opening number for File and the townspeople as they face the morning of “Another Hot Day,” in which minor key harmonics reflect a kind of Western movie soundtrack ambience. Further, the second act opened at twilight with the enchanting lantern-lit “Everything Beautiful Happens at Night,” a lovely ballad in a score of many striking ballads (including a quartet of ballads for Lizzie, either as solos or duets, “Love, Don’t Turn Away,” “Simple Little Things,” “A Man and a Woman,” and “Is It Really Me?”). Starbuck’s revival-like “Rain Song” stirred up the townsfolk with its promise of rain, and his

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“Melisande” was a brilliant yet oddly underrated song (astonishingly, it was omitted in one revival) in which he gives Lizzie a more glamorous name as he confusedly tells the story of the famous Melisande, who was courted by King Hamlet of Mexico who sought out the golden fleece for her. Lizzie and Starbuck also shared the angry duet “You’re Not Foolin’ Me,” in which each of them exposed the other, he as a con artist, she as a sexually frustrated “old maid.” Indeed, Lizzie’s “Old Maid,” which depicted her fear and anguish of growing old alone, brought down the first-act curtain against a surreal sunset which suggested a blazing, blood-red sky of suffocating heat. A lighter number was the irresistible “Poker Polka” for Lizzie’s father, brothers, and File; the Curry men try to induce File to stay for supper and entertainment, but File resolutely puts a damper on their offers of dinner, cards, and dancing. Another song (“Raunchy”) was a pull-all-the-stops-out fantasy in which Lizzie imagines herself a worldly, wicked vamp. Three years later, Schmidt and Jones offered a similarly delightful companion piece to “Raunchy” in I Do! I Do!: for the proper Agnes (Mary Martin), they wrote “Flaming Agnes,” in which the character conjures up a naughty and flirtatious woman-of-the-world alter ego. The only song in the score that didn’t make the grade was “Little Red Hat” for Jimmie and his girlfriend Snookie (Lesley [Ann] Warren); this obvious and smarmy number was out of sync for a musical that told its story with intelligence and that generally avoided typical Broadway flashiness. Despite its carefully delineated characters, its strong book, and superior score, 110 in the Shade has never enjoyed the breakthrough production that might solidify a place among the best American musicals. Because it takes place during one day’s time, the story might benefit from being compressed into one act, with the omission of “Little Red Hat.” Further, while The Rainmaker takes place in the 1920s, the musical version seems to occur two or three decades later. What the story really needs is a setting that takes place much earlier, around the turn of the twentieth century. It seems unlikely that contemporary mid-twentieth-century townspeople would fall for Starbuck’s claim to bring rain, just as contemporary parents would question a Harold Hill who sells musical instruments based on a “think” system. But we accept The Music Man because it occurs in 1912; we know better, but we like to think the era was a simpler and more trusting time. Placing 110 in the Shade in a circa-1900 setting would possibly add to its charm and give it a somewhat nostalgic fable-like quality. As it stands, Lizzie’s return from a visit with distant relatives (“Lizzie’s Coming Home”) is treated as a major event by her family, and hearing the song for the first time the listener might assume Lizzie’s been away for months instead of two weeks. But it’s not a stretch to imagine a train trip would have been more exotic in 1900, and so the song would be more comfortable if placed in an earlier time period. Similarly, a modern woman would probably not feel her life is over because she isn’t married, but we’d be more accepting of this notion from one living at the turn of the century. Judicious tweaking of the dialogue and songs (especially “Raunchy”), the omission of “Little Red Hat,” and a change in the time frame would give 110 in the Shade a surer sense of itself and would clarify both the basic premise of the plot (that a man can cause rain to fall) and the conflicts within the characters. The New York critics had mixed reactions to the musical. Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt Nash’s book needed more fantasy and magic, and, surprisingly, he brushed off the score (but was correct in his assessment of “Little Red Hat,” which he noted was “a kind of distasteful theme song for vulgar theatre suited to a world of debased values”). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt Nash had swept away much of the charm of his original play, and had neglected to add much humor to his libretto; further, he was surprised the musical was “nearly danceless,” especially since Agnes de Mille was the choreographer. Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the evening was “agreeable,” but lacked “festivity,” and noted the book lacked the “excitement and brilliance that could have transformed a pleasant musical play into a sparkling and resounding delight.” But John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the show was “our first top-flight musical of the new season and a distinct credit to this or any other year,” and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun found 110 in the Shade “a happy show . . . [Schmidt and Jones] have enhanced an honest and gladsome story with the friendly spirit of their songs.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News loved the musical, proclaiming “Broadway’s musical drought is over” thanks to producer and “rainmaker” David Merrick. During the tryout, “Everything Was Fine,” “Come On Along” (which had originally been written for, but not used in, The Fantasticks), “I Live by Myself and Like It,” “Cinderella,” “Too Many People Alone,” “Evening Star,” and “Fireworks Dance” were deleted. The early flyers of the show featured Hal Holbrook as one of the stars (he was replaced by Stephen Douglass).

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Other songs written for, but apparently never used in, the production are “Desseau Dance Hall,” “Flibbertigibbet,” “I Can Dance,” “Inside My Head,” “Just Fine,” “Pretty Is,” and “Sweet River.” Later in the New York run, Joan Fagan replaced Inga Swenson. Fagan had starred in Donnybrook! (1961), and her lovely singing voice can be heard on that show’s cast album. After her stint in 110 in the Shade, she never again appeared on the New York stage. The London production opened on February 8, 1967, at the Palace Theatre. Swenson and Douglass reprised their Broadway roles, and Ivor Emmanuel was Starbuck. The production added a title song; early in the run, it was sung in the first act by Jimmie (here Jim) Curry, but was dropped from this spot and replaced the reprise of “Rain Song” for the show’s finale. The original Broadway cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1085); when RCA issued the CD (# 1085-2-RG), the show’s overture was added (it had been recorded in 1963, but had not been included on the cast album). The demo recording of the score includes seven songs. Living Strings—New from Broadway (RCA Camden Records LP # CAL/CAS-790) included four songs from the score (“Is It Really Me?,” “Another Hot Day,” “Everything Beautiful Happens at Night,” and the cut “Too Many People Alone”) and Opening Night with Ed Ames (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-2781) included the deleted “Pretty Is.” Except for two 45 RPM singles, there was no London cast album: Columbia DB-8126 offered the title song and “Little Red Hat,” and Columbia DB-8131 offered “A Man and a Woman” and “Another Hot Day.” Earthly Paradise, Susan Watson’s lovely collection of Schmidt and Jones songs, included a medley of “Sweet River” and “Simple Little Things” (Nassau Records CD # 96568). The Show Goes On, the 1997 OffBroadway revue tribute to Schmidt and Jones, included “I Can Dance,” “Desseau Dance Hall,” “Flibbertigibbet,” “Come On Along,” “Another Hot Day,” ”Melisande,” and “Simple Little Things.” The collection Lost in Boston (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5475) includes “Just Fine,” “Sweet River,” and “Flibbertigibbet”; Lost in Boston III (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5563) includes “Inside My Head”; and Lost in Boston IV (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5768) includes “Pretty Is” and “Evening Star.” The musical was revived by the New York City Opera at the New York State Theatre on July 18, 1992, for twelve performances; conducted by Paul Gemignani, the cast included Karen Ziemba (Lizzie), Brian Sutherland (Starbuck), Richard Muenz (File), Henderson Forsythe (H. C.), Walter Charles (Noah), and Crista Moore (Snookie). The score omitted “Hungry Men,” and added “Why Can’t They Leave Me Alone,” “Come On Along,” “Cinderella,” and “Evening Star” (here, “Shooting Star”). In 1997, a two-CD studio cast album was released by JAY Records (# CDJAY-2-1282), which included Karen Ziemba, Richard Muenz, and Walter Charles from the 1992 New York City Opera production; the singing cast also included Ron Raines (Starbuck), George Lee Andrews (H. C.), and Kristin Chenoweth (Snookie). Tom Jones was Toby, and Harvey Schmidt was Phil Mackey. The recording included the entr’acte, curtain music, exit music, and “Cinderella.” On May 9, 2007, the Roundabout Theatre Company revived the musical at Studio 54 for ninety-four performances; the cast included Audra MacDonald (Lizzie), Steve Kazee (Starbuck), Christopher Innvar (File), John Cullum (H.  C.), and Bobby Steggert (Jimmie, here Jimmy). The revival included “Evening Star” and “Cinderella,” and the cast recording was released by PS Classics (CD # 7545).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Inga Swenson); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Will Geer); Best Director of a Musical (Joseph Anthony); Best Composer and Lyricist (Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones)

TAMBOURINES TO GLORY “A GOSPEL SINGING PLAY” Theatre: Little Theatre Opening Date: November 2, 1963 Closing Date: November 23, 1964 Book and Lyrics: Langston Hughes

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Music: Traditional Music (new music by Jobe Huntley) Direction: Nikos Psacharopoulos; Producers: S. & H. Venture and Sydney S. Baron; Choreography: Judd Jones (Dance Assistant to the Director); Scenery and Costumes: John Conklin; Lighting: Peter Hunt; Choral Direction: Clara Ward Cast: Robert Guillaume (C. J. Moore), Rudy Challenger (Marshall, Policeman, Windus), Garwood Perkins (Marshall, Bartender, Deacon, Prison Warden), Rosetta Le Noire (Essie Belle Johnson), Clyde Williams (Youth, Brother Clyde, Minister of Music), Rosalie King (Mattie Morningside), Hilda Simms (Laura Wright Reed), Louis Gossett (Big-Eyed Buddy Lomax), Clara Ward (Birdie Lee), Anna English (Gloria Dawn), Helen Ferguson (Member of The Gloriettas), Tina Sattin (Member of The Gloriettas), Brother John Sellers (Brother Bud, Deacon), Micki Grant (Marietta Johnson), Clark Morgan (Deacon), Laurence Watson (Deacon), Lynn Hamilton (Deaconess Lucy Mae Hobbs), Joseph Attles (Chicken-Crow-For-Day), Alton Williams (Minister for Music); Tambourine Temple Choir, Passersby, Cabaret Patrons, and Neighborhood Folk: Rudy Challenger, Dorothy Drake, Helen Ferguson, Claretta Freemon, Carl Hall, Alma Hubbard, Judd Jones, Rosalie King, Julie Merrell, Theresa Merritt, Clark Morgan, Garwood Perkins, Tina Sattin, Adele Schofield, Laurence Watson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place sometime in the past in Harlem, New York City.

Musical Numbers

The Playbill didn’t list individual songs; the following is a list of the numbers which were performed in the musical: “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” (traditional); “O, What Blessings to Receive”; “Travelling Show”; “The New York Blues”; “Scat with Me”; “Moon Outside My Window”; “As I Go”; “Just to Be a Flower in the Garden of the Lord”; “I’ve Come Back to the Fold”; “I’m Gonna Testify”; “Away from Temptation”; “Devil, Take Yourself Away”; “Yes, Ma’am”; “Fix Me”; “Just Trust in Him”; “”God’s Got a Way”; “Let the Church Say Amen”; “God’s Love Can Save”; “If You’ve Got a Tambourine, Shake It to the Glory of God” (aka “Tambourines to Glory”) Sometimes mistaken for a concert-like gospel musical such as God’s Trombones (Off-Broadway; 1960) and Your Arms Too Short to Box with God (Broadway; 1976), Langston Hughes’s Tambourines to Glory was a book musical with gospel and song interludes (there were traditional songs as well as new ones with lyrics by Hughes and music by Jobe Huntley). The musical was written in 1956, and seems to have been produced in churches and perhaps a few regional theatres. Hughes later adapted the musical into a novel of the same name, which was published in 1958. In 1963, the musical premiered on Broadway. The story centered on two very different women, the honest, God-fearing Essie Belle Johnson (Rosetta Le Noire) and the prostitute Laura Wright Reed (Hilda Simms) who join forces with nice-guy college student C. J. Moore (Robert Guillaume) to start a street-front church in Harlem where they pass around a tambourine for pocket money. Soon the threesome prosper, and before long they’ve converted an abandoned theatre into a grand church called the Tambourine Temple. But Laura meets up with no-good panderer Big-Eyed Buddy Lomax (Louis Gossett) who intends to use the church as a front for the numbers racket (the numbers will be announced by the numbers of the specific gospel hymns performed). Ultimately, the evening’s big question is whether God or the devil will prevail at the Tambourine Temple, but of course the outcome is never really in doubt. The critics felt that buried in the book was the essence of a good musical, but they noted Hughes lost control of the evening by never focusing on good dramaturgy. Norman Nadel in the New York WorldTelegram and Sun said the evening was wordy at times (Hughes establishes that Lomax is evil, and then continues to do so over and over again) and underdeveloped at others (Hughes seems to lose interest in Essie, and soon her character becomes “passive” and “colorless”). Howard Taubman in the New York Times wrote that as drama the show was “embarrassing,” lacking “a point of view [as it] shifts carelessly from comedy to satire to melodrama.” He also noted the evening’s uneven tone crept into the gospel numbers, which shifted between “spoof and earnestness.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times indicated the work was “almost” a musical and “almost” a straight play, and “almost is the worst word I know.” He also noted the

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book was the victim of “long dialogue sessions,” and some of the material was “too serious” with “sober psychology” to mesh well with the jubilant gospel sequences. The critics agreed the music was the best part of the evening, and they would have welcomed more of it. They also praised the cast, which included Micki Grant, Clara Ward, and Joseph (C.) Attles. It’s fascinating to note the statement by John McClain (in the New York Journal-American) that he meant “no condescension” by saying “the American Negro can sing and move better than anybody” and has an “exuberant sense of humor about himself.” In the then-present-day climate of civil rights, “he is endearing as it is possible for any human being to be.” Further, John Chapman in the New York Daily News said “it seems impossible for a Negro to sing badly.” These statements were obviously well meant, but today their condescension leaves the reader bemused. The script was included in the hardback collection Five Plays by Langston Hughes (Indiana University Press, 1963). A recording of the score (which includes a booklet with background information, photos, and the lyrics of the songs) was released by Folkways Records LP # FG-3538 (as Tambourines to Glory: Gospel Songs by Langston Hughes and Jobe Huntley); it was recorded live on October 3, 1958, by the Porter Singers with Ernest Cook at the Second Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem (the LP was later released on CD by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings # FG-3538). The album includes five songs heard in the Broadway production (“Let the Church Say Amen,” “I’m Gonna Testify,” “Tambourines to Glory,” “Devil, Take Yourself Away,” and “As I Go”), and four that were not (“Home to God,” “When I Touch His Garment,” “Thank God, I Have the Bible,” “Back to the Fold”). Also included are opening (“Choral Humming”) and closing themes (the latter for piano and organ), both of which may have been heard in the Broadway version. With the opening of Tambourines to Glory, the intimate Winthrop Ames Theatre was reclaimed for the legitimate stage. Rechristened the Little Theatre, the refurbished six-hundred-seat house had been a television studio for many years, but was now back in the business of legitimate theatre.

THE GOLDEN AGE “AN ENTERTAINMENT

IN THE

WORDS

AND

MUSIC

OF THE

ELIZABETHAN AGE”

Theatre: Lyceum Theatre Opening Date: November 18, 1963 Closing Date: November 23, 1963 Performances: 7 Production “devised” by Richard Johnson Music “devised” by Sydney Beck Based on writings and music of the Elizabethan era. Direction: Douglas Campbell; Producers: Arthur Cantor and E. E. Fogelson; Scenery: Period furniture by Newell Art Galleries; Costumes: Men’s evening wear by After Six; gowns by Domingo A. Rodriguez; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Sydney Beck Cast: Douglas Campbell, Nancy Wickwire, Douglas Rain, Lester Rawlins; Singers: Betty Wilson (Soprano), James Stover (Tenor), Gordon Myers (Baritone); Consort of Instruments: Blanche Winogron (Virginals, Cittern), James Tyler (Lute, Tenor Viol, Recorders), Leonid Bolotine (Pandora, Violin), Robert Kuehn (Bass Viol) The revue was presented in two acts.

Readings and Musical Sequences Act One: Spring and Summer—“Elizabeth Regina” (by Sir John Davies) (Douglas Rain, Douglas Campbell, Lester Rawlins); “Blow, Shakespeare, Blow!” (song by Thomas Morley) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers); “See Where She Sits” (by Edmund Spenser) (Company); “The Shepherd’s Delight” (song; anonymous) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers, Consort); “The Fair Milkmaid” (by Sir Thomas Overbury) (Lester Rawlins); “I Would I Had Some Flowers” (by William Shakespeare) (Nancy Wickwire); “The Countryman’s Letter” (by Nicholas Breton) (Douglas Campbell); “Ah, What Is Love?” (by Robert Greene) (Nancy Wickwire); “It Was a Lover and His Lass” (song by Thomas Morley, from Shakespeare’s As You Like It [c. 1599]) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Blanche Winogron); “Phillidah Flouts Me”

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(Anonymous) (Douglas Rain); “The Shepherd to His Love” (by Christopher Marlowe) (Douglas Campbell); “The Shepherdess Replies” (by Sir Walter Raleigh) (Nancy Wickwire); “I Care Not for These Ladies” (song by Thomas Campion) (Gordon Myers, James Tyler, Robert Kuehn); “The Country Life” (by Thomas Dekker) (Lester Rawlins); “Shepherd and Courtier” (from Shakespeare’s As You Like It [c. 1599]) (Douglas Campbell, Douglas Rain); “Lord Souche’s Masque” (music; anonymous) (Consort); “Royal Progress) (edited from various sources) (Company); “Michells Galliard” (music; anonymous) (Consort); “Now Is the Month of Maying” (song by Thomas Morley) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers, Consort); “An English Housewife” (by Gervase Markham) (Douglas Rain); “Oh, These Men” (from Shakespeare’s Othello [c. 1603]) (Nancy Wickwire); “Sigh No More” (from Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing [c. 1598]; music from a sixteenth-century manuscript) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Robert Kuehn); “Doctors—Good and Bad” (by Nicholas Breton) (Lester Rawlins); “What Is’t You Lack?” (Anonymous Masque) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers, Blanche Winogron); “Neurosis” (by Reginald Scott) (Douglas Rain); “To Bed with Mirth” (by Andrew Boorde) (Nancy Wickwire); “Lullaby” (by Thomas Dekker; set to music by Sidney Beck) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers); “The Hunt Is Up” (anonymous song; set to music by Sidney Beck) (Betty Wilson, Leonid Bolotine); “Hunting” (by Gervase Markham) (Douglas Campbell); “The King’s Hunt” (music by John Bull) (Blanche Winogron); “Football” (by Philip Stubbes) (Douglas Rain); “The Road to London” (by Thomas Deloney) (Company); “To Portsmouth” (song from the Melvill Collection) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers, Unidentified Singer); “A Good Sherris-Sack” (by Shakespeare) (Douglas Campbell); “The Nut Brown Ale” (Douglas Rain, Lester Rawlins); “Troll the Bowl” (by Thomas Dekker) (Lester Rawlins); “A Drinking Song” (Company) Act Two: Fall and Winter— “Barafostus Dreame” (Anonymous; music by Sidney Beck) (Consort); “It Is Now the Seventh Hour” (by Nicholas Breton) (Nancy Wickwire); “The Cries of London” (music; anonymous; from a sixteenth-century manuscript) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers, Consort); “Where Be These Boys” (from A Shoemaker’s Holiday by Thomas Dekker [1599]) (Company); “London” (by Thomas Dekker) (Douglas Rain); “London: A Foreigner’s View” (edited from various sources) (Douglas Campbell, Nancy Wickwire, Douglas Rain); “The Theatre” (by Thomas Platter) (Company); “Irish Jig” (music; anonymous) (Blanche Winogron); “Sermon” (edited from various sources) (Douglas Rain); “How to Behave at the Theatre” (by Thomas Dekker) (Douglas Campbell); “Oxenford’s March” (music; anonymous) (Consort); “Prologue: The Armada” (by Shakespeare) (Lester Rawlins); “The Queen Speaks” (by Queen Elizabeth) (Nancy Wickwire); “Joyne Hands” (music; by Thomas Morley) (Consort); “Happy and Glorious” (by Sir John Hayward) (Lester Rawlins); “The Queen in Her Court” (by Paul Hentzner) (Douglas Campbell, Douglas Rain, Lester Rawlins); “The Golden Speech” (by Queen Elizabeth) (Nancy Wickwire); “The Queen’s Galliard” (song by John Dowland) (James Tyler, Leonid Bolotine); “To Ride Comely” (unidentified source) (Douglas Campbell); “A Courtier to All Men’s Thinking” (by Charles Ascham) (Douglas Rain); “Why Do You Stand Bare Headed?” (Douglas Campbell, Douglas Rain); “Winter Song” (from Shakespeare’s As You Like It [c. 1599]; set to music by Sidney Beck) (James Stover, Blanche Winogron); “Storm at Sea” (by John Jane) (Lester Rawlins); “The Peril of Waters” (The Bible, Psalm 107) (Company); “In Darkness Let Me Dwell” (song by John Dowland) (Gordon Myers, Blanche Winogron, Robert Kuehn); “Tichborne’s Elegy” (by Chidiock Tichborne) (Douglas Campbell); “The Queen Repents” (by Queen Elizabeth) (Nancy Wickwire); “That Time of Year” (by Shakespeare) (Douglas Rain); “His Pilgrimage” (by Sir Walter Raleigh) (Lester Rawlins); “A Carol for New Year’s Day” (by William Byrd; set to music by Sidney Beck) (Betty Wilson, James Stover, Gordon Myers, Consort); Epilogue (by Richard Breton) (Douglas Campbell) Like The Hollow Crown, which had opened during the previous season, The Golden Age was a concertlike evening of readings and occasional songs based on British writings and music that was “devised” by Richard Johnson and directed by Douglas Campbell. The readings were by Campbell, Nancy Wickwire, Douglas Rain, and Lester Rawlins, and the singers were Betty Wilson (soprano), James Stover (tenor), and Gordon Myers (baritone), who were accompanied by a “consort of instruments” comprised of Blanche Winogron (virginals and cittern), James Tyler (lute, tenor viol, and recorders), Leonid Bolotine (pandora and violin), and Robert Kuehn (bass viol). The musical portions of the evening were “devised” and directed by Sydney Beck, who also composed the music for a few of the evening’s songs. While The Hollow Crown had examined British royalty over the centuries, The Golden Age offered writings and period music from the Elizabethan era. The former received golden notices from the New York critics, but The Golden Age was given short shrift by audiences and most of the critics, and so it was gone within a week.

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Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the disparate material in The Hollow Crown was held together by the unity of its subject, the British monarchy, while The Golden Age focused on the “essence” of the Elizabethan era. Perhaps this more than anything doomed the self-described “entertainment” because the material was scattershot and lacked the singular viewpoint of The Hollow Crown. There was a certain attempt to unify the evening by seasonal groupings of the readings and music. Act One was “Spring and Summer,” Act Two was “Fall and Winter.” But Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the work lacked theatricality, was unfocused, and was “badly organized.” He suggested it would have been more “suitable for the Library of Congress” because it gazed at “bookshelves, some undusted, some undigested.” Kerr further noted the evening’s “most intense acting” resulted from the “feigned” expressions of fascinated interest from any given three cast members as they watched the fourth one perform. They were “good liars” because their looks of “composed adoration” and “quizzical benevolence” as well as their “benign, bemused, puckish or alert” expressions with “eyes ablaze with interest” could hardly be spontaneous and natural. John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the evening was untheatrical, and noted the readings had “little appeal” from the standpoint of Broadway entertainment, and Richard Watts in the New York Post said The Golden Age was “too placid theatrically to be properly enlivening on the stage.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun found the evening “engagingly staged and tastefully played,” but reported that after intermission there was a “multitude of empty seats.” He concluded that an evening of Elizabethan readings and songs were not “everybody’s bowl of porridge.” The evening’s writings were derived from such sources as Edmund Spenser, Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Dekker, Sir Walter Raleigh, and even Queen Elizabeth herself. Watts noted that one contributor was “that joy of all sound anthologists, good old Anonymous.” One of the evening’s highlights was Dekker’s “How to Behave at the Theatre,” which could perhaps be inserted into all Playbills with updated admonishments against cell phones, texting, candy wrappers, obligatory standing ovations, and the neurotic need for some audience members to participate in stage action by incessant cheering and clapping. The Golden Age had first been seen as The Elizabethans when it was presented in an earlier version at the YM-YWHA (at Lexington Avenue and West 92nd Street) in January 1962 for one performance. The cast included Douglas Campbell, Nancy Wickwire, Richard Johnson, and William Squire.

THE GIRL WHO CAME TO SUPPER “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Broadway Theatre Opening Date: December 8, 1963 Closing Date: March 14, 1964 Performances: 112 Book: Harry Kurnitz Lyrics and Music: Noel Coward Based on the 1953 play The Sleeping Prince by Terence Rattigan. Direction and Choreography: Joe Layton; Producer: Herman Levin; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: Marian Haraldson (Jessie Maynard), Florence Henderson (Mary Morgan), Jack Eddleman (Tony Morelli), Peter Pagan (Mr. Grimes), Maggie Worth (Violetta Vines), Roderick Cook (Peter Northbrook), Chris Gampel (Colonel Hofmann), Jose Ferrer (The Grand Duke Charles, Prince Regent of Carpathia), Donna Monroe (First Girl), Ruth Shepard (Second Girl), Carey Nairnes (Major-Domo), Sean Scully (King Nicholas III of Carpathia), Murray Adler (Simka), Irene Browne (Queen Mother), Tessie O’Shea (Ada Cockie), Lucie Lancaster (Baroness Brunheim), Ilona Murai (Lady Sunningdale); Dancers: Nancy Lynch, Julie Drake, Sheila Forbes, Jami Landi, Sandy Leeds, Carmen Morales, Ilona Murai, Mari Shelton, Gloria Smith, Mary Zahn, Ivan Allen, Robert Fitch, Jose Gutierrez, Peter Holmes, Scott Ray, Paul Reid Roman, Dan Siretta, Mike Toles; Singers: Jeremy Brown, Kellie Brytt, Carol Glade, Marian Haraldson, Elaine Labour, Donna Monroe, Ruth Shepard, Maggie Worth, Jack Eddleman, John Felton, Dell Hanley, Barney Johnston, Art Matthews, Bruce Peyton, Jack Rains, Mitchell Taylor The musical was presented in two acts.

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The action takes place in London on June 21 and 22, 1911, just prior to and during the Coronation of H.M. George V.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Swing Song” (Marian Haraldson, Jack Eddleman, Ensemble); “Carpathian National Anthem: Yasni Kozkolai” (Ensemble); “My Family Tree” (Jose Ferrer, Roderick Cook, Regent’s Aides); “I’ve Been Invited to a Party” (Florence Henderson); “Waltz” (Ensemble); “I’ve Been Invited to a Party” (reprise) (Florence Henderson); “When Foreign Princes Come to Visit Us” (Carey Nairnes, Footmen); “Sir or Ma’am” (Roderick Cook); “Soliloquies” (Jose Ferrer, Florence Henderson); “Lonely” (Jose Ferrer); London Sequence: “London Is a Little Bit of All Right” / “What Ho, Mrs. Brisket” / “Don’t Take Our Charlie for the Army” / “Saturday Night at the Rose and Crown” (Tessie O’Shea, Sean Scully, Ensemble); “London Is a Little Bit of All Right” (reprise) (Tessie O’Shea); “Here and Now” (Florence Henderson); “I’ve Been Invited to a Party” (reprise) (Florence Henderson); “Soliloquies” (reprise) (Jose Ferrer, Florence Henderson) Act Two: “Coronation Chorale” (Florence Henderson, Jose Ferrer, Principals, Ensemble); “How Do You Do, Middle Age?” (Jose Ferrer); “Here and Now” (reprise) (Florence Henderson); “The Stingaree” (dance) (Jose Ferrer, Ilona Murai, Ensemble); “Curt, Clear and Concise” (Jose Ferrer, Roderick Cook); “Tango” (dance) (Jose Ferrer, Florence Henderson, Dancing Ensemble); “The Coconut Girl” Sequence: “Welcome to Pootzie Van Doyle” / “The Coconut Girl” / “Paddy MacNeil and His Automobile” / “Swing Song” (reprise) / “Six Lillies of the Valley” / “The Walla Walla Boola” (Florence Henderson); “This Time It’s True Love” (Florence Henderson); “This Time It’s True Love” (reprise) (Jose Ferrer); “I’ll Remember Her” (Jose Ferrer) Noel Coward’s The Girl Who Came to Supper was based on Terence Rattigan’s comedy The Sleeping Prince, which opened in London in 1953 for 274 performances with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Set in 1911, the slight plot dealt with His Highness Grand Duke Charles, the Prince Regent of Carpathia, who is in London for George V’s coronation, and his one-night assignation with Mary Morgan, an American chorus girl. The Broadway version opened in 1956 for a short run of sixty performances with Michael Redgrave and Barbara Bel Geddes in the leading roles; a brief tour followed, which starred Frances Lederer and Shirley MacLaine. The play was filmed in 1957 as The Prince and the Showgirl, with Olivier reprising his London role opposite Marilyn Monroe as the showgirl; Olivier also directed the film. The lavish musical version, which received wildly divergent opinions, lasted a disappointing three months on Broadway. It was Coward’s final musical, and the second of his two musicals to have their premieres in New York (Sail Away was the other; in 1964, he directed High Spirits, the musical version of his play Blithe Spirit, for which Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray wrote the book, lyrics, and music). John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the “big, wonderful, tasteful, stylish smash” had a “merely enchanting” score, “simply dazzling” choreography, and Oliver Smith’s “elegant” décor (the sets “roll and fly around the stage like a mechanical toy”). Not since My Fair Lady had he been “so moved” by a musical. Richard Watts in the New York Post wrote that the evening had “wit, charm, and style,” and he praised the “tuneful and wonderfully refreshing” music and “civilized” lyrics. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the work “a rich full evening in the theatre” with “ingenious and eye-filling” choreography and “ingenious and ear-filling” songs. Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun noted the evening was “generously entertaining . . . visually . . . a royal eyefill. Settings and costumes represent [a] high point of lavishness and taste.” But the naysayers won the day. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the musical offered “sleepy-time narrative” and “indifferent comedy,” but, more damningly, the musical’s story inherited the intrinsic problem in Rattigan’s original play. For once the prince and chorus girl meet, “then what? There’s no obvious second step” to develop, and thus the evening offers a “non-story.” He concluded by wishing “someone had been willing to let sleeping princes lie.” Further, Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the book lacked even a “touch of elegance,” and the humor was lame. But Taubman agreed with his fellow critics that the musical was one of the most lavish of the era, and he praised Smith’s décor, which had the “opulence of a vanished age.” Besides the scenery and costumes, the critics also agreed that Joe Layton had created exciting dances, that Coward had written a delightful score that included such standout songs as “I’ve Been Invited to a Party,” “Coronation Chorale,” and “I’ll Remember Her.” For many, “Coronation Chorale” was the highlight of the

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score, but perhaps the evening’s most memorable number was the haunting “I’ll Remember Her,” which received airplay at the time but never quite reached the status of a standard. Further, the critics praised the cast. And everyone agreed that the evening offered a memorable showstopper, a sequence that came in and out of nowhere and had nothing to do with the plot (Kerr had asked “what next?,” and no doubt Coward himself had asked the same question, so he wrote “filler” material to bolster what might have been a thin evening). The dazzler occurred during the first act, when fish-and-chips seller Ada Cockle (Tessie O’Shea) and her fellow cronies and Cockneys suddenly materialize to sing and dance to a medley of music-hall-styled numbers (“London Is a Little Bit of All Right,” “What Ho, Mrs. Brisket,” “Don’t Take Our Charlie for the Army,” and “Saturday Night at the Rose and Crown”). Taubman said O’Shea “lifts the roof” off the theatre in a quartet of songs which are the musical’s “principal ornament,” and Kerr reported that she skimmed the ground, “kicking both feet in several directions at once . . . she must be mad. You’ll be mad for her.” For her jubilant and joyous performance, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Another impressive “filler” number occurred in the second act when Mary performs a one-woman miniversion of The Coconut Girl, the show she’s appearing in. The sequence included six songs (“Welcome to Pootzie Van Doyle,” “The Coconut Girl,” “Paddy MacNeil and His Automobile,” “Swing Song,” “Six Lilies of the Valley,” and “The Walla Walla Boola”). During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Long Live the King,” “Hey Nonny No,” “One Step,” “Come Be My True Love,” and “What’s the Matter with a Nice Beef Stew?” (the latter was part of the cockney sequence, and was performed by Tessie O’Shea). “Long Live the King (If He Can)” was a comic patter number about political assassination for the Prince Regent; after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, the song was permanently removed from the score and “My Family Tree” (which according to Noel Coward: The Complete Lyrics was a reworking of “Countess Mitzi” from Coward’s 1938 London musical Operette) was substituted. “Long Live the King” was the first of two songs deleted from a musical because of the assassination of a member of the Kennedy family. The 1968 Off-Broadway revue Now spoofed Robert Kennedy in “Bobby Baby,” which was performed in previews. Kennedy was shot during the night of June 4–June 5, and died on June 6. The revue officially opened on June 5, and the song was dropped from that and the remaining twenty-one performances. The original cast album of The Girl Who Came to Supper was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL6020 and # KOS-2420) and released on CD by Sony Broadway (# SK-48210). Noel Coward Sings His Score for “The Girl Who Came to Supper” was released by DRG Records (LP # SL-5178; CD # 5178), and included songs deleted either in preproduction or during the tryout (“Time Will Tell,” “Long Live the King,” “If Only Mrs. Applejohn Were Here,” “I’m a Lonely Man,” and “Just People”) as well as “Footman’s Sextet” (whose title was eventually changed to “When Foreign Princes Come to Visit Us”) and “Westminster Abbey” (title later changed to “Coronation Chorale”). Other songs written for, but not used in, the production were: “Play the Game” (for The Coconut Girl sequence), “Free Speech,” “Put Not Your Trust in Princes,” and “Life without Love.” Except for “One Step,” all the songs from The Girl Who Came to Supper are included in Noel Coward: The Complete Lyrics. David Brooks was Jose Ferrer’s standby, and Dran Seitz was the standby for Florence Henderson.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Tessie O’Shea); Best Author of a Musical (Harry Kurnitz and Noel Coward [Note: The musical’s Playbill and cast album credit Kurnitz as the sole author of the book]); Best Costume Designer (Irene Sharaff)

DOUBLE DUBLIN “AN ENTERTAINMENT” Theatre: Little Theatre Opening Date: December 26, 1963 Closing Date: December 28, 1963

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Performances: 4 Sketches: John Molloy and Noel Sheridan Direction: Production “supervised” by Gus Schirmer Jr.; Producer: Josephine Forrestal Productions, Inc.; Choreography: Musical numbers “edited” by David Nillo; Scenery and Lighting: Helen Pond and Herbert Senn; Costumes: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Baldwin Bergersen Cast: John Molloy, Noel Sheridan, Deirdre O’Callaghan, Patricia Brogan The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Numbers Act One: “Audience Reflections” (John Molloy, Noel Sheridan); “Window Dressing” (John Molloy); “100,000 Welcomes” (Noel Sheridan); “Darts” (John Molloy); “Rural Character” (John Molloy); “Gaelic Air” (song) (Deirdre O’Callaghan); “The Importance of Behan” (Noel Sheridan); “Amateur Theatricals” (Company); “Joyce’s Dublin” (Company); “Dublin Saunter” (Deirdre O’Callaghan); “Irish Jig” (Patricia Brogan) Act Two: “Irish Station Break” (possibly entr’acte music); “Four Portraits” (John Molloy); “Bonnet Trimmed with the Blue” (song) (Deirdre O’Callaghan, Patricia Brogan); “Folk Singer” (John Molloy, Noel Sheridan); “Keeping Up with the Jones” (Noel Sheridan); “The Fish Gutter” (John Molloy); “I Was Strolling” (song) (Deirdre O’Callaghan); “Portrait in Oils” (Noel Sheridan); “The Green Bushes” (song) (Deirdre O’Callaghan); “Matchmaker” (John Molloy, Noel Sheridan); Finale (Company) Double Dublin was an Irish import that was a compendium of sketches, jokes, blackouts, and songs from seven previously produced revues that had played in Dublin at the Gate Theatre. The modest four-person revue opened during Christmas week, and never saw the New Year: it closed after four performances. The sketches were written and performed by John Molloy and Noel Sheridan, who were supported by Deirdre O’Callaghan and Patricia Brogan. O’Callaghan played the harp and sang a few folk-like songs, and was occasionally joined by Brogan, who also danced a jig or two (according to the Playbill, the musical sequences were “edited” by David Nillo). One of the sketches was “Amateur Theatricals,” and a few of the critics pounced upon this title, exclaiming that Double Dublin often came across like amateur night. The critics liked the cast, and felt some of the material held promise. But the sketches needed a sharper tone and more focusing. Too often the evening was “woefully pedestrian . . . thin, short and spotty” (according to John McClain in the New York Journal-American). Howard Taubman in the New York Times hoped the Irish coffee served in the theatre’s lounge during intermission was “well spiked,” because the “refreshments” served on stage were “watery.” He found the material “wan . . . as if it had been through a famine.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun felt the revue’s Irish flavor was more “potato soup than Irish whisky,” and commented that the “thin, single-hued program” was “like drowning in a dew.” As for Walter Kerr in the New York Herald Tribune, he noted that since the “dawn of time” wit had been Ireland’s “principal export,” but now he felt “twilight” was approaching and all one could do is “redouble” from Double Dublin. The evening began promisingly with “Audience Reflections,” a skit in which Molloy and Sheridan sat with the audience and heckled an avant-garde play they were watching (“not uproarious .  .  . but it has a disarming Irish simplicity” about it, remarked Taubman). And Molloy (who received the best reviews of the evening) made “A Fish Gutter” the revue’s “highpoint,” according to McClain. The touching sketch depicted the plight of a middle-aged man drinking alone in a bar as he reflects upon his dismissal from his longtime job of gutting fish; he’s been told he no longer works “fast” enough. One sketch (“The Importance of Behan”) spoofed playwright Brendan Behan (who is described as “giving the impression of a horsehair sofa with a slow leak”); when asked what he thinks of “current affairs,” Behan replies he’s never had an affair with a “currant.” Kerr noted these and other similar one-liners would not be repeated because he had “relatives in Ireland and [I] do not want to see them held hostage.” Lord Snowden, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, then-husband of Princess Margaret, was the subject of another sketch, “Keeping Up with the Jones,” which Richard Watts in the New York Post described as “dismal” and Taubman termed tasteless. It suggested Snowden was an undercover member of the Irish Republican Army who is intent on “sabotaging” the royal family.

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When Lewis Funke in the New York Times reviewed the 1959 Off-Broadway show The Billy Barnes Revue, he noted that beatniks, television, Marilyn Monroe, and Tennessee Williams were “all subjects of standing in the revue world.” He might well have added folk songs to the list, because every other topical revue and contemporary book musical of the era seemed to offer spoofs of such songs. Double Dublin was no exception, and Nadel singled out “Folk Singer” as the evening’s “best single number.” He noted the lyric had the “zest” that was missing from so much of the evening, and he quoted a couple of lines from it: “Her skin was as cold as a frog on the mountain / And not a sound tooth in her whole underjaw.” Songs published but not used in the revue were “The Little Skillet Pot” and “I’ll Tell Me Ma.”

BEYOND THE FRINGE 1964 Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: Production originally opened on October 27, 1962; the revised version opened on January 8, 1964, and closed on May 10, 1964 Performances: 667 (which includes performances from the original and revised productions, both of which were part of the revue’s continuous run) Direction: Staging by Alexander H. Cohen (original London production directed by Eleanor Fazan); Producers: Alexander H. Cohen by arrangement with William Donaldson and Donald Albery (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production); Scenery: John Wyckham; Lighting: Ralph Alswang Cast: Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Paxton Whitehead

Sketches and Musical Sequences Act One: “Home Thoughts from Abroad” (Company); “Royal Box” (Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett); “Man Bites God” (Paxton Whitehead, Dudley Moore); “The English Way of Death” (Alan Bennett); “Bollard” (Company); “A Piece of My Mind” (Paxton Whitehead); “Song” (Dudley Moore); “The Philosophers” (Company [?]); ; “The Great Train Robbery” (Alan Bennett, Peter Cook); “Colonel Bogey” (Dudley Moore); “The Aftermyth of War” (Company) Act Two: “Civil War” (Company); “Real Class” (Company); “Weill Song” (Dudley Moore, Peter Cook); “One Leg Too Few” (Peter Cook, Dudley Moore); “Portraits from Memory” (Paxton Whitehead); “The Death of Nelson” (Paxton Whitehead); “The Scientist” (Peter Cook, Alan Bennett); “The Doctor” (Company [?]); “The Duke” (Peter Cook, Alan Bennett, Paxton Whitehead); “The Miner” (Peter Cook); “The Restaurant” (Company [?]); “The Sermon” (Alan Bennett); “So That’s the Way You Like It” (Company); “The End of the World” (Company) As part of Beyond the Fringe’s continuous run (the revue originally opened on October 27, 1962; see entry for more information), a revised version (with old and new material) opened on January 8, 1964, some fourteen months after the revue originally premiered. Titled Beyond the Fringe 1964, the new version included original cast members Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, and Dudley Moore, who were joined by Paxton Whitehead, who replaced Jonathan Miller. During the remainder of the run, these four performers were succeeded by Dan Bly, Robert Cessna, Ted D’Arms, and James Valentine. The revised revue ran five months, and the two editions tallied up a total of 667 performances. (Six months after the closing, another revised edition opened as Beyond the Fringe ’65 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 15, 1964, for 30 performances. The revue included old and new material, and the cast members were Robert Cessna, Donald Cullen, Joel Fabiani, and James Valentine; see entry.) New sequences for the 1964 edition were: “Home Thoughts from Abroad,” “The English Way of Death,” “The Philosophers,” “Weill Song,” “One Leg Too Few,” “Portraits from Memory,” “The Death of Nelson,” “The Doctor,” and “The Restaurant.” “Weill Song” (“Ballad of Gangster Joe”) was a spoof of Kurt Weill; the lyric was by Peter Cook, and the music by Dudley Moore. Retained for the new edition were: “Royal Box,” “Man Bites God,” “Bollard,” “A Piece of My Mind,” “And the Same to You” (here called “Colonel Bogey”), “The Aftermyth of War,” “Civil War,” “Real Class,”

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“Sitting on the Bench” (here, “The Miner”), “Take a Pew” (here, “The Sermon”), “So That’s the Way You Like It,” and “The End of the World.” “Little Miss Britten” was also retained, but was now titled “Song”; the sequence included “Little Miss Britten” and a new number called “Old Meg She Was a Gypsy.” The earlier edition had included a “Studio 5” sequence of interviews; the new version offered two Studio 5 interviews, “The Scientist” and “The Duke.” “The Prime Minister Speaks” (titled “T.V.P.M.” during the tryout) was eventually replaced by “The Great Train Robbery,” and the latter was used in the new edition. Sequences omitted from this edition were: “Steppes in the Right Direction,” “Fruits of Experience,” “Deutscher Chansons,” “The Sadder but Wiser Beaver,” “Groves of Academe,” “The Prime Minister Speaks,” “The Suspense Is Killing Me,” “Porn Shopping,” and “Men Only.”

HELLO, DOLLY! “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: St. James Theatre Opening Date: January 16, 1964 Closing Date: December 27, 1970 Performances: 2,844 Book: Michael Stewart Lyrics and Music: Jerry Herman Based on the 1955 play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder, which was a revised version of his 1938 play The Merchant of Yonkers (which was based on the 1842 Austrian play Einen jux will er sich machen by Johann Nestroy, which, in turn, was based on the 1835 British play A Day Well Spent by John Oxenford). Direction and Choreography: Gower Champion; Producer: David Merrick; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Shepard Coleman Cast: Carol Channing (Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi), Mary Jo Catlett (Ernestina), Igors Gavon (Ambrose Kemper), Jan LaPrade (Horse), Bonnie Mathis (Horse), David Burns (Horace Vandergelder), Alice Playten (Ermengarde), Charles Nelson Reilly (Cornelius Hackl), Jerry Dodge (Barnaby Tucker), Eileen Brennan (Irene Molloy), Sondra Lee (Minnie Fay), Amelia Haas (Mrs. Rose), David Hartman (Rudolph), Gordon Connell (Judge), Ken Ayers (Court Clerk); Townspeople, Waiters, etc.: Nicole Barth, Monica Carter, Carvel Carter, Amelia Haas, Jan LaPrade, Joan Buttons Leonard, Marilyne Mason, Bonnie Mathis, Else Olufsen, Yolanda Poropat, Bonnie Schon, Barbara Sharma, Mary Ann Snow, Jamie Thomas, Pat Trott, Ken Ayers, Alvin Beam, Joel Craig, Dick Crowley, Gene Gebauer, Joe Helms, Richard Hermany, Neil Jones, Charles Karel, Paul Kastl, Jim Maher, Joe McWherter, John Mineo, Randy Phillips, Lowell Purvis, Michael Quinn, Will Roy, Paul Solen, Ronnie Young The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City and in Yonkers in the 1890s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I Put My Hand In” (Carol Channing, Company); “It Takes a Woman” (David Burns, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jerry Dodge, Male Customers); “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” (Charles Nelson Reilly, Jerry Dodge, Carol Channing, Igors Gavon, Alice Playten); “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” (reprise) (The People of Yonkers); “Ribbons Down My Back” (Eileen Brennan); “Motherhood” (Carol Channing, David Burns, Eileen Brennan, Sondra Lee, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jerry Dodge); “Dancing” (Carol Channing, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jerry Dodge, Sondra Lee, Eileen Brennan, Dancers); “Before the Parade Passes By” (Carol Channing, Company) Act Two: “Elegance” (Eileen Brennan, Charles Nelson Reilly, Sondra Lee, Jerry Dodge); “The Waiters’ Gallop” (dance; David Hartman, Waiters); “Hello, Dolly!” (Carol Channing, David Hartman, Waiters, Cooks); “Come and Be My Butterfly” (Igors Gavon, Muses, Nymphs, Flowers, and Butterflies); “It Only Takes a Moment” (Charles Nelson Reilly, Eileen Brennan, Prisoners, Policemen); “So Long, Dearie” (Carol Channing); “Hello, Dolly!” (reprise) (David Burns, Carol Channing); Finale (Company)

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When Hello, Dolly! is mentioned, one sometimes detects a certain amount of disdain and condescension for the overly familiar musical, which has admittedly perhaps seen too many tired revivals with tired Dollys (not to mention an overblown film version with a leading lady far too young for the title role). But Hello, Dolly! isn’t an antique warhorse. All it needs is a director and choreographer who will go back to the musical’s roots and see it for what it was then, the freshest and most streamlined traditional musical comedy New York had seen in years. In Gower Champion’s original production, the musical was a kaleidoscope of nonstop movement: the stylized opening number “I Put My Hand In”; the high-stepping promenade of “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”; the swirling “Dancing,” in which Champion’s groupings of dancers flew across a stage of moving scenery that provided them “limbo” space to gambol about in graceful and sometimes humorous patterns; “Before the Parade Passes By,” a march utilizing a special runway that circled the orchestra pit and extended into the audience; the frenzied staccato of “The Waiters’ Gallop”; and the delirious, demented title song in which Dolly and the waiters swayed and strutted to a fare-thee-well on the runway. Even the non-production numbers danced: “It Takes a Woman” found Horace Vandergelder (David Burns) accompanied by a jack-in-the-box “instant glee club” of all the men in the company; “Motherhood” moved about to a merry Sousa-like march; the “Elegance” quartet strutted about as kissing-cousin to Fred Astaire and Judy Garland’s “A Couple of Swells” from Irving Berlin’s Easter Parade (1948); and “So Long, Dearie” had Dolly decked out in a vaudeville-like hat-and-cane routine. With Champion’s brilliant direction and choreography, Hello, Dolly! was truly a nonstop dance show, and his clever staging devices were complemented by the fresh and joyous performance of forty-three-year-old Carol Channing as the widowed matchmaker Mrs. Dolly Levi, who is determined to rejoin the human race and get herself a rich husband in the bargain. She sets her sights on Vandergelder, and after mix-ups, misunderstandings, and comic escapades, she does indeed snag him. Besides the sparkling Channing, David Burns was her perfect foil as the befuddled and grouchy Vandergelder, and the company included Vandergelder’s clerks Cornelius Hackl (Charles Nelson Reilly) and Barnaby Tucker (Jerry Dodge), pretty milliner Irene Molloy (Eileen Brennan), and her slightly daffy shop assistant Minnie Fay (Sondra Lee). Further, Oliver Smith created a gorgeous Little Old New York in the manner of delicate pen-and-ink daguerreotypes and olios, and he lavished turn-of-the-century-styled frills on décor that represented avenues, streetcars, shops, and restaurants of the era. Freddy Wittop’s equally lavish costumes were a riot of color. The nostalgic settings and costumes were complemented by Jean Rosenthal’s lighting, which gave a cotton-candy glow to the proceedings. And, of course, Jerry Herman’s score was like an old-fashioned music-box pouring out tinkling melodies that sounded like a long-ago Hit Parade of turn-of-the-century musicals. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune wrote the valentine of all valentine reviews, stating Dolly was a “musical comedy dream .  .  . a marvelous chunk of entertainment” with “solid gold brass” musical numbers. As for Channing, she had remembered the old His Master’s Voice advertisements, and she “swallowed the records, the Victrola, and quite possibly the dog.” Further, she fulfilled the promise “you made . . . as a boy: to see, someday, a musical comedy performer with all the blowsy glamour of the girls on the sheet music of 1916.” As for the title song, it was “musical comedy madness that is likely to linger . . . until your ears wear out.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the musical was a “colossal hit,” noting the line at the box office started in Yonkers. As for the Harmonia Gardens scene, he noted it “will be talked about for years.” First there was the “spirited” “Waiters’ Gallop,” and this was of course soon followed by the title song. “It is difficult to describe the emotion this number produces,” he wrote. “The audience nearly tore up the seats.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the show was “shot through with enchantment” and had a “freshness and imagination that are rare in the run of our machine-made musicals.” There was nothing quite like Hello, Dolly! during its heyday. Everyone in the world knew the hit title song, and it seemed as though every woman in show business played the title role in one place or another. On Broadway, Channing (whose standby was Jo Anne Worley) was succeeded by Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Bibi Osterwald, Phyllis Diller, and Ethel Merman; Eve Arden and Dorothy Lamour were among the touring Dollys; and Mary Martin took the show to London. When Dolly closed, it had chalked up 2,844 performances. Moreover, beginning in 1967 for two years Merrick offered an all-black Dolly that was headlined by Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway.

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During the marathon run, there were a few changes in the musical sequences. Shortly after the opening, the second-act “Come and Be My Butterfly” was replaced by “The Polka Contest” (neither were recorded for the cast album, but early pressings of the recording feature a prominent scene from the “Butterfly” sequence on the album’s back cover). And when Merman appeared in the musical, she introduced two new Herman songs, “World, Take Me Back” and “Love, Look in My Window.” A few months before the first tryout performance, the musical was titled Dolly: A Damned Exasperating Woman. During the tryout, “Penny in My Pocket” and “You’re a Damned Exasperating Woman” were deleted. The former was a comedy song at the end of the first act for Vandergelder in which he sang of his financial successes. The song was amusing, but it was all wrong for the spot. The first act finale needed to focus on Dolly, not Vandergelder. And so the song and the lavish set depicting Joshua Vas Groot’s emporium on Fulton Street were scrapped, and toward the end of the Washington, D.C., run “Before the Parade Passes By,” which took place on the parade route of 14th Street, was added for Dolly. Early in the tryout, the second act began with “You’re a Damned Exasperating Woman,” yet another number for Vandergelder, who was backed by a quartet consisting of a shoeshine boy, a flower seller, a coachman, and a horse. The number was soon replaced by “Elegance,” for Cornelius, Barnaby, Irene, and Minnie Fay. Another number added during the tryout was “Motherhood.” For the early part of the tryout, “So Long, Dearie” was titled “The Goodbye Song.” During part of the tryout, the role of Barnaby was performed by Glenn Walken, who was replaced by Jerry Dodge. While programs and recordings of Hello, Dolly! credit Herman with lyrics and music, it appears at least two numbers are not completely his. “Motherhood” has been credited to Herman and Bob Merrill, and the lyric of “Elegance” to Merrill and Herman and the music to Merrill. For years, rumor had it that “Elegance” had been performed during the tryout of Merrill’s New Girl in Town (1957) as a duet for Gwen Verdon and Thelma Ritter, but no tryout program has surfaced that lists the song. Some sources indicate the lyric for “Before the Parade Passes By” is by Herman and Lee Adams and the music by Herman and Charles Strouse. The first London production opened at the Drury Lane on December 2, 1965, for 794 performances; besides Martin, the production starred Loring Smith. The musical has been revived three times in New York. The first revival opened at the Minskoff Theatre on November 6, 1975, for forty-two performances (Bailey and Billy Daniels); the next revival opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on March 5, 1978, for 147 performances (Channing and Eddie Bracken); and on October 19, 1995, the musical opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for 118 performances (Channing and Jay Garner). The charmless film version was released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1969; directed by Gene Kelly, the film is awash in overblown scenery and huge choruses of New Yorkers. Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau seem to be channeling Mae West and W. C. Fields, and Michael Crawford (Cornelius) comes across as overly frenetic. Further, Louis Armstrong makes an intrusive “guest” appearance in the Harmonia Gardens scene. The film included one new number by Herman (“Leave Everything to Me”) and interpolated one that had been written for Mame (“Love Is Only Love” was sung by Angela Lansbury during Mame’s tryout, but the song was deleted before the New York opening). The script was published in hardback by DBS Publications in 1968 with a memorable misprint on both the dust jacket and title page (which credited the musical’s source to Thorton Wilder). There are numerous recordings, but the original Broadway cast album is the definitive one (RCA Victor Records LP # LOC/LSO-1087; issued on CD by RCA # 82876-514321-2). Ethel Merman also recorded a 45 RPM single of the two new numbers she introduced when she assumed the title role in 1970. There are also many foreign cast albums (Brazilian, German, Israeli, French, Mexican, Czech, and Italian).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Hello, Dolly!); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Carol Channing); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Charles Nelson Reilly); Best Author of a Musical (Michael Stewart); Best Producer of a Musical (David Merrick); Best Director of a Musical (Gower Champion); Best Composer and Lyricist (Jerry Herman); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Shepard Coleman); Best Scenic Designer (Oliver Smith); Best Costume Designer (Freddy Wittop); Best Choreographer (Gower Champion) New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (1963–1964): Best Musical (Hello, Dolly!)

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JOSEPHINE BAKER AND HER COMPANY Theatre: Brooks Atkinson Theatre (the revue reopened at Henry Miller’s Theatre on March 31, 1964) Opening and Closing Dates: Brooks Atkinson Theatre (Opening Date: February 4, 1964; Closing Date: February 16, 1964; 16 performances); Henry Miller’s Theatre (Opening Date: March 31, 1964; Closing Date: April 19, 1964; 24 performances) Performances: 40 (total performances for both engagements) Direction: Felix G. Gerstman; Producer: Sherman S. Krellberg; Costumes: Note in Playbill: “Miss Baker’s wardrobe is a selection of Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, House of Lanvin and Balenciaga designs”; her program bio also listed other designers for her wardrobe (see below); Lighting: Michael Price; Musical Direction: Gershon Kingsley Cast: Josephine Baker, Geoffrey Holder, The Aviv Dancers (Larry Bianco, Mary Ann Bruning, Carol Flemming, Jerry Scott), Larl Becham Trio; Note: For the second engagement, Carmen de Lavallade joined the company (the Larl Becham Trio wasn’t part of this engagement), and the musical director was Sherman Frank. The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers (First Engagement) Act One: Introduction (Orchestra); Songs by Josephine Baker: “Avec” (sung in French; from the revue Paris mes amours; lyric and music by Henri Betti, Bruno Coquatrix, and Andre Hornez); “Quand tu m’embrasse” (French; lyric and music by Charles Aznavour and Eddie Barclay); “Make Believe” (English; from Show Boat, 1927; lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Jerome Kern); and “Quando, quando” (Italian; lyric by A. Testa, music by Tony Renis); Geoffrey Holder; Song by Josephine Baker: “Don’t Touch My Tomatoes” (English; from the revue Paris mes amours; lyric and music by Henry Lemarchand and Jo Bouillon); Larl Becham Trio; Songs by Josephine Baker: “La Seine” (French; lyric and music by Guy Lafarge and Flavien Monod; English lyric by Geoffrey Parsons); “Hello, Young Lovers” (English; The King and I, 1951; lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers); “Mon bateau blanc” (French; lyric and music by Gilbert Becaud and Maurice Vidalin); and “Felicida” (Spanish; lyric and music by Oscar de la Rosa, Bobby Collazo, and Carlos Menendez); The Aviv Dancers: “Israeli Festival” (Variations and Debka) and “Polynka” (Russian Peasant Dance); musical director for this sequence was Eliezer Adoram, and the choreography was by Frances Alenikoff); Songs by Josephine Baker: “Avril à Paris” (French; lyric and music by Charles Trenet; “April in Paris” (English) (from Walk a Little Faster, 1932; lyric by E. Y. Harburg, music by Vernon Duke); “Addios, addios” (Italian); “Bill” (English; Show Boat, 1927; lyric by P. G. Wodehouse, music by Jerome Kern); and “Je pars” (French; lyric and music by Morton and Selma Craft) Act Two: Introduction (Orchestra); Songs by Josephine Baker: “Melodie perdue” (French; lyric and music by Hubert Giraud and Jean Broussolle); “(You Are My) Lucky Star” (English; from 1936 film Broadway Melody of 1936; lyric by Arthur Freed, music by Nacio Herb Brown); “En emerada” (Spanish; lyric and music by Augusto Alguerro and Leon Arias Rafael); and “J’ai deux amours” (French; lyric and music by Georges Koger, Henri Varna, and Vincent Scotto); The Aviv Dancers; Song by Josephine Baker: “Hava Neguila” (Hebrew; traditional); Geoffrey Holder; Songs by Josephine Baker: “Fan, Fan” (French); “La novia” (Spanish; lyric and music by J. Prieto); “Et pourtant” (French; lyric by Charles Aznavour, music by Georges Garvarentz); “Dans mon village” (French; lyric and music by Henry Lemarchand and Francis Lopez); and “J’attendrai” (French; lyric and music by Rastelli, Dino Olivieri, and Louis Poterat)

Musical Numbers (Second Engagement) Act One: Introduction (Orchestra); Songs by Josephine Baker: “Avec”; “Quand tu m’embrasse”; “Make Believe”; and “Quando, quando”; The Aviv Dancers: “Polyanka” (“Polynka” in the first engagement); Song by Josephine Baker: “Don’t Touch My Tomatoes”; Carmen de Lavallade: “Anya” (music by Andre Previn; the musical composition and dance dedicated to Mrs. Harold Arlen); Geoffrey Holder: “Dougla” (music, choreography, and costumes by Geoffrey Holder); Songs by Josephine Baker: “La Seine”; “Hello, Young

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Lovers”; “Mon bateau blanc”; and “Felicida”; Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder: “Let’s Dance” (music by Quincy Jones); Songs by Josephine Baker: “Avril à Paris”; “April in Paris”; “Addios, addios”; “Bill”; and “Je pars” Act Two: Introduction (Orchestra); Songs by Josephine Baker: “Melodie perdue”; “(You Are My) Lucky Star”; “En emerada”; and “J’ai deux amours”; Geoffrey Holder: “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”; Song by Josephine Baker: “Hava Neguila”; The Aviv Dancers: “Israeli Festival”; Songs by Josephine Baker: “Fan, Fan”; “La novia”; “Et pourtant”; “Dans mon village”; and “J’attendrai” For a brief period in late March and early April 1964, both Josephine Baker and Barbra Streisand were playing on Broadway within a few blocks of one another. On the stage of the fabled Winter Garden Theatre Streisand was of course starring in Funny Girl, playing the unknown Fanny Brice who yearns to someday star in the Ziegfeld Follies. And just down the street at Henry Miller’s Theatre was Josephine Baker, who with costar Fanny Brice had headlined the 1936 Ziegfeld Follies on that very same Winter Garden stage. Josephine Baker had been there, and now she was here. Born in Missouri in 1906, Josephine Baker made her Broadway debut in The Chocolate Dandies, which opened at the Colonial Theatre on September 1, 1924. She soon moved to Paris where she became a superstar, a French citizen, and, as they say, the toast of the continent. Even Irving Berlin’s 1933 revue As Thousands Cheer paid homage to her. The sequence “Josephine Baker Still the Rage of Paris” found Ethel Waters portraying the wealthy international headliner who confesses she still has “Harlem on My Mind.” Baker’s appearance on Broadway was her first since the 1936 Ziegfeld Follies, and she would return to New York one more time in An Evening with Josephine Baker in 1973 (she began the evening with “People,” Streisand’s signature song from Funny Girl). This concert was recorded live at Carnegie Hall on June 5, 1973, on a two-LP set (unnamed label # JB-001). She died in 1975. Josephine Baker and Her Company opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on February 4, 1964, for an announced two-week limited engagement; her company included dancer Geoffrey Holder, the Aviv Dancers (a Jewish folk dancing troupe), and the Larl Becham Trio (another dance group, which specialized in modern and “primitive dance forms,” per the Playbill bio). The revue closed after sixteen performances, but reopened at Henry Miller’s Theatre on March 31 for an additional twenty-four performances; the Larl Becham Trio weren’t part of the second engagement, but dancer Carmen de Lavallade joined her husband Geoffrey Holder for “Let’s Dance” (with music by Quincy Jones) and the solo dance “Anya,” a tribute to Harold Arlen’s wife (music by Andre Previn). (See above for complete lists of the musical numbers in both the Atkinson and Henry Miller engagements.) Baker sang a number of songs, in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Hebrew, including “Bill,” “Make Believe” (she transformed the gentle ballad from Show Boat into a torch song), “Hello, Young Lovers,” and French and English versions of “April in Paris.” Lewis Funke in the New York Times noted she was “one of the century’s most durable and inimitable stars” who has her listeners “hanging on every note,” and when Baker told her audience she was “not bad for sixty,” Funke said her voice, youth, and figure “have made a fool of Time.” Judith Crist in the New York Times said she was “showmanship supreme” and “has not been called fabulous without reason.” Frances Herridge in the New York Post said Baker was “an eyeful and earful in any language, and a joy to have back,” and Leonard Harris in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said she was a “dazzling display of talent” who could be a “swinging Edith Piaf” and a Lena Horne of “intensity,” and yet could also offer a “touch of the lament,” Mahalia Jackson-style. Only John McClain in the New York Journal-American had reservations about the evening. He’d never before seen Baker on stage, and felt he was “let down” with her “dated . . . choice of material and delivery.” He concluded that those who were fans of “La Baker” would be “delighted” with the evening, and confessed maybe his lack of appreciation for the star was “my fault for not having seen her before.” Baker’s program bio indicated her wardrobe cost $250,000; all her gowns were designed especially for her by Christian Dior, Jeanne Desses, Balenciaga, Griffe, Marcel Rochas, Maggy Rouff, Pierre Balmain, and Lanvin. The biographical film The Josephine Baker Story was shown on the Home Box Office channel in 1991 (Lynn Whitfield played the title role). There have also been at least five musicals written about Baker’s life and career, four of them produced: Josephine was seen in a showcase production in London in the 1980s at the Fortune Theatre with Heather Gillespie in the title role and a score by Michael Wild; Looking for Josephine was produced in U.S. regional theatre; Wally Harper and Sherman Yellen’s Josephine Tonight, which focused on her early life, was also seen in regional theatre; and The Sensational Josephine Baker,

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written and performed by Cheryl Howard, opened Off-Broadway at the Beckett Theatre on June 26, 2012, for a scheduled run of twelve weeks. The one as yet unproduced show is untitled but was once mentioned for a Broadway production. The London Josephine was recorded, and the Washington Post praised the Josephine Tonight score (“the ragtime-and-blues-inspired songs often sparkle with wit, melodiousness and infectious rhythm”).

RUGANTINO “A ROMAN MUSICAL SPECTACLE” Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: February 6, 1964 Closing Date: February 29, 1964 Performances: 28 Book: Italian book by Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovanni in collaboration with Festa Campanile and Franciosa; English book by Alfred Drake Lyrics: Italian lyrics by Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovanni; English lyrics by Edward Eager Music: Armando Trovaioli Direction: Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovanni; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen and Jack Hylton; Choreography: Dania Krupska (Sergio Somigli, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Giulio Coltellacci (scenic supervision by Eldon Elder); Costumes: Giulio Coltellacci; Lighting: Vannio Vanni; Musical Direction: Anton Coppola Cast: Nino Manfredi (Rugantino), Goffredo Spinedi (Mariotto), Giuseppe Pennese (Rubastracci), Fernando Martino (Strappalenzola), Lino Benedetti (Brother Tappetto), Toni Ventura (Bellachioma), Willy Colombini (The Brigadier), Armando Silverini (Chief Bandit), Ornella Vanoni (Rosetta), Renzo Palmer (Gnecco), Aldo Fabrizi (Mastro Titta), Carlo Delle Piane (Bojetto), Franca Tamantini (Donna Marta Paritelli), Toni Ucci (Don Nicolo Paritelli), Bice Valori (Eusebia), Giorgio Zaffaroni (The Barber), Cesare Gelli (Thorwaldsen), Giorgio Fabretti (Don Fulgenzio), Nunzio Gallo (The Troubadour [Calascione]), Marcello Serrallonga (The Lover), Luciano Bonanni (The Goat Keeper), Simona Sorlisi (Old Lady of the Cats), Gino Mucci (Cardinal Severini), Angelo Pericet (One Gentleman), Renato Ghigi (Gendarme), Angelo Michelotti (Gendarme); Dancers and Singers: Goffredo Spinedi, Toni Ventura, Willy Colombini, Giorgio Zaffaroni, Marcello Serrallonga, Angelo Infanti, Luciano Bernardi, Fernando Martino, Franco Di Toro, Gabriele Villa, Giuseppe Pennese, Lino Benedetti, Josephine Spinedi, Gianna Zorini, Lettie Zaffaroni, Gina Sampieri, Lida Vianello, Renata Zamengo, Brigitte Kirfel, Gabriella Panenti, Carla Russo, Barbara Schaub, Yvonne De Vintar, Maurizia Camilli; Chorus of Nora Orlandi: Armando Silverini, Ercole Vulpiani, Margherita Brancucci, Raffella Caratelli The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Rome in 1830 during the reign of Pope Pius VIII.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Game of Morra” (“La morra”) (Men); “Rugantino in the Stocks” (“La berlina”) (Rugantino’s Friends); “A House Is Not the Same without a Woman” (“E bello ave ’na donna dentro casa”) (Aldo Fabrizi); “Nothing to Do” (“Ballata di Rugantino”) (Nino Manfredi, Romans); “Just Look!” (“Anvedi si che paciocca”) (Ornella Vanoni, Nunzio Gallo, Boys); “The Saltarello” (Bice Valori, Aldo Fabrizi, Ensemble); “Tirrallallera” (aka “Tirollallero”) (Nunzio Gallo); “The Headsman and I” (Bice Valori); “Nothing to Do” (reprise) (Nino Manfredi); “Ciumachella” (“Ciumachella de Trastevere”) (Nunzio Gallo); “Lantern Night” (Ensemble, Unidentified Performer); “Roma” (“Roma nun fa la stupida stasera”) (Nino Manfredi, Ornella Vanoni, Bice Valori, Aldo Fabrizi, Ensemble) Act Two: “Ciumachella” (reprise) (Ensemble); “I’m Happy” (“Tira a campa”) (Nino Manfredi); “Just Stay Alive” (“Sempre boia e”) (Aldo Fabrizi, Ensemble); “San Pasquale” (Bice Valori, Spinsters); “Passatella” (“The Drinking Game”) (Nunzio Gallo, Unidentified Performer, Goffredo Spinedi, Nino Manfredi, Boys); “It’s Quick and Easy”(“’Na botta e via”) (Ornella Vanoni, Boys); “Dance of the Candle Killers”

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(Ensemble); “Boy and Man” (“E l’omo mio”) (Ornella Vanoni); Finale (Bice Valori, Ornella Vanoni, Aldo Fabrizi, Nino Manfredi) Rugantino was the first Italian musical to be presented in New York. With book and lyrics by the successful team of Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini (the book was written in collaboration with Festa Campanile and one Franciosa) and music by Armando Trovaioli, the musical had first premiered in Rome at the Sistina Theatre in 1962. For Broadway, performers who had appeared in the Italian production of Rugantino were imported for the occasion, and the musical was completely sung and spoken in Italian. For the benefit of non-Italian-speaking audiences, there was a letterbox-like screen just under the theatre’s proscenium arch upon which were flashed English subtitles; the English dialogue was translated by none other than Alfred Drake, and the lyrics were translated by Edward Eager. The “Roman Musical Spectacle” was reportedly one of the most lavish ever seen on the New York stage, and the intricate revolving sets sped the sprawling story along. The title character is a lovable, handsome Casanova-like ne’er-do-well living in the Rome of 1830 who can’t get enough of the opposite sex. He’s constantly involved in amorous liaisons, and the plot focused on three women with whom he’s currently involved: his mistress Eusebia; Princess Paritelli; and Rosetta, who is unhappily married to innkeeper Gnecco. An explanation of the involved plot took up three-and-a-half pages in the Playbill and there was also an almost twopage synopsis that followed the song listing. But for all the merry and romantic goings-on (which included disguises and mistaken identity), the musical ended on a sour note when Rugantino is wrongly accused of the murder of Gnecco and is sent to the guillotine. In its bare-bones outline, the story was somewhat reminiscent of The Threepenny Opera, but at least in that musical the scoundrel-hero is saved from execution by the ironic intervention of a deus-ex-machina figure. Howard Taubman in the New York Times generally praised the musical, especially the “ribald and irreverent and gay” first act, but felt the second act turned “sticky and mawkish.” He singled out the “Saltarello” dance sequence as well as the songs “Ciumachella” and “Roma” (the latter a paean to Rome and lyrical cousin to Bravo Giovanni’s lovely opening number “Rome”). Taubman noted the show was indeed a spectacle, and mentioned that the intricate revolving set included an inner one, so that often the inner one turned one way while the outer one turned the other, thus allowing the “evocative wonders of Rome [to] constantly unfold before one’s eyes.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune also praised the lavish décor, noting the fountains had real water, the street-corner shrines held real flowers, and the cracked Roman columns were flanked by wash hanging out to dry. He liked Trovaioli’s score, “sweet enough . . . to remind you of Puccini’s younger brother, Victor Romberg.” But he felt the musical tried to do everything, from Rombergian drinking songs to “postRobbins”–like fights with knives. The show ended up as a little bit of “all too much . . . too much of it is much too tame.” Richard Watts in the New York Post admitted Rugantino was “unquestionably a large, elaborate, handsome and colorful show,” but said it was also “resolutely and resoundingly dull.” The musical was physically “stunning,” but, conversely, the “stupendousness” of the evening resulted in “disturbing tedium.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the show was a “whopper,” and its two concentric revolving turntables offered a full view of Rome, including piazzas, taverns, wine-cellars, jails, churches, palaces, bedrooms, the Forum, and “the works.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun noted the plot was “lusty,” the humor “boisterous, earthy and irreverent,” and the performers “spirited and handsome.” But despite all these pluses, he felt “the evening does not pass swiftly.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American admitted the musical was “large and lavish,” with “stunning” sets, “brilliant” costumes, and some “inviting tunes,” but the story was a “hopeless morass of implausible motivations.” He noted he was sometimes unable to follow the action, and after a while he just “didn’t care.” McClain also referred to one “endlessly strung out” scene that was “ugly and offensive by any standards. Nothing as cheap and dirty has been displayed on Broadway in my memory.” He didn’t identify the scene, but concluded his review by again referring to it, this time with an “Ugh!” Other critics were more explicit about the sequence that offended McClain (Taubman noted it was a “racy bit”): For ten long hours, Rugantino hides inside in a large, empty wine cask; when a cardinal of the Church sees the cask, he decides he wants a drink, and thus draws and drinks “wine” from it.

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On opening night, the role of the Troubadour (Calascione) was played by Nunzio Gallo, who was succeeded by Lando Fiorini, and it is Fiorini who is heard on the Broadway cast recording. The musical ran a disappointing twenty-eight performances, and it must have convinced Drake and Eager to give up on any more Italian adaptations. In 1950, they had adapted Carlo Goldoni’s 1750 farce The Liar for the musical stage, with Drake and Eager collaborating on the book and Eager writing the lyrics (the music was composed by John Mundy). The musical lasted just twelve performances. Of course, Drake and Eager should have been wary of their involvement with Rugantino because it was produced by Alexander H. Cohen, whose track record with musicals was abysmal. Further, an inordinate number of musicals taking place (wholly or partially) in Italy have flopped, at least three dozen of them (starting with 1927’s Fioretta). The Broadway cast recording was released by Warner Brothers Records (LP # H/HS-1528). The original 1962 Italian cast album was released by CAM Records (LP # ORL-8590); the 1978 Italian revival on a two-LP set by CAM Records (# SAG-9092); the 1998 Italian revival cast was also released by CAM Records (CD # CAM-493058-2). Roberto Gatto Plays “Rugantino” (CAM Records CD # 499613-2) is an instrumental version of the score (with two bonus tracks of vocals). A 1973 Italian television production of the musical was later released on DVD (Titanus # 03202). The telefilm starred Adriano Celentano (Rugantino) and Claudia Mori (Rosetta).

FOXY “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Ziegfeld Theatre Opening Date: February 16, 1964 Closing Date: April 18, 1964 Performances: 72 Book: Ian McLellan Hunter and Ring Lardner, Jr. Lyrics: Johnny Mercer Music: Robert Emmett Dolan Based on the 1606 play Volpone, or The Fox by Ben Jonson. Direction: Robert Lewis; Producer: David Merrick; Choreography: Jack Cole; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Musical Direction: Donald Pippin Cast: Larry Blyden (Doc), Bert Lahr (Foxy), Robert H. Harris (Bedrock), Edward Greenhalgh (Buzzard), Gerald Hiken (Shortcut), Tony Kraber (Drunk), John Hallow (Mountie), Cathryn Damon (Brandy), Will Parkins (Oliver), Julienne Marie (Celia), Newt Sullivan (First Prospector), Eddie James (Second Prospector), Herb Fields (Third Prospector), David Rounds (Stirling), John Walker (First Eskimo), John Aristedes (Second Eskimo), Anthony Kemble Cooper (Lord Rottingham), John Taliaferro (Clergyman, Bekkboy), John Davidson (Ben), Mary Ann Corrigan (Laurette), Constance Meng (Marie); Prospectors: John Aristedes, Carlos Bas, Charles Cagle, George Del Monte, Lang Des Jardins, Herb Fields, Tim Harum, Lee Howard, Eddie James, John Keatts, Robert LaCrosse, Will Parkins, Newt Sullivan, John Taliaferro, John Waller; Saloon Girls: Helen Baisley, Mary Ann Corrigan, Virginia Craig, Judith Dunford, Alice Glenn, Marlena Lustik, Ethel Martin, Constance Meng, Nancy Myers, Shelly Rann, Sueanne Shirley, June Eve Story, Susan Terry The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Klondike during the late nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra); “Prologue” (aka “Gold!”) (Larry Blyden); “Many Ways to Skin a Cat” (Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden); “Rollin’ in Gold” (Cathryn Damon, Ensemble); “My Weight in Gold” (Julienne Marie); “Money Isn’t Everything” (Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden, Robert H. Harris, Gerald Hiken, Edward Greenhalgh, Ensemble); “Larceny and Love” (Cathryn Damon, Larry Blyden); “(S.S. Commodore) Ebenezer McAfee III” (Ensemble); “Talk to Me, Baby” (Julienne Marie, John Davidson); “This Is My Night to Howl” (Gerald Hiken, John Davidson, Ensemble); “Bon Vivant” (Bert Lahr, Ensemble); Finale Act One (Ensemble)

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Act Two: Entr’acte (Ensemble); “It’s Easy When You Know How” (Larry Blyden); “Run, Run, Run Cinderella” (Julienne Marie); “Talk to Me, Baby” (reprise) (John Davidson); “I’m Way Ahead of the Game” (Cathryn Damon, Larry Blyden); “A Case of Rape” (Julienne Marie, John Davidson, Ensemble); “In Loving Memory” (Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden, Robert H. Harris, Gerald Hiken, Edward Greenhalgh, Ensemble); Finale (Bert Lahr, Larry Blyden, Ensemble) Foxy had two short theatrical lives some two years apart. On July 2, 1962, the musical’s tryout occurred at the Palace Grand Theatre in Dawson City in the Yukon, where it closed the following month. Seventeen months later, the musical resurfaced in a revised version when it opened on January 6, 1964, at the Hanna Theatre in Cleveland. (See separate entry for more information about the 1962 production.) The new version, which was produced by David Merrick and included Bert Lahr and Larry Blyden reprising their original 1962 roles of Foxy and Doc, opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on February 18. Despite generally good notices for the show and rave reviews for Lahr (who won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical), Foxy played for just seventy-two performances. Legend has it that Merrick wasn’t all that interested in keeping Foxy on the boards because the month before it opened on Broadway another of his productions premiered, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly!, and Merrick’s energies were focused on parlaying Dolly into a national and international phenomenon. But this story doesn’t quite ring true, because Merrick was the consummate showman, and surely he would have put more money into Foxy and kept it running if he felt it had a chance for success. But maybe his instincts told him the musical would never be a blockbuster, and maybe he felt Lahr’s performance wouldn’t keep the show afloat. The musical took place in 1896 during the Klondike’s gold rush days. Foxy’s gold is stolen by three partners, and so he sets out to out-con them by impersonating a sick old man who’ll trick them of their money on the promise of leaving them his gold claim. He’s aided in this scheme by Doc, who hopes to get 50 percent of Foxy’s proceeds. Other characters in the musical were Brandy (Cathryn Damon), a tough cookie who runs a saloon, and Celia (Julienne Marie) and Ben (John Davidson) as a pair of young lovers. One of the comic highlights of the musical was a chase scene in which Lahr (with the help of some hidden machinery) scampers up the Ziegfeld’s proscenium wall. Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted this delightful “touch of madness” was all the more uproarious because “no one can be quite so frightened, gallant and funny” as Lahr. Taubman likened Foxy to musicals of the 1920s in its “boisterous heartiness and good humor.” Although the evening was sometimes “ramshackle” and its romantic story was “handled casually,” the musical was concerned with “high spirits and laughter,” and Taubman assured us the “pace and vitality” of the staging took care of the first problem and Lahr took “fine care” of the second. Walter Kerr in the New York HeraldTribune wrote a valentine to Lahr, saying he should be “preserved like a fine old wine, or in one . . . he is beginning to carbonate,” and further noted that preserving Lahr in wine would ensure he is “immortal forever.” Otherwise, Kerr felt Foxy fell short of the mark all too often and didn’t live up to Lahr’s comic genius. Further, when Blyden sang the “sly, quiet, confidentially tricky” “It’s Easy When You Know How,” the musical promised an “intimate, cozily styled, perhaps even literate entertainment” with lyrics of “articulate intricacy.” But soon the evening fell back on musical comedy conventions and lost its inspiration. So Foxy quietly disappeared, and didn’t even leave behind a cast album (RCA Victor Records was scheduled to record the score, and catalog numbers # LOC-1089 and # LSO-1089 were assigned to the recording). However, in the 1970s, S.P.M. Records (LP # CO-4636) released an album of a live performance from the Broadway production, and while the sound isn’t always clear, the recording is invaluable because it allows us to hear what the Broadway production was like and gives us a chance to savor Lahr and Blyden’s delicious performances. The Johnny Mercer and Robert Emmett Dolan score offers a delightful variety of songs, including Foxy’s “Bon Vivant,” one of the funniest comedy songs in the canon of musical theatre; Doc’s sly, conspiratorial, and insinuating “It’s Easy When You Know How”; Celia and Ben’s lovely ballad “Talk to Me, Baby”; and a haunting blues number for Brandy and Doc, “I’m Way Ahead of the Game.” Because the story was awash in cons and double-cons, the songs reflected the obsession with money and duplicity: “Prologue (Gold!),” “Rollin’ in Gold,” “My Weight in Gold” (aka “Worth My Weight in Gold” and “Celia’s Dilemma”; this song was dropped shortly after the opening), “Money Isn’t Everything,” and “Larceny and Love.” Even the tender “Talk to Me, Baby” suggested it was OK to “tell me lies . . . prevaricate if you must,” and “I’m Way

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Ahead of the Game” likened love to a game of cards and was a lyrical cousin to Mercer’s “(Love Is) A Game of Poker” from 1959’s Saratoga. On December 5, 2000, the musical received a brief reprieve when it was presented by Musicals Tonight! at the 14th Street Y for a limited run of sixteen performances (Rudy Robertson was Foxy, and Rob Lorey was Doc). Happily, this revival was recorded by Original Cast Records (CD # OC-6026), which omitted one song from the Broadway production (“A Case of Rape,” which can be heard on the S.P.M. Records’ live recording), and included three songs that weren’t heard in the Broadway production (“Respectability,” “The Honeymoon Is Over,” and “The Letter of the Law” [the latter was performed in the 1962 Dawson City production]). The collection Johnny Mercer Sings (Box Office Records; no label number) includes ten songs from Foxy (including “Respectability”). Songs heard in the Dawson City tryout but not used in the Broadway production were: “Share and Share Alike,” “A Child of the Wild,” “The Power of Love,” “Take It from a Lady,” “Life’s Darkest Moment,” “Till It Goes Outta Style,” and the aforementioned “The Letter of the Law.” Songs heard in the Hanna and Detroit tryouts that weren’t heard in New York were “Celia’s First Essay,” “Respectability,” and “Shivaree.” Numbers written for but not used in the musical were “If Mother Could Just See Me Now,” “Revenge Is Sweet,” “Chief Indian Giver,” “Celia’s First Lament” (aka “Celia’s Lament”), “As Fair as Her Name,” “Rabbit’s Foot,” “I’ll Get Even,” and a title song. The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer includes the lyrics for all the used, deleted, and unused songs (for those songs with lost or missing lyrics, the songs are referenced only). “The Honeymoon Is Over” isn’t included among the Foxy lyrics, but can be found elsewhere in the collection under miscellaneous lyrics. There have been two operatic versions of the material. George Antheil’s opera Volpone (with a libretto by Alfred Perry) had first been produced in January 1953 by the Opera Workshop at the University of Southern California, and made its New York debut Off-Broadway on July 6, 1953, at the Cherry Lane Theatre for an estimated forty-five performances. The second operatic adaptation, also called Volpone, opened at The Barnes at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, on March 10, 2004, for three performances. The music was by John Musto, and the libretto by Mark Campbell. The opera was revived by Wolf Trap for four performances during summer 2007. Sly Fox, Larry Gelbart’s nonmusical adaptation of Volpone, was a Broadway hit in 1976, and was revived there in 2004. Foxy holds the record as the shortest-running musical in which its leading actor won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical. And the six-performance-and-out 1953 musical Carnival in Flanders is in the Tony record books as the shortest-running musical in which the leading lady (Dolores Gray) won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. Coincidentally, both Lahr and Gray starred in the 1951 revue Two on the Aisle.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Bert Lahr); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Julienne Marie)

WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN? “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 54th Street Theatre Opening Date: February 27, 1964 Closing Date: June 12, 1965 Performances: 540 Book: Budd and Stuart Schulberg Lyrics and Music: Ervin Drake Based on the 1941 novel What Makes Sammy Run? by Budd Schulberg. Direction: Abe Burrows; Producer: Joseph Cates (A Cates Brothers Production); Choreography: Matt Mattox; Scenery and Lighting: Herbert Senn and Helen Pond; Costumes: Noel Taylor; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel

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Cast: Robert Alda (Al Manheim), Steve Lawrence (Sammy Glick), Ralph Stantley (O’Brien), John Dorrin (Osborn), Ralph Vucci (Bartender), George Coe (Julian Blumberg), Graciela Daniele (Rita Rio), Richard France (Tracy Clark), Edward McNally (Lucky Dugan), Barry Newman (Shiek Orsini), Bob Maxwell (Technical Advisor), Arny Freeman (Sidney Fineman), Sally Ann Howes (Kit Sargent), Walter Klavun (H.  L. Harrington), Bernice Massi (Laurette Harrington), Mace Barrett (Seymour Glick); Singers: Lillian Bozinoff, Natalie Costa, Judith Hastings, Jamie Simmons, Darrell J. Askey, John Dorrin, Richard Terry, Ralph Vucci; Dancers: Diaan Ainslee, Nancy Carnegie, Barbara Gine, Lavinia Hamilton, Bella Shalom, Maralyn Thoma, Jean Blanchard, Marco Gomez, Buck Heller, Nat Horne, Jack Kresy; Swing Couple: Lynn Gremmler, Doug Spingler The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York and Hollywood a generation ago.

Musical Numbers Act One: “A New Pair of Shoes” (Steve Lawrence, Robert Alda, Ensemble); “You Help Me” (Steve Lawrence, Robert Alda); “A Tender Spot” (Sally Ann Howes); “Lites-Camera-Platitude” (Steve Lawrence, Sally Ann Howes, Robert Alda); “My Hometown” (Steve Lawrence); “Monsoon” (Graciela Daniele, Richard France, Ensemble); “I See Something” (Bernice Massi, Steve Lawrence); “Maybe Some Other Time” (Sally Ann Howes, Robert Alda); “You Can Trust Me” (Steve Lawrence); “A Room without Windows” (Sally Ann Howes, Steve Lawrence); “Kiss Me No Kisses” (Sally Ann Howes, Steve Lawrence) Act Two: “I Feel Humble” (Steve Lawrence, Barry Newman, Ensemble); “Something to Live For” (Sally Ann Howes); “Paint a Rainbow” (Graciela Daniele, Richard France, Ensemble); “You’re No Good” (Bernice Massi, Steve Lawrence); “Something to Live For” (reprise) (Robert Alda); “My Hometown” (reprise) (Steve Lawrence); “The Friendliest Thing” (Bernice Massi); “Wedding of the Year” (Ensemble); “Some Days Everything Goes Wrong” (Steve Lawrence) Sammy Glick is to films what (Pal) Joey is to nightclubs and Harry Bogen is to Second Avenue. Budd Schulberg’s 1941 novel What Makes Sammy Run? told the story of double-crossing, no-good-heel Sammy Glick in his rise to the top as Hollywood’s most ruthless producer, one who’ll stop at nothing in his quest for power, fame, and money. The book of the musical was written by Schulberg and his brother Stuart, and followed Sammy (Steve Lawrence) from newspaper copy boy to columnist, and from there to script writer at World Wide Pictures and then to producer. At the end of the musical, he’s poised to take over as head of the studio with the blessing of its owner H. L. Harrington (Walter Klavun). On his ruthless path to the pinnacle of Hollywood power, Sammy drives his mentor Sidney Fineman (Arny Freeman) to suicide, loses the love of screenwriter Kit Sargent (Sally Ann Howes) and the friendship of newspaper writer Al Manheim (Robert Alda), and finds his cynical bride Laurette Harrington (Bernice Massi) in bed with a lover on their wedding day. Since Laurette is H. L.’s daughter, Sammy will swallow Laurette’s infidelities in order to clinch his position as the studio head of World Wide Pictures. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said for much of the evening the musical depicted Sammy “doggedly and mechanically” like a “puppet” going through “conventional routines.” But when the book finally gave Sammy’s character theatrical blood, the “uninspired” musical suddenly caught fire “late in the evening. Do you want to wait that long?” Further, for a tough musical about the film industry, the evening fell back on clichéd spoofs of Hollywood, including a production number kidding South Sea Island epics (“Monsoon”) and even a trio for Sammy, Kit, and Al which mocked corny films (“Lites-Camera-Platitude”). Did a hard-edged musical about the movies need to waste its time with such numbers? (But “Monsoon” had one inspired touch: at one point, the dancers suddenly froze, and then proceeded to perform the choreography backward, in the nature of a film being rewound.) Later in the season, the light-hearted Hollywood spoof Fade Out-Fade In offered The Fiddler and the Fighter, a spoof of Golden Boy–styled films, and such a take-off was appropriate for the material. But Sammy should have had more on its mind than easy spoofs of clichéd Hollywood movies. John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the story was “dated” because Hollywood was no longer what it was, now that it had been taken over by television studios and become a “housing development

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for Beverly Hillbillies”; and Richard Watts in the New York Post said any “appeal” the story might have “eluded” him. But John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the musical offered an “intriguing story, well and tunefully told, and I believe it should prosper,” and Norman Nadel in the New York WorldTelegram and Sun found Sammy the “most zestfully evil musical of the year.” As for Steve Lawrence, Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said he was “ferocious, agile, plausible, deft with a dance-step and deft with the knife—in every conceivable way, first-rate”; Lawrence’s Sammy is not only “reaching for a star . . . he is reaching for the jugular.” Nadel said he was “the ultimate rat-fink,” McClain praised his “exceptional acting gift,” Chapman said he made an “excellent heel,” and Watts found him “vigorously and courageously realistic.” Ervin Drake’s score was generally praised, with Sammy’s charm song “A New Pair of Shoes” and his bitter “Some Days Everything Goes Wrong” garnering attention. There were also two outstanding sexy ballads, Sammy and Kit’s “A Room without Windows” and Laurette’s “The Friendliest Thing” (“two people can do”). Sammy’s “My Hometown” was his salute to a city he never knew before, and was the first of two such songs heard during the Broadway season. Exactly two months after Sammy opened, Fade Out-Fade In offered “It’s Good to Be Back Home” for its eternally hopeful Hope Springfield as she arrives in Hollywood for the first time. During the tryout, “Bachelor Gal” was deleted. The Philadelphia tryout program didn’t credit a director (Robert Weiner was given production supervisory credit), but by the time the musical reached New York, Abe Burrows was listed as director. During the run of the musical, Paul Anka replaced Lawrence during his vacation, and when Sally Ann Howes left the show she was succeeded by Bernice Massi (Massi’s role was assumed by Paula Stewart). Despite Milk and Honey’s run of 543 performances, it became the first musical to run more than 500 performances and still lose money. Sammy ran for 540 performances, and it too lost its investment. Eventually, a Broadway run of over 1,000 performances was no longer a guarantee that a musical would be financially successful. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1965, and is one of the scarcest libretto titles. The cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-6040 and # KOS-2440; the CD was issued by GL Music Records # GL-115). What Makes Sammy Run?/Swing!, an instrumental recording of the score by Clark Terry and His Friends, was released by 20th Century Fox Records (LP # TFS-4137 and # TEM-3137) and includes the deleted song “Bachelor Gal.” A 2006 Off-Off-Broadway revival was recorded by Armin Records (# 884501118774). Despite the novel’s success, Hollywood wouldn’t touch it. But there have been two television versions. The first was a one-hour telecast by NBC on April 10, 1949, as part of the Philco Television Playhouse. The adaptation was by Samuel Carter, and the cast included Jose Ferrer (Sammy), Philip Bourneuf (Al), Phyllis Hill (Kit), and Doe Avedon (Laurette). The print of this production is apparently lost. In 1959, NBC’s Sunday Showcase televised a two-part 105-minute version on September 27 and October 4; the telefilm was in color, and was rebroadcast the following summer on August 15 and 22. The adaptation was by Budd and Stuart Schulberg, the direction by Delbert Mann, and the cast included Larry Blyden (Sammy), John Forsythe (Al), Barbara Rush (Kit), Dina Merrill (Laurette), Sidney Blackmer (H. L.), and David Opatoshu (Fineman). The 1959 version has been released on DVD by Koch Vision Entertainment (# KOCDV-6588) in black and white (the color print is presumably lost).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Steve Lawrence); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Lehman Engel)

FUNNY GIRL “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatres: Winter Garden Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Majestic Theatre and then to the Broadway Theatre)

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Opening Date: March 26, 1964 Closing Date: July 1, 1967 Performances: 1,348 Book: Isobel Lennart Lyrics: Bob Merrill Music: Jule Styne Based on an original story by Isobel Lennart and on the life of Fanny Brice (1891–1951). Direction: Garson Kanin (production supervised by Jerome Robbins; Lawrence Kasha, Associate Director); Producers: Ray Stark (presented in association with Seven Arts Productions; Al Goldin, Associate Producer); Choreography: Carol Haney; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Musical Direction: Milton Rosenstock Cast: Barbra Streisand (Fanny Brice), Robert Howard (John, Workman), Royce Wallace (Emma), Kay Medford (Mrs. Brice), Jean Stapleton (Mrs. Strakosh), Lydia S. Fredericks (Mrs. Meeker), Joyce O’Neil (Mrs. O’Malley), Joseph Macaulay (Tom Keeney), Danny Meehan (Eddie Ryan), Victor R. Helou (Heckie), Robert Henson (Workman), Buzz Miller (Snub Taylor, Ben), Blair Hammond (Trombone Smitty), Alan E. Weeks (Five Finger Finney), Dick Perry (Trumpet Soloist), Shellie Farrell (Bubbles), Joan Lowe (Polly), Ellen Halpin (Maude), Sydney Chaplin (Nick Arnstein), Sharon Vaughn (Showgirl, Mimsey), Diana Lee Nielsen (Showgirl), Marc Jordan (Stage Director, Mr. Renaldi), Roger De Koven (Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.), John Lankston (Ziegfeld Tenor, Adolph), George Reeder (Ziegfeld Lead Dancer), Rose Randolf (Mrs. Nadler), Larry Fuller (Paul), Joan Cory (Cathy), Lainie Kazan (Vera), Diane Coupe (Jenny); Showgirls: Prudence Adams, Joan Cory, Diane Coupe, Lainie Kazan, Diana Lee Nielsen, Sharon Vaughn, Rosemarie Yellen; Singers: Lydia S. Fredericks, Mary Louise, Jeanne McLaren, Joyce O’Neil, Rose Randolf, Stephanie Reynolds, Victor R. Helou, Robert Henson, Robert Howard, Marc Jordan, John Lankston, Albert Zimmerman; Dancers: Eddie Cowan, Christine Dalsey, Shellie Farrell, Ellen Halpin, Rosemary Jelincic, Karen Kristin, Joan Lowe, Jose Ahumada, Bud Fleming, Larry Fuller, Blair Hammond, John Nola, Alan Peterson, Alan E. Weeks The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place shortly before and after World War I in various theatres (onstage and backstage), on New York’s Lower East Side, in Baltimore, and on Long Island.

Musical Numbers Act One: “If a Girl Isn’t Pretty” (Jean Stapleton, Kay Medford, Danny Meehan, People); “I’m the Greatest Star” (Barbra Streisand); “Eddie’s Fifth Encore” (Danny Meehan); “Cornet Man” (Barbra Streisand, Buzz Miller, Keeney Chorus); “Who Taught Her Everything?” (Kay Medford, Danny Meehan); “His Love Makes Me Beautiful” (John Lankston, Ziegfeld Girls, Barbra Streisand); “I Want to Be Seen with You Tonight” (Sydney Chaplin, Barbra Streisand); “Henry Street” (Henry Street Neighbors); “People” (Barbra Streisand); “You Are Woman” (Sydney Chaplin, Barbra Streisand); “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Barbra Streisand) Act Two: “Sadie, Sadie” (Barbra Streisand, Friends); “Find Yourself a Man” (Jean Stapleton, Kay Medford, Danny Meehan); “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat” (Ziegfeld Company, Barbra Streisand); “Who Are You Now?” (Barbra Streisand); “The Music That Makes Me Dance” (Barbra Streisand); “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (reprise) (Barbra Streisand) Funny Girl hasn’t worn well over the years. Isobel Lennart’s book travels the tiresome road of the typical show-biz saga that teaches us that Fame Isn’t Always What It’s Cracked Up to Be and It’s Lonely at the Top. Further, the story of the ill-starred romance of Fanny Brice (Barbra Streisand) and Nicky Arnstein (Sydney Chaplin) is so lopsided Nicky ends up being just another minor character who gets lost in the shuffle with Mrs. Brice (Kay Medford, whose character has more musical time than Nick), Eddie Ryan (Danny Meehan), and Mrs. Strakosh (Jean Stapleton). In fact, in terms of musicals numbers the score is Fanny 12, Nick 2 (and Nick’s two songs are duets; he doesn’t even rate a solo). When the long-running musicals of the 1960s opened, all were identified with their stars: How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, Robert Morse; Hello, Dolly!, Carol Channing; Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand; Fiddler on the Roof, Zero Mostel; Man of La Mancha, Richard Kiley; and Mame, Angela Lansbury. But Funny Girl and Mame never quite had the Broadway afterlife expected of them. The argument could be

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made that Funny Girl was so identified with Streisand it was impossible to parlay the Broadway run into a successful franchise of national tours and international productions. But How to Succeed, Dolly, Fiddler, and Mancha were closely identified with their stars at the beginning of their runs, and they nevertheless became “event” musicals that played on tour for years and years with other performers in the starring roles. It’s a mystery why Funny Girl and Mame never quite succeeded the way the other musicals did. In many respects, Funny Girl was reminiscent of Jamaica, Lena Horne’s 1957 vehicle, which presented the star in one song after another (eleven total musical sequences). In reviewing that musical, Walter Kerr famously asked if it were possible to make a show out of sheet music. The answer is apparently “yes”—if the show has a star of Horne’s caliber to get you through the book’s weak patches and on to the next song. And talk about a strange book and a strange score: Jamaica is the only major cast album I can think of in which the songs don’t give much in the way of clues as to what the show is about. The songs seem to exist in a vacuum, completely unrelated to plot and character. And so despite its run of 558 performances, Jamaica completely disappeared after the Broadway production closed. Similarly, without Streisand (or another galvanic performer), Funny Girl has been relegated to an also-ran, a big hit at the time but one that is now better known for its songs, its electric cast album, and even for its overblown film version, which, like the Broadway show, had a script by Lennart, who didn’t really improve upon her book for the stage production. Without Jule Styne’s score and Streisand’s performance, Funny Girl may well have ended up like the similar Sophie, which opened at the very same Winter Garden Theatre a year earlier and was based on Sophie Tucker’s struggle to Make It Big in Show Business. Styne’s score gave Fanny three ballads, “People” (which became Streisand’s signature song), “Who Are You Now?,” and the ethereal “The Music That Makes Me Dance.” The latter was the musical’s most memorable number, one of the most haunting songs in all musical theatre, and was a stand-in for Brice’s standard “My Man” (but “The Music That Makes Me Dance” was superior to the rather lugubrious “My Man”). Fanny also had a clarion “wanting” song in “I’m the Greatest Star” and an impassioned warning to the world to “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Moreover, Styne gave her the blazing hot “Cornet Man,” one of the best show tunes of the era, and two Ziegfeld Follies’ spoofs, “His Love Makes Me Beautiful” (with Fanny a very pregnant bride) and “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat” (in which Fanny’s “Private Schwartz from Rockaway” promises to pulverize the Kaiser). For Kay Medford’s role of Momma Brice, Styne composed “Who Taught Her Everything?,” one of his triptych of “stage mother” songs. It followed “Rose’s Turn” (Gypsy (1959)], and preceded “I Don’t Know Where She Got It” (Hallelujah, Baby! [1967]). Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the evening was most successful when Fanny was preoccupied with show business; otherwise, the details of her relationship with Nicky Arnstein ‘”oozes with a thick helping of sticky sentimentality.” Taubman also noted Styne had provided one of his best scores. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the second act was a “serious letdown,” and the “serious emotion” it tried to evoke just wasn’t there. He concluded the evening wasn’t a “clean knockout” but a “TKO.” Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the musical was “disappointing. . . . [It] never succeeds in coming to genuinely exciting life . . . at very best a fairly good musical.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the musical was a “large and lively evening of entertainment” that had “fallen short only of its own potential.” A few months after the musical opened, Louis Calta in the New York Times reported that producer Ray Stark was concerned over the lack of a title song, and so he persuaded Styne and Merrill to write one. The article, which appeared in the August 2, 1964, edition of the newspaper, indicated the new song would be added to the show “within the next few weeks,” and would be sung by Streisand. Although it was never heard in the show, Streisand recorded the number on a 45 RPM. This song is not the title song “(You’re a) Funny Girl” that the team wrote for the film version. During the tryout and New York preview period, the following songs were deleted: “A Temporary Arrangement,” “A Helluva Group,” “It’s Home,” “Took Me a Little Time,” “Something about Me,” “Downtown Rag,” and “Sleep Now, Baby Bunting.” During New York previews, the latter was listed among the musical numbers in the Playbill, but by opening night only a truncated version of the number remained, and the song was omitted from the official song listing. Because a segment of the sequence remained in the show and was briefly performed by Danny Meehan, it’s listed above in its performance-order spot (just before “Cornet Man”). Some tryout programs list the songs “Home” and “Block Party”; the former is probably “It’s Home” and the latter is no doubt an early title for “Henry Street.” Prior to the Broadway opening, Garson Kanin was credited with the direction; however, Jerome Robbins joined the production during the tryout, and while the New York Playbill continued to credit Kanin as director, it also gave Robbins a “production-supervised-by” billing.

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The musical played London for a limited engagement of 112 performances beginning on April 13, 1966, at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Streisand and Medford reprised their New York roles, and Michael Craig was Nicky Arnstein. The inflated and joyless 1968 film version was released by Columbia Pictures with Streisand and Medford re-creating their stage roles; Streisand won the Best Actress Oscar (in a tie with Katharine Hepburn for her performance in The Lion in Winter). William Wyler directed, and the cast included Omar Sharif (Nicky Arnstein) and Walter Pidgeon (Ziegfeld). The film retained seven songs from the stage production (“I’m the Greatest Star,” “If a Girl Isn’t Pretty,” “His Love Makes Me Beautiful,” “People,” “You Are Woman,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” and “Sadie, Sadie”); added three by Styne and Merrill (“The Roller Skate Rag,” “The Swan,” and “[You’re a] Funny Girl”); and interpolated three standards associated with Fanny Brice (“I’d Rather Be Blue Over You [Than Happy with Somebody Else]”), “Second-Hand Rose,” and “My Man”). Incidentally, Streisand sang “My Man” one time during the show’s New York run, at her final Broadway performance as an encore after the curtain calls. “I Did It on Roller Skates” was intended for the original production, but the logistics of cast members dancing on the stage while wearing roller skates proved unfeasible, and so the song wasn’t used (but the film version utilized this idea with “The Roller Skate Rag”). The musical’s poster artwork showed an upside-down Fanny on roller skates, and even though the roller skating number was jettisoned, the artwork remained. Besides the above-listed songs deleted during the tryout, songs written for, but not used in, the production were: “My Daughter Fanny, The Star,” “I Did It on Roller Skates,” “Larceny in His Heart,” “The Baltimore Sun,” “He,” “Racing-Form Lullaby,” “Do Puppies Go to Heaven?,” “Individual Thing,” and “Absent-Minded Me.” The latter was recorded by Streisand on her album People, and the other songs were recorded for the show’s two demo albums. “A Temporary Arrangement” and “It’s Home” were also recorded (for both demos), and the former can be heard in the collection The Unknown Theatre Songs of Jule Styne (Blue Pear Records LP # BP-1011). “Individual Thing” was later used in Styne and Merrill’s Prettybelle, which closed during its tryout in 1971 (the song can be heard on the cast/studio recording of the musical). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1964. The original cast album was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # S/VAS-2059; later issued by Capitol on CD # CDP-7-46634-2). The soundtrack was released by Columbia Records (LP # BOS-3220). A November 1973 production was released on a two-LP set (unlabeled and unnumbered) by NOVA Performing Arts in what appears to be a regional theatre presentation in Arlington, Virginia. For some eighteen months of the musical’s Broadway run, Mimi Hines played the role of Fanny Brice, and for her collection Mimi Hines Sings (Decca Records LP # DL-4709), she recorded “The Music That Makes Me Dance.” In 1975, the film Funny Lady was released by Columbia-Warner. A sequel of sorts to Funny Girl, the film starred Streisand, Omar Sharif, and James Caan (as Billy Rose), and included new songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb as well as standards from the 1920s and 1930s. On April 3, 2011, the Off-Off-Broadway concert-styled musical One Night with Fanny Brice opened at St. Luke’s Theatre. Kimberly Faye Greenberg performed the title role, and sang some two-dozen songs, many of them closely associated with Brice (such as “Second-Hand Rose” and “My Man”).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Funny Girl); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Sydney Chaplin); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Barbra Streisand); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Danny Meehan); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Kay Medford); Best Producer of a Musical (Ray Stark); Best Composer and Lyricist (Jule Styne and Bob Merrill); Best Choreographer (Carol Haney)

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Majestic Theatre Opening Date: April 4, 1964

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Closing Date: April 11, 1964 Performances: 9 Book: Arthur Laurents Lyrics and Music: Stephen Sondheim Direction: Arthur Laurents; Producers: Kermit Bloomgarden and Diana Krasny (Arlene Sellers, Associate Producer); Choreography: Herbert Ross; Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Herbert Greene Cast: Jeff Killion (Sandwich Man), Jeanne Tanzy (Baby Joan), Peg Murray (Mrs. Schroeder), Arnold Soboloff (Treasurer Cooley), James Frawley (Chief Magruder), Gabriel Dell (Comptroller Schub), Angela Lansbury (Cora Hoover Hooper), Sterling Clark (One of The Boys), Harvey Evans (One of the Boys, John), Larry Roquemore (One of the Boys, George), Tucker Smith (One of the Boys), Lee Remick (Fay Apple), Harry Guardino (J. Bowden Hapgood), Don Doherty (Dr. Detmold), Janet Hayes (June), Lester Wilson (Martin), Eleonore Treiber (Old Lady), Alan Johnson (Telegraph Boy), Georgia Creighton (Osgood); Cookies, Nurses, Deputies, Townspeople, Pilgrims, and Tourists: Susan Borree, Georgia Creighton, Janet Hayes, Bettye Jenkins, Patricia Kelly, Barbara Lang, Paula Lloyd, Barbara Monte, Odette Phillips, Hanne-Marie Reiner, Eleonore Treiber, Sterling Clark, Eugene Edwards, Harvey Evans, Dick Enssien, Loren Hightower, Alan Johnson, Jeff Killion, Jack Murray, William Reilly, Larry Roquemore, Tucker Smith, Don Stewart, Lester Wilson The musical was presented in three acts. The action takes place in a not-too-distant town in the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: The Town: “I’m Like the Bluebird” (Company); “Me and My Town” (Angela Lansbury, Sterling Clark, Harvey Evans, Larry Roquemore, Tucker Smith); The Miracle: “Miracle Song” (Angela Lansbury, Arnold Soboloff, Townspeople, Tourists, Pilgrims); The Interrogation: “Simple” (Harry Guardino, Company) Act Two: The Celebration: “A-1 March” (Company); The Romance: “Come Play with (wiz) Me” (Lee Remick, Harry Guardino, Sterling Clark, Harvey Evans, Larry Roquemore, Tucker Smith); “Anyone Can Whistle” (Lee Remick); The Parade: “A Parade in Town” (Angela Lansbury); The Release: “Everybody Says Don’t” (Harry Guardino); Ballet (Lee Remick, Harry Guardino, Cookies) with Variation 1 (Loren Hightower, Odette Phillips, Eleonore Treiber); Variation 2 (Barbara Monte); Variation 3 (Alan Johnson, Paula Lloyd); Variation 4 (Tucker Smith); Variation 5 (Lester Wilson, Hanne-Marie Reiner); Variation 6 (William Reilly, Sterling Clark, Eleonore Treiber, Larry Roquemore, Harvey Evans, Bettye Jenkins) Act Three: The Conspiracy: “I’ve Got You to Lean On” (Angela Lansbury, Gabriel Dell, Arnold Soboloff, James Frawley, Sterling Clark, Harvey Evans, Larry Roquemore, Tucker Smith); The Confrontation: “See What It Gets You” (Lee Remick); “The Cookie Chase”: Waltzes (Angela Lansbury, Lee Remick, Gabriel Dell, Company); with Larry Roquemore (Dancing Deputy), Tucker Smith (Dancing Deputy), Harvey Evans (Dancing Deputy), Eleonore Treiber (Old Lady); Waltz 1 (Odette Phillips); Waltz 2 (Barbara Monte); Waltz 3 (Bettye Jenkins, Alan Johnson); Waltz 4 (Gabriel Dell, Paula Lloyd, Hanne-Marie Reiner, Susan Borree, Patricia Kelly); Waltz 5 (Sterling Clark); Waltz 6 (Bettye Jenkins); Pas de deux (Hanne-Marie Reiner, William Reilly); Gallop (Loren Hightower); Finale (Company); The Farewell: “With So Little to Be Sure Of” (Lee Remick, Harry Guardino); The End: Finale (Company) Anyone Can Whistle was an amusing if somewhat confused and scattershot fable about a manufacturing town gone bankrupt because it produced an (unidentified) item that never wore out. Its corrupt mayor Cora Hoover Hooper (Angela Lansbury) and her equally shady political cronies devise a phony miracle (supposedly restorative waters, which are secretly pumped into a hollow rock) to bring in tourists, and soon the town is prospering. In the meantime, the forty-nine Cookies, or inmates, from the local insane asylum (The Cookie Jar) escape, and no one can tell the difference between the sane and the insane. Further, the Cookie Jar’s resident nurse Fay Apple (Lee Remick) is so repressed she can’t even whistle, and when she mistakes a new (and fiftieth) inmate, J. Bowden Hapgood (Harry Guardino), for the Jar’s new doctor she can’t relate to him unless she pretends to be “Ze Lady from Lourdes,” an uninhibited French woman who is supposedly investigating the authenticity of the town’s miracle.

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“Doctor” Hapgood promises Cora he’ll identify the Cookies from the non-Cookies, but all he does is pronounce everyone mad. When the phony miracle is exposed, everyone in town soon takes off for a town in the next-door valley because it has a new miracle: a marble statue suddenly has a warm heart (Cora exclaims, “Oh, that can happen to anyone”). Cora may be down, but she’s not out: she decides to turn her entire town into a Cookie Jar: there’ll certainly be no shortage of patients. At the end of the musical, Hapgood has left, and Fay is alone in the town square before the phony rock. She tries to whistle, and miraculously is able to do so. Suddenly Hapgood appears, and as they embrace an enormous surge of rainbow-colored water issues forth from the barren rock. The clever libretto brimmed with amusing visual and verbal jokes. As the curtain rises on the first act, a narrator tells of the town’s financial plight as the scenery depicting the town begins to unravel: a building falls down, a crack appears on the façade of the city hall, signs begin to teeter at angles, and from the flies appear signs proclaiming “CLOSED,” “VACANCY,” and “HELP!” During a scenery change, Cora has problems putting on her gloves, and so she holds up her hand for the scenery and the orchestra to stop until she’s finished. When the gloves are on, she indicates the scenery can move and the music can resume. Fay sings that “There Won’t Be Trumpets” when her dream hero arrives, but upon his entrance he’s accompanied by a fanfare of trumpet music from the orchestra pit. At the end of the first act when Hapgood announces everyone is mad, there is laughing and applause from the Majestic Theatre’s balcony, where cast members are sitting. When Fay impersonates “Ze Lady from Lourdes,” her seduction scene with Hapgood is played like an “old French sex film” and subtitles are provided to help the audience understand that “Docteur, Docteur, vous etes charmant” means “Doctor, Doctor, you’re charming.” Finally, an amorous encounter in bed shoots off sky-rocket-like sparklers, thanks to William and Jean Eckart’s ingenious design. As for the amusing dialogue, Cora is told that someone has a plan for saving the town, and she replies that a Peer Gynt Festival sure didn’t work before; Cora clearly recalls the day following her wedding day, because that was the date of her fourteenth birthday; and a “Negro” announces that his occupation is “going to schools, riding in buses, eating in restaurants.” Sondheim’s score is one of the finest heard on Broadway during the 1960s. Mayoress-queen Cora and her four ever-present tuxedo-clad drones (Sterling Clark, Harvey Evans, Larry Roquemore, and Tucker Smith) sing “Me and My Town” and “I’ve Got You to Lean On” in the style of a Persian Room nightclub performance by Kay Thompson; Fay and Hapgood share two memorable songs, the brassy “Come Play Wiz Me” and the wistful “With So Little to Be Sure Of”; Cora’s “A Parade in Town” was her alternately jubilant and pathetic plea for attention; “Miracle Song” was a strong revival-styled number in praise of the phony miracle; and Fay’s title song was one of the most achingly haunting ones ever heard on the Broadway stage. Moreover, Sondheim wrote three extended pieces that stretched the boundaries of contemporary 1960s theatre. These weren’t in-and-out two- or three-minute sequences but instead were intricately developed musical pieces that propelled the story forward through the use of song, dialogue, and dance. The first was the thirteen-minute “A-1 March” (aka “Simple” and “The Interrogation”) in which Hapgood divides the town into Cookies and non-Cookies; the “Ballet” (aka “The Release”) of six variations in which the Cookies are set free; and “The Cookie Chase,” a dazzling ten-minute sequence of waltz variations in which the Cookies are tracked down by deputies and other officials. Howard Taubman in the New York Times wrote that he respected Sondheim and Laurents for their originality, but quickly added they took their conception and “pounded it into a pulp.” He felt the ingredients were all there for a “cheerful and sardonic” book, but they were “slapped . . . together with a heavy hand.” He felt the strongest aspect of the evening was Herbert Ross’s choreography (“dancing is the cream” of Anyone Can Whistle), including the “Release Ballet” (“full of angular, fluid and diverting designs”) and “The Cookie Chase” (“inventive whirlwind waltzes”). In regard to the latter, Taubman mentioned that in one of the dance variations a ballerina dances up the wall of the proscenium (with the help of three male dancers), and he recalled Bert Lahr’s shimmying up the proscenium wall in Foxy (“this will go down in history as the season for wall-climbing”). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted Laurents’s book seemed to have no specific satirical target, and thus every aspect of the musical seemed to satirize something: calculated obsolescence, religious gullibility, contemporary conformity (he even speculated that the use of subtitles in the “French” sequence was a satire of Rugantino). Richard Watts in the New York Post found the work “ponderously heavy-handed and clumsily vague,” and complained that while the musical was “paved with the highest intentions,” it was “neither bright and invigorating as sheer entertainment nor pointed and witty as satirical parable.”

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John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the work was an “unusual, far-out musical with a briskly syncopated score, educated lyrics, original and frisky dances, waltzing scenery and an imaginative story,” and John McClain in the New York Journal-American predicted the show would be a “sure-pop success. . . . [It] should enjoy a happy life: it is fey and fantastic . . . a happy escapist evening.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said he could “spend the next month hurling roses” at the Majestic Theatre and the cast members of Anyone Can Whistle. Here was a “spectacularly original” musical that was “embellished with a merry abundance of theatrical ingenuity.” Further, the score and choreography were the “crowning achievements” of the evening. “There hasn’t been such dancing since they built the pyramids,” he wrote, and added that “The Cookie Chase” will “be remembered most ecstatically . . . the funniest and most ingenious parody on classical ballet you’re likely to see.” He concluded that no musical during the 1963–1964 season could touch Anyone Can Whistle in terms of “choreographic design or dance performance.” And Sondheim’s lyrics and music “deserve an entire review in themselves.” Despite the wizardry of Sondheim’s score, Laurents’s truly original book, Ross’s inspired choreography, and the well-received performances by the principals, Anyone Can Whistle lasted just nine performances. During the tryout, Henry Lascoe (who played Comptroller Schub) died, and was replaced by Gabriel Dell; Johnny Haymer (Dr. Detmold) was replaced by Don Doherty. “There Won’t Be Trumpets” (for Fay) was performed during both the tryout and the New York preview period, but was cut by opening night. “The Natives Are Restless” (for Cora and The Boys) was performed and then dropped during New York previews. The script was published in a hardback edition by Random House in 1965, and another hardback edition was published by Leon Amiel Publishers in 1976. Stephen Sondheim’s Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954– 1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes (Alfred A. Knopf, 2010) includes the lyrics of the songs heard in the Broadway production (including “There Won’t Be Trumpets” but not “I’m Like the Bluebird”) as well as the unused songs as “The Lame, The Halt, The Blind,” “A Hero Is Coming,” and “There’s Always a Woman.” The collection doesn’t include “The Natives Are Restless.” The cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-6080 and KOS-2480). The first CD edition (Columbia Records # CK-2480) included “There Won’t Be Trumpets” (which had been recorded for, but omitted from, the LP release) as well as additional music for “The Cookie Chase.” A second CD release included five demo tracks: “I’m Like the Bluebird” (a brief sequence for the Cookies that was heard in the Broadway production but wasn’t recorded), “The Lame, the Halt and the Blind” (an unused number), “Come Play wiz Me,” “With So Little to Be Sure Of,” and the title song. “There’s Always a Woman” was recorded for Unsung Sondheim (Varese Sarabande CD # 5433), and “A Hero Is Coming” has also been recorded. The musical has twice been revived Off-Off-Broadway, first by the York Players Company at the Church of the Heavenly Rest for nineteen performances beginning on March 14, 1980 (Gary Krawford was Hapgood and Gaylea Byrne was Cora), and then by Opening Doors Productions at the 47th Street Theatre on November 4, 1992 (Christopher Innvar was Hapgood). On April 8, 1995, a special concert version of the musical was performed at Carnegie Hall. Angela Lansbury was the evening’s hostess, and the cast included Scott Bakula (Hapgood), Madeline Kahn (Cora), and Bernadette Peters (Fay). Other cast members were Harolyn Blackwell, Walter Bobbie, Joy Franz, Betsy Joslyn, Joseph Kolinski, Robert LaFosse, Marin Mazzie, Ken Page, Evan Pappas, Tony Stevens, Walter Willison, Chip Zien, and, from the original 1964 cast, Harvey Evans and Sterling Clark. The concert was staged by Herbert Ross, and was recorded by Columbia Records (CD # CK-67224); “There’s Always a Woman” was included in this revival and can be heard on the cast recording. Encores! revived the musical for a limited run of five performances beginning on April 8, 2010; the cast included Raul Esparza (Hapgood), Donna Murphy (Cora), and Sutton Foster (Fay). During preproduction, the musical was known as Side Show.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Choreographer (Herbert Ross)

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HIGH SPIRITS “AN IMPROBABLE MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: April 7, 1964 Closing Date: February 27, 1965 Performances: 375 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray (dance music by William Goldenberg) Based on the 1941 play Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward. Direction: Noel Coward; Producers: Lester Osterman, Robert Fletcher, and Richard Horner (An On-Stage Presentation); Choreography: Danny Daniels; Scenery and Costumes: Robert Fletcher (Miss Grimes’s costumes by Valentina); Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Fred Werner Cast: Edward Woodward (Charles Condomine), Carol Arthur (Edith), Louise Troy (Ruth Condomine), Margaret Hall (Mrs. Bradman), Lawrence Keith (Dr. Bradman), Beatrice Lillie (Madame Arcati), Tammy Grimes (Elvira), Robert Lenn (Bob), Beth Howland (Beth), Gene Castle (Rupert); Singing and Dancing Ensemble: Adrienne Angel, Syndee Balaber, Gene Castle, Jerry Craig, Jackie Cronin, Altovise Gore, Judith Haskell, Beth Howland, Jack Kauflin, Bill Kennedy, Al Lanti, Miriam Lawrence, Renee Lee, Robert Lenn, Alex MacKay, Jaqueline Maria, Stan Mazin, Joe McGrath, Don Percassi, Kathy Preston, Sybil Scotford, Tom Thornton, Ronnie Walken, Anne Wallace The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in England, mostly in the home of Edward and Ruth Condomine.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Was She Prettier Than I?” (Louise Troy); “The Bicycle Song” (Beatrice Lillie, Ensemble); “You’d Better Love Me” (Tammy Grimes); “Where Is the Man I Married?” (Edward Woodward, Louise Troy); “The Sandwich Man” (Robert Lenn, Beth Howland); “Go Into Your Trance” (Beatrice Lillie, Ensemble); “Where Is the Man I Married?” (reprise) (Louise Troy); “Forever and a Day” (Edward Woodward, Tammy Grimes); “Something Tells Me” (Tammy Grimes, Ensemble); “I Know Your Heart” (Edward Woodward, Tammy Grimes); “Faster Than Sound” (Tammy Grimes, Ensemble) Act Two: “If I Gave You” (Edward Woodward, Louise Troy); “Talking to You” (Beatrice Lillie); “Home Sweet Heaven” (Tammy Grimes); “Something Is Coming to Tea” (Beatrice Lillie, Ensemble); “The Exorcism” (Beatrice Lillie, Ensemble); “What in the World Did You Want?” (Edward Woodward, Tammy Grimes, Louise Troy); “Faster Than Sound” (reprise) (Company) High Spirits depicted the dilemma of happily married Charles Condomine (Edward Woodward), whose placid life with his second wife Ruth (Louise Troy) takes a turn for the spiritual when his late wife Elvira (Tammy Grimes) suddenly materializes from the beyond and determines to vamp him all the way to heaven. The merry goings-on get more complicated when local medium Madame Arcati (Beatrice Lillie) enters the picture. By the finale, Charles, Ruth, and Madame Arcati have joined Elvira in what will presumably be a spirited afterlife. Based on Noel Coward’s delightful 1941 comedy Blithe Spirit, High Spirits was directed by Coward, but, surprisingly, he didn’t write his customary book, lyrics, and music, which here were written by Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray. Despite its amusing book and witty and tuneful score, and stellar comic turns from Lillie and Grimes, High Spirits never quite made it, closing at a loss after 375 performances. The lack of a hit song didn’t help, but perhaps the show’s main problem was that it was an intimate chamber musical all dressed up in the trappings of a big and splashy one. Of the musical’s sixteen songs, fifteen were performed by the principals (with an ensemble joining Lillie in four of her five numbers). A sixteenth song, the incidental “The Sandwich Man” for two minor characters, wasn’t even included on the Broadway cast album, and was eliminated from the London production. Perhaps a scaled-down version of High Spirits would work better, with the four principals and various minor characters, along with a small chorus (the original production’s chorus numbered twenty-four, including Ronnie Walken and Beth Howland). The musical employed flying effects

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for Elvira, but productions of Blithe Spirit have never done so, and certainly the musical could eliminate the gimmick with no harm to the story. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune loved Lillie and Grimes, but felt the musical was “long on casual charm and short on ideas”; he also noted there was a certain amount of repetitiveness in the libretto. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the musical was “cause for celebration,” not only for Lillie’s presence but because of the cast, the score, direction, and the “bright and animated” choreography. John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the new musical wasn’t a “bold knockout,” but was nonetheless a “happy” evening, and John McClain in the New York Journal-American noted that without Lillie the musical would be “less than luminous,” and suggested everyone connected with High Spirits “be required to kneel several times a day and pray” for Lillie’s health; but he admitted he had a “generally good time.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun was somewhat cool to the show (it qualifies as a “success,” but is often “decidedly commonplace”), but felt Lillie “re-affirms her place in the recorded history of the 20th century, along with the Battle of Jutland and the Salk vaccine.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical’s creators hadn’t improved upon Blithe Spirit, but he still found a lot to like, including Lillie’s delicious performance (he noted it was “nothing short of uproarious” to watch her acknowledge the audience’s applause with “bogus modesty”). The role of Madame Arcati was perfectly suited to Lillie’s skewed sense of humor; her comic persona was the type who’d warn a child he’d get no spinach unless he finished all his ice cream. Martin and Gray’s score was melodic and witty, with Charles and Ruth’s ballad “If I Gave You” and Elvira’s comedy song “Home Sweet Heaven” the standouts. Taubman said the former was the evening’s “finest” song. “In the style of a romantic old English ballad,” the song had “freshness of profile . . . not often one encounters so lovely a number on Broadway.” Elvira’s hilarious “Home Sweet Heaven” was a Cole Porterish list song cataloging the merry hi-jinks happening on the celestial side (good-looking Robin Hood looks fit for ransom; Joan of Arc sparks the dullest party; it’s fun watching Casanova trying to flirt with Gertrude Stein; and it’s a delight seeing Emily Bronte doing the Twist with Rudyard Kipling). Coward partially rewrote the lyrics, but they weren’t used in the Broadway and West End productions and aren’t heard on their cast recordings. He later recorded the song with his interpolations, and Noel Coward: The Complete Lyrics, edited and annotated by Barry Day and published by the Overlook Press in 1998, includes the song’s lyric as recorded by Coward. There were other delights in the score, including Charles and Elvira’s brassy “I Know Your Heart”; Elvira’s smooth and seductive “You’d Better Love Me”; Charles and Elvira’s ballad “Forever and a Day,” a lovely homage to Coward’s ballads of the 1920s and 1930s; Elvira’s “Faster Than Sound,” in which she describes her flying trips around the world; Madame Arcati’s ode to her Ouija board, “Talking to You”; and the accusatory trio for Charles, Ruth, and Elvira, “What in the World Did You Want?” In preproduction, the musical was titled Faster Than Sound. During the tryout, “Have an Umbrella,” “Flowers,” “The Society,” and “I’ve Never Had a Manifestation” were deleted (even though the latter’s title was used as a line in “Something Is Coming to Tea,” the two songs are completely different). The demo recording includes these four songs along with “Is-There-Anybody-There Tango,” “Would You Let Me,” and “Men Never Know.” During the New York run, the title of “Something Is Coming to Tea” was changed to “Madame Arcati’s Tea Party.” Incidentally, “Forever and a Day” begins with Charles and Elvira listening to a recording of the song, and the brief recording, which is sung by Timothy Gray, is heard on the cast recording. “Faster Than Sound” was originally written for the 1954 film Athena; it was performed by Vic Damone and chorus for a nightclub sequence, but was deleted from the final release print. When viewing the film, a brief glimpse of the number can be seen as it’s just about to begin (but no lyrics or music are heard). The nightclub stage’s decor depicts various international sites, and the chorus girls are dressed in costumes from different nations, and then there’s an abrupt cut to the next scene. Two years later, “Faster Than Sound” resurfaced in the 1956 edition of The Ziegfeld Follies, which closed during its pre-Broadway tryout; the song opened the second act and was sung by Tim Kirby (“assisted by male dancing and singing ensemble and Ziegfeld Girls”). When a revised version of the revue opened on Broadway as Ziegfeld Follies of 1957, the song was no longer part of the show. According to Steven Suskin’s Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway’s Major Composers (Fourth Edition), all the music for High Spirits was composed by Hugh Martin. Martin and Gray collaborated on the lyrics for “The Bicycle Song,” “I Know Your Heart,” “Was She Prettier Than I?,” “You’d Better

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Love Me,” “Faster Than Sound,” “Talking to You,” and “Where Is the Man I Married?”; Martin wrote the lyrics for “Forever and a Day,” “If I Gave You,” and “Something Tells Me”; and Gray the lyrics for “Home Sweet Heaven,” “Go into Your Trance,” “Something Is Coming to Tea,” and “What in the World Did You Want?” It’s unclear who wrote the lyrics for “The Sandwich Man” and “The Exorcism.” The songs for Athena are credited to Martin and Ralph Blane; perhaps Martin wrote the lyric for the film’s version of “Faster Than Sound” and then later Martin and Gray reworked the lyric for High Spirits. The original cast recording was released by ABC-Paramount Records (LP # ABC-OC-1; later issued on CD by MCA Records, Inc., # MCAD-10767). (Listen for a slight flub during the track for “Something Is Coming to Tea,” when Lillie comes on too early during a chorus sequence.) The demo recording includes “pop demonstrations” of “Was She Prettier Than I?,” “I Know Your Heart,” and two versions apiece of “Forever and a Day” and “You’d Better Love Me,” as well as Martin and Gray singing the above four songs as well as “If I Gave You” and “Faster Than Sound.” The London production opened on November 3, 1964, at the Savoy Theatre for ninety-four performances; the cast included Denis Quilley (Charles), Marti Stevens (Elvira), Cicely Courtneidge (Madame Arcati), and Jan Waters (Ruth). The cast album was first issued by Pye Records (LP # NPL-18100, and then by Flash Backs Records LP # FBLP-8087), and a seven-inch EP was released by Pye (# NEP-24196) of Coward singing four numbers from the musical (“Something Tells Me,” “If I Gave You,” “Forever and a Day,” and “Home Sweet Heaven”). The London cast recording was issued on CD by DRG Records (# 13107), and includes the four tracks by Coward. All the above-mentioned recordings omit “The Sandwich Man,” which, like “What’s Good for General Bullmoose” (Li’l Abner [1956]), “The Persuasion” (Camelot), “Sunday Morning” (Donnybrook!),“Shepherd’s Song” (Milk and Honey), “The Plastic Alligator” (Here’s Love), “Come and Be My Butterfly” (Hello, Dolly!), “Eddie’s Fifth Encore” (Funny Girl), and “I’m Like the Bluebird” (Anyone Can Whistle) is one of those doomed songs that from the first day of rehearsal was destined to be omitted from the cast album. Maybe one day these songs will get a CD collection all their own.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (High Spirits); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Beatrice Lillie); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Louise Troy); Best Author of a Musical (Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray); Best Director of a Musical (Noel Coward); Best Composer and Lyricist (Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray); Best Conductor and Musical Director (Fred Werner); Best Choreographer (Danny Daniels)

WEST SIDE STORY Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 8, 1964 Closing Date: May 3, 1964 Performances: 31 Book: Arthur Laurents Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Music: Leonard Bernstein Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins; and loosely based on William Shakespeare’s 1594 play Romeo and Juliet. Direction: Gerald Freedman; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Jerome Robbins (choreography “remounted” by Tom Abbott); Scenery: Peter Wolf; Costumes: Irene Sharaff (costumes “supervised” by Stanley Simmons); Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Charles Jaffee Cast: The Jets—James Moore (Riff), Don McKay (Tony), Joe Bennett (Action), Mark Jude Sheil (A-Rab), Steve Curry (Baby John), Barry Burns (Snowboy), Larry Moss (Big Deal), Hamp Dickens (Diesel), Danny Lockin (Gee-Tar), Joe Corby (Mouth Piece), John McCook (Tiger); Their Girls—Wilma Curley (Graziella), Tobie Lynn (Velma), Barbara Rogers (Minnie), Gloria Kaye (Clarice), Eileen Casey (Pauline), Erin Martin (Any-

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body’s); The Sharks—Jay Norman (Bernardo), Julia Migenes (Maria), Luba Lisa (Anita), B.  J. DeSimone (Chino), Noel Schwartz (Pepe), Tim Ramirez (Indio), Jo Jo Smith (Luis), Kent Thomas (Anxious), Carlos Gorbea (Nibbles), Richard Balin (Juano), Carmine Terra (Toro), Eliot Feld (Moose); Their Girls—Marilyn Cooper (Rosalia), Carmen Morales (Consuelo), Ella Thompson (Teresita), Diana Corto (Francisca), Lolli Hinton (Estella), Tina Faye (Marguerita); The Adults—Harry Davis (Doc), Ted Gunther (Schrank), Frank Downing (Krupke), Brooks Morton (Gladhand) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the West Side of New York City during the last days of summer.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Prologue” (dance) (Jets and Sharks); “Jet Song” (James Moore, Steve Curry, Barry Burns, Jets); “Something’s Coming” (Don McKay); “The Dance at the Gym” (Jets and Sharks); “Maria” (Don McKay); “Tonight” (Don McKay, Julia Migenes); “America” (Luba Lisa, Marilyn Cooper, Shark Girls); “Cool” (James Moore, Jets); “One Hand, One Heart” (Don McKay, Julia Migenes); “Tonight” (Quintet and Chorus) (Company); “The Rumble” (dance) (James Moore, Jay Norman, Jets, Sharks) Act Two: “I Feel Pretty” (Julia Migenes, Marilyn Cooper, Ella Thompson, Carmen Morales); “Somewhere” (danced by Company; sung by Diana Corto); “Gee, Officer Krupke” (Joe Bennett, Barry Burns, Jets); “A Boy Like That” (Luba Lisa, Julia Migenes); “I Have a Love” (Luba Lisa, Julia Migenes); “Taunting” (dance) (Luba Lisa, Jets); Finale (Company) The 1964 City Center production of West Side Story marked the second of five New York revivals of the classic musical, which had first premiered on Broadway in 1957 (for more information, see entry for the 1960 production). For the 1964 revival, Julia Migenes was Maria, and Don McKay was Tony (he was London’s first Tony, appearing there in the 1958 West End premiere). Other cast members included Luba Lisa (Anita), Steve Curry (Baby John), and Marilyn Cooper (reprising her original 1957 role of Rosalia). Lewis Funke in the New York Times wrote that despite the musical’s familiarity it still remained “one of the summits of the American musical,” and said City Center gave the work a revival “worthy of its eminence.” He noted that the dances of West Side Story were among the musical’s “lustrous gems,” and they continued to “sparkle” under choreographer Tom Abbott’s faithful reconstruction of Robbins’s original dances. He was also taken with Migenes and McKay’s performances, noting she was “vivacious” yet “touching,” and he had a “winning, romantic quality.” He found Luba Lisa’s Anita “electric.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Producer of a Musical (The City Center Light Opera Company); Best Conductor and Musical Direction (Charles Jaffe)

CAFÉ CROWN “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: April 17, 1964 Closing Date: April 18, 1964 Performances: 3 Book: Hy Kraft Lyrics: Marty Brill Music: Albert Hague Based on the 1942 play Café Crown by Hy Kraft.

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Direction: Jerome Eskow; Producer: Philip Rose and Swanlee; Choreography: Ronald Field; Scenery and Lighting: Sam Leve; Costumes: Ruth Morley; Musical Direction: Gershon Kingsley Cast: Alan Alda (Dr. Irving Gilbert), Ted Thurston (Mr. Morris), Norman Shelly (Nathan the Waiter), Brenda Lewis (Mme. Cole), Joe Ross (Bloom the Fiddler), Shirley Leinwand (First Woman), Fay Reed (Second Woman), Keith Kaldenberg (Mr. Edelman), Ann Marisse (Mrs. Edelman), Roy Stuart (Beck), Robert Penn (Rubin), Val Avery (Kaplan, Petty Officer), Francine Beers (Mrs. Perlman), Martin Wolfson (Mr. Toplitz), Wood Romoff (Mendel Polan), Renee Orin (Ida Polan), Sam Levene (Hymie the Busboy), Monte Amundsen (Norma Roberts), Tommy Rall (David Cole), Michael Vale (Lipsky), John Anania (Ship’s Captain), Betty Aberlin (Sarah), Theodore Bikel (Samuel Cole), Edwin Bruce (Burton); Singers: Marilyn Murphy, Bonnie Brody, Betty Aberlin, Fay Reed, Ann Marisse, Shirley Leinwand, Stephanie Winters, John Wheeler, Ken Richards; Dancers: Geri Spinner, Betty Rosebrock, Bonnie Walker, Cheryl Kilgren, Patsi King, Luigi Gasparanetti, Ean Benjamin, Robert Avian, Keith Stewart, Terry Violino The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around the Café Crown (at the corner of Second Avenue and 12th Street) in New York City during the early 1930s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “You’re a Stranger in This Neighborhood” (Alan Alda, Company); “What’s the Matter with Buffalo?” (Sam Levene, Alan Alda, Ensemble); “All Those Years” (Tommy Rall, Monte Amundsen); “Au Revoir Poland—Hello New York!” (Brenda Lewis, The Lipsky Theatre Ensemble); “Make the Most of Spring” (Brenda Lewis); “As Long as It Isn’t Shakespeare” (Sam Levene, Theodore Bikel); “A Lifetime Love” (Theodore Bikel, Brenda Lewis); “I’m Gonna Move” (Tommy Rall); “A Mother’s Heart” (Brenda Lewis, Betty Aberlin, The Lipsky Theatre Ensemble); “On This Wedding Day” (Brenda Lewis, Wedding Guests) Act Two: “What’s Gonna Be Tomorrow” (Company); “A Man Must Have Something to Live For” (Theodore Bikel, Ensemble); “That’s the Life for Me” (Sam Levene, Theodore Bikel, Brenda Lewis, Company); “A Lifetime Love” (reprise) (Tommy Rall, Monte Amundsen); “King Lear Ballet” (Theodore Bikel, Tommy Rall, Ensemble); “Magical Things in Life” (Sam Levene, Theodore Bikel, Ensemble); “That’s the Life for Me” (reprise) (Sam Levene, Theodore Bikel, Brenda Lewis, Alan Alda, Ensemble); “A Man Must Have Something to Live For” (reprise) (Company) Hy Kraft’s comedy Café Crown was a modest hit when it opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on January 23, 1942, for 141 performances. Inspired by an actual restaurant on Second Avenue at 12th Street called the Café Royal (in his review of the musical for the New York World-Telegram and Sun, Leonard Harris noted that the site of the fabled restaurant was now a dry-cleaning establishment), the modest comedy was somewhat reminiscent in structure of William Saroyan’s 1939 barroom comedy-drama The Time of Your Life. Saroyan’s play, like Kraft’s, emphasized character over plot as it looked at the lives of the staff as well as the patrons who frequent a San Francisco saloon. Kraft also wrote the book of the short-lived musical version of Café Crown (the lyrics were by Marty Brill and the music by Albert Hague), which centered around owner Hymie (Sam Levene), who has become rich by demanding tips at his popular gathering-place for Yiddish theatre types. Hymie often backs Yiddish shows at his Lipsky Theatre, which is across the street from the restaurant, but is reluctant to invest in The King of Riverside Drive, a new version of King Lear for the popular if self-important actor Samuel Cole (Theodore Bikel) and his wife (Brenda Lewis), who will play Mrs. Lear, a part especially written for her. Hymie once lost his investment in another Shakespearian revival (Richard One-Two-Three), and is loath to see more money go down the drain. But young dentist Dr. Irving Gilbert (Alan Alda), who has just moved to New York from Buffalo to be near his girlfriend Norma Roberts (Monte Amundsen), decides to sponsor the production. Other regulars of the Café Crown and its environs are David Cole (Tommy Rall), Samuel’s young actor son who has grown tired of playing character parts (mostly of elderly men) and who wants to crash Hollywood, and unsuccessful playwright Mr. Toplitz (Martin Wolfson). The critics weren’t kind to the musical version of Cafe Crown, which closed after three performances. Howard Taubman in the New York Times thought there was a wonderful musical in the subject of old-time Yiddish theatre, but Café Crown was not that musical. He noted that parts of the first and second acts offered

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“glowing, swaying moments” in which the musical “chants and capers like the real thing,” but otherwise Kraft’s book was “mechanical.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that Café Crown had given three weeks of previews (the musical had bypassed the traditional out-of-town tryout), and assumed the producers must have known their show was “a wispy ghost of a musical.” He felt they should have closed Café Crown during previews, and thus spared the cast the embarrassment of going through with the opening. He also mentioned that a rude audience member kept crawling over him throughout the performance, and he felt “courtesy is required even in disaster areas.” Harris found the musical “dull”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the show was an “ill-assembled production”; Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the evening was “wistfully ineffectual”; and John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the musical was a “painfully uneasy affair.” The critics were mostly cool to the score (“not strong enough,” said McClain, and Taubman noted the songs weren’t “radiant enough to transmute a lumbering book into a magical musical”), but Watts found the score “modestly agreeable.” However, of the fifteen musical numbers (less reprises), the critics singled out eight songs, including the “joyous” “On This Wedding Day” (per Taubman) and the “jolly” “That’s the Life for Me” (Chapman). Taubman also noted the latter had “the genial swing and juice of song that would set feet tapping cheerfully at a Jewish party.” Other stand-out numbers in the score were “All Those Years,” with a richly expansive melodic line; “What’s the Matter with Buffalo?,” a bouncy and amusing comedy song; and the opening number “You’re a Stranger in This Neighborhood,” an insinuating song in a minor key which offered a touch of mysterioso. Two musicals-within-the-musical attracted comment. Au Revoir Poland—Hello New York! was an Abie’s Irish Rose–inspired musical that Taubman found “fun.” This “shaky masterpiece” is being presented at the Lipsky Theatre and concerns the approaching wedding of a nice Jewish girl who is engaged to a man named . . . Logan. No one’s happy about the wedding except the bride and groom. But when Logan turns out to be a rabbi’s son and is thus a nice Jewish boy after all, the wedding guests can find reason to celebrate. The other musical was the new version of King Lear, which included the “King Lear Ballet,” one of the most notorious dance numbers of the era, second only to the concentration camp ballet in Ari (1971). Taubman rhetorically asked, “What in the world is this musical doing with, of all things, a ‘King Lear Ballet’?,” and Kerr called it “grisly.” Harris said “don’t ask” how such a ballet got into the musical, and told his readers to “please accept the explanation that it had no business there at all.” But Watts noted that Ronald (Ron) Field “inventively” choreographed the sequence, and McClain said it allowed Tommy Rall to display his “exceptional gifts.” Rall particularly impressed the critics with “I’m Gonna Move,” in which he tries to decide whether or not to go to Hollywood. Taubman said Rall brought “fire and power” to the dance. During previews, the second-act song “Someone’s Waiting” (for Tommy Rall and Monte Admunsen) was deleted, and a reprise of “A Lifetime Love” was substituted for them. The musical had originally been announced for an April 20 opening; many musicals postpone their originally announced openings, but in this case the premiere occurred three days earlier on April 17. The play (not the musical) enjoyed a well-received Off-Broadway revival on October 25, 1988, at the Public Theatre for fifty-six performances. But when the production transferred to Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on February 18, 1989, it ran for a disappointing forty-five performances; the cast included Bob Dishy, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, David (James) Carroll, Marilyn Cooper, and Fyvush Finkel. In 1978, another musical about the early years of Yiddish Theatre flopped. The Prince of Grand Street starred Robert Preston as Nathan Rashumsky, a Yiddish actor who presents Shakespeare to immigrant audiences. But he offers Shakespeare with a difference, because his tragedies always end happily. The star and the subject matter were promising, but Bob Merrill’s book was unfocused and tiresome, his score was too mild, and Preston was noticeably uncomfortable in the title role. Although the musical was scheduled to open at the Palace Theatre on May 11, 1978, it closed during its pre-Broadway tryout.

PORGY AND BESS Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 6, 1964

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Closing Date: May 17, 1964 Performances: 15 Libretto: DuBose Heyward Lyrics: DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin Music: George Gershwin Based on the 1927 play Porgy by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward (which in turn had been adapted from DuBose Heyward’s 1925 novel Porgy). Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Scenery: Stephen O. Saxe; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Nan Porcher; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: Marie Young (Clara), Tony Middleton (Mingo), Robert Guillaume (Sportin’ Life), Irving Barnes (Jake), Gwendolyn Walters (Serena), Eugene Edwards (Robbins), Garwood Perkins (Jim), Garrett Morris (Peter [The Honeyman]), Frances Haywood (Lily), Carol Brice (Maria), William Warfield and Irving Barnes (both alternating in the role of Porgy), William Dillard (Crown), Veronica Tyler and Barbara Smith Conrad (both alternating in the role of Bess), David Hicks (Policeman), John Smith (Policeman), Walter Riemer (Detective), Wanza King (Undertaker), Alyce Webb (Annie), Al Fann (Frazer), Kay Barnes (Strawberry Woman), Clyde Turner (Crabman), William Harris (Scipio), Lillian Hayman (Pearl); Residents of Catfish Row: Ruby Green Aspinall, Kaye Barnes, Phyllis Bash, Elijah Bennett, Joseph Bryant, Paul Corder, Marceline Decker, Beverly Evans, Don Forrest, Beno Foster, Claretta Freemon, Carol Joy George, Carrie Glover, Helen Guile, William G. Harris, Afrika Hayes, Lillian Hayman, Frances W. Haywood, Annette B. Jackson, Martin Jewell, Marva Josie, Wanza King, Thomas Laidman, Dorothy Lane, Garrett Morris, Caryl Paige, Garwood Perkins, Lucinda Ransom, John Richardson, Edna Ricks, Anthony Safina, Clyde Turner, Eloise C. Uggams, James Wamen, Laurence Watson, Alyce Webb, Pauline Weekes, James Wilson, William Wright, Lou Ann Wyckoff; Children: Deborah Hall, Benjamin Hines, Norman Hines, Antonell Jones The opera was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, and on nearby Kittiwah Island; the original Broadway Playbill indicated the time was in “the recent past.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “Summertime” (Marie Young); “A Woman Is a Sometime Thing” (Garwood Perkins, Irving Barnes, Ensemble); “They Pass By Singing” (William Warfield); “Crap Game Fugue” (Marie Young, Ensemble); “Gone, Gone, Gone” (Ensemble); “My Man’s Gone Now” (Gwendolyn Walters, Ensemble); “Overflow” (Ensemble); “Rowing Song” (Garwood Perkins, Irving Barnes, Fisherman); “I Got Plenty of Nuttin’” (William Warfield); “Buzzard” (William Warfield, Ensemble); “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” (William Warfield, Veronica Tyler); “Oh, I Can’t Sit Down” (Ensemble) Act Two: “Ha Da Da” (Ensemble); “Leavin’ fo’ de Promis’ Lan’” (Veronica Tyler, Ensemble); “It Ain’t Necessarily So” (Robert Guillaume, Ensemble); “What You Want with Bess” (William Dillard, Veronica Tyler); “Rowing Song” (reprise) (Ensemble); “Time and Time Again” (Gwendolyn Walters, Ensemble); “Street Cries” (Kaye Barnes, Clyde Turner); “I Loves You, Porgy” (William Warfield, Veronica Tyler); “Oh, de Lawd Shake de Heaven” (Enemble); “A Red-Headed Woman” (William Dillard, Enemble); “Oh, Doctor Jesus” (Ensemble); “Clara, Don’t You Be Downhearted” (Ensemble); “There’s a Boat That’s Leavin’ Soon for New York” (Robert Guillaume, Veronica Tyler); “Occupational Humoresque” (Ensemble); “Where’s My Bess?” (William Warfield, Gwendolyn Walters, Frances Haywood); “I’m On My Way” (William Warfield, Ensemble) The New York City Center Light Opera Company’s 1964 production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess was their second revival of the opera, which was seen at City Center four times during the 1960s. For general information about the opera, see entry for the 1961 production, and for specific information about the other three revivals that played at City Center during the 1960s, see entries for those productions (1961, 1962, and 1965 [the latter two revivals were presented by the New York City Opera]). In reviewing the 1964 revival for the New York Times, Louis Calta said Catfish Row “came throbbingly back to life” with the “high artistic standards” for which the company was famous. William Warfield, who

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had appeared in the Center’s 1961 production, returned in a performance that was sung with “authority and feeling,” and while Veronica Tyler’s Bess was not entirely successful, Calta praised her “excellent” soprano. As for Robert Guillaume’s Sportin’ Life, he noted the performance lacked the “reptilian” quality Avon Long had brought to the role in earlier New York revivals. Gwendolyn Walters (Serena) “stopped the show” with her “My Man’s Gone Now”; Calta praised her “powerful” voice, and said she brought “sonority and impact” to her aria. Other cast members included Marie Young (Clara), Carol Brice (Maria), and future Tony Award winner Lillian Hayman (Pearl). Julius Rudel conducted. Calta noted the production included about six white singers in black roles. He reported that Jean Dalrymple, City Center’s artistic director, stated that performers were cast “on the basis of voices, not blood tests.” Further, the white performers used a make-up known as “Texas-dirt,” and Dalrymple explained “there were plenty of mulattoes and octoroons on Catfish Row.”

MY FAIR LADY Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 20, 1964 Closing Date: June 28, 1964 Performances: 47 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Frederick Loewe Based on the 1912 play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and the 1938 film Pygmalion (screenplay by Shaw and others; the film was produced by Gabriel Pascal, who received My Fair Lady program credit). Direction: Samuel Liff; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Hanya Holm; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Cecil Beaton; Lighting: Feder; Musical Direction: Anton Coppola Cast: Jerry Trent (Busker), Myron Curtis (Busker), Kiki Minor (Busker, Flower Girl), Claire Waring (Mrs. Eynsford-Hill), Marni Nixon (Eliza Doolittle), Russell Nype (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Byron Webster (Colonel Pickering), Raymond Allen (A Bystander, Jamie, Ambassador), Myles Eason (Henry Higgins), Charles Penman (Selsey Man, Harry, Lord Boxington), Henry Lawrence (Hoxton Man), Robert (Bob) Fitch (Another Bystander), William Krach (First Cockney, Footman), Stokely Gray (Second Cockney, Butler, Servant), Richard H. Goodlake (Third Cockney), Barney Johnston (Fourth Cockney, Bartender), Jack Eddelman (Bartender), Reginald Gardiner (Alfred P. Doolittle), Dorothy Sands (Mrs. Pearce), Olive Reeves-Smith (Mrs. Hopkins, Lady Boxington), Jeremy Broun (Servant), Margaret Broderson (Servant), Joyce Dahl (Servant), Ruth Shepard (Servant), Art Martinson (Servant), Margery Maude (Mrs. Higgins), Harry Woolever (Chauffer, Constable), Richard Park (Footman, Flunkey), Sandor Szabo (Zoltan Karpathy), Terry Marone (Queen of Transylvania), Margaret Cuddy (Mrs. Higgins’s Maid); Singers: Jeremy Broun, Margaret Broderson, Diane Chase, Joyce Dahl, Elaine Labour, Terry Marone, Donna Monroe, Ruth Shepard, Jack Eddleman, Richard H. Goodlake, Stokely Gray, Barney Johnston, William Krach, Henry Lawrence, Art Martinson, Richard Park; Dancers: Judi Allinson, Emily Byrne, Margaret Cuddy, Katia Geleznova, Audrey Hays, Adriana Keathley, Kiki Minor, Molly Molloy, Mari Shelton, Esther Villavicencio, Dick Colacino, Myron Curtis, Robert (Bob) Fitch, Ronn Forella, Dennis Lynch, Joe Nelson, Jerry Trent, R. Michael Steele, Mark West, Harry Woolever The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in London in 1912.

Musical Numbers Act One: Street Entertainers (Jerry Trent, Myron Curtis, Kiki Minor); “Why Can’t the English?” (Miles Eason); “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (Marni Nixon, William Krach, Stokely Gray, Richard H. Goodlake, Barney Johnston); “With a Little Bit of Luck” (Reginald Gardiner, Charles Penman, Raymond Allen); “I’m an Ordinary Man” (Miles Eason); “With a Little Bit of Luck” (reprise) (Reginald Gardiner, Ensemble); “Just You Wait” (Marni Nixon); “The Rain in Spain” (Miles Eason, Marni Nixon, Byron Webster); “I Could Have Danced

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All Night” (Marni Nixon, Dorothy Sands, Maids); “Ascot Gavotte” (Ensemble); “On the Street Where You Live” (Russell Nype); “The Embassy Waltz” (dance; Miles Eason, Marni Nixon, Sandor Szabo, Ensemble) Act Two: “You Did It” (Miles Eason, Byron Webster, Dorothy Sands, Servants); “Just You Wait” (reprise) (Marni Nixon); “On the Street Where You Live” (reprise) (Russell Nype); “Show Me” (Marni Nixon, Russell Nype); “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (reprise) (Marni Nixon, Cockneys); “Get Me to the Church on Time” (Reginald Gardiner, Charles Penman, Raymond Allen, Ensemble); “A Hymn to Him” (Miles Eason); “Without You” (Marni Nixon, Miles Eason); “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” (Miles Eason) City Center’s 1964 production of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s My Fair Lady was the first New York revival of the musical, which had first opened on March 15, 1956, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. When it closed on September 29, 1962, it had chalked up 2,717 performances, making it the longest-running musical in Broadway history up to that time. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play Pygmalion, the musical told the enchanting Galatea-inspired story of how Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) turns Cockney flowerseller Eliza Doolittle (Julie Andrews) into an elegant young woman. In this seemingly impossible endeavor, he’s aided by his friend Colonel Pickering (Robert Coote), but finds occasional interference from Eliza’s father Alfred P. Doolittle (Stanley Holloway) and even his own mother (Cathleen Nesbitt). City Center presented the musical one more time, in 1968 (see entry), with Fritz Weaver (Higgins), Inga Swenson (Eliza), and George Rose (Doolittle) in the principal roles. There have also been three commercial revivals of the work. The so-called twentieth-anniversary production opened at the St. James Theatre on March 25, 1976, for 384 performances; the cast included Ian Richardson (Higgins), Christine Andreas (Eliza), George Rose (Doolittle), Jerry Lanning (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), and Robert Coote, reprising his original role of Pickering. On August 18, 1981, Rex Harrison returned to the role of Higgins in a production that played at the Uris (now Gershwin) Theatre for 119 performances; other members of the cast were Nancy Ringham (Eliza), Milo O’Shea (Doolittle), and Cathleen Nesbitt, who reprised her original role of Higgins’s mother. The most recent New York revival opened at the Virginia Theatre on May 1, 1994, for 165 performances. The controversially staged production starred Richard Chamberlain (Higgins), Melissa Errico (Eliza), and, in the role created by his father in the original production, Julian Holloway was Doolittle. The minor role of the Queen of Transylvania was played by Broadway veteran Patti Karr. This revival annoyed purists, but the sometimes surreal décor was amusing, and the Magritte-like staging of the Ascot scene was dazzling to watch as the elegant lords and ladies hung on strings above the stage, very much in keeping with the puppet-like Hirschfeld artwork of the original 1956 production. Chamberlain was a charming Higgins, but Errico was nowhere near as captivating as Meg Tolin, who often substituted for her during the revival’s pre-Broadway tour. In an interesting and welcome bit of casting, Michael Moriarty assumed the role of Higgins when Chamberlain left the show. His Higgins was decidedly different from traditional interpretations, and he introduced a certain boyish sense of humor to the role, albeit a whining, selfish, and petulant little boy who will get his way no matter the cost to others. During the 2007–2008 theatre season, the lavish Cameron Mackintosh/National Theatre of Great Britain’s revival of My Fair Lady toured the United States but (wisely) never attempted New York. The disappointing production was indifferently cast with often uncharismatic leads (Tim Jerome’s Doolittle was a happy exception, and Sally Ann Howes, who had succeeded Julie Andrews in the original production, added a nostalgic touch to the production in the role of Mrs. Higgins) and there were desperate attempts to make the show “relevant” (suffragettes marched through the streets of London, and the choreography offered Stomplike movements that utilized garbage-can lids as dance props). The first London production of the musical opened on April 30, 1958, at the Drury Lane Theatre for 2,281 performances; Harrison, Andrews, Holloway, and Coote reprised their original roles. My Fair Lady was filmed by Warner Brothers in 1964; Harrison and Holloway reprised their original roles, and the former won the Oscar for Best Actor (the film won a total of eight Oscars, including Best Picture). Other cast members included Audrey Hepburn (Eliza), Wilfred Hyde-White (Pickering), Jeremy Brett (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), and Gladys Cooper (Mrs. Higgins). The film was a faithful but ponderous and overly long adaptation, and fell victim to one of the annoying habits of Warner Brothers’ film musicals of the period, that of the literalization of a song or two, as if film audiences needed extra help in understanding the lyrics. In this case, Eliza’s “Just You Wait” was accompanied by a visualization of her fantasies about the punishments she felt Higgins deserved. (See also “The Good Old Days” sequence in Damn Yankees [1958] and “Pickalittle” in The Music Man [1962].)

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The script was published in hardback by Coward-McCann in 1956. There are dozens of My Fair Lady recordings, but the original 1956 cast album (Columbia Records LP # OL-5090) remains definitive (when the LP was issued in stereo [LP # OS-2015], it was taken from the London, not the New York, production). The London cast album is disappointing because the performances seem too studied; there’s a noticeable lack of spontaneity in the proceedings. The Broadway cast album has twice been issued on CD; the Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy edition (# SK-89997) includes two bonus tracks of interviews with Harrison, Andrews, and Lerner and Loewe. The CD edition of the London cast album (issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy # SK-60539) includes a bonus track of “The Embassy Waltz,” which wasn’t recorded for either the original New York or London albums, and a two-CD 1996 studio cast album released by That’s Entertainment Records (CD # CDTER-2-1211) includes “Come to the Ball,” which was deleted during the tryout. Another song deleted during the tryout was “Say a Prayer for Me Tonight,” which Lerner and Loewe used for their 1958 film musical Gigi. Of the remaining My Fair Lady albums, one of the most interesting is the 1959 Mexico City cast album Mi Bella Dama, which includes the young Placido Domingo as one of the quartet which accompanies Eliza in “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” The 1964 City Center production opened about six months before the film version was released, and so City Center patrons had a preview of how Eliza would sound in the film because it was City Center’s Eliza, Marni Nixon, who was the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn in the upcoming film. Nixon was also Deborah Kerr’s singing voice in the 1956 film version of The King and I and Natalie Wood’s singing voice in the 1961 film version of West Side Story. For the latter, it’s been reported that for the “A Boy Like That”/“I Have a Love” sequence, Nixon not only sang the Maria role, she also briefly sang part of the Anita role, hence sharing a duet with herself. Her program bio for the My Fair Lady revival noted that in regard to her career in dubbing for films, Time magazine dubbed her “The Ghostess with the Mostest.” The bio went on to indicate Nixon had dubbed for Deborah Kerr in The King and I and An Affair to Remember, for Natalie Wood in West Side Story, “and others soon to be released” (no mention was made that Nixon had dubbed Hepburn’s singing voice for the forthcoming film version of My Fair Lady). Besides Marni Nixon, the City Center revival’s cast included Myles Eason (Higgins), Reginald Gardiner (Doolittle), Russell Nype (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), and Olive Reeves-Smith (reprising her original 1956 role of Mrs. Hopkins). John Canaday in the New York Times was a bit cool toward the two leads. He agreed Eason’s singing was better than Harrison’s (“whose isn’t?”), but felt he should have brought Harrison’s singing style to the songs. He felt Nixon didn’t “make a very good Cockney,” but in her later scenes she “made a great lady . . . sang delightfully, and looked lovely.” Canaday’s best notices went to film veteran Reginald Gardiner’s Doolittle. He praised Gardiner’s “wonderful, boozy, abominable, bug-ridden and altogether reprehensible charmer” who came across “like a defrocked boy scout.” For more information, Keith Garebian’s The Making of “My Fair Lady” (published by ECW Press in 1993) is recommended for its wealth of detail regarding the background of the musical, including its sources, its rehearsals and tryout, and its theatrical afterlife following its original Broadway run. Another solid source for information about the classic musical is Dominic McHugh’s Loverly: The Life and Times of “My Fair Lady” (Oxford University Press, 2012).

FADE OUT—FADE IN “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: May 26, 1964 Closing Date: November 14, 1964; Performances: 199 Reopening Date: February 15, 1965; Final Closing Date: April 17, 1965; Performances: 72 Total Performances: 271 Book and Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music: Jule Styne Direction: George Abbott; Producers: Lester Osterman and Jule Styne; Choreography: Ernest Flatt; Scenery and Lighting: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Donald Brooks; Musical Direction: Colin Romoff

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Cast: Jack Cassidy (Byron Prong), Jodi Perselle (Teenager), Judy Newman (Teenager), Diana Ede (Woman), Darrell J. Askey (Man, Rex, Publicity Man), Roger Allan Raby (Autograph Kid, Waiter), Charlene Mehl (Autograph Kid), Frank Tweddell (Pops), Alice Glenn (Helga Sixtrees), Bob Neukum (Roscoe), Glenn Kezer (Billy Vespers), John Dorrin (Lyman, Frank Governor), Carol Burnett (Hope Springfield), William Louther (Chauffer, Convict), Ed Pfeiffer (Convict), Wendy Taylor (First Girl), Stephen (Steve) Elmore (First Cowboy Extra, Arnold Governor), Fred Cline (Second Cowboy Extra, Waiter), Gene Varrone (Gangster Extra, Harold Governor), Mitchell Jason (Ralph Governor), Dick Patterson (Rudolf Governor), Howard Kahl (George Governor), Richard Frisch (Waiter, Max Welch), Sean Allen (Publicity Man, Photographer), Gene Kelton (Convict), James von Weiss (Convict), Virginia Payne (Myra May Melrose), Diane Arnold (Seamstress), Jo Tract (Miss Mallory), Dan Resin (Custer Corkley), Smaxie (Approval), Tiger Haynes (Lou Williams), Aileen Poe (Dora Dailey), Lou Jacobi (Lionel Z. Governor), Reuben Singer (Dr. Anton Traurig), Judy Cassmore (Gloria Currie), Penny Egelston (Madame Barrymore); Singers: Sean Allen, Jackie Alloway, Darrell J. Askey, Fred Cline, John Dorrin, Trish Dwelley, Stephen Elmore, Richard Frisch, Howard Kahl, Carolyn Kemp, Betty Kent, Glenn Kezer, Mari Nettum, Bob Neckum, Roger Allan Raby, Jo Tract, Gene Varrone; Dancers: Don Crichton (Lead Dancer), Virginia Allen, Diane Arnold, Judy Cassmore, Diana Ede, Ernie Horvath, Gene Kelton, William Louther, Charles Mehl, Judy Newman, Jodi Perselle, Ed Pfeiffer, Carolsue Shaer, Patricia Sigris, Roy Smith, Bill Stanton, Wendy Taylor, James von Weiss The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Hollywood during the mid-1930s.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra); “The Thirties” (Jack Cassidy); “It’s Good to Be Back Home” (Carol Burnett, Ensemble); “Fear” (Dick Patterson, Mitchell Jason, Howard Kahl, John Dorrin, Gene Varrone, Stephen Elmore); “Fear” (reprise) (Jack Cassidy, Dick Patterson, Mitchell Jason, Howard Kahl, John Dorrin, Gene Varrone, Stephen Elmore); “Call Me Savage” (Carol Burnett, Dick Patterson); “The Usher from the Mezzanine” (Carol Burnett); “I’m with You” (Carol Burnett, Jack Cassidy, Don Crichton, Violin Girls, Bow Boys); “The Usher from the Mezzanine” (reprise) (Carol Burnett, Ensemble); “My Fortune Is My Face” (Jack Cassidy); “Lila Tremaine” (Carol Burnett) Act Two: Entr’acte (Orchestra); “Go Home Train” (Carol Burnett); “Close Harmony” (Lou Jacobi, Jack Cassidy, Tina Louise, Mitchell Jason, Dick Patterson, Howard Kahl, John Dorrin, Gene Varrone, Stephen Elmore); “You Mustn’t Be Discouraged” (Carol Burnett, Tiger Haynes); “The Dangerous Age” (Lou Jacobi); “L. Z. in Quest of His Youth” (Lou Jacobi, Tina Louise, Don Crichton, Ensemble); “The Fiddler and the Fighter” Finale (Jack Cassidy, Ensemble); “Fade Out—Fade In” (Carol Burnett, Dick Patterson) Jule Styne’s Fade Out—Fade In (which in preproduction was titled A Girl to Remember) was not only the final musical of the 1963–1964 season, it was also Styne’s second musical to open that spring, coming along exactly two months to the day after Funny Girl’s premiere. But there would be just one girl people remembered, and despite a game attempt to keep the show running, Fade Out faded after 271 performances in two separate engagements. The musical’s opening number “The Thirties” established the time and the place and the basic plot. This was Hollywood’s golden era when “Lady Ruby Keeler and Dame Alice Faye” ruled the silver screen, and hopefully Hope Springfield (Carol Burnett), an unknown movie usherette and occasional New York chorus girl, will soon join them as one of tinsel town’s all-time greats. Hope has been summoned to Hollywood by movie mogul L. Z. Governor (Lou Jacobi), head of FFF Studios, for the lead in his new movie musical The Fiddler and the Fighter. Only she hasn’t. In fact, L. Z. wanted the fourth girl in the chorus line (Gloria Currie, played by Tina Louise) for the film, not Hope, who was the fifth chorus girl. It turns out L. Z. has a mental block about the number four and is now in Vienna undergoing psychoanalysis. L. Z. fears his fourth nephew, Ralph (Mitchell Jason), of six (all of whom are the studio’s vice presidents) will take over the studio. Temporarily in charge of the studio now that L. Z. is in Europe, Ralph tables the all-important question of whether the new Huckleberry Finn picture should be titled Mississippi Days or Mississippi Nights, and instead

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green-lights the production of Fiddler over the objection of fellow-nephew Rudolph (Dick Patterson), who insists there must be some mistake because wholesome Hope isn’t the kind of girl L. Z. would star in a picture. When The Fiddler and the Fighter is in the can, L. Z. returns from Europe and realizes the casting mistake. He banishes Hope from the studio, orders the film destroyed, and begins reshooting the picture with Gloria assuming both Hope’s role and Hope’s film name (Lila Tremaine). Hope disappears and takes job after job to pay the bills, including one in which she touts a dancing school for Shirley Temple wannabes. In the meantime, Rudolph is smitten with Hope, and begins to search for her. When he finds her, he reveals a secret: he never burned the negative of the original Fiddler. And on the night of the film’s first preview, he substitutes Hope’s version for Gloria’s, which L. Z. and the audience love. A new star is born, and Hope/Lila is honored at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, where she proceeds to put her face into a block of wet cement. As the curtain falls, L. Z. and Rudolph are struggling to free her. Fade Out might have worked better as a ten-minute television skit, the kind Burnett did so delightfully on her later television variety show. The critics felt the two-act evening rehashed overly familiar material and done-to-death stock characters (the draconian studio head, the studio yes men, the aspiring star, the egotistical star), territory mined in such hit Broadway plays as Merton of the Movies (1922), Once in a Lifetime (1930), and Twentieth Century (1932). Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the musical was “big, lavish, colorful and sporadically diverting,” but the material was pretty much “old hat.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said everyone in the show was “game,” and while he hated to come across like a “game warden,” the evening was “pure improvisation around a workable personality and this time the improvisation isn’t impish enough” (he also mentioned the musical too often name-dropped [there were impersonations of Louella O. Parsons, Dracula, Tarzan, the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, and Dick Powell, among others]). As for William and Jean Eckart’s scenery, Kerr found it somewhat on the “cardboardy” side, but noted their “innovation” of blending painted décor with photographs (which he felt was “just short of satisfying”). Somewhat on the dissenting side was Richard Watts in the New York Post, who felt Fade Out was “commonplace” but nonetheless had “enough enthusiastic relish and sheer gusto” to make it worthwhile. On the other side of the aisle, John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the new show was a “real World’s Fair musical . . . a summer festival all by itself” (the 1964 World’s Fair had just opened in New York); John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the musical seemed an “assured smash . . . generally joyous if not distinguished . . . another addition to George Abbott’s long roster of successes”; and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the show was “exuberantly funny . . . dedicated to laughter.” Jule Styne’s score was mostly from his second-drawer, but there were a handful of first-rate songs, including two lovely ballads, “I’m with You” and the title song, the latter especially felicitous in its use of film imagery; Burnett and Tiger Haynes’s “You Mustn’t Be Discouraged,” which not only demolished Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s shticks and tricks, but also spoofed inspirational songs (Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s lyric noted that when one’s fortune gets “lower than low” there’s always “one step further down you can go”); and the amusing “My Fortune Is My Face” for Byron Prong (Jack Cassidy) as the moreegocentric-than-thou actor who adores looking in the mirror and proclaiming “Oh, what an actor! / Long live Max Factor!” (this number and “I Believe in You” would make an excellent pairing). (Prong, incidentally, also “appeared” with Mame Dennis and Vera Charles on the stage; in the film version of Auntie Mame, look closely at the cast listing on the theatre poster of their out-of-town tryout Midsummer Madness at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven; Prong is the second lead, after Vera.) Burnett’s “It’s Good to Be Back Home” was the season’s second salute to “hometown” Hollywood by two characters who had never been there before (see What Makes Sammy Run?). During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “They’re at the Post,” “I Can’t Go Back,” “What Is This Thing I’ve Got?,” “Forbidden Fruit,” and “Take the Time to Fall in Love.” The show closed on November 14, 1964, after 199 performances (but not before film legend Betty Hutton spelled Burnett for two weeks during the summer), but reopened three months later on February 15, finally closing for good on April 17, for 72 additional showings, for a total run of 271 performances. For the second opening, the musical was revised and recast. Dick Shawn assumed Cassidy’s role, Judy Cassmore replaced Tina Louise, four songs were deleted (“The Thirties,” “Lila Tremaine,” “Go Home Train,” and “The Dangerous Age”), and two were added (“Notice Me” and “Lila Tremaine—a Girl to Remember” [the latter different from “Lila Tremaine”]).

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The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1965 and reflects the revised version of the musical (and includes the two new songs). For some reason, the character of Rudolph became Rudolf in the published script (in the Playbill for the revised version he’s referred to as both Rudolph and Rudolf). The song “Call Me Savage” was recycled as “Witches’ Brew” (aka “Double Double”) by Styne, Comden, and Green for their 1967 musical Hallelujah, Baby! The original cast album was released by ABC-Paramount Records (LP # ABC-0C/OCS-3; reissued on CD by Decca Broadway # B0000215-02). A 1965 Australian production with Sheila Smith and Bill Yule was recorded; this version used the original script, and hence “The Thirties,” “Lila Tremaine,” and “Go Home Train” were included (but “The Dangerous Age” was omitted). The musical’s demo recording includes both cut and unused songs, all performed by Comden and Green (including “Forbidden Fruit,” “The Menu Song,” “It’s Great,” “What Is This Thing I’ve Got?,” “Eight Little Seals,” and “They’re at the Post”).

TO BROADWAY WITH LOVE “THE MUSICAL SHOW

OF THE

CENTURY

AT THE

WORLD’S FAIR”

Theatre: The Music Hall at the Texas Pavilions Opening Date: May 1, 1964 Performances: 223 (estimated) Original Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Original Music: Jerry Bock Direction: Morton Da Costa (film sequences by Beatrice Cunningham); Producers: Angus G. Wynne, Jr., and Compass Fair, Inc. (Gordon R. Wynne, Jr., Executive Producer); Choreography: Donald Saddler (Ted Cappy and Stuart Hodes, Associate Choreographers); Scenery: Peter Wolf; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Oscar Kosarin Cast: Principal Singers—Bob Carroll, Patti Karr, Nancy Leighton, Don Liberto, Rod Perry, Guy Rotondo, Millie Slavin; Principal Dancers—Carmen Alvarez, Kelly Brown, Ted Forlow, Reby Howells; Showgirls—Alleen Aune, Dianne Brown, Pamela Burrell, Terry Crawford, Carol Holt, Lynn Janice, Cathy Triffon, Mary Lee Winton; Singing Ensemble—Mary Sue Berry, Frank Bouley, Miriam Burton, Mae Crane, Elena Doria, Paul Eichel, Eddie Erickson, Norman Grogan, John Herbert, Mirra Hinson, Lee Hooper, Henry LeClair, Richard Leighton, Melodi Lowell, Ora McBride, Rita Metzger, Bruce Peyton, Philip Rash, Paul Richards, Clarke Salonis, Jeannette Seibert, Beatrice Toscana; Dancing Ensemble—Paul Berne, Carol Carlin, Shirley de Burgh, Jo Freilich, Ellen Graff, Michael Grey, Barbara Heath, Stuart Hodes, Roger Howard, Sally Kirk, Phillis Lear, Jane Meserve, Charles Moore, Michele Murray, Mitchell Nutick, Paul Owsley, Denise Quan, Charles Queenan, George Ramos, Don Rehg, Hazel Rippe, Andre St. Jean, Ron Schwinn, Geri Seignious, Nancy Stevens, Barbara Swisher, Gerald Teijelo, Roy Volkmann, Dennis Wayne, Carolee Wynne Special Note: The revue was presented with alternate casts, and the following performers had alternate leads during the run: Jean Deeks, Dorothy Frank, Johnny Harmon, Howard Hartman, Gloria Le Roy, Jimmy Randolph, Eddie Roll, Stewart Rose, Eileen Schauler, Sheila Smith, and Richard Tone. The song listing below reflects the performers from one of the alternate companies. The revue was presented in one act.

Musical Numbers “To Broadway with Love” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (Singing Ensemble); “Old Folks at Home” (lyric and music by Stephen Foster) (Rod Perry); “Dixie” (lyric and music by Daniel Decatur Emmett) (Rod Perry, Singing and Dancing Ensemble); Film: Turn of the Century; “Yankee Doodle Boy” (lyric and music by George M. Cohan; Little Johnny Jones, 1904) and “Mary Is a Grand Old Name” (lyric and music by George M. Cohan; Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway, 1906) (Don Liberto); “Every Day Is Ladies’ Day with Me” (lyric by Henry Blossom, music by Victor Herbert; The Red Mill, 1906) (Boy Singers and Dancers, Showgirls); “The Merry Widow Waltz” (English lyric by Morton Da Costa and John Edward Friend, music by Franz Lehar; The Merry Widow; New York, 1907) (Guy Rotondo, Nancy Leighton, Singing and Dancing Ensemble);”He’d Have to Get Under—Get Out and Get Under to Fix Up His Automo-

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bile” (lyric by Grant Clarke and Edgar Leslie, music by Maurice Abrahams) and “Till the Clouds Roll By” (lyric by P. G. Wodehouse and Jerome Kern, music by Jerome Kern; Oh, Boy!, 1917) (Millie Slavin, Reby Howells, Bob Carroll, Ted Forlow, Ora McBride, Jeannette Seibert, Eddie Erickson, Richard Leighton); “The 88 Rag” (lyric by Martin Charnin, music by Colin Romoff) (Don Liberto; danced by Reby Howells, Ted Forlow, Dancing Ensemble); Film: First World War; “Over There” (lyric and music by George M. Cohan) (Millie Slavin); “Three Wonderful Letters from Home” (lyric by Joe Goodwin and Ballard MacDonald, music by James F. Hanley) (Bob Carroll, Don Liberto, Rod Perry, Guy Rotondo, Eddie Erickson, Norman Grogan, Henry LeClair, Philip Rash); “Would You Rather Be a Colonel” (probably “Would You Rather Be a Soldier with an Eagle on Your Shoulder, or a Private with a Chicken on Your Knee?”) (lyric by Sidney D. Mitchell, music by Archie Gottler; Ziegfeld Follies of 1918) (Patti Karr, Carol Carlin, Shirley De Burgh, Jane Meserve, Geri Seignious, Nancy Stevens, Barbara Swisher; danced by Kelly Brown, Roger Howard, Charles Moore, Mitchell Nutick, Paul Owsley, Ron Schwinn, Roy Volkmann); Film: The 20s; “Rose of Washington Square” (lyric by Ballard MacDonald, music by James F. Hanley; Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic, 1920) (Millie Slavin, Eddie Erickson, Bruce Peyton, Philip Rash, Clarke Salonis); “I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate” (lyric and music by Armand J. Piron) (Patti Karr, Paul Eichel, Norman Grogan, John Herbert, Henry LeClair); “Beautiful Lady” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (Bob Carroll, Guy Rotondo, Girl Singers and Dancers, Showgirls); “Ain’t She Sweet (lyric by Jack Yellen, music by Milton Ager)/“Ja-Da” (lyric and music by Bob Carleton)/“Crazy Rhythm” (lyric by Irving Caesar, music by Joseph Meyer and Roger Wolfe Kahn; Here’s Howe, 1928) (Patti Karr, Don Liberto, Miriam Burton, Ora McBride, Jeannette Seibert, Beatrice Toscana, Paul Eichel, Henry LeClair, Philip Rash, Paul Richards); “Tiptoe through the Tulips with Me” (lyric by Al Dubin, music by Joe Burke; 1929 film Gold Diggers of Broadway)/“Charleston” (lyric by Cecil Mack, music by James P. Johnson; Runnin’ Wild, 1923) (Nancy Leighton, Mary Sue Berry, Mae Crane, Elena Doria, Mirra Hinson, Lee Hooper, Melodi Lowell, Dancing Ensemble, Showgirls); “The Man I Love” (lyric by Ira Gershwin, music by George Gershwin; originally written for, but deleted from, Lady, Be Good!, 1924) (Millie Slavin); Film: The 30s; “Dancing in the Dark” (lyric by Howard Dietz, music by Arthur Schwartz; The Band Wagon, 1931)/“The Continental” (lyric by Herb Magidson, music by Con Conrad; 1934 film The Gay Divorcee) (danced by Carmen Alvarez, Kelly Brown, Barbara Swisher, Don Rehg); “Lullaby of Broadway” (lyric by Al Dubin, music by Harry Warren; 1935 film Gold Diggers of 1935 (danced by Reby Howells, Ted Forlow, Dancing Ensemble); “Get Happy” (lyric by Ted Koehler, music by Harold Rome; Nine-Fifteen Revue, 1930) (Rod Perry, Singing Ensemble); Film: The 40s: “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (lyric and music by Irving Berlin; Annie Get Your Gun, 1946)/“Another Op’nin’, Another Show” (lyric and music by Cole Porter; from Kiss Me, Kate, 1948) (Company); “Speak Low” (lyric by Ogden Nash, music by Kurt Weill; One Touch of Venus, 1943) (Millie Slavin; Statues: Paul Berne, George Ramos, Don Rehg, Roy Volkmann); “New York, New York” (lyric by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Leonard Bernstein; On the Town, 1944) (Don Liberto, Michael Grey, Charles Moore, Mitchell Nutick, Paul Owsley, Ron Schwinn, Dennis Wayne); “I Still Get Jealous” (lyric by Sammy Cahn, music by Jule Styne; High Button Shoes, 1947) (Nancy Leighton, Guy Rotondo; danced by Jo Frelich, Nancy Stevens); “Buckle Down, Winsocki” (lyric and music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane; Best Foot Forward, 1941) (Singing Ensemble); “Bali Ha’i” (lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers; South Pacific, 1949) (Miriam Burton, Michele Murray, Denise Quan, Geri Seignious, Carolee Wynne); “F.D.R. Jones” (lyric and music by Harold Rome; Sing Out the News, 1938) (Rod Perry); “Carousel Waltz” (music by Richard Rodgers; Carousel, 1945) (danced by Carmen Alvarez, Reby Howells, Kelly Brown, Ted Forlow, Dancing Ensemble); Film: The 50s and 60s; “Mata Hari Mine” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (danced by Carmen Alvarez, Boy Singers and Dancers); “Hawaii” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (danced by Reby Howells, Ted Forlow, Company); “Remember Radio” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (Principal Singers and Dancers); “Popsicles in Paris” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (Company); Concert* (Principal Singers and Dancers, Singing Ensemble); “Hey, Look Me Over” (lyric by Carolyn Leigh, music by Cy Coleman; Wildcat, 1960) (Dancing Ensemble); Finale (Company); *Songs performed in concert sequence: “It’s a Lovely Day Today” (lyric and music by Irving Berlin; Call Me Madam, 1950); “Hello, Young Lovers” (lyric by Oscar Hammerstein, music by Richard Rodgers; The King and I, 1951); “Wish You Were Here” (lyric and music by Harold Rome; Wish You Were Here, 1952); “C’est Magnifique” (lyric and music by Cole Porter; Can-Can, 1953); “Hernando’s Hideaway” (lyric and music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross; The Pajama Game, 1954); “Young and Foolish” (lyric by Arnold B. Horwitt, music by Albert Hague; Plain

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and Fancy, 1955); “Get Me to the Church on Time” (lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe; My Fair Lady, 1956); “Mu-Cha-Cha” (lyric by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Jule Styne; Bells Are Ringing, 1956); “Love, Look Away” (lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers; Flower Drum Song, 1958); “”Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (lyric by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Styne; Gypsy, 1959); “Camelot” (lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe; Camelot, 1960); “Milk and Honey” (lyric and music by Jerry Herman; Milk and Honey, 1961); “The Sweetest Sounds” (lyric and music by Richard Rodgers; No Strings, 1962); “She Loves Me” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock; She Loves Me, 1963); “Hello, Dolly!” (lyric and music by Jerry Herman, Hello, Dolly!, 1964) Although the 1964 New York World’s Fair (or, to be precise, the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair) offered three major musical revues to the fair-going public during its initial 1964 season (To Broadway with Love, America, Be Seated! and Wonder World), the fairgoers didn’t take up the offer. All three revues closed in a sea of red ink, and one, America, Be Seated!, closed for good after just two preview performances. (Other theatre-related entertainments seen at the fair are referenced at the end of this entry.) There were a number of reasons for the sparse audiences. Many of the fair’s attractions were free, and so perhaps fairgoers were reluctant to spend money on unknown revues with generally unknown performers. One assumes fairgoers went to Broadway for theatre-going, and didn’t focus on Broadway-styled entertainments at the fairgrounds. If they wanted to see a “regular” Broadway show, they could attend a number of splashy musicals in Manhattan, including such recently opened blockbusters as Hello, Dolly! and Funny Girl as well as a number of other shows that played into the warm-weather months (and many beyond), such as How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Oliver!, Here’s Love, 110 in the Shade, What Makes Sammy Run?, High Spirits, and Fade Out–Fade In; and during the month of the fair’s opening, revivals of West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, and My Fair Lady were seen at City Center. There was certainly no shortage of Broadway fare for the theatre-minded fairgoer. Further, during the opening months of the fair, there were major film, theatre, and popular-music names appearing in a number of Broadway musicals and nonmusicals, including Carol Burnett, Richard Burton, Carol Channing, Tammy Grimes, Alec Guinness, Helen Hayes, Steve Lawrence, Beatrice Lillie, Paul Newman, Barbra Streisand, Rudy Vallee, and Joanne Woodward. The New York Times speculated on why the revues fared so poorly. Besides competition from the free shows, there were many exhibits in the so-called “industrial” area of the fair that charged admission, and so fairgoers’ dollars could be stretched only so far. There was also the geographic problem of the location of the theatres, most of which were relegated to a fairground Siberia of sorts. Most of the fair’s offerings were in the central “industrial” area, and in order to see the revues, fairgoers had to walk across the Meadow Lake Bridge (a bucolic name for a bridge constructed over the Long Island Expressway) in order to reach the distant fairground venue where the theatres were located. Perhaps many thought the walk was too long and the theatres too far out of the way. Also, every night at nine the industrial area offered free fountains-and-fireworks displays, and theatre crowds would miss these events if they were attending a show. There was even the problem of the fair’s transportation system, in which buses took the crowds to the entrance of the industrial area and ignored the theatre area. To Broadway with Love, which opened at the Music Hall at the Texas Pavilions, was reported to have cost $1.25 million (later estimates upped the total production costs to $1.75 million). The revue had two separate companies (for a total of seventy-one cast members) who performed on alternate days, three shows a day, twenty-one performances a week. After a series of previews, the revue’s official opening night performance was on May 1, but the New York Times reported that critics were invited to review a preview performance on April 29, and thus the reviews appeared in the next day’s newspapers. Despite generally favorable notices, attendance was poor, the show couldn’t meet its weekly nut of $90,000, and it generally lost money during every week of its run. Beginning on July 4, all Sunday performances were dropped and only one company was kept on the payroll, but later in the month a closing notice was posted, first for July 18 and then for July 25. The Times reported that beginning with the July 22 performance the producers tried “one last do-or-die experiment” to keep the show open. Theatergoers were offered a “see now, pay later” plan in which they were asked to pay $3 per ticket only after they had seen the show, contingent upon their having enjoyed it. Those who didn’t like the revue would pay nothing with no questions asked. But it was too little, too late, and To Broadway with Love closed on July 25 after approximately 223 performances (some sources give 97 performances, a number

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off the mark because 21 weekly performances were given for eight weeks and 18 weekly performances were given for four weeks [plus 4 official performances during the show’s opening week, not counting previews]). To Broadway with Love was a lavish salute to the American musical theatre, and in a sense was a precursor to a slew of so-called Bicentennial revues that celebrated American music and popped up in New York and regional theaters during the 1975–1976 period, such as Music! Music!, A Musical Jubilee, and Sing America Sing! The revue was directed by Morton Da Costa and choreographed by Donald Saddler, with scenery by Peter Wolf and costumes by Freddy Wittop; Franz Allers conducted, and the large company included such Broadway and Off-Broadway stalwarts as Carmen Alvarez, Patti Karr, Don Liberto, and Bob Carroll. To Broadway with Love purported to be a salute to the American Broadway musical, but included songs by Stephen Foster (who never wrote a Broadway musical), non-show songs (such as “Over Here”), at least one non-American show song (“The Merry Widow Waltz”), and a few songs written for films (“Lullaby of Broadway” and “The Continental”). The ninety-minute musical overview was divided by decades (with brief film clips used to establish the atmosphere of each era), and thus the 1930s sequence included such songs as “Dancing in the Dark” (from The Band Wagon [1931], lyric by Howard Dietz, music by Arthur Schwartz), the 1940s included “Speak Low” (from One Touch of Venus [1943], lyric by Ogden Nash, music by Kurt Weill), and the combined 1950s/1960s sequence included “Hey, Look Me Over” (from Wildcat [1960; see entry], lyric by Carolyn Leigh, music by Cy Coleman). Curiously, “F.D.R. Jones,” which was first heard in the 1938 revue Sing Out the News (lyric and music by Harold Rome) was included in the 1940s sequence. The revue also offered six new songs by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, who were just a few months away from the Broadway opening of what would be their greatest theatrical success, the long-running hit Fiddler on the Roof. Their contributions were “Beautiful Lady,” “Mata Hari Mine,” “Hawaii,” “Remember Radio,” “Popsicles in Paris,” and the title song (all but “Hawaii” can be heard on the cast album). “Beautiful Lady” was a salute to showgirls, and very much in the tradition of Irving Berlin’s earlier “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody” (Ziegfeld Follies of 1919) and Stephen Sondheim’s later “Beautiful Girls” (Follies [1971]). The amusing “Mata Hari Mine” was included in a sequence that looked at musicals from the future (Howard Taubman in the Times said if the song was indicative of the future, then “don’t expect any drastic changes”). Oddly enough, three years later a musical about Mata Hari was produced, but it never got beyond its preBroadway tryout (see Mata Hari). The 1950s/1960s sequence also offered a concert in which a medley of fifteen Broadway songs from the period were performed, including “Young and Foolish” (Plain and Fancy [1954], lyric by Arnold B. Horwitt, music by Albert Hague), “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (Gypsy [1959], lyric by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Styne), and “The Sweetest Sounds” (No Strings [1962], lyric and music by Richard Rodgers). Taubman noted that Da Costa filled the stage with “razzle-dazzle effects,” and Wolf’s scenery and Wittop’s costumes contributed to the “sense of variety and color.” Moreover, Saddler’s dances added “humor” to the evening, and he liked the “hard-working and high-stepping” performers. Here was a “valentine” to the musical theatre, a “swift, sentimental journey into the songs, dances and moods of other days.” He was particularly taken with “Beautiful Lady”; the “delightful” song was “full of comment” about its era (the 1920s), and sounded as if it “came from an extravaganza” of the period. Taubman also commented on some curious staging choices: the “Carousel Waltz” was presented as a “hippie ballet,” and while the musical decades were presented with “fidelity to their own period,” for some reason the motif for the entire 1940s sequence was that of a circus, so the performers in “Buckle Down, Winsocki” (from Best Foot Forward [1941]) wore clown outfits. The original cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # OL-8030 and # OS-2630); the CD was issued by DRG/Sony Music Records (#19122). The other major World’s Fair revues were America, Be Seated! and Wonder World, but there were other similar entertainments, which are briefly discussed below.

Continental Circus Ringling’s one-ring Continental Circus reportedly cost $1.5 million to mount, but did poor business. On July 6, the Times reported that a company manager said “the place was dead, it was absolutely dead,” and on July 27, the newspaper noted the circus “keeps limping along, but at a loss,” despite having curtailed its performance schedule.

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Dick Button’s Ice-Travaganza Dick Button’s Ice-Travaganza was presented at the New York City Pavilion. It began previews on April 22, opened in May, and closed on July 26. The Times reported the show had sparse attendance, and at one point a twelve-foot hedge was deemed the culprit for the show’s lack of business. Because of its location, the demon hedge obscured the New York City Pavilion and thus many fairgoers didn’t know the pavilion existed. When the offending hedge was trimmed, the Times said it seemed “that an additional building had been added to the fair,” and Button hoped a “new era had dawned” for the ice show’s fortunes. Unfortunately, hedge or no hedge, the customers still didn’t come. It appears the ice show was more in the format of a book musical than a revue; the script was by Gerald Freedman, who cowrote the lyrics with John Morris (who composed the score and conducted the orchestra). The direction and choreography were by Button, who coproduced with Paul Feigay; the scenery and lighting were by Will Steven Armstrong; and the costumes were by Winn Morton. The cast included Sandy Culbertson, Jerry Howard, Guy Longpre, Barbara Martin, Don McPherson, Pat Pauley, Fred Randall, Ronnie Robertson, and Eric Waite. The songs in the show include: “Come Skate with Me,” “Everyone Knows,” “Happy New Year Every Day,” “I’m Going to Be a Boy,” “Inspiration,” “Now That Winter’s Here,” “Solo for Everyone,” “There’ll Be a Time,” “We Haven’t Begun to Live,” and “Who’s That?” In 1966, Freedman and Morris wrote the book, lyrics, and music for the Broadway musical A Time for Singing, which was based on the novel (and film) How Green Was My Valley.

Les Poupées de Paris Les Poupées de Paris was a saucy puppet revue that had first premiered at the Krofft Theatre in Hollywood in 1961; a 1962 edition was seen at the Seattle World’s Fair; and on December 11, 1962, the revue opened in New York at the York Playhouse (then temporarily known as the Krofft Theatre) for an estimated 172 performances. For the fair, a revised edition of the revue began previews at the Walter-Krofft Theatre in the Lake Amusement area on April 22, with an official opening of May 15. Robert Alden in the Times liked the “lavish and spectacular” show, which was “good entertainment and good fun.” He noted that some of the material in the 1962 Off-Broadway edition was in “poor taste” and the costumes were “a bit scanty.” But for the fair, the “hemlines were lowered, plunging necklines stitched up, and the script doctored.” Veteran songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen contributed songs for the production, which was recorded by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1090); the album included the voices of Pearl Bailey, Milton Berle, Cyd Charisse, Annie Farge, Gene Kelly, Liberace, Jayne Mansfield, Tony Martin, Phil Silvers, Loretta Young, and Edie Adams.

Summer Time Revue With the premature closing of Wonder World, an intimate revue titled Summer Time Revue was quickly booked into the huge Amphitheatre. The fifty-minute, four-act revue was performed five times daily, with one-hour intermissions in which audience members could dance on the stage. Clay Cole, a local television personality, was the revue’s master of ceremonies for five days of performances, and Bob Lewis, a WABC radio disc jockey, helmed the show for the other two. Since the performances and the dance intermissions were continuous, audiences could buy tickets and see the show at any time, and remain for as long as they wished (ticket prices were $1 for adults, and fifty cents for children under twelve). There seems to be some discrepancy as to when the revue opened and closed as well as to why it closed. An article in the Times dated July 27 indicated the revue closed “a week ago .  .  . three days after its premiere because of a lack of customers.” But an August 1 article reported the revue had shuttered the previous Wednesday (which would have been July 29) when it was “closed by the fair . . . after reports that it was not in ‘good taste,’” an allegation the producers denied, saying it was “good and clean-cut” entertainment. If the revue opened on July 20 and closed three days later (on a Wednesday), it might well be that the July 27 article

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was correct and the second article was confused as to which Wednesday the revue closed. Based on an opening night performance of July 20 followed by two days that offered five shows daily, the revue appears to have played for eleven performances.

Wonderful World of Chemistry Du Pont’s Wonderful World of Chemistry, a twenty-four minute industrial-like revue written, composed, and directed by Michael Brown, was presented in two theatres, the Blue Theatre and the Gold Theatre, with eight companies of singers and dancers, giving eighty free weekly performances. In the revue, live performers interacted with performers on film. Among the live performers were Gordon Ramsey, Ronny Whyte, and Suzanne Astor, and those on film included Bobo Lewis, Alice Pearce, and Sheila Sullivan. The costumes were by Donald Brooks, and the sets by William and Jean Eckart; the live choreography was by Hugh Lambert and the filmed choreography by Buddy Schwab. Norman Paris was the revue’s musical director. Sunbeam Music Records released two seven-inch LP recordings of the score by Norman Paris and His Orchestra and Quintet, with the David Carter Singers. The first recording (# R4LM-4826/4827) consisted of six musical sequences: “Overture,” “E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company,” “With Antron and Nylon,” “The Happy Plastics Family,” “We’re Gonna Have Shoes,” and “Better Things for Better Living.” The second recording (# S4LM-5970/5971) offered seven musical numbers: vocal as well as instrumental versions of “What’s That People Are Saying?” and “Mostly I Was Made for You” and three songs (all vocals with “Du Pont Lyrics”), “What’s That Ev’ryone’s Saying?,” “All of Us Were Made for You,” and “Better Things for Better Living.” And . . . there was even a free fifteen-minute musical sponsored by Borden’s that starred Elsie the Cow.

AMERICA, BE SEATED! “A MODERN MINSTREL SHOW” Theatre: Louisiana Pavilion Opening Date and Performances: Official opening was scheduled for May 15, 1964; but after preview performances given on May 7 and May 8, the revue permanently closed Sketches and Lyrics: David Axelrod Music: Sam Pottle Direction: Ronny Graham (production supervised by Noel Weiss); Producers: Michael Todd, Jr., in association with Leonard P. Gaines; Choreography: Peter Conlow; Scenery and Costumes: Winn Morton; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Sy Oliver Cast: Ronny Graham, Timmie Rogers, Bibi Osterwald, Mae Barnes, Louis Gossett, Peter Conlow, Jack De Lon, Rico Froehlich, Val Pringle, Brandon Maggart, Joleen Fodor, Lola Falana, Maggie Worth, Lou Kristofer, Nicole Karol, Suzanne Charny, Al Valenti The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers

The above credits and the following list of musical numbers are taken from the opening night program of the musical’s tryout engagement in New Haven; a note in the program indicated that the musical numbers were “interspersed throughout with witty sayings and humorous recitals by Mr. Graham, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Gossett, Miss Barnes, and Miss Osterwald.” Act One: Part I: “Gala Minstrel Opening”/“America, Be Seated!” (Ronny Graham, Company); “A Personal Introduction” (Ronny Graham, Company); “Please, Mr. Banjo” (Maggie Worth, Al Valenti); “The Fashion Plates” (Peter Conlow, Lou Kristofer); “A Sailor’s Life for Me” (Jack De Lon, Rico Froehlich, Brandon Maggart, Val Pringle); “The United Nations’ Rag” (Mae Barnes, Bibi Osterwald, Company);”Sugar Cane” (Lola Falana); “Hummingbird” (Joleen Fodor, Ronny Graham, Jack De Lon, Rico Froehlich); “High and Low” (Rico Froehlich)/ “My Dog” (Brandon Maggart); “Auckland, New Zealand” (Bibi

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Osterwald); “That’s How a Woman Gets Her Man” (Mae Barnes, Lola Falana); “Travellin’ Man” (Val Pringle); “Feeling in the Air” (Company) Act Two: Part II: “The Blues” (Louis Gossett, Maggie Worth, Ronny Graham, Mae Barnes, Timmy Rogers, Company); “Gonna Take My Time” (dance; Peter Conlow); “Caroline” (Jack De Lon); “Presenting Mr. Timmie Rogers”; Part III: “The Pageant of America” (Ronny Graham, Company); Grand Finale (Company) Of the new revues presented at the 1964 World’s Fair, only America, Be Seated! enjoyed a tryout; prior to its brief appearance at the Fair, the revue was presented in New Haven and Boston, the former engagement at the Shubert Theatre from April 8 through April 11, and the latter at the Wilbur Theatre from April 14 through April 25. But the luxury of a tryout didn’t help the intimate revue, and like the gargantuan revues To Broadway with Love and Wonder World, America, Be Seated! was another disappointing entry in the seemingly endless parade of unlucky shows that played at the fair. A self-described “Modern Minstrel Show,” the flyer for the thirty-cast-member revue said the show offered “a nice slice of nostalgia dressed up in a fresh 1964 look . . . modern minstrels in our updated, integrated and syncopated revue . . . of course, we gave the heave-ho to corny things like burnt cork makeup.” Produced by Michael Todd, Jr., in association with Leonard P. Gaines (“‘P’ for the Perfect Co-Producer!”), the “frankly fresh!” lyrics were by David Axelrod and the “saucily original!” music by Sam Pottle. Peter Conlow (“Fast Friend of Terpsichore”) choreographed, Peggy Clark designed the lighting (“with a Light Touch”), and the direction was by Ronny Graham (“The Belasco of the Jet Set”), who also served as the evening’s Interlocutor. Besides Graham and Conlow, the cast also included Bibi Osterwald, Mae Barnes, Louis Gossett, Jack De Lon, Rico Froelich, Brandon Maggart, Joleen Fodor, and Lola Falana. But the hype and the would-be merriment were all for naught. After a few previews, the revue was scheduled to open at the Fair’s Louisiana Pavilion on May 15. However, the revue’s only performances were the previews given on May 7 and 8, and after the second day of previews, Todd permanently closed the show. The New York Times quoted him as saying, “There’s no use throwing good money after bad. The situation is terrible.” And terrible it was. The Times reported that for the two days of performances, the show sold just $300 in tickets. Perhaps minstrel musicals are now cursed. Earlier in the 1963–1964 season, the 1963 Off-Broadway musical Gentlemen, Be Seated! utilized the framework of the minstrel show to depict the Civil War. Despite using such an innovative approach to tell its epic story and despite its score by Jerome Moross (the composer of The Golden Apple), the musical played for just three performances and seems to have gone unproduced since its initial production. Years later, two thoughtful musicals that used the minstrel-show format to explore racial relations in the United States were met with hostility by some audience members who found the shows racist. As a result, the ambitious The Last Minstrel Show (1978) with Della Reese and Gregory Hines closed during its pre-Broadway tryout without ever reaching Broadway, and John Kander and Fred Ebb’s even more ambitious The Scottsboro Boys (2010) closed on Broadway after a disappointing sixty-five performances.

WONDER WORLD “A MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA” Theatre: World’s Fair Amphitheatre Opening Date: May 17, 1964 Performances: 220 (estimated) Lyrics: Stanley Styne Music: Jule Styne Direction: Leon Leonidoff (Michael Kidd, Associate Director; Norma and Bob Maxwell, Aquatic Directors); Producers: Meyer Davis and Leon Leonidoff; Choreography: Michael Kidd; Scenery: Richard Rychtarik and Don Shirley; Costumes: Alvin Colt (Erte, Costume Consultant; Gowns by Fontana, Rome–New York; Men’s Fashions by Brioni, Rome–New York); Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Stanley Lebowsky; Film Sequences: Ferro, Mohammed, and Schwartz Cast: Chita Rivera and Ted Scott, Gretchen Wyler and John O’Neill, The Rastellis, The Lucky Latinos, Francois Szony and Nancy Claire, Helen Wood, The French Wonderwheels, The Trio Fatima, Eugene Slavin,

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Vic Zobel and the World Aqua Champions, Kolonel Keds (The Man in the Moon), “and a company of 250.” Note: Chita Rivera and Ted Scott alternated performances with Gretchen Wyler and John O’Neill. The revue was presented in three acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Beauty on the Move” (“Girls, Girls, Girls”); The Big Parade: “Independence Day Parade” (Company); The Magic of It All: “Wonder World” (Chita Rivera and Ted Scott, or Gretchen Wyler and John O’Neill); “Summer Is for Sweethearts” (Francois Szony and Nancy Claire); Picnic Basket, U.S.A.: “Good Old-Fashioned Get Together” (Ted Scott or John O’Neill, Company); “The Sports Page” (The Trio Fatima, Wonder World Dancers); Finale: “Everybody Loves the Fourth of July” (Company) Act Two: Symphony of the Birds: “Weird Calls of the Jungle”; Secret of the Lagoon: “Coco Palm Tree Island” (Company);”Stars in the Sea” (Wonder World Ondines); 20,000 Legs Under the Sea: “Legend of the Unhappy Mermaid” (Vic Zobel and His Aqua World Champions); Drums of the Sorceress: “Age of Rock” (Chita Rivera or Gretchen Wyler, Company); “Native Ritual” (Chita Rivera or Gretchen Wyler, Wonder World Dancers); “The Cascade of Triumph” (Company) Act Three: “Cape Kennedy at the Break of Dawn” (The French Wonderwheels); “World Wide Interview” (Chita Rivera and Ted Scott, or Gretchen Wyler and John O’Neill, Wonder World Dancers and Singers); “Everything A OK” (The Lucky Latinos); “Destination Moon”; “Home Life in a Capsule”; “Happy Landing (at Flushing Bay)”; “The Man in the Moon”/“Debut of the Flying Man”; Wonder World Finale (Company) The ultra-lavish $2.5 million (or, depending on the source, $3.5 million) spectacular Wonder World (aka Wonderworld) was another casualty of fairgoers’ indifference during the 1964 World’s Fair. It would be decades before another musical would lose so much money. The Fair’s To Broadway with Love lost a fortune, but Wonder World almost doubled that show’s losses. After a series of previews, Wonder World officially opened on May 17 at the colossal Amphitheatre (with “the largest revolving stage in the world”), which seated 10,000. Advertised as “so lavish, so exciting, so spectacular that it is destined to be the most talked-about wonder of the entertainment world,” the revue did poor business, and almost immediately began losing about $70,000 a week. It was no surprise when the New York Times reported that a spokesman for the show announced the attraction would close on June 20. However, the producers decided to run the revue a bit longer in the hope of attracting more audiences, and so the production was extended through the July 4 holiday weekend, when it finally closed for good. Leon Leonidoff’s aqua-and-stage revue had a cast of approximately 250 performers; the leads were Chita Rivera and Ted Scott, who alternated performances with Gretchen Wyler and John O’Neill. (Rivera and Wyler’s career paths had crossed earlier in the decade with Bye Bye Birdie [1960]; during the run of the musical, Wyler replaced Rivera.) The music was by Jule Styne, the lyrics by his brother Stanley, Leonidoff was credited with the conception and direction, and Broadway choreographer Michael Kidd was choreographer and associate director. The musical director was Stanley Lebowsky, who later wrote the score of the 1970 Broadway musical Gantry. Besides Rivera and Wyler, the cast also included Helen Wood, who had appeared on Broadway in Seventeen (1951), the 1952 revival of Pal Joey, and the 1957 Ziegfeld Follies. The revue looked at the world from the perspectives of land, sea, and air, and so each act concentrated on one specific element (“This Lovely Earth,” “Mysterious Waters,” and “Outer Space”). Richard F. Shepard in the Times wrote that “with bottomless reserves of money and imagination,” Leonidoff offered a production “guaranteed to keep the eyeballs rolling for 10 minutes after the final blackout.” He noted the true star of the show was the stage itself, and in one jaw-dropping sequence a huge portion of it revolved, swinging back and forth in the pool “as though it were locking a supertanker through Panama.” Further, the huge cast “filled” the stage but could not “crowd” it. Other sensational effects included motorcycles flying through burning hoops; cars driving all over the stage; and a huge rocket taking off, lifting “awesomely through the flies overhead.” Swimmers were backed by a waterfall; divers plunged from high boards “with the abandon of lemmings”; and near the end of the evening a spaceman floated in the air above the stage “borne by a small but ear-splitting custom-built jet pack.” The ninety-minute production gave 4 performances daily (28 performances each week), and thus the total number of official performances was in the neighborhood of 220 showings.

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In late June, the producers considered offering a scaled-down version of the revue. They planned to cut 130 members from the cast, and hoped to offer “big name” performers who would be booked for one or two weeks each. But the plan never came to fruition, and so after the final closing, a small-scale 20-member cast (not from Wonder World) appeared on the enormous Amphitheatre stage in the intimate Summer Time Revue, which lasted half a week once it officially opened (for more information, see To Broadway with Love). At least three sources indicate the song “Welcome” was heard in Wonder World, but the number wasn’t listed in the program. The song is included in the collection The Unknown Theatre Songs of Jule Styne (Blue Pear Records LP # 1011).

COOL OFF! “A NEW MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre and Performance Dates: Opened at the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 1964, and closed there on April 4, 1964 Book: Jerome Weidman Lyrics and Music: Howard Blankman (dance music by Genevieve Pitot); Producer: Barbara Griner; Direction: Herbert Machiz; Choreography: Bob Herget; Scenery and Costumes: Stewart Chaney; Lighting: Klaus Holm; Musical Direction: John Lesko Cast: Stuart Damon (Ed Farrish, Y.M.2), Sheila Sullivan (Clara Farrish), Stanley Holloway (Lester Linstrom, Irving, Policeman, Lester Lenz), Hermione Baddeley (Bessie Linstrom, Mistress Bessie, Bessie Diamond, Bessie Crepe de Chine, Bessie Bucks) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Suburbia” (Sheila Sullivan, Stuart Damon); “Can This Be Why We Came Here?” (Sheila Sullivan, Stuart Damon); “Cool Off” (Hermione Baddeley); “Take Care” (Stanley Holloway); “Warm Up” (Stuart Damon); “At My Age” (Stanley Holloway, Hermione Baddeley); “Ballad of the Dauntless Courier” (Hermione Baddeley); “Only Wonderful” (Stuart Damon); Ballet (Hermione Baddeley, Sheila Sullivan, Stuart Damon) Act Two: “Where Do We Go from Here?” (Stanley Holloway, Hermione Baddeley, Sheila Sullivan, Stuart Damon); “For the Life of Me” (Stanley Holloway, Stuart Damon); “Bessie’s Bossa Nova” (Hermione Baddeley); “Witch Hazel” (Stuart Damon, Sheila Sullivan, Hermione Baddeley); “Plenty of Zip” (Stanley Holloway); “A Dream Ago” (Sheila Sullivan, Stuart Damon) Cool Off! was a quick flop; not only did it fail to reach Broadway, it didn’t even complete its tryout engagement. It premiered at Philadelphia’s Forrest Theatre on March 31, 1964, and closed there on April 4; the Boston tryout at the Colonial Theatre for later in the month was cancelled. The musical was a variation of the Faust story, a theme that seemed to intrigue writers and composers of the era. While Damn Yankees (1955) was a long-running hit, Kicks & Co. (1961), like Cool Off!, closed permanently during the first week of its tryout. The intimate musical utilized a four-person cast, with three of the performers playing multiple roles. The plot dealt with discontented Clara Farrish (Sheila Sullivan), who hopes to escape the confines of her marriage to Ed (Stuart Damon) by selling her soul to the devil. But intervention by Lester and Bessie Linstrom (Stanley Holloway and Hermione Baddeley) from the “cooling off” division of heaven eventually reunites Clara with Ed, but not before the devil’s emissary Y.M.2 (Damon) battles the Linstroms over Clara’s soul. Ernest Schier in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin said Cool Off! was “more fustian than Faustian,” and Henry T. Murdock in the Philadelphia Inquirer noted the musical morality play’s moral was that one shouldn’t write a musical morality play like Cool Off! The cast album was scheduled to be recorded by Columbia Records, but was cancelled due to the preBroadway closing (it was assigned release # KOL-7000 and # KOS-2500). However, the musical’s demo recording is in effect the cast album because it includes all four of the Broadway principals and all but one of the songs.

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The book was by Jerome Weidman, who with George Abbott had won the Pulitzer Prize for the book of Fiorello! (1959). In collaboration with Abbott he had also written the book for Tenderloin (1960), and later wrote the books for I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962; which he adapted from his 1937 novel of the same name) and Pousse-Café (1966). The lyrics and music for Cool Off! were by Howard Blankman, who had written the music and most of the lyrics for the 1956 Off-Broadway musical By Hex. His program bio noted he had written the “tentatively scheduled” musical Flora Pasquale Strikes Back. If it had opened the following season, Broadway would have had two competing “Flora” musicals (Flora, the Red Menace [1965]).

SPACE IS SO STARTLING! “THE SPACE-AGE MUSICAL” Theatre and Performance Dates: Opened at the John Hancock Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 5, 1963, and closed there on September 21, 1963 Book and Lyrics: Peter and Anthony Howard Music: Herbert Allen, Richard Hadden, and Cecil Broadhurst Direction: Martin Fluetsch; Producer: Moral Re-Armament; Choreography: Uncredited; Scenery: “Stage Setting Designed by Miss Chen Wen, Republic of China”; Costumes: Various sources, including “dresses by the School of Chio Tanaka, Dressmaker to the Imperial Family of Japan”; Lighting: “Special Lighting Effects by Zeiss Ikon, Germany”; Musical Direction: Richard Hadden Cast: Leland Holland (Man in Space), Cecil Broadhurst (Mr. Nod), Alfred Vondermuhll (Boy), John Sayre (Astronaut Chief, Oarsman), Richard Wailes (Cosmonaut Chief), Ilene Godfrey (Mother), David Allen (Father), Bill McLaughry (Uncle Jim), Leena Liukkonen (Sonya), Herbert Allen (Twister-in-Chief, Dog), Tom Kennedy (Squatter-in-Chief, Ram), Matthew Manson (Cosmonaut Premiere), Herbert Allen (Pearly King), Chris Channer (Pearly Queen, Cat), Fernanda Smith (Pearly Queen, Cat), Anne, Janet, and Lesley Hutchinson (Scots Dancers), Alison Wright (Scots Dancer), Frances Cameron (A Girl), Richard Wailes (Mountaineer), Bror Jonzon (Mountaineer), Tap Stevens (Mountaineer), Pauli Snellman (Mountaineer); The U.S. Olympic Champion Oarsmen; and “A Cast of 99 From 17 Nations” who portrayed “Cosmonauts, Astronauts, Generals, Commissars, Soldiers, Beatniks, Twisters, Squatters, Examiners, A Cowboy, Hungry Men, Haters, Lovers, Sporting Types, Police, Businessmen, Teachers—The Whole World.” The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present time in “any human heart.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “Mr. Nod’s Song” (Cecil Broadhurst); “Sleep On, Dream On” (Cecil Broadhurst); “Millions of Years Ago” (Chorus); “The Ideal Spot” (Bill McLaughry, Leena Liukkonen); “Why Worry?” (Twisters); “It Would Help a Lot to Squat” (Squatters); “Wake Up, Your Dreams May Yet Come True” (Cecil Broadhurst); “Space Is So Startling” (Leland Holland); “I’ll Be a Sort of Uncle to You” (Leland Holland); “Any Moment Now” (The Cosmonaut World); “Scotland the Brave” (The Astronaut World); “We’ve Got to Be First” (The Astronaut World); “An Astronaut Is Just Like Us” (Bill McLaughry, The Astronaut World); “God Is in Our Cities” (John Sayre, The Astronaut World); “Whoever Dares to Point a Finger” (The Astronaut and Cosmonaut Worlds); “What Do the Eyes of the Millions Seek?” (Cecil Broadhurst, Chorus); “Have You a Place for Me Up There?” (Frances Cameron); “If Only” (Ilene Godfrey, David Allen, Leena Liukkonen, Bill McLaughry) Act Two: “Sportsmen of the World” (Chorus); “We’re Scaling the Flanks of Mount Communism” (Chorus); “Neighbors Are Neighbors” (Cecil Broadhurst); “The World Can Be One Family” (Leland Holland, Chorus); “Space Is So Startling” (reprise) (Leland Holland, Chorus); “What We Need Is an End to Anti” (Bill McLaughry, Chorus); “Where’s the Basket?” (Chorus); “Do You See What I See?” (Ilene Godfrey); “One Plus One Can Yet Make One” (Ilene Godfrey, David Allen, Leena Liukkonen, Bill McLaughry, Alfred Vondermuhll, Chorus); “Peace Be upon You” (Ilene Godfrey); Reprises (The Whole World)

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Space Is So Startling! was produced by Moral Re-Armament, a social and political movement founded by Frank Buchanan in 1938 (in 2001, the organization’s name was changed to Initiatives of Change). The group’s principles include the belief that world peace and understanding are achievable if each person takes the initiative to start positive change within himself through moral and humanistic solutions. The musical was first performed in Japan in October 1962, and then in London at the Westminster Theatre on December 19, 1962, for fifty-one performances. The musical toured in various countries (according to the liner notes on the London cast album, the show was “demanded” in “the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the countries of Europe and Africa”). There was at least one U.S. engagement, at the John Hancock Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 5 through September 21, 1963. “The Space-Age Musical” told the story of the space race between the “Cosmonaut World” and the “Astronaut World” (that is, the Russian and U.S. race to space), but centered on a Russian cosmonaut who returns to Earth with the “secret” of “the stars.” If the title of one of his songs is any indication, the secret is that “The World Can Be One Family.” Added into this brotherhood-of-man message were beatniks and (this being the early 1960s) “twisters” as well as a modern family, a microcosm of the United States, and the Soviet Union, as it undergoes tensions and disagreements among its members. The general feel-good atmosphere of the musical was reflected in its song titles: “God Is in Our Cities,” “Peace Be upon You,” “Neighbors Are Neighbors,” What We Need Is an End to Anti,” “One Plus One Can Yet Make One,” “What Do the Eyes of the Millions Seek?,” “Whoever Dares to Point a Finger,” “An Astronaut Is Just Like Us,” “Have You a Place for Me Up There?,” and the aforementioned “The World Can Be One Family.” With such an abundance of naïveté in its plot and score, it’s understandable why the musical never enjoyed a major American tour or a Broadway production. The London cast recording was released by Philips Records (LP # 632-303-BL), and its song list differs from the one in the Boston program, including two songs heard on the album but not in Boston (“ Mr. Nod’s Song” and “So Comes Their Sleep!”). Although Space Is So Startling! (the exclamation point was used on the cover of the Boston program, but wasn’t used on its title page or on the cast album) didn’t make it to Broadway, the first musical produced by Moral Re-Armament was briefly seen there in the early 1950s. Jotham Valley opened at the 48th Street Theatre on February 6, 1951, and played for thirty-one performances (half-way through its run, it transferred to the Coronet [now Eugene O’Neill] Theatre. Best Plays ignored the production, but Theatre World covered it.) Cecil Broadhurst was the co-composer of both Space and Jotham Valley, and he also wrote Jotham Valley’s lyrics and book; Leland Holland was Jotham, and for Space he played the Russian Cosmonaut. Other performers who were in both productions were Ilene Godfrey and Tom Kennedy. A live New York performance of Jotham Valley was filmed, and much later had a limited DVD release in Great Britain. Jotham Valley is distinguished for having one of the rarest Broadway programs. There was no Playbill; instead, Playbill-sized programs (which seem to have been published by Playbill) were given to audience members. The program has the distinction of having the first all-color cover program. Other playbills and programs in the past had generic color covers and one even used tints to highlight a cover photograph, but Jotham Valley had a yellow-and-red artwork logo cover somewhat in the style of Oklahoma! Another musical produced by Moral Re-Armament is The Vanishing Island by Peter Howard and Cecil Broadhurst; it opened at the London Hippodrome on May 28, 1955, and gave free performances; a 1956 production was recorded by Philips Records (LP # D99538-9L). The musical reportedly gave 230 performances on four continents.

ZENDA “A ROMANTIC MUSICAL” Theatres and Performance Dates: Opened on August 5, 1963, at the Curran Theatre, San Francisco, California, and closed on November 16, 1963, at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California Book: Everett Freeman Lyrics: Lenny Adelson, Sid Kuller, and Martin Charnin Music: Vernon Duke Based on the 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope.

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Direction: George Schaefer; Producer: Edwin Lester; Choreography: Jack Cole; Scenery: Harry Horner; Costumes: Miles White; Lighting: Klaus Holm; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Susan Luckey (Penelope), Virginia Justus (Judy), Gloria Mills (Sally), Wanda Shannon (Celeste), Jean Deeks (Diana), Barbara Andrews (Gwynne), Alfred Drake (Richard Rassendyl, King Rudolph V), Rudy Vejar (First Custom Official, Aide to General Talchef), Robert (Bob) Avian (Second Custom Official), David Bean (Newsboy), Eddie Gasper (Hawker, Josef), Luce Ennis (Woman Tourist), Karl Redcoff (Captain Tarlenheim), Earl Hammond (Rupert of Hentzau), Frederic Worlock (Colonel Zapt), Truman Gaige (Doctor Wesling, Gobelik), Anne Rogers (Princess Flavia), Carmen Mathews (Louise [The Queen Mother]), Jock Livingston (General Michael Talchef), John Carver (Aide to General Talchef), Chita Rivera (Athena Constantine), Marc Wilder (Brazilian Attache, Premiere Danseur), Horace (Lawrence) Guittard (British Ambassador, First German), Lynn Archer (Ambassador’s Wife), Joanne Horne (Maria Madero), John Robertson (Italian Tenor), Gloria Enander (Madame Scarlatti); Dancers: Melanie Alexander, Millie Hamm, Odette Phillips, Brooke Robson, Wanda White, Heike Witting, Lorene Yarnell, Robert (Bob) Avian, Robert Balanic, David Bean, Terry De Mari, Eddie Gasper, James Senn, Michel Stuart; Singers: Lynn Archer, Gloria Enander, Dorothy Emmerson, Luce Ennis, Stephanie Hill, Joanne Horne, John Carver, Phil Crummett, Larry Dean, William Gibson, Horace (Lawrence) Guittard, Heber Jentzsch, Jack Martin, Evans Ray, John Robertson, Rudy Vejar The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the present time, in Brighton, England, but mostly in Zenda.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Bounce” (Alfred Drake, Company); “No More Love” (Earl Hammond, The King’s Guests); “My Royal Majesty” (Alfred Drake); “The Night Is Filled with Wonderful Sounds” (Singing Ensemble); “Alone at Night” (Anne Rogers, Carmen Mathews); “Now the World Begins Again” (Cathedral Choir); “Zenda” (Alfred Drake, Anne Rogers); “A Whole Lot of Happy” (The Rassendyl Girls, Ensemble); “Here and There” (Chita Rivera, Earl Hammond); “A Royal Confession” (Carmen Mathews); “I Wonder What He Meant by That” (Chita Rivera, Alfred Drake, Ensemble); “When Athena Dances” (dance; Chita Rivera, Marc Wilder, Dancers); “Yesterday’s Forgotten” (Anne Rogers, Alfred Drake); “Let Her Not Be Beautiful” (Alfred Drake) Act Two: “Artists” (Carmen Mathews, Chita Rivera, Alfred Drake, Girls, Artists); “Born at Last” (Anne Rogers); “No Ifs! No Ands! No Buts!” (Alfred Drake); “Why Not?” (Alfred Drake, Chita Rivera); “Command Performance—Act I”: “Montage” (Artists) and “Ceremony” (Chita Rivera, Marc Wilder, Ballet Dancers); “Command Performance—Act II”: “Enchanting Girls” (Alfred Drake, Company) and “Words, Words, Words!” (Alfred Drake); “Let Her Not Be Beautiful” (reprise) (Alfred Drake); “A Whole Lot of Happy” (reprise) (Ensemble); “Why Not?” (reprise) (Chita Rivera) Zenda never saw its anticipated New York opening of November 26, 1963, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. Its tryout began on August 5, 1963, at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, and the show closed four months later on November 16 at the Philharmonic Auditorium Theatre in Los Angeles. Although the musical was based on Anthony Hope’s 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda, the producers noted they had made the “important” decision to place Zenda in the present time so that 1963 audiences could “identify” with it via modern language, music, dancing, costumes, and 1963 “manners.” At the same time, the musical could still offer the “flavor and charm” of small European countries on the order of Monaco, Liechtenstein, Andorra, and Luxembourg. But it’s unlikely modern audiences were better able to relate to palace intrigues, mistaken identity, and a royal kidnapping because such events took place in the present. Such operetta-like goings-on would seem better suited to an earlier era. The book of Zenda was by Everett Freeman, the lyrics by Lenny Adelson, Sid Kuller, and Martin Charnin, and the music by Vernon Duke; the production was directed by George Schaeffer, and the choreography was by Jack Cole. The cast included Alfred Drake, Anne Rogers (who created the role of Polly in the original London production of The Boy Friend), and Chita Rivera. Others in the cast were Carmen Mathews, Marc Wilder, Truman Gaige, Susan Luckey, and, in a small role, Horace (later Laurence) Guittard. Susan Luckey played the role of Louise (Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan’s daughter) in the film version of Carousel (1956), and in 1962

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was Zaneeta Shin, the mayor’s daughter, in the film version of The Music Man (1962). Her only Broadway appearance was in Take Me Along (1959), in which she sang “I Would Die” with Robert Morse. Despite his melodic talent (among his songs are the standards “April in Paris,” “Autumn in New York,” “I Can’t Get Started,” and “Taking a Chance on Love”), Duke must have been the unluckiest of all Broadway composers. Besides Zenda, four of his book musicals closed on the road: A Vagabond Hero (1939), Dancing in the Streets (1943), Sweet Bye and Bye (1946), and The Pink Jungle (1959). And many of his shows closed soon after their Broadway openings: The Lady Comes Across (1942; 3 performances), Jackpot (1944; 69 performances), Sadie Thompson (1944; 60 performances), and Two’s Company (1952; 90 performances). His most successful musical is Cabin in the Sky (1940; 156 performances), which offered a memorable score and is his masterpiece. Banjo Eyes (1941; 126 performances) was poised to be a hit, but closed prematurely due to the illness of Eddie Cantor, its star. Zenda costar Carmen Mathews was also flop-prone. Besides Zenda, she appeared in Courtin’ Time (1951; 37 performances), The Yearling (1965; 3 performances), I’m Solomon (1968; 7 performances), Dear World (1969; 132 performances), Ambassador (1972; 9 performances), and Copperfield (1981; 13 performances). She was almost in a successful and long-running Broadway musical when she created the role of George Seurat’s mother in the 1983 workshop production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George at Playwrights Horizons. But when the show opened on Broadway the following year for a run of 604 performances (and eventually won the Pulitzer Prize), Barbara Byrne played the role of the mother. Drake’s standby was Lawrence Brooks, who played the leading role of Edvard Grieg in Song of Norway (1944) and introduced “Strange Music,” the operetta’s most popular song; when it closed, it was (after Follow the Girls [1944]) the second-longest-running book musical in Broadway history. Brooks next starred in another operetta, Sigmund Romberg’s My Romance (1948), and later in Buttrio Square (1952), an old-fashioned musical comedy that was one of the major flops of the era. He replaced Don Ameche in Cole Porter’s Silk Stockings (1955), and was Drake’s standby in Kean (1961). He starred in the long-running 1962 Off-Broadway musical Riverwind, an intimate, charming musical by John Jennings which today is all but forgotten. Brooks introduced a number of memorable songs from the musical, including the score’s highlight, the haunting “Wishing Song” quartet, one of the loveliest songs in 1960s musicals, on Broadway or off. In 1965, he appeared in Anya as Count Drivinitz and was also Michael Kermoyan’s standby. During Zenda’s tryout, Earl Hammond (who played Rupert of Hentzau) was replaced by Peter Brandon. The above credits and song list reflect the musical as of its opening night in San Francisco. During the run of the show, the following songs were deleted (see Note below): “Here and There,”*** “Why Not?,”*** “Alone at Night,”* and ”Artists.”** The following numbers were added during the tryout: “There’s Room for Her,”*** “My Heart Has Come-A-Tumbling Down,”*** “Love Is the Worst Possible Thing,”*** and “When You Stop and Think.”*** During the tryout, “Born at Last”*** was changed to “Alive at Last.” “There’s Room for Her” was added during the San Francisco run, but was ultimately dropped from the show. The musical had been scheduled to be recorded by Capitol Records, but the album was cancelled due to the show’s out-of-town closing. A live recording of a performance from the Los Angeles engagement was released by Blue Pear Records (LP # BP-1007) and then later by Deja Vu Records (CD # 1020). An earlier musical adaptation of The Prisoner of Zenda was Princess Flavia, which opened at the Century Theatre on November 2, 1925, for 152 performances. The book and lyrics were by Harry B. Smith, and the music was by Sigmund Romberg. Note: *Lyric by Lenny Adelson. **Lyric by Sid Kuller. ***Lyric by Martin Charnin.

• 1964–1965 Season

FOLIES BERGÈRE Theatre: Broadway Theatre Opening Date: June 2, 1964 Closing Date: November 14, 1964 Performances: 191 Credits: With one exception (see “Ca c’est Panam” in the musical numbers listed below), the Playbill didn’t specifically credit the sketch writers, lyricists, and composers; however, some music was by Henri Betti, and Philippe Gerard composed additional music Direction: Michel Gyarmathy; Producers: Stephen W. Sharmat, presenting an Arthur Lester Production of Paul Derval’s original Folies Bergère; Nicholas A. Strater and Alvin Bojar, Associate Producers in arrangement with J. Robert Purdom; Choreography: George Reich; Scenery and Costumes: Michel Gyarmathy; Lighting: Probably Michel Gyarmathy; Musical Direction: Jo Basile Cast: Patachou, Georges Ulmer, Liliane Montevecchi, Nicole Crosille, Vassili Sulich, Marion Conrad, Françoise Gres, Les Hoganas, The Trotter Brothers, Pau Sydell; Dancers: Marisa Barbaria, Sarah Lee Barber, Anik David, Dorothy D’Honau, Claude Duvernoy, Diane Fox, Nancy Herselin, Marcella Hude, Yvonne Meister, Gordana Pechitch, Edmee Redouin, Pamela Wellman, Diana West, Gerry Atkins, Flavio Bennati, Francis Ciampi, Renato Greco, Ralf Harmer, Jean Moussy, Don Wallwork; Les Demoiselles des Folies: Dominique Chevallier, Nicole Gille, Margot Hamilton, Andree Hechner, Margareta Lindblum, Mary Luger, Mikki Maher, Anna Page, Irene Peterson, Judy Tickner, Isabel Wardrop, Elizabeth West; Mannequins: Marion Barker, Geraldine Barron, Monique Carraz, Charlotte DeSica, Francesca Fontaine, Lyn Hobart, Dale Humphries, Dany Latour, Simone Massix, Andree Peny, Veronica Pierce, Nancy Walker The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: Bonjour de Paris: “Foll’ de Broadway” (Nicole Croisille, Dancers, Les demoiselles des folies, Mannequins); “Ta Ra Ra” (Marion Conrad); “Bonjour Folies” (Liliane Montevecchi); “Can Can” (Gerry Atkins, Dancers); Georges Ulmer (Ulmer performed impressions and songs, including his hit song “Place Pigalle”; various sources indicate the French lyrics of the song were cowritten by Ulmer and Geo Koger, others indicate lyrics cowritten by Ulmer and Konyn [first name unknown]; music is attributed to Guy Luypaerts; Newman [first name unknown] may have written English lyric); “Souper fin” (Monique Carraz, Dominique Chevallier, Andree Hechner, Simone Massix, Jean Moussy, Don Wallwork); “Chopin” (Francoise Castel, Les Demoiselle des Folies); Paul Sydell and Suzy; Variété de danses: “Charleston” (Nicole Croisille, Dancers); “C’est toi l’plus beau” (Tango) (Liliane Montevecchi, Vassili Sulich); “Paris Panam” (Les demoiselles des folies); Paris Swing: “Ca c’est Panam” (by J. Ledru) (Liliane Montevecchi, Françoise Gres, Dancers); “Les mains” (“Hands Dance”; music by Hugo Betti) (Françoise Gres, Dancers);

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Georges Ulmer; “Cleopatra” (Liliane Montevecchi, Vassili Sulich, Dancers, Les Demoiselles des Folies, Mannequins); Les Hoganas; “A toute a l’heure” (Company) Act Two: “Texas de France” (Françoise Gres, Dancers); Georges Ulmer; “Mariage” (Francoise Castel, Singers); “Hymne a l’amour” (Dancers, Les Demoiselles des Folies, Mannequins); The Trotter Brothers; “Gondole à Venise” (Dany Latour); Georges Ulmer; “Neige” (Marion Conrad, Vassili Sulich, Dancers); Patachou (Patachou sang a number of songs, including “Paris bohème” [lyric and music by P. Gerard], “Mon manège à moi” [lyric and music by Constantin Glanzburg], “Place Pigalle” [lyric and music by Georges Ulmer, Konyn, and Newman], “What Now My Love?” [“Et maintenant?”; lyric and music by Gilbert Becaud], “I Wish You Love” [“Que reste-t-il de nos amours”; lyric and music by Charles Trenet; English lyric by Albert Beach], and “My Man” (“Mon homme”; lyric by Albert Willemetz and Jacques Charles, music by Maurice Yvain; English lyric by Channing Pollock]; English version of song introduced by Fanny Brice in Ziegfeld Follies of 1921); Finale (“La musique”) (lyric and music by Drejac and Gerard) (Company) It took almost a century for the fabled Parisian institution Folies Bergère to reach Broadway, but when it did no expense was spared to make it one of the most lavish productions ever seen in New York, with a reported twelve hundred costumes, fifteen tons of scenery, forty-five dancers, mannequins, and demoiselles des folies, not to mention various headliners such as Patachou and Liliane Montevecchi, plus a dog act, acrobats, and some naughty puppets. Perhaps the most breathtaking sequence occurred in “Gondole à Venise,” which presented a bird’s-eye view of a Venetian canal surrounded by the lights of surrounding buildings. Soon a gondola appeared that revealed undraped showgirl Dany Latour, and as she languished in the gondola it floated down the canal and under a bridge. There was also an enormous stage-wide staircase down which les femmes repeatedly paraded, and there were tableaux vivants galore. Further, there were many dances, including a can-can, a charleston, and a Western jamboree–styled number (“Texas de France”). Moreover, there were salutes to Cleopatra and, most importantly, to the sacred institution of marriage. Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted that despite the “extensive exposure” of the showgirls, their effect was “remote and antiseptic,” and the Cleopatra sequence could “sour you on love, temptation and undraped females.” Taubman concluded that even in Paris the Folies Bergère was strictly for the tourist trade, and if you’re “that” kind of tourist, you need not bother traveling to Paris for the summer. Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the evening was “pure entertainment” with numbers that were “as dazzling as sunlight on fresh snow.” He indicated the New York Folies was quite similar to the Paris editions, but noted “passionate dance interpretations of love, seduction or perhaps cooperative rape” were omitted from the Broadway version. The critics liked Patachou, and while Taubman found her “mannered,” he admitted she nonetheless brought “fervor and enthusiasm” to her songs, which included “My Man” and “I Wish You Love.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said she was “the personality of the evening,” noting she looked like a “svelte Gallic Tessie O’Shea,” and Nadel said her “passionate” voice stirred the audience with “new awareness of the wry humor, the anguish and the ecstasy of love.” Composer-singer Georges Ulmer scored as well, and included in his repertoire his hit song “Place Pigalle.” Paul Sydell and his acrobatic dog Suzy (of the terrier variety) won over the audience, and Taubman noted she performed “formidable” tricks; further, she was a “shameless hussy” because unlike the other ladies in the production, Suzy wore nothing at all. Judith Crist in the New York Herald-Tribune found Suzy “enchanting” and pronounced her balancing act “super-human.” Crist also praised Les Hoganas, a Swedish acrobat trio who “twirl and whirl in dervish style on a rope suspended from their own teeth, ankles and necks,” and she noted that one of the Trotter Brothers’ puppets performed the “one true strip-tease and erotic dance” of the entire evening. There had been naughty puppets before (in the 1962 Off-Broadway revue Les Poupées de Paris, which was also seen at the 1964 New York World’s Fair [see entry for To Broadway with Love]) and there would be more later (in the 1971 Off-Broadway revue Kumquats), but by the time the 2003 Off-Broadway (later Broadway and then still later Off-Broadway again) revue Avenue Q rolled in, almost everyone seemed to have forgotten that naughty puppets weren’t exactly new in musical theatre. Also in the cast of Folies Bergère was Liliane Montevecchi, whom Nadel described as a blending of “sultry womanliness with quick, devilish humor and sensuous dancing.” She (and her partner Vassili Sulich) particularly scored in the tango “C’est toi l’plus beau.” Montevecchi would return to “Folies Bergère” (the song) if

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not Folies Bergère (the show) in Maury Yeston’s memorable 1982 musical Nine, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. During the run, the number “Cypres” (performed by Michele Hardy, Marion Conrad, Flavio Bennati, and Les demoiselles des folies) was added to the first act, presented between “Chopin” and the Paul Sydell and Suzy sequence. Original musical numbers in the revue were composed by Henri Betti, along with additional music by Philippe Gerard. A cast album of sorts was released by Audio Fidelity Records (LP # AFSD-6135 and # 2135), and included vocals by Patachou and Georges Ulmer; some sequences on the album were listed in the Broadway Playbill, but others (“Darling, Be Careful” [“La trapeziste”; lyric and music by Georges Ulmer, and sung by Ulmer] and “Quartier Latin” [music by Hugo Betti]) were not.

THE KING AND I Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: July 6, 1964 Closing Date: August 8, 1964 Performances: 40 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. Direction: Edward Greenberg; Producer: Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Musical Director); Choreography: Original Choreography by Jerome Robbins (reproduced by Yuriko); Scenery: Paul C. McGuire; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Franz Allers Cast: Fred Miller (Captain Orton), James Harvey (Louis Leonowens), Rise Stevens (Anna Leonowens), Rudy Vejar (The Interpreter), Michael Kermoyan (The Kralahome), Darren McGavin (The King), Stuart Mann (Phra Alack), Lee Venora (Tuptim), Patricia Neway (Lady Thiang), Barry Robins (Prince Chulalongkorn), Gina Kaye (Princess Ying Yaowalak), Frank Porretta (Lun Tha), Eric Brotherson (Sir Edward Ramsay); Princesses and Princes: Kathleen Din, Gina Kaye, Lorrie Kochiyama, Debbie Kogan, May Yee Mark, Annette Misa, Robert Ader, David Aguilar, Delfino DeArco, Lawrence Kikuchi, Eddie Kochiyama, Frank Orlando, Vito Orlando; The Royal Dancers: Takako Asakawa, Hadassah Badock, Joan Bates, Lisa Berg, Noemi Chiesa, Paula Chin, Miriam Cole, Bettina Dearborne, Carol Drisin, Carol Fried, Phyllis Gutelius, Linda Hodes, Susan Kikuchi, Jeanne Nichtern, Connie Sanchez, Katherine Wilson; Wives: Anita Alpert, Theodora Brandon, Dixie Carter, Sharon Dierking, Mona Elson, Carole O’Hara, Hanna Owen, Jean Palmerton; Amazons: Leisha Caryle, Beverly Morrison, Joanna Owens, Jeanne Rodriguez; Priests, Slaves: Walter Adams, Henry Baker, Lazar Dano, Victor Duntiere, William Duvall, Julius Fields, Fred Hamilton, Stuart Mann, Jim McMillan, Ken Richards, Anthony Saverino The musical was presented in two acts. The action occurs in and around the King’s Palace in Bangkok, Siam, during the early 1860s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I Whistle a Happy Tune” (Rise Stevens, James Harvey); “My Lord and Master” (Lee Venora); “Hello, Young Lovers!” (Rise Stevens); “March of the Siamese Children” (Rise Stevens, Darren McGavin, Wives, Children); “A Puzzlement” (Darren McGavin); “The Royal Bangkok Academy” (Rise Stevens, Pupils); “Getting to Know You” (Rise Stevens, Wives, Children; danced by Takako Asakawa); “We Kiss in a Shadow” (Lee Venora, Frank Porretta); “A Puzzlement” (reprise) (Barry Robins, James Harvey); “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” (Rise Stevens); “Something Wonderful” (Patricia Neway); Finale (Company) Act Two: “Western People Funny” (Patricia Neway, Wives); “I Have Dreamed” (Lee Venora, Frank Porretta); “Hello, Young Lovers!” (reprise) (Rise Stevens); “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” (ballet) (Lee Venora [Narrator], Bettina Dearborne [Uncle Thomas], Susan Kikuchi [Little Eva], Paula Chin [Topsy], Takako

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Asakawa [Eliza], Connie Sanchez [Angel]; Royal Dancers: Hadassah Badock, Joan Bates, Lisa Berg, Noemi Chiesa, Miriam Cole, Carol Drisin, Carol Fried, Phyllis Gutelius, Jeanne Nichtern, Katherine Wilson; Jim McMillan [Drummer]; Assistants: Lazar Dano, Victor Duntiere, Julius Fields); “Shall We Dance?” (Rise Stevens, Darren McGavin); Finale (Company) The 1964 production of The King and I was the first musical to be produced by the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center under the aegis of Richard Rodgers, a short-lived series of popular musicals that played at the New York State Theatre over the course of six summers from 1964 through 1969. The Lincoln Center visit of Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s classic musical marked the work’s fourth of eight New York revivals (for general information about The King and I, see entry for the 1960 City Center revival; also see entries for the 1963 and 1968 City Center productions). In his review of the revival for the New York Times, Howard Taubman noted it was Lincoln Center’s intention to offer two musicals every summer, mostly revivals and perhaps an occasional new musical, and then to mount national tours of the productions. The series never offered any new works, but nine revivals were seen during the 1964–1969 period, two apiece during the summers of 1964, 1965, and 1966, and one each during the summers of 1967, 1968, and 1969. Besides The King and I, there were new productions of The Merry Widow (1964), Kismet (1965), Carousel (1965), Annie Get Your Gun (1966), Show Boat (1966), South Pacific (1967), West Side Story (1968), and Oklahoma! (1969). Most of the productions toured the country after their initial runs in New York, and all but West Side Story and Oklahoma! were recorded. Taubman said the revival’s “taste and elegance” were proof that Rodgers and Lincoln Center were determined to offer stylish productions in their new series. The entry was “not only ample and opulent but also human-sized in its sentiment and charm,” and he praised Rise Stevens’s Anna (the former Metropolitan Opera star’s voice was still “superior” to what was normally heard on the Broadway stage) and Darren McGavin’s “imperious” King. Lee Venora and Frank Porretta brought “uncommon vocal freshness” to the roles of Tuptim and Lun Tha, and Patricia Neway’s Lady Thiang sang “Something Wonderful” with “exceptional intensity and exaltation.” Taubman noted that Frank Allers conducted an orchestra of over forty musicians. Other cast members in the revival were Michael Kermoyan (The Kralahome) and Eric Brotherson (Sir Edward Ramsay). The revival also inspired what may well be the strangest review ever written about the musical. Henry Hewes in Saturday Review said Anna was a “smug representative of Western colonialism,” and her purported “‘goodness’ now emerges as a hypocritical disguise for her intolerance of another country’s traditions and for her ruthless drive to emasculate a man.” He further noted that Anna “succeeds in destroying” the King. The review is indeed a puzzlement, and is an early example of political correctness run amok when reviewers, directors, adaptors, and audiences look at older musicals through the prism of their cultural biases and beliefs (Broadway and regional revivals of such musicals as Annie Get Your Gun, Bye Bye Birdie, Carousel, Oklahoma!, and She Loves Me have been the victims of either questionable racial casting choices or revised scripts that delete songs deemed offensive to modern audiences, and some lyricists have sanitized their early lyrics to make them as politically correct as possible). The cast album of The King and I revival was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1092), and included the first recording of the ballet “The Small House of Uncle Thomas.” The CD was released by Arkiv/Sony/Masterworks Broadway # 50134, and includes bonus tracks of various recordings of songs from the musical by Richard Kiley, Patrice Munsel, Dinah Shore, Robert Merrill, and Tony Martin. For the Lincoln Center revival, Annamary Dickey understudied the role of Anna; she had created the role of Marjorie Taylor in the original 1947 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Allegro, introducing “Come Home,” and, with William Ching, “A Fellow Needs a Girl,” one of the loveliest and most obscure ballads in the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook. Among the other cast members in The King and I revival was Dixie Carter, who played one of the King’s wives and who understudied the role of Tuptim.

THE MERRY WIDOW Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: August 17, 1964 Closing Date: September 19, 1964

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Performances: 40 Book and Lyrics: Original German book and lyrics by Victor Leon and Leo Stein; for current revival, book and lyrics based on a version by Edwin Lester; book revision by Milton Lazarus; new lyrics by Forman Brown Music: Franz Lehar Direction: Edward Greenberg; Producer: Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director); Choreography: Zachary Solov; Scenery: Rouben Ter-Arutunian; Costumes: Rene Hubert; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Franz Allers Cast: George Quick (Major Domo), Sig Arno (Nish), Mischa Auer (Baron Popoff), Joan Weldon (Natalie [The Baroness Popoff]), Robert Goss (Chevalier St. Brioche), Rudy Vejar (Marquis Cascada), Joseph Leon (General Novikovich), Wood Romoff (Counselor Khadja), Luce Ennis (Sylvanie [Mme. Khadja]), Marian Haraldson (Olga [Mme. Novikovich]), Frank Porretta (Captain Pierre Jolidon), Patrice Munsel (Sonia [The Widow]), Bob Wright (Prince Danilo), Carol Flemming (Lolo [Girl from Maxim’s]), Jean Lee Schoch (Cloclo [Girl from Maxim’s]), Annette Bachich (Dodo [Girl from Maxim’s]), Kathy Wilson (Margot [Girl from Maxim’s]), Skiles Ricketts (Joujou [Girl from Maxim’s]), Birgitta Kiviniemi (Froufrou [Girl from Maxim’s], Principal Dancer), William Duvall (Michel), Dixie Carter (Zozo), Dmitry Cheremeteff (Principal Dancer); Singing Ladies: Theodora Brandon, Dixie Carter, Kenna Christi, Sharon Dierking, Elaine Johnson, Beverly Morrison, Hanna Owen, Jean Palmerton, Dixie Stewart, Peggy Wathen; Singing Men: Bruce Carrithers, Ken Corday, Gene Davis, William Duvall, Harrison Fisher, Norman Grogan, Vincent Henry, Stuart Mann, Philip Rash, Ken Richards, Carl Sloat, Stafford Wing; Dancing Girls: Annette Bachich, Bonnie Gene Card, Carol Flemming, Debra Lyman, Skiles Ricketts, Jean Lee Schoch, Kathy Wilson; Dancing Men: Ian Bruce, Richard Cousins, Jeremy Knight-Ives, Richard Maxon, Malcolm McCormick, Bob Remick, George Tregre The musical was presented in three acts. The action occurs in and around Paris in “about 1905.”

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra); “When in France” (Robert Goss, Rudy Vejar, Joan Weldon, Marian Haraldson, Luce Ennis, Mischa Auer, Guests); “A Respectable Wife” (Joan Weldon, Frank Porretta); “Who Knows the Way to My Heart?” (Patrice Munsel, Robert Goss, Rudy Vejar, Bachelors); “Maxim’s” (Bob Wright, Girls from Maxim’s); “Riding on a Carousel” (Patrice Munsel, Bob Wright); Finale (Patrice Munsel, Bob Wright, Ensemble) Act Two: “Marsovian Dance” (Dancing Ensemble); “Vilia” (Patrice Munsel); “Women” (Mischa Auer, Sig Arno, Joseph Leon, Wood Romoff, Robert Goss, Rudy Vejar); “Czardas” and “Waltz” (Patrice Munsel, Bob Wright, Dancing Ensemble); “Romance” (Frank Porretta, Joan Weldon); Finale (Patrice Munsel, Bob Wright, Frank Porretta, Joan Weldon, Ensemble) Act Three: “Girls at Maxim’s” (Girls from Maxim’s, Waiters, Patrice Munsel); “I Love You So” (“The Merry Widow Waltz”) (Bob Wright, Patrice Munsel); Finale (Company) Not only is The Merry Widow one of the most popular of all operettas, it is virtually synonymous with the word “operetta.” Die Lustige Witwe premiered in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien on December 30, 1905, with music by Franz Lehar and libretto by Viktor Leon and Leo Stein. The romantic musical told the story of the impoverished Ruritanian country of Marsovia, and the attempt of its politicians to ensure that the fortune of its wealthiest citizen, the widowed Sonia (Mizzi Gunther in the original production), will remain in the country. To this end, Prince Danilo (Louis Treumann) is sent to Paris in the hope of wooing her into marriage and thus ensuring the financial solvency of Marsovia. As of this writing, New York has seen some twenty-nine productions of the operetta. The Broadway premiere occurred on October 21, 1907, at the New Amsterdam Theatre for 416 performances (Ethel Jackson was Sonia, and Donald Brian was Danilo), and one of the most popular revivals opened at the Majestic Theatre on August 4, 1943, for 322 performances (Marta Eggerth was Sonia, Jan Kiepura was Danilo). Of the numerous film versions, perhaps the most memorable is the 1934 MGM version, which was directed by Ernest Lubitsch and starred Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier. Most of the film’s lyrics were by Lorenz Hart, and additional music was by both Richard Rodgers and Herbert Stothart. The Merry Widow was Lincoln Center’s second offering in its Music Theatre series, and Harold C. Schonberg in the New York Times questioned the wisdom of “the cultural palace on 64th Street” reviving the

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operetta when it was already part of the repertoire of the New York City Opera Company (in fact, the NYCO had revived the operetta ten months earlier, and would do so again two months after the premiere of the Music Theatre production). Whether the Music Theatre’s revival was better or worse than the NYCO revival wasn’t the point, according to Schonberg: The real problem was that the choice showed a lack of “imagination and daring” and revealed nothing but commercialism on the part of the Music Theatre’s directors. As for the specifics of the production, Schonberg noted it was less Viennese operetta and more Broadway musical comedy. He found the “handsome” opera star Patrice Munsel a “trouper” and a “more intelligent actress than almost any of her colleagues” at the Metropolitan, but “the years have not dealt kindly with her voice.” Bob Wright (“tall, regal, with a good figure and nice blue hair”) was a “consistent asset” as Danilo, and he praised Frank Porretta and Joan Weldon in secondary roles (Porretta was Captain Pierre Jolidon, a role he had performed in the New York City Opera’s version of the work). Among the comics in the cast were Sig Arno, Mischa Auer, Wood Romoff, and Joseph Leon, and, in the singing chorus, Dixie Carter. Schonberg also complained about the amplification of the performers (“every man is a Caruso, every girl a Flagstad”). Milton Lazarus revised the original libretto by Leon and Stein (his version was also based on an earlier version by Edwin Lester). The lyrics were by Forman Brown. The cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1094), and the CD by Sony Masterworks Broadway (# 88697-88567-2).

WIENER BLUT Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: September 11, 1964 Closing Date: October 3, 1964 Performances: 27 Book and Lyrics: Original German book and lyrics by Victor Leon and Leo Stein; new adaptation by Tony Niessner Music: Johann Strauss (music arranged by Hans Hagen) Direction: Tony Niessner; Producers: Harold A. Hoeller, Greek Theatre Association, James A. Doolittle, and Felix G. Gerstman; Choreography: Fred Meister (Lidia Coronica, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Ferry Windberger; Costumes: Hill Rheis-Gromes; Lighting: Thomas Skelton; Musical Direction: Oswald Unterhauser Cast: Gita Rena (Mistress of Ceremonies), Andreij Halasz (Policeman), Erwin Von Gross (Count Balduin Zedlau [Ambassador from Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz]), Maria Kowa (Countess Zedlau), Clementine Mayer (Franziska Cagliari), Dagmar Koller (Pepi Pleininger), Helmut Wallner (Josef [Joseph]), Wilhelm Popp (Prince Ypsheim-Gindelbach [Prime Minister of Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz]), Hugo Lindinger (Kagler), Friedericke Mann (Anna, Lisi), Werner Karman (A Coachman, The Russian Ambassador, Proprietor of Hietzing Casino), Emmerich Godin (Count Bitowksi), Else Petry (Countess Bitowski), Erich Herg (The French Ambassador), Martino Stamos (The Italian Ambassador), Wolfgang Hackenberg (The English Ambassador, A Watchman), Gerhard Kurz (The Prussian Ambassador), Silvia Holzmayer (Lori), Eveline Kollhammer (A Boy Waiter); Singing Ensemble: Maria Holoubeck, Silvia Holzmayer, Elfriede Knapp, Angelika Lignu, Friedericke Mann, Katherina Stellaki, Wolfgang Hackenberg, Erich Herg, Werner Karman, Gerhard Kurz, Martino Stamos, Achilles Talos; Dance Soloists: Iwa Slatewa, Flora Lojekova, Kurt Schenker, Andreij Halasz; Dancing Ensemble: Hulda Fuchs, Katja Dooren, Eveline Kohlhammer, Edda Kreen, Katja Pogacnik, Nora Zechner, Ingrid Nedbal The musical was presented in three acts. The action takes place in Vienna in 1815, during the time of the Congress.

Musical Numbers Act One: Introduction (Gita Rena, Ensemble); “Ich such’ jetzt da, ich such’ jetzt dort” (“I Am Looking Here Now, I Am Looking There Now”) (Helmut Wallner); “Pepi! Er?” (“Pepi! He?”) (Clementine Mayer,

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Helmut Wallner); “Na also schreib’ und tu’ nicht schmeiren” (“Go On, Write and Do Not Scribble”) (Erwin Von Gross, Helmut Wallner); “Polka” (Dagmar Koller, Mannequins); “Wunsch’ guten morgen, Herr Von Pepi” (“Good Morning, Mr. Von Pepi”) (Dagmar Koller, Helmut Wallner); Finale Act One (Clementine Mayer, Helmut Wallner, Hugo Lindinger, Wilhelm Popp, Erwin Von Gross) Act Two: “Polonaise” (Gita Rena, Ensemble); “Pas de deux” (Flora Lojekova, Andreij Halasz); “Wiener blut” (“Vienna Life”) (Maria Kowa, Erwin Von Gross); “Wiener frauen singen gern” (“Viennese Women Love to Sing”) (Clementine Mayer, Emmerich Godin, Erich Herg, Martino Stamos, Wolfgang Hackenberg, Gerhard Kurz, Werner Karman); “So nimm, mein susser schatz” (“Take It, My Sweet Darling”) (Erwin Von Gross, Dagmar Koller, Helmut Wallner); “Mazurka” (Iwa Slatewa, Flora Lojekova, Kurt Schenker, Andreij Halasz); “Bohmische polka” (“Bohemian Polka”) (Dagmar Koller, Hugo Lindinger);”Czardas” (Iwa Slatewa, Flora Lojekova, Kurt Schenker, Andreij Halasz); “Lagunenwalzer” (“Lagoon Waltz”) (Martino Stamos, Ensemble); Finale Act Two: “An der schonen blauen Donau” (“The Blue Danube Waltz”) (Iwa Slatewa, Kurt Schenker, Dancing Ensemble) Act Three: “Geht’s und verkauft’s mei g’wand” (“Go On and Sell My Suit”) (Friedericke Mann, Silvia Holzmayer); “A walzer von Strauss” (“A Waltz by Strauss”) (Hugo Lindinger, Wolfgang Hackenberg, Singing Ensemble); “Polka” (Iwa Slatewa, Flora Lojekova, Kurt Schenker, Andreij Halasz, Dancing Ensemble); “Accelerationenwalzer” (“Acceleration Waltz”) (Ensemble); Finale Act Three (Gita Rena, Ensemble) With the opening of Johann Strauss’s Wiener Blut (aka Viennese Blood, Viennese Spirit, and Vienna Life), New York was suddenly in the midst of a mini-operetta festival. The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center had just produced a limited-engagement revival of Lehar’s The Merry Widow (the productions of the two operettas overlapped by one week), and a month later the New York City Opera offered its own version of The Merry Widow as well as a revival of Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Wiener Blut had first been performed in Vienna at the Carl Theatre on October 26, 1899, and the first New York production was seen as Vienna Life in an English version, which opened at the Broadway Theatre on January 23, 1901, for thirty-five performances. Until the 1964 production, the operetta hadn’t been performed in New York for sixty-three years. The new production came direct from Vienna (via a short detour for an engagement in Los Angeles at the Greek Theatre), and was sung in German (there was also a mistress of ceremonies on hand to narrate the plot in English). The original libretto by Viktor Leon and Leo Stein (who had also written the libretto of The Merry Widow) was revised in a new adaptation by Tony Niessner. Incidentally, Strauss didn’t compose new music for Wiener Blut; he died before the operetta was produced, and, in a precursor to Song of Norway, Kismet, and other musicals written by the Dead Composer Society, Leon and Stein assembled Strauss’s famous waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, gallops, and other music and fashioned them around the demands of their libretto. Two waltzes by Strauss (“An der schonen blauen Donau” [“The Blue Danube Waltz”] and “Accelerationenwalzer” [“Acceleration Waltz”]) were interpolated into the current revival. Set in Vienna at the time of the 1815 Continental Congress, the plot revolved around the romantic complications of Count Zedlau, the ambassador from Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz who has a wife (Countess Zedlau), a mistress (Franziska Cagliari, a dancer), and a mistress-to-be (Pepi Pleininger, a model, who is also engaged to the count’s valet, Josef). When Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz’s prince (and prime minister) visits Vienna, he mistakes Franziska for the countess, and the countess mistakes Pepi for Franziska. But despite a slew of mistaken identities and romantic misunderstandings, everything is happily resolved by the final curtain. The Viennese locale of The Gay Life (1961) had inspired some of the New York critics to describe that musical in terms of Viennese desserts, and the sweet tooth was still in effect for Wiener Blut. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the “whipped cream of a score” was complemented by an “authentically Viennese” production of “homely” humors, “relaxed” performances, and “unspectacular but disarming” production numbers. And while Alan Rich in the New York Herald-Tribune admitted the Viennese knew “how to whip their cream,” he quickly added they also knew “how to flog it to a pulp.” If Wiener Blut was “authentic” Strauss, then Rich said his name was Peter Rabbit, and he suggested the Viennese population of New York start picketing the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. His only explanation for this “feeble, slovenly, wretched travesty” was that Vienna was getting revenge on New York for some of the Met’s recent “Yankee-ized” attempts at Viennese operetta, not to mention the current Merry Widow at Lincoln Center.

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THE COMMITTEE Theatre: Henry Miller’s Theatre Opening Date: September 16, 1964 Closing Date: November 7, 1964 Performances: 61 Sketches: Written and created by the cast Music: Incidental music by Ellsworth Milburn Direction: Alan Myerson; Producers: Arthur Cantor, in association with Committee Productions; Scenery and Lighting: Ralph Alswang; Costumes: Uncredited; Producers: Arthur Cantor, in association with Committee Productions Cast: Scott Beach, Hamilton Camp, Garry Goodrow, Larry Hankin, Kathryn Ish, Ellsworth Milburn, Irene Riordan, Dick Stahl The revue was presented in two acts. Program Note: “The material will change nightly.” The sketch list below reflects those that were presented on opening night.

Sketches Act One: “The Party” (Hamilton Camp [Host], Kathryn Ish [Hostess], Scott Beach [Scotty Pritikin], Larry Hankin [Roger], Irene Riordan [Billie], Dick Stahl [Jerry], Ellsworth Milburn [L.  R. Truehart], Garry Goodrow [George Phillips]); Introduction (Dick Stahl); “Sex on the Campus” (Larry Hankin [Sy], Kathryn Ish [Sharon], Hamilton Camp [Room-mate]); “The Spies” (Irene Riordan, Dick Stahl, Hamilton Camp, Larry Hankin, Kathryn Ish, Garry Goodrow); “Failure 101” (aka “Oral Exam”) (Scott Beach [Dr. Benway], Garry Goodrow [Lyman Engel]); “Pregnant” (Dick Stahl, Kathryn Ish); “Mechanical Man” (Hamilton Camp [The Mechanical Man], Larry Hankin [The Bum]); “Stick to the Point” (aka “Interview”) (Scott Beach [Ron Wunder], Irene Riordan [Elizabeth Mainstream Rockwell]); “Bar Scene” (Elizabeth Milburn [Pianist], Dick Stahl [Waiter], Garry Goodrow [Waiter Number 1], Larry Hankin [Waiter Number 2]); “Folk Song” (Company) Act Two: “Blue Valley, Calif. PTA” (Irene Riordan [Moderator], Scott Beach [Dr. Ernest], Hamilton Camp [Dr. Luce]); “Shoe Store” (Garry Goodrow [Customer], Hamilton Camp [Salesman]); “Summer Vacation” (Kathryn Ish [Pat], Irene Riordan [Nikki]); “Piano Roll”(aka “The Virtuoso”) (Dick Stahl); “Electric Chair” (aka “Prison Scene”) (Hamilton Camp [Warden], Garry Goodrow [Chaplain], Larry Hankin [Prisoner], Scott Beach [Governor]); “Public Opinion” (Irene Riordan, Dick Stahl); “Liebowitz” (Hamilton Camp, Kathryn Ish, Scott Beach); “Psychiatrist” (aka “The Hour”) (Dick Stahl [Patient], Garry Goodrow [Doctor]); “Superman” (Larry Hankin [Superman], Scott Beach [Babs’s Husband]); “The Orchestra” (Ellsworth Milburn [Conductor], Irene Riordan [Violin], Scott Beach [Cello], Hamilton Camp [Horn], Garry Goodrow [Bassoon], Kathryn Ish [Oboe], Dick Stahl [Triangle and Cymbals], Larry Hankin [Tympani and Wood Block]) The Committee was an improvisational satiric revue that first surfaced in San Francisco in April 1963. With San Francisco still the revue’s home base, the creators/performers took a break from their eighteenmonth run and brought the revue to New York, where it ran for sixty-one performances. This was the era of improvisational and satiric revues (all the revues were satiric in nature, but not all were improvisational, although the majority of them were), and so the Establishment, Second City (From the Second City), Stewed Prunes, Cambridge Circus, Beyond the Fringe, and other similar entertainments thrived during the period. During the first half of the 1960s, one or another of these groups could always be found in New York, either on or off Broadway. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the evening was a lesson in “how to be satirical without exactly being funny.” Although there were some amusing swipes at smug, patronizing liberals (at an artsy party everyone ignores a late-arriving guest until the host announces the man is a “Negro”; suddenly all the guests show their liberal credentials by fawning over the man, and, duty done, just as suddenly ignore him); conservatives (a Goldwater supporter looks forward to “one nation over God”); and gays (a gay waiter complains that one of his friends is a “tacky New York fairy”). But much of the material drove home its material in all-too-obvious ways. In one sketch, a course is offered in “Failure 101,” and the professor cautions his

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student to not think because “thinking gets in the way of failure.” In another sketch, a condemned man on death row is comforted by his chaplain and is wished well by the warden. Even the state’s governor tries but fails to commute his sentence. But when the voltage in the chair doesn’t kill him, the chaplain, warden, and governor beat him to death. Kerr noted that “hilarity is not precisely the result” of the sketch, and neither is “biting social comment.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the revue has its “hits and misses” but ended on the “positive” side. Some of the targets drew little blood, but others “pierced through the heart.” He too liked the party sketch, and also enjoyed one about a PTA worrying that The Dictionary of American Slang is an obscene book. But Taubman said the electric chair sketch fell flat. John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the evening belonged “off Broadway, or off Loop, or off Bay,” but not on Broadway; however, Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun found the revue “pertinent, explicit, unexpected, enormously amusing and richly endowed with gladsome talents.” The “Superman” sketch was adapted from an earlier sketch by Bill Heyer, and the “Public Opinion” sketch was by Roger Bowen. “Folk Song” (aka “I’m Gonna Ride a Hundred, Hundred, Hundred Miles”) was written by Irene Riordan and Ellsworth Milburn. Jack Thompson in the New York Journal-American wasn’t impressed with the revue, but noted “some sort of history was made” on opening night because Henry Miller’s (now Stephen Sondheim) Theatre became the first Broadway playhouse to include a bar. Because the law permitting liquor to be served in theatres wouldn’t go into effect until October 1 (the revue opened on September 16), all drinks were on the house for the remainder of the month. He also noted the audience was seated at small tables. Thirty-four years later, Henry Miller’s Theatre temporarily became the Kit Kat Klub upon the opening of the 1998 revival of Cabaret, and drinks were again served to the audience as they watched the musical from small tables stretched across what used to be the theatre’s orchestra section. The Broadway cast album was released by Reprise Records (LP # F-2023). During the run, one of the sketches added for the revue was “Pavlov” (performed by Garry Goodrow [Dr. Pavlov] and Scott Beach [Visitor]), and it (along with “Introduction,” “Sex on the Campus,” “The Spies,” “Failure 101,” “Bar Scene,” “Folk Song,” “Summer Vacation,” “Liebowitz,” and “The Orchestra”) is included on the cast album.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Imperial Theatre (during run, the musical first transferred to the Majestic Theatre and then to the Broadway Theatre) Opening Date: September 22, 1964 Closing Date: July 2, 1972 Performances: 3,242 Book: Joseph Stein Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Music: Jerry Bock Based on various short stories by Sholem Aleichem. Direction and Choreography: Jerome Robbins; Producer: Harold Prince; Scenery: Boris Aronson; Costumes: Patricia Zipprodt; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Milton Greene Cast: Zero Mostel (Tevye), Maria Karnilova (Golde), Joanna Merlin (Tzeitel), Julia Migenes (Hodel), Tanya Everett (Chava), Marilyn Rogers (Shprintze), Linda Ross (Bielke), Beatrice Arthur (Yente), Austin Pendleton (Motel), Bert Convy (Perchik), Michael Granger (Lazar Wolf), Zvee Scooler (Mordcha), Gluck Sandor (Rabbi), Leonard Frey (Mendel), Paul Lipson (Avram), Maurice Edwards (Nachum), Sue Babel (Grandma Tzeitel), Carol Sawyer (Fruma-Sarah), Joseph Sullivan (Constable), Joe Ponazecki (Fyedka), Helen Verbit (Shandel), Gino Conforti (The Fiddler); Villagers: Tom Abbott, John C. Attle, Sue Babel, Sammy Bayes, Robert Berdeen, Lorenzo Bianco, Duane Bodin, Robert Currie, Sarah Felcher, Tony Gardell, Louis Genevrino, Ross Gifford, Dan Jasin, Sandra Kazan, Thom Koutsoukos, Sharon Lerit, Sylvia Mann, Peff Modelski, Irene Paris, Charles Rule, Carol Sawyer, Roberta Senn, Mitch Thomas, Helen Verbit The musical was presented in two acts. The action occurs in the Russian village of Anatevka during 1905, on the eve of the revolutionary period.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Tradition” (Zero Mostel, Villagers); “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” (Joanna Merlin, Julia Migenes, Tanya Everett); “If I Were a Rich Man” (Zero Mostel); “Sabbath Prayer” (Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Villagers); “To Life” (Zero Mostel, Michael Granger, Men); “Miracle of Miracles” (Austin Pendleton); “The Tailor, Motel Kamzoil” (Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Sue Babel, Carol Sawyer, Villagers); “Sunrise, Sunset” (Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Villagers); “Wedding Dance” (Villagers) Act Two: “Now I Have Everything” (Bert Convy, Julia Migenes); “Do You Love Me?” (Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova); “I Just Heard” (Beatrice Arthur, Villagers); “Far from the Home I Love” (Julia Migenes); “Anatevka” (Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Beatrice Arthur, Michael Granger, Leonard Frey, Paul Lipson); Epilogue (Company) Fiddler on the Roof was the longest-running musical of the 1960s, tallying up 3,242 performances. Based on various short stories by Sholem Aleichem, the musical took place in the Russian village of Anatevka in 1905, and focused on the poor dairyman Tevye (Zero Mostel); his wife, Golde (Maria Karnilova); and his five daughters Tzeitel (Joanna Merlin), Hodel (Julia Migenes), Chava (Tanya Everett), Shprintze (Marilyn Rogers), and Bielke (Linda Ross). Other villagers included Beatrice Arthur (as Yente, the matchmaker), Michael Granger (as the butcher Lazar Wolf, an older man and a widower who seeks Tzeitel’s hand in marriage), Austin Pendleton (Motel the tailor, whom Tzeitel prefers), Bert Convy (Perchik the student, who falls in love with Hodel), and the gentile Fyedka (Joe Ponazecki), who loves Chava. Many musicals with such a plot would have fallen into the trap of shaping the material into a traditional musical comedy evening in which father and mother try to marry off all their daughters by the final curtain. Fiddler’s creators of course dealt with some of the daughters and their suitors, but the plot centered on tradition, and how Tevye must face change: personal changes when one daughter moves away to be with her husband and when another marries a gentile, and political change when the villagers of Anatevka endure pogroms and face eventual exile from their cloistered and safe community. Tzeitel and Motel’s wedding celebration is disrupted by the Russian police who destroy the wedding canopy, and later all the villagers are forced to leave Anatevka and Russia. While some plan to immigrate to America, others head for middle Europe, and a special poignancy resulted when one realized that by escaping the ravages of the Russian pogroms, many were heading into the eventual Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s. But (literally) hovering over the story was the voiceless Fiddler (Gino Conforti) who plays his tunes from a perch on the roof. The first line of dialogue in the musical comes from Tevye, who looks up at the Fiddler and says to the audience, “A fiddler on the roof,” explaining that everyone in the town is like a fiddler on the roof, trying to get through life without breaking his neck. As the final curtain falls, the villagers have dispersed in different directions, leaving only Tevye and the remaining members of his family, who then also begin to move off. As they disappear, Tevye suddenly notices the lonely figure of the Fiddler, beckons him to join them, and the final image depicts the family and the Fiddler moving toward an unknown future. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the evening didn’t entirely “eschew the stigmata of routine Broadway,” noting that some of the romantic songs were “routine,” some gestures were more in keeping with Broadway than with Sholem Aleichem, and one or two scenes were “conventional.” But he was quick to add these caveats were mentioned only because the musical was “so fine that it deserves counsels toward perfection.” He praised Joseph Stein’s book, and singled out a number of songs from Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock’s score, including “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Sabbath Prayer,” “Do You Love Me?,” and the opening number “Tradition,” which introduced the characters, the time, and the place in a “ritual sweep.” He also noted that Jerome Robbins’s choreography was present throughout the evening, first in “Tradition” as well as in the nightmarish sequence “The Tailor, Motel Kamzoil,” “To Life,” the “Wedding Dance,” and the choreographed farewells at the end of the musical. As for Mostel’s Tevye, it was “one of the most glowing creations in the history of the musical theatre,” and his give-and-take dialogues with himself (not to mention his one-sided conversations with God) were memorable. Taubman noted that with Mostel, Tevye’s acting, singing, walking, and dancing were a “unified, lyrical conception,” and the high point of his performance was “If I Were a Rich Man”; the song included “cantillation in the manner of prayer” (according to Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune, the song was “a kind of cabalistic coloratura”).

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John Chapman in the New York Daily News said Fiddler was “one of the great works of the American musical theatre,” and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun praised the “proud and tender musical. . . . You don’t have to be Jewish” to appreciate it. But some critics had reservations about the work. Richard Watts in the New York Post said the story lacked “compelling dramatic power” and “seldom reaches the sustained excitement of which a musical play is capable in the flush of its most satisfying accomplishments.” Further, he found Harnick’s lyrics “workmanlike” and Bock’s score only “pleasantly modest.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the book had “arid areas,” the story was “relatively inconsequential,” and an “overabundance of self-pity” permeated the production. Walter Kerr felt the new musical might be “altogether charming” if only it wouldn’t force the cast to “give their regards to Broadway, with remembrances to Herald Square.” He felt the nightmare sequence was too overblown (“lost in the need to become mammoth”) and “Do You Love Me?” was too “wise-cracking.” The musical ultimately lost itself amid “easy quips,” lyrics which strayed “too far from the land,” and “high-pressure outbursts that are merely marketable.” He concluded that the evening was a “very-near-miss, and I very much miss what might have been.” In preproduction, the musical was titled Tevye. During the Detroit and Washington, D.C., tryouts a number of songs and dances were deleted, added, or restructured. Among the deleted songs were “Dear Sweet Sewing Machine,” “Get Thee Out,” “When Messiah Comes,” “As Much as That” and “If I Were a Woman” (the latter two were duets for Perchik and Hodel) as well as the “Chava Ballet.” The ten-minute ballet was never listed in the programs, and by the first Washington, D.C., preview performance the dance was seen for just a few fleeting moments. During the tryout, “Now I Have Everything” was a duet for Motel and Tzeitel, but for New York the number became a duet for Perchik and Hodel, and “Miracle of Miracles” was added for Motel. The role of the priest (played by Charles Durning) was eliminated during the tryout. The script was published in hardback in 1965 by Crown Publishers. A fascinating account of the musical is The Making of a Musical: “Fiddler on the Roof” by Richard Altman with Mervyn Kaufman (Crown Publishers, 1971). The original Broadway cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LSO/LOC-1093; the CD was issued by RCA Records # 51430 and included “I Just Heard,” which had been recorded in 1964 but had not been included on the original cast album release). Claus Ogerman’s Music from the Broadway Hit “Fiddler on the Roof” (RCA Victor Records LP # LSP-2964) was an instrumental rendering of the score that included two cut songs, “If I Were a Woman” and “A Little Bit of This,” and Herschel Bernardi Sings “Fiddler on the Roof” (Columbia Records LP # OS-3010 and OL-6610) included “When Messiah Comes” as well as a title song (Bernardi had played the role of Tevye during the original Broadway run). The 1965 Israeli cast album (Columbia Records LP # OS-3050 and OL-6650) included the “Wedding Dance,” and a 1968 studio cast album (London Records LP # 30064) with Robert Merrill and Molly Picon included the “Wedding Dance” and “Chava Sequence.” There are numerous recordings of the score, including cast albums from Germany (Decca LP # 77549; later issued on Teldec LP # 243897), Austria (Preiser Records SPR-3200; later issued by Preiser Records LP # 93200), France (Columbia Records LP # S-70065), and Japan (Toho Records LP # AX-6044/45/46). The cut songs “Dear Sweet Sewing Machine” and “When Messiah Comes” were heard in the respective collections Lost in Boston (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5475) and Lost in Boston II (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5485). The score’s demo recording (as Tevye) was performed by Bock and Harnick and included “Chava,” “Dear Sweet Sewing Machine,” “If I Were a Woman,” “Get Thee Out,” and “When Messiah Comes” as well as the unused songs “Mama, Mama,” “What a Life,” “Never Say a Butcher Has No Soul,” “How Much Richer Could One Man Be?,” and “Papa, Help Me.” The demo was rounded out by numbers that were heard in the final version of the musical (“Sabbath Prayer,” “To Life,” “Tevya’s Dream,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Anatevka,” and “Far from the Home I Love”). The first London production opened on February 16, 1967, at Her Majesty’s Theatre for 2,030 performances; (Chaim) Topol played the role of Tevye, a role he would revisit throughout his career. The overblown and charmless film version was released by United Artists in 1971. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film starred Topol, Norma Crane (Golde), Molly Picon (Yente), Neva Small (Tzeitel), and Leonard Frey (Motel; Frey had played the minor role of Mendel in the original 1964 production); Tutte Lemkow was the Fiddler, whose playing was dubbed by Issac Stern. “Now I Have Everything” and “I Just Heard” weren’t used in the film. The two-LP soundtrack was released by United Artists Records (LP # UAS-10900).

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The musical has been revived in New York four times. The first revival opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on December 28, 1976, for 167 performances with Mostel re-creating his original role. The next revival was seen at the New York State Theatre on July 9, 1981, for 53 performances. Herschel Bernardi was Tevye, and Maria Karnilova reprised her original role of Golde. Paul Lipson, who was Avram the bookseller in the original production, was now Lazar Wolf the butcher; like Bernardi, Lipson had also played the role of Tevye during the original Broadway run. The next revival opened on November 18, 1990, at the Gershwin Theatre for 240 performances; Topol was Tevye. The most recent revival opened on February 26, 2004, at the Minskoff Theatre for 781 performances; Alfred Molina was Tevye, and the score included “Topsy-Turvy,” a new and minor song by Bock and Harnick.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Fiddler on the Roof); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Zero Mostel); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Maria Karnilova); Best Author of a Musical (Joseph Stein); Best Producer of a Musical (Harold Prince); Best Director of a Musical (Jerome Robbins); Best Composer and Lyricist (Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick); Best Scenic Designer (Boris Aronson); Best Costume Designer (Patricia Zipprodt); Best Choreographer (Jerome Robbins) New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (1964–1965): Best Musical (Fiddler on the Roof)

OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR “A MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT” Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre Opening Date: September 30, 1964 Closing Date: January 16, 1965 Performances: 125 Script: Theatre Workshop, Charles Chilton, and The Members of the Oh What a Lovely War cast, after a “treatment” by Ted Allan Lyrics and Music: See song list below Direction: Joan Littlewood; Producers: David Merrick and Gerry Raffles (A Theatre Workshop Group Production); Choreography: Bob Stevenson; Scenery: John Bury (“Design Supervison” by Klaus Holm); Costumes: Una Collins; Lighting: John Bury; Musical Direction: Shepard Coleman Cast: (Note: Following the names of the male principals who play the Male Pierrots are the names of their specific characters.) Victor Spinetti (Master of Ceremonies, General Lanrezac, Drill Sergeant), Barbara Windsor, Murray Melvin (France, French Lieutenant), Brian Murphy (England, Sir John French, The Padre), Fanny Carby, Frank Coda (Russia, English Signaller), Richard Curnock (French Captain, Assassin), Peter Dalton (Gendarme), Larry Dann (Russia, Luxembourg Signaller), Jack Eddleman, Myvanwy Jenn, Colin Kemball (Moltke, Belgium), Linda Loftis, Ian Paterson (Sir Henry Wilson, German Officer), George Sewell (Kaiser, Sir Douglas Haig), Reid Shelton, Bob Stevenson (Swimmer, Irish Standard Bearer), Valerie Walsh Special Note: The Playbill indicated the material in the revue was based on factual data in official records, war memoirs, personal recollections, and commentaries, including those of The Imperial War Museum, Kaiser Wilhelm II, General Erich Ludendorff, Field Marshal Graf von Schlieffen, Marshal Joffre, Field Marshal Earl Haig, Field Marshall Sir John French, General Sir Henry Wilson, The Right Honorable David Lloyd George, Philip Noel-Baker, Alan Clark, Engelbracht and Hanighen, Siegfried Sassoon, Sir Philip Gibbs, Edmund Blunden, Leon Wolff, Captain Liddell Hart, Barbara Tuchman, the Times, and the Daily Express. The notation also thanked Sergeant Dearsley (of the Royal Fusiliers), Dorothy Woodman, Bert Sweet (ex-Gunner, 186 R.A.F., Deptford Gun Brigade), and “many other ex-members of the armies of both sides in the 1914–18 war and above all, to the unknown British soldier-composers of the Western Front.” The revue was presented in two acts.

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Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra) (the overture consisted of the following songs: “Long Long Trail,” “Land of Hope and Glory,” “Oh It’s a Lovely War,” “Mademoiselle from Armentieres,” “Goodbye-ee,” line from “Land of Hope and Glory,” “Long Long Trail,” “Pack Up Your Troubles,” line from “National Anthem,” and “I Do Like to Sit Beside the Seaside”); “Row, Row, Row” (lyric by William Jerome, music by James V. Monaco; from Ziegfeld Follies of 1912) (Ensemble); “We Don’t Want to Lose You” (lyric and music by Paul Rubens) (Ladies); “Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser” (lyric and music by Ellerton [first name unknown]) (Valerie Walsh); Medley: “Are We Downhearted” (lyric and music by W. David and L. Wright); “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” (lyric and music by Jack Judge and Harry H. Williams); and “Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy” (lyric and music by Murphy and David [first names unknown]) (Men); “I’ll Make a Man of You” (lyric and music by Arthur Wimperis and Herman Finck; British revue The Passing Show of 1914) (Barbara Windsor); “Pack Up Your Troubles (in Your Old Kit Bag)” (lyric by George Asaf, music by George Powell) (Men); “Hitchykoo” (lyric by L. Wolfe Gilbert, music by Lewis F. Muir and Maurice Abrahams) (Fanny Carby); “Heilige Nacht” (“Silent Night”) (traditional Christmas carol) (Colin Kemball); “Christmas Day in the Cookhouse” (Brian Murphy); “Goodbye-ee” (lyric by R. P. Weston, music by Bert Lee) (Victor Spinetti) Act Two: “Oh What a Lovely War” (lyric and music by J. P. Long and M. Scott; song revisions by B. Kelsey) (Ensemble); “Gassed Last Night” (Men); “Roses of Picardy” (lyric by Frederick E. Weatherley, music by Haydn Wood) (Linda Loftis, Ian Paterson); “Hush, Here Comes a Whizzbang” (parody lyric based on “Hush, Here Comes the Dream Man” [lyric and music by R.  P. Weston, Barnes, and Scott]) (Men); “There’s a Long, Long Trail” (lyric by Stoddard King, music by Zo Elliott) (Ian Paterson); “I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier” (parody lyric of “I’ll Make a Man of You” [see information, above]) (Men); “Kaiser Bill” (Men); “They Were Only Playing Leapfrog” (music arranged by Alfred Ralston) (Men); “Old Soldiers Never Die” (Murray Melvin); “If You Want the Old Battalion” (Men); “Far, Far from Wipers” (adapted from song “Sing Me to Sleep”; lyric and music by Bingham and Greene) (Colin Kemball); “If the Sergeant Steals Your Rum” (adapted from song “Never Mind”) (Men); “I Wore a Tunic” (parody lyric of “When You Wore a Tulip (and I Wore a Big Red Rose)”; lyric by Jack Mahoney, music by Percy Wenrich) (Ian Paterson); “Forward Joe Soap’s Army” (Men); “When This Lousy War Is Over” (parody lyric of “When This Cruel War Is Over”; lyric by Charles Carroll Sawyer, music by Henry Tucker) (Colin Kemball); “Wash Me in the Water” (Men); “I Want to Go Home” (music arranged by Alfred Ralston) (Men); “The Bells of Hell” (music arranged by Alfred Ralston) (Men); “Keep the Home Fires Burning” (lyric by Lena Guilbert Ford, music by Ivor Novello) (Myvanwy Jenn); “Waltzing Matilda” (traditional) (Orchestra); “Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts” (lyric by R.  P. Weston, music by Herman Darewski) (Barbara Windsor); Finale: “Chanson de Craonne” (lyric and music by Vaillant and Couturier); “I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier” (reprise); “And When They Ask Us” (parody lyric of “They Didn’t Believe Me”; lyric by P. G. Wodehouse, music by Jerome Kern; from 1914 musical The Girl from Utah) (lyric by Herbert Reynolds, music by Jerome Kern) (Ensemble) Most of the New York critics were taken in by the smug more-ironic-than-thou Oh What a Lovely War, but Broadway audiences were savvier. Despite rave reviews from four of the six New York newspapers, the musical revue could muster no more than 125 showings. Joan Littlewood’s self-described “Musical Entertainment” was an antiwar diatribe against World War I, although it seemed a little late in the day to make this observation. If World War I was wrong, then by extension were all wars wrong? If so, one wonders what the revue’s creators thought about World War II. Would we be better off today had we allowed Hitler to take over Europe (if not the world) without a fight? If Hitler had won, we might assume a revue like Oh What a Lovely War would never have been produced under his dictatorship. Littlewood employed an eighteen-member pierrot chorus dressed in black and white (with occasional additions of other costumes to indicate various characters) who sang, danced, and participated in sometimes documentary-like sketches against the backdrop of lantern slides, actual photographs from the period, and an electric news panel that periodically updated casualty figures. The revue’s idea of blistering irony was to show a news panel with the number of war dead while the pierrot chorus sang the title song. In case the audience missed the point, later on another news panel proclaimed the number of war dead in another battle while merry couples danced “wildly” to the “Twelfth

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Street Rag.” And then to ensure the audience hadn’t missed these crushing ironies, later in the evening another news panel listed more war casualties while oblivious soldiers “gaily” sang “The Bells of Hell.” As for the revue’s sense of humor, it ran along the lines of an American munitions manufacturer worrying that peace might break out. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune acknowledged Littlewood’s “brilliant” staging devices, but questioned why she felt the need to direct her energies toward just one “single, simple, and even rather primitive irony some thirty-four times over. . . . That is rather childish of her.” He wrote that throughout the evening “the point is the same, eternally the same. . . . We may be said to have got it.” Kerr concluded that if anyone had formed an opinion about war they might find Littlewood’s “little lecture superfluous.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the revue was “one of those English jobs which didn’t travel too well.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun felt the revue was one that should be “shared” rather than “talked about,” and he praised its “brightness as entertainment and its unerring directness as an instrument of truth.” He noted however that the American production had a larger cast, orchestra, and stage, all of which were not an advantage and that led one to suspect the revue might have been more successful in an intimate Off-Broadway theatre. Richard Watts in the New York Post said the evening was a “moving dramatic document and exciting evening of entertainment,” and Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the revue was a “laughing, slashing show with a wonderfully disarming air of geniality.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American thought the show began slowly and that master-of-ceremonies Victor Spinetti (who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical) was stuck with “stale” jokes, but as the evening progressed he felt everything came together. As a result, he “had a good time,” but added, “Don’t hate me if you disagree.” The script was published in hardback by Methuen & Co. in 1965 (a paperback edition was published in 1967). The cast recording of the Broadway production was cancelled by RCA Victor Records due to the revue’s short run (it had been assigned release # LOC/LSO-1095). The original British cast recording was released by London Records (LP # OS-25906 and # M-5906). In the song credits for the Broadway Playbill, “Your King and Country Want You” is listed, but the song doesn’t appear in the Playbill’s list of musical numbers. The production originally opened at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London, on March 19, 1963, and then transferred to the West End at Wyndham’s Theatre on June 20, 1963, for a total of 501 performances. The tiresome and bloated (139 minutes) film version was released as Oh! What a Lovely War in 1969 by Paramount Pictures; ploddingly directed by Richard Attenborough, the large cast included Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Maggie Smith, and John Mills. The soundtrack was issued by Paramount Records (LP # PAS-5008), and the film was released on DVD.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Oh What a Lovely War); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Victor Spinetti); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Barbara Windsor); Best Director of a Musical (Joan Littlewood)

CAMBRIDGE CIRCUS “A REVUE” Theatre: Plymouth Theatre Opening Date: October 6, 1964 Closing Date: October 24, 1964 Performances: 23 Sketches: Written by cast members (for more information, see cast member list below); additional material by Anthony Buffery, John Cameron, John Cassels, Richard Eyre, Tony Hendra, Terry Jones, David Lewis, David Lipscomb, and Chris Stuart-Clark Music: Bill Oddie, Hugh MacDonald, and David Palmer

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Direction: Humphrey Barclay; Producers: S. Hurok and David Black in association with Jay Julien and Andre Goulston (produced in London by Michael White); Scenery: Stephen Mullin; Costumes: Judy Birdwood; Lighting: Robert Darling Cast: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, David Hatch, Jo Kendall, Jonathan Lynn, Bill Oddie

Sketches and Musical Sequences Act One: “Bring Out the Beast” (by Cardinal Richelieu) (Cast); “Cloak and Dagger” (by John Cleese and David Hatch) (John Cleese, David Hatch, Jonathan Lynn); “London” (aka “London Bus”) (by Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor) (Jonathan Lynn, Tim Brooke-Taylor, David Hatch, Bill Oddie); “Stage Coach” (by Graham Chapman and David Lipscomb) (Graham Chapman); “Final Episode” (by John Cleese and Graham Chapman) (Company); “Traffic Island” (by Bill Oddie) (Bill Oddie, Jo Kendall, John Cleese, Graham Chapman); “Patients, for the Use of” (by Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Chris Stuart-Clark) (Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie, Jo Kendall, Jonathan Lynn); “Scatty” (by Bill Oddie and Hugh MacDonald) (Jo Kendall); “How Black Was My Valley” (by David Lewis, John Cassels, and Jonathan Lynn) (Jonathan Lynn); “Boring Straight Song” (by Bill Oddie) (Bill Oddie); “BBCBC” (Bill Oddie, John Cleese, et al. [others unidentified]) (David Hatch, John Cleese); “Sing Sing” (by Bill Oddie) (Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Jo Kendall, John Cleese, Graham Chapman); “Humor without Tears” (by Terry Jones) (David Hatch, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie, Jonathan Lynn, Jo Kendall) Act Two: “I Wanna Hold Your Handel” (by John Cameron) (Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, David Hatch, Jonathan Lynn); “Prophet” (by Graham Chapman) (Graham Chapman); “West End Saga” (by Cardinal Richelieu) (Company); “Music-Hall 1600” (by Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, and Chris Stuart-Clark) (Jonathan Lynn, Tim Brooke-Taylor); “Those Were the Days” (by Bill Oddie) (Bill Oddie); “Pride and Joy” (by Bill Oddie) (David Hatch, Jo Kendall); “To Bury Caesar” (by Tony Hendra) (Graham Chapman, David Hatch); “On Her Majesty’s Service” (by Bill Oddie) (Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, David Hatch, Jonathan Lynn); “Banana” (by Anthony Buffery and Richard Eyre) (Jonathan Lynn, Graham Chapman); “Bigger Than Both of Us” (by John Cleese and Bill Oddie) (Jo Kendall, John Cleese); “Judge Not” (by John Cleese) (John Cleese, Bill Oddie, David Hatch, Jonathan Lynn, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman); “Foot Note” (by Cardinal Richelieu) (Company) As A Clump of Plinths, Cambridge Circus was originally seen as an undergraduate revue at Cambridge University in Spring 1963. As Cambridge Circus, it opened in London at the Lyric Theatre on August 14, 1963, for 124 performances, and some fourteen months later premiered in New York with the original London cast. Although the critics were generally enthusiastic, the revue lasted less than three weeks; but four days after the Broadway closing, the revue was back, this time Off-Broadway at the revue-friendly Square East on October 28, where it played for 90 performances. There was soon a second edition at the Square East: New Cambridge Circus opened on January 14, 1965, for 78 performances. The cast members were credited with most of the material, with additional contributions by Anthony Buffery, John Cameron, John Cassels, Richard Eyre, Tony Hendra (later one of the founders of National Lampoon), Terry Jones, David Lewis, David Lipscomb, and Chris Stuart-Clark. The Playbill didn’t differentiate between sketches and songs, but most if not all of Bill Oddie’s contributions were songs. The revue’s most celebrated sequence was “I Wanna Hold Your Handel,” in which the popular Beatles’ song was performed Handel-style. The revue’s skewed sensibility was also in evidence with a sketch depicting a character who telephones for delivery of two cups of coffee, then later cancels the order and proceeds to place a new order, for two cups of coffee. Another sketch spoofed West Side Story (here called West End Saga); “BBCBC” was a jaundiced look at a pompous BBC anchorman who announces the latest news from the Old Testament; and “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” wryly observed a young man undergoing an interview for a secret service position. The critics liked the young cast, and especially praised Bill Oddie. Cast members John Cleese and Graham Chapman later found comic immortality as members of the satiric group Monty Python. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noticed that Cardinal Richelieu was credited as one of the revue’s writers, and felt Richelieu showed great promise. He also mentioned the “small” revue with its “vast sense of humor” was “royally welcome.”

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Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt the quality of the sketches and songs “fluctuated wildly not only from number to number but within each number,” but he noted the revue sometimes threw off “brilliant comic sparks.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the evening offered a “lot of lovely laughter and a merry night out,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News concluded his review by noting Cambridge Circus “is unsignificant, praise be—but it is not insignificant. It is quick and amusing.” The London production was recorded by Parlophone/Odeon/E.M.I. Records Limited (LP # PMC-1208 and # PCS-3046) and included “Patients, for the Use of,” “Pride and Joy,” “”BBCBC,” “Sing Sing,” “Boring Straight Song,” “Those Were the Days,” and “Judge Not.” Among the other sequences on the recording was “Green Line Bus,” which was probably performed in New York as “London Bus.” The London production included such songs and sketches as “Auto-Stop,” “Stony Ground,” “Half Nelson,” “Joke,” “Per Ardua,” “On the Beat,” two “Great Moments in British Theatre” (“Was It the Butler?” and “How Green Was My Buttonhole?”) and two “boring” songs (“Boring Sexy Song” and “Boring Straight Song”). The programme for the London production credited five musicians: Hugh MacDonald (piano), Fred Yeadon (trumpet), Bruce McGavin (alto sax and clarinet), Johnny Lynn (drums), and Chris Hilton (bass).

GOLDEN BOY “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Majestic Theatre Opening Date: October 20, 1964 Closing Date: March 5, 1966 Performances: 568 Book: Clifford Odets and William Gibson Lyrics: Lee Adams Music: Charles Strouse Based on the 1937 play Golden Boy by Clifford Odets. Direction: Arthur Penn; Producers: Hillard Elkins (George Platt, Associate Producer; An Epic Production); Choreography: Donald McKayle; Scenery, Costumes, and Projections: Tony Walton (projections devised by Richard Pilbrow); Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Elliot Lawrence Cast: Kenneth Tobey (Tom Moody), Ted Beniades (Roxy Gottlieb), Charles Welch (Tokio), Sammy Davis (Joe Wellington), Paula Wayne (Lorna Moon), Roy Glenn (Mr. Wellington), Jeannette DuBois (Anna), Johnny Brown (Ronnie), Louis Gossett (Frank), Terrin Miles (Terry), Buck Heller (Hoodlum), Billy Daniels (Eddie Satin), Benny Payne (Benny), Albert Popwell (Al), Lola Falana (Lola), Jaime Rogers (Lopez), Mabel Robinson (Mabel), Lester Wilson (Les), Don Crabtree (Drake), Maxwell Glanville (Fight Announcer), Bob Daley (Reporter), Ralph Vucci (Driscoll); Other Cast Members: Marguerite Delain, Theresa Merritt, Robin Miller, Sally Neal, Louise Quick, Amy Rouselle, Harold Pierson, Kenneth Scott, Stephen Taylor, Lamont Washington The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City during the period 1960–1964.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Workout” (Boxers); “Night Song” (Sammy Davis); “Everything’s Great” (Kenneth Tobey, Paula Wayne); “Gimme Some” (Sammy Davis, Terrin Miles); “Stick Around” (Sammy Davis); “Don’t Forget 127th Street” (Sammy Davis, Johnny Brown, Company); “Lorna’s Here” (Paula Wayne); “The Road Tour” (Sammy Davis, Paula Wayne, Kenneth Tobey, Ted Beniades, Billy Daniels, Charles Welch, Company); “This Is the Life” (Billy Daniels, Sammy Davis, with Lola Falana and Company) Act Two: “Golden Boy” (Paula Wayne); “While the City Sleeps” (Billy Daniels); “While the City Sleeps” Dance (Mabel Robinson, Jaime Rogers, Lester Wilson); “Colorful” (Sammy Davis); “I Want to Be with You” (Sammy Davis, Paula Wayne); “Can’t You See It?” (Sammy Davis); “No More” (Sammy Davis, Company); “The Fight” (Sammy Davis, Jaime Rogers)

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Clifford Odets’s drama Golden Boy opened at the Belasco Theatre on November 4, 1937, for a profitable run of 250 performances. The story centered on Joe Bonaparte, a young violinist who discovers his talent for boxing is a way to escape from the ghetto. He finds success in the ring as well as romance with Lorna Moon, his manager’s girlfriend, and for a while everything looks truly golden for Joe. But when he accidentally kills a man in the ring things go awry, and soon he and Lorna die in a car accident. The 1939 film version starred William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck, and in 1952 John Garfield headlined a Broadway revival. Earlier in 1964, Fade Out—Fade In had spoofed Golden Boy with The Fiddler and the Fighter, a moviemusical-within-the-musical, and later in the year Broadway offered a full-fledged serious musical version of the popular play with Sammy Davis, as Joe, who is still seeking a way out of the ghetto via his prizefighting skills (the musical dropped his interest in the violin, which in the play and film served as a running conflict between Joe and his father when the latter insists Joe give up the ring for the violin). But in many respects the libretto followed the original play, including Joe’s relationship with Lorna (Paula Wayne), who is white. Like the play, the musical ends in tragedy, although here only Joe dies in the car wreck. Lee Adams and Charles Strouse’s score is probably their most ambitious, and contains some of their finest work; but the listenable songs sometimes fell short of the mark and lacked theatricality. “I Want to Be with You,” the musical’s dashed hope for a top-ten ballad, was weak; the somewhat interesting title number was too pallid for its own good; “Everything’s Great” and “Lorna’s Here” were too understated; “Colorful” didn’t go anywhere; the civil rights anthem “No More” lacked power (incidentally, the lyric for this song is reportedly by Strouse, not Adams); “Gimme Some” and “This Is the Life” seemed more appropriate for Davis’s Las Vegas act than for a character in a book musical that takes place mostly in New York City; and “Can’t You See It?” tried for but missed an elegiac moment. But Joe’s “Night Song” was a haunting opening number which expressed his yearnings and frustration, and “Don’t Forget 127th Street” and “While the City Sleeps” were the musical’s two finest moments, albeit they were essentially extraneous to the main stage action and were dominated by minor characters. “While the City Sleeps” was an exceptionally outstanding song, with a languid, haunting melody and a witty, sardonic lyric; the number may well be the finest song in the Adams and Strouse catalogue. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt Golden Boy made a “more interesting musical than most,” but noted the strong book “packs so much basic weight” that the “attractive” music came across as thin (it was a “letdown” to hear a character shift from “pungent dialogue” to the banalities of such lyrics as “You make me wanna stay”). Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the “theatrical form” of the musical was as “crisp as a left jab and as jolting as a right uppercut . . . a knockout,” but noted the “core” of the musical didn’t score at all with its “soap opera” romance and unconvincing denouement. Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun felt the musical lacked cohesion and never really examined the “tragic conflict” within its leading character. Further, he noted the dialogue didn’t seem to belong to the 1930s or to the present, and as a result the musical lacked a “point of reference in time.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said there was a “certain clumsiness” in the libretto’s transition from the original plot to an updated one that deals with racial issues, and despite his “harsh reservations” about the new musical, he felt it would be an “audience show.” Meanwhile, John McClain in the New York Journal-American found Golden Boy a “fascinating” musical and noted he was glad the libretto dropped the violin “nonsense” of the original play. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the book was “rather wobbly,” but, like all the critics, he praised Davis’s performance (although two or three mentioned Davis’s voice seemed strained on opening night), Donald McKayle’s choreography, and Tony Walton’s scenic design, which incorporated projections designed by Walton and Richard Pilbrow. And virtually all the critics singled out “Don’t Forget 127th Street” and “While the City Sleeps.” The musical ran for 569 performances, largely on the strength of Davis’s bravura performance and his commitment to remain with the show throughout the New York run. But like Milk and Honey and What Makes Sammy Run?, Golden Boy’s relatively long run didn’t help it recoup its investment. During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Playground Songs,” “Yes, I Can!,” “There’s a Party Going On,” “Poppa,” “There Comes a Time,” “There’s Music in That Boy,” “Siren Song,” “He’s Getting’ Good,” “Under the Marquee,” and “The Manly Art.” Peter Coe, the musical’s original director, was replaced by Arthur Penn. The script was published in hardback and softcover by Atheneum in 1965. The original cast album was first released by Capitol Records on LP # VAS/SVAS-2124, and a few of Davis’s tracks reflected the vocal strain that some of the critics mentioned in their opening night reviews. Capitol even-

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tually rereleased the cast album (LP # STAO-11655), and not only did it include a previously unreleased number (“The Fight”), it also substituted alternate takes of five songs (“Night Song,” “Gimme Some,” “Stick Around,” “I Want to Be with You,” and “Can’t You See It?”) which showed Davis’s voice to better advantage. The CD was issued by Broadway Angel Records (# ZDM-7243-5-65024-2-0) and includes “The Fight.” The CD has also been issued by Bay Cities Records # BCD-3012 and DRG Records # 19079. The Golden Boy Instrumental Album, arranged and conducted by H. B. Barnum, was released by Capitol/EMI Records (LP # ST-2278). The score’s demo recording includes four tracks by Sammy Davis (“Night Song,” “I Want to Be with You,” and two cut numbers, “There’s a Party Going On” and “Yes, I Can!”); three tracks by Paula Wayne (“Lorna’s Here,” “This Is the Life,” and “I Want to Be with You”); one track by B. Giant and “group” (“Beer and Whiskey,” an early title for “Gimme Some”); one track by Charles Strouse (the cut number “There Comes a Time”); and two instrumental tracks (“Theme from Golden Boy” [“Nightsong”] and a medley of “There’s a Party Going On” and “Theme from Golden Boy”). The London production opened on June 4, 1968, at the Palladium Theatre; Davis reprised his New York role, Gloria DeHaven was Lorna, and other cast members included Mark Dawson (Tom Moody), Ben Vereen (Fight Announcer), Lola Falana (Lola), Lester Wilson (Les), and Baayork Lee (Baayork). The production added four songs (“There’s a Party Going On,” “Yes, I Can!,” “You’re No Brother of Mine,” and “What Became of Me?”) and deleted five (“Gimme Some,” “Stick Around,” “While the City Sleeps,” “Can’t You See It?,” and the title song). As mentioned, a few of the opening-night New York critics noted that Davis’s voice sounded strained, and for the London premiere Hawk in Variety mentioned that Davis was “handicapped by a fatigued throat” that had caused an opening night “last-minute yes-no-yes cliffhanger” regarding the star’s appearance. Hawk also mentioned the musical’s limited-run London engagement was set for ten to twelve weeks, and then a brief international tour was to follow in Israel and Russia. Incidentally, with a new lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, “What Became of Me?” morphed into the title song of Strouse and Lerner’s 1983 Broadway musical Dance a Little Closer. A non-Takarazuka Japanese television version of the musical (circa 1988) was released on VHS and laserdisc (by Warner/Pioneer). Be prepared: The jaw-dropping production features an all-Japanese cast in black face. The musical was revived Off-Off-Broadway at the Billie Holiday Theatre on June 7, 1984, with a new book by Leslie Lee, who wrote the well-received 1975 drama The First Breeze of Summer. Lee’s version didn’t include the interracial romance aspect of the 1964 production; in Lee’s script, both Joe and Lorna are black, and the roles were played by Obba Babatunde and Leata Galloway. The production omitted five numbers from the Broadway version (“The Road Tour,” “Can’t You See It?,” “No More,” “The Fight,” and “While the City Sleeps”) and added three new songs (“Winners,” “Everything’s Lovely in the Morning,” and “Hey, Joe” [for the latter, Weldon Irvine was credited with additional lyrics]). In March 1989, Lee revised his adaptation, and the new version opened at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami; Obba Babatunde reprised his 1984 role, and other cast members included Leilani Jones (Lorna), Harold Cromer (Moody), Lillias White (Emma Wellington), and John Driver (Eddie Prince). This production included four new songs (“White Folks,” “Eddie’s Song,” “USA Blues,” and “Fit in Anywhere)”; “Are There Really Any Winners?” was probably “Winners” from the 1984 production. “What Am I Gonna Do without You?” was written for this revival, but may not have been performed (it’s not listed in the production’s program). On March 21, 2002, Encores! revived the musical at City Center for five performances; Alfonso Ribeiro was Joe, and Anastasia Barzee was Lorna. This production used the original book by Clifford Odets and William Gibson and included all the songs from the original Broadway production (there were no interpolations of new songs written for the London, Off-Off-Broadway, and regional productions).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Golden Boy); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Sammy Davis); Best Producer of a Musical (Hillard Elkins); Best Choreographer (Donald McKayle)

BEN FRANKLIN IN PARIS “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: October 27, 1964

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Closing Date: May 1, 1965 Performances: 215 Book and Lyrics: Sidney Michaels Music: Mark Sandrich Jr. (dance music by Roger Adams) Direction and Choreography: Michael Kidd; Producers: George W. George and Frank Granat; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Motley; Lighting: Jack Brown; Musical Direction: Donald Pippin Cast: Sam Greene (Captain Wickes), Robert Preston (Benjamin Franklin), Franklin Kiser (Temple Franklin), Jerry Schaefer (Benjamin Franklin Bache), Anthony Falco (Footman), Oliver Clark (Louis XVI), Art Bartow (Vergennes), Clifford Fearl (Turgot), Ulla Sallert (Madame La Comtesse Diane de Vobrillac), Roger LePage (British Grenadier), Byron Webster (David Lord Stormont), Ron Schwinn (French Soldier), Bob Kaliban (Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais), John Taliaferro (Jacques Finque), Stuart Getz (Little Boy), Jack Fletcher (Pedro Count de Aranda), Herb Mazzini (Bookseller, Abbe de Morellet), Susan Watson (Janine Nicolet), Kip Andrews (Spanish Aide-de-Camp), Art Matthews (Spanish Soldier), Suzanne France (Spanish Ambassador’s Daughter), Lauren Jones (Yvonne); Singers and Dancers: Barbara Bossert, Mona Crawford, Hilda Harris, Anita Maye, Caroline Parks, Art Barlow, Anthony Falco, Clifford Fearl, John Keatts, Art Matthews, Herb Mazzini, John Taliaferro, Diane Ball, Marilyn Charles, Jean Eliot, Suzanne France, Ellen Graff, Lauren Jones, Sandy Roveta, Kip Andrews, Roger LePage, George Ramos, Eddie Roll, Rec Russel, Ron Schwinn, Lou Zeldis The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in France in 1776 and 1777.

Musical Numbers Act One: “We Sail the Seas” (American Sailors); “I Invented Myself” (Robert Preston, Company); “Too Charming” (Robert Preston, Ulla Sallert); “Whatever Became of Old Temple” (Franklin Kiser); “Half the Battle” (Robert Preston, Jerry Schaefer, Franklin Kiser, Bob Kaliban); “A Balloon Is Ascending” (Company); “To Be Alone with You” (lyric and music by Jerry Herman) (Robert Preston, Ulla Sallert, Company); “You’re in Paris” (lyric and music by Jerry Herman) (Susan Watson, Franklin Kiser, Company); “How Laughable It Is” (Ulla Sallert); “Hic Haec Hoc” (Monks); “God Bless the Human Elbow” (Robert Preston, Jack Fletcher, Bob Kaliban, Monks) Act Two: “When I Dance with the Person I Love” (Susan Watson); “Diane Is” (Robert Preston); “Look for Small Pleasures” (Robert Preston, Ulla Sallert); “I Love the Ladies” (Robert Preston, Sam Greene, Bob Kaliban, Franklin Kiser, Sailors); “To Be Alone with You” (reprise) (Robert Preston) In Ben Franklin in Paris, the title character (played by Robert Preston) goes to France in order to persuade King Louis XVI (Oliver Clark) to recognize the United States as a sovereign nation and to help it financially during its war with England. But due to the influence of Franklin’s old flame the widowed Comtesse Diane de Vobrillac (Ulla Sallert), the king isn’t interested in supporting a seemingly hopeless cause. Franklin and Diane resume their relationship, and Franklin hopes that winning her love will be a prelude to winning France’s support in the war. Ultimately, France loans the new nation one million francs, and Diane, realizing that Franklin loves her but his country more, persuades the king to recognize the new nation of the United States. A subplot dealt with Franklin’s son Temple (Franklin Kiser), who has accompanied him to Paris. The young man falls in love with Janine (Susan Watson), a Parisian girl who sells hot chocolate (and actually speaks the line, “Hot chocolate, M’sieu?”) and is a member of the “newly formed” French Revolution Party. The meandering plot wasn’t helped by its lack of urgency and its sometimes extraneous songs, and of course the story’s outcome was never in doubt. (We knew the outcome of 1776 as well, but its clever writing and direction made the evening suspenseful; it came as a breath of relief when we saw the words of the Declaration of Independence appear on a scrim at the end of the musical.) Further, most of the characters were tiresome stereotypes, and the dialogue seemed intent on making jokes surrounding Franklin’s fame (Diane hasn’t heard from Franklin in the years, and wonders why the “Postmaster General of America” couldn’t have written a letter; when Franklin notices an expensive silver objet d’art on Diane’s mantelpiece, he says “my friend Paul Revere” could have made one for a tenth of the cost; and Franklin notes he’s “just a boy who knows how to fly a kite”). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the obvious evening was a throwback to old-hat operettas and their “song-cues [which] we put so tenderly on the shelf forty years ago.” He also lamented

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that Preston’s Franklin surely had less fun in Paris than the real one did. Kerr suggested the musical would have been tolerable if it had the one element essential to operettas, “music with some size and sweep to the schmaltz.” He indicated Mark Sandrich Jr.’s score was “approved music .  .  . honorable enough to be fed into a computer and . . . fed back out again reduced to its digital components, its square root or square beat.” Kerr also noted that at intermission he overheard someone remark they’d not that long ago seen another musical that featured dancing monks (was the “Hic Haec Hoc” sequence a not-so-subtle homage to La plume de ma tante [1958]?). Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted the new musical seldom overcame the suspicion it had been “organized rather than created,” and he complained that Preston’s dialogue had such “contemporary snap” that the “spirit of ’76 is instantly dispelled” and often sounded like television gags. Taubman mentioned that Sandrich and Michaels’s “best tune . . . an attractive Broadway number” was “To Be Alone with You,” which in fact was by an uncredited Jerry Herman, who also wrote “You’re in Paris.” Herman later recorded “To Be Alone with You” for his Broadway and Off-Broadway collection Hello, Jerry! (United Artists Records LP # UAL-3432), which was performed by Herman at the piano and by “His Orchestra.” The album also included three Hello, Dolly! numbers (the title song, “It Only Takes a Moment,” and “Ribbons Down My Back”) and Stephen Sondheim and Richard Rodgers’s title song for Do I Hear a Waltz? Incidentally, the collection credited “To Be Alone with You” to Sidney Michaels and Mark Sandrich Jr. But the remainder of the New York critics liked the musical. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found “considerable charm” in the evening; Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical was “freshly charming entertainment”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American found the show “a big hit . . . a very stylish musical”; and while Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun had some reservations, he nonetheless found the musical “pleasant rather than exciting . . . attractively cast . . . good continuity . . . scenes which lend themselves to musical production numbers.” But the two negative reviews and the lack of a hit song were enough to doom the musical to a moneylosing run of 215 performances. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1965. The original cast album was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # SVAS-2191; the CD was issued by DRG Records # 19023). The score’s demo album includes both cut and unused songs (“Until You’re Recognized,” “Minute Minuet,” “Benjamin Did It,” “A Clockwork Toy,” “Since Last We Talked Alone,” “It’s the Things I Haven’t Done Yet,” “Won’t They Be Surprised,” “French Wench,” “Hot Chocolate Days,” and “’Tis Incredible as Love”). During the tryout, the songs “Since Last We Talked Alone,” “’Tis Incredible as Love,” and “Those Are the Happy Times” were deleted, and Jacqueline Mayro (Gypsy’s very own Baby June) was replaced by Susan Watson. But during the Broadway run Watson was succeeded by Rita Gardner. Watson had created the role of The Girl/Luisa in the world premiere of The Fantasticks at Barnard College in 1959 (and reprised the role in the 1964 television version), and it was Gardner who created the role for the long-running Off-Broadway production that opened in 1960. Is it possible Ben Franklin in Paris was a victim of the Hot-Air Balloon Curse? Musicals that include hot-air balloons as part of their scenic design seem destined to fail. The 1946 Broadway musical Nellie Bly ran for just sixteen performances (it had a double hex because it opened at the Adelphi Theatre, where some twenty-four musicals flopped during the theatre’s forty-two-year existence); even another musical about Nellie Bly, the 1997 Off-Off-Broadway Nellie, disappeared after ten performances. Further, Cole Porter’s 1946 musical Around the World closed after 75 performances (it too opened at the unlucky Adelphi, and it had the shortest run of all Porter’s musicals). And two Broadway musicals from the 1953–1954 season used hot air balloons as part of plot and scenery, and both lost their investments. Despite one of the best scores in all musical theatre, the innovative The Golden Apple (1954) closed after 125 performances, and the lavish and tuneful By the Beautiful Sea (1954) managed only 270 performances. Further, the 1963 Jones Beach musical Around the World in 80 Days (this time around with a score by Harold Adamson and Sammy Fain) has all but disappeared. The New York Times reported the musical’s $22,000 balloon (which was named “Brigette”) caused various mechanical problems during rehearsals. One time it crashed into part of the scenery, and another time it narrowly averted crashes into a telephone pole and the theatre’s lighting tower. So perhaps Ben Franklin in Paris and its song “A Balloon Is Ascending” never really had a chance of succeeding on Broadway.

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Author of a Musical (Sidney Michaels)

COMEDY IN MUSIC: OPUS 2 Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: November 9, 1964 Closing Date: April 24, 1965 Performances: 192 Producer: Alexander H. Cohen (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production); Design and Lighting: Ralph Alswang Cast: Victor Borge, Leonid Hambro The revue was presented in two acts. The Playbill noted that the order of each performance would be announced by Victor Borge. The following is a sample of the order of a typical performance.

Musical Numbers

All sequences were performed by Victor Borge and Leonid Hambro, either alone or together. Act One: “Steinway”; “Mike”; “Mr. Borge”; “Latecomers”; “Curtain” Act Two: “Steinway”; “Mike”; “Mr. Borge”; “Mr. Hambro”; Steinway Senior”; “Steinway Junior”; “Entire Cast”; “Mr. Borge Entirely Alone”; “Curtain” Danish-born Victor Borge specialized in comic confrontations with his piano. He first appeared on Broadway in the revised edition of the revue Crazy with the Heat, which opened on January 14, 1941, at the 44th Street Theatre for 99 performances. His one-man revue Comedy in Music opened at the John Golden Theatre on October 2, 1953, for 849 performances, and after Comedy in Music: Opus 2, he returned to Broadway two more times, first in Comedy with Music, which opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 3, 1977, for 64 performances, and then in Victor Borge on Broadway, which opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on December 5, 1989, for 8 performances. For Comedy in Music: Opus 2, Borge returned to the John Golden Theatre eleven years after his initial long-running triumph there. This time around, he had an accomplice in his madness. Leonid Hambro joined him as fellow pianist and sometime stooge (but who could also hold his own to the master). Howard Taubman in the New York Times wondered if two pianists would make Comedy twice as funny as it had been in 1953. At first, he decided it wasn’t as funny, though it was “funny enough.” But by evening’s end, he noted that “by gosh, it is twice as funny.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that with Borge’s return to Broadway “a truly comic mind is at work again, serious and sometimes seething behind that bright white tie”; John McClain in the New York Journal-American said “you can no more fault Victor Borge than you could fault the Statue of Liberty . . . both have been around for quite a spell and are solid institutions”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News found him “witty and most engaging . . . a man who can play his piano straight or for laughs with equal charm”; and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said Borge was the “most individual comedian and artist of our generation. Golden is the theater, and golden is the show.” Only Jerry Tallmer in the New York Post had reservations: he generally liked Borge, but noted he was an “acquired taste, like sour cream,” and so while Tallmer liked sour cream for a few minutes, he generally waited until the following day to have more. According to Chapman, the “great wow” of the evening was when Borge and Hambro discover one of their two pianos has disappeared, and so both proceed to play Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody on the same piano (picture “four hands twined like serpents,” suggested Taubman, and McClain described this “big moment” as of one of crossed arms, legs, and torsos all intent on the execution of the rhapsody without missing a note). Another highlight occurred when Borge announced to the audience he was contractually obligated to allow Hambro a solo; but Borge is unable to suppress himself, and so poor Hambro must deal with the inability of Borge to allow anyone to upstage him. The critics also liked a sequence in which Borge summons a pupil from

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the audience (Hambro) to play a Strauss waltz, which he does (according to Taubman) with a “horrendously discordant series of chords.” Borge then proceeds to take the student’s sheet music so that he can play the waltz correctly. But, lo and behold, he finds himself playing the very same discordant chords. The sheet music doesn’t lie, and Borge must readjust his opinion of the pupil. Borge also engaged the audience with patter, and made a point of chiding latecomers. The cast album of the original 1953 production was recorded live by Columbia Records (LP # CL-554). In 1956, Borge brought his evening to television in two representative specials called Comedy in Music: The Victor Borge Show. The opening of Comedy in Music: Opus 2 coincided with the reopening of the John Golden Theatre, which had recently undergone a facelift. Nadel noted the theatre was “resplendently refurbished.”

SOMETHING MORE! “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Eugene O’Neill Theatre Opening Date: November 10, 1964 Closing Date: November 21, 1964 Performances: 15 Book: Nate Monaster Lyrics: Marilyn and Alan Bergman Music: Sammy Fain Based on the 1962 novel The Portofino P.T.A. by Gerald Green. Direction: Jule Styne; Producer: Lester Osterman; Choreography: Bob Herget; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Musical Direction: Oscar Kosarin Cast: Arthur Hill (Bill Deems), Barbara Cook (Carol Deems), Neva Small (Suzy Deems), Kenny Kealy (Freddy Deems), Eric White (Adam Deems), Katey O’Brady (Julie, Maria), Hal Linden (Dick), Marilyn Murphy (Gladys), Rico Froehlich (Joe Santini, Policeman), Victor R. Helou (Tony Santini, Luigi), Peg Murray (Mrs. Ferenzi), Ronny Graham (Monte Checkovitch), Michael Kermoyan (Lepescu), Joan Copeland (Marchesa Valentina Crespi), Christopher Man (Tony), Taylor Reed (The King), Connie Sanchez (The King’s Companion), Jo Jo Smith (Mr. Veloz), Paula Kelly (Mrs. Veloz), James Lavery (Commandatorre Vermelli), Laurie Franks (Clubwoman); Dancers: Joan Bell, Shari Greene, Lynn Kollenberg, Connie Sanchez, Mimi Wallace, Bob Bishop, Steve Jacobs, Richard Lyle, Barry Preston, Bill Starr; Singers: Natalie di Silvio, Laurie Franks, Bobbi Lange, Marilyn Murphy, James Lavery, Taylor Reed, Ed Varrato The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Mineola, New York, and Portofino, Italy, during the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Something More” (Arthur Hill), “Who Fills the Bill” (Barbara Cook, Neva Small, Kenny Kealy, Eric White, Hal Linden, Committee Members); “The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back” (Arthur Hill); “Better All the Time” (Barbara Cook); “Don’t Make a Move” (Rico Froehlich, Victor R. Helou); “Don’t Make a Move” (reprise) (Rico Froehlich, Victor R. Helou); “No Questions” (Barbara Cook); “Church of My Choice” (Ronny Graham); “Jaded, Degraded Am I” (Ronny Graham); “I’ve Got Nothin’ to Do” (Barbara Cook, Peg Murray, Neva Small, Kenny Kealy, Eric White); “I’ve Got Nothin’ to Do” (reprise) (Peg Murray); “Party Talk” (Guests); “In No Time at All” (Joan Copeland); “The Master of the Greatest Art of All” (Michael Kermoyan); “Grazie per niente” (Ronny Graham, Barbara Cook, Jo Jo Smith, Paula Kelly, Guests); “I Feel Like New Year’s Eve” (Barbara Cook); “One Long Last Look” (Barbara Cook) Act Two: “Ode to a Key” (Arthur Hill); “Bravo, Bravo, Novelisto” (Arthur Hill, Rico Froehlich, Victor R. Helou); “Life Is Too Short” (Ronny Graham, Peg Murray); “Il lago de inamoratti” (“Beach Dance” music by Robert Prince) (Jo Jo Smith, Paula Kelly, Ensemble); “Mineola” (Barbara Cook); “Come Sta” (Peg Murray, Neva Small, Kenny Kealy, Eric White, Katey O’Brady, Christopher Man); Finaletto (Arthur Hill, Barbara Cook)

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Something More! was based on Gerald Green’s 1962 novel The Portofino P.T.A., and if there’s one word which should always be avoided in musical theatre, that word is “Portofino.” The 1958 musical Portofino became legendary as arguably the worst Broadway musical of the 1950s, opening on a Friday night and closing the next evening, after just three performances. An audience member at the Saturday matinee reported that so few people were in the Adelphi Theater that everyone was invited to move to the first few rows of the orchestra section, and during that performance one of the leads, who either forgot a line or was simply tired of having to say some inane bit of dialogue, stopped the proceedings for a moment, uttered an expletive, and then went right back into character and continued the scene. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted he couldn’t say Portofino was the worst musical ever produced because he’d only been going to musicals since 1919. And if the word “Portofino” wasn’t enough of a curse, Something More! took place mostly in Italy, and, as far as musicals are concerned, that country is jinxed territory. More than forty Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals (and out-of-town closings) have taken place in Italy, and most of them have flopped. For every hit set in Italy, a dozen have been failures. So it’s no wonder poor Something More! was damned by the critics and closed after fifteen performances. It had both “Portofino” and Italy going against it, and there was just no way the musical could ever survive the rough waters of Broadway. The plot dealt with Bill Deems (Arthur Hill), a novelist from Mineola who wants to escape from the artistically arid suburbs of New York for the supposedly inspired and exotic world of Portofino, Italy (Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said you knew Bill was a writer because his sweaters had leather patches on the elbows). So Bill packs up his wife Carol (Barbara Cook) and their three children (Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted they were “typical stage offspring every one,” including Suzy, who was played by Neva Small), and before you could say la dolce vita both Bill and Carol were involved in romantic intrigues in naughty old Italy (innocent romantic intrigues, of course). Bill’s would-be seducer is sculptress Marchesa Valentina Crespi (Joan Copeland), who according to Douglass Watt in the New York Daily News is “obviously evil” because she dabs perfume on her toes. When Bill finds himself in her bedroom, he’s “as true as a Boy Scout” (per Taubman) as he obligingly shows her snapshots of his kids. As for Carol, she has a number of admirers, including egocentric Fellini-hating Italian film director Lepescu (Michael Kermoyan) and a European monarch (Taylor Reed). The plot also dealt with Bill’s best friend (Ronny Graham), who’s romantically involved with Mrs. Ferenzi (Peg Murray), a wealthy threetimes widowed seductress. Despite their would-be amorous adventures and the ersatz Italian locale (Kerr noted he couldn’t be fooled: when a lyric included the line “Tortoni, spumoni, and oh my minestrone,” he definitely knew he was in Italy), Bill and Carol learn the Lesson of Dorothy and realize home’s best as they pack up and head back to Mineola. Taubman said the evening was “low-grade soap opera,” and Kerr concluded the entire show should have been scrapped in favor of a “Cook’s tour.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun kept hoping the musical would toss off its conventionality and come up with “well, something more . . . alas, it never does.” Watt found the evening “well-meaning,” but noted the Italian locale of Portofino was an “entrapment” because the city had lent its name to a “horrendous” musical of a few years earlier. Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical was “less than exhilarating” but “quite likable in its unpretentious way.” The only positive review came from John McClain in the New York Journal-American, who noted the musical provided a “happy evening” with a score “we will be hearing . . . for some time to come.” It was indeed the score and the choreography (plus one inspired bit of staging) that garnered the best reviews, along with the game cast, whom the critics felt did everything possible to liven up the tiresome proceedings. Sammy Fain’s score (which included some uncredited songs by Jule Styne; see below) was praised, and the critics singled out a total of thirteen numbers: “I’ve Got Nothin’ to Do,” “One Long Last Look,” “Mineola,” “Better All the Time,” “No Questions,” “Church of My Choice,” “The Master of the Greatest Art of All,” “Life Is Too Short,” “In No Time at All,” “Grazie per niente,” “Il lago de inamoratti,” “Don’t Make a Move,” and, especially, “I Feel Like New Year’s Eve,” the evening’s finest song and one of the best show tunes of the era. Bob Herget’s choreography was highly praised, including two dance sequences for Paula Kelly and Jo Jo Smith, who, according to Watts, brought “lithe grace and dynamic vitality [to their dances], providing

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a rhythmic powerhouse of terpsichorean brilliance” in which the evening “suddenly flames into excitement.” McClain found their “Grazie per niente” a “fabulous” dance, and Taubman said their “Il lago de inamoratti” was “scorching.” One of the most ingenious aspects of the staging was “Don’t Make a Move,” which depicted Bob and Carol’s move from Mineola to Portofino with the help of ten brothers who call themselves the Seven Santini Brothers. According to Kerr, they made accordions of sofa pillows, did back-flips into vanishing chairs, turned crockery into tambourines, and all this “to a rollicking bustle of brooms.” By the time the boys finished packing up the Mineola household goods, we were suddenly in Portofino to be greeted by their Italian counterparts, the Portofino Brothers, who then proceed to unpack everything. (A couple of weeks later, theatergoers were treated to another madcap “moving” number when Bajour depicted a gypsy tribe that descends upon an abandoned store and within minutes fills it with themselves and their possessions.) During the tryout and New York preview period, the following songs were deleted: “That Faraway Look,” “Ballad to a Pencil,” “Wanna Trade,” “Mineola Montage,” “Ode to a Key,” “Fish Net Tarantella,” “You’ll Be the Prettiest Girl at the Party,” and “The More You’re in Love.” Prior to the New York opening, “Il lago de inamoratti” was titled “The Beach Dance” (the music for the dance was composed by Robert Prince). There was one major cast replacement when Joan Copeland took over the role of the Marchesa from Viveca Lindfors. Jule Styne directed the production and contributed a few uncredited numbers: “Who Fills the Bill,” “The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back,” “No Questions,” “Jaded, Degraded Am I,” “I Feel Like New Year’s Eve,” and “You’ll Be the Prettiest Girl at the Party”; except for the latter, all these numbers were heard on opening night. The music for “The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back” was composed by both Styne and Fain. ABC-Paramount Records was scheduled to record the cast album, which was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run, but a live recording of one of the Broadway performances was issued by Blue Pear Records (CD # 1021), and includes seven numbers from the demo album: four songs that were used in the production (“Better All the Time,” “Come Sta,” “One Long Last Look,” and the title song) and three that were apparently dropped during the preproduction phase of the musical (“Faraway Look,” “What Would Happen,” and You Gotta Taste All the Fruit”). The latter was eventually slated for the 1970 film Myra Breckinridge, but wasn’t used (although it was recorded by Mae West). “Better All the Time” was included in the collection Lost Broadway and More Volume 3 (no label and unnumbered, but presumably released by Original Cast Records), and the title song was recorded by Tommy Sands on ABC-Paramount Records 45 RPM # 45-10591.

ZIZI “A NEW MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA” Theatre: Broadway Theatre Opening Date: November 21, 1964 Closing Date: January 2, 1965 Performances: 49 Direction and Choreography: Roland Petit; Producers: Columbia Theatrical Enterprises, Inc., and Claude Giraud Productions (under the auspices of the Association Française d’Action Artistique) (Herbert O. Fox, Executive Producer); Scenery: Uncredited; Costumes: Yves Saint-Laurent; Lighting: Thomas Skelton; Musical Direction: Michel Mention Cast: Zizi Jeanmaire, Feliz Blaszka (Principal Dancer); Dance Soloists: Therese Thoreux, Jacqueline de Min, Panchita de Peri, Nicole Dieu, Vladanka Langhofer, Marie Lys Blanc, Jacques Dombrowski, Ben de Rochemont, Daini Kudo, Hans Kroonder, Robert Richemont, Lucien Mars, Peter Smink; The Revelers (Off-Stage Male Quartet); The Roland Petit Corps de Ballet; Featured Solo Musicians: Michel Mention (Musical Director and Conductor), Gus Wallez (Percussionist), Jean Cardon (Accordionist), Don Plumby (Associate Conductor) The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: Prologue (music by Ward Swingle) (Dancers); Zizi: “La cervelle” (lyric by Bernard Dimey, music by Jean Ferrat) (Zizi) and “Les bras d’Antoine” (lyric and music by Guy Beart) (Zizi Jeanmaire, Felix Blaszka); Pastiches (Ballet Sketches): “Scaramouche” (music by Darius Milhaud); “Tarantelle” (music by Gioac-

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chino Rossini): “España” (music by Emmanuel Chabier) (introductory duets by Jacques Dombrowski and Gus Wallez) (Dancers); “La chambre” (text of ballet by Georges Simenon, music by Georges Auric) (Zizi Jeanmaire, Felix Blaszka, Company); “Bacorope” (music by Michel Mention) (Nicole Dieu, Lucien Mars, Dancers); “La chaloupee” (story by Marcel Ayme, music by Maurice Thiriet) (Zizi Jeanmaire, Ben de Rochemont [alternating with Jacques Dombrowski], Company); “Quail on Toast with Pink Champagne” (music by Michel Mention) (introduction by Felix Blaszka; Zizi Jeanmaire, Company) Act Two: Zizi Sings: “Les yeux brillants” (“Sparkling Eyes”) (lyric by Bernard Dimey, music by Francis Lai); “Les tatouages” (“The Tattoos”) (lyric by Jean Drejac, music by Michel Legrand) (with Felix Blaszka); “Charleston” (with Antonio Brigoni, Peter Smink, and Hans Kroonder), and “Drole de musique” (lyric and music by Christian Guitreau); “Frankie et Johnny” (lyric by Boris Vian, music based on traditional American folksong) (Zizi Jeanmaire, Jacques Dombrowski, Feliz Blaszka, Company); “Mon truc en plumes” (lyric by J. Constantin, music by Bernard Dimey) (Zizi Jeanmaire, Company); “Mon bonhomme” (“My Guy”) (lyric and music by Jean Ferrat) (Zizi Jeanmaire); “Je te tuerai d’amour” (“I Shall Kill You with Love”) (lyric by Raymond Queneau, music by Johnny Halliday) (Zizi Jeanmaire, Rock ’n’ Roll Quartet); “Eh l’amour” (“Ah, Love!”) (lyric and music by Jean Ferrat) (Zizi Jeanmaire) Exactly one week after Folies Bergère closed at the Broadway Theatre, another visitor from Paris opened there. With Zizi, the incomparable Renée “Zizi” Jeanmaire received a flurry of rave notices for herself and mostly favorable ones for her song-and-dance revue. She hadn’t been seen in New York in over a decade, when she had appeared in 1954’s The Girl in Pink Tights (for which she had received another batch of rave reviews). Zizi had originated in Paris three years earlier, and had been touring on and off since then. As Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun noted, the revue had played almost everywhere, from Athens to Tel-Aviv, from Tokyo to . . . Columbus, Ohio. So finally New York was getting a chance to see Zizi and her revue. The revue was directed, choreographed, and produced by Zizi’s husband, Roland Petit, and according to Nadel, the evening was a “bold blend of ballet and the bantering comedy of the French musical stage.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times found the revue “flashy, colorful, paced with split-second timing and rattling with machine-gun effects”; and because the revue had given hundreds of performances over the past few years, Taubman was impressed that Zizi and her troupe looked so fresh. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune sent Zizi the kind of theatrical valentine that only he could write, saying she was “a fragment of animated mascara” who had not lost her legs and may “even have increased the number. . . . The wriggle of her nose would make a rabbit feel incompetent. . . . [She has] the lightness of a ladybug on a leaf . . . [can arch] a hip that wasn’t there a minute ago . . . [and] does a duck-walk on her toes, which is impossible.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American found Zizi “utterly captivating,” and noted that the audience “flipped” when she took her curtain calls, and Richard Watts in the New York Post said she was a “magnetic girl with a sense of humorous friendliness.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News mentioned the recently departed Folies Bergère had closed “with incredible financial losses,” and he found its replacement much more preferable. Kerr felt the material itself sometimes had “passing acquaintance with the moods of the Music Hall and the garlanded ghost of the Roxy,” and Watts also noted he was reminded of one of the Music Hall’s Parisian concoctions, and indicated he sometimes found himself waiting for the feature film to begin (he also thought the program of songs and dances was somewhat monotonous and would have been better served with a few comic sketches). Further, Nadel noted the rock-and-roll parody “Je te tuerai d’amour” (“I Shall Kill You with Love”) might have slayed ’em in Copenhagen and Cannes, but here it was “too little and too late.” The critics singled out three sequences. Taking place in what Watts described as a “menacing and eerie room,” “La chambre” was a narrative dance dealing with a murderess (Zizi) and the detective (Felix Blaszka) who attempts to solve the crime before he becomes the next victim. The “creepy” (per Chapman) scenario was written by none other than detective writer Georges Simenon, and the music was by Georges Auric. “Frankie et Johnny” was a Gallic version of the famous song, and the program noted the sequence “makes no pretense whatsoever of portraying . . . authentic Western life.” The third show-stopper was “Quail on Toast with Pink Champagne,” in which les femmes of the company portrayed various gourmet delicacies of French cuisine, including one girl as a crayfish in sauce, another as a chicken, one as quail on toast, and finally Zizi as a bubbly glass of champagne. The costumes for the production were by Yves Saint-Laurent, and Nadel said his creations were like an “avant-garde reincarnation of the old Ziegfeld Follies.”

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BAJOUR “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Shubert Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre) Opening Date: November 23, 1964 Closing Date: June 12, 1965 Performances: 232 Book: Ernest Kinoy Lyrics and Music: Walter Marks Based on the short stories “The Gypsy Women” and “The King of the Gypsies” by Joseph Mitchell (both stories originally appeared in the New Yorker, and were later published in his 1992 short story collection Up in the Hotel and Other Stories). Direction: Lawrence Kasha; Producers: Edward Padula, Carroll and Harris Masterson, and Norman Twain; Choreography: Peter Gennaro (Wally Seibert, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel Cast: Dick Ensslen (Renting Agent), Herschel Bernardi (Cockeye Johnny Dembo), Sal Lombardo (Vanno), Antonia Rey (Loopa), Harry Danner (First Patrolman, Waiter), Harry Goz (Plainclothesman), Paul Sorvino (Second Patrolman), Robert Kristen (Third Patrolman), Robert Burr (Lou MacNiall), Nancy Dussault (Emily Kirsten), Mae Questel (Mrs. Helene Kirsten), Asya (Rosa), Vito Durante (Mitya), Terry Violino (Frankie), Gus Trikonis (Steve), Herbert Edelman (The King of Newark), Chita Rivera (Anyanka), Jeanne Tanzy (Marfa), Carmen Morales (Olga), Lucie Lancaster (Chairlady), Ralph Farnsworth (J. Arnold Foster); Dancers: Asya, Eileen Barbaris, Michael Bennett, Connie Burnett, John Cashman, Betsy Dickerson, Vito Durante, Gene Foote, Bick Goss, Fernando Grahal, Kazimir Kokich, Marc Maskin, Stan Mazin, Carmen Morales, Carolyn Morris, Leland Palmer, Don Rehg, Geri Seignious, Terry Violino, Billi Vitali; Singers: Anita Alpert, Harry Danner, Mariana Doro, Dick Ensslen, Peter Falzone, Ralph Farnsworth, Harry Goz, Liza Howell, Robert Kristen, Urylee Leonardos, Evy Love, Madeline Miller, Eugene Morgan, Jeanne Repp, Jessica Quinn, Paul Sorvino The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present time in New York City and New Jersey.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Move Over, New York” (Herschel Bernardi, Dembeschti Clan); “Where Is the Tribe for Me?” (Nancy Dussault); “The Haggle” (Chita Rivera, Gus Trikonis, Dembeschti Men, Moyva Clan Men); “Love-Line” (Chita Rivera); “Words, Words, Words” (Nancy Dussault, Herschel Bernardi); “Mean” (Chita Rivera); “Must It Be Love?” (Nancy Dussault); “Bajour” (Chita Rivera, Nancy Dussault, Herschel Bernardi, Dembeschti Clan) Act Two: “Soon” (Chita Rivera, Gus Trikonis, Dembeschti Clan); “I Can” (Chita Rivera, Nancy Dussault); “Living Simply” (Robert Burr, Nancy Dussault, Harry Danner, Paul Sorvino, Robert Kristen); “Honest Man” (Herschel Bernardi, Herbert Edelman); “Guarantees” (Mae Questel); “Love Is a Chance” (Nancy Dussault); “The Sew-Up” (Chita Rivera, Mae Questel, Dembeschti Clan Women); “Move Over, America” (reprise) (Dembeschti Clan) Bajour (which means “swindle”) dealt with two tribes of modern-day gypsies in the New York City area, the bedraggled Manhattan clan, known as the Dembeschti tribe and run by Cockeye Johnny Dembo (Herschel Bernardi), and the wealthy Newark tribe, the Moyva, which is headed by the King of Newark (aka Newark) (Herbert Edelman). It’s Johnny’s hope that his son Steve (Gus Trikonis) will marry Newark’s daughter Anyanka (Chita Rivera). In the meantime, anthropology major Emily Kirsten (Nancy Dussault) needs to find a primitive tribe as the subject of her PhD dissertation, but to her chagrin realizes Margaret Mead and Planned Parenthood seem to have discovered all the good ones. When Emily realizes that the gypsy tribes of Manhattan have never been studied, she joins the Dembeschti clan for a firsthand look. She also meets and falls in love with police lieutenant Lou MacNiall (Robert Burr) who keeps a friendly if wary eye on the Dembeschtis.

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When Anyanka meets Emily’s mother (Mae Questel) and discovers she feels guilty about the $75,000 insurance policy she inherited from her late husband, Anyanka sees the makings of a great bajour. She tells Mrs. Kirsten she must bring $10,000 in cash in order to remove the taint from the insurance money. When Anyanka pulls off a double double-cross, the Dembeschti tribe finally has some real money and, in Anyanka, a new addition to the tribe and a trickster of the first order. At the beginning of the evening the tribe’s advice was “Move Over, New York,” but by the final curtain their battle cry is “Move Over, America.” One or two of the critics didn’t like the notion of a gullible elderly widow being swindled of $10,000, and perhaps in reaction to this the published script (which was issued in softcover by the Dramatic Publishing Company in 1965) softened the ending by having Anyanka return $9,000 to the old woman and retaining just $1,000 “for traveling expenses.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune found a lot to like in the new musical, including its lively cast, Peter Gennaro’s choreography (he neglects “no opportunity to put his dancers’ torsos to the rhythmic blowtorch”), Lawrence Kasha’s direction (he “melds running actors and kaleidoscopic scenery into patterns that are quickly and pleasantly giddy”), and, in Walter Marks, a lyricist and composer who is a “bright beginner” with such songs as “Where Is the Tribe for Me?” and “Honest Man.” Kerr’s only caveat was that Ernest Kinoy’s book spent too much time on the logistics of the big bajour and too little on the lives of the characters. Howard Taubman in the New York Times suggested his readers would find “a good deal of innocent amusement” in Bajour because the evening offered many moments of “good cheer and animation.” He also noted Kinoy’s book offered humor and “lines with an edge,” and felt Marks showed signs of “being a comer.” Taubman singled out seven songs for praise (“Where Is the Tribe for Me?,” “Soon,” “Words, Words, Words,” “Mean,” “I Can,” “Living Simply,” and the title song). But while Kerr found “Honest Man” just “dandy,” Taubman said it was “derivative.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News praised Gennaro’s “frisky frenzies” and Freddy Wittop’s “knockout” costumes, and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said Bajour audiences would enter the Shubert Theatre “as civilians and come out gypsies” because the musical made gypsy life “so desirable that by comparison, Darien is déclassé.” As for “Honest Man,” Chapman said it was “delightful,” and Nadel noted that when Bernardi and Edelman paired up for the number “a great old tradition of show business springs back to life.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the evening was tuneful and humorous and “moves madly. . . . I think it is here to stay.” But Richard Watts in the New York Post felt that while Kinoy’s book began promisingly, it “suffered from running steadily downhill in the inadequacies of its appended narrative.” He found the musical a “serious disappointment,” and noted “the pleasures of Bajour are regrettably limited.” Watts liked Marks’s “pleasant” score, but noted the only song he could remember was “Honest Man,” which was “sung with gusto.” Gennero was praised by all the critics for his choreography and stage movement. In an early scene, he brilliantly staged a sequence in which the Dembeschti tribe move into a filthy deserted store near Tenth Avenue. In a matter of moments, the empty room is filled to the brim with the tribe and their possessions and, according to Kerr, “multicolored skirts are being whipped about flying knees until the spectrum itself dissolves into a sustained pinwheel.” Another dazzling sequence took place at the Guggenheim Museum during an elegant ladies’ tea which the gypsies invade. Amid whirling Calder mobiles, they strike up a feverish dance of distraction so they can carry off Mrs. Kirsten before she donates her money to the museum. Two other dances stood out, one a striking courtship dance for Anyanka and Steve, and another which accompanied the title song. Among the chorus singers in Bajour were Paul Sorvino, Harry Danner, and Harry Goz, and one of the dancers was Michael Bennett, here in the chorus of his third Broadway musical, and also his third one set in New York (the others were Subways Are for Sleeping and Here’s Love). The original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOS-2700 and KOL-6300; the CD was issued by Sony Broadway # SK-48208). In the Life-Is-Stranger-Than-Fiction Department, composer and lyricist Walter Marks must have had a doppelganger, because in the July 2, 1981, issue of the Washington Star, staff writer Scot J. Paltrow reported that a Walter Marks had been arrested in Washington, D.C., as an alleged member of a gypsy clan who specialized in insurance fraud by helping to stage phony car accidents. The newspaper article further stated that Marks was from New Jersey (perhaps part of the musical’s Moyva tribe?), and Paltrow quoted Martin J. McDonnell, an

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investigator with the Insurance Crime Prevention Institute, who stated members of a gypsy clan on the East Coast were believed to be involved in a number of insurance scams that included both the staging of “slip and fall” accidents and making false claims that insured jewelry and other valuables had been stolen.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Nancy Dussault); Best Choreographer (Peter Gennaro)

I HAD A BALL “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: December 15, 1964 Closing Date: June 12, 1965 Performances: 199 Book: Jerome Chodorov Lyrics and Music: Jack Lawrence and Stan Freeman Direction: Lloyd Richards; Producer: Joseph Kipness; Choreography: Onna White (Tom Panko, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery and Lighting: Will Steven Armstrong; Costumes: Ann Roth; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Buddy Hackett (Garside), Richard Kiley (Stan the Shpieler), Karen Morrow (Jeannie), Members of the Alley Gang: Al Nesor (Gimlet), Jack Wakefield (Joe the Muzzler), Rosetta Le Noire (Ma Maloney), and Conrad Yama (George Osaka), Morocco (Morocco), Marty Allen (Lifeguard), Nathaniel Jones (Jimmy), Ted Thurston (Officer Millhauser), Steve Roland (Brooks), Luba Lisa (Addie), Sheldon Golomb (Child), Gina Kaye (Child); Singers: Miriamne Burton, Jacqueline Carol, Jacque Dean, Marilyn Feder, Shirley Leinwand, Lispet Nelson, Eugene Edwards, Herbert Fields, Murray Goldkind, Marvin Goodis, Herb Surface, John Wheeler; Dancers: Mary Ehara, Sandra Lein, Nancy Lynch, Patti Mariano, Alice Shanahan, June Eve Story, Patti Ann Watson, Marty Allen, Doris Avila, Bob Bernard, Ray Gilbert, Edward J. Heim, Gary Hubler, Scott Hunter, John Sharpe The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present, in and around Coney Island on the Fourth of July and two months later.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Coney Island, U.S.A.” (Jack Wakefield, Rosetta Le Noire, Conrad Yama, Al Nesor, Coney Island Characters, Tourists, Sheldon Golomb, Gina Kaye); “The Other Half of Me” (Richard Kiley); “RedBlooded American Boy” (Steve Roland, Al Nesor, Jack Wakefield, Rosetta Le Noire, Conrad Yama); “I Got Everything I Want” (Karen Morrow), “Freud” (Buddy Hackett); “Think Beautiful” (Rosetta Le Noire, Karen Morrow, Jack Wakefield, Conrad Yama, Al Nesor, Ensemble); “Addie’s at It Again” (Luba Lisa, Jack Wakefield, Conrad Yama, Al Nesor); “Faith” (Richard Kiley, Al Nesor, Jack Wakefield, Rosetta Le Noire, Conrad Yama, Sheldon Golomb, Gina Kaye, Ensemble); “Can It Be Possible?” (Richard Kiley, Karen Morrow, Steve Roland, Luba Lisa, Buddy Hackett) Act Two: “The Neighborhood Song” (Rosetta Le Noire, Al Nesor, Jack Wakefield, Conrad Yama, Coney Island Characters); “The Affluent Society” (Richard Kiley, Steve Roland); “Boys, Boys, Boys” (Luba Lisa, Lifeguards); “Fickle Finger of Fate” (Richard Kiley); “I Had a Ball” (Karen Morrow, Al Nesor, Jack Wakefield, Rosetta Le Noire, Conrad Yama, Morocco, Coney Island Characters); “Almost” (Karen Morrow); “You Deserve Me” (Buddy Hackett, Steve Roland, Luba Lisa); “You Deserve Me” (reprise) (Buddy Hackett); “Tunnel of Love Chase” (Buddy Hackett, Richard Kiley, Karen Morrow, Ted Thurston, Ensemble)

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Musicals that take place in Italy or New Orleans (or Louisiana in general) seem to be asking for it, because, in terms of musical comedy, these two notoriously unlucky locales generally bring the kiss of death to a production. Some forty Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals set wholly or partially in Italy have flopped, with the hit-flop ratio about one hit for twelve flops, and of the some thirty-five musicals set in New Orleans and environs, only three or four have been successful. Now there seems to be a third cursed locale: New York’s very own Coney Island. Despite its delightful if underrated score, a lavish production, and a star performance by Shirley Booth, By the Beautiful Sea floundered after 270 performances in 1954. I Had a Ball closed after 199 money-losing performances, and when the 1972 Off-Broadway musical asked that God Bless Coney, He didn’t, and the show went under after just 3 performances. More recently, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies, which takes place in Coney Island and is a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, doesn’t seem to be on track to out-run its popular predecessor. Even the Broadway comedy-drama The Goodbye People, which takes place at Coney Island during the bleak winter months, was cursed. The original 1968 production closed after 7 performances, its 1979 revival closed after just 1 performance, and the 1984 film version has to be one of the most obscure of recent Broadway-toHollywood film adaptations. The plot of I Had a Ball centers around amiable Garside (Buddy Hackett) who runs a flashy fortune-telling concession at Coney Island that combines traditional techniques (such as a crystal ball [named “Sam”] and the signs of the zodiac) and modern ones (psychology). Among the other Coney Island types are carnival pitchman Stan (Richard Kiley); ferris-wheel operator Jeannie (Karen Morrow); former hooker Addie, who is also known as “Miss Under-the-Boardwalk” (Luba Lisa); a belly-dancer named Morocco (played by Morocco); hot-corn-stand owner Ma Maloney (Rosetta Le Noire); a crooked cop (Ted Thurston); lifeguards; and, as John McClain in the New York Journal-American put it, others with “occupations vague.” Garside hopes to kindle a romance between Stan and Jeannie, and uses “Sam” to help him. To his shock, he discovers “Sam” can (sort of) predict the future, but unfortunately “Sam” gives bad advice, and what he predicts almost always goes wrong. So Stan is unaccountably attracted to Addie, and Jeannie becomes involved with crook and loan shark Brooks (Steve Roland). After a great deal of confusion, all ends well with Stan pairing up with Jeannie, Brooks with Addie, and Garside with “Sam.” The critics liked Buddy Hackett’s comic performance. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune described him as a “baked potato out for a short stroll” who is “a fine ruin of a man.” Further, he could take a line like “At the height of darkness, things look black” and make it funny and “monstrously profound.” The headline of John McClain’s review in the New York Journal-American read “Buddy Hackett and That’s All,” and Richard Watts in the New York Post found him “a likeable comic with a pleasant gift for sympathetically woebegone humor.” Besides Hackett, the critics also liked the rest of the cast, including Richard Kiley, Karen Morrow, Luba Lisa, and Morocco. I Had a Ball was surely Kiley’s most insignificant Broadway musical role, and he was unfortunately saddled with such ballads as “The Fickle Finger of Fate” (which McClain noted was a “good tune with a stupid and pretentious lyric”) and “The Other Half of Me” (Kerr noted the song had “lyric problems”). Even Kiley’s material in Her First Roman was better. The fickle finger of fate may not have been kind to Kiley, but kismet was with the ladies, who had somewhat better material. Morrow was praised: Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun found her “grand and passionate . . . in the Ethel Merman tradition”; Richard Watts in the New York Post said she could “belt out a song in virtually Mermanesque fashion”; and Kerr praised her “show voice,” which meant “you don’t talk back to it,” and noted she looked like “a baby Carol Channing, though not as much as Carol Channing does.” Taubman said Luba Lisa was a “lively dancer” who portrayed a “seductive babe,” and he praised her numbers “Addie’s at It Again” and “Boys, Boys, Boys.” As for Morocco, Nadel said she “lifts the roof clean off the theatre,” and Taubman noted she was “marvelously sinuous” and praised her belly dance of “almost demonic agitation.” As for the musical itself, most of the critics were underwhelmed. Kerr found the book “lame,” the scenery “skimpy,” and said the score “sounds better louder. Softer, you might hear it.” McClain noted the show’s title was I Had a Ball but added “I’m afraid I didn’t . . . a painful and implausible tale . . . short on choreography, melodically middling, and not particularly pretty to look at,” and Watts felt the evening lacked charm, with a book that had a “certain ramshackle raggedness.” But Nadel said the musical was “nothing but a pleasure . . . everyone will say this, but I must too: it’s a ball.”

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Most of the critics were less than impressed with the music, but Nadel noted Jack Lawrence and Stan Freeman’s score took its inspiration from the music of the 1930s and 1940s, and so from “the second minute” of the overture you sensed an “affection for the big bands” and their lush arrangements. The “Tunnel of Love Chase” wrapped up the action, and was the show’s most striking sequence. Taubman praised the designers, directors, and technicians for conjuring up a “spooky, Disneyish ballet of effects, including skeletons and weird animals,” and while the number was an effort to “tidy up” and resolve the plot, the number itself was “brilliant and untidy.” Watts liked the number as well, noting the “wild chase” that took most of the cast members through the “sinister mazes” of the Tunnel of Love. The original cast album was released by Mercury Records (LP # OCM-2210). The CD was issued by Decca Records (# B0000204-02), and includes four bonus tracks of Karen Morrow singing the title song and “Almost,” and Lester Lanin and His Orchestra playing one song that had been cut from the musical prior to Broadway (“Be a Phony”) and one that apparently wasn’t used in the production (“Lament”). The Lanin album had originally been released by Philips Records as Lester Lanin Plays the Highlights from Broadway’s Newest Musical Hit “I Had a Ball” (LP # PHS-600-165 and # PHM-200-165). There were two other instrumental recordings of the songs. The Bobby Scott Quartet and “guest star” Michel Legrand offered “a jazz view” of the score (Mercury Records LP # SR-60995 and # MG-20995) that included “Soliloquy,” and I/ We Had a Ball was another jazz version (released by Limelight Records LP # LS-86002) with music by various jazz artists, including Art Blakey, Milt Jackson, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, and Chet Baker. During the tryout, the songs “Prologue,” “True Blue Pals,” “Some Crummy Season,” “Like Everyone Else,” “Be a Phony,” and “Garside the Great” were deleted (although not listed in the New York Playbill, the latter is heard on the cast album). During the Broadway run, “Almost” was cut.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Luba Lisa)

BEYOND THE FRINGE ’65 Theatre: Ethel Barrymore Theatre Opening Date: December 15, 1964 Closing Date: January 9, 1965 Performances: 30 Sketches and Musical Sequences: Uncredited, although most of the material was probably written by Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore Direction: Alexander H. Cohen (original London production directed by Eleanor Fazan); Producers: Alexander H. Cohen by arrangement with William Donaldson and Donald Albery (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production); Scenery: John Wyckham; Lighting: Ralph Alswang Cast: Robert Cessna, Donald Cullen, Joel Fabiani, James Valentine The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Sequences

The Playbill didn’t indicate which performers took part in specific numbers. Act One: “Home Thoughts from Abroad”; “Royal Box”; “The Following Paid Political Broadcast . . .”; “Bollard”; “Blue Trousers”; “Weill Song”; “The Philosophers”; “The Great Train Robbery”; “Colonel Bogey”; “The Aftermyth of War” Act Two: “Civil War”; “Real Class”; “Die Flabbergast”; “Portraits from Memory”; “One Leg Too Few”; “The Death of Nelson”; “The Scientist”;”The Doctor”; “The Duke”; “The Miner”; “The Restaurant”; “The Sermon”; “So That’s the Way You Like It”; “The End of the World”

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The original New York production of Beyond the Fringe opened at the John Golden Theatre on October 27, 1962, with Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore; during the run, the revue was revised as Beyond the Fringe 1964, and the cast included Bennett, Cook, and Moore, who were joined by Paxton Whitehead, who succeeded Miller. During the remainder of the run, these four performers were succeeded by Dan Bly, Robert Cessna, Ted D’Arms, and James Valentine. The two editions of the revue gave a total of 667 performances. Six months after the revue’s closing, it returned to New York as Beyond the Fringe ’65, where it opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 15, 1964, for thirty performances; Cessna and Valentine were back in the cast, and they were joined by Donald Cullen and Joel Fabiani. Most of the sketches and musical sequences in the 1965 edition had been seen in the earlier editions (see entries for more information). Two new sequences were added for the current production, “The Following Political Broadcast . . .” and “Blue Trousers.” “Die Flabbergast” had been performed in the revue’s original edition as part of the sequence “Deutscher Chansons.”

BRIGADOON Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: December 23, 1964 Closing Date: January 3, 1965 Performances: 17 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Frederick Loewe Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director; Julius Rudel, Musical Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (“assisted by” James Jamieson); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: William Jonson Cast: Peter Palmer (Tommy Albright), Scott McKay (Jeff Douglas), Will MacKenzie (Sandy Dean), Louise O’Brien (Meg Brockie), Earl MacDonald (Archie Beaton), Edward Villella (Harry Beaton), Alexander Clark (Andrew MacLaren), Imelda De Martin (Jean MacLaren), Linda Bennett (Fiona MacLaren), Daniel Hannafin (Angus McGuffie), Harry David Snow (Charlie Dalrymple), Gemze de Lappe (Maggie Anderson), Ben Gillespie (Sword Dancer), Paul Olson (Sword Dancer), Wayne Boyd (Sword Dancer), Dennis Cole (Sword Dancer), Charles McCraw (Sword Dancer), Ron Tassone (Sword Dancer), Clarence Nordstrom (Mr. Lundie), Maurice Eisenstadt (Bagpiper), Si Vario (Frank), Sharon Ritchie (Jane Ashton); Townsfolk of Brigadoon—Singers: Diana Chase, Maria Hero, Linda Johnson, Virginia Kerr, Bobbi Lange, Leonore Lanzillotti, Joyce Olson, Jeanne Shea, Abbie Todd, Sallie Valante, Lynn Wendell, Brown Bradley, Peter Clark, William J. Coppola, Rex Downey, Glenn Kezer, Henry Lawrence, Jim Lynn, Bob Neukum, Stan Page, Stephen Rydell; Dancers: Virginia Allen, Lynne Broadbent, Joanna Crosson, Diana Ede, Lucia Lambert, Loi Leabo, Gracia Littauer, Mavis Ray, Judy Thelen, Mona Tritsch, Esther Villavicencio, Toodie Wittmer, Paul Berne, Wayne Boyd, Allan Byrns, Dennis Cole, Joseph Fioretti, Ben Gillespie, Charles McCraw, Paul Olson, Victor Pierantozzi, Ron Tassone, Michael Toles The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Brigadoon (a village in the Scottish Highlands) and in New York City during May of last year.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Once in the Highlands” (Chorus); “Brigadoon” (Chorus); “Down on MacConnachy Square” (Will McKenzie, Louise O’Brien, Townsfolk); “Waitin’ for My Dearie” (Linda Bennett, Girls); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” (Harry David Snow, Townsfolk); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” Dance (Gemze de Lappe, Edward Villella, Fishmongers, Dancers); “The Heather on the Hill” (Linda Bennett, Peter Palmer); “The Love of My Life” (Louise O’Brien); “Jeannie’s Packin’ Up” (Girls); “Come to Me, Bend to Me”

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(Harry David Snow); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” Dance (Imelda de Martin, Dancers); “Almost Like Being in Love” (Peter Palmer, Linda Bennett); “The Wedding Dance” (Imelda de Martin, Harry David Snow, Dancers); “Sword Dance” (Edward Villella, Ben Gillespie, Paul Olson, Wayne Boyd, Dennis Cole, Charles McGraw, Ron Tassone, Dancers) Act Two: “The Chase” (Men of Brigadoon); “There But for You Go I” (Peter Palmer); “My Mother’s Wedding Day” (Louise O’Brien, Townsfolk); “Funeral Dance” (Gemze de Lappe); “From This Day On” (Peter Palmer, Linda Bennett); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” (reprise) (Linda Bennett); “The Heather on the Hill” (reprise) (Linda Bennett); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” (reprise) (Harry David Snow); “From This Day On” (reprise) (Peter Palmer, Linda Bennett); “Down on MacConnachy Square” (reprise) (Townsfolk); Finale (Company) The 1964 revival of Brigadoon marked the musical’s fifth of six City Center visits (for more information about the musical and its ten New York revivals, see entry for the 1962 City Center production). For the current revival, Lewis Funke in the New York Times noted that even with some casting and directorial flaws, the musical was “still plenty of notches ahead of some of the musical fare customarily dished up on Broadway.” He praised Alan Jay Lerner’s “witty” lyrics, Loewe’s irresistible score, and the “thrillingly” executed dances of Edward Villella’s Harry Beaton (here in his third of four City Center Brigadoon productions [he also appeared in the 1967 television adaptation of the musical]). Funke also liked Scott McKay (Jeff), Louise O’Brien (Meg), Imelda De Martin (Jean), and Harry David Snow (Charlie) in supporting roles. But he had reservations about Linda Bennett (Fiona) and Peter Palmer (Tommy), noting Bennett lacked a “certain softness” and seemed to be playing to a camera instead of interacting with the Brigadoon company, and that Palmer (in his third City Center production of the musical) seemed to lack “control” of his role. Funke mentioned the current revival was City Center’s fourth of the classic musical, noting it had played there in 1957, 1962, and 1963 (he forgot about City Center’s first revival, in 1950).

KELLY “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre Opening Date: February 6, 1965 Closing Date: February 6, 1965 Performances: 1 Book and Lyrics: Eddie Lawrence Music: Moose Charlap (dance music by Betty Walberg) Direction and Choreography: Herbert Ross; Producer: David Susskind and Daniel Melnick in association with Joseph E. Levine (Robert L. Livingston, Associate Producer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Samuel Matlovsky Cast: Don Francks (Hop Kelly), Wilfred Brambell (Dan Kelly), Mickey Shaughnessy (Jack Mulligan), Leon Janney (Augie Masters), Jessie White (Stickpin Sidney Crane), Steve Elmore (James), Brandon Maggart (Carruthers), Eileen Rodgers (Fay Cherry), Josip Elic (Charlie), Bill Richards (Sparkenbroke, Beggar, Bum), Hamilton Camp (Mayor Tully), Thomas Rezarf (Englishman), Anita Gillette (Angela Crane), Barbara Monte (Tough Kid), Louis Kosman (Tough Guy), Anthony De Vecchi (Tough Guy), Michael Nestor (Tough Guy), James Moore (Sailor, Bum), Lynn Fields (The Redhead), Sterling Clark (The Rube), HanneMarie Reiner (Young Girl), Larry Roquemore (First Young Man, Bum), Paul Charles (Second Young Man), Ron Stratton (The Drunk), Leslie Franzos (Lady), Eleanor Treiber (Lady), Kathleen Doherty (Lady), Bette Jenkins (Lollypop Girl), J. Vernon Oaks (Police Chief), Robert L. Hultman (Policeman), Stanley Simmonds (Chief Dignitary); Dancers: Kathleen Doherty, Lynn Fields, Leslie Franzos, Bette Jenkins, Barbara Monte, Hanne-Marie Reiner, Eleanor Treiber, Sterling Clark, Paul Charles, Anthony De Vecchi, Michael Nestor, Bill Richards, Larry Roquemore, Ron Stratton; Singers: Georgia Creighton, Ceil Delli, Carol Jopkin, Lorene Latine, Donna Monroe, Maggie Task, Walter P. Brown, Steve Elmore, Howard Hartman, Robert L. Hultman, J. Vernon Oaks, William Wendt The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City in the late nineteenth century.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Ode to the Bridge” (Don Francks); “Six Blocks from the Bridge” (Jessie White, Mickey Shaughnessy, Leon Janney, Company); “That Old Time Crowd” (Eileen Rodgers, Boys); “Simple Ain’t Easy” (Don Francks, Eileen Rodgers); “I’m Gonna Walk Right Up to Him” (Don Francks, Mickey Shaughnessy); “A Moment Ago” (Anita Gillette, Don Francks); “This Is a Tough Neighborhood” (Company); “Never Go There Anymore” (Anita Gillette, Don Francks) Act Two: “Life Can Be Beautiful” (Eileen Rodgers, Wilfrid Brambell, James Moore, Larry Roquemore, Bill Richards); “Everyone Here Loves Kelly” (Eileen Rodgers, Company); “Ballad to a Brute” (Anita Gillette, Don Francks); “Heavyweight Champ of the World” (Mickey Shaughnessy, Company); “Me and the Elements” (Don Franck, Wilfrid Brambell); “Everyone Here Loves Kelly” (reprise) (Eileen Rodgers, Company); “Never Go There Anymore” (reprise) (Anita Gillette); “Everyone Here Loves Kelly” (reprise) (Company) Kelly was the ultimate Broadway bomb. There had been expensive failures before Kelly, and there had been occasional flops that played just one performance on Broadway. But never before had a musical lost so much money ($650,000, a staggering loss for the era) and closed after one performance. It had been twentyfive years since a musical had shuttered after a single performance, when the revue ’Tis of Thee opened and closed on October 26, 1940. After Kelly the floodgates opened, and in 1968 there was the one-performance Here’s Where I Belong, which over the years was followed by twenty-one more unlucky musicals (see below). Kelly didn’t have much of a story to tell. It was loosely based on real-life Steve Brodie, who in 1886 boasted that he would jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Whether he did or didn’t is now lost to history, but it appears the fighter John L. Sullivan placed a bet that Brodie would make the jump. In the musical, Brodie is now Hop Kelly (Don Francks), Sullivan is Jack W. Mulligan (Mickey Shaughnessy), and Kelly does indeed make the leap into fame as well as the East River. Other characters include Hop’s father, Don (Wilfred Brambell); gambler Stickpin Sidney Crane (Jesse White); Crane’s daughter and Hop’s girlfriend, Angela (Anita Gillette); another gambler named Augie Masters (Leon Janney); and good-time girl Fay Cherry (Eileen Rodgers, in a role similar to the one she played in Tenderloin, another turn-of-the-century musical set in New York). The musical was originally envisioned as a Brechtian Threepenny Opera mood piece, but as it went through rehearsals and tryout cities it became a conventional musical comedy. Ultimately, its creators took the producers to court, asking for a delay in the Broadway opening so material the producers had ordered eliminated could be restored. Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted he couldn’t comment on the “merits of what has been eliminated . . . but to judge by what is left, there are ample critical, if not legal, grounds for an injunction.” Oddly enough, the musical received some favorable reviews during its tumultuous tryout. “Gagh” in Variety predicted the show would be a “likely winner” on Broadway, and said the evening was a “folk tale of warming sentiment, rowdy humor, memorable music and exciting dance.” The musical was a “song and dance work of quality” with “notable” casting, a “neatly integrated” score, and “listenable” lyrics. And “Gagh,” as Jerry Gaghan in the Philadelphia Daily News, reiterated that the musical was “warmly sentimental.” With its “rowdy humor . . . memorable music and engaging dance,” Kelly seemed a “bright prospect” for Broadway. Taubman said the show lacked “freshness and imagination,” the book was “wooden and hollow,” the direction “uninspired,” the choreography “monotonous,” and the humor on the order of “You can’t welsh on an Englishman,” to which another character responds, “Why don’t you English on a Welshman?” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune remarked that “Kelly is a bad idea gone wrong”; Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical was “surrounded by an aura of hopeless ineffectuality. . . . [It] isn’t the worst you can imagine, though you might have to pause and think for a while before coming up with its peer in that respect.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the show’s book (“or pamphlet”) was a “simon-pure nothing libretto. . . . At best [Kelly is] a middling musical.” Norman Nadel in the New York Word-Telegram and Sun noted that in its first fifty minutes, the musical gave just three minutes of pleasure when the overture offered some “virtuoso” tuba-playing; otherwise, “almost everything about the show seems to have gone wrong”; and John Chapman in the New York Daily News noted the opening number “Ode to the Bridge” was “very solemn and quite ghastly,” and concluded that the “vogue for tuneless musicals . . . may account for the Metropolitan Opera being 98% sold out year after year.”

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Despite Chapman’s comments about the score, a number of songs were singled out by the critics for praise: “That Old Time Crowd” (“good barrel-house” [McClain]); “A Moment Ago” (“good ballad” [McClain]); “This Is a Tough Neighborhood” (“complicated and quite exciting” [McClain]); “Life Can Be Beautiful” (it “swings” [McClain]); “Never Go There Anymore” (an unconventional ballad [Nadel]); and virtually all the critics liked “Everyone Here Loves Kelly” (a “boisterous ditty” [Nadel]). McClain concluded that Charlap offered a “merry score,” and Watts found the score “pleasant.” One or two of the critics noted that with Kelly, Oliver Smith had designed his second bridge of the 1964–1965 season. For Murray Schisgal’s Luv, which dealt with would-be suicide-by-bridge-jumping and had opened at the Booth Theatre on November 11, 1964 (and ran 901 more performances than Kelly), Smith created a suspension bridge that spanned the entire stage; according to Howard Taubman in the New York Times, the design was “lean” and “graceful.” Despite the success of Luv, its musical version flopped, and so perhaps a minor theatre curse is that musicals that feature bridges in their plots are doomed to fail. Kelly died after one Broadway performance, and Marc Blitzstein’s Reuben Reuben (1955), about a man who threatens suicide by bridge-jumping, never got out of Boston. In fact, the musical version of Luv has failed three times, despite three changes of title: the 1984 Off-Broadway Love lasted just seventeen performances; a later 1984 summer stock revival called A “Luv” Musical disappeared rather quickly; and London’s 1986 What about Luv? surfaced in New York in 1991 for twenty-nine performances. Even the 1983 Off-Broadway musical The Brooklyn Bridge (about Washington Roebling, the bridge’s architect) lasted just twenty-eight performances. A demo of the composer and lyricist singing eighteen songs from Kelly was released by Original Cast Records (LP # OC-8025), and later the same company released a studio cast album of thirteen numbers (along with a bonus track of a pop version of “Never Go There Anymore” sung by Sandy Stewart, Charlap’s widow) with Brian D’Arcy James, Sally Mayes, Marcia Lewis, George S. Irving, Jane Connell, Sandy Stewart, Conrad John Schuck, Marge Redmond, and lyricist Eddie Lawrence (CD # OC-8802). For her collection A Taste of the Fantastic (Columbia Records LP # CS-9286/CL-2486), Michele Lee recorded “(I’ll) Never Go There Anymore,” and the cut song “It Kinda Makes Yuh (You) Wonder” was included in the Village Stompers’ collection New Beat on Broadway! (Epic Records LP # BN-26129/LN-24129). The demo recording includes “Don’t Come Near Me,” “Go to Sleep Early,” “Augie Masters,” and “The Big Town,” all of which were dropped from the musical in preproduction or during the tryout. The studio cast recording offers three of these unused songs (“Go to Sleep Early,” “Augie Masters,” and “The Big Town”); another one that went apparently unused until the studio recording (“The Insurance Game”); three songs that were cut during the tryout (“The Times That Linger,” “Home Again,” and “It Kinda Makes You Wonder”); and six of the thirteen numbers heard in the Broadway production (“Ode to the Bridge,” “Heavyweight Champ of the World,” “That Old Time Crowd,” “I’ll Never Go There Anymore,” “Ballad to a Brute,” and “Everyone Here Loves Kelly”). The original cast album of Kelly had been scheduled to be recorded by Columbia Records, but was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run (it had been assigned release # OL-6350 and # OS-2750). An unpublished version of the script includes the unused songs “The Insurance Game” and “Don’t Come Near Me When I’m Gone.” During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “The Times That Linger,” “Saturday Night at Augie’s” (ballet), “We Got a Deal,” “Soliloquy,” “Home Again,” “A Man Is a Man,” “The Big Town,” “He’ll Get It,” and “It Kinda Makes You Wonder.” During the tryout a number of roles were eliminated: Ma Kelly (played by Ella Logan, in what was to have been her first Broadway appearance since Finian’s Rainbow in 1947, who during the chaotic tryout famously wired her agent a one-word telegram: “HELP”); Richard Schaal (Jesse James); Major Broome (Jack Creeley); Hanne Marie Reiner (Sarah Bernhardt); Phyllis Smythe (Carol Joplin); and Walter P. Brown (Raffles); however, the last three remained with the show as part of the singing and dancing ensembles. Further, Steve Elmore replaced Avery Schreiber in the role of Frank James. For more background on the trials of Kelly’s short life, see the April 24, 1965, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, which featured the article “Backstage Secrets of Broadway’s Biggest Flop.” For the record, the one-performance musicals that followed Kelly are: Here’s Where I Belong (1968); Billy (1969); La Strada (1969); Blood Red Roses (1970); Gantry (1970); Frank Merriwell (1970); Johnny Johnson (1971 revival); Heathen! (1972); Wild and Wonderful (1971); Rainbow Jones (1974); Home Sweet Homer (1976); A Broadway Musical (1978); The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall (1979); Broadway Follies (1981); The

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Moony Shapiro Songbook (1981); Onward Victoria (1980); Little Johnny Jones (1982 revival); Cleavage (1982); Play Me a Country Song (1982); Take Me Along (1985 revival); and Glory Days (2008). Prior to Kelly, there were just three Broadway musicals that played for one performance: Mystery Moon (1930); Hummin’ Sam (1933); and ’Tis of Thee (1940).

BAKER STREET “A MUSICAL ADVENTURE

OF

SHERLOCK HOLMES”

Theatre: Broadway Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Martin Beck Theatre) Opening Date: February 16, 1965 Closing Date: November 14, 1965 Performances: 313 Book: Jerome Coopersmith Lyrics and Music: Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel Based on various short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, including “A Study in Scarlet” (1887), “The Sign of the Four” (1890), “A Scandal in Bohemia” (1891), “The Final Problem” (1893), and “The Adventure of the Empty House” (1903). Direction: Harold Prince; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen (Hildy Parks, Production Associate; produced in association with Gabriel Katzka); Choreography: Lee Becker Theodore; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Motley; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: Patrick Horgan (Captain Gregg), Peter Sallis (Dr. Watson), Paddy Edwards (Mrs. Hudson), Fritz Weaver (Sherlock Holmes), Daniel Keyes (Inspector Lestrade), Inga Swenson (Irene Adler), Virginia Vestoff (Daisy), Martin Wolfson (Baxter), Teddy Green (Wiggins), Bert Michaels (Duckbellows), Sal Pernice (Nipper), George Lee (Perkins), Mark Jude Sheil (Macipper), Jay Norman (Murillo), Avin Harum (Killer), Christopher Walken (Killer), Tommy Tune (Killer), Gwenn Lewis (Tavern Singer), Martin Gabel (Professor Moriarty); Dancers: Sara Lee Barber, Barbara Blair, Lois Castle, John Grigas, Gwenn Lewis, Diana Saunders; Singers: Martin Ambrose, Frank Bouley, Jack Dabdoub, Gay Edmond, Judie Elkins, Maria Graziano, Horace (Lawrence) Guittard, Peter Johl, Mara Landi, Hal Norman, Vera Walton; The Diamond Jubilee Parade enacted by Bil Baird’s Marionettes The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around London in 1897, the year in which England celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria.

Musical Numbers Act One: “It’s So Simple” (Fritz Weaver, Peter Sallis, Patrick Horgan, Daniel Keyes); “I’m in London Again” (Inga Swenson); “Leave It to Us, Guv” (Teddy Green, Bert Michaels, Sal Pernice, George Lee, Mark Jude Sheil); “Letters” (Inga Swenson); “Cold Clear World” (Fritz Weaver); “Finding Words for Spring” (Inga Swenson); “What a Night This Is Going to Be” (Fritz Weaver, Inga Swenson, Peter Sallis, Virginia Vestoff); “London Underworld” (Company); “I Shall Miss You, Mr. Holmes” (Martin Gabel) Act Two: “Roof Space” (Teddy Green, Bert Michaels, Sal Pernice, George Lee, Mark Jude Sheil); “A Married Man” (Fritz Weaver); “I’d Do It Again” (Inga Swenson); “Pursuit” (Fritz Weaver); “Jewelry” (Martin Wolfson, Criminals) Producer Alexander Cohen spared no expensive with Baker Street, making it the most lavish musical of the era. Unfortunately, its legendary production values are all that anyone really remembers about the show. Jerome Coopersmith’s book and Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel’s lyrics and music were also-rans, never measuring up to Oliver Smith’s fabulous scenic inventions, Motley’s colorful costumes, and Bil Baird’s imaginative marionette sequence. Coopersmith utilized a number of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes’ stories as the inspiration for his libretto, including “The Adventure of the Empty House,” “The Final Problem,” “A Study in Scarlet,” “The Sign of the Four,” and “A Scandal in Bohemia” (the latter was the only story in which Holmes was even

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remotely involved with a woman). The plot of the musical dealt with Holmes’s (Fritz Weaver) arch nemesis Professor Moriarty (Martin Gabel) and the latter’s scheme to steal the crown jewels during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Also involved in the story is the enigmatic American actress Irene Adler (Inga Swenson), who at first seems shady but ultimately helps Holmes in his pursuit of Moriarty and who eventually rescues Holmes and Watson from almost certain death. But Howard Taubman in the New York Times noted that for Holmes a woman in pursuit of him would be a “fate worse than death.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the evening was too “overextended” and repetitive (Holmes loves to use the mental process to deal with mysteries, and Kerr felt it wasn’t necessary to constantly drive home this point). Further, Kerr noted too many of the musical numbers weren’t relevant to the main action; the character of Moriarty was underused (Gabel could easily play “simultaneously in some other show across town, he’s got so much time left”); and one song (“A Married Man,” the show’s most popular number) was ludicrously performed by Watson (Peter Sallis) as he and Holmes are helplessly strapped to chairs while a time bomb (a “chronometer of death”) is about to blast them into the next world. For all that, Kerr said the extravaganza was “three World’s Fairs rolled into one,” and he praised Oliver Smith’s murky, gas-lit London underworld of creepy alleys, foggy mists, “blonde zombies” emerging from “inferno-red sewers,” a shady café, a Turkish bath, a fighting club, and floating opium dens. Other visual delights were Moriarty’s yacht, which Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun found “fascinating”; a speeding carriage ride in which Holmes makes deductions spoken in time to music; a realistic fall from a precipice on the cliffs of Dover; clever disguises for the principals whenever the plot demanded such; two funeral processions going in opposite directions; and, most spectacularly, a bird’s-eye view of the street where the Queen and her Diamond Jubilee parade pass by (all the parade’s participants, including the Queen, were represented by Bil Baird’s marionettes). Besides the scenic delights, the critics liked the cast (including the underutilized Martin Gabel) and two dance sequences by the Baker Street Irregulars (“Leave It to Us, Guv” and “Roof Space”). As for the score, Nadel felt it lacked “strength” and Richard Watts in the New York Journal-American found it “only occasionally inspired,” but John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the score was “just right” and singled out the witty line “When the stately Holmes of England is no more” (which was written by Sheldon Harnick). One or two critics noted the evening’s humor was forced, with Taubman saying one joke “rings as false as a lead shilling” when Holmes comments that he devised a method of acting that he “unfortunately confided to that young Stanislavsky chap in Moscow.” As for the “detection” side of the musical, McClain felt Coopersmith never quite decided if Holmes’s character was straight or comical, and he was offended that the detective sometimes came across “as a sort of poor man’s Dick Tracy.” Kerr also noted that during a scene depicting an underworld garroting, the dancers seemed like “Bondsmen rather than Holmesmen.” During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Isn’t She Marvelous,” “Dreary,” “The Five Senses,” “A Veritable Work of Art,” and “Look at Me.” Six songs were added, all with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock: “Cold Clear World,” “Finding Words for Spring,” “I Shall Miss You, Mr. Holmes,” “I’d Do It Again,” “What a Night This Is Going to Be,” and “I’m in London Again.” Bock and Harnick also wrote the deleted songs “Isn’t She Marvelous,” “Dreary,” and “The Five Senses,” as well as “I Know” (the latter may not have been performed during the tryout). During the run of the show, their “I’m in London Again” was replaced by a new number by the team, “Buffalo Belle.” The script was published in hardback and softback editions by Doubleday & Company in 1966, and includes “Buffalo Belle.” The cast album was recorded by MGM Records (LP # E/SE-7000-OC), and Hit Songs from “Baker Street” . . . and Other Broadway Musicals (MGM Records LP # E/SE-4293) included six numbers from the score: “A Married Man” (Richard Burton), “Finding Words for Spring” (Felicia Sanders), “What a Night This Is Going to Be” (Sanders), “Jewelry” (Richard Hayman), “I’d Do It Again” (Fran Jeffries), and “Baker Street Mystery” (Kai Winding; this number was adapted from the “London Underworld” sequence). The cast album was issued on CD by Decca Broadway Records (# 80005971-2) and includes two bonus tracks of the Burton and Winding numbers mentioned above. The show’s demo recording was performed by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel and includes seven songs: two deleted numbers (“Dreary” and “A Veritable Work of Art”) and five that apparently went unused (“Law and Order,” “Picture a World,” “You’re Not Alive,” “I Know,” and “What Am I Looking For?”). The collection Lost Broadway and More Volume 4 (no label and unnumbered, but presum-

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ably released by Original Cast Records) includes Grudeff and Jessel performing “Finding Words for Spring” as well as the deleted songs “(The) Five Senses” and “A Veritable Work of Art.” The film rights were sold to MGM, and Leslie Bricusse was commissioned to write an entirely new score for the adaptation, which was to be produced by Cohen and Gabriel Katzka. But Variety reported that MGM production chief Herbert Solow gave the project the “heave-ho” in 1969.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Inga Swenson); Best Author of a Musical (Jerome Coopersmith); Best Scenic Designer (Oliver Smith, for Baker Street, Luv, and The Odd Couple); Best Costume Designer (Motley)

PORGY AND BESS Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: March 5, 1965 Closing Date: March 14, 1965 Performances: 6 Libretto: DuBose Heyward Lyrics: DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin Music: George Gershwin Based on the 1927 play Porgy by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward (which in turn had been adapted from DuBose Heyward’s 1925 novel Porgy). Direction: Ella Gerber; Producer: The New York City Opera; Scenery: Roger Sullivan; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Dean Ryan Cast: Claudia Lindsay (Clara), Jerry Laws (Mingo), Avon Long (Sportin’ Life), Edward Pierson (Jake), Serena Bash (Serena), Gordon Watkins (Robbins), Garwood Perkins (Jim), Carrington Lewis (Peter [The Honey Man]), Helen Dowdy (Lily [The Strawberry Woman]), Carol Brice (Maria), Andrew Frierson (Porgy), James Randolph (Crown), Joyce Bryant (Bess); Bill Grier (Policeman), Joseph James (Undertaker), Alyce Webb (Annie), Eugene Brice (Frazier), Jack Bittner (Detective), Joseph (C.) Attles (Crab Man), Kellis Miller (Coroner), Oscar Sylvan (Scipio), Glory Van Scott (Dancer); The New York City Opera Chorus (Residents of Catfish Row) The 1965 revival of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess was the last of four productions of the opera presented at City Center during the 1960s; the 1961 and 1964 revivals were produced by the New York City Center Light Opera Company, and the 1962 and 1965 revivals by the New York City Opera. For general information about the opera, see entry for the 1961 revival; for specific information about the other three revivals, see entries for the 1961, 1962, and 1964 productions. The current revival of the Gershwin classic was taken to task by Harold C. Schonberg in the New York Times. He wondered how the work could be taken seriously, and suggested the best approach was to accept it as a period piece in “Negro Never-Never Land” because it’s “not a good opera . . . not a good anything.” He noted that in light of “recent developments” (Malcolm X had been killed a few days before the revival’s opening), the opera was “embarrassing” and contained “as many stereotypes .  .  . as Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The characters were “crap-shooting, superstitious, spiritual-singing Negroes” who came across like “refugees from a minstrel show.” As for the music, Schonberg said when Gershwin remained within the realm of “show tunes,” the score offered a few “pretty” songs. But when Gershwin strayed into operatic territory with recitative, his prosody was “awkward and stilted.” Schonberg noted that Joyce Bryant (Bess) was here making her operatic debut, and reported that upon her entrance “wives in the audience clutched their husbands’ arms” because “a black panther was on the loose.” He found her beautiful, “a perfect Bess” in her acting skills but somewhat lacking in voice. Andrew Frierson

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was Porgy, who didn’t meet the “vocal requirements” of the role. Others in the cast were Carol Brice (Maria), Claudia Lindsey (Clara), and Jimmy Randolph (Crown). As for Avon Long’s Sportin’ Life, Schonberg reported he sang “It Ain’t Necessarily So” with “more style than many singers with a million times more his voice.” He moved “like a dancer,” his timing was “sheer perfection,” and from the song’s very first notes he had the audience in the palm of his hand.

DIE DREIGROSCHENOPER Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: March 11, 1965 Closing Date: March 27, 1965 Performances: 6 Libretto and Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht (who based his version on Elisabeth Hauptmann’s German translation of The Beggar’s Opera) Music: Kurt Weill Based on the 1728 opera The Beggar’s Opera (libretto by John Gay, music by Johann Pepusch) Direction: Adolph Rott; Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Scenery: Wolfgang Roth; Costumes: Ruth Morley; Musical Direction: Julius Rudel Cast: George S. Irving (Narrator [Street Singer]), Stefan Schnabel (Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum), Lilia Skala (Mrs. Peachum), Anita Hoefer (Polly Peachum), Kurt Kasznar (Macheath), Ralph Herbert (Brown), Marion Brash (Lucy), Mathew Anden (Filch); The Gang: Sol Frieder (Hakenfingerjakob), John Garson (Munzmatthias), Paul Andor (Trauerweidenwalter), Michael Haeusserman (Ede), Claus Jurgens (Sagerobert), Curt Lowens (Jimmy); Martha Schlamme (Die Spelunken-Jenny); Ladies of Ill-Repute: Constance Conrad, Carla Huston, Erna Rossman, Ruth Sobotka, Ludmilla Tchor; David Smith (Smith), Henry Cordy (Pastor); The New York City Opera Chorus The opera was presented in three acts. The action takes place in London in the nineteenth century, just before the coronation of Queen Victoria.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Die moritat vom Mackie Messer” (“The Ballad of Mack the Knife”) (George S. Irving); “Der morgenchoral des Peachum” (“Mr. Peachum’s Morning Chorale”) (music by Johann Pepusch) (Stefan Schnabel); “Der anstatt-dass Song” (“The Instead-Of Song”) (Lilia Skala, Stefan Schnabel); “Das hochzeitslied fur amere leute” (“Wedding Song for Poor People”) (Ensemble); “Die Seerauber-Jenny” (“Pirate Jenny”) (Anita Hoefer); “Der kanonen-song” (“The Cannon Song”) (Kurt Kasznar); “Liebeslied” (“Love Song”) (Anita Hoefer, Kurt Kasznar); “Barbara Song” (Anita Hoefer); First Act Finale (“The Uncertainty of Human Conditions”) (Anita Hoefer, Stefan Schnabel, Lilia Skala) Act Two: “Der ballade von der sexuellen horigkeit” (“The Ballad of Sexual Dependency”) (Lilia Skala); “Die zuhhalterballade” (“The Procurer’s Ballad”) (Kurt Kasznar, Martha Schlamme); “Die ballade vom angenehmen leben” (“The Ballad of the Easy Life”) (Kurt Kasznar); “Das eifersuchtsduett” (“Jealousy Duet”) (Marion Brash, Anita Hoefer); Second Act Finale (“What Keeps a Man Alive?”) (Kurt Kasznar, Martha Schlamme, Ensemble) Act Three: “Der ballade von der sexuellen horigkeit” (reprise) (Lilia Skala); “Das lied von der unzulanglichkeit menschlichen strebens” (“The Song about Inadequacy”) (Stefan Schnabel); “Saloman-Song” (“The Soloman Song”) (Martha Schlamme); “Ruf aus der gruft” (“Macheath Asks for Forgiveness”) (Kurt Kasznar); Third Act Finale: “The Riding Messenger” (Anita Hoefer, Lilia Skala, Martha Schlamme, Kurt Kasznar, Ralph Herbert, Stefan Schnabel, Ensemble) and “Die moritat von Mackie Messer” (reprise) (George S. Irving) The New York City Opera’s revival of The Threepenny Opera might have seemed premature, considering that the Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill classic had enjoyed a marathon Off-Broadway run of 2,611 performances from 1955 through 1961. But the City Opera’s production was unique because it was the first time the seminal musical had been produced in the United States in the original German.

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Harold C. Schonberg in the New York Times said the New York City Opera had done its audience a favor by presenting the opera in its original language, and he congratulated the opera company for choosing performers who could act as well as sing. Kurt Kasznar was Macheath (Mack the Knife), and Schonberg said he was “superlative,” noting that Kasznar’s raspy throat (due to a recent illness) actually worked in his favor because his voice sounded like “a beer bottle being scratched across sandpaper” and thus added a “low-life” flavor to the part. Schonberg also mentioned that Kasznar looked as if Clark Gable was his father and Leo Carillo his mother. The “superior” cast also included Martha Schlamme (Jenny), Stefan Schnabel (Peachum), Lilia Skala (Mrs. Peachum), Anita Hoefer (Polly), and the evening’s “narrator” (that is, the Street Singer) was George S. Irving. In keeping with the original scoring, Julius Rudel conducted an eight-piece orchestra, whose members first appeared on the stage dressed as beggars before taking their places in the orchestra pit. The production’s “clever” design was by Wolfgang Roth, a most appropriate choice given that Roth’s background was in the German political cabaret of the 1930s and that he was professionally associated with Brecht during that era. Among musical theater aficionados Roth is also remembered as the scenic designer of the notorious 1958 flop musical Portofino. Schonberg had some reservations with Adolf Rott’s direction, noting it was occasionally too “fussy,” “busy,” and, in his use of mass movement, “surprisingly old-fashioned.” Schonberg also noted that while keeping in time to the rhythm of the music the cast members sometimes weaved together back and forth, and side by side, a kind of stage movement more appropriate for The Student Prince. Die Dreigroschenoper premiered in Berlin on August 31, 1928, at the Theatre am Schiffbuerdamm with Harold Paulson (Macheath), Lotte Lenya (Jenny), and Ernest Busch (The Street Singer). The first New York production opened on April 13, 1933, at the Empire Theatre in an adaptation by Gifford Cochran and Jerrold Krimsky, and the cast included Robert Chisholm (Macheath), Marjorie Dille (Jenny), and George Heller (The Street Singer). Because it wasn’t well received and played for just twelve performances, the work went unproduced in the United States for almost twenty years, and not until Marc Blitzstein’s iconic adaptation in the 1950s did the work find its place in the American musical theatre repertoire. Blitzstein’s version was first seen on June 14, 1952, as part of the Festival of the Creative Arts at Brandeis University, a seminal festival that also saw the premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti on June 12. Bernstein conducted, and the cast included David Brooks as Macheath and Lotte Lenya as Jenny. The Brandeis production led to the enormously successful Off-Broadway revival in 1954, which played for 96 performances at the Theatre de Lys and reopened there on September 20, 1955, for an additional 2,611 performances. And “Mack the Knife” (Blitzstein’s adaptation of the Street Singer’s “Moritat”) took its place as one of the most popular and well-known of all theatre songs. Lenya appeared in both the 1954 and 1955 productions, and Scott Merrill (Macheath), Jo Sullivan (Polly), and Beatrice Arthur (Lucy Brown) were also in both productions. In 1954, Gerald Price was the Street Singer, in 1955, Tige Andrews. The 1954 production was recorded by MGM Records (LP # E/SE 3121; the CD release by Decca Broadway Records [# 012-159-463-2] included a bonus track of Lenya singing “Mack the Knife,” with Blitzstein at the piano), and became the first commercial Off-Broadway cast album. However, during the 1954 production some cast members left the show and were replaced by others, and so Leon Lishner, who was Mr. Peachum on opening night, was succeeded by Martin Wolfson, who is on the cast recording). A number of the revival’s original cast members (Jo Sullivan, Beatrice Arthur, John Astin, Charlotte Rae) and replacement cast members (Jerry Orbach, Ed Asner, Georgia Brown, Estelle Parsons) went on to varying degrees of fame in theatre and television, and one replacement, Eddie Lawrence, found himself associated with one of the most notorious flops in Broadway history (he wrote the book and lyrics for the infamous Kelly [1965]). Other performers who appeared in the production during its marathon run included Pert Kelton, Katherine Sergava, Dolly Haas, and James Mitchell. Toward the end of the Off-Broadway run, a touring version was produced in September 1961 that starred Gypsy Rose Lee as Jenny. Scott Merrill (Macheath), Jane Connell (Mrs. Peachum), and Richard Verney (Tiger Brown) reprised their roles from the New York production. In order to expand her role, Gypsy Rose Lee was given the Street Singer’s “Mack the Knife” to sing in a prologue. The tour shut down after just two weeks of performances, and when later asked about it, Gypsy Rose Lee said it was a “bloodbath.” The Threepenny Opera has enjoyed three major New York revivals, but Blitzstein’s adaptation wasn’t used (and has never been published). The 1976 revival was adapted by Ralph Manheim and John Willett (Raul Julia was Macheath and Ellen Greene was Jenny) and opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on May 1, 1976,

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for 306 performances (the revival was itself revived a year later, when it opened for a limited engagement OffBroadway at the Delacorte Theatre on June 28, 1977, for 27 performances [Philip Bosco and Ellen Greene]). The 1989 production was by Michael Feingold and starred Sting, Suzzanne Douglas, and Georgia Brown as Mrs. Peachum; it opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 5, 1989, for 65 performances. And the 2006 production by Wallace Shawn (Alan Cumming and Cyndi Lauper) opened at Studio 54 on April 20, 2006, for 77 performances. The Blitzstein adaptation was heard in a limited-run Broadway engagement in 1966, which opened at the Billy Rose (now Nederlander) Theatre on October 27 for thirteen performances (see entry). This production was a semi-marionette version produced by the Stockholm Marionette Theatre of Fantasy. On October 26, 1995, another revival (produced by the National Youth Music Theatre) opened Off-Broadway at City Center for three performances, and there seems to be no record of which translation was used. Despite a number of revivals, only the 1976 version was recorded (Columbia Records LP # PS-34325; released on CD by Arkiv/ Sony Records # 51520). The script of this production was published in hardback in 1977 by Random House in Collected Plays, Vol. 2 by Bertolt Brecht, and was also published in a single volume in 1977 by Vintage Books/ Random House in a special hardback edition for the now defunct Fireside Theatre Stage & Screen book club. The musical has been filmed three times—in 1931, 1962, and 1989. Filmed in Germany, the first version was directed by G. W. Pabst and starred Rudolf Forster and Lotte Lenya. The obscure 1962 film used Blitzstein’s lyrics, and starred Curt Jurgens, Hildegarde Neff, Gert Frobe, and June Ritchie (Sammy Davis was the Street Singer). The score was conducted by Samuel Matlowsky (aka Matlovsky), the musical director of the 1954 production, and Jo Wilder (who had succeeded Jo Sullivan in the 1955 engagement) was the singing voice of Polly (the soundtrack was issued by RCA Victor Records [LP # LOC/LSO-1086]). The most recent film was released in 1989 as Mack the Knife, and it too is quite obscure. It starred Raul Julia and Julia Migenes; some of the lyrics were by Blitzstein (the soundtrack was issued by CBS Records, Inc. [LP # SM-45630]). Besides the above-mentioned recordings, there have been numerous others of the score, including one released by London Records (CD # 430-075-2-LH) with Ute Lemper as Polly. A 1994 British revival was recorded by Jay Records (CD # CDJAY-1244); the dialogue was translated by Robert David MacDonald, and the lyrics were adapted by Jeremy Sams. Incidentally, because of the rules in place at the time of the 1955 Off-Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera, the Tony Award winner for Best Featured Actress in a Musical was Lotte Lenya for her performance as Jenny. Scott Merrill was nominated as well, for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role of Macheath, but he lost to Russ Brown for his performance in Damn Yankees (Brown was one of the quartet who introduced “Heart,” and he’s also remembered for the title role in the 1941 flop Broadway musical Viva O’Brien).

THIS WAS BURLESQUE Theatre: Hudson Theatre Opening Date: March 16, 1965 Closing Date: June 6, 1965 Performances: 124 Direction: Ann Corio; Producer: Michael P. Iannuci; Choreography: Paul Morokoff; Costumes: Rex Huntington (Miss Corio’s gowns by Jacks of Hollywood, Martier-Raymond, and Rex Huntington); Musical Direction: Nick Francis Cast: Ann Corio, Steve Mills, Harry Conley, Dick Bernie, Paul West, Mac Dennison, Dexter Maitland, Kitty Lynne, Marilyn Marshall, Tina Kay; The Burley Cuties: Nicole Jaffee, Linda Donovan, Maria Bradley, Barbara Rhodes, Sharon Taylor, Jerry Beth Shotwell, Mary Alagia, Geraldine Barron, Betsy Haug, Rita O’Connor The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture; Prologue (Steve Mills, Dexter Maitland, Mac Dennison, Rita O’Connor, Betsy Haug); “Hello, Everybody” (The Burley Cuties); “Flirtation” (Steve Mills, Paul West, Ann Corio); “Bill Bailey” (aka “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please—Come Home?” and “[Won’t You Come Home] Bill Bailey”) (lyric and music by Hughie Cannon) (Mac Dennison, The Burley Cuties); “Hee Haw” (Dick Bernie, Dexter

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Maitland, Linda Donovan, Sharon Taylor); “Ecdysiast” (Maria Bradley); “Hotel de France” (Harry Conley, Paul West, Nicole Jaffe); “Dance l’Orient” (“Seduction of the Virgin Princess”) (lyric and music by Sonny Lester and Bill Grundy) (The Burley Cuties); “St. James Infirmary” (Mac Dennison, Dexter Maitland, Ann Corio); “Exotic” (Kitty Lynne); “Schoolroom” (Dick Bernie, Dexter Maitland, Barbara Rhodes, Nicole Jaffee, Maria Bradley); “Les Poules” (The Burley Cuties, Sharon Taylor); Mills and West (Steve Mills, Paul West); Marilyn Marshall; Finale (The Candy Butcher) Act Two: “Powder My Back” (Linda Donovan, The Burley Cuties); “Sutton Place” (Harry Conley, Ann Corio, Tina Kay); “White Cargo” (Steve Mills, Paul West, Ann Corio, Mac Dennison); “Evolution of Dance” (The Burley Cuties); “Hall of Fame” (Ann Corio, Linda Donovan); “Crazy House” (Company); Ann Corio (sequence included “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody” [lyric and music by Irving Berlin; from Ziegfeld Follies of 1919] and “Would You Like to Lay Your Head Upon My Pillow?”); Finale (Company) Ann Corio’s This Was Burlesque was a nostalgic look at old-time burlesque that had first opened OffBroadway at the Casino East Theatre on March 1, 1962, for 1,509 performances. After the marathon run downtown, the revue transferred to the Hudson Theatre on March 16, 1965, for 124 performances. The New York Times reported the uptown edition included new sketches, choreography, and costumes, but that the revue’s Off-Broadway prices would remain intact for the Hudson Theatre run (the full scale of prices ranged from $2.00 to a $4.95 top). Ann Corio told the Times the transfer made the revue “more accessible to tourists and theatergoers.” Corio was one of the most famous burlesque stars of them all, and for This Was Burlesque she appeared in a few sketches and also served as the revue’s narrator. Her program bio also listed her film credits (Call of the Jungle, Swamp Women, Jungle Siren, and Sarong Girl). The revue returned to Off-Broadway on February 11, 1970, at the Hudson West Theatre for 106 performances, and a Broadway production opened at the Princess Theatre on June 23, 1981, for 28 performances. The cast members of the 1981 revival included “Patrick” (“The All American Male Stripper”), Phil Ford (of “Phil Ford and Mimi Hines”), and Dexter Maitland (who had also appeared in the 1965 revival, and was seen in the 1967 film The Night They Raided Minsky’s where he introduced Lee Adams and Charles Strouse’s “Take Ten Terrific Girls [But Only Nine Costumes”]). A version of This Was Burlesque was shown on Home Box Office in 1976.

DO I HEAR A WALTZ? “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: March 18, 1965 Closing Date: September 25, 1965 Performances: 220 Book: Arthur Laurents Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo by Arthur Laurents. Direction: John Dexter; Producer: Richard Rodgers; Choreography: Herbert Ross (Wakefield Poole, Associate Choreographer); Scenery and Costumes: Beni Montresor; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Frederick Dvonch Cast: Elizabeth Allen (Leona Samish), Christopher Votos (Mauro), Carol Bruce (Signora Fioria), Stuart Damon (Eddie Yaeger), Julienne Marie (Jennifer Yaeger), Madeline Sherwood (Mrs. McIlhenny), Jack Manning (Mr. McIlhenny), Fleury D’Antonakis (Giovanna), James Dybas (Vito), Sergio Franchi (Renato Di Rossi), Michael Lamont (Man on Bridge), Helon Blount (Mrs. Victoria Haslam); Singers: Darrell Askey, Syndee Balaber, Bill Berrian, Helon Blount, Rudy Challenger, Pat Kelly, Liz Lamkin, Michael Lamont, James Luisi, Jack Murray, Carl Nicholas, Candide Pilla, Casper Roos, Bernice Saunders, Liza Stuart; Dancers: Jere Admire, Bob Bishop, Wayne De Rammelaere, Steve Jacobs, Sandy Leeds, Joe Nelson, Janice Peta, Walter Stratton, Nancy Van Rijn, Mary Zahn The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Venice at the present time.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Someone Woke Up” (Elizabeth Allen); “This Week Americans” (Carol Bruce); “What Do We Do? We Fly!” (Elizabeth Allen, Madeline Sherwood, Jack Manning, Stuart Damon, Julienne Marie); “Someone Like You” (Sergio Franchi); “Bargaining” (Sergio Franchi); “Here We Are Again” (Elizabeth Allen, James Dybas, Steve Jacobs, Sandy Leeds, Joe Nelson, Nancy Van Rijn, Mary Zahn); “Thinking” (Sergio Franchi, Elizabeth Allen); “No Understand” (Carol Bruce, Stuart Damon, Fleury D’Antonakis); “Take the Moment” (Sergio Franchi) Act Two: “Moon in My Window” (Julienne Marie, Carol Bruce, Elizabeth Allen); “We’re Gonna Be All Right” (Stuart Damon, Julienne Marie); “Do I Hear a Waltz?” (Elizabeth Allen, Company); “Stay” (Sergio Franchi); “Perfectly Lovely Couple” (Elizabeth Allen, Sergio Franchi, Jack Manning, Madeline Sherwood, Julienne Marie, Stuart Damon, Fleury D’Antonakis, Carol Bruce); “Thank You So Much” (Sergio Franchi, Elizabeth Allen) Do I Hear a Waltz? was adapted by Arthur Laurents from his 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which played for 263 performances; the drama starred Shirley Booth, and was sadly the final production to play at the fabled Empire Theatre. In 1955, the play was filmed as Summertime; David Lean directed, and Katharine Hepburn starred. Laurents’s libretto closely followed the plot of his play. Set in Venice, the story centered on lonely, spinsterish Leona Samish (Elizabeth Allen), who’s vacationing in Italy. She’s somewhat off-putting and has the irritating habit of calling everyone “cookie.” Staying at the Pensione Fioria, she meets a happily married older couple, Mr. and Mrs. McIlhenny (Jack Manning and Madeleine Sherwood), and a vaguely unhappy younger couple, Jennifer and Eddie Yaeger (Julienne Marie and Stuart Damon). Rounding out the quintet are the pensione’s owner Signora Fioria (Carol Bruce) and her hapless maid Giovanna (Fleury D’Antonakis). When Leona wanders into a curio shop she’s enchanted by a beautiful eighteenth-century red Venetian glass goblet, and begins talking with the shop’s owner Renato Di Rossi (Sergio Franchi). Both are attracted to one another, and arrange to meet later. When Leona learns Renato is married (albeit separated from his wife), her first instinct is to cut off all contact, but then decides to deal with his marriage and live in the moment of their affair. But Leona is her own worst enemy: Thinking Di Rossi is after her money, she causes an ugly and hurtful scene that alienates Di Rossi and her fellow tourists. Di Rossi tells her she’s too suspicious and untrusting, and that he’s lost all interest in continuing their affair. By the end of the musical, it’s ambiguous as to whether Leona can learn to trust others and stop the emotional merry-go-round of suspecting everyone’s motives and always attributing the worst to those who would love her if only she’d give them the chance. She tells Di Rossi she’s learned from the experience, and won’t even call anyone “cookie” anymore. But after her final farewell to him, the first person she meets she calls “cookie.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the musical was about a tourist who traveled to Venice and didn’t have any fun (“What more can I tell you?”). He compared the libretto to a “straight play, played at straight-play pace, virtually unrelieved by either dancing or comedy,” and noted Beni Montresor’s blurred décor of burnished monochromatic panels (which lacked primary colors and even banished many pastels) was suggestive of deliberate restraint on the part of the musical’s creators to offer a “serious and very dry . . . careful, deliberate . . . [and] honest” approach to “earnest intentions.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times said Do I Hear a Waltz? was “not a great musical,” but he praised the creators’ “courage” to avoid “garishness and stridency” in the “low key” evening. John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt there was “something extremely unsatisfactory” in the way Leona and Di Rossi’s romantic relationship was depicted, and John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the evening “rueful” and “solemn.” Richard Watts in the New York Post had “strong reservations” about the book, and noted it was hard to believe the “beautiful” Elizabeth Allen could have such trouble finding a man (which he could attribute only to her “loathsome habit” of calling everyone “cookie”). Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun found the musical “of considerably less than epic proportions” which nonetheless was a “beguiling blend of softness and radiance.” Watts mentioned the score was “charmingly melodious,” and indeed the Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim score was one of the most romantic of the era, with no less than six shimmering ballads (“Someone Like You,” “Take the Moment,” “Moon in My Window,” “Stay,” “Thank You So Much,” and the title song,

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the score’s most popular number). There was also an exciting opening number for Leona in “Someone Woke Up,” which expressed her excitement upon seeing Venice for the first time, and, in “Here We Are Again,” a sweetly sardonic one for her as she sits alone sipping Campari in the Piazza San Marco (and wondering if she should ask the waiter what he’s doing later). There were also amusing comedy songs, especially Di Rossi’s tour de force “Bargaining,” a one-man duet as duplicitous shopkeeper and would-be customer; Signora Fioria’s world-weary “This Week Americans,” a sort of kissing cousin to Sail Away’s “Why Do the Wrong People Travel?”; “No Understand,” a trio for Signora Fioria, Eddie, and Giovanna in which everything is sung between the lines, as it were; the somewhat extraneous but funny “What Do We Do? We Fly!,” a diatribe against flying, which perhaps isn’t all that extraneous considering the number is performed by tourists who have just gotten off a plane; and the jaded duet for Eddie and Jennifer, “We’re Gonna Be All Right.” It seems everyone connected with Do I Hear a Waltz? has disowned it, but the book has more integrity than most and never wallows in cheap laughs, and Rodgers and Sondheim’s intimate score is perfect for what is essentially a wry chamber musical about generally unhappy people. Not perhaps the stuff of a popular Broadway smash, but definitely the kind of musical small theatre companies should discover. Songs deleted during the tryout were: “Perhaps,” “Two by Two,” “Everybody Loves Leona,” and “Philadelphia.” During the tryout, “What Do We Do? We Fly!” was titled “Plane Song.” The demo recording includes “Perhaps,” “Two by Two,” and “Everybody Loves Leona.” The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1966. Sondheim’s Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes (Alfred A. Knopf, 2010) includes the lyrics of the songs in Do I Hear a Waltz?, including the cut numbers “Perhaps,” “Two by Two,” and “Everybody Loves Leona” (but not “Philadelphia”). The collection also includes the original lyric of “We’re Gonna Be All Right,” which can be heard on Sondheim: A Musical Tribute (Warner Brothers Records LP # 2WS-2705); the original words are cynical and scabrous, the final version is a bit softer and certainly not as flippant. The cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-6370 and # KOS-2770), and was issued on CD by Sony Broadway Records (# SK-48206). The instrumental recording Music from “Do I Hear a Waltz?” by the Ralph Sharon Trio was released by Columbia Records (LP # CL-2321 and # CS-9121), and another instrumental recording, Do I Hear a Waltz? by Percy Faith and His Orchestra was released by Columbia (LP # CL-2317 and # CS-9117). A 2001 Pasadena Playhouse production was recorded by Fynsworth Alley Records (CD # 302-062-126-2) and includes the cut song “Everybody Loves Leona”; the cast included Alyson Reed (Leona), Anthony Crivello (Renato), Carol Lawrence (Signora Fioria), and Off-Broadway Baby Elmarie Wendel (Mrs. McIlhenny). Do I Hear a Waltz? was the subject of the CBS documentary show Camera Three; the episode “The Making of Do I Hear a Waltz?” includes interviews with Sondheim, Laurents, and Montresor, and makes for particularly interesting viewing because of the sometimes blunt and acerbic comments by Sondheim and Laurents.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Elizabeth Allen); Best Composer and Lyricist (Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim); Best Scenic Designer (Beni Montresor)

THE SAINT OF BLEECKER STREET Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: March 18, 1965 Closing Date: March 28, 1965 Performances: 2 Libretto, Music, and Direction: Gian-Carlo Menotti Producer: The New York City Opera; Scenery and Costumes: Robert Randolph; Musical Direction: Vincent La Selva

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Cast: Muriel (Costa) Greenspon (Assunta), Mary Jennings (Carmela), Anita Darian (Maria Corona), Clyde Ventura (Maria Corona’s Son), Thomas Paul (Don Marco), Joan Sena (Annina), Enrico Di Giuseppe (Michele), Beverly Wolff (Desideria), David Smith (Salvatore), Wendy Morris (Concettina), Anthony Safina (A Young Man), Charlotte Povia (A Young Woman), Anthea De Forest (Woman), Don Henderson (Bartender), Richard Krause (First Guest), William Ledbetter (Second Guest); New York City Opera Chorus The opera was presented in three acts. The action takes place in the Little Italy section of New York City at the present time. Gian-Carlo Menotti’s opera The Saint of Bleecker Street was first performed at the Broadway Theatre on December 27, 1954, for ninety-two performances. Some find the libretto melodramatic and the music watereddown Puccini, but in truth Menotti wrote a powerful “operatic” story with an attractive and lyrical score that captures the passions of the characters and the atmosphere of its New York locale (note the “subway” music at the beginning of the third act). The libretto dealt with religious mysticism, jealousy, murder, and a semiincestuous relationship, all blended together against the colorful background of New York’s Little Italy with its San Gennaro street festival, Italian weddings, garbage-strewn subway stations, and deserted street corners. The story focuses on Annina and her brother Michele. She is a sickly young woman who has religious visions, healing powers, and stigmata, but atheist Michele derides her beliefs and discourages her desire to become a nun. Michele wants her to leave their Catholic ghetto with its Old World religious beliefs and embrace modern-day America, and their differing views come to a head in the opera’s most vivid sequence, the San Gennaro festival. The devout Catholics of the neighborhood revere Annina, and with her mark of stigmata want her to take part in their Good Friday procession. Michele forbids Annina to join them, but the neighbors beat him and tie him Christ-like to a fence and then carry off Annina to the festival. Later, at a neighborhood wedding, Michele’s sluttish girl friend Desideria accuses him of being sexually attracted to his sister, and in a rage over her insinuation he stabs her to death. Meanwhile, Annina’s health is failing, and the fugitive Michele surrenders to the law as he sees her for the last time. Annina reiterates her wish to become a nun, and is overjoyed when her priest announces the Church has granted her a special dispensation. As the religious ceremony comes to an end, Annina becomes the Bride of Christ on her deathbed. In reviewing the original production, Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times said the opera was the “most powerful drama of the season,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News noted it was “wonderful musical theatre.” The “musical drama” (which is how Menotti designated the work) was beautifully sung (on opening night, Virginia Copeland was Annina, David Poleri was Michele, and Gloria Lane was Desideria), and Thomas Schippers conducted an orchestra of some sixty musicians, apparently a Broadway record. The work won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award as Best Musical of the 1954–1955 season and the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Music. The New York City Opera has revived the work four times, twice in 1965, and then in 1976 and 1978. The 1965 revivals were seen at City Center. The March 1965 revival was the first time the opera had been presented in New York since the original production; the second one was produced in September of that year with Julia Migenes in the role of Annina (see entry). The company’s third and fourth revivals opened at the New York State Theatre, the former on November 5, 1976, the latter on April 13, 1978, for three performances apiece; Catherine Malfitano sang Annina for both productions. For the March 1965 revival, the cast included Joan Sena (Annina), Enrico Di Guiseppe (Michele), and Beverly Wolff (Desideria). Other members of the production included Muriel (Costa) Greenspon and Anita Darian, and Vincent La Seiva conducted. In his review for the New York Times, Howard Klein praised the cast and noted the libretto sometimes generated “strong theater”; but at other times the story bogged down with “heart-on-sleeve attempts at drama.” Klein said there was “plenty of melody” in the opera, but it was “almost all pure romantic bathos.” The libretto was published in softcover by G. Schirmer, in 1954. The original cast album was recorded by RCA Victor Records on a three-LP set (# LM-6032; later reissued on LP # CBM-2714; the CD was issued by Arkiv Music/Masterworks Broadway RCA Records # 88697-91290-2). A 2001 production by the Spoleto Festival was recorded on a two-CD set by Chandos Records (# CHAN-9971[2]). Ken Wlaschin in Gian-Carlo Menotti on Screen: Opera, Dance and Choral Works on Film, Television and Video (McFarland & Company, 1999) reports there have been four television adaptations of the opera. The first was telecast on NBC Opera Theatre on May 15, 1955, just six weeks after the opera closed on Broadway;

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the cast included Virginia Copeland (Annina), Richard Cassilly (Michele), Rosemary Kuhlmann (Desideria), and Leon Lishner (Don Marco). Samuel Krachmalnick conducted the NBC Symphony of the Air Orchestra, and Kirk Browning directed the live production, which has been preserved on private video. On October 4, 1956, the opera was telecast on the BBC, with a cast that included Virginia Copeland, Raymond Nilsson (Michele), Rosalind Elias (Desideria), Jess Walters (Don Marco), and June Bronhill (Carmela); as he did for the original Broadway production, Thomas Schippers conducted. The 1978 New York City Opera was telecast live on PBS on April 19, 1978, with Catherine Malfitano, and the production was released on videocassette by Classical Video. The 1986 Italian Spoleto Festival’s production was seen on Italian television on August 7, 1986; Adriana Morelli was Annina. Three weeks after the premiere of the Broadway production, a twenty-minute segment of the opera’s second act wedding sequence was presented on CBS’s The Ed Sullivan Show, then known as Toast of the Town. Wlaschin reports that the entire one-hundred-member cast and the huge orchestra (conducted by Schippers) performed, including both Copeland and Poleri as well as their alternates Gabrielle Ruggiero and Davis Cunningham.

MAURICE CHEVALIER AT 77 Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: April 1, 1965 Closing Date: May 1, 1965 Performances: 31 Producer: Alexander H. Cohen; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Fred Stamer (Piano) The revue was presented in one act.

Musical Numbers (Program Note: “These are songs associated with Chevalier, most of which he will sing for you this evening in the order that fits the mood and the music.”) “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” (from the 1958 film Gigi; lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe); “Stations of Life” (sketch by Maurice Chevalier); “Place Pigalle” (lyric and music by Maurice Chevalier and Alstone); Medley of Songs by Cole Porter; “Valentine” (lyric and music by Albert Willemetz and Henri Christine); “Some People” (Gypsy, 1959; lyric by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Styne); “Un p’tit air” (lyric and music by Albert Wellemetz and Mireille); “I Remember It Well” (Gigi; lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe); “Un clochard m’a dit” (lyric and music by Noel Roux and Georges Garvarentz); “You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me” (1930 film The Big Pond; lyric and music by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal, and Pierre Norman); “When You’re Smiling” (lyric and music by Mark Fisher, Joe Goodwin, and Larry Shay); “Hello, Dolly!” (Hello, Dolly!, 1963; lyric and music by Jerry Herman); “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” (lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by Harry Warren); “La leçon de Paris” (lyric and music by Maurice Vandair and Henry Betti); “Paris tu rajeunis” (lyric and music by Noel Roux and Andre Popp); “Louise” (1929 film Innocents of Paris; lyric by Leo Robin, music by Richard A. Whiting); “À Las Vegas” (lyric and music by Albert Willemetz and Louiguy); “Hello, Beautiful” (lyric and music by Walter Donaldson); “Mimi la blonde” (lyric and music by Jean Drejac and Heino Gaze); “Accents melodiques” (sketch by Maurice Chevalier); “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore” (Gigi; lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe); “Au revoir” (lyric and music by Jean Drejac and Fred Freed); “Mimi” (1932 film Love Me Tonight; lyric by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rodgers); “Ah donnez m’en de la chanson” (lyric by Rene Rouzaud, music by Marguerite Monnot); Medley of Songs by George Gershwin; “Spectatuers spectaculaires” (sketch by Maurice Chevalier); “La tendresse” (lyric and music by Noel Roux and Hubert Giraud); “Paris je t’aime” (lyric by Battaille and Henri, music by Victor Schertzinger); “La Miss” (lyric and music by Henri Salvador)

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This was Maurice Chevalier’s seventh (and sadly last) visit to Broadway; for almost thirty-five years he had appeared on the Broadway stage in well-received one-man shows, and with Maurice Chevalier at 77 he went out with a flourish of critical valentines (for more information about his first six Broadway appearances, see Maurice Chevalier). His current visit also extended the season’s Parisian atmosphere. One of the season’s book musicals (Ben Franklin in Paris) was set in Paris, and earlier in the season New York had seen two Parisian revues, Folies Bergères and Zizi. So it was fitting that the Parisian “season” ended with that most Parisian of all entertainers, the grand boulevardier Chevalier. With his trademark straw hat and his jutting lower lip, Chevalier was accompanied by pianist Fred Stamer (who had performed similar duties for Chevalier’s previous Broadway visit) as he sang a number of songs he’d either introduced or was associated with, and thus his audiences heard such standards as “Mimi,” “Louise,” “Valentine,” “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” “I Remember It Well,” “You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me,” “Place Pigalle,” and “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.” There were also a number of French songs, medleys of Gershwin and Porter, and such relatively recent Broadway standards as “Some People” and “Hello, Dolly” (the latter with revised lyrics as “Hello, New York”). Chevalier also chatted with the audience, did impressions, and offered a couple of sketches. For “Stations of Life” he discussed his own “ages of man” (for example, at age seventy it’s “easy to be a saint,” and as for age seventyseven, it feels fine “considering the alternative”). Howard Taubman in the New York Times said Chevalier was still able to “hold an audience riveted and finally begging for more,” and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun noted Chevalier’s “particular brand of tenderness” wasn’t “a commercial substitute for the real thing. It is the real thing.” Richard Watts in the New York Post summed up Chevalier by saying he “always has been one of the most superb and winning of international entertainers. . . . I’ve never found myself liking him more than I did last night.” Chevalier was actually seventy-six at the time of the revue’s opening (he noted he was in his “seventyseventh year”) because his birthday wasn’t until September 12. But one or two critics thought he had turned seventy-seven the previous September 12.

HALF A SIXPENCE Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre Opening Date: April 25, 1965 Closing Date: July 16, 1966 Performances: 511 Book: Beverley Cross Lyrics and Music: David Heneker (“Shop Ballet” music by Robert Prince) Based on the 1905 novel Kipps by H. G. Wells. Direction: Gene Saks; Producers: Allen-Hodgdon, Stevens Productions, and Harold Fielding (Jane C. Nusbaum, Associate Producer); Choreography: Onna White (Tom Panko, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery and Costumes: Loudon Sainthill (Jane Greenwood, Costume Supervision); Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Stanley Lebowsky Cast: Tommy Steele (Arthur Kipps), Will Mackenzie (Sid Pornick), Norman Allen (Buggins), Grover Dale (Pearce), William Larsen (Carshot), Michele Hardy (Flo), Reby Howells (Emma), Louise Quick (Kate), Sally Lee (Victoria), Mercer McLeod (Mr. Shalford), Ann Shoemaker (Mrs. Walsingham), Trescott Ripley (Mrs. Botting), Polly James (Ann Pornick), John Cleese (Young Walsingham), Carrie Nye (Helen Walsingham), James Grout (Chitterlow), Eleonore Treiber (Laura), Rosanna Huffman (Girl Student), Sterling Clark (Boy Student), Sean Allan (Photographer), Robert Gorman (Photographer’s Assistant), Reid Klein (First Reporter), Fred Cline (Second Reporter), Ann Rachel (Gwendolin); Dancers: Diane Blair, Lynn Fields, Sally Ransone, Sterling Clark, Robert Karl, Alan Peterson, Bill Stanton, Ron Schwinn; Singers: Sean Allan, Fred Cline, Robert Gorman, Glenn Kezer, Reid Klein, John Knapp, Max Norman, Carol Richards, Ann Rachel, Constance Moffit, Rosanna Huffman The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Folkestone, England, in 1900.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Shop Ballet” (Employees and Customers of Mr. Shalford’s Emporium); “All in the Cause of Economy” (Tommy Steele, Will Mackenzie, Norman Allen, Grover Dale); “Half a Sixpence” (Tommy Steele, Polly James); “Money to Burn” (Tommy Steele, Eleonore Treiber, Men); “A Proper Gentleman” (Tommy Steele, Will Mackenzie, Norman Allen, Grover Dale, Shopgirls); “She’s Too Far Above Me” (Tommy Steele); “If the Rain’s Got to Fall” (Tommy Steele, Grover Dale, Will Mackenzie, Norman Allan, Shopgirls, Singers, Dancers); “The Old Military Canal” (Singers) Act Two: “A Proper Gentleman” (reprise) (Tommy Steele, Ann Shoemaker, Carrie Nye, Trescott Ripley, John Cleese, Party Guests); “Long Ago” (Tommy Steele, Polly James); “Flash Bang Wallop” (Tommy Steele, Polly James, James Grout, Mercer McLeod, Grover Dale, Will Mackenzie, Norman Allen, Shopgirls, Singers); “I Know What I Am” (Polly James); “The Party’s On the House” (Tommy Steele, Grover Dale, Will Mackenzie, Norman Allen, Shopgirls, Singers, Dancers); “Half a Sixpence” (reprise) (Tommy Steele, Polly James); “All in the Cause of Economy” (reprise) (Michele Hardy, Grover Dale, Will Mackenzie, Norman Allen); Finale (Company) Based on H. G. Wells’s novel Kipps, Half a Sixpence told the slight but charming story of orphaned Arthur Kipps (Tommy Steele), a poor young man who works as an apprentice draper in Folkestone at the turn of the twentieth century. Among his friends are Sid (Will Mackenzie) and Sid’s sister Ann (Polly James), whom he’s known since childhood and who works as a domestic. Kipps asks her to be his sweetheart, and offers her a “lovers’ token” of half a sixpence. He’ll keep his half, she’ll keep hers, and thus the sixpence will be a reminder of their love. Kipps’s luck seems to be on the rise, with Ann his girl and now suddenly the promise of a vast inheritance from the mother he never knew. Meanwhile, Kipps attends evening classes in woodwork, and there meets well-to-do volunteer Helen Walsingham (Carrie Nye), with whom he becomes smitten. Soon he jilts Ann and becomes engaged to Helen, but ultimately realizes it’s Ann he loves. After Kipps and Ann’s wedding, he discovers his fortune has been lost in poor speculation by Helen’s brother (John Cleese) and there’s not a penny left. But Ann reminds him they still have their sixpence. The wispy story was bolstered by Tommy Steele’s winning performance, a delightful score (especially “If the Rain’s Got to Fall,” “She’s Too Far Above Me,” and the title song), and Onna White’s lively choreography. Howard Taubman in the New York Times found the musical a “Victorian soap opera” set to music with an overly sentimental book of some “stickiness.” He felt the performances, the musical numbers, and especially Onna White’s choreography redeemed the evening, including her “cheerful ballet” in the draper’s shop (the “Shop Ballet,” which was never listed in the programs and which preceded “All in the Cause of Economy”), the “speed and fire” of the “rousing” “Money to Burn,” and the show’s “most cheerful” songand-dance number, “If the Rain’s Got to Fall.” Taubman also praised White’s skillful choreography for “The Old Military Canal,” which managed to blend the movements of “self-conscious and amusing refinement” with the “skip and sway” of old-time operetta. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune complained that with the exception of Onna White’s dances, the evening wasn’t “stirring,” noting it wasn’t a show you “want to fault,” it’s just one “you want to have more fun with.” As for Steele, Kerr mentioned he was the subject of the film The Tommy Steele Story (“which is not to be held against him”) and felt he lacked the kind of celebrity that enables some performers to write their names “with one bold swipe that makes them easy to identify. . . . Steele seems to me a collection of sound qualities in which no one quality makes a bigger sound than the others.” (The 1957 film that Kerr referenced is also known as Rock Around the World.) Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the musical was “tapioca pudding” in London but for Broadway was “cherries jubilee,” all this mainly due to Onna White’s contributions. Like Taubman, he too praised the “Shop Ballet,” which managed to telescope into a few minutes the entire day of a shop’s “frantic but cleverly organized activity” (the “Shop Ballet” and Gower Champion’s celebrated ballet “The Sale” from 1951’s Make a Wish would make an interesting pairing). He also enjoyed the dance sequences White devised for “Money to Burn” and “If the Rain’s Got to Fall.” The company was one of the season’s “most exuberant and talented,” and thanks to White and her dancers, a musical that “strolled” in London was now “skipping merrily” in New York. John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the musical was a “big blooming hit,” and he couldn’t begin to estimate “how many half-sixpences it’s going to pull in.” He enjoyed White’s “zingy

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choreography” and noted Steele was a “sort of gorblimey Eddie Bracken” with a “magnetic personality.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News said Half a Sixpence was the “dancingest show on Broadway,” and Richard Watts in the New York Post said “If the Rain’s Got to Fall” was “one of the catchiest airs of the season,” and of the dances he singled out the “Shop Ballet.” The musical was first produced in London at the Cambridge Theatre on March 21, 1963, for 677 performances (some sources cite 679 performances). The cast included Steele, Marti Webb (Ann), and Anna Barry (Helen); John Dexter directed, and the choreography was by Edmund Balin. The London cast recording was released by Decca Records (LP # SLK/LK-4521), and includes five of six songs that weren’t heard in the Broadway production (“The Oak and the Ash,” “I’m Not Talking to You,” “The One That’s Run Away,” “I’ll Build a Palace,” and “I Only Want a Little House”);“Hip, Hip, Hoorah!” was used in the London production but wasn’t recorded (it seems to have been a prelude to “The Old Military Canal”). For New York, one new song was added (“The Party’s on the House”); Gene Saks directed, and White provided new choreography. (The Broadway Playbill was one of the first to use a color cover.) During the pre-Broadway tryout, the songs “I Don’t Believe a Word of It” and “I’ll Build a Palace” were dropped; Ann Shoemaker replaced Charlotte Rae in the part of Mrs. Walsingham, Michele Hardy (who had played the role of Kate during the tryout) replaced April Shawhan in the role of Flo, and Louise Quick was Kate. The Broadway cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1110; the CD was also released by RCA [# 09026-63691-2]). “If the Rain’s Got to Fall” was part of the repertoire of the American Dance Machine company, and the number is included in the collection The American Dance Machine: A Celebration of Broadway Dance (MGM/CBS Home Video # CV-400056); for the video, Gwen Verdon, Wayne Cilento, and the American Dance Machine Company perform the number. The script of the Broadway version of the musical was published in softcover by the Dramatic Publishing Company in 1967. The charmless and bloated 1967 film version by Paramount was directed by George Sidney, with Beverley Cross adapting his libretto for the screen; Steele reprised his stage role, and Grover Dale, who was Pearce in the Broadway production, also appeared in the film along with Julia Foster (Ann), Cyril Ritchard (Chitterlow), and Penelope Horner (Helen). Two new songs were written for the film, “Lady Botting’s Boating Regatta Cup Racing Song (The Race Is On)” and “This Is My World,” and “I’m Not Talking to You” was reinstated from the original London production. Julia Foster’s singing voice was by London’s original Ann, Marti Webb. The DVD was released by Paramount Home Entertainment (# 06721).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Half a Sixpence); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Tommy Steele); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (James Grout); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Carrie Nye); Best Author of a Musical (Beverley Cross); Best Producer of a Musical (Allen-Hodgdon, Stevens Productions, and Harold Fielding); Best Director of a Musical (Gene Saks); Best Composer and Lyricist (David Heneker); Best Choreographer (Onna White)

GUYS AND DOLLS “A MUSICAL FABLE

OF

BROADWAY”

Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 28, 1965 Closing Date: May 9, 1965 Performances: 15 Book: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows Lyrics and Music: Frank Loesser Based on various characters in short stories by Damon Runyon, including “Blood Pressure” (1930) and “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” (1933). Direction: Gus Schirmer Jr.; Producer: New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Ralph Beaumont; Scenery: Jo Mielziner’s scenery for the original 1950 pro-

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duction adapted by Peter Wolf; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Irving Actman Cast: Jack De Lon (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Joey Faye (Benny Southstreet), Ed Becker (Rusty Charlie, Joey Biltmore), Anita Gillette (Sarah Brown), Clarence Nordstrom (Arvide Abernathy, Mission Band Member), Jeanne Schlegel (Mission Band Member), Maria Hero (Mission Band Member), Claire Waring (Mission Band Member, General Matilda B. Cartwright), Arthur Santry (Mission Band Member), Joy Franz (Mission Band Member), Tom Pedi (Harry the Horse), Frank Campanella (Lieutenant Brannigan), Alan King (Nathan Detroit), Vern Shinnal (Angie the Ox), Sheila MacRae (Miss Adelaide), Jerry Orbach (Sky Masterson), Ginna Carr (Mimi), Jake LaMotta (Big Jule), Stuart Mann (Drunk), Philip Lucas (Waiter); Dancers: Rita Agnese, Suzanne Channel, Dorothy D’Honau, Tina Faye, Shelley Frankel, Leslie Franzos, Ginny Gan, Altouise Gore, Shari Greene, Maureen Hopkins, Joan Kruger, Violetta Landek, Maria Strattin, Frank Coppola, Luigi Gasparinetti, Fernando Grahal, Mark J. Holliday, Daniel Joel, Carlos Macri, Mitchell Nutick, Paul Owsley, Charles Reeder, Marc Scott, Ronald Stratton; Singers: Joy Franz, Maria Hero, Jeanne Schlegel, Ken Ayres, Edward Becker, Walter P. Brown, Victor P. Helou, Henry Lawrence, Philip Lucas, Jim Lynn, Stuart Mann, John Peck, Michael Quinn, Darrell Sandeen, Arthur Santry The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City and in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Musical Numbers Act One: Opening (aka “Runyonland”) (Ensemble); “Fugue for Tinhorns” (Jack De Lon, Joey Faye, Ed Becker); “Follow the Fold” (Anita Gillette, Clarence Nordstrom, Mission Band Members); “The Oldest Established” (Alan King, Jack De Lon, Joey Faye, Ensemble); “I’ll Know” (Anita Gillette, Jerry Orbach); “A Bushel and a Peck” (Sheila MacRae, Hot Box Girls); “Adelaide’s Lament” (Sheila MacRae); “Guys and Dolls (Jack De Lon, Joey Faye); “San Juan” (Ensemble); “If I Were a Bell” (Anita Gillette); “My Time of Day” (Jerry Orbach); “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” (Jerry Orbach, Anita Gillette) Act Two: “Take Back Your Mink” (Sheila MacRae, Hot Box Girls); “Adelaide’s Lament” (reprise) (Sheila MacRae); “More I Cannot Wish You” (Clarence Nordstrom); “The Crap Game Dance” (Ensemble); “Luck Be a Lady” (Jerry Orbach, Crap Shooters); “Sue Me” (Alan King, Sheila MacRae); “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” (Jack De Lon, Ensemble); “Follow the Fold” (reprise) (Mission Meeting Group); “Marry the Man Today” (Sheila MacRae, Anita Gillette); “Guys and Dolls” (reprise) (Company) City Center’s 1965 revival of Guys and Dolls was its second of three productions of Frank Loesser’s classic. The original production opened at the 46th Street (now Richard Rodgers) Theatre on November 24, 1950, for 1,200 performances. The cast included Robert Alda (Sky Masterson), Isabel Bigley (Sarah Brown), Vivian Blaine (Miss Adelaide), and Sam Levene (Nathan Detroit). Including the three City Center productions, the musical has been revived six times in New York. The first revival was produced by City Center on April 20, 1955, in two slightly separated engagements for a total of thirty-one performances. The cast included Ray Shaw (Sky), Leila Martin (Sarah), Helen Gallagher (Miss Adelaide), and Walter Matthau (Nathan). After the 1965 revival, City Center revisited the work one more time, on June 8, 1966, for twenty-three performances (see entry). The cast included Hugh O’Brien (Sky), Barbara Meister (Sarah), Vivian Blaine (Miss Adelaide), and Jan Murray (Nathan). Also in the cast was B. S. Pully as Big Jule. Like Blaine, he reprised his role from the original production. After the three City Center revivals, there were three major Broadway productions. The first was an allblack version that opened at the Broadway Theatre on July 21, 1976, for 239 performances. James Randolph (Sky), Ernestine Jackson (Sarah), Norma Donaldson (Miss Adelaide), and Robert Guillaume (Nathan) headed the cast. Jackson’s “If I Were a Bell” was a near-definitive interpretation, and Donaldson and Guillaume were outstanding in their comic roles. The somewhat overrated 1992 revival opened at the Martin Beck (now Hirschfeld) Theatre on April 14, 1992, for 1,143 performances with Peter Gallagher (Sky), Jossie De Guzman (Sarah), Faith Prince (Miss Adelaide), and Nathan (Lane) as Nathan (Detroit). Also in the cast was Walter Bobbie as Nicely-Nicely Johnson.

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The most recent revival opened on March 1, 2009, at the Nederlander Theatre for a short run of 121 performances. The cast included Craig Bierko (Sky), Kate Jennings Grant (Sarah), Lauren Graham (Miss Adelaide), and Oliver Platt (Nathan). The original London production opened at the Coliseum Theatre on May 28, 1953, for 555 performances, and the cast included Jerry Wayne (Sky) and Lizabeth Webb (Sarah). From the original Broadway cast were Vivian Blaine (Miss Adelaide), Sam Levene (Nathan), Stubby Kaye (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Tom Pedi (Harry the Horse), and Johnny Silver (Benny Southstreet). Also in the cast was Lou Jacobi as Liver Lips Louie. The 1955 Samuel Goldwyn film version offered fresh, stylized sets and offbeat (Marlon Brando was Sky and Jean Simmons was Sarah, and both acquitted themselves proudly) and traditional casting (from the original cast were Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide and Stubby Kaye as Nicely-Nicely Johnson), but Frank Sinatra as Nathan was an interesting casting choice which didn’t quite work out. For the film, Loesser wrote three new songs, “Adelaide,” “A Woman in Love,” and “Pet Me, Poppa.” The script was published in softcover by Doubleday Anchor Books in the 1956 collection From the American Drama: The Modern Theatre Series, Volume Four, edited by Eric Bentley. The script was also published in softcover in The Guys and Dolls Book by Methuen in 1982; the volume also included the complete Damon Runyon short story “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and articles about both Loesser and the 1982 British National Theatre production. There are numerous recordings of the score, but the definitive one is the original cast recording issued by Decca Records (LP # DL-8036). The CD was issued by Decca Broadway Records (# 012-159-112-2) and includes four numbers from the film’s soundtrack (“A Woman in Love,” “I’ll Know,” “If I Were a Bell,” and “Luck Be a Lady”). A two-CD studio cast album with Emily Loesser, Gregg Edelman, Kim Criswell, and Tim Flavin was released by Jay Records (# CDJAY2-1294) and includes the complete dance music of “Runyonland,” “The Crapshooters’ Ballet,” and the “Havana” sequence as well as entr’acte music, the reprise version of “Adelaide’s Lament,” and the “Adelaide Meets Sarah” sequence. The recording also includes four bonus tracks, the three songs written for the film and “Traveling Light,” which was heard during the original production’s tryout (performed by Sky and Nathan). Some sources indicate “Traveling Light” was performed on the opening night of the original Broadway production, and at least one other source states that while the song wasn’t performed on opening night it was nonetheless listed in the Playbill. For the record, the opening night Playbill does not list the song. Another song deleted during the tryout was “Three-Cornered Tune” (for Arvide, Sarah, Agatha, and Calvin), which utilized the same music as “Fugue for Tinhorns.” During the early part of the tryout, “The Oldest Established” was titled “Action.” In reviewing the 1965 City Center revival, Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the work was a “happy, exuberant example of the American musical theatre at the top of its form,” and while Frank Loesser had enjoyed many successes in his career he never “sustained so joyous a series of flights” as he did with his score for Guys and Dolls. Taubman praised the cast, which included Jerry Orbach (Sky), Anita Gillette (Sarah), Sheila MacRae (Miss Adelaide), and Alan King (Nathan). Other cast members included Joey Faye, and, from the original 1950 cast, Tom Pedi as Harry the Horse. Taubman urged his readers to see this “Broadway landmark”: the book was still “funny,” the score still the “tops.” Incidentally, in a bow to the politics of the day, the production had Sky taking Sarah to Puerto Rico (not Cuba) for the weekend.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Jerry Orbach)

KEN MURRAY’S HOLLYWOOD Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: May 10, 1965 Closing Date: May 22, 1965 Performances: 16 Commentary and Film Footage: Ken Murray; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen (Arthur Whitelaw, Associate Producer); Scenery and Lighting: Ralph Alswang

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Cast: Ken Murray (Commentator), Armin Hoffman (Pianist) The revue was presented in two acts.

Commentary, Film, and Musical Sequences Act One: Prelude (Armin Hoffman); “Hollywood’s Number One Movie Fan” (Ken Murray); “Hollywood Family Album” (“A period of retrospection for one generation and a glimpse into an unfamiliar world for the younger set”); “San Simeon” (“The fabulous castle and estate of the late William Randolph Hearst: first showing of films taken some thirty years ago, giving an intimate picture of this showplace, its owner, and the glamorous people invited there”) Act Two: ‘Backstage with Bill and Coo” (“A visit on the set of Ken Murray’s Academy Award–winning feature length motion picture, made with three hundred parakeets. Bill and Coo will be re-released soon in your favorite motion picture theatre”); “Hollywood, Thirty Years Later” (“Dedicated to all those who cherish the movies as the living historical record of our changing styles, manners and customs”) Ken Murray first appeared on Broadway in the revue Earl Carroll’s Sketch Book, which opened at the Majestic Theatre on June 4, 1935, for 207 performances. He next returned with Ken Murray’s Blackouts of 1949 (he “conceived,” directed, wrote, and starred in the revue), which opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on October 15, 1949, for 51 performances. Although it played at a traditional Broadway theatre, Ken Murray’s Hollywood, his final New York effort, wasn’t a play or a musical but an evening of live commentary and home movies that were shown twice a day at the John Golden Theatre on a reserved-seat policy which included a Playbill thrown in for good measure. While footage of old Hollywood was shown on a large screen, Murray sat at stage right and offered commentary while at stage left pianist Armin Hoffman contributed background music. A note in the Playbill explained that upon Murray’s arrival in Hollywood in 1927, he began taking 16 mm movies and continued to do so for the next three decades. His “several thousand miles of film” captured film stars in their homes and studios, and “without realizing it” he “captured the unofficial history of Hollywood.” Ken Murray’s Hollywood was “an attempt toward a new depth and dimension in telling the intimate side of movietown history.” New York Times’ film critic Howard Thompson said the compilation of thirty-eight years of candid-camera footage was an “extremely nice” event that went over “beautifully.” He suggested the “folksy, fascinating novelty about [Broadway’s] ancient rival . . . may be just what the Broadway theater needs.” He found Murray a “genial” host, and he praised the deft tinkles of Hoffman’s piano. Thompson reported that the footage included scenes of Mary Pickford in rehearsal and Richard Arlen poolside; glimpses of a “baby-faced” extra named Walter Brennan; the premiere of The King of Kings at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre; a screen test of Maurice Chevalier singing “Louise”; Cary Grant hosting a Malibu party with such guests as Irene Dunne, Gertrude Lawrence, and Carole Lombard; Tyrone Power and Glenn Ford in the Army; and a fifteen-year-old Marilyn Monroe auditioning for Louella Parsons’s radio program Hollywood Hotel. Thompson said the evening’s “most novel” footage was that of a tour of William Randolph Hearst’s estate San Simeon. It was first shown under construction and then as a “playground” for the Hollywood elite (“and wait till you see Miss Parsons costumed as Shirley Temple” at one of the parties). Thompson noted that the evening’s film footage had been previously seen in theatres in California, and segments had been shown on television. The footage has also been shown on Turner Classic Movies (as Hollywood My Home Town; this material was also released on DVD in Europe under that title).

FLORA, THE RED MENACE “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: May 11, 1965 Closing Date: July 24, 1965 Performances: 87

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Book: George Abbott and Robert Russell Lyrics: Fred Ebb Music: John Kander Based on the 1963 novel Love Is Just around the Corner by Lester Atwell. Direction: George Abbott; Producer: Harold Prince; Choreography: Lee (Becker) Theodore; Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Donald Brooks; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: Art Carney (F.D.R.’s Voice), J. Vernon Oaks (Apple Seller, Artist), Clark Morgan (Pencil Seller), Daniel P. Hannafin (Policeman), Henry LeClair (Broker), John Taliaferro (Fourth Man, Artist), Anne C. Russell (Woman, Lilly), Anthony Falco (Fifth Man, Artist), Les Freed (Sixth Man, Artist), Robert Fitch (Seventh Man), Abbie Todd (School Principal), Liza Minnelli (Flora), Bob Dishy (Harry Toukarian), Diane McAfee (Artist), Marie Santell (Artist, Katie), Louis Guss (Comrade Galka), Mary Louise Wilson (Comrade Ada), Clark Morgan (Comrade Jackson), Cathryn Damon (Comrade Charlotte), Stephanie Hill (Elsa), Dortha Duckworth (The Lady), Joe E. Marks (Mr. Weiss), James Cresson (Bronco Smallwood [Cowboy]), Danny Carroll (Joe), Warren Galjour (Mr. Rearson), Robert Kaye (Mr. Stanley), Jamie Donnelly (Lulu), Elaine Cancilla (Maggie); Dancers: Elaine Cancilla, Ciya Challis, Barbara Doherty, Judith Doren, Eillen Graff, Mary Ann Niles, Phyllis Wallach, Harry Bell, Robert Fitch, Marcello Gamboa, Charles Kalan, James McArdle, Neil J. Schwartz; Singers: Jamie Donnelly, Barbara Christopher, Diane McAfee, Abbie Todd, Anthony Falco, Les Freed, Daniel P. Hannafin, Henry LeClair, J. Vernon Oaks, John Taliaferro The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City during the period 1933–1935.

Musical Numbers Act One: Prologue (Ensemble); “Unafraid” (Liza Minnelli, Students, Ensemble); “All I Need Is One Good Break” (Liza Minnelli, Bob Dishy, Les Freed, John Taliaferro, J. Vernon Oaks, Diane McAfee, Anthony Falco, Marie Santell); “Not Every Day of the Week” (Liza Minnelli, Bob Dishy); “All I Need Is One Good Break” (reprise) (Liza Minnelli, Stephanie Hill, Dortha Duckworth); “Sign Here” (Bob Dishy); “The Flame” (Mary Louise Wilson, Bob Dishy, Louis Guss, Clark Morgan, Cathryn Damon); “Palomino Pal” (Dortha Duckworth, James Cresson); “A Quiet Thing” (Liza Minnelli), “Hello, Waves” (Bob Dishy, Liza Minnelli); “Dear Love” (Liza Minnelli, Ensemble) Act Two: “Express Yourself” (Cathryn Damon, Bob Dishy); “Knock, Knock” (Mary Louise Wilson, James Cresson); “The Tree of Life” Ballet (“Comrade Charlotte’s Ballet”) (Cathryn Damon, Mary Louise Wilson, Bob Dishy, Ensemble, with Neil J. Schwartz [Trunk], Robert Fitch [Vine], and Mary Ann Niles [Spirit of Revolution]); “Sing Happy” (Liza Minnelli); “You Are You” (Joe E. Marks, Stephanie Hill, Liza Minnelli, Robert Kaye, Jamie Donnelly, Marie Santell, Danny Carroll); Finale (Company) Based on Lester Atwell’s 1963 novel Love Is Just around the Corner, the title character (Liza Minnelli) in Flora, The Red Menace is a young New Yorker living in the Depression who hopes to make it big as a fashion illustrator. She falls in love with artist Harry Toukarian (Bob Dishy), a Communist who talks her into joining the party, and soon she meets his fellow travelers, the dedicated party activist Comrade Ada (Mary Louise Wilson) and Comrade Charlotte (Cathryn Damon), who is interested in seducing Harry. Rounding out the people in Flora’s life are The Lady (Dortha Duckworth) and Bronco Smallwood (James Cresson). The former rents space in Flora’s studio, and both she and Bronco hope to become stars via Major Bowes’ Amateur Hour. When Flora discovers Harry and Charlotte in the midst of a fling, she drops Harry, but that’s not enough for the jealous Charlotte, who plants copies of the Daily Worker in Flora’s work locker. When the damaging material is discovered, Flora admits to being a member of the party and is promptly fired. In the meantime, Charlotte becomes smitten with Bronco, and Harry proposes to Flora, who turns him down and renounces her membership in the party. Flora is also rehired, can look back on Harry and the Communist Party as part of her growing process, and at final curtain seems to be on the verge of romance with her boss Mr. Stanley (Robert Kaye), heretofore a minor character in the plot. Perhaps the musical’s major problem was that it dealt in a “cute” way with a political group that wanted to take over the United States and destroy democracy. Harry is the musical’s nominal hero, but he’s an unrepentant Communist, and Flora seems to renounce the party only because Harry cheated on her and because the party, through Charlotte, tried to destroy her career. Presumably if Harry had been faithful and if

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her career hadn’t been jeopardized, Flora would have remained a Communist. The musical might have been more satisfying if it had approached the material in a more dramatic way, or, conversely, if it had completely satirized its subject (the creators seemed to have toyed with the latter approach with the musical numbers “The Flame” and, especially, “The Tree of Life Ballet”). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the musical was far too cautious in its “matter-of-fact” comedy and its tentative romances, and noted the show occasionally went too far afield in some of its plot elements. But he loved Liza Minnelli (“who no longer needs to be identified as Judy Garland’s daughter and I apologize for just having done so”) and praised “Dear Love,” the evening’s “best” song. Howard Taubman in the New York Times liked Minnelli and a few of the songs (“All I Need Is One Good Break,” “A Quiet Thing,” “Sing Happy,” and “Palomino Pal” [in the “right musical” the latter song just might find its “niche”]), but overall the evening was “pasted together with bits and pieces.” The book was “lifeless,” the satire “elementary,” and many of the characters bore “little resemblance to human beings . . . not even amusing cartoons, they are only paper cutouts.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the musical was entertaining when it sang and danced; otherwise, it seemed to be “marking time.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun liked the cast, the score, and the first act, but noted that after intermission the show “slumps dangerously” and the ending was so “poorly done that you don’t realize the show is over.” John McClain in the New York JournalAmerican had some qualifications about the evening, but overall thought the musical was “charming” and liked its “style” (for the latter, he said he didn’t want to forget “the contribution of Ole Massa Abbott”). Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical was “agreeable but far from stimulating,” and he noted the show’s “misfortune” was to be “neither very good nor very bad.” He concluded that the evening was a “showcase” for Minnelli (“though it is not the happiest of vehicles for her”). For her performance, Liza Minnelli won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. During the tryout, the song “I Believe You” was deleted. The cast recording was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1111; the CD was issued by RCA # 09026-60821-2). Livin’ It Up with “Flora the Red Menace” was recorded by the Showguys (ten musicians) and Showgals (four singers) on RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3412RE, and included four unused songs (“The Kid Herself,” “You Can Say That Again,” “You Feel Too Much,” and “I Got a Right to Know”). A revised script by David Thompson (in which Flora’s story was presented as a production sponsored by the Federal Theatre Project) was the basis of a limited-engagement Off-Broadway revival at the Vineyard Theatre that opened on December 6, 1987. It was recorded by TER Records (LP # TER-1159 and CD # CDTER-1159). The production included “The Kid Herself,” “Keepin’ It Hot,” “Where Did Everybody Go?,” and “The Joke.” The recording erroneously refers to these four songs as having been especially written for the revival, but “The Kid Herself” was written (although not used) for the original 1965 production, and, as noted above, was recorded at the time. On December 24, 1978, the CBS arts series Camera Three presented “Songs from Flora, the Red Menace.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Liza Minnelli)

KISS ME, KATE Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 12, 1965 Closing Date: May 30, 1965 Performances: 23 Book: Sam and Bella Spewack Lyrics and Music: Cole Porter Based on the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (written approximately 1594). Direction: John Fearnley and Billy Matthews; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Hanya Holm; Scenery: Robert O’Hearn; Costumes: Stanley Simmons (principal costume designs, including those used in the song “Were Thine That Special Face,”

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based on designs created by Lemuel Ayers for the original 1948 production); Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Bob Wright (Fred Graham, Petruchio), Alexander Clark (Harry Trevor, Baptista), Nancy Ames (Lois Lane, Bianca), William H. Batchelder (Ralph), Patricia Morison (Lilli Vanessi, Katherine [Kate]), Tiger Haynes (Paul), Alyce Elizabeth Webb (Hattie), Eugene Wood (Stage Doorman), Kelly Brown (Bill Calhoun, Lucentio), Bill Kennedy (Cab Driver), Jesse White (First Man), Victor Helou (Second Man), Royal Beal (Harrison Howell), Charles Cook (Specialty Dancer), Ernest Brown (Specialty Dancer), Don Henderson (Doctor), Patricia Finch (Nurse), Lynn Wendell (Nurse), Anthony Santiago (Messenger, Philip), Michael Whaley (Messenger), Loren Hightower (Messenger, Haberdasher), Richard Lyle (Banker, Gregory), Ben Gillespie (Truck Driver, Nathaniel), William Wendt (Gremio), Stephen John Rydell (Hortensio), Philip Rash (Innkeeper), Brown Bradley (Waiter); Dancers: Myrna Aaron, Joanna Crosson, Kiki Minor, Rande Rayburn, Joy Serio, Lucia Lambert, Esther Villavicencio, Ben Gillespie, Loren Hightower, Richard Lyle, Paul Olson, Don Redlich, Anthony Santiago, Michael Whaley; Singers: Patricia Finch, Margaret Goz, Madeline Kahn, Jeanne Shea, Maureen Smith, Elise Warner, Lynn Wendell, Maggie Worth, Brown Bradley, Jack L. Fletcher, Don Henderson, Bill Kennedy, Philip Rash, Stephen John Rydell, William Wendt The musical was presented in two acts. The action occurs at the present time at Ford’s Theatre in Baltimore.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Another Op’nin’, Another Show” (Tiger Haynes, Singing and Dancing Ensemble); “Why Can’t You Behave?” (Nancy Ames); “Wunderbar” (Patricia Morison, Bob Wright); “So in Love” (Patricia Morison); “We Open in Venice” (Bob Wright, Patricia Morison, Nancy Ames, Kelly Brown); Dance (Dancing Ensemble); “Tom, Dick or Harry” (Nancy Ames, Kelly Brown, William Wendt, John Rydell); Specialty Dance (Kelly Brown); “I’ve Come to Wive It Wealthily in Padua” (Bob Wright, Ensemble); “I Hate Men” (Patricia Morison); “Were Thine That Special Face” (Bob Wright, Dancing Ensemble); “I Sing of Love” (Nancy Ames, Kelly Brown, Ensemble); Finale: “Kiss Me, Kate” (Patricia Morison, Bob Wright, Ensemble) and Tarantella (Danced by Nancy Ames, Kelly Brown, Dancing Ensemble) Act Two: “Too Darn Hot” (Tiger Haynes, Charles Cook, Ernest Brown, Dancing Ensemble); “Where Is the Life That Late I Led?” (Bob Wright); “Always True to You in My Fashion” (Nancy Ames); “Bianca” (Kelly Brown, Singing Girls; danced by Kelly Brown and Dancing Girls); “So in Love” (reprise) (Bob Wright); “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” (Jesse White, Victor Helou); “Pavanne” (Dancers); “I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple” (Patricia Morison); Finale (Bob Wright, Patricia Morison, Ensemble) City Center’s 1965 revival of Kiss Me, Kate was its second presentation of Cole Porter’s masterpiece. The original production opened at the New Century Theatre on December 30, 1948, for 1,077 performances; the cast included Alfred Drake (Fred Graham/Petruchio), Patricia Morison (Lilli Vanessi/Kate), Lisa Kirk (Lois Lane/Bianca), and Harold Lang (Bill Calhoun/Lucentio). The musical was next seen in New York on January 8, 1952, at the Broadway Theatre for run of 8 performances; the cast included Robert Wright (Fred), Holly Harris (Lilli), Marilyn Day (Lois), and Frank Derbas (Bill). The first of the two City Center revivals opened on May 9, 1956, for twenty-three performances; the cast included David Atkinson (Fred), Kitty Carlisle (Lilli), Barbara Ruick (Lois), and Richard France (Bill); in a minor role was Bobby Short, the future celebrated saloon singer. After the 1965 City Center revival, the musical wasn’t seen in New York until November 18, 1999, when it opened at the Martin Beck (now Hirschfeld) Theatre for 881 performances. The cast included Brian Stokes Mitchell (Fred), Marin Mazzie (Lilli), Amy Spangler (Lois), and Michael Berresse (Bill); other members of the company included Ron Holgate and Lee Wilkof. This revival offered a somewhat revised book (by an uncredited John Guare) which included the interpolation of “From This Moment On,” which had been dropped during the tryout of Porter’s 1950 musical Out of This World and had later been used in the 1953 MGM film adaptation of Kiss Me, Kate. The rather tiresome revival didn’t quite overcome the weaknesses inherent in the original book by Sam and Bella Spewack, and the production was hampered by the acting performances of its two leads, both of whom seemed uncomfortable playing over-the-top hammy roles. A televised version

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of this production was seen on PBS with Brent Barrett, Rachel York, Nancy Anderson, and Michael Berresse (released on DVD by Image Entertainment # ID0180WNDVD). The London production opened at the Coliseum Theatre on March 8, 1951, for 501 performances; the cast included Bill Johnson (Fred), Patricia Morison (Lilli), Julie Wilson (Lois), and Walter Long (Bill); others in the revival were Adelaide Hall and Archie Savage. The 1953 MGM film adaptation (filmed in 3-D!) was a mixed blessing. The leading roles were solid: Howard Keel was a virile Fred, Ann Miller a delightful Lois, and rounding out Bianca’s suitors was the dashing trio of Bobby Van (Gremio), Bob Fosse (Hortensio), and Tommy Rall (Bill Calhoun/Lucentio). Even Kathryn Grayson (Lilli) was splendid; this was her finest screen moment, and she never looked more chic and beautiful. Given the film standards of the era, one understands the necessity for the laundered lyrics, but the meandering screenplay was often tiresome, and early in the film there was some strange business involving the character of songwriter “Cole Porter” (played by Ron Randell). The DVD was issued by Warner Brothers Home Video (# 65088). There have been two other television versions of the musical. On November 20, 1958, NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame presented Drake and Morison reprising their original roles (Julie Wilson was again Lois, and Bill Hayes was Bill Calhoun); also from the original production were Lorenzo Fuller (Paul), and other cast members included Harvey Lembeck (First Gunman), Jack Klugman (Second Gunman), Lee Cass (Gremio), Eva Jessye (Hattie), and Lee Richardson (Ralph). Franz Allers conducted, George Schaefer directed, and Ernest Flatt choreographed. The 1958 color telecast inspired a new stereo recording of the musical, and the album reunited the four Broadway leads as well as Fuller and Davenport. A black-and-white copy of this telecast was released on DVD by Video Artists International (# 4535). The second television adaptation was seen on March 25, 1968, on ABC’s Armstrong Circle Theatre. Directed by Paul Bogart and choreographed by Lee Theodore (with costumes by Alvin Colt), this production’s cast included Robert Goulet (Fred), Carol Lawrence (Lilli), Jessica Walter (Lois), and Michael Callen (Bill); other cast members were Jules Munshin, Marty Ingels, Russell Nype, Tony Hendra, and David Doyle. A soundtrack of this production was released by Columbia Records. (In the early 1950s, a radio adaptation of the musical was heard on The Railroad Hour; Gordon MacRae and Patrice Munsel were the leads.) In 1953, the script of Kiss Me, Kate was published in hardback by Alfred A. Knopf; the script was also included in the January 1955 issue of Theatre Arts magazine. There are innumerable recordings of the score, some more complete than the original cast album, but no matter: the only one you really want is the indispensible 1948 original cast recording (Columbia Records LP # ML-4140; issued on CD by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records # SK-60536). Legend has it the musical was inspired by the backstage bickerings of Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt when they were on Broadway in a 1942 revival of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Kiss Me, Kate depicts a similar couple: the once-married Fred and Lilli are now appearing at Ford Theatre in Baltimore in a musical version of Shrew, and their backstage battles mirror the onstage antics of Petruchio and Kate. In reviewing the 1965 City Center revival, Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the musical is a “classic, the real thing,” and while there were some “slightly frayed edges” around some of the early book scenes, the story kept its “vivacity and humor.” As for Porter’s score, it was “still the top. .  .  . Not many scores in the history of the American musical [can] match it and scarcely any . . . surpass it.” The production was Patricia Morison’s fourth time around as Kate: after creating the role of Lilli/Kate in the original 1948 production, she reprised it for the 1951 London version, the 1958 television adaptation, and now for City Center’s revival. Bob Wright had also performed the role of Fred/Petruchio before, playing the role on Broadway in the 1952 production. Among the other cast members in the 1965 revival were Nancy Ames (Lois), Kelly Brown (Bill), Tiger Haynes (Paul), Jesse White, and, making her New York debut in the chorus, Madeline Kahn. Besides Patricia Morison, two other Kate originals returned for the City Center visit: choreographer Hanya Holm brushed up her original dances for the revival, and conductor Pembroke Davenport was back at the rostrum. Taubman reported that for the curtain calls the cast sang reprises from the score in French, Italian, and German.

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THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT—THE SMELL OF THE CROWD “A MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT” Theatre: Shubert Theatre Opening Date: May 16, 1965 Closing Date: December 4, 1965 Performances: 232 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley Direction: Anthony Newley; Producers: David Merrick in association with Bernard Delfont (Samuel Liff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Gillian Lynne; Scenery and Lighting: Sean Kenny; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Musical Direction: Herbert Grossman Cast: Anthony Newley (Cocky), Cyril Ritchard (Sir), Sally Smith (The Kid), Joyce Jillson (The Girl); Gilbert Price (The Negro), Murray Tannenbaum (The Bully); Urchins: Rawley Bates, Lori Browne, Lori Cesar, Jill Choder, Gloria Chu, Kay Cole, Marlene Dell, Boni Enten, Mitzi Fenn, Pamela Gruen, Linda Rae Hager, Cyndi Howard, Laura Michaels, Debbie Palmer, Heather Taylor The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a rocky place.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Beautiful Land” (Urchins); “A Wonderful Day Like Today” (Cyril Ritchard, Anthony Newley, Urchins); “It Isn’t Enough” (Anthony Newley, Urchins); “Things to Remember” (Cyril Ritchard, Sally Smith, Urchins); “Put It in the Book” (Sally Smith, Urchins); “This Dream” (Anthony Newley); “Where Would You Be without Me?” (Cyril Ritchard, Anthony Newley, Sally Smith); “Look at That Face” (Cyril Ritchard, Sally Smith, Urchins); “My First Love Song” (Anthony Newley, Joyce Jillson); “The Joker” (Anthony Newley); “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” (Anthony Newley) Act Two: “A Funny Funeral” (Urchins); “That’s What It Is to Be Young” (Urchins); “What a Man!” (Anthony Newley, Cyril Ritchard, Sally Smith, Urchins); “Feeling Good” (Gilbert Price, Urchins); “Nothing Can Stop Me Now!” (Anthony Newley, Urchins); “Things to Remember” (reprise) (Cyril Ritchard); “My Way” (Anthony Newley, Cyril Ritchard); “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” (reprise) (Anthony Newley); “The Beautiful Land” (reprise) (Urchins); “Sweet Beginning” (Anthony Newley, Cyril Ritchard) Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse’s The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd was another of their tiresome allegorical exercises about the plight of modern man. In Stop the World—I Want to Get Off, we endured Littlechap’s progress from infancy to old age, from rags to riches, from idealism to angst, all of which unfolded in a circus ring and was accompanied by a Greek chorus of young women. In Greasepaint, we got poor downtrodden Cocky (Newley), who must always deal with the contempt of the rich Sir (Cyril Ritchard). This class war unfolds against a huge game board where rules are written and rewritten by Sir so that the downtrodden Cockies of the world can never ever quite win the game of eternally changing rules. And all this was accompanied by a Greek chorus of young women, the Urchins (or Gurchins, as one critic called them). At one point, Negro (Gilbert Price) asserts himself, but he is soon trodden upon by Cocky, who has finally found someone to whom he can feel superior. Ultimately, Cocky and Sir realize they need each other and decide they have to play the game together if they want to survive. What saved Stop the World and Greasepaint from being unbearable were Newley and Bricusse’s bright songs, many of which enjoyed wide popularity. Greasepaint offered a number of ingratiating (if occasionally bombastic) songs, all of them theatrical and melodious, including “On a Wonderful Day Like Today,” “Look at That Face,” “The Joker,” “Nothing Can Stop Me Now,” “Where Would You Be without Me?,” and “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me).” But today the scores of both musicals are better enjoyed on a CD player than on the stage. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune scolded Greasepaint for being “third-rate commerce masquerading as art,” saying it paid “lip-service to simple-minded social comment” and “High Symbolism.” Further, the abstract game-board setting tried for the avant-garde, and the characters were “Dicksensian when

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. . . not humbug Hummel.” However, he praised the score, noting that while it might be the “stuff” of the “music-hall” and the “race-track” it was at least “unabashedly” what it was, “and that’s a little something in this day when music is so abashedly what it isn’t.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times suggested the actual game being played on the musical’s game board was “banality,” and he deplored the “shoddy” book with its “pretentious and corny” message and lame humor. But, like Kerr, he praised the score, saying it offered “amusing and exciting theatre.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the show was “mild,” and suggested the musical’s game of the have and have-nots was “tedious and rather remote. . . . We have had the social consciousness stuff up to here.” Richard Watts in the New York Post admitted the book had problems, but he nonetheless liked the evening’s “provocative fascination,” and said Greasepaint was a musical of “interesting originality.” He also noted the score was the show’s “greatest blessing” and the evening was “filled with melodies that become increasingly haunting.” (In an aside, he mentioned the story seemed like a musical version of the Lucky and Pozzo characters in Waiting for Godot.) Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun suggested the musical was a “triumph of showmanship over material,” and he too praised the score, singling out eleven songs. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the evening a “whirligig of fun and fantasy” which closed the 1964–1965 Broadway season with a “rousing hurrah.” All the critics praised Gilbert Price and his song “Feeling Good,” which he performed with gusto. But for a number that shouted “show-stopper,” the song itself was decidedly less than inspired and lacked the lyricism and musicality that the moment demanded. The musical was first produced in Britain on August 3, 1964, at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, and from there played in Liverpool, Newcastle, and Manchester, closing permanently on October 3 in the latter city without risking the London critics. When it opened at the Palace Theatre in Manchester on September 17, a review by K.C.N. in the Daily Telegraph indicated that during the tour the musical had been “refashioned.” But the work was still in need of “rejuvenation,” and for all the rewriting and cutting, there was little in the “abridged version which could raise the hopes of its authors.” The libretto was “astonishingly nebulous” and the evening was a “thin excuse” for a musical. Norman Wisdom was Cocky (the Telegraph noted that while he was “somewhat restrained,” he was nonetheless “youthfully pathetic” as Cocky and was a “success” in the role [“though there has never been any doubt about his talent”]), and Willoughby Goddard was Sir; Dilys Watling had a supporting role, and deep in the chorus of urchins was Elaine Paige in her professional stage debut. With the exceptions of “With All Due Respect” and “Bitter End,” all the songs in the final British version in Manchester were retained for the American production, although the former was heard during the pre-Broadway tryout. A new song, “Put It [’Em] in the Book,” was added for the New York production. The Broadway cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1109; later issued on CD by RCA # 60351-2-RG). Anthony Newley also recorded a single LP of songs from the musical (“Who Can I Turn To” and Other Songs from “The Roar of the Greasepaint,” recorded by RCA # LPM/LSP-3347). Selections from “The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd” was an instrumental rendering of the score by Dick Schory and His Orchestra released by RCA (LP # LPM/LSP-3394). Newley and Bricusse’s 1972 West End musical The Good Old Bad Old Days! (originally titled It’s a Funny Old World We Live In, but the World’s Not Entirely to Blame) was another attempt to make a Big Statement about man’s plight. In this case, Newley played “Bubba” (as in Beelzebub), a devil-like character who asks Gramps (God) to save (not stop) the world from destruction and who presents his case to the Almighty with a revue-like overview of the history of mankind. After this and the previous symbolic circuses by Newley and Bricusse, we’re lucky He didn’t stop the world during its out-of-town tryout. As It’s a Funny Old World, The Good Old Bad Old Days! had originally been scheduled to premiere in New York during the 1972–1973 season, with a pre-Broadway engagement at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. Instead it opened in London, where it played for 300 performances and was recorded by EMI Records.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Cyril Ritchard); Best Producer of a Musical (David Merrick); Best Director of a Musical (Anthony Newley); Best Composer and Lyricist (Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley); Best Scenic Designer (Sean Kenny); Best Costume Designer (Freddy Wittop)

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AWF’LLY NICE “A NEW MUSICAL REVUE” Theatre and Performance Dates: The revue opened at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, on September 7, 1964, and permanently closed there on September 12, 1964 Sketches and Blackouts: Frank Orefice Lyrics: Tom McKee Music: Frank Stuart (additional music by John Ginaris, William S. Marvin, Dr. Paul Tisher, and Edward Barefield) Direction: Pal’mere Brandeaux; Producers: Continental Theatre Arts Corp. (Pal’mere Brandeaux and Frank Stuart, Coproducers, and Charles Harrow, Associate Producer); Scenery: Charles Teichner; Costumes: Uncredited; Lighting: Peter Xantho; Musical Direction: Frank Stuart Cast: Marie Wilson, Julie Gibson, Al Bernie, Bhaskar, William Ainsley, Joan Dexter, Bob Brook, Tony de Franco, Claudia Curtis, George Roche, The Sparklettes (“An Even Dozen Lovely, Lively Chorines”), including Eleanor Kingsley, Dolores Michl, Shelley Curnoles, and Mona Tritch The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Outdoor Parisian Café” (Al Bernie, Joan Dexter, Bob Brook, Tony de Franco, Claudia Curtis, George Roche, Ensemble); “Street in Paris” (William Ainsley, Bob Brook, Claudia Curtis, Judy Goode); “Plate Vendor” (Bhaskar); “The Nurse and the Baby” (Marie Wilson); “My Song” (Tony de Franco, Claudia Curtis, Eleanor Kingsley, Dolores Michl, Ensemble); Al Bernie; “The Bride” (Julie Gibson); “The Cobra Dance” (Bhaskar, Dancers); “Elect Me President” (Julie Gibson, Al Bernie); “Awf’lly Nice” (Julie Gibson, Tony de Franco, Claudia Curtis, Ensemble) Act Two: “Gypsy” (Joan Dexter, Tony de Franco, George Roche, Bhaskar, Shelley Curnoles, Ensemble); “In the Attic” (Julie Gibson, William Ainsley, Claudia Curtis, George Roche); “Awf’lly Nice” Twist (George Roche, Ensemble); “Geisha” (Marie Wilson); “Prevue of Heaven” (Julie Gibson, Tony de Franco, Mona Tritch, Ensemble); Julie Gibson; Bhaskar; “Souvenirs” (Marie Wilson); Finale (Company) Awf’lly Nice wasn’t, according to Variety. The title was a “misnomer . . . [a] mélange of abortive song, dance and comedy.” The revue lasted just one week, opening at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on September 7, 1964, and closing there on September 12. The revue seems to have flirted with old-time burlesque, but also offered a topical sketch or two. The sketches and blackouts were by Frank Orefice, the lyrics by Tom McKee, and most of the music was by Frank Stuart. The ten cast members were supplemented by the Sparklettes, described in the program as “an even dozen lovely, lively chorines.” The cast included one Bhaskar, who appeared in Christine and later served as both choreographer and performer for two Off-Broadway musicals, We’re Civilized? (1962) and International Playgirls ’64. In the former, he was billed as Bhaskar for his choreography and as Roy Bhaskar for his performing duties, and in the latter he shared the stage with another one-name dancer, Morocco, who later in the year received good notices for her role as the belly dancer in I Had a Ball. Although it was a little late in the day, the revue offered a twist number (the “Awf’lly Nice Twist”), and it seems that with Awf’lly Nice the twist finally made its last appearance in 1960s musical theatre. Composer Frank Stuart’s program bio stated he had completed the scores for two original musicals aimed for Broadway, but neither was produced there. Cast member Marie Wilson had been the star of the popular television series My Friend Irma, and Judy Gibson’s program bio indicated she’d been introduced to show business when she was an usherette in a Boston theatre, and “thence” became a chorine in a musical that played at the unnamed theatre.

PLEASURES AND PALACES “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre and Performances Dates: Opened at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, on March 11, 1965, and closed there on April 10, 1965

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Book: Sam Spewack and Frank Loesser Lyrics and Music: Frank Loesser Based on the 1961 play Once There Was a Russian by Sam Spewack. Direction and Choreography: Bob Fosse; Producers: Allen B. Whitehead in association with Frank Productions, Inc.; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Musical Direction: Fred Werner Cast: Alfred Marks (Potemkin; during the Detroit tryout, Marks was replaced by Jack Cassidy), Leon Janney (Bureyev), Burt Bier (Suslovski, Second Villager), Darrell Notara (Minister), Hy Hazell (Catherine), John McMartin (John Paul Jones), Mort Marshall (Kollenovitch), Woody Romoff (Polgunov), Michael Quinn (First Villager, Father Feddor), Stan Page (Policeman), Phyllis Newman (Sura), Eric Brotherson (Radbury), Sammy Smith (Von Siegen), John Anania (Captain Pasha, First Prisoner), Henrietta Valor (Nun), David Gold (Guard), Michael Davis (Second Prisoner), Howard Kahl (Third Prisoner), Walter Hook (Fourth Prisoner); Singers: John Anania, Ken Ayers, Burt Bier, Michael Davis, Alice Evans, Laurie Franks, Walter Hook, Howard Kahl, Zona Kennedy, Stan Page, Michael Quinn, Dana Simmons, Henrietta Valor, Carole Woodruff; Dancers: Pat Cummings, Kathryn Doby, Don Emmons, Eddie Gasper, Gene Gavin, David Gold, Dick Korthaze, Darrell Notara, Leland Palmer, Renata Powers, Brooke Roma, Betty Rosebrock, Barbara Sharma, Ron L. Steinbeck The musical was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Salute” (Potemkin’s Militia); “I Hear Bells” (Alfred Marks, Potemkin’s Militia); “My Lover Is a Scoundrel” (Hy Hazell); “To Marry” (John McMartin); “Hail, Majesty” (Suburbanites); “Thunder and Lightning” (Alfred Marks, Phyllis Newman); “To Your Health” (Eric Brotherson, Sammy Smith); “Turkish Delight” (Dancing Girls); “Neither the Time Nor the Place” (Alfred Marks, Hy Hazell); “In Your Eyes” (Phyllis Newman, John McMartin); “Truly Loved” (Hy Hazell); “The Sins of Sura” (Phyllis Newman, The Court) Act Two: “Hoorah for Jones” (Civilians, Sailors); “Propaganda” (Mort Marshall, John McMartin, Bystanders); “Barabanchik” (Alfred Marks, Mort Marshall, Militia); “What Is Life?” (Mort Marshall, Leon Janney); “Ah, to Be Home Again” (John McMartin, Prisoners); “Pleasures and Palaces” (Phyllis Newman); “Tears of Joy” (Alfred Marks, Hy Hazell, Woody Romoff, Court); “Far, Far, Far Away” (Alfred Marks, Hy Hazell); “What Is Life? (Once More)” (Alfred Ryder, Phyllis Newman, Mort Marshall) Pleasures and Palaces was based on Sam Spewack’s 1961 comedy Once There Was a Russian, which opened on February 18, 1961, at the Music Box Theatre for just one performance. The play did better than the musical, which never reached its second tryout city, let alone New York. Pleasures and Palaces opened at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit on March 11, 1965, and closed there permanently on April 10, cancelling its tryout engagement at Boston’s Shubert Theatre where it had been scheduled for a two-and-a-half week run beginning on April 15. The Broadway premiere had been set for May 10 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The story, which had a glancing basis of historical truth, centered around the displeasure of Catherine the Great (Hy Hazell) with her lover Potemkin (Alfred Marks), whom she hopes to make jealous by asking American Revolutionary war hero John Paul Jones (John McMartin) to command the Russian fleet against the Turks. Potemkin’s attempts to foil Jones fail, including a would-be seduction by his nymphomaniac niece Sura (Phyllis Newman). But all ends well with Potemkin back in the empress’s favor and John Paul Jones’s purity intact. Despite Frank Loesser’s score, Bob Fosse’s direction and choreography, and such cast members as Hy Hazell, Phyllis Newman, John McMartin, Sammy Smith, and Barbara Sharma, the book (by Spewack and Loesser) did the show in. Incidentally, during the one-month Detroit tryout, Alfred Marks was replaced by Jack Cassidy. A demo recording of eight songs (“In Your Eyes,” “My Lover Is a Scoundrel,” “Ah, to Be Home Again,” “Thunder and Lightning,” “Far, Far, Far Away,” “Truly Loved,” “Barabanchik,” and the title song) was released by Blue Pear Records (LP # BP-1010; later released on CD by Déjà vu Records # 1010) on a pairing with eight songs from the 1970 musical Look to the Lilies. One song from Pleasures and Palaces (“Truly Loved”) was interpolated into the 1974 (and later 1977 revival) London stage adaptation of Loesser’s 1952 film Hans

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Christian Andersen (here called Hans Andersen) and can be heard on that show’s cast album (Pye Records LP # NSPL-18451, later reissued with additional tracks on Pye Records # FBLP-8080; issued on CD by Marble Arch Records # CMA-CD-119). The original cast album of Pleasures and Palaces had been scheduled to be recorded by United Artists Records, but was cancelled due to the musical’s out-of-town closing. The lyrics for all the songs (including both cut and unused numbers) are included in the collection The Complete Lyrics of Frank Loesser (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003). In preproduction, the musical had been titled Holy Russia!

ROYAL FLUSH “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatres and Performance Dates: The musical opened at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, on December 30, 1964, and closed there on January 2, 1965; it then opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, Canada, on January 5, 1965, and the Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 20, 1965, where it closed on January 23, 1965 Book: Jay Thompson and Robert Schlitt Based on the novel The Green Bird by Nino Cavo (which was based on the 1765 play L’augellino belvedere by Count Carlo Gozzi). Lyrics and Music: Jay Thompson Direction and Choreography: Jack Cole; Producer: L. Slade Brown; Scenery and Costumes: Raoul Pene du Bois; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Skip Redwine Cast: Mickey Deems (Mazocha, Alvin, Maitre d’Hotel, Willis), Jodi Williams (Pretty Girl), Louis Edmonds (King Frederick), Allen Knowles (Soldier, Milkman, Albert, Pianist), Al de Sio (Soldier, Newsboy, Page, Radio Announcer), Fred Kimbrough (Soldier), Jane Connell (Queen Fredrika), Judith Dunford (Lady in Waiting, Creature), Renata Vaselle (Lady in Waiting, Shirley), Donna Baccala (Lady in Waiting), Kaye Ballard (Dowager Queen Sadie, Alice, Miss Melba, Wallace, Miss Appleknocker), John Aristedes (Executioner, Creature, Waiter), Altovise Gore (Midwife, Creature), Meg Walter (Midwife), Jill O’Hara (Babs), Kenneth Nelson (Bob), Charlotte Jones (Maxine), Dick O’Neill (Max), Luigi Gasparinetti (Creature), Ray Chabeau (Creature, Doorman, Announcer), Bernie Meyer (Bird), Beverly Todd (Bronzina) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on Tuesday, June 31, in the Year of the Tarantula, in Cipango “and that other island.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “Caveat Emptor” (Ensemble); “Right, Right, Right” (John Aristedes, Luigi Gasparinetti, Ray Chabeau, Judith Dunford, Altovise Gore); “The Edge of the World” (Kenneth Nelson, Jill O’Hara); “She’s Sweet” (Mickey Deems); “Bye Bye” (Kenneth Nelson, Jill O’Hara, Mickey Deems, John Aristedes, Luigi Gasparinetti, Ray Chabeau, Judith Dunford, Altovise Gore); “The Road to Hell” (Mickey Deems, Kaye Ballard); “For God, Home, Mother, and Country” (Ensemble, Jane Connell); “Think Up!” (Kaye Ballard, Ensemble); “It Could Be Worse” (Jane Connell); “Lotus Blossom” (Mickey Deems, Kaye Ballard); “You’ll Be Something” (Louis Edmonds, Jill O’Hara); “Being Quiet with You” (Beverly Todd, Kenneth Nelson); Finale (Kaye Ballard, Company) Act Two: “Oh, What an Island” (Kaye Ballard, Ensemble); “Just Reach Out and Touch Me” (Beverly Todd); “Magic Time” (Kaye Ballard); “Being Quiet with You” (reprise) (Beverly Todd); “Just Reach Out and Touch Me” (reprise) (Kenneth Nelson); “Try a Little” (Kaye Ballard); “No Happy Ending” (Company) Royal Flush took place on Tuesday, June 31, in the Year of the Tarantula, on the island of Cipango, and dealt with wicked Dowager Queen Sadie (Kaye Ballard), who imprisons her daughter-in-law Queen Fredrika (Jane Connell) in a secret cave beneath the public restrooms (hence the musical’s title) and sends her son King Frederick (Louis Edmonds) off to a futile war in the hope he’ll die in battle so she can become a gold-star mother. Sadie also tries to drown her grandchildren Babs (Jill O’Hara) and Bob (Kenneth Nelson), but her at-

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tempt fails and soon Bob is off to “that other island” of Monotone (Manhattan) where he must find his way through an urban jungle of monsters, Madison Avenue ad men, and nightclub singers. When he returns to Cipango, he discovers his mother has fallen in love with a green bird. Curtain. If the story wasn’t confusing enough, some of the performers played multiple roles (besides the role of the dowager queen, Ballard portrayed four other characters). So it wasn’t surprising that Henry T. Murdock in the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that the commedia dell’arte mélange of “satire, fable, [and] whimsy” was scattershot and never “reached a destination.” Jay Thompson, who wrote the lyrics and music and cowrote the book (with Robert Schlitt), had enjoyed success with another whimsical musical fairy-tale (Once upon a Mattress), but this time around his musical floundered on the road, never making it to Broadway. Royal Flush opened at New Haven’s Shubert Theatre on December 30, 1964, travelled to the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, and then closed permanently at Philadelphia’s Shubert Theatre on January 23, 1965. For the world premiere, Jack Cole was listed as the show’s director and choreographer, but at least one Playbill issued during the Philadelphia run didn’t list a director (although for a while Martyn Green took over the direction before he was replaced by June Havoc) or a choreographer (ultimately, Ralph Beaumont replaced Cole). Eddie Foy Jr. was to have had a prominent role in the musical, but was replaced by Mickey Deems before the New Haven premiere. Incidentally, Kaye Ballard’s understudy was Helen Gallagher. The above song list reflects the musical numbers heard at the New Haven premiere. By the time the show reached Philadelphia, “The Edge of the World” had been deleted. Royal Flush was based on Nino Savo’s novel The Green Bird, a translation of Count Carlo Gozzi’s 1765 play L’augellino belvedere (aka L’augellin belvede) (The beautiful green bird), and thirty-five years after the musical went down the drain, Julie Taymor’s Broadway version of The Green Bird joined it. Her musical version first opened Off-Broadway at the New Victory Theatre on March 7, 1996, for fifteen performances; the book was by Gozzi (translated by Albert Bermel and Ted Emery), the lyrics were by Gozzi, Bermel, and David Suehsdorf, and the music by Elliot Goldenthal. The Broadway production opened on April 18, 2000, at the Cort Theatre for fifty-six performances; the cast recording was released by DRG Records (CD # 12989).

• 1965–1966 Season

SOUTH PACIFIC Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: June 2, 1965 Closing Date: June 13, 1965 Performances: 15 Book: Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on James A. Michener’s 1947 collection of short stories Tales of the South Pacific (two of the stories, “Our Heroine” and “Fo’ Dolla’,” were the main basis for the musical). Direction: James Hammerstein; Producer: The New York City Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Albert Popwell; Scenery: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Anton Coppola Cast: Dana Shimizu (Ngana), Keenan Shimizu (Jerome), Sab Shimono (Henry), Betsy Palmer (Ensign Nellie Forbush), Ray Middleton (Emile De Becque), Honey Sanders (Bloody Mary), Maureen Tionco (Bloody Mary’s Assistant), Victor Duntiere (Abner), Tom Pedi (Stewpot), Alan North (Luther Billis), Mickey Karm (Professor), Richard Armbruster (Lieutenant Joseph Cable, U.S.M.C.), Murvyn Vye (Captain George Brackett, U.S.N.), Sam Kirkham (Commander William Harbison, U.S.N.), Walter P. Brown (Yeoman Herbert Quale), William C. Wendt (Marine Sergeant Kenneth Johnson), Ken Ayers (Seaman Richard West), Scott Blanchard (Seabee Morton Wise), Mel Gordan (Seaman Tom O’Brien), Gregg Nickerson (Radio Operator Bob McCaffrey), Philip Lucas (Staff Sergeant Thomas Hassinger), Carol Joplin (Lieutenant Genevieve Marshall), Terri Baker (Ensign Dinah Murphy), Nancy McGeorge (Ensign Janet MacGregor), Renee Gorsey (Ensign Cora MacRae), Patricia O’Riordan (Ensign Bessie Noonan), Marlene Kay (Ensign Connie Walewska), Dorothy Hanning (Ensign Pamela Whitmore), Jody Lane (Ensign Sue Yaeger), Mary E. Small (Ensign Teya Ryan), Maria Hero (Ensign Lisa Minelli), Philip Rash (Seaman James Hayes), Michael Quinn (Marine Corporal Hamilton Steeves), Don Yule (Seaman John Clark), Eleanor A. Calbes (Liat), Stan Page (Lieutenant Buzz Adams), Joe Bellomo (Shore Patrol Officer) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on two islands in the South Pacific during World War II.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Dites-moi pourquoi” (Dana Shimizu, Keenan Shimizu); “A Cockeyed Optimist” (Betsy Palmer); “Twin Soliloquies” (Betsy Palmer, Ray Middleton); “Some Enchanted Evening” (Ray Middleton); “Bloody Mary Is the Girl I Love” (Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “There’s Nothing Like a Dame” (Alan North, Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “Bali Ha’i” (Honey Sanders); “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” (Betsy

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Palmer, Nurses); “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy” (Betsy Palmer, Nurses); “Younger Than Springtime” (Richard Armbruster); Finale (Betsy Palmer, Ray Middleton) Act Two: “Soft Shoe Dance” (Nurses, Seabees); “Happy Talk” (Honey Sanders, Eleanor A. Calbes, Richard Armbruster); “Honey Bun” (Betsy Palmer, Alan North); “You’ve Got to Be Taught” (Richard Armbruster); “This Nearly Was Mine” (Ray Middleton); “Some Enchanted Evening” (reprise) (Betsy Palmer); Finale City Center’s 1965 revival of South Pacific was its fourth and final production of the classic musical; there would be three more revivals of the work, all of which would be seen at Lincoln Center (for more information, see entry for City Center’s 1961 revival of South Pacific). The cast of the 1965 revival included Ray Middleton as De Becque (he had succeeded Ezio Pinza during the musical’s original run), Betsy Palmer (Nellie), and Murvyn Vye (Captain Brackett). Vye had created the role of Jigger in the original 1945 production of Carousel, and during the tryout of The King and I was the original Kralahome; when his solo “Who Would Refuse” and his trio (with Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner) “Waiting!” were cut, and his duet with Dorothy Sarnoff (“Something Wonderful”) became a solo for her, he left the show (he was succeeded by John Juliano). Others in the 1965 revival were Eleanor A. Calbes as Liat (she also appeared in the role for the 1967 revival by the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center) and Sab Shimono as Henry. James Hammerstein was the production’s director, and Anton Coppola was the musical director. Lewis Funke in the New York Times said the musical remained a “major landmark” with a “luster not at all dimmed.” He praised Richard Rodgers’s score (“rich in melody, romance and passion”) and noted that Oscar Hammerstein II’s book made its “point and its mark” with characters “drawn in three dimensions.” Betsy Palmer was an “airy” Nellie with a “nice gamin quality as well as a sound sense of the character’s simplicity,” and Ray Middleton’s De Becque was “every inch the stalwart French planter.” Funke concluded that the audience was “clearly happy” to revisit South Pacific, and “how right they were.”

THE MUSIC MAN Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: June 16, 1965 Closing Date: June 27, 1965 Performances: 15 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Meredith Willson Based on an unpublished story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey. Direction: Gus Schirmer Jr.; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Vernon Lusby (based on the original choreography by Onna White; Betty Hyatt Linton, Associate Choreographer); Scenery and Lighting: Howard Bay (scenery from the original 1957 Broadway production courtesy of Kermit Bloomgarden); Costumes: Raoul Pène du Bois; Musical Direction: Liza Redfield Cast: Russell Goodwin (Travelling Salesman), John Herbert (Travelling Salesman), Jack Davison (Travelling Salesman), Ronald Stratton (Travelling Salesman), Howard Kahl (Travelling Salesman), Joseph Carow (Travelling Salesman), Ronn Forello (Travelling Salesman), Alan Dexter (Charlie Cowell), Van Stevens (Conductor, Constable Locke), Bert Parks (Harold Hill), Milo Boulton (Mayor Shinn), The Buffalo Bills: Al Shea (Ewart Dunlop), Wayne Ward (Oliver Hix), Vern Reed (Jacey Squires), and Dale Jones (Olin Britt), Art Wallace (Marcellus Washburn), William Glassman (Tommy Djilas), Gaylea Byrne (Marian Paroo), Sibyl Bowan (Mrs. Paroo), Garda Hermany (Amaryllis), Dennis Scott (Winthrop Paroo), Doro Merande (Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn), Sandy Duncan (Zaneeta Shinn), Roma Hermany (Gracie Shinn), Adnia Rice (Alma Hix), Jeanne Schlegel (Maud Dunlop), Amelia Varney (Ethel Toffelmier), Paula Trueman (Mrs. Squires); River City Townspeople and Kids: Robin Adair, Rita Agnese, Barbara Beck, Carol B. Bostick, Bonnie Gene Card, Joanne Crosson, Suzanne Crumpler, Joan Lindsay, Sandra Ray, Alice Mary Riley, Joy Serio, Betty Chretien, Peggy Cooper, Laurie Franks, Jodell Ann Kenting, Ora McBride, Addi Negri, Jeannette Seibert, Peggy Wathen, Lynn Wendell, Joseph Carow, Ronn Forella, Carlos Macri, David Moffat, Eric Paynter, Michael Scotlin, Ronald Stratton, George Tregre, Gary Wales, Arthur Whitfield, Austin Colyer, Jack Davison, Russell Goodwin, John Herbert, Howard Kahl, Ben Laney, Ripple Lewis, Dan Resin, Van Stevens The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in River City, Iowa, during July 1912.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Rock Island” (Alan Dexter, Russell Goodwin, John Herbert, Jack Davison, Ronald Stratton, Howard Kahl, Joseph Carow, Ronn Forello); “Iowa Stubborn” (Townspeople of River City); “Trouble” (Bert Parks, Townspeople); “Piano Lesson” (Gaylea Byrne, Sibyl Bowan, Garda Hermany); “Goodnight, My Someone” (Gaylea Byrne); “Seventy-Six Trombones” (Bert Parks, Boys and Girls); “Sincere” (Dale Jones, Wayne Ward, Al Shea, Vern Reed); “The Sadder-But-Wiser Girl” (Bert Parks, Art Wallace); “Pickalittle” (Doro Merande, Jeanne Schlegel, Amelia Varney, Adnia Rice, Paula Trueman, Ladies of River City); “Goodnight, Ladies” (Dale Jones, Wayne Ward, Al Shea, Vern Reed); “Marian the Librarian” (Bert Parks, Boys and Girls); “My White Knight” (Gaylea Byrne); “Wells Fargo Wagon” (Dennis Scott, Townspeople) Act Two: “It’s You” (Dale Jones, Wayne Ward, Al Shea, Vern Reed, Amelia Varney, Adnia Rice, Paula Trueman); “Shipoopi” (Art Wallace, Bert Parks, Gaylea Byrne, William Glassman, Sandy Duncan, Kids); “Pickalittle” (reprise) (Doro Merande, Jeanne Schlegel, Amelia Varney, Adnia Rice, Paula Trueman, Ladies); “Lida Rose” (Dale Jones, Wayne Ward, Al Shea, Vern Reed); “Will I Ever Tell You” (Gaylea Byrne); “Gary, Indiana” (Dennis Scott); “It’s You” (reprise) (Townspeople, Boys and Girls); “Till There Was You” (Gaylea Byrne, Bert Parks); “Seventy-Six Trombones” (reprise) and “Goodnight, My Someone” (reprise) (Bert Parks, Gaylea Byrne); “Till There Was You” (reprise) (Bert Parks); Finale (Company) With its opening scenes taking place on July 4, 1912, in a midwestern town, Meredith Willson’s The Music Man was an affectionate but somewhat sardonic look at small-town America from the perspective of that quintessential American type, the confidence man. In fact, The Music Man may well be the American musical comedy. Its perfect book is chockablock with humor and sentiment (and its “Grant Wood” sequence is one of the funniest visual jokes in all musical theatre), the story is full of amusing and quirky characters, and its tuneful score is one of the best ever written for a musical (“Seventy-Six Trombones” is such an instant classic it seems to have been around since Sousa himself was composing his grand American marches). The Music Man was one of the biggest hits of the 1950s, opening at the Majestic Theatre on December 19, 1957, and playing for 1,375 performances; the original cast members included Robert Preston (Harold Hill), Barbara Cook (Marian Paroo), David Burns (Mayor Shinn), Pert Kelton (Mrs. Paroo), Eddie Hodges (Winthrop Paroo), and Iggie Wolfington (Marcellus Washburn). The plot centered on Harold Hill, a lovable charlatan who knows nothing about music but nonetheless dupes the gullible parents of River City, Iowa, into believing he can teach their children music (through his revolutionary “think” system of music). But instead of creating a marching band for the town, Harold intends to march off with the money he makes from selling musical instruments and band uniforms to the kids’ parents. Harold also meets and falls in love with the town’s standoffish librarian Marian Paroo, who catches on to Harold’s tricks but finds herself falling for him. The City Center revival marked the musical’s first visit to New York since the closing of the original production. There have been three more revivals, another one at City Center which opened on June 5, 1980, for twenty-one performances with Dick Van Dyke (Harold), Meg Bussert (Marian), Christian Slater (Winthrop), and Iggie Wolfington (here creating his original role of Marcellus). On February 26, 1988, the musical was revived by the New York City Opera Company at the New York State Theatre for fifty-two performances (Bob Gunton was Harold and Leigh Munro was Marian). The most recent revival opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on April 27, 2000, for 685 performances with Craig Bierko and Rebecca Luker in the leading roles. Some complained that Bierko’s Harold Hill was too close to Preston’s interpretation, but in fact Bierko gave an endearing performance: he was the consummate con artist who had the romantic charm of a matinee idol. The delightful and faithful film adaptation was released by Warner Brothers in 1962, with Morton Da Costa reprising his original direction. The cast included two original Broadway cast members, Robert Preston and Pert Kelton; and others in the film were Shirley Jones (Marian), Paul Ford (Mayor Shinn [Ford had replaced Burns during the original Broadway run]), Hermione Gingold (Mrs. Shinn), Buddy Hackett (Marcellus), and Ronny Howard (Winthrop). The film dropped one song (“My White Knight,” which according to Broadway rumor had been written by Frank Loesser), and replaced it with another (“Being in Love”). The London production opened at the Adelphi Theatre on March 16, 1961, for 395 performances (Van Johnson and Patricia Lambert were the leads). A charm-free television version was produced in 2003 with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth. For the 1965 City Center revival, Bert Parks (who had played the role of Harold Hill during the original Broadway run) starred along with Gaylea Byrne (Marian), Sibyl Bowan (Mrs. Paroo), Art Wallace (Marcellus),

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Doro Merande (Mrs. Shinn), and Sandy Duncan (Zaneeta Shinn). Lewis Funke in the New York Times found The Music Man “a fun show, a song show, a dance show,” and felt its “charm and simplicity” and its “varied score” would make it “a favorite for some time to come.” Funke said Bert Parks had the “dash, nattiness and suave” manner the role demanded, and was full of “bounce and vitality,” always making friends, a few enemies, and “keeping his eye on the fast buck.” The script was published in hardback by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 1958. As with so many classic musicals, there are numerous recordings of the score, but the original Broadway cast album released by Capitol Records is the definitive version (LP # W/WAO-990; the CD was issued by Broadway Angel # ZDM-7-64663-2-3). Another worthwhile recording is . . . And Then I Wrote “The Music Man” (Capitol LP # T-1320) in which Willson and his wife Rini discuss the musical and perform songs from the score. Willson also wrote a book about the genesis of the musical, But He Doesn’t Know the Territory: The Making of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” (published in hardback by G.P. Putman’s Sons in 1959; republished in softback by the University of Minnesota Press in 2009).

KISMET “A MUSICAL ARABIAN NIGHT” Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: June 22, 1965 Closing Date: July 31, 1965 Performances: 48 Book: Charles Lederer and Luther Davis Lyrics and Music: Robert Wright and George Forrest (music based on themes by Alexander Borodin) Based on the 1911 play Kismet by Edward Knoblock (aka Knoblauch). Direction: Edward Greenberg; Producer: Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director); Choreography: Jack Cole; Scenery: Lemuel Ayers; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peter Hunt; Musical Direction: Franz Allers Cast: Rudy Vejar (Iman, The Bangle Man), Grant Spradling (Muezzin), Paul Veglia (Muezzin, Servant), Vincent Henry (Muezzin), Martin Jewell (Muezzin), Julius Fields (Mullah), Earle MacVeigh (First Beggar, Prosecutor), Robert Lamont (Second Beggar), Andre St. Jean (Third Beggar), Buddy Bryan (Dervish, Akbar), Eddie James (Dervish, Assiz), Don Beddoe (Omar), Alfred Drake (Hajj), Lee Venora (Marsinah), Neil McNelis (A Merchant), Frank Coleman (Hassan-Ben), Truman Gaige (Jawan), Sally Neal (Street Dancer, Princess Zubbediya), Alfred Togio (Chief Policeman), Allen Peck (Second Policeman), Henry Calvin (The Wazir of Police), Nick Littlefield (Guard), Jerry Meyers (Guard), Anne Jeffreys (Lalume), Henry Baker (Attendant), James Wamen (Attendant), Reiko Sato (Princess of Ababu), Diana Banks (Princess of Ababu), Nancy Roth (Princess of Ababu), Richard Banke (The Caliph), Michele Evans (Slave Girl), Carol Hallock (Slave Girl), Eleanore Kingsley (Slave Girl), Ingeborg Kjeldsen (Slave Girl), Anita Alpert (Zubbediya’s Ayah, The Widow Yussef), Beatrice Kraft (Princess Samaris); Singers: Bonnie Glasgow, Bobbi Lange, Joyce McDonald, Lucille Perret, Susan Sanders, Wanda Saxon, Bonnie Ellen Spark, Henry Baker, Frank Coleman, Vincent Henry, Martin Jewell, Richard Khan, Nick Littlefield, Neil McNelis, Bob Neukum, Allen Peck, Grant Spradling, Paul Veglia; Dancers: Joanne DiVito, Marti Hespen, Shai Holsaert, Indra-nila, Bette Scott, Susan Sigrist, Jenny Workman, Julius Fields, Andre St. John The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place many centuries ago during one day in Baghdad.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Sands of Time” (Rudy Vejar); “Rhymes Have I” (Alfred Drake, Lee Venora); “Fate” (Alfred Drake); “Fate” (reprise) (Alfred Drake); “Bazaar of the Caravans” (Sally Neal, Buddy Bryan, Eddie James, Merchants, Shoppers); “Not Since Nineveh” (Anne Jeffreys, Henry Calvin, Reiko Sato, Diana Banks, Nancy Roth, Buddy Bryan, Eddie James, Merchants, Shoppers); “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” (Lee Venora); “Stranger in Paradise” (Richard Banke, Lee Venora); “He’s in Love” (Alfred Togio, Allen Peck, Nick

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Littlefield, Jerry Meyers, Townspeople, Reiko Sato, Diana Banks, Nancy Roth, Buddy Bryan, Eddie James); “Gesticulate” (Alfred Drake, Wazir’s Council); “Bored” (Anne Jeffreys, Alfred Drake); “Fate” (reprise) (Alfred Drake, Ladies of the Wazir’s Harem) Act Two: “Night of My Nights” (Richard Banke, Entourage); “Stranger in Paradise” (reprise) (Lee Venora); “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” (reprise) (Richard Banke); “He’s in Love” (reprise) (Entourage); “Was I Wazir?” (Henry Calvin, Alfred Togio, Allen Peck, Nick Littlefield, Jerry Meyers); “Rahadlakum” (Anne Jeffreys, Alfred Drake, Sally Neal, Beatrice Kraft, Reiko Sato, Diana Banks, Nancy Roth, Buddy Bryan, Eddie James, Ladies of the Wazir’s Harem); “And This Is My Beloved” (Lee Venora, Richard Banke, Alfred Drake, Henry Calvin); “The Olive Tree” (Alfred Drake); Presentation of Princesses: (a) Damascus (Sally Neal, Anita Alpert); (b) Bangalore (Beatrice Kraft); (c) Ababu (Reiko Sato, Diana Banks, Nancy Roth); Finale (Ensemble); Epilogue: “Sands of Time” (reprise) (Alfred Drake) The theatrical fates have been kind to Kismet. The original production opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 3, 1953, during a newspaper strike, and while the reviews were eventually disseminated, it’s likely some of the negative ones were lost on the public (Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said the musical offered only “piecemeal” pleasures . . . “a caravan of incidental splendors . . . odd baubles . . . [not] genuine gold,” and Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times said the work was strictly “commonplace . . . a cumbersome show”). But the public turned Kismet into a long-running hit of 583 performances, and the songs “Stranger in Paradise,” “Baubles, Bangles and Beads,” and “This Is My Beloved” made the hit parade. The story takes place “from dawn to dusk” and “from dusk to dawn” in Old Baghdad where the beggarpoet Hajj and his daughter Marsinah sell rhymes to passers-by. She catches the eye of the Caliph, who immediately falls in love with her, and Hajj becomes involved in court intrigues and soon is the willing lover of Lalume, the Wazir’s sexy, bored-to-death wife. Robert Wright and George Forrest based their score on themes by Alexander Borodin, and fashioned and reshaped his music into one of musical theatre’s most ingratiating scores. Over the years the musical has been looked upon with a certain amount of condescension, as if it were an also-ran, a “lucky” hit that opened during a major newspaper strike and thus caught the public unawares. But the truth is that Kismet has an amusing and even ironic book. Almost every character laughs at himself with tongue-in-cheek dialogue (the luscious Lalume, tired of her marriage to the dull Wazir, tells Hajj she knows all about a private oasis in the desert where lovers can indulge in untold sensual pleasures . . . “not that I’ve ever been there,” she quickly adds). The London production opened at the Stoll Theatre on April 20, 1955, for 648 performances, which bested the New York run by a few months. For London, Alfred Drake (Hajj), Joan Diener (Lalume), and Doretta Morrow (Marsinah) reprised their Broadway roles; Juliet Prowse played the role of Princess Samaris. The 1955 MGM film version was directed by Vincente Minnelli; the cast included Howard Keel (Hajj), Dolores Gray (Lalume), Ann Blyth (Marsinah), and Vic Damone (The Caliph). The film included one new song, “Bored.” The DVD of the film is included in the collection Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory (Volume 3). A television version was aired by ABC on October 24, 1967, with Jose Ferrer (Hajj), Anna Maria Alberghetti (Marsinah), Barbara Eden (Lalume), George Chakiris (The Caliph), and Hans Conreid (The Wazir). Besides the current 1965 revival, the musical has been seen in New York three more times. Timbuktu! was an all-black version with a revised book, three new songs (“In the Beginning, Woman,” “My Magic Lamp,” and “Golden Land, Golden Life”), and two new dances (“Birds in Paradise Garden,” and “Nuptial Celebration”). The cast included a spectacular Lalume (here, La-Lume) in Eartha Kitt, and Melba Moore (Marsinah) and Gilbert Price (the Mansa of Mali [the Caliph]) were an attractive pair of young lovers. But Ira Hawkins (here Hadjj) was somewhat bland (during the tryout he had replaced an equally bland William Marshall). The revisal opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on March 1, 1978, for 243 performances. There were also two revivals by the New York City Opera Company at the New York State Theatre. The first opened on October 3, 1985, for thirteen performances (George Hearn and Theodore Baerg alternated the role of Hajj), and the second opened on July 13, 1986, for eight performances (Timothy Nolen was Hajj). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1954. There are innumerable recordings of the score, but the best one is the sparkling original cast album by Columbia Records (LP # OL-4850; the CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy # SK-89252). The album is spectacularly recorded, and so vivid and electric it seems the cast and orchestra are performing live

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in one’s home. Also noteworthy are two other recordings. The two-CD studio cast album by That’s Entertainment Records (# CDTER2-1170) includes “Bored,” “In the Beginning, Woman,” “Golden Land, Golden Life,” and “My Magic Lamp” (as well as “Power,” which was written for, but not used in, Timbuktu!). And Sony Broadway Records’ studio cast recording (CD # SK-46438) is lushly recorded with a large orchestra and powerful singing performances by Samuel Ramey (Hajj) and Jerry Hadley (The Caliph); but one could easily do without Julia Migenes (Lalume), who seems to be channeling Barbra Streisand, and Mandy Patinkin (as the “Marriage Arranger”) is a campy and unwelcome intrusion. The Music Theatre’s revival was recorded by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1112); the production included “Bored,” from the film version. In reviewing the Music Theatre’s revival for the New York Times, Lewis Funke said the production “reeks of riches,” and praised the cast, including Alfred Drake (Hajj) and Henry Calvin (The Wazir) from the original production; others in the company were Lee Venora (Marsinah), Anne Jeffreys (Lalume), and Richard Banke (The Caliph). But Funke felt Kismet was a “tiresome, mechanical musical,” and said the book was an “assembly-line job” and the story was “dull and generally humorless.” He concluded that Kismet was for those seeking “to escape from all resemblance to reality” (and that “others will know what to do”). Besides Drake and Calvin, others from the original production who returned for the revival were Earle MacVeigh, Truman Gaige, Reiko Sato, and Beatrice Kraft as well as choreographer Jack Cole and scenic designer Lemuel Ayers.

OLIVER! Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: August 2, 1965 Closing Date: September 25, 1965 Performances: 64 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Lionel Bart Based on the 1838 novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Direction: Peter Coe; Producers: David Merrick and Donald Albery; Choreography: Uncredited; Scenery and Costumes: Sean Kenny; Lighting: John Wyckham; Musical Direction: Robert McNamee Cast: Victor Stiles (Oliver Twist), Alan Crofoot (Mr. Bumble), Dawna Shove (Mrs. Corney), Sherill Price (Old Sally, Mrs. Sowerberry), John Miranda (Mr. Sowerberry), Lynda Sturner (Charlotte), Billy Brandon (Noah Claypole), Robin Ramsay (Fagin), Joey Baio Priolo (The Artful Dodger), Maura K. Wedge (Nancy), Donnie Smiley (Bet), Danny Sewell (Bill Sykes), Bram Nossen (Mr. Brownlow), Fred Miller (Dr. Grimwig), Dodi Protero (Mrs. Bedwin); Workhouse Boys and Fagin’s Gang: Joey Baio, Tommy Battreall, Paul Dwyer, Anthony Endon, Eugene Endon, Lee Koenig, Greg Lange, Bart Larsen, Christopher Month, Jackie Perkuhn, Sonny Rocco, Ricky Rosenthal, Brett Smiley; Londoners: Ted Bloecher, Reese Burns, Dominic Chianese, Sally Cooke, Marise Counsell, Georgia Dell, Walter Hook, John M. Kimbro, Michael McCormick, Richard Miller, Moose Peting, Terry Robinson, Virginia Sandifur, Mary Ann Squitieri, Gretchen Van Aken, Richard Wulf The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in London during the nineteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Food, Glorious Food” (Boys); “Oliver!” (Alan Crofoot, Dawna Shove, Victor Stiles, Boys); “I Shall Scream” (Dawna Shove, Alan Crofoot); “Boy for Sale” (Alan Crofoot); “That’s Your Funeral” (John Miranda, Alan Crofoot, Sherill Price); “Where Is Love?” (Victor Stiles); “Consider Yourself” (Joey Baio, Victor Stiles, Crowd); “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two” (Robin Ramsay, Boys); “It’s a Fine Life” (Maura K. Wedge, Donnie Smiley); “I’d Do Anything” (Joey Baio, Maura K. Wedge, Victor Stiles, Donnie Smiley, Robin Ramsay); “Be Back Soon” (Robin Ramsay, Joey Baio, Victor Stiles, Boys) Act Two: “Oom-Pah-Pah” (Maura K. Wedge, Company); “My Name” (Danny Sewell); “As Long as He Needs Me” (Maura K. Wedge); “Where Is Love?” (reprise) (Dodi Protero); “Who Will Buy?” (Victor Stiles, Chorus); “It’s a Fine Life” (reprise) (Danny Sewell, Maura K. Wedge, Robin Ramsay, Robin Baio); “Reviewing the

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Situation” (Robin Ramsay); “Oliver!” (reprise) (Alan Crofoot, Dawna Shove); “As Long as He Needs Me” (reprise) (Maura K. Wedge); “Reviewing the Situation” (reprise) (Robin Ramsay); Finale: “Food, Glorious Food” (reprise) (Boys), “Consider Yourself” (reprise) (Company), “I’d Do Anything” (reprise) (Company) The 1963 Broadway production of Oliver! had closed on November 14, 1964, after a run of 774 performances. Perhaps the limited-run revival was a bit premature, since it opened just nine months after the original had closed. The production was that of the musical’s national touring company, and the New York engagement was in effect another road stop. The current visit included two original cast members, Danny Sewell (Bill Sykes) and Maura K. Wedge (here playing Nancy, she had been a member of the chorus in the original Broadway production); others in the company were Victor Stiles (Oliver), Robin Ramsey (Fagin), Joey Baio (The Artful Dodger), and Alan Crofoot (Mr. Bumble). Among the chorus members was Virginia Sandifur, who later created the role of Young Phyllis in Follies (1971).

CAROUSEL “AN EXCITING NEW PRODUCTION” Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: August 10, 1965 Closing Date: September 18, 1965 Performances: 48 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1909 play Liliom by Ferenc Molnar. Direction: Edward Greenberg; Producer: Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (choreography restaged by Gemze deLappe); Scenery: Paul C. McGuire; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peter Hunt; Musical Direction: Franz Allers Cast: Susan Watson (Carrie Pipperidge), Eileen Christy (Julie Jordan), Benay Venuta (Mrs. Mullin), John Raitt (Billy Bigelow), Thomas Barry (Policeman), Ralston Hill (Mr. Bascombe), Katherine Hilgenberg (Nettie Fowler), Reid Shelton (Enoch Snow), Jerry Orbach (Jigger Craigin), Jenny Workman (Hannah), Birl Jonns (Boatswain, Carnival Boy), Dixie Carter (Arminy), John Dorrin (Captain, Principal), Gwyllum Evans (Heavenly Friend, Brother Joshua), Edward Everett Horton (Starkeeper), Linda Howe (Louise), Alan Johnson (Enoch Snow Jr.); Singers: Lynn Carroll, Ronn Carroll, Dixie Carter, Cathy Corkill, Gene Davis, Audrey Dearden, John Dorrin, Dorothy Emmerson, Cleo Fry, Ben Laney, Terry Marone, Laried Montgomery, Bob Neukum, Lucille Perret, Joseph Pichette, Philip Rash, Sean Walsh, Peggy Wathen; Dancers: Bonnie Gene Card, Dennis Cole, Richard Cousins, Victor Duntiere, Lois Etelman, Frank Hoopman, Anita Jones, Linda Keeler, Lucia Lambert, Arnott Mader, Richard Oliver, Carol Perea, J. Hunter Ross, Terry Ryland, Eva Marie Sage, Melissa Stoneburn, Kathy Wilson, Toodie Wittmer The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Maine in 1873 and 1888.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Waltz Suite: Carousel” (Orchestra); “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan” (Susan Watson, Eileen Christy); “When I Marry Mister Snow” (Susan Watson); “If I Loved You” (John Raitt, Eileen Christy); “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” (Katherine Hilgenberg, Susan Watson, Ensemble); “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” Dance (Susan Watson, Dancing Ensemble); “When I Marry Mister Snow” (reprise) (Susan Watson, Reid Shelton, Girls); “When the Children Are Asleep” (Reid Shelton, Susan Watson); “Blow High, Blow Low” (Jerry Orbach, John Raitt, Male Chorus); “Hornpipe” (Dancers [Birl Jonns and Jenny Workman, Lead Dancers]); “Soliloquy” (John Raitt) Act Two: “This Was a Real Nice Clambake” (Katherine Hilgenberg, Eileen Christy, Susan Watson, Reid Shelton, Ensemble); “Geraniums in the Winder” (Reid Shelton); “There’s Nothin’ So Bad for a Woman”

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(Jerry Orbach, Ensemble); “What’s the Use of Wond’rin’” (Eileen Christy); “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Katherine Hilgenberg); “The Highest Judge of All” (John Raitt); “Ballet” (Louise: Linda Howe; Badly Brought Up Boys: Richard Oliver, J. Hunter Ross; The Brothers and Sisters Snow: Bonnie Gene Card, Lois Etelman, Anita Jones, Linda Keeler, Carol Perea, Melissa Stoneburn, Kathy Wilson; A Young Miss Snow: Toodie Wittmer; A Young Man Like Billy: Birl Jonns; A Carnival Woman: Jenny Workman; Members of the Carnival Troupe: Richard Cousins, Victor Duntiere, Frank Hoopman, Lucia Lambert, Arnott Mader, Carol Perea, Terry Ryland, Eva Marie Sage); “If I Loved You” (reprise) (John Raitt); “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (reprise) (Company) Perhaps the masterwork of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s collaborations, Carousel told the bittersweet story of ne’er-do-well carousel barker Billy Bigelow and meek millworker Julie Jordan, whose short marriage is doomed when Billy becomes involved with petty criminal Jigger in a botched robbery that leads to Billy’s death and leaves the pregnant Julie alone. Years later, Billy is allowed to return to earth for one day in order to give hope and courage to his unhappy and ostracized daughter Louise. The original production opened at the Majestic Theatre on April 19, 1945, for 890 performances; the cast included John Raitt (Billy), Jan Clayton (Julie), Bambi Linn (Louise), Murvyn Vye (Jigger), Jean Darling (Carrie), Eric Mattson (Mister Snow), Christine Johnson (Nettie), Jean Casto (Mrs. Mullin), and Russell Collins (The Starkeeper). Iva Withers was among the chorus members, and during the run she played Julie. Howard Keel later assumed the role of Billy, and on one particularly memorable matinee day he played Billy at the Majestic Theatre and then that evening played the role of Curly in Oklahoma!, which was housed across the street from the Majestic at the St. James Theatre. The musical was first seen in London at the Drury Lane on June 7, 1950, for 566 performances; the cast included Stephen Douglass (Billy), Iva Withers (Julie), Bambi Linn (Louise), Eric Mattson (Mister Snow), and Margot Moser (Carrie). The 1956 film version was released by Twentieth Century Fox and starred Gordon MacRae (Billy), Shirley Jones (Julie), Barbara Ruick (Carrie), Robert Rounseville (Mister Snow; later in the year Rounseville created the title role in the original Broadway production of Candide), and Susan Luckey (Louise). Frank Sinatra had been signed to play Billy, but left the production when he discovered each scene would have to be filmed twice, for CinemaScope and for the new CinemaScope 55 process. After his departure, new technology allowed the film to be simultaneously shot in both screen processes, and so unlike the film version of Oklahoma! (which was shot in both CinemaScope and in Todd-AO, and thus required each scene to be filmed twice), there weren’t two film versions of Carousel. The Carousel film omitted “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan,” “Blow High, Blow Low,” “Geraniums in the Winder,” and “The Highest Judge of All,” although the first two were filmed and are included on the soundtrack album. Very early prints of the film included “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan” and “Blow High, Blow Low,” and early showings of the film offered these songs, including special screenings just prior to the film’s official release. The DVD of Carousel was released by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (# 24543-38147). A television version of the musical was aired by ABC on May 7, 1967, with Robert Goulet (Billy), Mary Grover (Julie), Pernell Roberts (Jigger), Marilyne Mason (Carrie), Jack DeLon (Mister Snow), Charles Ruggles (The Starkeeper), and Patricia Neway (Nettie). The production was directed by Paul Bogart. As of this writing, the musical has been revived in New York six times, four times by City Center. The first revival opened at City Center on January 25, 1949, and soon transferred to the Majestic Theatre (where the musical had first premiered four years earlier) for a total of forty-nine performances. The cast included many members from the original Broadway and London production: Stephen Douglass (Billy), Iva Withers (Julie), Christine Johnson (Nettie), Margot Moser (Carrie), and Eric Mattson (Mister Snow). City Center’s next production opened on June 2, 1954, for seventy-nine performances; the cast included Chris Robinson (Billy), Jo Sullivan (Julie), Barbara Cook (Carrie), and Bambi Linn in her original role of Louise. This was followed by City Center’s third revival, which opened on September 29, 1957, for twenty-four performances. The production starred Howard Keel (who had played Billy on Broadway during the musical’s original run), Barbara Cook (now in the role of Julie), Marie Powers (Nettie), Russell Nype (Mister Snow), Kay Medford (Mrs. Mullin), and Bambi Linn again reprising her original role of Louise.

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Between the third and fourth City Center revivals came the current Music Theater of Lincoln Center production. The fourth and final City Center production opened on December 15, 1966, for twenty-two performances, with a cast that included Bruce Yarnell (Billy), Constance Towers (Julie), Patricia Neway (Nettie), Nancy Dussault (Carrie), and Michael Kermoyan (Jigger). For more information, see entry for this revival. The most recent New York production opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on March 24, 1994, for 322 performances. Based on the revival by the Royal National Theatre (of Great Britain), Nicholas Hytner’s production was stunningly designed by Bob Crowley and offered a breathtaking opening sequence. As the music of the “Carousel Waltz” began, the factory girls were seen at work while a huge clock hovered over them; as their work day came to a close, the clock dissolved into the moon, and the girls headed for the carnival, where the carousel was dazzlingly constructed before the eyes of the audience. Crowley had other scenic delights to offer, and his contributions made this the most memorably designed Carousel in memory. Unfortunately, the revival was for the most part indifferently cast, with Michael Hayden’s Billy criticized because of his average singing voice. But his performance was the heart and soul of the revival, his acting magnificent. Here was a tough, brooding and yet vulnerable Billy in young Marlon Brando mode, and his boyishly handsome looks made it easy to understand why all the women were attracted to him, from the hard-boiled, older Mrs. Mullin to the naïve and young Julie Jordan. One defect in the production was Kenneth MacMillan’s sometimes tiresome choreography, especially the seemingly endless second-act ballet for Louise. Someone should have taken scissors to this sequence and cut it in half. The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center’s production offered John Raitt in a reprise of the role he had created twenty years earlier. Others in the cast included Eileen Christy (Julie), Susan Watson (Carrie), Reid Shelton (Mister Snow), Katherine Hildenberg (Nettie), Jerry Orbach (Jigger), and Edward Everett Horton (The Starkeeper). The minor role of Arminy was played by Dixie Carter. Jerry Orbach was particularly memorable, and if it’s possible to turn one line of dialogue into a showstopper, he did just that with his reading of “I had a mother . . . once” (in the original production, the line read “My mother had a baby once”). John Canady in the New York Times noted that Richard Rodgers received a standing ovation during the curtain call, and said it was well-deserved because of his “beautiful” score. But except for the score and the performances, Canady found the musical “extremely wearing” because of the “pokiness of the story” and the “obtrusiveness of the dialogue.” He said his “schmaltz-tolerance quotient” was so low that he was “bored stiff.” He had seen the original 1945 production, and then as now he questioned the shift from Ferenc Molnar’s Budapest locale of Liliom to the coast of Maine. In Budapest, the “schmaltz is as delicious as whipped cream on coffee,” but such schmaltz becomes “hick on this side of the water.” He also noted the cast was so intent on “droppin’” their “g’s” that with all their “a-figgerin’ and a’reckonin’ . . . there ain’t rightly no time left fer proper actin.’” The rich score included “If I Loved You,” “June is Bustin’ Out All Over,” “Soliloquy,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and the “Carousel Waltz,” and has been recorded a number of times. The original cast album on Decca Records (# DL-8003) is probably the best all-around version of the score. The CD, released by MCA Classics Records (# MCAD-10799), includes a bonus track of an alternate (and more complete) version of the “Carousel Waltz.” The cast album of the Lincoln Center revival was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1114). The script was published in hardback by Alfred A. Knopf in 1946.

THE SAINT OF BLEECKER STREET Theatre: The New York State Theatre Opening Date: September 29, 1965 Closing Date: October 9, 1965 Performances: 2 Libretto and Music: Gian-Carlo Menotti Direction: Production “supervised” by Gian-Carlo Menotti (Francis Rizzo, Stage Director); Producer: The New York City Opera; Scenery and Costumes: Robert Randolph; Lighting: Uncredited; Musical Direction: Vincent LaSelva

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Cast: Muriel (Costa) Greenspon (Assunta), Mary Jennings (Carmela), Anita Darian (Maria Corona), Clyde Ventura (Maria Corona’s Son), Malcolm Smith (Don Marco), Julia Migenes (Annina), Harry Theyard (Michele), Beverly Wolff (Desideria), William Beck (Salvatore), Wendy Morris (Concettina), Anthony Safina (A Young Man), Jodell Kenting (A Young Woman), Don Henderson (Bartender), Richard Krause (First Guest), William Ledbetter (Second Guest); New York City Opera Chorus The opera was presented in three acts. The action takes place in the Little Italy section of New York City at the present time. The September 1965 revival of Menotti’s The Saint of Bleecker Street was the second of the opera’s four City Center revivals (for more information, see entry for the first revival, which opened in March 1965). The current production played for two performances.

PICKWICK “A MUSICAL ‘DESIGNED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIVERTING CHARACTERS PLOT’” (from Charles Dickens’s preface to The Pickwick Papers)

AND INCIDENTS ATTEMPTING NO INGENUITY OF

Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: October 4, 1965 Closing Date: November 20, 1965 Performances: 55 Book: Wolf Mankowitz Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse Music: Cyril Ornadel Based on the novel The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, Containing a Faithful Record of the Perambulations, Perils, Travels, Adventures, and Sporting Transactions of the Corresponding Members (aka The Pickwick Papers) by Charles Dickens (published in nineteen installments during 1836 and 1837). Direction: Peter Coe; Producers: David Merrick in association with Bernard Delfont; Choreography: Gillian Lynne; Scenery: Sean Kenny; Costumes: Roger Furse and Peter Rice; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Ian Fraser Cast: Jim Connor (Hot Toddy Seller, Major Domo), Edmond Varrato (Cold Drinks Seller, Landlord), Roger LePage (Bird Seller, Jury Foreman), Gerrit de Beer (Hot Potato Man, Mr. Leo Hunter), Allan Lokos (Turnkey, Sergeant Snubbins), Peter Costanza (Roker, Dr. Slammer), Harry Secombe (Pickwick), Julian Orchard (Augustus Snodgrass), John Call (Tracy Tupman), Oscar Quitak (Nathaniel Winkle), Roy Castle (Sam Weller), Michael Logan (Mr. Wardle), Helena Carroll (Rachel), Nancy Haywood (Isabella), Sybil Scotford (Emily), Joe Richards (Fat Boy), Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Bardell), Brian Chapin (Bardell Jr.), Nancy Barrett (Mary), Anton Rodgers (Mr. Jingle), Richard Neilson (First Officer), Haydon Smith (Second Officer, Wicks), Elizabeth Parrish (Mrs. Leo Hunter), Michael Darbyshire (Dodson), Tony Sympson (Fogg), Keith Perry (Jackson), Taylor Reed (Usher), Stanley Simmonds (Bailiff), Peter Bull (Judge); Passers-by, Ostlers, Debtors, Maids, Drinkers, and Pot Boys: Jill Alexander, Michael Amber, Bill Black, William Coppola, Ann Davies, Selma Marcus, Ann Tell, Bill Nuss, Edmond Varrato, Larry Whiteley, Gerrit de Beer, Clyde Laurents, Keith Perry, Taylor Reed, Bruce Becker, Susan Cartt, Jo Freilich, Mary Keller, Don Lawrence, Ginia Mason, Lani Michaels, Ross Miles, Nancy Stevens, Don Strong, Haydon Smith, Roger LePage; Children: Michael Easton, Richard Easton, Tracy Evans, Leslie Ann Mapes, Bonnie Turner The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around London and Rochester in 1827.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I Like the Company of Men” (Harry Secombe, Julian Orchard, John Call, Oscar Quitak); “That’s What I’d Like for Christmas” (Harry Secombe, Company); “The Pickwickians” (Harry Secombe, Julian Orchard, John Call, Oscar Quitak); “A Bit of Character” (Anton Rodgers, Julian Orchard, Oscar Quitak, John Call); “There’s Something about You” (Anton Rodgers, Helena Carroll); “A Gentleman’s Gentle-

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man” (Roy Castle, Nancy Barrett); “You Never Met a Feller Like Me” (Harry Secombe, Roy Castle); “I’ll Never Be Lonely Again” (Harry Secombe, Charlotte Rae) Act Two: “Fizkin and Pickwick” (Company); “Very” (Anton Rodgers, Harry Secombe, Michael Logan); “If I Ruled the World” (Harry Secombe, Company); “I’ll Never Be Lonely Again” (reprise) (Harry Secombe, Julian Orchard, John Call, Oscar Quitak); “Talk” (Roy Castle, Company); “That’s the Law” (Harry Secombe, Michael Darbyshire, Tony Sympson); “Damages” (Harry Secombe, Charlotte Rae); “If I Ruled the World” (reprise) (Harry Secombe, Company) Pickwick, a musical version of Charles Dickens’s The Pickwick Papers, was a hit in London, opening at the Saville Theatre on July 4, 1963, for 694 performances. And despite its short New York run of fifty-five performances, the David Merrick–produced musical actually returned a profit on its investment because of its successful and lengthy pre-Broadway tour. For the musical stage, the sprawling novel gave way to an episodic evening in the style of British musichall entertainment. The plot, which concentrated on character and incidental humor rather than a linear story line, focused on the lawsuit of Mrs. Bardell (Charlotte Rae) against Mr. Pickwick (Harry Secombe, here re-creating his original London performance) for breach of promise. The musical began and ended with our hero in prison for the alleged crime, and in between came the backstory of Pickwick’s incarceration as well as the adventures of the quartet of confirmed bachelors who comprise the Pickwick Club (besides Pickwick, there are Tupman, Snodgrass, and Winkle, played respectively by John Call, Julian Orchard, and Oscar Quitak [the latter two had also been in the original London production]). At the end of the musical, Pickwick is released from prison because his three compatriots have become engaged to three heiresses and have thus raised the necessary money to free Pickwick from prison and pay damages to Mrs. Bardell. But Pickwick is appalled that his fellow club members are to marry, and would have preferred to remain in prison (but it’s illegal to stay in prison when one’s debts are paid). Pickwick thus dissolves the Pickwick Club, and tells his manservant Sam Weller (Roy Castle) that he now intends to commit the adventures of the Pickwick Club to paper. He begins dictating as the curtain falls. The musical yielded a hit song, “If I Ruled the World,” but the lyric’s watery platitudes relegated it to yet another of the era’s love-is-all-you-really-need pieties on the order of “If We Only Have Love,” “If I Had a Hammer,” and “What the World Needs Now (Is Love, Sweet Love).” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that while Pickwick ran for eighteen months in London, he felt the musical took up most of its eighteen months during the opening-night New York performance. The evening was “sluggish” in spirit and “tame” in temper, and virtually nothing saved it. He praised the “mechanical marvels” of Sean Kenny’s balletic scenery, which was often set in motion by the performers themselves as it rotated clockwise and counterclockwise to reveal various locales. But unfortunately all it looked liked was “scaffolding” (perhaps the scenery would have better served Skyscraper, which opened on Broadway a few weeks later). Further, the score occasionally offered “full-throated” tunes (such as “If I Ruled the World” and “I’ll Never Be Lonely Again”) which were so “unspecific” they could be “sung by any singer on any record that might someday help sell the score.” And the humor was on the order of: “What’s your name?” “None of your business.” “Oh, one of those hyphenated names, eh?” As for Secombe’s performance, Kerr agreed he was physically right for the role, but complained about his singing: Secombe broke his voice in the middle of a word, employed sudden falsetto, and inserted an “‘eeyuck’ sound which is so omnipresent now.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the evening employed the “vulgar clichés” of the modern stage and thus “cheapened” Dickens. There were “low, tasteless gags,” and ultimately the musical was “cheap comic-strip Dickens.” Taubman praised Peter Bull’s “roaring and crafty” Buzfuz, who brought the “essence” of Dickens to the trial scene. But Secombe cheapened the scene by going through “the conventional mugging and motions of conventional musical-comedy routine. It’s a shame.” He also noted Secombe too often came across like a “self-indulgent and commonplace musical-comedy comedian,” and added he had the habit of “strangulating his high tenor for what is supposed to be droll effect.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the evening was “meagre and largely improbable,” and he found the score “middling.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News found Pickwick a “plum pudding of a musical,” and while Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun had reservations about the evening’s style and identity, he nonetheless felt that Dickens would have enjoyed the show.

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During the pre-Broadway tryout, David Jones was replaced by Roy Castle and Brendan Barry by Peter Bull. Songs deleted during the tryout were “Business Is Booming,” “Debtors’ Lament,” and “A Hell of an Election,” and three songs were added: “I Like the Company of Men,” “Fizkin and Pickwick,” and “Damages.” The London cast album was recorded by Philips Records (LP # AL/SAL-3431; later issued on Philips International Series Records LP # 6382-070), and a 1993 production by the Chichester Festival Theatre (which also starred Harry Secombe and Roy Castle) was recorded by That’s Entertainment Records (CD # CDTER-1205). The new recording included dance music (“Quadrille,” “March,” “The Winter Waltz”), “The Duel” sequence, and one song (“Do as You Would Be Done By”), all of which weren’t included on the original cast recording. The script was published in softcover by Samuel French (London) in 1991 as part of the “Leslie Bricusse Musical Classics” series. On June 11, 1969, a shortened version of the musical was televised by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Directed by Terry Hughes, the ninety-minute adaptation offered Harry Secombe reprising his original London and New York roles; the production also starred Cheryl Kennedy (Emily) and Sheila White (Mary). After the BBC showing, the television version was eventually seen in the United States. A nonmusical adaptation of The Pickwick Papers was briefly seen on Broadway when Stanley Young’s Mr. Pickwick opened at the Plymouth (now Gerald Schoenfeld) Theater on September 17, 1952, for sixty-one performances (George Howe played the title role, and Clive Revill was Sam Weller; Estelle Winwood was also in the cast).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Harry Secombe); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Roy Castle); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Charlotte Rae)

DRAT! THE CAT! “A MUSICAL SPOOF” Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: October 10, 1965 Closing Date: October 16, 1965 Performances: 8 Book and Lyrics: Ira Levin Music: Milton Schafer (dance music by Genevieve Pitot) Direction and Choreography: Joe Layton (James Moore, Associate Choreographer); Producers: Jerry Adler and Norman Rosemont; Scenery and Lighting: David Hays; Costumes: Fred Voelpel; Musical Direction: Herbert Grossman Cast: Alfred Spindelman (The Mayor), Charles Durning (Pincer), Gene Varrone (Mallet), David Gold (Roger “Bulldog” Purefoy, The Judge, Patrolman), Lu Leonard (Kate Purefoy), Leo Bloom (The Doctor, The Prosecutor, Patrolman), Sandy Ellen (Emma), Elliott Gould (Bob Purefoy), Harry Naughton (The Van Guilder’s Butler, Patrolman), Jane Connell (Matilda Van Guilder), Jack Fletcher (Lucius Van Guilder), Lesley Ann Warren (Alice Van Guilder), Jacque Dean (The Maid), Al Lanti (The Minister, Patrolman), Marian Haraldson (The Mayor’s Wife), Mariana Doro (Julietta Onderdonck), Ralph Farnworth (Patrolman), Ian Garry (Patrolman), Barney Johnston (Patrolman), William Lutz (Patrolman), George Marcy (Patrolman), Larry Moss (Patrolman), Ronald Pare (Patrolman), James Powers (Patrolman), Dan Siretta (Patrolman), Bill Starr (Patrolman); Dancers in the ballet “Ignoble Theft of the Idol’s Eyes”: Jeri Barto, William Lutz, and Larry Moss (Property Men), Ian Garry, George Marcy, Harry Naughton, and Ronald Pare (Warriors), Nancy Lynch, Carmen Morales, and Mary Zahn (Geishas), Bill Starr (Lion), David Gold (High Priest), Gene Varrone (Cantor); Dancers at the Van Guilders’ Masquerade: Jeri Barto, Lillian Bozinoff, Beth Howland, Meg Walter, Ian Garry, Barney Johnston, Ronald Pare, and Bill Starr; Dancers in the ballet “The Upside-Down Thief”: Ralph Farnworth and Gene Varrone (Tenors), Lillian Bozinoff, David Gold, Marian Haraldson, James Powers, and Meg Walter (Concert-Goers), Mariana Doro (Soprano), Margery Gray (Mayor’s Companion), Ian Garry, Al Lanti, Ronald Pare, Dan Siretta, and Bill Starr (Patrolmen)

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The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City and environs during the spring of 1893.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Drat! The Cat!” (Citizens, Patrolmen, Alfred Spindelman, Charles Durning, Gene Varrone); “My Son, Uphold the Law” (David Gold, Patrolmen); “Holmes and Watson” (Lesley Ann Warren, Elliott Gould); “She Touched Me” (Elliott Gould); “Wild and Reckless” (Lesley Ann Warren); “She’s Roses” (Elliott Gould, Lu Leonard): “Ignoble Theft of the Idol’s Eyes” (Ballet) (Lesley Ann Warren, Patrolmen, Attendants of the Idol); “Dancing with Alice” (includes The Van Guilder’s Masquerade Sequence) (Elliott Gould, Lesley Ann Warren, Jack Fletcher, Jane Connell, Guests); “Drat! The Cat!” (reprise) (Jack Fletcher, Jane Connell, Guests); “Purefoy’s Lament” (Elliott Gould) Act Two: “A Pox upon the Traitor’s Brow” (Charles Durning, Gene Varrone, Sandy Ellen, Patrolmen); “Deep in Your Heart” (Elliott Gould); “Let’s Go” (Lesley Ann Warren, Elliott Gould); “It’s Your Fault” (Jack Fletcher, Jane Connell); “Wild and Reckless” (reprise) (Elliott Gould); “The Upside-Down Thief” (Ballet) (Elliott Gould, Citizens, Patrolmen, Lu Leonard); “Today Is a Day for a Band to Play” (Charles Durning, Gene Varrone, Sandy Ellen, Patrolmen, Citizens); “She Touched Me” (reprise) (Elliott Gould, Lesley Ann Warren); “I Like Him” (Lesley Ann Warren); “Justice Triumphant” (Company); “Today Is a Day for a Band to Play” (reprise) (Company) Some of the New York critics must have been in a bad mood when Drat! The Cat! opened, otherwise how to account for such undeserved reviews? If ever there was a misunderstood musical in the mid-1960s, Drat! The Cat! was it. Ira Levin’s amusing book was a frothy tongue-in-cheek melodramatic musical spoof of colorful Old New York awash in bumbling Keystone Kops and snooty upper-crust society types (a Wall Streeter announces he’s off to the Exchange because “today is the day we spring the trap on the small investors”). The plot revolved around lovely Alice Van Guilder (debutante, millionaire’s daughter, and cat burglar to boot) who matches wits with a rather dimwitted but lovable cop. Lesley Ann Warren was the seductive and feline Alice, and Elliott Gould was the hapless patrolman Bob Purefoy, who sets out to uncover the mysterious jewel thief while unbeknownst to him the very same Alice with whom he is falling in love is the one and only notorious cat burglar who has all of Manhattan society on edge. Happily, Alice always returns the jewels she steals, and so when she’s brought to trial the judge suspends her 314-year sentence under the condition she’s released to a “responsible citizen,” a job Bob is only too willing to take on. And so the chorus merrily sings “Justice Triumphant! / Just as in some fantasy!” as the curtain falls. The evening’s lighthearted wedding cake of a book also offered a champagne of a score: Levin’s bright lyrics and Milton Schafer’s ingratiating melodies were a bubbly delight of romantic pastiche: “Holmes and Watson,” “Wild and Reckless,” “She’s Roses,” “Dancing with Alice,” “Today Is a Day for a Band to Play,” and “She Touched Me” were charming valentines, and the latter became a minor standard when Mrs. Elliott Gould recorded it (Barbra Streisand was also one of the musical’s angels). And the icing on the cake was Joe Layton’s inventive choreography and staging and David Hays’s witty décor. But it all went down after eight performances, and the public never got the chance to discover the delicious humor and tinkling musical delights of Drat! The Cat! Walter Kerr in the New York Herald Tribune loved the musical, noting it “cuts itself free of meaning and goes on holiday. . . . [The show] may be the escape we’ve all been looking for. . . . Pay attention to how much fun it is.” He praised the “admirably consistent interior impertinence” of the lyrics and the “odd jumping-jack sweetness” of the music (“the score grins”). John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the new musical was “good fun if you are prepared to go along with it all the way . . . a very special kind of evening, not everybody’s saucer of milk. But I had a good time.” Apparently the other critics weren’t prepared to go with the flow, and so the remaining reviews were either negative or middling. Howard Taubman in the New York Times told his readers “there’s not much new, pussycat, in Drat! The Cat!” Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical “resolutely un-funny.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the show was often “quite funny,” and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun felt Joe Layton’s contributions made the evening “enjoyable.”

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To add to the turn-of-the-century flavor, the orchestra was on stage throughout the evening, in the manner of a bandstand in the park; they were dressed in band uniforms of the day, and Herbert Grossman conducted with “fine free-lunch gusto,” per Kerr. David Hays’s scenic inventions offered “some of the busiest and most ingenious scenery in town,” according to Taubman. Bridges, balconies, stairways, and railroad trestles appeared and disappeared “as if by magic from above, below and the sides,” and trap doors were employed throughout the evening to allow cast members and scenic effects to pop up and then drop down. Chapman noted the scenery “revolves . . . sinks . . . pops up and . . . skitters around,” and McClain warned his readers to be “prepared to witness the wildest behavior of stage sets in the history of the game. They fly, slide, emerge from trap doors in the floor, drop, converge and do everything but sing ‘Melancholy Baby.’” Nadel also noted that the interior of the grand Van Guilder mansion was in the color of “money green” and “adorned with currency portraits of presidents and inlaid with coins.” Other scenic delights were a haunted wood just outside New York City and a lavish masquerade ball hosted by the Van Guilders. The highlight of the evening was a choreographed sequence depicting one of the cat’s heists. “Ignoble Theft of the Idol’s Eyes” took place on Pier 14 where a rare Japanese idol of gold (with two diamonds for eyes) is to be presented to the mayor of New York by Japanese delegates. Veiled Japanese property-men unroll a painting of ocean waves that depict the long journey of the idol from Japan to New York, and the entire sequence erupts into an “uproarious Kabuki wonderland” (per Nadel) which somehow even managed to work in a vocal duel between a Japanese high priest and a Jewish cantor. The climax of the “spirited ballet” (per McClain) comes when the cat manages to steal the two diamonds under the respective noses of the mayor, the Japanese delegates and warriors, a lion dancer, the cantor and the high priest, and a clutch of geishas. Because of this ignominy, the Japanese warriors who were guarding the idol commit hara-kiri. (For this sequence, conductor Grossman donned a colorful kimono.) Another exciting dance sequence was “The Upside-Down Thief,” in which Bob shows leadership among his Keystone Kop–like comrades. Titled Cat and Mouse in preproduction, an early version of the script included a number of songs not heard in New York: “Purefoy’s Vow (“I will capture the cat”)” (not to be confused with “Purefoy’s Lament”), “Explanation,” “Reach for the Sun,” “Unfortunate Occurrence,” “Dream and Reality,” “Money” (aka “Money, Money”), “A Green and Private World,” and “Good Old Bob!”; “Money” was in the script and heard only during New York previews. The lyric of the “Spanish-sounding” “Explanation” was a particularly amusing comedy song for Alice in which she reveals her penchant for diamond pendants. She comes to the conclusion that in one way or another everyone’s a thief (for example, lawyer thieves can “convolute” a minor claim ”into a five-year suit”), and so rather than “easily” giving her heart away to men who are thieves, she decides to smile “Mona Lisa-ly” and go about her own private business of stealing a diamond a day. During the tryout, Eddie Foy Jr. left the show and his dual roles of both Bob’s and Alice’s fathers were divided between David Gold as Bob’s father and Jack Fletcher as Alice’s. Songs deleted during the tryout were “Being a Parent,” “It’s Terrible,” and “The 2% Income Tax.” As mentioned, “Money, Money” was deleted during Broadway previews. The original cast album was to have been recorded by Columbia Records, but was cancelled due to the show’s brief run (it had been assigned release # KOL-6460 and # KOS-2860). A live recording of one of the New York preview performances was released by Blue Pear Records (LP # BP-1005), and included “Money, Money.” In 1997, a studio cast recording of the score was released by Varese Sarabande Records (CD # VSD-5721) with Susan Egan (Alice) and Jason Graae (Bob); other cast members included Elaine Stritch, Judy Kaye, Jonathan Freeman, Lee Wilkof, and Gregory Jbara. Of the musical’s two comic dances, the Blue Pear recording includes both “Ignoble Theft of the Idol’s Eyes” and “The Upside-Down Thief,” while the Varese-Sarabande set includes only the latter. “A Green and Private World” is included in the collection Lost in Boston IV (Varese Sarabande # VSD-5768). “Deep in Your Heart” was recorded by Jerry Vale on Columbia Records 45 RPM # 4-43413.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Scenic Designer (David Hays)

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THE WORLD OF CHARLES AZNAVOUR “HIS SONGS

OF

LOVE

AND

OTHER SORROWS”

Theatre: Ambassador Theatre Opening Date: October 14, 1965 Closing Date: November 6, 1965 Performances: 29 Lyrics: See song list for credits Music: Charles Aznavour Producers: Norman Twain and Sid Bernstein in association with Henri Goldgran; Scenery and Lighting: Ralph Alswang; Musical Direction: Henry Byrs Cast: Charles Aznavour (accompanied by five musicians) The concert was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Le temps” (“There Is a Time”) (lyric by J. Davis; English lyric by Herbert Kretzmer); “Avec” (lyricist unknown); “For Me Formidable” (lyrics by Jacques Plante and Gene Lees); “Je te rechaufferais” (“I Will Warm Your Heart”) (lyric by Gene Lees); “Who” (“Who Will Take My Place?”) (“Qui?”) (lyric by Herbert Kretzmer); “J’ai perdu la tete” (lyric by Charles Aznavour); “Never Again” (“A tout jamais”) (lyric by Falcone); “Parce que” (lyricist unknown); “Isabelle” (lyric by Charles Aznavour); “The Boss Is Dead” (lyricist unknown); “Reste” (“Stay”) (lyric by Bachelor); “Two Guitars” (lyricist unknown); “Que c’est triste Venise” (“Venice Blue”) (lyric by F. Dorin); “You’ve Let Yourself Go” (“Tu te laisses aller”) (lyric by Marcel Stellman) Act Two: “I Dig You That Way” (“Je t’aime comme ça”) (lyric by Davis and Falcone); “C’est fini” (lyricist unknown); “The Time Is Now” (lyricist unknown); “Quant tu viens chez moi” (lyricist unknown); “L’amour c’est comme un jour” (lyricist unknown); “I’m Wrong” (lyricist unknown); “Et pourtant” (lyric by Georges Garvarentz); “Les comédiens” (lyric by Jacques Plante); “Love, At Last You Have Found Me” (“J’en deduis que je t’aime”) (lyric by Worth); “Paris Is at Her Best in May” (J’aime Paris au mois de mai”) (lyric by Gene Lees and Roche); “La Bohème” (lyric by Jacques Plante); “You’ve Got to Learn” (“Il faut savoir”) (lyric by Marcel Stellman); “La Mamma” (“For Mama”) (lyric by Robert Gall) The popular French singer and composer Charles Aznavour was here making the first of five mainly one-man visits to Broadway. His next New York engagement (as Charles Aznavour) opened at the Music Box Theatre on February 4, 1970, for twenty-three performances. This was followed by Charles Aznavour on Broadway (October 15, 1974, at the Minskoff Theatre for sixteen performances), Charles Aznavour (March 14, 1983, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for fourteen performances), and Aznavour on Broadway (October 20, 1998, at the Marquis Theatre for twenty-four performances). Perhaps he was best known in the United States for his popular songs “You’ve Let Yourself Go” and “Yesterday When I Was Young.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times said Aznavour sang with a “husky voice” and “impeccable musicianship. . . . His approach has the kind of disarming simplicity that is the product of the most precise calculation.” Taubman noted the program offered “songs of love and other sorrows,” and felt it was a “neat Gallic trick to make mournfulness so enjoyable.” He singled out two songs for praise (“Les comédiens” and “Paris Is at Her Best in May”), but complained of Aznavour’s “fiendish mike,” which sometimes drowned out the five musicians who accompanied him. In her collection Act III (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3947), Lana Cantrell included two songs from The World of Charles Aznavour (“I Will Warm Your Heart” and “Love, at Last You Have Found Me”). Her collection And Then There Was Lana (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3755) included another song from the production, “Stay.”

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ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: October 17, 1965 Closing Date: June 11, 1966 Performances: 272 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Burton Lane (dance music by Betty Walberg) Direction: Robert Lewis; Producers: Alan Jay Lerner in association with Rogo Productions; Choreography: Herbert Ross; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop (Barbara Harris’s modern clothes by Donald Brooks); Lighting: Feder; Musical Direction: Theodore Saidenberg Cast: John Cullum (Dr. Mark Bruckner), Rae Allen (Mrs. Hatch), Gerald M. Teijelo Jr. (Student, Millard Cross), Barbara Harris (Daisy Gamble, Melinda), Barbara Monte (Muriel Benson), William Reilly (James Preston), Gordon Dilworth (Samuel Welles), Blanche Collins (Mrs. Welles), Byron Webster (Sir Hubert Insdale), Hanne Marie Reiner (Dolly Wainwhistle), Bernard Johnson (Blackamoor), William Daniels (Warren Smith), Barbara Remington (Prudence Cumming), Clifford David (Edward Moncrief), Carol Flemming (Flora), Gerry Mathews (Dr. Paul Bruckner), Michael Lewis (Dr. Conrad Bruckner), Hamilton Camp (Evans Bolagard), Titos Vandis (Themistocles Kriakos), David Thomas (T.A.A. Official); Singers: Rudy Challenger, Paul Eichel, Eddie Erickson, Stokely Gray, Bennett Hill, Art Matthews, Dan Resin, Ken Richards, Rita Golden, Joy Holly, Zona Kennedy, Pat Lysinger, Caroline Parks, Nancy Reeves, Jeannette Seibert, Dixie Stewart; Dancers: Sterling Clark, Luigi Gasparinetti, Bernard Johnson, Louis Kosman, Kazimir Kokich, Marco Pogacar, Ronald B. Stratton, Gerald M. Teijelo Jr., William Reilly, Rita Agnese, Carol Flemming, Marion Fels, Leslie Franzos, Bettye Jenkins, Charlene Mehl, Barbara Monte, Hanne Marie Reiner, Barbara Remington The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the present day in New York City; the regression sequences take place in England in the eighteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Hurry! It’s Lovely up Here” (Barbara Harris); “Ring Out the Bells” (Gordon Dilworth, Blanche Collins, Servants); “Tosy and Cosh” (Barbara Harris); “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” (John Cullum); “On the S.S. Bernard Cohn” (Barbara Harris, Barbara Monte, William Reilly, Gerald M. Teijelo Jr.); “At the Hellrakers’” (dance) (Dancers); “Don’t Tamper with My Sister” (Clifford David, Byron Webster, Ensemble); “She Wasn’t You” (Clifford David); “Melinda” (John Cullum) Act Two: “When I’m Being Born Again” (Titos Vandis); “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have” (Barbara Harris); “Wait ’Til We’re Sixty-Five” (William Daniels, Barbara Harris); “Come Back to Me” (John Cullum); “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” (reprise) (John Cullum) There was so much right about On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and so much wrong with it. Set in contemporary Manhattan, the plot centered on kooky (it seems to have been a rule of the decade that stage and film heroines had to be kooky), chain-smoking Daisy Gamble (Barbara Harris), who’s engaged to nerdy Warren Smith (William Daniels). When Daisy goes to psychiatrist Mark Bruckner (John Cullum) in order to kick her smoking habit, he discovers she has extrasensory perception. She can tell Bruckner where to look for a missing phone number or a set of keys, and can predict when his telephone will ring (in all these years, didn’t Warren and her other friends notice she had ESP?). Besides ESP, she also talks to flowers and can transform a bud sprout into a full-grown blossom within seconds; and when she’s inadvertently hypnotized, it turns out ESP and instant flower-growing are the least of her abilities. According to the logic of Alan Jay Lerner’s script, the gift of ESP is just one step away from reincarnation. And so nasal-voiced New Yorker Daisy is suddenly thrust into eighteenth-century England, where she was once the haughtier-than-thou Melinda Welles Moncrief, who speaks the King’s English in the plumy tones usually associated with hosts on Masterpiece Theatre and who is romantically involved with portrait painter Sir Edward Moncrief (Clifford David). (When Mark later asks Daisy if she likes painting, she replies

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she doesn’t really know because she’s gotten so used to wallpaper.) And while Mark isn’t particularly interested in the present-day Daisy, he finds himself infatuated with the Melinda of long ago. The story certainly had possibilities, Lerner’s book had more than its share of amusing situations and lines, and with Daisy he created an instantly likeable comic character. When the script stayed in the present and focused on Daisy, the story worked beautifully, but when it strayed into Bridey Murphy territory, the narrative quickly lost momentum. The eighteenth-century regression scenes had nothing to do with the present ones, and Lerner was unable to both mirror and juxtapose the present and the past into a unified whole. Too often, the Melinda sequences seemed like filler, especially when the script veered into ersatz Tom Jones with the extraneous song (“Don’t Tamper with My Sister [on a Publick Walke]” and dance (“At the Hellrakers’”). But the modern-day scenes also had their own problems, including a tiresome subplot about a fabulously wealthy Greek who’s interested in reincarnation because he wants to leave his money to himself; he seemed to be a walk-on from a recent popular movie, in this case Zorba the Greek. Further, his song “When I’m Being Born Again” was yet more filler material and added nothing to the basic plot. And despite its enormous charm, the modern-day song “On the S.S. Bernard Cohn” was yet another extraneous song that stretched out the evening. In fact, the score offered just twelve songs (not counting the “Hellrakers’” dance), four of which were clearly extraneous to the main plot. And in their songs, the characters stayed mostly to themselves. Of the twelve numbers, eight were solos; Daisy and Mark never once shared a song during the entire evening. Yet there were ample opportunities for character interaction and plot development through song. For example, since there were three men in Daisy’s life, it might have been fascinating if Daisy/Melinda, Mark, Edward, and Warren had shared a quartet/quintet across the centuries. Or perhaps, in “Duet for One” fashion (from Lerner’s and Leonard Bernstein’s 1976 musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), Daisy and Melinda could have presented differing perspectives of their situation. The musical had other flaws as well: It looked cheap, and it didn’t dance. The 1960s, and especially the mid-1960s, was the era of lavish Broadway productions, and yet the expensive Clear Day (which also broke ticket-price barriers with its then unheard-of $11.90 top) looked like an anemic bus-and-truck touring version of a big-budgeted Broadway show (Henry Hewes in Saturday Review said the musical must have left its scenery in Boston). For one of the most expensive productions of the season, the money wasn’t in evidence on the Hellinger’s stage. The musical also had anemic choreography, and Herbert Ross’s dances were particularly disappointing. “At the Hellrakers’” never soared and was all too obvious, and the dance movement for “On the S.S. Bernard Cohn” and “When I’m Being Born Again” seemed incidental and secondhand. But what went right with the musical were Barbara Harris’s richly comic performance as Daisy and Lerner and Burton Lane’s glorious score. Harris was an alumna of the Second City troupe, and she brought to her role a certain improvisational quality that worked beautifully in her scenes with Bruckner. Her fumbling way with a cigarette was priceless, and her ability to shift range and tone in dialogue was hilarious. She brought a loopy, hang-loose style that seemed fresh and spontaneous but that clearly had been worked out, down to the tiniest movement and inflection. Here in her musical comedy debut Harris was no novice, but already a seasoned performer who controlled and owned the stage and the audience: you couldn’t take your eyes off her because her every tic and nuance was part of a legendary performance in the making; her only peer in the role would have been the young Beatrice Lillie. And if her acting was perfect if not pluperfect, her imperfect singing was nonetheless charming; no one has ever topped her renditions of “Hurry! It’s Lovely up Here” (her ode to the flowers, which was a blend of clever lyric and ingratiating melody) and “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?” (her bluesy lament that Mark prefers Melinda to Daisy was one of the most haunting torch songs Broadway had heard in years). Burton Lane had been absent from Broadway for an incredible eighteen years (his most recent musical had been Finian’s Rainbow in 1947), and his comeback score was one of the lushest and most melodic of the era. The haunting ballads tumbled one after the other from his music box: “She Wasn’t You,” “Melinda,” and “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?”; the title number (and the show’s hit song) was almost wholesome in its quasi-religious statement that all things are one, and one is part of everything; “Come Back to Me” (which also enjoyed a certain amount of popular currency) was a clever up-tempo ballad in which Mark summons Daisy to his side; “Hurry! It’s Lovely up Here” offered one of the most irresistible and insinuating of melodies; and for stuffy Warren “Wait ’Til We’re Sixty-Five,” with its upbeat perky music and brilliant Lerner lyric, was one of the best comic songs of the decade. During the tryout, the role of Mark Bruckner was performed by Louis Jourdan, who left the show and was replaced by John Cullum (Hal Linden was standby for the characters of Mark and Edward [The Fantastick’s

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Rita Gardner was the standby for Barbara Harris]). A number of songs were deleted during the tryout, including the intriguingly titled “The Domestic Champagne Waltz,” “The Normal Thing to Do,” “Marriage a la Mode,” “I’ll Not Marry,” “Dolly’s Seduction,” and “Mom” (a highly praised number that the psychiatrist sang about his mother). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1966. The original cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP# LOCD/LSOD-2006; later issued by RCA on CD # 09026-60820-2). “Ring Out the Bells” was recorded for but not included on the album, and didn’t surface on the CD release (it’s unclear if the master tape is lost). The execrable film version was released by Paramount in 1970; bloated and completely charmless, it even managed to ruin “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?” by altering its tempo. Upon hearing it, you’d never suspect it was a torch song; instead, Daisy sounds frantic and irked, as if she just missed a cross-town bus to a dental appointment. Indifferently directed by Vincente Minnelli and with equally indifferent performances by Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand, the film’s cast also included Bob Newhart, Larry Blyden, Simon Oakland, John Richardson, and Jack Nicholson. The latter played a new character for the film, Tad, Daisy’s step-brother. It was an impossible role, which by the time of the film’s release had been cut and essentially relegated to a walk-on (and his song “Who Is There among Us Who Knows” was also cut). The film retained six songs from the Broadway production, and added two new ones, both decidedly second-drawer (“Go to Sleep” and “Love with All the Trimmings”). In reviewing the stage production, the New York critics liked the score and Barbara Harris, but had reservations about the book. Howard Taubman in the New York Times said the score had “more melodic grace and inventive distinction than has been heard in some years,” and despite Lerner’s “labored and creaky” book, Lerner could not have found “a more tuneful composer or a more ingratiating leading lady . . . she is blithe spirit and living doll.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune liked the idea of the plot’s “jauntiness” and willingness to tackle the subject of ESP, but he noted the regression scenes were from “another musical altogether, one about the passions and perils of reincarnation . . . the evening [becomes] more than square, it has become Berkeley Square.” Further, when Kerr heard the Greek millionaire sing “When I’m Being Born Again,” the nagging question arose: “Why is he singing me all this?” The musical was revived by Encores! for five performances on February 10, 2000; the leads were Kristin Chenoweth, Brent Barrett, and Roger Bart. For a regional theatre production in 2010, the musical’s book was radically revised by playwright Peter Parnell, and was presented by New York Stage and Film Company & The Powerhouse Theatre at Vassar in July of that year; the production was later presented in a developmental lab production at the Vineyard Theatre in 2011, and opened on Broadway later that year on December 11 at the St. James Theatre. In the revisal, Daisy Gamble is now gay florist Davey Gamble (David Turner), who lives in New York in 1974 and who in his previous life was a 1940s female jazz singer named Melinda Welles (here, Wells) (Jessie Mueller). Davy’s straight, middle-aged, and widowed psychiatrist Mark Bruckner (Harry Connick Jr.) finds himself attracted to Melinda, whom he of course knows was reincarnated as Davy. The ill-conceived, misguided, and, according to many critics, generally miscast revival received mostly negative if not scathing reviews, and the run was even shorter than the original 1965 production; this Clear Day clouded over after fifty-seven performances, and didn’t leave a cast album behind. The revival didn’t utilize any of the songs deleted during the original production’s tryout, nor did it reinstate “Ring Out the Bells,” which had been dropped shortly after the opening of the 1965 version. Instead, two songs were interpolated from the film version (“Love with All the Trimmings” and “Go to Sleep”), four songs from Lerner and Lane’s 1951 MGM film Royal Wedding (“You’re All the World to Me,” “Open Your Eyes,” “Too Late Now,” and “Ev’ry Night at Seven”), and one song (“Who Is There Among Us Who Knows”), which was filmed but cut from the final print of the 1970 film version. The production dropped four numbers from the original production (“Ring Out the Bells,” “Tosy and Cosh,” “Don’t Tamper with My Sister,” and the dance sequence “At the Hellrakers’”). Daisy Gamble had an earlier life as Melinda Welles Moncrief, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever almost had an earlier theatrical life in 1962, three years before its actual Broadway opening. The musical had originally been titled I Picked a Daisy, and Richard Rodgers was set to compose the music (Robert Horton had been chosen for the role of Bruckner, and Harris was to play Daisy). RCA owned the rights to the cast album of I Picked a Daisy, and had assigned it release # LOC/LSO-1078. But the Lerner-Rodgers collaboration came to naught when the latter balked at Lerner’s meandering work pace.

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After the Broadway production closed, the musical was revised for a national tour. The subplot of the Greek millionaire was dropped (his song “When I’m Being Born Again” became “When I Come Around Again” for Bruckner’s students); some new sequences were added (“First Regression,” “Solicitor’s Song,” and the dance “The Gout,” which during the course of the tour was retitled “The Spasm”); and four numbers from the original production were deleted (“Ring Out the Bells,” “Tosy and Cosh,” “Don’t Tamper with My Sister,” and “At the Hellrakers’”). The musical was twice revived Off-Off-Broadway, first by the Equity Library Theatre May 3–27, 1979, and then by Opening Doors Productions at the Harold Clurman Theatre May 5–29, 1993. Both revivals essentially followed the revised script for the national tour, but the latter production included one song that had been dropped during the original tryout (“I’ll Not Marry”).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (John Cullum); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Barbara Harris); Best Composer and Lyricist (Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner)

THE ZULU AND THE ZAYDA “A PLAY

WITH

MUSIC”

Theatre: Cort Theatre Opening Date: November 10, 1965 Closing Date: April 16, 1966 Performances: 179 Play: Howard Da Silva and Felix Leon Lyrics and Music: Harold Rome Based on the 1959 short story “The Zulu and the Zeide” by Dan Jacobson. Direction: Dore Schary; Producers: Theodore Mann and Dore Schary; Scenery and Lighting: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Musical Direction: Michael Spivakowsky Cast: Ossie Davis (Johannes), James Higgins (Koofer), Joe Silver (Harry Grossman), Sarah Cunningham (Helen Grossman), Philip Vandervort (Arthur Grossman), John Pleshette (David Grossman), John Randolph Jones (Eric), Menasha Skulnik (Zayda), Norman Barrs (Tommy Layton), Louis Gossett (Paulus), Sandra Kent (Woman with Baby Carriage, Nurse), David Mogck (Policeman), Peter DeAnda (Peter), Yaphet Kotto (John), Christine Spencer (Joan), Ed Hall (William), Charles Moore (Mr. Lamene), Ella Thompson (Mrs. Lamene), Robert Hewitt (Groenwald), Max Jacobs (Dyckboom), Sholom Ludvinsky (Mourner) The play with music was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the present time in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Tkambuza” (“The Zulu Hunting Song”) (Ossie Davis); “Crocodile Wife” (Ossie Davis); “(It’s) Good to Be Alive” (Menasha Skulnik, Louis Gossett); “The Water Wears Down the Stone” (Ossie Davis); “Rivers of Tears” (Menasha Skulnik); “Like the Breeze Blows” (Peter DeAnda, Christine Spencer, Ensemble); “Oisgetzaichnet” (“Out of This World”) (Menasha Skulnik, Ensemble) Act Two “Some Things” (Ensemble); “Zulu Love Song” (“Wait for Me”) (Louis Gossett); “L’Chayim” (“May Your Heart Stay Young”) (Menasha Skulnik); “Cold, Cold Room” (aka “How Cold, Cold, Cold an Empty Room”) (Ossie Davis); “Good to Be Alive” (reprise) (Menasha Skulnik, Louis Gossett) Based on Dan Jacobson’s short story “The Zulu and the Zeide,” Howard Da Silva and Felix Leon’s comedy with music (with lyrics and music by Harold Rome) centered on the two title characters, Zayda (which means “grandfather,” played by Menasha Skulnik) and the zulu Paulus (Louis Gossett), who make an odd couple in the apartheid world of 1965 Johannesburg. Ossie Davis played Johannes, and served as the evening’s narrator.

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Worried that his elderly father is living alone in London, Harry Grossman (Joe Silver) brings the seventynine-year-old man to Johannesburg to live with him and his family, and hires Paulus to look after him. The unlikely twosome soon pick up phrases from each other’s language and find they are becoming friends. But this is the era of apartheid, and Zayda doesn’t understand that seemingly trivial behavior (such as Paulus’s holding Zayda’s hand when they cross the street) can lead to criminal prosecution. Harry eventually fires Paulus, but when Zayda becomes ill Harry realizes Paulus is probably the best medicine for him. And so the zulu and the zayda are reunited and promise (knock wood) to never again get into trouble. Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt The Zulu and the Zayda was “completely at home in the world of the musical theatre,” but felt the story resorted to “all the trite devices of comedy and emotion” and the “alleged dramatic sections” were “corn unlimited.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the social issues raised in the musical were “developed at such low pressure that they come to seem foolish rather than formidable,” and he noted the misadventures of the two main characters repeated themselves “in too easy a mathematical pattern.” (Indeed, a reading of the script makes one feel the story could have been developed into a television sitcom, with each week’s episode dealing with wacky cultural misunderstandings between the elderly Jewish man and his young black servant as well as their causing merry mayhem with the apartheid authorities.) John McClain in the New York Journal-American felt the evening was too one-note in its predictability as the “oldest boy-girl story in the business: Menasha meets Louis, Menasha loses Louis and then gets him back. Fade out.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun felt the “episodic nature” of the narrative was a “series of inconclusive, formless scenes” with a “superimposed” South African flavor and Jewish characters strictly “pure Bensonhurst.” But Richard Watts in the New York Post said the evening was “modest but likeable,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the work “modest, with a sort of Chekhovian quality of gentleness and human insight.” The critics all agreed that Menasha Skulnik was a delight, “a many-splendored thing” (per Kerr) and “the most lovable of performers” (McClain); Nadel noted he was giving a “unique and effervescent performance,” and Chapman found him “absolutely endearing.” The critics also liked Rome’s incidental score, singling out “It’s Good to Be Alive.” Chapman felt his contributions were “lovely little songs—folk songs, to all intent”; Watts found the score “attractive”; and Taubman said the songs “bubble along . . . in the best of musical-comedy spirits.” Songs either dropped during preproduction or in previews were “The Biggest Men Stumble” “Eagle Soliloquy,” and “Yi, Yi, Yi” (aka “Aye, Aye, Aye”). The song “Like the Breeze Blows” was refashioned as “Bonnie Gone” for Gone with the Wind, which first opened in Japan as Scarlett (1970), and then in London as Gone with the Wind (1972). A Broadway-bound production floundered on the road in 1973. The script was published in softcover by Dramatists Play Service in 1966. The cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-6480 and # KOS-2880; the CD was released by Arkiv/Sony/Masterworks Broadway # 81366).

SKYSCRAPER “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: November 13, 1965 Closing Date: June 11, 1966 Performances: 241 Book: Peter Stone Lyrics: Sammy Cahn Music: James Van Heusen Based on the 1945 play Dream Girl by Elmer Rice. Direction: Cy Feuer; Producers: Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin; Choreography: Michael Kidd; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Musical Direction: John Lesko Cast: Julie Harris (Georgina), Nancy Cushman (Mrs. Allerton), Donald Burr (Mr. Allerton), Lesley Stewart (Charlotte), Burt Bier (Mayor, Auctioneer), Richard Korthaze (Doctor), Dick O’Neill (Herbert Bushman),

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Rex Everhart (Stanley), Peter L. Marshall (Timothy Bushman), Charles Nelson Reilly (Roger Summerhill), Georgia Creighton (Woman Customer), John Anania (Harry the Waiter), Ken Ayers (Cab Driver), Walter P. Brown (Jazz Musician), Christian Gray (Photographer), Pola Chapelle (Paola in film sequence), Paul Sorvino (Francesco in film sequence); Singers: John Anania, Ken Ayers, Burt Bier, Walter P. Brown, Christian Gray, Randy Phillips, Casper Roos, Eleanor Bergquist, Georgia Creighton, Ceil Delli, Maryann Kerrick; Dancers: Ray Chabeau, Gene Gavin, Curtis Hood, Gene Kelton, Ray Kirchner, Richard Korthaze, Darrell Notara, Bill Starr, Kent Thomas, Barbara Beck, Trudy Carson, Marilyn Charles, Suzanne France, Ellen Graff, Lauren Jones, Renata Powers The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place yesterday in New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: Opening Sequence (Julie Harris, Dream Characters); “Occasional Flight of Fancy” (Julie Harris, Officials); “Run for Your Life” (Peter L. Marshall, Dick O’Neill); “Local 403” (Rex Everhart, Construction Workers, Girls); “Opposites” (Julie Harris, Peter L. Marshall); “Run for Your Life” (reprise) (Peter L. Marshall); “Just the Crust” (Charles Nelson Reilly, Dick O’Neill); “Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong” (Julie Harris, Peter L. Marshall); “Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong” (reprise) (Julie Harris); “Wrong!” (Julie Harris, Nancy Cushman, Lesley Stewart, Customers); “The Auction” (Customers); “Occasional Flight of Fancy” (reprise) (Julie Harris) Act Two: “The Gaiety” (Customers); “More Than One Way” (Peter L. Marshall, Workers); “Don’t Worry” (Charles Nelson Reilly, Dick O’Neill); “Don’t Worry” (reprise) (Julie Harris, Charles Nelson Reilly); “I’ll Only Miss Her When I Think of Her” (Peter L. Marshall); “Spare That Building” (Julie Harris, Peter L. Marshall, Charles Nelson Reilly, Company) Elmer Rice’s 1945 comedy Dream Girl was a modest hit, running for 348 performances. Bored Georgina Allerton (Betty Field) runs a rundown bookstore and has no luck getting her novels published. In order to escape from her drab existence, she indulges in exotic and exciting daydreams, but when she meets, falls in love with, and marries Clark Redfield (Wendell Corey) she comes to the conclusion that life with Clark is a true dream. The play toured with Lucille Ball in one of her rare stage appearances, and in 1947 an uninteresting film adaptation starred Betty Hutton. For the musical version Skyscraper, Georgina (Julie Harris) is still a dreamer, but now owns an antique shop called The Litterbug which is located on the first floor of her brownstone. Her shop assistant, frustrated playwright and aspiring film festival producer Roger B. (“‘B’ as in Bernice”) Summerhill (Charles Nelson Reilly), is dejected because he can’t raise funds for his festival, and Georgina has problems, too. It seems the block she lives on is scheduled for the site of a skyscraper, and her refusal to sell her property is the only impediment the builders face. She meets architect Tim Bushman (Peter L. Marshall), who is immediately attracted to her, but since his family runs the construction site for the planned skyscraper, she’s not interested in him and doesn’t realize he disagrees with his father and brother Herbert (Dick O’Neill) about the building’s proposed design (its aluminum “pimpled panels” will give Manhattan a case of acne). Meanwhile, Roger and Herbert concoct a scheme in which Roger will talk Georgina into selling her brownstone if Herbert will fund Roger’s film festival. But all ends well when Georgina realizes she’s holding on to her home because it’s where she can dream, and the reality of marriage with Tim is dream enough for happiness. She tells Herbert she’ll sell the property only if the proposed ugly façade is scrapped and Tim’s original design is substituted, and Georgina and Tim plan to spend their wedding night in the brownstone before it’s demolished the following day. The musical had three plots. There was the main brownstone vs. skyscraper story; there were often clever dream sequences, which were never quite organic to the plot and sometimes dragged it down; and then there were extraneous scenes that seemed as if they were dreamed up by the New York City Chamber of Commerce in order to sell New York as Fun City (jolly scenes of city construction workers, the Gaiety Delicatessen, an auction house, the Seventh Avenue fashion industry, and the Lincoln Center Film Festival). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that with twenty more previews, the musical’s creators might have gotten the show “right,” but then he decided the “reasonably entertaining” musical was

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schizoid and its disparate parts would never really mesh into a coherent entity. But the show nonetheless had a lot to offer, and “on a strictly shopping basis, Skyscraper isn’t too bad a buy.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt various “imperfections” kept Skyscraper “from being a tower of a musical.” It was too often conventional in its humor and score, it punched “too hard,” and seemed afraid “to relax and be charming.” Nonetheless, the show always “looks alive and is often funny.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the evening was “packed with entertainment,” and Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical “bright, amusing and imaginative.” Because of the musical’s troubled tryout and long preview period, John McClain in the New York JournalAmerican said the show had been around so long it had been labeled “old hat, and not very good hat” by some. But he felt the creators had done a “wonderful job” of pulling the musical into shape and said the show had a “good chance to make it.” And because of its prolonged New York preview period, Skyscraper was soon at the heart of a heated controversy when New York Journal-American columnist Dorothy Kilgallen broke an unwritten rule and reviewed a preview performance. Hers was a scathing appraisal (she noted the turkey served at a theatre-party charity’s dinner gala was tastier than the one served up at the Lunt-Fontanne), but she never had the chance to go back and reassess the show because of her sudden (and some say) mysterious death one week before the New York opening night. The critics generally liked Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn’s score, and singled out “Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong” and “I’ll Only Miss Her When I Think of Her,” both of which became mildly popular hits. Kerr said the songs were “more animated and just plain happier” than many recent Broadway offerings, Chapman found the score “enjoyable,” and McClain said the show offered “fine music.” The Lincoln Center scene offered an amusing spoof of angst-ridden Italian films called The Sick and the Tired in which two lovers banter back and forth in Italian (with English subtitles) about boredom and happiness (“No one warned me that happiness is more boring than anything else. . . . I know I am bored being happy. Perhaps the other will follow”). Further, one character spoke an endless spiel of dialogue, which the subtitle translated into just three words, “I want you.” The performers in the film sequence were Paul Sorvino and Pola Chapelle. Michael Kidd’s choreography and musical staging led Kerr to suggest it was his best work since the 1954 MGM film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He was particularly taken with “Local 403,” a number somewhat reminiscent of the barn-raising dance in Seven Brides. The “vigorous” choreography showed construction workers on a three-level set of girders and shafts, dancing and making music with jackhammers and oil drums as they whistle and flirt with girl passersby below, and later in the evening Kidd’s staging showed the skyscraper being raised as the audience watched (Kidd employed a similar sequence at the end of Wildcat when an oil derrick was constructed). Another lively dance was “The Auction,” which employed a flurry of dealers, decorators, bargain hunters, auctioneers, and moving men going through the motions of a frenetic bidding session. Perhaps the most charming and innovative sequence was the opening, which found Georgina fast asleep. While she dreams, her dream characters take over the bedroom, and soon French musketeers, apache dancers, a mad doctor and his victim, a sultan and his slave girls, and whip-wielding hooded monks with a gray-robed martyr are all going through their paces of doing whatever French musketeers, apache dancers, and other exotic types do in dreams. When Georgina’s alarm clock goes off, they abruptly drop their dream roles and, according to the script, “matter-of-factly walk off.” But when Georgina turns off the alarm and goes back to sleep, they quickly materialize from offstage and resume their madcap dream activities. During the tryout, the song “Stuck for an Answer” was deleted, and Victor Spinetti was replaced by Charles Nelson Reilly. Spinetti had made his mark in Oh What a Lovely War, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. The juicy role of Roger B. Summerhill (and its attendant dream characters, which included an FBI agent and a bullfighter) seemed a natural for him, but because his role was shortened during the tryout he left the show. The month following Skyscraper’s premiere he was seen on Broadway in the short-lived revue La Grosse Valise, and in 1971 appeared in Christopher Hampton’s short-running comedy The Philanthropist, after which he was never heard from again as far as Broadway was concerned. Numbers written for, but not used in, the musical were “And Your Mother Said,” “Are You Asking Me to Forget?,” “Is That Good?,” “Mothers Shouldn’t Have Daughters,” “Stuck for an Answer,” and “It! That!” The latter was included in Libby Morris’s collection Ad-Libby: Introducing Libby Morris (RCA Victor LP # LPM-/LSP-3506).

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The song “Haute Couture” was added to the score late in New York previews but was deemed unready for opening night and thus wasn’t heard at that performance. It was added to the musical during the opening week, however, and was recorded for the cast album (but due to its being a last-minute addition to the score, the song wasn’t mentioned on the liner notes of the LP release). The cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # SVAS/VAS-2422; issued on CD by Broadway Angel # ZMD-7243-5-65132-2-8, and then later by DRG Records # 19026). Skyscraper, another album of songs from the musical by the Hollyridge Singers and Orchestra, was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # T-2411). The script was published in softcover by Samuel French in 1967. It was still early in the season, but Skyscraper was already the third new book musical with new music and a setting in New York City to open within a five-week period. The reader might suspect that during the decade every other musical took place in New York, and that’s not far from the truth. Of the ninety-eight new musicals, forty-two took place fully or partially in and around New York and its suburbs, and while a handful of these (such as Beg, Borrow or Steal) didn’t specify a particular city, it was clear New York was the probable parish. If New York City was the locale of choice, the turn of the twentieth century was the favorite time frame. Over 10 percent of the new musicals (eleven in all) were set during the period. And while it seems the decade was obsessed with exclamation-pointed titles, only nine musicals, or about 10 percent, were so punctuated. What’s odd are the many titles that seem to cry out for exclamation points but were denied them (Bravo Giovanni, Here’s Love, I Had a Ball, Skyscraper, Illya Darling). Strange, too, was why some musicals were so comma challenged (Bye Bye Birdie, Bravo Giovanni, Illya Darling).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Skyscraper); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Julie Harris); Best Director of a Musical (Cy Feuer); Best Scenic Designer (Robert Randolph, for Anya, Skyscraper, and Sweet Charity); Best Choreographer (Michael Kidd)

MAN OF LA MANCHA “A NEW MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre: ANTA Washington Square Theatre (during run, the musical first transferred to the Martin Beck Theatre, then to the Eden Theatre, and finally to the Mark Hellinger Theatre) Opening Date: November 22, 1965 Closing Date: June 26, 1971 Performances: 2,328 Book: Dale Wasserman Lyrics: Joe Darion Music: Mitch Leigh Based on the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Volume One of the novel was published in 1605, and Volume Two in 1615); and directly based on the 1959 telefilm I, Don Quixote by Dale Wasserman. Direction and Choreography: Jack Cole; Producers: Albert W. Selden and Hal James (An ANTA-Goodspeed Production); Scenery and Lighting: Howard Bay; Costumes: Howard Bay and Patton Campbell; Musical Direction: Neil Warner Cast: Richard Kiley (Don Quixote, Cervantes); Irving Jacobson (Sancho Panza), Joan Diener (Aldonza), Ray Middleton (The Innkeeper), Robert Rounseville (The Padre), Jon Cypher (Dr. Carrasco), Mimi Turque (Antonia), Gino Conforti (The Barber), Shev Rodgers (Pedro [Head Muleteer]), Harry Theyard (Anselmo [A Muleteer]), Eleanore Knapp (The Housekeeper), Eddie Roll (Jose [A Muleteer]), John Aristedes (Juan [A Muleteer]), Antony De Vecchi (Paco [A Muleteer]), Fernando Grahal (Tenorio [A Muleteer]), Marceline Decker (Maria), Gerrianne Raphael (Fermina), Renato Cibelli (Captain of the Inquisition), David Serva (Guitarist) The musical was presented in one act. The action takes place at the end of the sixteenth century in a dungeon in Seville and in the imagination of Cervantes.

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Musical Numbers

Note: In early Playbills, song titles were not identified. “Man of La Mancha” (“I, Don Quixote”) (Richard Kiley, Irving Jacobson, Horses); “It’s All the Same” (Joan Diener, Muleteers); “Dulcinea” (Richard Kiley, Muleteers); “I’m Only Thinking of Him” (Robert Rounseville, Mimi Turque, Eleanore Knapp, Jon Cypher); “I Really Like Him” (Irving Jacobson); “What Does He Want of Me” (Joan Diener); “Little Bird, Little Bird” (Harry Theyard, Muleteers); “Barber’s Song” (Gino Conforti); “Golden Helmet” (Richard Kiley, Irving Jacobson, Gino Conforti, Muleteers); “To Each His Dulcinea” (Robert Rounseville); “The Quest” (“The Impossible Dream”) (Richard Kiley); “The Combat” (Richard Kiley, Joan Diener, Irving Jacobson, Muleteers); “The Dubbing” (“Knight of the Woeful Countenance”) (Ray Middleton, Joan Diener, Irving Jacobson); “The Abduction” (Joan Diener, Muleteers); “Moorish Dance” (Ensemble); “Aldonza” (Joan Diener); “The Knight of the Mirrors” (Richard Kiley, Jon Cypher, The Knight’s Attendants); “A Little Gossip” (Irving Jacobson); “Dulcinea” (reprise) (Joan Diener); “Man of La Mancha” (reprise) (Richard Kiley, Joan Diener, Irving Jacobson); “The Psalm” (Robert Rounseville); “The Quest” (reprise) (Ensemble) Man of La Mancha struck a chord with theatre-going audiences of the 1960s. It became the third-longestrunning musical of the decade, after Fiddler on the Roof and Hello, Dolly!, and it enjoyed an extensive national tour. And in “The Impossible Dream” it offered one of the most popular show tunes of the era. The original production closed in New York in June 1971 after 2,328 performances, and despite a disastrous film version that might have permanently squelched any more interest in a lesser musical, the show has been revived on Broadway numerous times. The story was framed around the imprisonment of Miguel de Cervantes (Richard Kiley) for foreclosing on property owned by the Catholic Church. His fellow prisoners hold a mock trial, charging Cervantes with being an “idealist, a bad poet, and an honest man,” and for his defense Cervantes offers to enact a “charade” to plead his case. The charade is of course his story about Don Quixote, and Cervantes asks the prisoners to portray various characters in his narrative. Soon Cervantes has become Don Quixote and his manservant (Irving Jacobson) Sancho Panza, and they begin their quixotic adventures of tilting at windmills and fighting monsters. Along the way, they meet among others a padre (Robert Rounseville), a scholar (Jon Cypher), an innkeeper (Ray Middleton), and the harlot Aldonza (Joan Diener). Quixote’s innate innocence affects those whom he encounters on his quests, and his death leaves them ennobled and hopeful. At the end of the “charade,” Cervantes is notified that the Inquisition has summoned him for trial and he leaves the prison to meet his fate. Mitch Leigh’s melodic score was often flavored with Spanish and flamenco-styled rhythms, and his pulsating music was a perfect fit for the characters and situations. “I, Don Quixote” (“Man of La Mancha”), “I’m Only Thinking of Him,” “Little Bird, Little Bird,” “Barber’s Song,” “Golden Helmet of Mambrino,” “The Psalm,” and “The Quest” (“The Impossible Dream”) were full-blooded musical-theatre songs, but perhaps the finest moment in the score was the haunting and shimmering ballad “Dulcinea.” Unfortunately, the score was marred by the Borscht Belt humor of Sancho Panza’s “I Really Like Him” and “A Little Gossip,” both of which reeked of cheap Broadway shtick. And some of Darion’s lyrics for Aldonza were perhaps too introspective and self-aware for the character. But otherwise the score and orchestrations were richly textured, and for the most part the score was a unified whole in the manner of a song cycle. At the time of the production’s premiere, Howard Bay’s unique stage design seemed startling. Here was no prettied-up traditional décor; instead, the claustrophobic prison set was gloomy and ominous, and Leigh’s foreboding “Inquisition Theme” heightened the sense of despair. The playing area took place below ground in the prison’s common room, which is reached by a movable stairway which could be lowered and raised in the style of a drawbridge. Bay and Patton Campbell co-designed the costumes, which were equally dark and earth-colored, and Bay’s brilliant lighting design added to the sense of coldness and isolation. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune liked the performances, setting, and music, but felt Jack Cole’s dances were too frequently given short shrift. His main reservation was that Cervantes was shortchanged by occasionally utilizing vaudeville humor to depict Don Quixote’s adventures; further, he felt there was “something essentially vulgar” in hearing Quixote sing about the reaching the “unreachable star” when the “landscape” of his exploits was “planted with pretty ordinary posies.” Howard Taubman in the New York Times felt that despite a “few vulgarities and some triteness” the stories of Cervantes

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and Don Quixote were presented with “remarkable spirit and affection.” He said Kiley had “never given a finer performance,” but noted Jacobson’s Sancho Panza was “a Spaniard with a Jewish accent.” He also complained that the evening occasionally strayed into operetta-styled staging, was sometimes guilty of a “banal, modern” touch, and offered unnecessary reminders of traditional “show biz.” But he congratulated the musical’s creators for not filling the stage with an “extraneous chorus line” and for not depicting Quixote as an “oafish clown.” The other critics were completely enthralled by the musical. Richard Watts in the New York Post said Man of La Mancha was an “event”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the evening “exquisite . . . the finest and most original work in our music theatre since Fiddler on the Roof”; Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun hailed the evening as a “bold and beautiful new musical . . . more like Leonard Bernstein’s Candide than it is like the conventional musical”; and John McClain in the New York Journal-American said La Mancha was “a happy addition to a thus far unhappy season in the theatre.” The musical opened at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre in the Village. The theatre was the temporary home of the newly formed Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre for its first two seasons prior to the opening of its permanent headquarters in the uptown Vivian Beaumont Theatre. The critics felt the theatre’s unusual thrust stage had never before been better used, and praised Howard Bay and director Albert Marre for their innovative use of the often tricky and awkward playing area. Eventually the musical played in three more theatres, the Martin Beck (now the Al Hirschfeld), the Eden (originally the Phoenix, the theatre was located in the Village and often was home to Off-Broadway productions; the site is now a multiplex film theatre), and the Mark Hellinger (now a church). Man of La Mancha was based on Dale Wasserman’s nonmusical adaptation I, Don Quixote, which had been seen on the CBS series DuPont Show of the Month on November 9, 1959; the cast included Lee J. Cobb (Cervantes), Colleen Dewhurst (Aldonza), Eli Wallach (Sancho Panza), and Hurd Hatfield (Carrasco). The musical version premiered at the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut, during summer 1965. Most of the cast and creative team for this production transferred to New York, but for Goodspeed the choreography was devised by cast member Eddie Roll. Unlike the one-act New York production, the Goodspeed version was presented in two acts and included two deleted numbers, “What Kind of Animal Am I?” (for Aldonza) and “Mask of Evil” (for Don Quixote). “Look, Look in the Mirror” was probably an early title for “The Knight of the Mirrors.” Incidentally, like The Most Happy Fella, early New York Playbills of Man of La Mancha didn’t include a list of musical numbers. With Man of La Mancha, Richard Kiley found his signature role; as Cervantes/Don Quixote he created one of the most memorable performances in musical theatre. He had previously created roles in a number of musicals, such as Kismet (1953, in which he introduced “Stranger in Paradise”), Redhead (1959), and No Strings (1962, in which he and Diahann Carroll introduced a number of Richard Rodgers’s ballads, including “The Sweetest Sounds”). Kiley later starred in the drama Cervantes, which premiered at the American Theatre in Washington, D.C., on September 6, 1973, and closed there permanently after just one week of performances. Written by Norman Corwin and directed by Frank Corsaro, the ineffective play came across like a one-man show but included four other performers in various roles. The musical has been revived in New York four times. Kiley starred in the first two revivals, the first of which opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre for 140 performances beginning on June 22, 1972, almost a year to the day of the original production’s closing. The performers included original cast members Joan Diener, Irving Jacobson, and Robert Rounseville, and for matinees Don Atkinson and original cast member Gerianne Raphael spelled Kiley and Diener. The second revival opened at the Palace Theatre on September 15, 1977, for 124 performances; Emily Yancy was Aldonza, and Bob Wright was the Innkeeper. The third revival opened at the Marquis Theatre on April 24, 1992, for 108 performances. The cast included Raul Julia (Cervantes/Quixote), Sheena Easton (Aldonza), and David Holliday (The Innkeeper). The most recent revival opened at the Martin Beck on December 5, 2002, for 304 performances with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in the leads. This revival was recorded by RCA Victor (CD # 09026-64007-2). Over the years it became tiresome to see the same set and the same staging for each La Mancha revival, as if somehow the original production was cast in stone and new directorial and scenic design interpretations were verboten. So the 2002 revival was most welcome because for the first time a major production of the musical didn’t use Howard Bay’s original set. It was also refreshing to see an Aldonza who didn’t look as if she had just left the nearest discotheque. Blessedly gone were her go-go boots and bouffant hair style.

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The original London production opened at the Piccadilly Theatre on April 24, 1968, for 253 performances. Keith Michell was Cervantes/Don Quixote, and Joan Diener reprised her role of Aldonza. The entire musical was recorded on a two-LP cast album released by Decca Records (# DXSA-7203). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1966. The original cast album was released by Kapp Records (LP # KRL-4505; the CD was released by Decca Broadway Records # 012-159-387-2, and includes a bonus track of the previously unreleased instrumental sequence “The Combat”). Kiley also recorded a version of the musical for children on Golden Records (LP # 265), with a studio cast that included members of the original Broadway company (Gerianne Raphael, Eddie Roll, and Shev Rodgers). There have been numerous recordings of the score, including one with an “All-Star Cast from Broadway, Hollywood and Opera” on Columbia Records (LP # S-31237), with Jim Nabors, Marilyn Horne, Jack Gilford, Richard Tucker, Madeline Kahn, and Ron Husmann, and another crossover cast with Placido Domingo, Julia Migenes, Mandy Patinkin, Samuel Ramey, Jerry Hadley, and Rosalind Ellis (Sony Classical Records CD # SK-46436). Jay Records (CD # CDJAY2-1304) also released a two-CD set that included dialogue as well as bows and exit music (and a bonus track of a “popular” interpretation of “Little Bird, Little Bird”); the studio cast included Ron Raines, Kim Criswell, and Avery Saltzman. The overblown and tiresome 1972 United Artists film version was directed by Arthur Hiller; Wasserman adapted his libretto for the film, and the cast included Peter O’Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco, Harry Andrews, and John Castle. Gino Conforti reprised his stage role of the barber. Man of La Mancha of course solidified Richard Kiley’s place in the American musical theatre, and like Hello, Dolly! and Mame, the production afforded opportunities for many of Broadway’s former leading men. The original cast included Ray Middleton, who had created leading roles in Knickerbocker Holiday (1938), Annie Get Your Gun (1946; in which he introduced either as solos or with others such standards as “The Girl That I Marry,” “My Defenses Are Down,” “Anything You Can Do,” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business”), and Love Life (1948). Robert Rounseville (The Padre) created the title role in the original 1956 production of Candide. Moreover, Jon Cypher (Dr. Carrasco) starred as the Prince opposite Julie Andrews in the 1957 television production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Cinderella. During either the Broadway run or on tour, a number of actors played various roles in the musical, including Oscar-winner Jose Ferrer; David Atkinson (Broadway’s original leading man in The Girl in Pink Tights [1954] and The Vamp [1955], who also created the role of Sam in Leonard Bernstein’s 1952 opera Trouble in Tahiti and during the tryout of Inside U.S.A. [1948] introduced the standard “Haunted Heart”); Wilbur Evans (the leading man of Cole Porter’s Mexican Hayride [1944; in which he introduced the hit song “I Love You”], Sigmund Romberg’s Up in Central Park [1945; in which he introduced the show’s hit song “Close as Pages in a Book”], and Arthur Schwartz’s By the Beautiful Sea [1954] and was also Emile De Becque, starring opposite Mary Martin in the London premiere of South Pacific at the Drury Lane); and Keith Andes (who had appeared in Maggie [1953] and Wildcat [1960]). Incidentally, three years before the premiere of Man of La Mancha, Off-Broadway offered a musical about another imprisoned writer. The one-week disaster Pilgrim’s Progress opened at the Gate Theatre on March 20, 1962, and focused on John Bunyan’s imprisonment.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Man of La Mancha); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Richard Kiley); Best Director of a Musical (Albert Marre); Best Composer and Lyricist (Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion); Best Scenic Designer (Howard Bay); Best Costume Designer (Howard Bay and Patton Campbell); Best Choreographer (Jack Cole) New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (1965–1966): Best Musical (Man of La Mancha)

ANYA “THE MUSICAL MUSICAL” Theatre: Ziegfeld Theatre Opening Date: November 29, 1965

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Closing Date: December 11, 1965 Performances: 16 Book: George Abbott and Guy Bolton Lyrics and Music: Robert Wright and George Forrest (music based on themes by Sergei Rachmaninoff) Based on the 1954 play Anastasia by Marcelle Maurette (English adaptation by Guy Bolton). Direction: George Abbott; Producer: Fred R. Fehlhaber; Choreography: Hanya Holm; Scenery: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Patricia Zipprodt; Lighting: Richard Casler; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: Constance Towers (Anya), Patricia Hoffman (Nurse), Michael Kermoyan (Bounine), Boris Aplon (Josef), Lawrence Brooks (Count Drivinitz), Adair McGowan (Count Dorn), Jack Dabdoub (Sergei), Walter Hook (Yegor), Irra Petina (Katrina), Ed Steffe (Petrovin), Konstantin Pioulsky (Balalaika Player), Karen Shepard (Genia [The Countess Hohenstadt]), George S. Irving (Chernov), Laurie Franks (Olga), Rita Metzger (Masha), Lawrence Boyll (Sleigh Driver, First Policeman), Elizabeth Howell (Anouchka, Countess Drivinitz), Barbara Alexander (Tinka), Maggie Task (Mother), Michael Quinn (Father), Lillian Gish (Dowager Princess), John Michael King (Prince Paul), Bernard Frank (Second Policeman), Howard Kahl (Police Sergeant), Margaret Mullen (Baroness Livenbaum); Dancers: Barbara Alexander, Ciya Challis, Patricia Drylie, Juliette Durand, Kip Andrews, Steven Boockvor, Randy Doney, Joseph Nelson; Singers: Laurie Franks, Patricia Hoffman, Ritz Metzger, Mia Powers, Lourette Raymon, Diane Tarleton, Maggie Task, Darrel Askey, Lawrence Boyll, Les Freed, Horace Guittard, Walter Hook, Howard Kahl, Adair McGowan, Richard Nieves, J. Vernon Oaks, Robert Sharp, John Taliaferro, Bernard Frank The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Berlin in 1925.

Musical Numbers Act One: Choral Prelude: “Anya” (Chorus) (from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 1, op. 1 and ÉtudesTableaux, op. 33, no. 2); “A Song from Somewhere” (Constance Towers) (from Trio elegiaque, op. 9; Symphony no. 2, op. 27; “Melodie,” op. 3, no. 3); “Vodka, Vodka!” (Irra Petina, Boris Aplon, Émigrés) (from Polka italienne); “So Proud” (Michael Kermoyan, George S. Irving, Ed Steffe, Boris Aplon) (from Symphony no. 1, op. 13; Piano Concerto no. 3, op. 30); “Homeward” (Irra Petina, Emigres) (from Prelude, op. 23, no. 5); “Snowflakes and Sweethearts” (“The Snowbird Song”) (Barbara Alexander, Constance Towers, Michael Quinn, Maggie Task, Peasants) (from Polka de W.R. [Rachmaninoff’s father); Valse, Suite for Two Pianos, op. 17, no. 2; “Thou, My Beloved Harvest Field,” op. 4, no.5); “On That Day” (George S. Irving, Ed Steffe, Boris Aplon, Irra Petina) (from String Quartet in G Minor; “A Dream,” op. 38, no. 5); “Anya” (reprise) (Michael Kermoyan); “Six Palaces” (Constance Towers, Michael Kermoyan, George S. Irving, Boris Aplon; Livadia, on the Black Sea: Randy Doney [Young Prince Paul], Barbara Alexander [Young Anya]; The Palace of Peterhof; The Winter Palace: Lillian Gish [Dowager Empress]) (from Études-Tableaux, op. 33, no. 7; Barcarolle, Suite for Two Pianos, op. 5, no. 1; Polichinelle, op. 3, no. 4; Mazurka, op. 10, no. 7); “Hand in Hand” (Constance Towers, John Michael King) (from Romance, Suite for Two Pianos, op. 17, no. 3); “This Is My Kind of Love” (Constance Towers, Michael Kermoyan) (from Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 18); “On That Day” (reprise) (John Michael King, Investors) Act Two: “That Prelude!” (Michael Kermoyan, Irra Petina, Ed Steffe, Boris Aplon, George S. Irving, Jack Dabdoub, Walter Hook, Ritz Metzger, Laurie Franks, Lawrence Boyll, Bernard Frank, Howard Kahl) (from Prelude in C Sharp Minor, op. 3, no. 2); “A Quiet Land” (Constance Towers) (from Symphony no. 2, op. 27); “Here Tonight, Tomorrow Where?” (George S. Irving, Ed Steffe, Boris Aplon) (from “Danse hongroise,” op. 6, no. 2; “So Many Hours,” op. 4, no. 6); “Leben sie wohl” (Irra Petina, Lawrence Boyll, Bernard Frank, Howard Kahl) (from Prelude, op. 23, no. 5; “Polichinelle,” op. 3, no. 4); “If This Is Goodbye” (Constance Towers, Michael Kermoyan) (from Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 18); “Little Hands” (Lillian Gish, Constance Towers) (from Vocalise, op. 34, no. 14); “All Hail the Empress” (Émigrés) (from Symphony no. 1, op. 13) Based on Guy Bolton’s adaptation of Marcelle Maurette’s French play, Anastasia opened at the Lyceum Theatre on December 29, 1954, for 270 performances; for the 1956 film version Ingrid Bergman won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Unfortunately, the musical version, called Anya, was a quick flop, closing after

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just 16 performances. The book was by Bolton and George Abbott (who also directed) and the lyrics were by the team of Robert Wright and George Forrest, who adapted the music from themes by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Opting for a series of New York previews instead of a formal pre-Broadway tryout, the musical opened on Broadway at the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 29, 1965, nine years to the day of Anastasia’s opening. In a Berlin sanatorium in 1925, a young inmate named Anya (Constance Towers) claims to be the last surviving Romanoff, the assassinated Czar’s youngest daughter, Anastasia. Prince Bounine (Michael Kermoyan), now reduced to driving a cab, doesn’t believe her story but in Pygmalion fashion transforms her into the princess in the hope of claiming the Czar’s fortune, which is now secured in a British bank and waiting for a legitimate heir. Anastasia’s grandmother the Dowager Empress (Lillian Gish) is initially unimpressed by Anya’s assertions, but eventually seems to believe the girl is the real Anastasia. But does she really? By the final curtain, Anya has disappeared with Bounine, renouncing her title and any claim to the Czar’s fortune. The question of whether she was or was not the real Anastasia is never resolved; perhaps only the Dowager Empress really knows, and she isn’t telling. With Rachmaninoff’s music providing the basis for the score, the songs were of course melodic, with perhaps “A Song from Somewhere,” “A Quiet Land,” and, especially, “(This Is) My Kind of Love,” particularly haunting ballads (the latter was based on Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 18, and in the 1940s had inspired the hit song “Full Moon and Empty Arms,” which had been adapted by Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman). Another highlight of the score was Lillian Gish’s “Little Hands.” Because she wasn’t a singer and so instead spoke the lyric, she was given “tactful support” by an offstage chorus, noted Howard Taubman in the New York Times, who also said the sequence was the “most affecting moment” in the musical. The critics weren’t kind. Taubman felt the melodramatic strengths of Anastasia were missing in the bloodless adaptation, which “robbed” the story of its “excitement and mystery.” Even the drama’s famous confrontation scene between Anya and the Dowager Empress “lost its tension and emotion.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun felt the evening was “insensitive and tasteless,” and such songs as “Vodka, Vodka” were clichéd and “utterly routine.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the “large and lavish” musical was so uninteresting he didn’t care if Anya was Anastasia or not, and John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the work a “solemn old-fashioned operetta.” But both Chapman and Richard Watts in the New York Post had high praise for one of choreographer Hanya Holm’s dances, a “cheerful” routine (“Leben sie wohl”) for Irra Petina and a group of goose-stepping German soldiers. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune said that despite its being “old-fashioned” Anya wasn’t “any good.” In an early scene in the sanatorium, Anya can’t remember a song (which Kerr felt shouldn’t be difficult because all the songs in the musical were by Rachmaninoff), so she sings another song, which causes a fellow inmate to go into “hysterics” (“criticism comes early these nights,” remarked Kerr). Kerr also mentioned that the lyric of “Snowflakes and Sweethearts” (also identified in the Playbill as “The Snowbird Song”) indicated the appearance of a snowbird meant “there’s a change of scene to come,” and Kerr noted that Anya was at the Ziegfeld Theatre and “I think I see a snowbird.” Kerr rightly predicted the quick demise of Anya, but little did he know the snowbird was a harbinger for the destruction of the fabled Ziegfeld Theatre. For once Anya packed up for Cain’s warehouse, one of the most handsome of all Broadway theatres was demolished in order to make way for an office building. The Ziegfeld had first opened its doors on February 2, 1927, with the premiere of the hit musical Rio Rita, which ran for 494 performances. Ironically, Guy Bolton was present for both the birth and death of the theatre, as he had cowritten the books for both Rio Rita and Anya. With the legendary theatre gone forever, perhaps the ghosts of its former tenants haunt the plaza and the offices of the new building on its site (the Ziegfeld was the original home of such hits as Show Boat, Brigadoon, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Kismet as well as such legendary flops as Smiles, Seven Lively Arts, Magdalena, and Foxy). The cast album was recorded by United Artists Records (LP # UAS-5133; later released on CD by Kritzerland Records # KR-20012-2). The demo recording includes two unused songs, “Drawn to You” and “Now Is My Moment.” During the New York preview period, “All Hail the Empress” was titled “Hail the Mighty Queen,” and “Love and a Legacy” (from Rachmaninoff’s “A Dream,” op. 38, no. 5, and from Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 18) was deleted. During rehearsals, Metropolitan Opera singer George London was replaced by Michael Kermoyan (London’s name was featured on the musical’s early window cards).

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Anya was later revised as a chamber musical and opened in South Africa as I, Anastasia in December 1980; and in 1986 Variety reported that a backer’s audition of a newly revised version of the material (now called The Anastasia Game) was staged by Edwin Lester. On October 9, 1989, The Anastasia Game was produced at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, Massachusetts. The revised book was by Bolton and Jerome Chodorov and included four songs from the original production (“A Song from Somewhere,” “Homeward,” “[This Is] My Kind of Love,” “Here Tonight, Tomorrow Where?”), one which had been written for but not used in the original production (“Drawn to You”), and twelve new ones (at least some of which were adapted from the songs in the 1965 production): “The Unfinished Melody,” “I Can See Her Now,” “Born Aristocrat,” “Thanks to Her,” “That Song,” “Anna’s Fairy Story,” “Prelude to Disaster,” “The Anastasia Waltz,” “Lost and Found,” “Think upon Something Beautiful,” “What Might Have Been,” and “I Live Again.” The production starred Judy Kaye, Len Cariou, Steve Barton, and Carmen Mathews. In 1991, a new recording of the revised score was released as The Anastasia Affaire (by Bay Cities Records CD # BCD-3025); with one or two exceptions (such as “What Might Have Been”), all the songs in The Anastasia Game were included on the recording and two from the original 1965 production were also used (“Little Hands” and “If This Is Goodbye”). The recording features Judy Kaye, Len Cariou, and Steve Barton from the 1989 production of The Anastasia Game, and other singers on the recording are Regina Resnik, George Lee Andrews, Walter Willison, and Willi Burke (in 1967, the latter had appeared in the title role of Anya in a summer stock production). The collection Classics from Hollywood to Broadway: Songs by Robert Wright and George Forrest (Koch/Schwann Records CD # 3-1064) includes four songs from Anya and The Anastasia Affaire: “(This Is) My Kind of Love,” “I Live Again,” “Drawn to You,” and “Think upon Something Beautiful.” For Anya, Lawrence Brooks played the role of Count Drivinitz and was Michael Kermoyan’s understudy (here, “alternate”). Brooks’s career was a fascinating one. He was the star of Wright and Forrest’s Song of Norway (the cast included Anya cast member Irra Petina), creating the role of Edvard Grieg and introducing “Strange Music,” the score’s most famous song. For more information about Brooks, see Zenda. Another musical version of the story is Anastasia, a 1997 cartoon film musical with an insipid score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Scenic Design (Robert Randolph, for Anya, Skyscraper, and Sweet Charity).

THE YEARLING “A MUSICAL” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: December 10, 1965 Closing Date: December 11, 1965 Performances: 3 Book: Herbert Martin and Lore Noto Lyrics: Herbert Martin Music: Michael Leonard (dance music by David Baker) Based on the 1939 novel The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Direction: Lloyd Richards; Producers: Lore Noto (Michael Balistreri, Associate Producer); Choreography: Ralph Beaumont; Scenery and Costumes: Ed Wittstein; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Julian Stein Cast: Steve Sanders (Jody Baxter), David Wayne (Ezra [Penny] Baxter), Dolores Wilson (Ora Baxter), Peter Falzone (Fodder-Wing), Fay Sappington (Ma Forrester), Allan Louw (Buck Forrester), Rodd Barry (Arch Forrester), Roy Barry (Pack Forrester), Bob LaCrosse (Gabby Forrester), Tom Fleetwood (Millwheel Forrester), Robert Goss (Lem Forrester), Carmen Mathews (Mrs. Hutto), David Hartman (Oliver Hutto),

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Janet Campano (Eulalie), Carmen Alvarez (Twink), Gordon B. Clarke (Doc Wilson), Frank Bouley (Preacher), David Sabin (Captain); Townspeople: Loyce Baker, Lynette Bennett, Lois Grandi, Bobbi Lange, Ruth Lawrence, Barbara Miller, Bella Shalom, Myrna Strom, Mimi Wallace, Trudy Wallace, Vito Durante, Anthony Endon, Harrison Fisher, Scott Hunter, Martin Ross, Herbert Sanders, Ted Sprague The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in northern Florida in 1871.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Let Him Kick Up His Heels” (David Wayne, Dolores Wilson); “Boy Talk” (Steve Sanders, Peter Falzone); “Bear Hunt” (David Wayne, Steve Sanders, The Forresters); “Some Day I’m Gonna Fly” (Steve Sanders, Peter Falzone, The Forresters); “Lonely Clearing” (David Wayne); “Everything in the World I Love” (Steve Sanders, Carmen Mathews); “I’m All Smiles” (Carmen Alvarez); “I’m All Smiles” (reprise) (David Hartman); “My Pa” (Steve Sanders); “The Kind of Man a Woman Needs” (Dolores Wilson); “What a Happy Day” (Dolores Wilson, Steve Sanders, Gordon B. Clarke, Allan Louw, Tom Fleetwood); “What a Happy Day” (reprise) (Steve Sanders, Allan Louw, Gordon B. Clarke, Tom Fleetwood) Act Two: “Ain’t He a Joy?” (David Wayne, Steve Sanders); “Why Did I Choose You?” (David Wayne, Dolores Wilson); “One Promise” (Dolores Wilson); “One Promise” (reprise) (Dolores Wilson, Townspeople); “Bear Hunt” (reprise) (Townspeople); “Everything in the World I Love” (reprise) (David Wayne, Steve Sanders, Carmen Mathews, David Hartman, Carmen Alvarez, Townspeople); “What a Happy Day” (reprise) (Steve Sanders); “Nothing More” (David Wayne, Steve Sanders); “Everything Beautiful” (Dolores Wilson) Based on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s 1939 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, which was made into the popular and highly regarded 1947 MGM film, The Yearling told the story of the hardships of hardscrabble farmer Ezra (Penny) Baxter (David Wayne), his wife Ora (Dolores Wilson), and their little boy Jody (Steve Sanders) who try to eke out a living on a small plot of land near the Florida Everglades. When Jody finds an orphaned fawn, he adopts it and names it Flag; but as Flag grows it begins to destroy the meager yieldings of the Baxter’s farm crop, and Ezra tells Jody the deer must be put down. Jody realizes Flag endangers his own family’s survival and reluctantly shoots the animal. With the yearling dead, Jody, a yearling himself, is now no longer a child and must face the responsibilities of the adult world. The libretto’s coming-of-age story was well-intentioned and earnest, and Herbert Martin and Michael Leonard’s score was often affecting and melodic. But the musical had too much going against it, and the crushing reviews did the show in. It was gone after three New York performances. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted the musical fell prey to two “lost causes”: the story was unrelentingly sad and somber, and the narrative dealt with events that were almost impossible to depict on the stage. Kerr cataloged the woes dealt with in the story: the Baxters are so poor they lack the funds for building a well; Ezra has physical problems, and it’s clear young Jody will have to shoulder the responsibilities of running the farm long before he’s even grown up; the embittered Ora has lost two children to early deaths, and is afraid to show affection for Jody because she fears she’ll eventually lose him, too; Ezra is bitten by a rattlesnake and almost dies; a marauding bear kills the livestock; the yearling destroys the crop and must be killed; a neighboring family is the victim of a feud that leads to the destruction of their home by fire; and another neighborhood clan swindles the Baxters out of their hunting dog. Further, Jody’s only friend, the invalid Fodder-Wing (Peter Falzone), dies. Kerr noted the evening’s message seemed to say your enemies will sometimes help you even though your friends will steal from you, and by its very nature your pet fawn will turn on you and eat the food you need in order to survive. He concluded that “mourning” was the predominant mood of the musical. John McClain in the New York Journal-American remarked that by the end of the musical there is the “assumption” of a bright future. But that assumption is moot when you consider that Ezra is now crippled and unable to run the farm, and thus “the kid” will have to take over his father’s farming duties and will eventually have to build a well. And John Chapman in the New York Daily News wryly noted that with all these burdens on his young shoulders, Jody doesn’t seem “very enthusiastic about what lies ahead.” Indeed,

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instead of facing life’s problems with “an ennobling human spirit,” the characters seems to face life with nothing but “resignation.” The musical’s other “lost cause” was its being unable to dramatize many of the events the characters talk about and that thus occurred offstage, such as Ezra’s being bitten by a rattlesnake and the actual tracking of a bear through the backwoods. As a result, the musical’s creators had to resort to “evasion” in their storytelling, and the audience had to “eavesdrop” on events alluded to in the dialogue. In many ways, The Yearling was bound by the conventions of the musical vocabulary of its era. The score consisted of fourteen individual songs and dance sequences (not counting reprises), most in thirty-two-bar format, when perhaps the most appropriate medium for telling its story was that of opera. True, the earlier The Most Happy Fella had told its story primarily through music, and a few months after The Yearling opened, the equally sad and weighty A Time for Singing employed an expansive score of twenty-three songs; and a year earlier Anyone Can Whistle had offered lengthy, expansive song structures as part of its score. Perhaps The Yearling would have worked better as an opera or as a sung-through musical. And while the musical’s cast included a real fawn, dog, and rabbit, it was of course impossible to depict bears, rattlesnakes, fires, and other calamitous events. If The Yearling had opened in the era of Julie Taymor, the animals and the Everglades’ environment might have been thrillingly depicted through the use of Taymorstyled scenic wizardry. So in spite of the musical’s interesting scenic designs by Ed Wittstein, the musical was never able to show the audience much of what happened offstage. Howard Taubman in the New York Times suggested the musical’s “po’ white folks” and the musical itself needed an “antipoverty program” because the evening was “desperately undernourished” and lacked a “spine for its book, a pulse for its songs and vitamins for its production.” And Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the musical lacked “inspiration,” and reported that director Lloyd Richards and choreographer Herbert Ross had left the show prior to opening night. Richard Watts in the New York Post complained that the book included “vague subplots” and “tangled and unresolved ends.” He noted that a minor character named Mrs. Hutto (Carmen Mathews) was always in the company of a young man (David Hartman), whom he assumed was her lover; Watts later realized the young man was her son. He also mentioned that a varmint seemed to burn someone’s house, but he wasn’t “certain” as to what exactly had happened. Taubman said the score lacked “spark,” noting the “supposedly lively” numbers sounded as though they were “turned out by a computer” and the “serious ones” were “merely drenched in tears.” But the other critics singled out a number of songs for praise, including “The Kind of Man a Woman Needs,” “What a Happy Day,” “One Promise,” “Lonely Clearing,” “Everything in the World I Love,” “Why Did I Choose You?,” and, especially, “Some Day I’m Gonna Fly.” During the tryout, the following songs were cut: “The Fluttermill Song,” “Little Gal,” “What Can I Name Him?,” “Do What the Good Book Says,” “Growing Up Is Learning How to Say Goodbye,” and “Planting Fever.” Apparently a number of songs underwent slight title changes: “In That Clearing” became “Lonely Clearing,” “One Promise Come True” became “One Promise,” “Nothing More Can Be Done” became “Nothing More,” and “Boy Thoughts” became “Boy Talk.” Also during the tryout, the role of Pa Forrester (played by Joe E. Marks) was eliminated. Barbra Streisand recorded a number of songs from the musical, including “I’m All Smiles,” “The Kind of Man a Woman Needs,” “Why Did I Choose You?,” and “My Pa” (the latter was performed on Broadway but wasn’t listed in the opening night Playbill; it was performed by Jody in the first act, immediately after “I’m All Smiles”). “I’m All Smiles” (sung by Twink, a minor character played by Carmen Alvarez) achieved popularity and is the score’s most enduring song, but oddly enough not one of the New York critics mentioned it. The original cast album was scheduled to be recorded by Mercury Records, but was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run. For years, a pirated LP (# CA-300) of a live recording from the New York run has circulated among theatre-music collectors, but it was never “officially” released. Two songs from the musical, “One Promise Come True” and “Everything in the World I Love,” are included in the collection Unsung Musicals II (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5564), and “Growing Up Is Learning How to Say Goodbye” can be heard in the collection Lost Broadway and More Volume 3 (no label and unnumbered, but presumably released by Original Cast Records). A revised script was published in softcover by the Dramatic Publishing Company in 1973, and included “My Pa,” “Spring Is a New Beginning.” “The Fluttermill Song,” “Growing Up Is Learning How to Say Goodbye,” and “Planting Fever.”

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In early 1965, almost a year before the Broadway opening, there was a radio broadcast promo of the musical that included “Spring Is a New Beginning,” “The Kind of Man a Woman Needs,” “Teach Me How to Dance,” “I’m All Smiles,” “Growing Up Is Learning How to Say Goodbye,” “I Love This Child,” and “Why Did You Choose Me?” In 1985, a revised version of the musical was produced by Theatre of the Stars in Atlanta. The book was credited to Herb (Herbert) Martin, and the production was directed by Lucia Victor and choreographed by Tony Stevens. The cast included John Cullum (Ezra), D’Jamin Bartlett (Ora), and Roshi Handwerger (Jody); other cast members were Robert Fitch, Beth McVey, Evelyn Page, and Kathi Moss. The score included eight new numbers: “Shoot the Pig (Square Dance),” “I Need a Friend,” “Slewfoot!,” “My Prayers Have Come True,” “Moonshine (Crane Dance),” “Startin’ Over,” “I Love You (So Much),” and “Slewfoot Ballet”; seven songs were retained from the Broadway production: “”I’d Kick Up My Heels” (for Broadway, “Let Him Kick Up His Heels”), “The Kind of Man a Woman Needs,” “Someday I’m Gonna Fly,” “I’m All Smiles,” “My Pa,” “Why Did I Choose You?,” and “What a Happy Day”; and “Spring Is a New Beginning,” which had been heard on the 1965 radio broadcast and was incorporated into the revised and published 1973 script, was also used.

LA GROSSE VALISE Theatre: 54th Street Theatre Opening Date: December 14, 1965 Closing Date: December 18, 1965 Performances: 7 Book: Robert Dhery Lyrics: Harold Rome Music: Gerard Calvi Direction: Robert Dhery; Producers: Joe Kipness and Arthur Letter (Arthur Cantor, Associate Producer); Choreography: Colette Brosset (Tom Panko, Associate Choreographer); Scenery and Costumes: Jacques Dupont (scenery and costumes supervised by Frederick Fox); Lighting: John Gleason; Musical Direction: Lehman Engel Cast: Jacques Ebner (Traveler to Bordeaux), Michel Modo (Antoine), Marcello Gamboa (Spanish Tourist), Diane Coupe (Spanish Tourist), Guy Grosso (Pepito), Ronald Fraser (Jean-Loup Roussel), Tony Doonan (La Fouillette, Berthozeau), France Arnell (La Nana), Max Vialle (Photographer), Bernard Gauthron (Photographer, Bald Man), Brigitte Valadin (Nicolas), Victor Spinetti (Svatsou [M. Cheri]), Guy Bertil (Vlaminsky), Barry L. Martin (Raoul), John Maxim (Chief of Customs, Pedralini), Bert Michaels (The Little Porter), Sybil Bartrop (DeWalleyne), Maureen Byrnes (Baby’s Maid), Rita Charisse (Old Lady), Jean-Michel Mole (Andre), Joyce Jillson (Baby), Mireille Chazal (Mireille), George Tregre (First Scout); Other Cast Members: Diana Baffa, Ronn Forella, Pat Gosling, Carolyn Kirsch, Alex MacKay, Donna Sanders, Mary Zahn The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Customs Office of the Orly Airport in Paris during the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “La Grosse Valise” (Ronald Fraser, Victor Spinetti, Brigitte Valadin, Company); “A Big One” (Ronald Fraser, Michel Modo, Guy Grosso, Brigitte Valadin, Company); “C’est defendu” (Ronald Fraser, France Arnell, Guy Grosso, Michel Modo); “Hamburg Waltz” (All Principals, Dancing Girls and Boys); “Happy Song” (Ronald Fraser, Guy Grosso, Michel Modo, John Maxim); “For You” (Joyce Jillson); “Sandwich for Two” (Victor Spinetti, Brigitte Valadin); “La Java” (France Arnell, John Maxim, Joyce Jillson, Dancing Girls and Boys); “Xanadu” (France Arnell, Victor Spinetti, Ronald Fraser) Act Two: “Slippy Sloppy Shoes” (Victor Spinetti, Ronald Fraser, Dancing Girls and Boys); “Spanish Dance” (Ronald Fraser, Mireille Chazal); “For You” (reprise) (Ronald Fraser, Joyce Jillson); “Delilah Done Me Wrong” (Victor Spinetti, France Arnell, Slaves); “Hawaii” (France Arnell, Joyce Jillson, Dancing Girls) On November 11, 1958, the Paris and London hit revue La plume de ma tante opened at the Royale Theater; it was written, devised, and directed by Robert Dhery, who also starred in the production with his wife

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Colette Brosset, who choreographed; the English lyrics were by Ross Parker; and the music was by Gerard Calvi. The production ran for 835 performances, and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical. Unfortunately, Dhery and Calvi’s next visit to New York lasted just seven performances, and soon they were packing up their big suitcase for a return trip to Paris. La grosse valse (The big waltz) opened in Paris in October 1962 at the Theatre des Varietes, where it played for two years. Unlike La plume de ma tante, La grosse valse was a book musical, and most of the team from La plume was involved: Dhery wrote the book and, with Andre Maheux, cowrote the lyrics, Calvi composed the music, and Brosset choreographed. Dhery and Brosset also starred in the production, and others in the original Paris cast were Louis de Funes, Liliane Montevecchi, and Grosso and Modo. When La grosse valse was produced in the United States, it was retitled La Grosse Valise (the big suitcase), perhaps because the producers feared New York theatergoers would confuse it with The Great Waltz, which had been revived a few months earlier on the West Coast and had closed there without opening on Broadway (although it left behind a cast album). This was an era in which operetta-styled musicals (such as Kean, Zenda, and Anya) didn’t do well, and it’s understandable the producers didn’t want potential ticket buyers to assume their would-be wacky revue-like musical was an operetta. For New York, Dhery directed La Grosse Valise and Brosset choreographed (Tom Panko was credited as the associate choreographer), but this time around Dhery and Brosset didn’t appear in the production (the only members from the original Paris cast who were in the New York version were the comic singing team of Grosso and Modo). The New York cast also included Ronald Fraser, Joyce Jillson, and Victor Spinetti. A few weeks earlier, Spinetti had left Skyscraper during its pre-Broadway engagement (he was replaced by Charles Nelson Reilly), and during the tryout of La Grosse Valise, Spinetti replaced Bernard Cribbins. Moreover, during the tryout, “original” book credit was given to Robert Dhery, and Joseph Fields was credited with the English adaptation. But by the time the show reached New York, Fields’s name was no longer in the program. The musical’s English lyrics were by Harold Rome, who had been represented on Broadway a month earlier when The Zulu and the Zayda opened. Incidentally, only the musical’s title was in French; otherwise, La Grosse Valise was entirely spoken and sung in English. Many musical comedy buffs might logically assume La Grosse Valise was a revue, and they would be technically correct. But the show was actually a book musical with the script credited to Dhery. There were character names for all the cast members, and there was a plot of sorts. But in truth La Grosse Valise was a revue in book drag. The show took place at the Customs Office at Orly Airport in Paris where Monsieur Cheri (Victor Spinetti), also known as Svatsou the Clown, is trying to get his huge trunk cleared through customs and into France. But this is no ordinary trunk or valise: it’s almost as big as the stage, and from it magically emerge various showbiz acts that Cheri hopes will divert the customs officials, including Jean-Loup Roussel (Ronald Fraser), Pepito (Guy Grosso), Antoine (Michel Modo), and other Mack Sennett–type cops. There are also other travelers to contend with, including some spies. It doesn’t seem clear why Cheri can’t just submit his large valise for inspection, especially when he’s so willing to open it and let act after act pour out (Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted that “anything can come out of that valise except a hit”). From the valise emerged a scene in a Bavarian Beer Garden (“Hamburg Waltz”); a Spanish square (“Spanish Dance”); a turreted Camelot-style medieval castle (“For You”); Samson and Delilah’s temple (“Delilah Done Me Wrong”); and a Hawaiian resort (“Hawaii”). The valise also offered scenes with a swimming pool, a race course, a red-light district in Paris, and a clutch of pirates. Perhaps the highlights of the evening were “Slippy Sloppy Shoes” and “Delilah Done Me Wrong,” both of which featured Spinetti. In the former, he wore yellow shoes (perhaps anticipating John Kander and Fred Ebb’s The Visit?) as he pranced about in the rain (a homage to Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain?). At any rate, Kerr liked the “trippingly untroubled lyric” and the “two-a-day tune” of “Slippy Sloppy Shoes,” and Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News said it “comes perilously close to being a good show tune.” And according to John McClain in the New York JournalAmerican, “Delilah” was the evening’s “brightest contribution.” It offered a “sinuous” burlesque-grinding Delilah (France Arnell) and a lock-shorn Samson (Spinetti) trying his hardest to knock down those temple walls while a group of “long-haired maniacs” pursue him. A few of the critics noted the first act’s ending (“Xanadu”) was reminiscent of La plume de ma tante’s “Monks,” which had brought down the first-act curtain (and the house, for that matter). In La plume, a group of sleepy monks begin to pull their bell ropes. Music begins, and soon they’re caught up in its rhythm as they dance and prance about in a circle while, according to the script, “the ropes lift them higher & higher into the

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flies.” For “Xanadu,” ladies in black evening attire and men in white tie and tails ride large pink toy elephants that carry them aloft into the flies. Watt said he was sorry to “step on yet another big, expensive show in this frighteningly disastrous Broadway season,” but so be it: the evening was “a heavy-handed bag of tricks.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun noted that when Pandora’s box opened it spelled trouble, but La Grosse Valise “gets into trouble when the gigantic trunk . . . is closed”; he found the comic bantering between the musical numbers “interminable.” Taubman found the evening “slapdash, unfocused, largely humorless,” and McClain decried the “meager material.” The Paris cast album was released by Vogue Records (LP # LD-593-30/MS-1442-30); the numbers on the cast album are: Ouverture; “Monsieur Darling et la douanier Roussel”; “C’est defendu”; “La grosse valse”; “C’est bon la biere”; “Comme la douane”; “Les nanas”; “La marijuana”; “Poeme pense”; “Dans mes godasses”; “Pour toi”; “Piano Bar”; “Vas-y Samson”; Finale. The Broadway cast album was scheduled to be recorded by Mercury Records, but was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run. “Xanadu” was included in the collection Broadway Express by trombonist J. J. Johnson (RCA Victor Records LP # LSP-3544). La Grosse Valise lives on in cinematic immortality because its window card is one of many displayed on the walls of Max Bialystock’s office in the 1967 film The Producers. Among the other cards in his office are Foxy, Café Crown, Something More!, and Alice with Kisses (the latter a 1964 Off-Broadway musical that closed during previews).

OKLAHOMA! “A MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: December 15, 1965 Closing Date: January 2, 1966 Performances: 24 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Direction: John Fearnley; Producers: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director) and by arrangement with Rodgers and Hammerstein; Choreography: Agnes de Mille (choreography restaged by Gemze de Lappe); Scenery: Lemuel Ayers; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Ruth Kobart (Aunt Eller), John Davidson (Curly), Susan Watson (Laurey), Richard France (Will Parker), Daniel P. Hannafin (Jud Fry), Karen Morrow (Ado Annie Carnes), Jules Munshin (Ali Hakim), Loi Leabo (Gertie Cummings), Sammy Smith (Andrew Carnes), Herbert Surface; Dancers: Girls—Cathy Conklin, Joanna Crosson, Carolyn Dyer, Carol Estey, Sharon Herr, Loi Leabo, Jane Levin, Marie Patrice, Betty Ann Rapine, Rande Rayburn, Julie Theobald, Toodie Wittmer; Boys—James Albright, Don Angelo, Dean Crane, Gerry Dalton, Jeremy Ives, Brynnar Mehl, Phillip Rice, Bud Spencer, Fabian Suart; Singers: Girls— Vicki Belmonte, Maria Bradley, Judie Elkins, Jeanne Frey, Marie Hero, Joyce Olson, Susan Sidney, Maggie Worth; Boys—Kenny Adams, Brown Bradley, Roger Alan Brown, Joseph Corby, Peter Clark, Lance Des Jardins, Konstantin Moskalenko, Stephen John Rydell, Herbert Surface, Victor Helou The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) just after the turn of the twentieth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” (John Davidson); “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” (John Davidson, Susan Watson, Ruth Kobart); “Kansas City” (Richard France, Ruth Kobart, Boys); “I Cain’t Say No” (Karen Morrow); “Many a New Day” (Susan Watson, Girls; danced by Leo Leabo [The Girl Who Falls Down]); “It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!” (Jules Munshin, Boys, Girls); “People Will Say We’re in Love”

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(John Davidson, Susan Watson); “Pore Jud” (John Davidson, Daniel P. Hannafin); “Lonely Room” (Daniel P. Hannafin); “Out of My Dreams” (Susan Watson, Girls); “Laurey Makes Up Her Mind” (Ballet) (danced by Susan Watson [as Laurey], Dean Crane [as Curly], James Albright [as Jud], Jane Levin [as the Child]; Jud’s Post Cards: Marie Patrice, Betty Ann Rapine, Rande Rayburn; Laurey’s Friends: Cathy Conklin, Carolyn Dyer, Carol Estey, Sharon Herr, Julie Theobald, Toodie Wittmer; Cowboys: Gerry Dalton, Jeremy Ives, Brynnar Mehl, Phillip Rice; Other Post Cards: Joanna Crosson, Loi Leabo) Act Two: “The Farmer and the Cowman” (Sammy Smith, Ruth Kobart, John Davidson, Richard France, Karen Morrow, Ensemble; danced by Ensemble); “All er Nothin’” (Karen Morrow, Richard France; danced by Karen Morrow, Richard France, Joanna Crosson, Sharon Herr); “People Will Say We’re in Love” (reprise) (John Davidson, Susan Watson); “Oklahoma!” (John Davidson, Susan Watson, Ruth Kobart, Ensemble); “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” (reprise) (Susan Watson, John Davidson, Ensemble); Finale (Ensemble) City Center’s 1965 production of Oklahoma! was its fifth and final revival of the landmark musical. The current production also marked the musical’s sixth New York revival, and there would be three more visits during the coming years (for more information, see entries for the two 1963 City Center revivals). Louis Calta in the New York Times said that after more than two decades Oklahoma! was still “bouncy and animated. . . . [The] songs caress the ears and race the pulse, and its narrative . . . has a wonderfully cornballish innocence.” The current production utilized Lemuel Ayers’s original set designs, and Gemze de Lappe re-created Agnes de Mille’s dances under the latter’s supervision. Calta noted the dance sequence following “Many a New Day” had “the delicate quality of fine porcelain.” As for the cast, John Davidson played Curly with “charm and confidence,” and his “fine, big baritone” did justice to the famous score; Susan Watson (Laurey) was “singularly pleasant” with an “agreeable voice”; Ruth Kobart (Aunt Eller) was “ingratiating”; Karen Morrow (Ado Annie) was “amusing” (and was the owner of a “fresh voice”); Richard France (Will) danced “gracefully”; and Jules Munshin did “a good job over-all” despite an opening-night voice that was raspy. Other cast members included Daniel P. Hannafin (Jud Fry) and Sammy Smith (Andrew Carnes).

SWEET CHARITY “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Palace Theatre Opening Date: January 29, 1966 Closing Date: July 15, 1967 Performances: 608 Book: Neil Simon Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Music: Cy Coleman Based on the 1957 film Nights of Cabiria (direction by Federico Fellini, and screenplay by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, and Ennio Flaiano). Direction and Choreography: Bob Fosse; Producers: Robert Fryer, Lawrence Carr, Joseph Harris, and Sylvia Harris (John Bowab, Associate Producer); Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Musical Direction: Fred Werner Cast: Gwen Verdon (Charity), Michael Davis (Dark Glasses, Mike), John Stratton (Bystander, Waiter), Bud Vest and Elaine Cancilla (Married Couple), Ruth Buzzi (Woman with Hat, Receptionist, Good Fairy), Gene Foote (Ice Cream Vendor), John Sharpe (Football Player), Harold Pierson (Ballplayer, Brother Harold), Eddie Gasper (Ballplayer, Brother Eddie), Barbara Sharma (Career Girl, Rosie), Lee Roy Reams (Young Spanish Man), John Wheeler (First Cop, Herman), David Gold (Second Cop, Barney), Thelma Oliver (Helene), Carmen Morales (Carmen), Helen Gallagher (Nickie), I.  W. Klein (Doorman), Sharon Ritchie (Ursula), James Luisi (Vittorio Vidal), Bud Vest (Manfred), Elaine Cancilla (Old Maid), John McMartin (Oscar), Arnold Soboloff (Daddy Johann Sebastian Brubeck); Singers and Dancers of Times Square: I. W. Klein, Mary Louise, Alice Evans, Betsy Dickerson, Kathryn Doby, Suzanne Charny, Elaine Cancilla, Carmen Morales, Christine Stewart, Charlene Ryan, David Gold, Gene Foote, Harold Pierson, Bud Vest, Lee Roy Reams, John Sharpe, Eddie Gasper, Michael Davis, Patrick Heim

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The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the present time in New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Charity’s Theme” (dance) (Gwen Verdon); “You Should See Yourself” (Gwen Verdon, Michael Davis); “The Rescue” (Passersby); “Big Spender” (Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver, Fan-Dango Girls); “Charity’s Soliloquy” (Gwen Verdon); “Rich Man’s Frug” (dance) (Barbara Sharma, Eddie Gasper, John Sharpe, Patrons of the Pompeii Club); “If My Friends Could See Me Now” (Gwen Verdon); “Too Many Tomorrows” (James Luisi); “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” (Gwen Verdon, Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver); “I’m the Bravest Individual” (Gwen Verdon, John McMartin) Act Two: “Rhythm of Life” (Arnold Soboloff, Harold Pierson, Eddie Gasper, Worshippers); “Baby, Dream Your Dream” (Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver); “Sweet Charity” (John McMartin); “Where Am I Going?” (Gwen Verdon); “I’m a Brass Band” (Gwen Verdon, Brass Band); “I Love to Cry at Weddings” (John Wheeler, Michael Davis, Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver, Girls, Patrons) Based on Federico Fellini’s 1957 film Nights of Cabiria about a luckless prostitute, Sweet Charity was about luckless dance-hall hostess Charity Hope Valentine (Gwen Verdon). According to a sign that descends upon the stage during the opening moments of the musical, Charity is a girl who just wants to be loved. But life and the odds are against her. Like Sugar Kowalczyk Cane in the 1959 film Some Like It Hot, Charity never gets the sweet end of the lollipop, only the fuzzy end. Neil Simon’s almost revue-like book followed Charity’s hapless adventures in modern-day Manhattan, from the opening scene when she’s robbed and then thrown into Central Park Lake by her boyfriend, Charlie (Michael Davis), to the final scene when her fiancé, Oscar (John McMartin), dumps her. As the curtain falls, another sign appears, this one telling us that Charity “lived hopefully ever after.” But it seems unlikely. The musical was so upbeat in its lively Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields score and in Bob Fosse’s showstopping staging and choreography that its downbeat ending seemed unnecessarily unfair to both Charity and the audience. Was there a reason why such a traditional musical comedy had to go out of its way to offer such a harsh and sour ending? The denouement may have been artistically honest, but it went against the grain of the sassy score and slinky dances. Coleman and Fields’s songs were a delightful blend of catchy, spirited music and witty lyrics, with just one clunker, the forced and unfunny “Charity’s Soliloquy.” The musical yielded three standards, “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “Big Spender,” and “Where Am I Going?,” but Verdon unaccountably dropped the latter song during the show’s run, thus depriving the audience of the show’s most popular number (if she’d really wanted to do the audience a favor, she should have scratched the soliloquy, which was pure musical water torture). Among the score’s highlights were the cynical “Baby, Dream Your Dream,” a kind of latter-day cousin to “Makin’ Whoopee”; the sardonic trio “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”; the jolly, tongue-incheek “I Love to Cry at Weddings”; and the Sousa-on-steroids march “I’m a Brass Band.” Sweet Charity was above all a dance show, and Fosse rolled out one show-stopping dance sequence after another: “Big Spender,” a stylized come-on for the girls at the dance hall; “The Rich Man’s Frug,” another stylized piece, this one for the chicer-than-thou in-crowd at the Pompeii Club; “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” a salute to old-time top-hat-and-cane vaudeville; “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” a wild fandango for Charity, Nickie (Helen Gallagher), and Helene (Thelma Oliver); “The Religion of Life,” a jittery, staccato-driven dance for Daddy Brubeck (Arnold Soboloff) and his followers; and “I’m a Brass Band,” a sizzling eleven o’clock march-like number for Charity and her Brass Band from limbo. Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted there were six things of interest in Sweet Charity: the choreography, the score, the scenery, “Gwen Verdon, Gwen Verdon and Gwen Verdon.” He remarked that the dances and “everything else breeze by, whiz by, strut by, and fly by like a galaxy of comets on the loose. . . . ‘The Rich Man’s Frug’ . . . seems like Marat/Sade set to music . . . [and the] beatnik cantata ‘Rhythm of Life’ . . . scurries toward rhythmic infinity like so much bop Bach.” But he felt the evening lacked humor, and for all its movement never quite slowed down and looked into the heart of Charity.

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Stanley Kauffmann in the New York Times said Verdon was “first class,” Fosse’s direction and dances had “style and theatrical vitality,” and “Big Spender” was a “splendid mobile frieze of floozies.” But despite all the “heat and skill” that the performers and creators brought to the musical, the central weakness of the show was the title character, who lacked flesh and blood and was a “mechanism” that was “mechanical.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the “atomic smash” offered “the best choreography by Bob Fosse that I have seen since I can’t remember when,” and he hoped “The Rich Man’s Frug” would “hopefully put an end to all twist dancing.” Richard Watts in the New York Post found a lot to like in the new musical, but felt the downbeat ending cast a “pall” over the entire show. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said Sweet Charity “can’t miss,” and like Watts he too disliked the “rueful” ending. Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun felt the show wasn’t an “artistically integrated creation” along the lines of West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, but he nonetheless noted the “production numbers and individual personalities [are] as theatrically exciting as anything that’s hit town in years.” He noted that “The Rich Man’s Frug” was “brilliant, crackling satire on the modern discotheque, with the look of John Held Jr., caricatures brought up to date.” The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1966. The Broadway cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOS-2900 and # KOL-6500). The CD was released by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records (# SK-60960) and included a number of extras: the first release of an extended version of “The Rich Man’s Frug”; a previously unreleased take of the original cast performing “I Love to Cry at Weddings” (with an alternate ending as well as extended vocals and instrumentals); three songs performed by Cy Coleman (“Where Am I Going?,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” and the cut “You Wanna Bet” [which had been recycled for the musical’s title number]); and various tracks from the opening night party, including interviews with Gwen Verdon, Helen Gallagher, Neil Simon, and Ethel Merman. For its early advertisements, the musical’s book was credited to “Bert Frank,” a pseudonym for Bob Fosse. Ultimately, Neil Simon was credited for the libretto. Songs written for the musical and cut during preproduction, rehearsals, or on the road were “Gimme (Give Me) a Rain Check,” “Big Fat Heart,” “Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10,” “I Can’t Let You Go,” “Keep It in the Family,” “Poor Everybody Else,” “You Wanna Bet,” and “When Did You Know?” “Keep It in the Family” was later heard in the 1967 drama Keep It in the Family (in London, the play had been titled All in Good Time); “Poor Everybody Else” was later used in Seesaw (1973); “When Did You Know?” was rewritten as “Love Makes Such Fools of Us All” for Barnum (1980); and “You Wanna Bet” was rewritten as the musical’s title song. The London production opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre on October 11, 1967, for 476 performances, and the cast included Juliet Prowse (Charity), Rod McLennan (Oscar), and Josephine Blake (Nickie). The cast album was released by CBS Records (LP # BRG/SBRG-70035). The faithful 1969 Universal film version starred Shirley MacLaine in one of her finest characterizations, and Fosse directed and choreographed. Other cast members included John McMartin in a reprise of his original stage role, Chita Rivera, Ricardo Montalban, Sammy Davis Jr., and Ben Vereen (who can be seen in a prominent dancing role). The film included three new songs, “My Personal Property,” “It’s a Nice Face,” and a new title song. The film has aged well, and looks better now than when first released. Two endings were filmed, one which used the downbeat ending of the stage version and then an optimistic one in which Charity and Oscar are united. The release print used the former ending, but the DVD (released by Universal # 22616) includes both the original and alternate endings. The soundtrack album was issued by Decca Records (LP # DL-71502). Sweet Charity has twice been revived on Broadway. On April 27, 1986, the musical opened at the Minskoff Theatre for 368 performances; the cast included Debbie Allen (Charity), Michael Rupert (Oscar), and Bebe Neuwirth (Nickie); the production won the Tony Award for Best Revival, and Rupert won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. The cast recording was released by EMI America Records (LP # SV-17196); EMI/DRG Records (# 19077) released the CD, which included two sequences from “The Rich Man’s Frug” (“The Aloof” and “Big Finish”); “Charity’s Theme” (“And She Lived Hopefully Ever After”); and two tracks of Cy Coleman performing “The Rhythm of Life” and “Big Spender.” The second revival opened on May 4, 2005, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre for 279 performances; the cast included Christina Applegate and Denis O’Hare, and the song “A Good Impression” was added to the score. The cast recording was released by DRG

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Records (CD # 94777), and included the entr’acte as well as six bonus tracks: the verse version of “Where Am I Going?” for Applegate; and five numbers performed by Cy Coleman: “Baby, Dream Your Dream,” “I’m the Bravest Individual,” “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” “Big Spender,” and “Gimme a Rain Check” (the latter cut prior to the 1966 production). There are other recordings of the score, including a two-CD studio cast version released by Jay Records (# CDJAY2-1284) with Jacqueline Dankworth, Josephine Blake, Shezwae Powell, and Gregg Edelman; the recording includes “The Rescue” sequence as well as the entr’acte, finale, bows, and exit music; and for bonus tracks the set includes the three songs written for the film version. Another interesting recording is the 1989 Rotterdam cast released by Disky Records (# DCD-5126); Simone Kleinsma plays the title role, and the recording includes “Er moet toch iets beters wezen” and “’K ben een brass band.” The Paris cast recording with Magali Noel and Sydney Chaplin was released by CBS Records (LP # S-70084), and includes “My Personal Property.” Skitch Henderson and His Orchestra Play Music from “Sweet Charity” (Columbia Records LP # CL-2471) includes “When Did You Know?” and “You Wanna Bet,” and Sweet Charity (Tifton Records LP # 78001), with vocals by Susan Lloyd and the Michael Brothers with the “Uptown” Dance Hall Orchestra, also includes “You Wanna Bet.” “Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10” can be heard on two collections, Mimi Hines Sings (Decca Records LP # DL-4709) and Lost in Boston III (Varese Sarabande Records # VSD-5563), and “Gimme a Rain Check” in Lost in Boston IV (Varese Sarabande # VSD-5768).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Sweet Charity); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Gwen Verdon); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Helen Gallagher); Best Director of a Musical (Bob Fosse); Best Composer and Lyricist (Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields); Best Scenic Designer (Robert Randolph, for Anya, Skyscraper, and Sweet Charity); Best Costume Designer (Irene Sharaff); Best Choreographer (Bob Fosse)

STREET SCENE Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: February 24, 1966 Closing Date: March 19, 1966 Performances: 6 Book: Elmer Rice Lyrics: Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice Music: Kurt Weill Based on the 1929 play Street Scene by Elmer Rice. Direction: Herbert Machiz; Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Choreography: Richard Tone; Scenery and Costumes: Paul Sylbert; Musical Direction: Charles Wilson Cast: Nico Castel (Abraham Kaplan), Dolores Mari (Greta Fiorentino), George S. Irving (Carl Olsen), Ruth Kobart (Emma Jones), Muriel (Costa) Greenspon (Olga Olsen), Florence Anglin (Shirley Kaplan), Edward Pierson (Henry Davis), Bruce Papa (Willie Maurrant), Eileen Schauler (Anna Maurrant), William DuPree (Sam Kaplan), L.  D. Clements (Daniel Buchanan), William Chapman (Frank Maurrant), Jack Bittner (George Jones), Richard Armbruster (Steve Sankey), Jack DeLon (Lippo Fiorentino), Betsy Hepburn (Jennie Hildebrand), Janet Morris (Second Graduate), Lila Herbert (Third Graduate), Beverly Evans (Mrs. Hildebrand), Tom Brooke (Charlie Hildebrand), Jeanne Tanzy (Mary Hildebrand), Donna Babbs (Grace Davis), Anne Elgar (Rose Maurrant), Seth Riggs (Harry Easter), Sondra Lee (Mae Jones), Alan Peterson (Dick McGann), Barney Martin (Vincent Jones), Don Carlo (Dr. John Wilson), David Smith (Officer Harry Murphy), Don Yule (City Marshall James Henry), Paul Corder (Fred Cullen), Charlotte Povia (First Nursemaid), Marie Wyckoff (Second Nursemaid); Policemen, Milkman, Old Clothes Man, Music Pupil, Interne, Ambulance Driver, Married Couple, Passersby, Neighbors, Children, Others: The New York City Opera Chorus The opera was presented in two acts.

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The action takes place on the stoop and front sidewalk of a New York City tenement during a period of twenty-four hours in June.

Principal Musical Sequences

These are taken from the published score and the Playbill of the original 1947 production; unless otherwise noted, all lyrics are by Langston Hughes Act One: “Ain’t It Awful, the Heat?” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Dolores Mari, Ruth Kobart, Muriel Greenspon, Nico Castel, George S. Irving, Neighbors); “I Got a Marble and a Star” (Blues) (Edward Pierson), “Get a Load of That” (Gossip Trio) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Ruth Kobart, Dolores Mari, Muriel Greenspon); “When a Woman Has a Baby” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (L. D. Clements, Dolores Mari, Ruth Kobart, Eileen Schauler); “Somehow I Never Could Believe” (Aria) (Eileen Schauler); “Get a Load of That” (reprise) (Ruth Kobart, Dolores Mari, Jack Bittner, George S. Irving); “Ice Cream Sextet” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Jack DeLon, Ruth Kobart, Dolores Mari, Edward Pierson, Jack Bittner, George S. Irving); “Let Things Be Like They Always Was” (Aria) (William Chapman); “Wrapped in a Ribbon and Tied in a Bow” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Betsy Hepburn, Neighbors); “Lonely House” (William DuPree); “Wouldn’t You Like to Be on Broadway?” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Seth Riggs); “What Good Would the Moon Be?” (Anne Elgar); “Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed” (Alan Peterson, Sondra Lee); “Remember That I Care” (Duet) (William DuPree, Anne Elgar) Act Two: “Catch Me If You Can” (Children’s Game) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (Tom Brooke, Jeanne Tanzy, Bruce Papa, Children); “There’ll Be Trouble” (Trio) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (William Chapman, Eileen Schauler, Anne Elgar); “A Boy Like You” (Eileen Schauler); “We’ll Go Away Together” (Duet) (William Dupree, Anne Elgar); “The Woman Who Lived Up There” (Ensemble); “Lullaby” (lyric by Elmer Rice) (Charlotte Povia, Marie Wyckoff); “I Loved Her, Too” (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (William Chapman, Anne Elgar, Ensemble); “Don’t Forget the Lilac Bush” (Duet) (lyric by Langston Hughes and Elmer Rice) (William DuPree, Anne Elgar); “Ain’t It Awful, the Heat?” (reprise) (Dolores Mari, Ruth Kobart, Muriel Greenspon, Nico Castel) The New York City Opera Company’s current 1966 revival of Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes’s 1947 opera Street Scene was their fifth of eight revivals of the work (for more information, see entry for the 1960 production). In reviewing the February 1966 revival for the New York Times, Raymond Ericson said he had reservations about the opera itself, noting the score lacked unity by switching from “straight and excellent musical numbers to operatic pretension, where it sometimes becomes embarrassing.” Further, Elmer Rice’s original drama once seemed “the height of realism,” but was now a “collection of stereotypes and clichés.” But he liked the “ensemble writing” of “fine individual songs,” singling out the septet “Ice Cream.” All told, Rice’s play still had “plenty of human warmth,” and, combined with many of Weill’s songs, the work was a “durable theatre piece.” Klein mentioned the singing was “certainly superior” to what was heard on Broadway, and he praised Eileen Schauler’s Anna (she acted with “genuine simplicity” and sang “strongly”); he also singled out Anne Elgar, William Dupree, Ruth Kobart, Muriel (Costa) Greenspon, William Chapman, and other cast members (he also noted that the spaniel walked by Kobart “showed a disposition to count the audience”). He said Charles Wilson’s conducting kept the performance “spirited and controlled.”

WAIT A MINIM! “A MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT” Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: March 7, 1966 Closing Date: April 15, 1967 Performances: 456

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Direction: Production devised and directed by Leon Gluckman; Producer: Frank Productions, Inc.; Choreography: Frank Staff and Kendrew Lascelles; Scenery: Décor by Frank Rembach and Leon Gluckman (décor executed by Frank Rembach; design supervision by Klaus Holm); Costumes: Heather MacDonald-Rouse (costume supervision by Patton Campbell); Lighting: Frank Rembach and Leon Gluckman (lighting supervision by Klaus Holm); Musical Direction: Andrew Tracey Cast: Andrew Tracey, Paul Tracey, Kendrew Lascelles, Michel Martel, Nigel Pegram, April Olrich, Dana Valery, Sarah Atkinson The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: This Is the Land: “Ndinosara nani?” (Karanga folk song, Southern Rhodesia) (Andrew Tracey, Nigel Pegram, Michel Martel, Dana Valery, Paul Tracey); “Hoe ry die Boere” (Afrikaans folk song) (Nigel Pegram, Paul Tracey, Andrew Tracey); “This Is Worth Fighting For” (Sarah Atkinson); “Subuhi sana” (Swahili) (Andrew Tracey); “Jikel’ emaweni” (Xhosa fighting song, Transkei) (Dana Vlaery); Dingere dingale: “Ajade papa” (Tamil lullaby) (Michel Martel); “Dingere dingale” (Tamil song) (Company); “Tuba Man” (Kendrew Lascelles); Over the Hills: “I Know Where I’m Going” (Irish folk song) (Paul Tracey, Sarah Atkinson, Andrew Tracey); “Over the Hills” (April Olrich, Andrew Tracey); “I Gave My Love a Cherry” (English folk song) (Paul Tracey, Dana Valery, Michel Martel, Nigel Pegram, Kendrew Lascelles); Song: “Black-White Calypso” (lyric and music by Jeremy Taylor) (Nigel Pegram); Die meistertrinker: “Deutches weinlied” (Company); “Gretl’s Cow” (April Olrich); “Eine kleine bombardonmusik” (Nigel Pegram, Andrew Tracey, Paul Tracey, Kendrew Lascelles); “Watschplattlanz” (Company); Song: “Butter Milk Hill” (Irish-American) (Dana Valery); Song: “Aria” (Paul Tracey); Out of Focus: “Out of Focus” (Company); “Snap Happy” (April Olrich, Kendrew Lascelles); “Hoshoryu” (Japanese folk song) (Michel Martel, Sarah Atkinson); “The Gentle Art” (Kendrew Lascelles, Michel Martel, Paul Tracey); Song: “Dirty Old Town” (lyric and music by Ewan MacColl) (Andrew Tracey, Paul Tracey, Dana Valery, Nigel Pegram); Sequence: “Last Summer” (Andrew Tracey, Paul Tracey, Nigel Pegram, Kendrew Lascelles); Viva la Difference: “Lalirette” (Paul Tracey, Andrew Tracey, Michel Martel, Nigel Pegram); “Le roi a fait battre tambour” (Michel Martel, Nigel Pegram, Paul Tracey, Andrew Tracey); “Tour de France” (Kendrew Lascelles, April Olrich, Andrew Tracey, Paul Tracey, Paul Tracey, Michel Martel); Song: “A Piece of Ground” (lyric and music by Jeremy Taylor) (Nigel Pegram); Song: “Ayama” (Andrew Lascelles, Paul Tracey, Michel Martel); North of the ’Popo: “Professor Piercing” (Paul Tracey); “The Chairman” (Nigel Pegram); “Mgeniso waMgogo waShambini” (Chopi Timbila) (Andrew Tracey, Paul Tracey, Nigel Pegram); “Kupura Kupika” (pounding song, Nyasaland) (Sarah Atkinson, Dana Valery, April Olrich); “The Izicatulo Gumboot Dance” (Company) Act Two: Tunes of Glory: “The Wee Cooper o’Fife” (Doric Diddling) (Paul Tracey, Andrew Tracey, Nigel Pegram); “Red, Red Rose” (words by Robert Burns) (Paul Tracey); Song: “Hammer Song” (better known as “If I Had a Hammer”) (lyric and music by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays) (Andrew Tracey, Nigel Pegram, Michel Martel, Paul Tracey); Song: “London Talking Blues” (lyric and music by Jeremy Taylor) (Nigel Pegram); Sequence: “The Love Life of a Gondolier” (Kendrew Lascelles, Michel Martel, April Olrich); Song: “Foyo” (Haitian patois lullaby) (Paul Tracey, Andrew Tracey, Nigel Pegram); Sequence: “Cool” (by Andrew Tracey and Paul Tracey) (Dana Valery, Paul Tracey, Nigel Pegram, Andrew Tracey); Sequence: “On Guard” (Kendrew Lascelles, April Olrich); Sir Oswald Sodde: “Opening Knight” (Company); “Sir Oswald Sodde” (lyric and music by Jeffrey Smith) (Andrew Tracey, Sarah Atkinson, Nigel Pegram, Paul Tracey, Michel Martel); Song: “Table Bay” (Cape May; arranged and adapted by Stanley Glasser and Adolf Wood) (Dana Valery); This Is South Africa: “Chuzi Mama Gwabi Gwabi” (Marabi dance song) (Dana Valery, Michel Martel); “Celeste Aida” (music by Giuseppe Verdi) (Michel Martel); “Cingoma chakabaruka” (Tumbuka/Henga, Nyasaland) (Company); “Skalo-Zwi” (lyric by Gwigwi Mrwebe, music by Stanley Glasser; Pedi Pipe Dance arranged by Andrew Tracey) (Dana Valery, Company); “Samandoza-we!” (Ndau dance song, Southern Rhodesia) (Company); “Amasalela” (Baca fighting song, Transkei) (Company) Wait a Minim! was a well-intentioned, self-described “musical entertainment” that avoided the use of the “R” word (“revue”). But a revue it was, and it was “musical” if not always a complete “entertainment.”

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Perhaps the modest eight-person South African revue would have played better in an intimate Off-Broadway theatre; it seemed a bit lost in the confines of a large house, and its essentially one-on-one charms would have been better served in a small venue or on public television. Moreover, the slight evening was a bit too much in love with itself, and while its quirky attitudes were sometimes amusing, the piece came across as occasionally self-indulgent. Wait a Minim! premiered in Johannesburg in 1962, and for two years toured South Africa and Rhodesia in two different editions, eventually opening in London at the Fortune Theatre on April 9, 1964. The British cast album was recorded at a live performance and was released by Decca Records (LP # LK/SKL-4610). The Broadway edition was well received by the New York critics, ran for a total of 456 performances, and played on tour for eleven months. The Broadway cast album was released by London Records (LP # AMS88002). But by the late 1960s the revue completely disappeared. The evening consisted of songs, dances, and brief sketches (mostly in pantomime), and while apartheid was condemned and satirized, the show wasn’t really a political revue. Neither was it a documentary about esoteric musical instruments, although at times there seemed to be an inordinate emphasis on such (the Rhodesian mbira, Lozi drums, Indian tabla drums, kalimba tuba, double respiratory linguaphone, Chopi timbila, Indian tanpura drone, etc., etc.). Sometimes the evening strayed into Irish and Scottish folk song (“I Know Where I’m Going,” “The Wee Cooper o’Fife”), at other times into nightclub territory (“Dirty Old Town,” the revue’s highlight), and even into Village revue satire (Bob Dylan was spoofed). Wait a Minim! was all over the place, and never really focused on an attitude and a coherent point of view. You kept waiting for the main course, but all you got were appetizers. Some of the New York critics seemed to go out of their way to praise the show, and you had to wonder just what show they had seen. Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News found the evening a “sheer joy,” noting it was La plume de ma tante “with charm” and Beyond the Fringe “with music”; it was even “‘the nimble tread of the nimble Fred Astaire.’ It’s the tops.” And Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun stated “the happiest clamor ever to stir an audience to cheers rang down” the opening night curtain of “the most triumphant, original and exuberant entertainment to storm these shores in years.” Further, John McClain in the New York Journal-American said the revue was “merely magnificent entertainment.” Stanley Kauffmann in the New York Times was more tempered than some of his over-the-top colleagues. While he felt Wait a Minim! was “the pleasantest news from South Africa in a long, long time” and liked its “convivial spirit,” he noted the material was often “feeble” and “unfunny,” and its satire “weak.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune thought his readers would find the “homespun talent agreeable,” but warned that some of the material was repetitious, and along the way the revue occasionally floundered with “misfires” and “mere duds.” Kerr also wondered why all the performers in the South African entertainment were white. He felt this “fact simply won’t go away,” and while “entertainments” can’t be expected to solve the world’s problems, Wait a Minim! “does reflect [the world’s problems] in its very look and presence, and that is faintly disturbing.” During the run, “Butter Milk Hill” was replaced by “Johnny Soldier”; “This Is Worth Fighting For” was deleted; and “Home Sweet Home” was added. In regard to the show’s title, a “minim” means a musical half-note. The following cast members played the following musical instruments: Andrew Tracey—guitar, guitarlute, bamboo pipe, Portuguese guitar, Mandolin, treble and soprano recorder, Rhodesian mbira, Chopi timbila, Lozi drums, tuba, bagpipes, Indian tabla drums, clarinet, Trinidadian steel drum, sousaphone, and Indian gong; Paul Tracey—guitar, H.M. bull fiddle, flute, Chopi timbila, Lozi drums, piccolo, melodica, squeezebox, bagpipes, kalimba, tuba, sousaphone, and Indian gong; Nigel Pegram—guitar, H.M. bull fiddle, double respiratory linguaphone, Lozi drums, bagpipes, Japanese koto zither, trombone, Chopi timbila, penny whistle, and Indian tanpura drone; and Kendrew Lascelles—trumpet. Other percussion instruments were played by all the members of the company.

THE CONSUL Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: March 17, 1966 Closing Date: March 23, 1966

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Performances: 3 Libretto and Music: Gian-Carlo Menotti Direction: Gian-Carlo Menotti; Producer: The New York City Opera Company; Scenery and Costumes: Horace Armistead; Musical Direction: Vincent LaSelva Cast: Sherrill Milnes (John Sorel), Patricia Neway (Magda Sorel), Evelyn Sachs (The Mother), Herbert Beattie (Secret Police Agent), Philip Erickson (First Plainclothesman), Richard Park (Second Plainclothesman), Beverly Evans (The Secretary), David Smith (Mr. Kofner), Elisabeth Carron (The Foreign Woman), Ludmilla Azova (Anna Gomez), Elisabeth Farmer (Vera Boronel), Gene Bullard (Nika Magadoff [The Magician]), Jack Bittner (Assan), Mabel Mercer (The Voice on the Record) The opera was presented in three acts. The action takes place somewhere in Europe during the recent past. The New York City Opera’s March 1966 revival of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s 1950 Cold War opera The Consul was its fifth of eight revivals (for more information, see entry for the 1960 production). In his review of the revival, Raymond Ericson in the New York Times said the work hadn’t “lost its melodramatic power,” and noted the opera overcame its “inadequacies” (“embarrassingly self-conscious lines” and “shoddy music”) because of Menotti’s “theatrical effects. . . . There are devices to command attention, even to startle.” Further, Neway (who created the role of Magda in the original 1950 production and reprised her role in six City Opera revivals, of which this was the fifth) was “still a commanding figure and a splendid singing actress. . . . Hers remains a remarkable performance, having a power and conviction that sweeps everything before it.” The cast also included Sherrill Milnes (his John was “better” sung than those who had preceded him, according to Ericson), Beverly Evans (The Secretary), Evelyn Sachs (The Mother), Gene Bullard (The Magician), and Herbert Beattie (Secret Police Agent). Vincent LaSelva was the conductor. The previous revivals of The Consul had been seen at City Center. For the March 1966 revival, the opera was performed at the New York City Opera’s new home at Lincoln Center’s New York State Theatre.

POUSSE-CAFÉ “A MUSICAL PLAY” Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: March 18, 1966 Closing Date: March 19, 1966 Performances: 3 Book: Jerome Weidman Lyrics: Marshall Barer and Fred Tobias Music: Duke Ellington Based on the 1905 novel Professor Unrath by Heinrich Mann and its 1930 film adaptation Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel), directed by Josef von Sternberg and screenplay by Carl Zuckmayer, Kurt Vollmoller, Robert Liebmann, and Sternberg (the latter wasn’t officially given screenwriting credit). Direction: Jose Quintero; Producers: Guy de la Passardiere (Monty Shaff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Valerie Bettis (musical numbers and dances staged by Marvin Gordon); Scenery: Will Steven Armstrong; Costumes: Patricia Zipprodt and Albert Wolsky; Lighting: V. C. Fuqua; Musical Direction: Sherman Frank Cast: Ellis Larkins (Ellis), Travis Hudson (Havana), Madge Cameron (Duchess), Al Nesor (Monty), Tommy Karaty (Harry), Robert Rovin (Sourball), Ben Bryant (Bill), Jeff Siggins (Arthur Owen Jr.), Gary Krawford (John Harmon), Theodore Bikel (Professor George Ritter), Lilo (Solange), Dom Angelo (Sailor), Hal Norman (Policeman), Don Crabtree (Paul), Charles Durning (Maurice, Dean Stewart), Coley Worth (Artie), Fran Stevens (Tourist Lady), Marlena Lustik (Louise), Richard Tone (Danny); Ensemble: Dom Angelo, Kay Cole, Joel Conrad, Mervin Crook, Elaine Giftos, Altovise Gore, Peter Hamparian, Jo Ann Lehmann, Marlena Lustik, Iva March, Simon McQueen, Rita O’Connor, Martin Ross, Barbara Saatan, Scotty Salmon The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New Orleans during the early 1920s.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “The Spider and the Fly” (Travis Hudson, Dance Ensemble); “Rules and Regulations” (Theodore Bikel, Gary Krawford, Robert Rovin, Ben Bryant, Jeff Siggins, Tommy Karaty); “Follow Me up the Stairs” (Lilo); “Goodby Charlie” (Travis Hudson, Ensemble); “C’est comme ça” (Lilo); “Thank You, Ma’am” (Theodore Bikel, Lilo); “The Eleventh Commandment” (Al Nesor, Robert Rovin, Jeff Siggins, Ben Bryant, Tommy Karaty); “Someone to Care For” (Theodore Bikel); “The Wedding” (Ensemble) Act Two: Entre Acte (Orchestra); “Let’s” (Rehearsal Scene) (Richard Tone, Marlena Lustik, Dancers); “The Good Old Days” (Lilo, Don Crabtree, Al Nesor, Coley Worth, Charles Durning); “Easy to Take” (Richard Tone, Lilo); “C’est comme ça” (reprise) (Theodore Bikel); “C’est comme ça” (reprise) (Lilo); “Let’s” (Lilo, Male Dancers); “Old World Charm” (Theodore Bikel); “The Spider and the Fly” (reprise) (Travis Hudson) During its tryout, Pousse-Café credited Heinrich Mann’s novel Professor Unrath as its source, but by the New York opening there was no such credit, and the information in the opening night Playbill gave the impression the musical was an original one not based on source material. Mann’s novel had also been the basis of Josef von Sternberg’s 1930 German film The Blue Angel, and while the film hasn’t aged well, it offers many pleasures, including Marlene Dietrich’s striking portrayal of Lola-Lola, a cabaret singer with a heart of granite. The film also introduced one of Dietrich’s signature songs, the haunting “Falling in Love Again,” and the black-and-while photography is striking. Unfortunately, the story is somewhat tiresome in its depiction of a stuffy professor who marries the sluttish Lola-Lola and is ultimately ruined by her. Couldn’t he have figured out she was No Good? It was hard to empathize with such a clueless character. The musical version didn’t improve matters. Switching the locale from Berlin to New Orleans was in itself a clueless choice on the part of the musical’s creators because the majority of musicals set in New Orleans (and in Louisiana in general) are almost always doomed to fail: compared to the few successes Naughty Marietta (1910), The New Moon (1928), Louisiana Purchase (1940), and One Mo’ Time! (1979), there have been some three dozen failures set in New Orleans or its environs, including Deep River (1926), Louisiana Lady (1947), and Lestat (2006). The libretto focused on pedantic Professor George Ritter (Theodore Bikel), who attempts to “save” one of his students (John Harmon, played by Gary Krawford) from the clutches of the wicked Pousse-Café nightclub singer Solange (Lilo). But in saving the student, the professor loses himself by falling in love with and then marrying the vixen. Only through suicide can the professor escape from her. Stanley Kauffmann in the New York Times asked “What’s new, Pousse-Café?,” and the answer was “nothing good.” He noted that Jerome Weidman “admitted” to writing the book, and said that Duke Ellington’s score was “tuneless.” Will Steven Armstrong devised one setting that showed imagination, but the costumes by Patricia Zipprodt and Albert Wolsky were “unremarkable.” Further, he noted that while the staging of the dances was credited to Marvin Gordon, the choreography was attributed to Valerie Bettis, and this strange program credit was the only “distinction” of the choreography (with the exception of a “gymnastic turn” for Richard Tone). As for Jose Quintero’s direction, it would “further discourage those who once held hopes for him.” And Lilo “lacks enough sexuality, self-amusement and complicated hardness to make the role interesting.” He concluded that Pousse-Café was “so close” to complete “disaster” that he might as well give the show the benefit of the doubt and call it “total.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt Pousse-Cafe didn’t need music, dances, and “busy turntables” because within twenty minutes the entire story had been told. Once the professor has spent the night with the chanteuse, the “show is really over,” but, actually, the show was really over “on the day” The Blue Angel was released. Richard Watts in the New York Post said “somewhere in the distant past” there had to have been a “catastrophe as dire” as the “painful,” “tedious,” and “simply dreadful” Pousse-Café, but he was unable to remember one to equal its “calamity.” Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News noted two songs were “unlike” Ellington and thus “they raise the question” if he actually composed them. He also felt Lilo was (“alas”) “not a femme fatale.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said the musical was a “disaster,” and the opening night performance was a “drawn-out torture of embarrassment.” “What went wrong?,” he asked, and his answer was “Everything.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American liked Ellington’s “captivating” score but concluded “the man is a dope and the girl is a slut. So who cares?”

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During the tryout, Richard Altman was the director, and Marvin Gordon was credited for the “staging” of the musical numbers and dances. By the New York opening night, Altman was out and Jose Quintero was in as the show’s director, and while Gordon still retained staging credits, Valerie Bettis was listed as the show’s choreographer. During the tryout the book was attributed to both Jerome Weidman and Melvin Isaacson, but by New York only the former was given credit. Further, during the tryout Patricia Zipprodt was credited for the costumes, but by the time of the Broadway opening both she and Albert Wolsky were listed as the costume designers. Tryout programs listed Will Steven Armstrong as creating the scenery and lighting, but later Armstrong retained credit for only the scenery, and V. C. Fuqua was the lighting designer. Somehow during all this tumult there were no major cast replacements, although one suspects the musical might have been better off without Lilo, who, incidentally, was married to the Marquis Guy de la Passardiere, the musical’s producer. During the tryout, a number of songs were deleted: “Be a Man,” “Vieux Carre,” “Do Me a Favor,” “He Followed Her up the Stairs” (probably a reprise version of “Follow Me up the Stairs”), “An Honest Woman,” “The Years Pass By,” “Hot Foot Hop,” “I’m Back in Love,” “Vive La Difference,” and “Funeral.” In 1992, a studio cast album of the score was released by Audiophile Records (CD # ACD-263); vocals were by Marshall Barer and Barbara Lea, and for the recording all the lyrics were credited only to Barer (with the exception of “Take Love Easy,” which had a lyric by John LaTouche, who had died thirty-six years earlier). The CD included seven songs heard in the Broadway production (“Let’s,” “C’est comme ça!,” “Someone to Care For,” “Thank You, Ma’am,” “The Spider and the Fly,” “Goodbye Charlie,” and “Follow Me up the Stairs”), one dropped during the tryout (“Be a Man”), and seven numbers that had probably been cut during preproduction (“Pousse Café,” “Fleugel Street Rag,” “Up Your Ante,” “The Swivel,” “My Heart Is a Stranger,” “Settle for Less,” and “If I Knew Now [What I Knew Then]”). The recording also included an overture, a reprise of “C’est comma ça!,” and the interpolation of “Take Love Easy,” from the Broadway musical Beggar’s Holiday (1946). Pousse-Café was Theodore Bikel’s second musical trip to a café in three seasons. Like Café Crown (1964), Pousse-Café disappeared after three performances.

“IT’S A BIRD IT’S A PLANE IT’S SUPERMAN” “THE NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: March 29, 1966 Closing Date: July 17, 1966 Performances: 129 Book: David Newman and Robert Benton Lyrics: Lee Adams Music: Charles Strouse Based on the comic strip Superman, created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the June 1938 issue of Action Comics #1. Direction: Harold Prince; Producers: Harold Prince in association with Ruth Mitchell (filmed sequences produced by MPO Pictures, Inc.); Choreography: Ernest Flatt; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Florence Klotz; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: Bob Holiday (Superman, Clark Kent), Jack Cassidy (Max Mencken), Patricia Marand (Lois Lane), Eric Mason (Perry White), Linda Lavin (Sydney), Michael O’Sullivan (Dr. Abner Sedgwick), Don Chastain (Jim Morgan), Jerry Fujikawa (Father Ling), Bill Starr (Dong Ling), Murphy James (Tai Ling), Juleste Salva (Fan Po Ling), Michael Gentry (Ming Foo Ling), Joseph Gentry (Joe Ling), Les Freed (Suspect #1), Dick Miller (Suspect #2), Dal Richards (Suspect #3), John Grigas (Suspect #4), John Smolko (Suspect #5), Eugene Edwards (Byron), Bob Scherkenbach (Harvey), April Nevins (Bonnie), Tina Faye (Sue-Ellen), Judy Newman (Marnie), Bick Goss (Student), Michelle Barry (Annette), Gay Edmond (Wanda), Marilyne Mason (Rosalie), Jayme Mylroie (Leslie), Lori Browne (Cathy), Mara Landi (Barbie), George Bunt (Al), Dallas Edmunds (Milton), Roy Smith (Kevin), Haruki Fujimoto (William) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the present time in and around the city of Metropolis, U.S.A.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Doing Good” (Bob Holiday); “We Need Him” (Jack Cassidy, Patricia Marand, Bob Holiday, Company); “It’s Superman” (Patricia Marand); “We Don’t Matter at All” (Don Chastain, Patricia Marand); “Revenge” (Michael O’Sullivan); “The Woman for the Man” (Jack Cassidy); ‘You’ve Got Possibilities” (Linda Lavin); “What I’ve Always Wanted” (Patricia Marand); “Revenge” (reprise) (Michael O’Sullivan); “Everything’s Easy When You Know How” (Jerry Fujikawa, Bill Starr, Murphy James, Juleste Salva, Michael Gentry, Joseph Gentry); “It’s Super Nice” (Company) Act Two: “So Long, Big Guy” (Jack Cassidy); “The Strongest Man in the World” (Bob Holiday); “Ooh, Do You Love You!” (Linda Lavin); “You’ve Got What I Need” (Jack Cassidy, Michael O’Sullivan); “It’s Superman” (reprise) (Company); “I’m Not Finished Yet” (Patricia Marand); “Pow! Bam! Zonk!” (Bob Holiday, Jerry Fujikawa, Bill Starr, Murphy James, Juleste Salva, Michael Gentry, Joseph Gentry) “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN” (Superman from here on) came along at the height of the socalled pop art craze. Middle America could identify Andy Warhol and watched Batman on television. Moreover, the James Bond and Flint series had familiarized movie audiences to tongue-in-cheek spy-and-adventure capers. So Superman’s generally good reviews, catchy (if hit-song-less) score, and built-in audience-awareness factor should have insured it a much longer run than its paltry 129 performances. The plot centered on Superman’s squareness (Bob Holiday played Superman and Clark Kent); in his first song, he informs us that every man has a job to do, and his job is “Doing Good.” And he just wants to be loved and admired for what he does. (Please don’t take away his self-esteem.) Moreover, as mild-mannered Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent by day, he’s ignored by Lois Lane (Patricia Marand), who is smitten by Superman (although in song she wishes the man with the cape had “both feet on the ground”). And later in her ingratiating “What I’ve Always Wanted,” she admits that what she really craves is “the A & P/Conformity.” (This gal and Clark Kent are just made for one another.) But the city of Metropolis has bigger problems than Lois Lane’s love life or lack thereof. It seems that tentime Nobel Prize loser Dr. Abner Sedgwick (Michael O’Sullivan) wants revenge on the world for its disdain, and so decides to get even by destroying the world’s ultimate symbol of goodness, Superman. His computer, the Brainiac 7, has identified Superman as Daily Planet theatre columnist Max Mencken (Jack Cassidy), but when Sedgwick kidnaps Max and discovers the latter isn’t Superman, he and Max figure out that Clark Kent must be the masked man. So Max, along with the Flying Ling Family (who resent Superman because audiences won’t pay to see the Flying Lings when they can see Superman for free), agree to help Sedgwick destroy Superman. It doesn’t hurt that the Lings are Communists from the People’s Republic of China, and would delight in the downfall of America’s symbol of democracy and goodness. Sedgwick first tries to destroy Superman’s self-esteem by insinuating that Superman needs, nay craves, the adulation of millions of people; further, this need is neurotic and results in his compulsion to do good all the time. Moreover, Superman has created Clark Kent, and this is proof that Superman needs a double life because of his inability to accept responsibility. While Superman is momentarily flummoxed by Sedgwick’s psychological warfare, he’s soon freeing kidnapped Lois Lane and fighting off the Lings. As the curtain falls, Superman is off, up, and away—he’s overcome the Flying Lings but now has to stop one of their flying missiles, which is aimed at Metropolis. All ends well, of course. Stanley Kauffmann in the New York Times said Superman was the “best musical so far this season. . . . It would be enjoyable in any season,” and he applauded the music, “brisk” lyrics, “clever” direction (by Harold Prince), “very engaging” performers, and, most of all, “a witty point of view.” He praised the “skillful pro” Cassidy, who glittered as the columnist and who offered “sharp spoofs of pretentious hoofing” while he sang “The Woman for the Man (Who Has Everything).” He noted that Michael O’Sullivan (whose looks seemed to be “an early draft for Rex Harrison’s face that badly misfired”) was “theatrically vibrant,” and Linda Lavin (as Sydney, Max’s secretary) was a “pure imp” who should be in every musical and revue. He mentioned that for the “Pow! Bam! Zonk!” sequence, the scenery was designed with boxes that gave the effect of a huge comic-book page. He concluded that it was nice to go to an entertainment that was actually entertaining (“What a novelty!”). Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the book was saddled with the lack of a true villain, because it was clear no one could really defeat Superman; and he noted the evening’s wit was “on the lazy side.” But he liked Prince’s staging, and was particularly amused by the telephone booth into which Clark

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Kent changes into Superman drag: each time Superman emerges from the booth, the cleverly designed booth bows and dances away. There was also an amusing film sequence about Superman that was a jab at pretentious educational-style documentaries about famous people. As for Cassidy, Kerr said for “The Woman for the Man (Who Has Everything),” he danced “with his teeth,” slid on his knees (he must cause “the wardrobewoman horrors”), and tiptoed, spun, and behaved “like a lavender-shirted sneak, wearing the expression of a dirty-minded angel as he purloins the show.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said Superman had “imagination” and moved along “at a vigorous pace. . . . It never makes the mistake of trying to take itself seriously.” John McClain in the New York JournalAmerican said the show was a “crazy conception” with “style and speed. . . . You will like it.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Telegram and Sun found the evening “airily, nonsensically satirical. . . . You leave the theatre smiling, and the smile lasts all the way home.” But Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News said the musical was an exercise in “low camp. . . . It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane and it’s not even a salami. It’s Baker Street in drag.” During the tryout, the role of Lois Lane was played by Joan Hotchkis, who was replaced by Patricia Marand (who fourteen years earlier had costarred with Cassidy in Wish You Were Here). The following songs were cut during the pre-Broadway tryout: “Dot Dot Dot,” “A Woman Alone,” “The Superman March” (possibly an early version of “We Need Him”), and “I’m Too Young to Die” (possibly an early version of “I’m Not Finished Yet”). With a new lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, “A Woman Alone” was heard in Dance a Little Closer (1983) as “Auf wiedersehen.” The cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-6570 and # KOS-2970), and the CD by Sony Broadway (# SK-48207) includes four bonus tracks performed by Strouse and Adams (“You’ve Got Possibilities” as well as three cut songs, “Dot Dot Dot,” “A Woman Alone,” and “Did You See That” [the latter was apparently deleted during rehearsals]). The recording Superman: The Ultimate Collection (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5998) includes music and songs from various television and film versions, including two numbers from the stage production (“It’s Superman” and “Phantasmagoria,” the latter a medley of songs from the musical). On February 21, 1975, the musical was presented on ABC; the 100-minute version was produced by Norman Twain, directed by Jack Regas, and adapted by Romeo Miller. The cast included David Wilson (Superman/Clark Kent), Lesley Ann Warren (Lois Lane), David Wayne (Sedgwick), Kenneth Mars (Max), and Loretta Swit as Sydney (the latter especially scored with “You’ve Got Possibilities”). The musical was revived at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, on April 22, 1992. Numbers added for this production were “Karabitz!” (for the Lings, now identified as The Fabulous Flying Fahzumis); “It’s Up to Me” (for Lois; the song was originally heard in All American); and “Thanks to You” and “Nuts to You,” which appear to be rewritten versions of “It’s Super Nice.” On March 20, 2013, Encores! presented a concert version of the musical for six performances. Ben Brantley in the New York Times found the evening “an affable throwback to the old-style song-and-dance show that asked only to entertain you.” Except for the Lings’ “Everything’s Easy When You Know How” (for which the “Ling Dance” was substituted), the concert included all the songs from the original Broadway production. Despite Superman’s short Broadway run and its financial failure, librettists David Newman and Robert Benton didn’t give up. In 1978, they wrote the screenplay for the nonmusical film Superman, which became one of the biggest money-making films of its era and spawned five sequels (the latest, Superman Returns, opened in 2006). With Superman, Jack Cassidy finally received top billing in a Broadway musical. He was once quoted as saying “God, it’s lonely in the middle,” and that wry statement indeed sums up his career. More than a chorus boy and yet not quite a leading man, he eventually found his niche in supporting roles in a number of 1960s musicals. He appeared in the original casts of no less than fourteen musicals and revues, starting out as a chorus boy in the mid-1940s, and soon graduating to featured parts, including the role of Chick in Wish You Were Here (1952), in which he introduced the title song, one of the biggest Broadway song hits of the era. But leading-man fame eluded him, and he was never in the category of Alfred Drake, John Raitt, and Richard Kiley (and yet he might have made a fascinating Billy Bigelow, and one can easily see him as the leading man of No Strings; his singing performances on a series of studio cast albums released by Columbia Records in the 1950s reveal a silky, romantic voice that could have graced a number of the era’s musicals).

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In the 1960s, Cassidy appeared in a number of memorable “cad” roles: She Loves Me (1963, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical); Fade Out—Fade In (1964); and Superman. His final Broadway musical was Maggie Flynn (1968), in which he costarred with his then wife Shirley Jones.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Jack Cassidy); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Michael O’Sullivan); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Patricia Marand)

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 20, 1966 Closing Date: May 8, 1966 Performances: 23 Book: Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert Lyrics and Music: Frank Loesser Based on the 1952 book How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying by Shepherd Mead. Direction: Gus Schirmer; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Uncredited (the Playbill noted that the original musical staging was by Bob Fosse and that the original choreography for “The Yo Ho Ho” was by Hugh Lambert); Scenery: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Anton Coppola Cast: Len Gochman (Finch), Lang des Jardins (Gatch), Austin Colyer (Jenkins), Reese Burns (Peterson), Henry Lawrence (Tackaberry), Billy De Wolfe (J.  B. Biggley), Sheila Sullivan (Rosemary), Art Barnett (Bratt), Pat McEnnis (Smitty), Lee Goodman (Frump), Justine Johnston (Miss Jones), Lou Cutell (Mr. Twimble, Womper), Betty Linton (Hedy), Natasha Grishin (Scrubwoman), Renee Gorsey (Scrubwoman), Del Green (Miss Krumholtz), Richard Marr (Ovington), Paul Adams (Policeman); Singers: Paul Adams, Reese Burns, Austin Colyer, Lang des Jardins, Walter E. Hook, Mickey Karm, Henry Lawrence, Richard Marr, Marie Bradley, Jane Coleman, Jacque Dean, Renee Gorsey, Del Green, Maria Hero, Judy McMurdo; Dancers: Doria Avila, Richard Denny, Garold Gardner, Jerry Kent, Stan Mazin, Leo J. Muller, Terry Nicholson, Roger Allan Raby, Nephele Buecher, Patricia Cope, Mickey Gunnersen, Natasha Grishin, Rosie Holotik, Beth Howland, Joan Lindsay, Sharron Miller The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City at the new Park Avenue office building of World Wide Wickets Company, Inc.

Musical Numbers Act One: “How To” (Len Gochman); “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” (Sheila Sullivan); “Coffee Break” (Lee Goodman, Pat McEnnis, Office Staff); “The Company Way” (Len Gochman, Lou Cutell); “The Company Way” (reprise) (Lee Goodman, Lou Cutell, Office Staff); “A Secretary Is Not a Toy” (Art Barnett, Lee Goodman, Office Staff); “Been a Long Day” (Len Gochman, Sheila Sullivan, Pat McEnnis); “Been a Long Day” (reprise) (Billy De Wolfe, Betty Linton, Lee Goodman); “Grand Old Ivy” (Len Gochman, Billy De Wolfe); “Paris Original” (Sheila Sullivan, Pat McEnnis, Justine Johnston); “Rosemary” (Len Gochman, Sheila Sullivan); Finaletto (Len Gochman, Sheila Sullivan, Lee Goodman) Act Two: “Cinderella, Darling” (Sheila Sullivan, Pat McEnnis, Secretaries); “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” (reprise) (Sheila Sullivan); “Love from a Heart of Gold” (Billy De Wolfe, Betty Linton); “I Believe in You” (Len Gochman, Lee Goodman, Art Barnett, Executives); “The Yo Yo Ho” (The Jolly Wickets and Wickettes); “I Believe in You” (reprise) (Sheila Sullivan); “Brotherhood of Man” (Len Gochman, Billy De Wolfe, Lee Goodman, Art Barnett, Lou Cutell, Justine Johnston, Office Staff); Finale (Company)

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For its Spring 1966 season, City Center offered a first, a four-revival tribute to Frank Loesser. The season opened with How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (for more information about the musical, see entry for the original 1961 production), followed by The Most Happy Fella, Where’s Charley?, and Guys and Dolls (see separate entries for these musicals). Vincent Canby in the New York Times said How to Succeed was “theatrical cartooning at its very best” with book, lyrics, and music “made of stainless steel.” But City Center’s revival was “something else,” as if it were playing “a softball game, and not big-league hardball, which it is.” Further, Len Gochman’s J. Pierpont Finch registered as a “Xerox” of Robert Morse’s original. But Canby noted his qualifications were “academic” because the show was so well written “it would be almost impossible to destroy it,” and suggested that friends and stockholders of World Wide Wickets could be “grateful to City Center for the dividend.” Other cast members included Billy De Wolfe (J. B. Biggley, in the role he created for the London production), Lee Goodman (Frump), Sheila Sullivan (Rosemary), Justine Johnston (Miss Jones), and Betty Linton (Hedy). One of the revival’s dancers was Beth Howland, who four years later made her mark in another memorable New York musical (she introduced “Getting Married Today” in Stephen Sondheim’s landmark Company [1970]).

THE MOST HAPPY FELLA Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 11, 1966 Closing Date: May 22, 1966 Performances: 15 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Frank Loesser Based on the 1924 play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard. Direction and Choreography: Ralph Beaumont; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Scenery: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Abba Bogin Cast: Lee Cass (The Cashier, The Postman), Karen Morrow (Cleo), Barbara Meister (Rosabella), Joanna Crosson (Waitress), Rita O’Connor (Waitress), Joy Serio (Waitress), Susan Sigrist (Waitress), Norman Atkins (Tony), Fran Stevens (Marie), Joe McGrath (Max), Jack De Lon (Herman), James Hobson (Clem), Robert E. Maxwell Jr. (Jake), John A. Boni (Al), Art Lund (Joe), Montes de Oca (Giuseppe), Will Roy (Pasquale), Edward Becker (Ciccio), Carl Nicholas (The Doctor), Dick Ensslen (The Priest), Karen Grant (Tessie), Jody La Rocco (Gussie), Marci Phillips (Sissy), Joyce Olson (Neighbor Lady), Rosemary McNamara (Neighbor Lady), Rita Metzger (Neighbor Lady), Dale Westerman (Brakeman), Doug Hunt (Bus Driver); All the Neighbors and All the Neighbors’ Neighbors: Lillian Bozinoff, Susan Cogan, Jeanne Frey, Marlene Kay, Evelyn Kingsley, Rosemary McNamara, Rita Metzger, Barbara Miller, LaVergne Monette, Joyce Olson, Patti Winston, Gene Albano, John A. Boni, Marvin Goodis, James Hobson, Doug Hunt, Philip Lucas, Stuart Mann, Robert E. Maxwell Jr., Joe McGrath, George T. McWhorter, Dale Westerman, Wilson Robey, Diane Arnold, Linda Bonem, Connie Burnett, Kay Cole, Joanna Crosson, Judith Dunford, Ina Kurland, Rita O’Connor, Joy Serio, Susan Sigrist, Myrna Strom, Dom Angelo, Frank Coppola, Vito Durante, Jerry Fries, Bob La Crosse, Teak Lewis, Carlos Macri, Donald Mark, Victor Pieran, Dom Salinaro, Marc Scott The musical was presented in three acts. The action takes place in San Francisco and Napa Valley in 1927.

Musical Numbers The Playbill for the City Center revival didn’t include a list of musical numbers; the following list reflects the songs heard in the production as well as the performers who sang them; for the record, early Playbills for the original 1956 Broadway production didn’t include a song list, but during the run a song list was added for the Playbill. Act One: “Ooh! My Feet!” (Karen Morrow); “I Know How It Is” (Barbara Meister, Karen Morrow); “Seven Million Crumbs” (Karen Morrow); “I Don’t Know” (aka “The Letter”) (Barbara Meister); “Maybe He’s Kind

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of Crazy” (Karen Morrow); “Somebody, Somewhere” (Barbara Meister); “The Most Happy Fella” (Norman Atkins, Company); “A Long Time Ago” (Fran Stevens, Norman Atkins); “Standing on the Corner” (Jack De Lon, Robert E. Maxwell Jr., James Hobson, John A. Boni); “Joey, Joey, Joey” (Art Lund); “Soon You Gonna Leave Me, Joe” (Norman Atkins); “Rosabella” (Norman Atkins); “Abbondanza” (Will Roy, Montes de Oca, Edward Becker); “Plenty Bambini” (Norman Atkins); “Sposalizio” (Montes de Oca, Edward Becker, Will Roy, Ensemble); “Special Delivery!” (aka “I Seen Her at the Station”) (Lee Cass); “Benvenuta” (Will Roy, Edward Becker, Montes de Oca); “Aren’t You Glad?” (Barbara Meister); “No Home, No Job” (Barbara Meister); “Don’t Cry” (Art Lund) Act Two: “Fresno Beauties”/“Cold and Dead” (Ensemble, Art Lund, Barbara Meister); “Love and Kindness” (Carl Nicholas); “Happy to Make Your Acquaintance” (Norman Atkins, Barbara Meister, Karen Morrow); “I Don’t Like This Dame” (Fran Stevens, Karen Morrow); “Big D” (Jack De Lon, Karen Morrow, Ensemble); “How Beautiful the Days” (Norman Atkins, Barbara Meister, Art Lund); “Young People” (Fran Stevens, Norman Atkins, Ensemble); “Warm All Over” (Barbara Meister); “Old People Gotta” (Norman Atkins); “I Like Everybody” (Jack De Lon, Karen Morrow); “I Love Him”/“I Know How It Is” (reprise) (Barbara Meister, Karen Morrow); “Like a Woman Loves a Man” (Barbara Meister, Norman Atkins); “My Heart Is So Full of You” (Norman Atkins, Barbara Meister); “Hoedown” (Norman Atkins, Barbara Meister, Ensemble); “Mamma, Mamma” (Norman Atkins) Act Three: “Abbondanza” (reprise) (Will Roy, Montes de Oca, Edward Becker); “Goodbye, Darlin’”/“I Like Everybody” (reprise) (Karen Morrow, Jack De Lon); “Song of a Summer Night” (Carl Nicholas, Ensemble); “Please Let Me Tell You” (Barbara Meister); “Tell Tony and Rosabella Goodbye for Me” (“Tony’s Thoughts”) (Art Lund); “She’s Gonna Come Home wit’ Me” (Norman Atkins); “Nobody’s Ever Gonna Love You” (Fran Stevens, Norman Atkins, Karen Morrow); “I Made a Fist” (Karen Morrow, Jack De Lon); Finale (Norman Atkins, Barbara Meister, Ensemble) City Center’s revival of The Most Happy Fella was their second of four tributes to Frank Loesser (see entries for revivals of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, Where’s Charley?, and Guys and Dolls). Based on Sidney Howard’s 1924 Pulitzer Prize–winning play They Knew What They Wanted, Loesser’s musical centered on wine-grower Tony, a lonely older man who courts young waitress Amy (whom he calls Rosabella) by mail. Although he once saw her in the restaurant where she worked, she’s never seen him and assumes he’s a good-looking young man because he mailed her a photo of his hired hand Joey. When Amy discovers the truth, she goes through with the marriage to Tony but allows herself to be seduced by Joey on her wedding night. She becomes pregnant, Joey takes off for the wide open spaces, and Tony banishes her from his home. But Tony realizes he loves her and forgives her since her mistake was one of the head, not the heart. The nearly sung-through musical premiered at the Imperial Theatre on May 3, 1956, and played for 678 performances; the original cast included Robert Weede (Tony), Jo Sullivan (Amy, and soon to be Mrs. Frank Loesser), Art Lund (Joey), and Susan Johnson (Cleo). The rich score offered a wealth of soaring melody (“My Heart Is So Full of You,” “Somebody, Somewhere,” “Joey, Joey, Joey,” “Rosabella,” “Don’t Cry,” “How Beautiful the Days,” “Warm All Over,” “Song of a Summer Night”) and virile and robust choral numbers (“Standing on the Corner,” “Abbondanza,” “Sposalizio”). The Most Happy Fella was unlike anything Broadway had heard in years, for here was a musical with almost nonstop music, and although Metropolitan Opera star Robert Weede played the title role, Loesser avoided an operatic, Menotti-like sound and instead worked within the framework of traditional musical comedy. His was one of the most satisfying and richly melodic scores of the decade, and, as was typical of Loesser, it was completely different from anything he had written before. As of this writing, the musical has been revived in New York five times. The first revival was presented by City Center on February 10, 1959, for sixteen performances; the cast included Norman Atkins (Tony), Paula Stewart (Amy), Art Lund (Joey), and Libi Staiger (Cleo); in the chorus was a young Bernadette Peters. The current 1966 revival was the musical’s second and final production by City Center. The third revival opened at the Majestic Theatre on October 11, 1979, for 53 performances; the cast members included Giorgio Tozzi (Tony), Sharon Daniels (Amy), Richard Muenz (Joey), and Louisa Flaningam (Cleo). The production was televised on PBS in March 1980. The next revival was presented by the New York City Opera at the New York State Theatre on October 19, 1991, for 10 performances; the alternating casts included Louis Quilico/John Fiorito (Tony), Elizabeth Walsh/Michele McBride (Amy), Burke Moses/John Leslie Wolfe (Joey), and Karen Ziemba/Joanna Glushak (Cleo). Five months later, an intimate version with a two-piano orchestra opened at the Booth Theatre on February 13, 1992, for 229 performances. Loesser had

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reorchestrated the musical for two pianos, and the experiment was surprisingly successful (the cast album was released by RCA Victor Records CD # 09026-61294-2). The cast included Spiro Malas (Tony), Sophie Hayden (Amy), Charles Pistone (Joey), Liz Larson (Cleo), and Scott Waara (Herman). Waara won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and his performance may also have gone down in Broadway history as the first musical to indicate that a male character is so very sexually excited that he has to cover his groin area with a convenient hat. Mercifully, no directors of recent musicals have felt the need to be so graphic. The London production of The Most Happy Fella opened at the Coliseum Theatre on April 21, 1960, for 288 performances; Inia Watts was Tony and Helena Scott was Amy. Art Lund reprised his role of Tony, and Libi Staiger, who had portrayed Cleo in the 1959 revival, reprised her role for this production. The cast album was released on CD by Sepia Records (# 1154) and includes eight bonus tracks of pop recordings of the score. The script was published in the October 1958 edition of Theatre Arts, an issue also interesting because its cover features Barry Sullivan in costume from a scene in Goldilocks (Don Ameche took over the role prior to Broadway). The 1956 Broadway cast album was released on three LPs by Columbia Records (# OL-5120-22; later issued on CD by Sony Broadway # S2K-48010), and it remains the definitive recording of the score. A three-CD studio cast recording of the score was released by JAY Records (# CDJAY3-1306) with a cast that included Louis Quilico (Tony), Emily Loesser (Amy/Rosabella), Karen Ziemba (Cleo), Richard Muenz (Joe), and even a cameo musical appearance by Jo Sullivan Loesser. The recording includes a number of deleted songs, such as “House and Garden,” “Eyes Like a Stranger,” “Is It Fair?,” “I’ll Buy Everybody a Beer,” and “Wanting to Be Wanted.” For the 1966 revival, Vincent Canby in the New York Times noted that despite Loesser’s “lovely” music, Loesser the lyricist and composer had “overwhelmed” Loesser the librettist. Canby felt the evening “does not always move the heart as it should,” and he suggested the evening’s light Broadway-oriented songs were more successful than the ones reflecting “bigger emotions.” The cast included Norman Atkins (as Tony; he had appeared in City Center’s 1959 revival), Barbara Meister (Amy), Karen Morrow (Cleo), and, from the 1956 original cast, Art Lund reprised his role of Joey and Lee Cass reprised his roles of the cashier and the postman. Canby reported Lund’s “composure” was so solid he was able to carry off “a situation that might have persuaded a less self-assured actor to give up the stage forever”: It seems that Lund literally lost his pants during one scene in the first act. During the many years when Lucy and Ricky Ricardo lived in New York, they went to the theatre only occasionally (Lucy and Ethel memorably disrupted a performance of the fictional drama Over the Teacups), but one time Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel went to a Broadway musical, and that musical was The Most Happy Fella (Desilu Productions had invested in the musical, and selections from the cast album were heard during the episode). Before seeing the musical, Fred said he didn’t know what the plot was about, but, given the show’s title, he definitely knew it was about a bachelor.

A TIME FOR SINGING Theatre: Broadway Theatre Opening Date: May 21, 1966 Closing Date: June 25, 1966 Performances: 41 Book and Lyrics: Gerald Freedman and John Morris Music: John Morris Based on the 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. Direction: Gerald Freedman; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen in association with Joseph Wishy (Hildy Parks, Production Associate); Choreography: Donald McKayle; Scenery: Ming Cho Lee; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: Ivor Emmanuel (David Griffith), Joe Gregory (Paymaster), John Call (Dai Bando), George Mathews (Cyfartha Lewis), Laurence Naismith (Gwillym Morgan), Gene Rupert (Davey Morgan), Brian Avery (Ivor Morgan), George Hearn (Ianto Morgan), Harry Theyard (Owen Morgan), Philip Proctor (Evan Morgan), Frank Griso (Huw Morgan), Tessie O’Shea (Beth Morgan), Shani Wallis (Angharad Morgan), Elizabeth

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Hubbard (Bronwen Jenkins), John Malcolm (Mr. Evans), David O’Brien (Iestyn Evans), David Thomas (School Teacher); Singers: Robert Carle, Ed Ericksen, Jay Gregory, Marian Haraldson, Zona Kennedy, Reid Klein, Henry LeClair, Constance Moffit, Jack Murray, Mari Nettum, Joyce O’Neil, Michael Quinn, Maggie Task, Ann Tell, David Thomas, Maggie Worth; Dancers: Bruce Becker, Steven Boockvor, Sandra Brewer, Roger Briant, Sterling Clark, Carolyn Dyer, Mary Ehara, Rodney Griffin, Sue Babel, Mimi Wallace; Children: Paul Dwyer, Peter Falzone, Dewey Golkin, Laura Michaels, Janice Notaro The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in 1900 in the memory of David Griffith (“The action flows freely in time in the environment of The Valley, The Town, and The Morgan Home, in South Wales”).

Musical Numbers Act One: “Come You Men” (Male Singing Chorus); “How Green Was My Valley” (Ivor Emmanuel, Chorus); “Old Long John” (Male Singing Chorus); “Here Come Your Men” (Male Singing Chorus); “What a Good Day Is Saturday” (Tessie O’Shea, Laurence Naismith, Shani Wallis, Brothers, Company); “Peace Come to Every Heart” (Company); “Someone Must Try” (Ivor Emmanuel); “Oh, How I Adore Your Name” (Shani Wallis); “That’s What Young Ladies Do” (Ivor Emmanuel); “When He Looks at Me” (Shani Wallis); “Far from Home” (Tessie O’Shea, Shani Wallis, Laurence Naismith, Brothers); “I Wonder If” (Brothers); “What a Party” (Laurence Naismith, Ivor Emmanuel, George Mathews, John Call, Brothers); “Let Me Love You” (Shani Wallis); “Why Would Anyone Want to Get Married” (Frank Griso, Brothers, Tessie O’Shea, Laurence Naismith); “A Time for Singing” (Tessie O’Shea, Company) Act Two: “When the Baby Comes” (Company); “I’m Always Wrong” (Shani Wallis); “There Is Beautiful You Are” (Ivor Emmanuel); “Three Ships” (Tessie O’Shea, Elizabeth Hubbard, Brian Avery, Company); “Tell Her” (Frank Griso, Laurence Naismith); “Let Me Love You” (reprise) (Shani Wallis, Ivor Emmanuel); “And the Mountains Sing Back” (Ivor Emmanuel); “Gone in Sorrow” (Company); “How Green Was My Valley” (reprise) (Company) Based on Richard Llewellyn’s 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley (which in turn was adapted into the 1941 Oscar-winning MGM film of the same name), A Time for Singing centered around the Morgan family, who live in a turn-of-the-century mining town in Wales. The family is caught up in mundane daily events as well as momentous ones, which include a strike by the miners, their forming a union, and a tragic mining accident that claims two of their members. The musical took place “in the memory of David Griffith” (Ivor Emmanuel) who recalls his years as the town’s minister and his association with the Morgan family. Gwillym Morgan (Laurence Naismith) and his wife Beth (Tessie O’Shea) have five older sons (including Ianto [George Hearn] and Owen [Harry Theyard]) who work in the mines with their father, a younger son Huw (Frank Griso), and their unmarried daughter Angharad (Shani Wallis), whose unrequited love for Griffith leads her to marry the mine owner’s son Lestyn (David O’Brien). In the meantime, Morgan and his sons are divided over the merits of unionizing the mine workers. Stanley Kauffmann in the New York Times felt the lengthy musical was “faultily built” and short on emotion; he also found the score was “generally insipid.” He lamented that every incident made room for a “Show Number,” and thus there was “the happy mealtime number, the wedding number, the roistering men’s number, and so on.” He also remarked that the original story was narrated by the adult Huw, and now with Griffith as the narrator who looks back upon the past there was missing a certain “poignant perspective.” Further, whether he was in or out of the past, Griffith always looked the same. Kauffmann also noted there were two “damaging” performances by O’Shea and Wallis. The former was “shameless” in her use of “all the transparent tricks of the music hall,” and the latter did not win him over with her “arrant winsomeness.” As for Huw, Kauffmann said he was “appealing in looks” but showed “few signs of talent.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune felt the show had too much music, for just when it became “verbally interesting” along came a song that “neither satisfies the scene nor justifies itself independently.” He also criticized Wallis’s performance, noting she was too determined to bring down the house with her song “When He Looks at Me.” She tried for Nellie Forbush and Eliza Doolittle effects, and at the end of the song she collapsed in a state of “total, and hopefully adorable, exhaustion.”

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Richard Watts in the New York Post said the narrative refused to become “dramatically interesting,” and felt A Time for Singing “is not a very exultant song.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the evening “essentially touching” but also “occasionally frisky and funny.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal wrote that A Time for Singing wasn’t “a really bad musical,” but he regretted that the rich, authentic characters of the novel were turned into “routine types” for the musical comedy stage. Further, there was an “overlay of banality” in the libretto and lyrics by Gerald Freedman and John Morris, and the latter did “similar disservice” with the music. He noted that Tessie O’Shea was given an “entirely inappropriate dance” for her character, and Shani Wallis was “too broadly comic” during her “unmarried” scenes and then later was “stiff as her corsets” during the “married” ones. Further, the mine disaster was “abrupt and remote, rather than immediate.” The cast album was recorded by Warner Brothers Records (LP # HS-1639), and in 2011 a “soundtrack” (!) of the cast album was released on CD by Master Classics Records (unnumbered). The first official CD recording appeared in 2013 when Kritzerland Records released a limited-edition pressing of 1,500 copies (CD # KR-20025-1).

MAME Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Broadway Theatre) Opening Date: May 24, 1966 Closing Date: January 3, 1970 Performances: 1,508 Book: Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Lyrics and Music: Jerry Herman Based on the 1955 novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and the 1956 play Auntie Mame by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Direction: Gene Saks; Producers: Robert Fryer, Lawrence Carr, and Sylvia and Joseph Harris (John Bowab, Associate Producer); Choreography: Onna White (Tom Panko, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Robert Mackintosh; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Donald Pippin Cast: Frankie Michaels (Patrick Dennis [Age 10]), Jane Connell (Agnes Gooch), Beatrice Arthur (Vera Charles), Angela Lansbury (Mame Dennis), Ron Young (Ralph Devine), Jack Davison (Bishop, Leading Man), George Coe (M. Lindsay Woolsey), Sab Shimono (Ito), Art Matthews (Doorman, Stage Manager), Stan Page (Elevator Boy), Bill Stanton (Messenger), Willard Waterman (Dwight Babcock), Jo Tract (Art Model), Johanna Douglas (Dance Teacher, Mrs. Upson), Charlotte Jones (Madame Branislowski, Mother Burnside), John Taliaferro (Gregor), Charles Braswell (Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside), Clifford Fearl (Uncle Jeff), Ruth Ramsey (Cousin Fan), Margaret Hall (Sally Cato), Jerry Lanning (Patrick Dennis [Ages 19–29]), Randy Kirby (Junior Babcock), John C. Becher (Mr. Upson), Diana Walker (Gloria Upson), Diane Coupe (Pegeen Ryan), Michael Maitland (Peter Dennis); Mame’s Friends: Diana Baffa, Jack Blackton, David Chaney, Pat Cummings, Jack Davison, Hilda Harris, Tommy Karaty, Nicole Kelton, Nancy Lynch, Art Matthews, Ross Miles, Stan Page, Ruth Ramsey, Betty Rosebrock, Scotty Salmon, Bella Shalom, Bill Stanton, John Taliaferro, Jo Tract, Jodi Williams, Kathy Wilson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Mame Dennis’s Beekman Place apartment in New York City and in various locales in which she becomes involved, all during the period from 1928 to 1946.

Musical Numbers Act One: “St. Bridget” (Jane Connell, Frankie Michaels); “It’s Today” (Angela Lansbury, Mame’s Friends); “Open a New Window” (Angela Lansbury, Mame’s Friends); “The Man in the Moon” (Beatrice Arthur, Angela Lansbury, Chorus); “My Best Girl” (Frankie Michaels, Angela Lansbury); “We Need a Little Christmas” (Angela Lansbury, Frankie Michaels, Jane Connell, Sab Shimono, Charles Braswell); “The Fox Hunt” (Clifford Fearl, Frankie Michaels, Ruth Ramsey, Charlotte Jones, Cousins); “Mame” (Charles Braswell, All)

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Act Two: “Mame” (reprise) (aka “The Letter”) (Frankie Michaels, Jerry Lanning); “My Best Girl” (reprise) (Jerry Lanning); “Bosom Buddies” (Angela Lansbury, Beatrice Arthur); “Gooch’s Song” (Jane Connell); “That’s How Young I Feel” (Angela Lansbury, Mame’s Friends); “If He Walked into My Life” (Angela Lansbury); “It’s Today” (reprise) (Angela Lansbury, Mame’s Friends); “My Best Girl” (reprise) (Jerry Lanning); “Open a New Window” (reprise) (Angela Lansbury) When Patrick Dennis’s Auntie Mame was first published in 1955, readers were immediately taken with Patrick’s Auntie Mame Dennis, a musical comedy dream of an aunt who’d rather mix martinis than bake biscuits. The following year, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s straight play adaptation opened on Broadway with Rosalind Russell in the title role for a long run of 639 performances. A sparkling film adaptation followed in 1958, with Russell reprising her stage role, and it was probably a given that a TV sitcom or a Broadway musical version would eventually follow. Mercifully, Love That Mame! or Mame Knows Best never happened on television. But because the stage and film versions were like a musical comedy without the songs, Lawrence and Lee adapted their play into a musical, and their briskly efficient libretto did justice to their madcap heroine and her revue-like adventures. Moreover, Jerry Herman composed a melodic and old-fashioned score that perfectly suited the story, the characters, and the era; William and Jean Eckart and Robert Mackintosh offered a handsome-looking production; Onna White whipped up some lively dance routines; and Gene Saks directed the enterprise within an inch of its life. He insured there were no slack moments, and his company of fine supporting players added to the merriment of the script and score. As for the musical’s leading lady, Angela Lansbury seemed to surprise everyone with her dazzling portrayal of the iconic aunt. But why? After all, she had received great reviews in Stephen Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle two years earlier, and her performance on that cast album rings the bell with showbiz savvy and know-how. Lansbury was clearly a musical comedy leading-lady-in-waiting, and with Mame she came into her own. Stanley Kauffmann in the New York Times said the “visceral test” of Lansbury’s performance was whether one was jealous of Patrick growing up with an aunt like Mame, and he concluded “I was green.” Kauffmann praised the “lively” musical with its “exceptionally able cast,” “splendidly splashy production,” and “entertaining” scenery. He thought Herman’s score was “strongly rhythmic and sufficiently tuneful” and with “deft” lyrics, but suggested two songs could have been eliminated: because the first act offered so many “cheer-up” songs, “We Need a Little Christmas” could have been shelved, and “My Best Girl” had “more goo than is good for it.” Walter Kerr in the New York Herald-Tribune noted the production’s décor was “extraordinarily graceful,” and Onna White’s choreography for “It’s Today” “would make John Held, Jr., think his black-and-white line drawings had suddenly got rhythm.” Kerr noted Lansbury had the special quality of being “the fastest girl in high school who also turned out to be nice,” and her “flyblown delicacy” offered “hints at raffishness while keeping the tea things in order.” As for Beatrice Arthur, she was “not only deadpan but deadsoul. . . . She is a splendid spook and should have steady work from now on.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal felt Mame was one of the “least original” musicals of the last two seasons, and for that very reason it was one of the “most entertaining.” He felt Lansbury “in charm, in pose and certainly in vitality . . . is the match of any previous Mame. . . . She can . . . jitterbug without upsetting that delicately balanced quality of feminine gentility.” He said she didn’t lack the essential “hellfire” qualities of the character, and while some actresses who had played Mame virtually “blazed,” Lansbury “glowed.” But Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News suggested Lansbury was not “constituted” to “take over” a big Broadway musical, and further noted the show “pulls out all the stops and jams most of them. .  .  . Mame proves a bit trying.” Richard Watts in the New York Post admitted Mame was a “handsome and resourceful” musical, but he found the title character’s “life of cheerful non-inhibitions” somewhat “tiresome.” Further, the constant “merry party-giving became irritating,” Mame’s friends were sometimes a “trial,” and Mame herself was a “less fascinating creature than she and her liberated set were a little smugly convinced that she was.” Despite a well-put-together musical with juicy leading and supporting roles and a sheaf of hit songs (“If He Walked into My Life,” “We Need a Little Christmas,” “My Best Girl,” and the title song), Mame, unlike Herman’s Hello, Dolly!, hasn’t traveled well over the years. It was never a blockbuster on the road, its film version was a dismal failure, and its only Broadway revival faltered after five weeks. Even a lavish Kennedy Center production in 2006 never got out of Washington. The musical is certainly one of the best

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“B”-List musicals around, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t flower with the right production and the right leading lady. During the tryout, “Do You Call That Livin’?” was replaced by “That’s How Young I Feel.” Other numbers dropped were “Camouflage” (for Mame and Vera) and “Love Is Only Love” (for Mame). The latter was interpolated into the film version of Hello, Dolly! “It’s Today” had been previously heard in two Off-Broadway musicals by Jerry Herman, albeit with a different lyric. Herman’s 1958 revue Nightcap featured the song as “Show Tune in 2/4” (the song was also known as “There Is No Tune Like a Show Tune” and “Show Tune”), and he recycled the song in his 1960 revue Parade (the song was recorded for the latter’s cast album on Kapp Records LP # 7005; later issued on CD by Decca Broadway Records # 440-064-738-2). As noted, Herman’s score is delightfully old-fashioned with its parade of production numbers, comedy songs, and ballads. The score’s finest number, “If He Walked into My Life,” is an example of Herman’s savvy and resourcefulness. Mame questions whether she raised Patrick properly, and the incisive lyric gives Mame her most introspective moment (“Did he need a stronger hand? / Did he need a lighter touch?”); at the same time, and without a single change in its lyric, the song can stand independently as one of the great Broadway torch songs. Although Kauffmann noted he could have done without it, “We Need a Little Christmas” has emerged as a holiday standard. Taken at face value, the number seems a natural for singing during the hot summer months, but in the musical the song is actually sung one week after Thanksgiving (the characters sing it sometime in early December). By today’s commercial standards, if anyone needs a little Christmas, they can probably find it in the stores by the end of September. During the New York run, Janis Paige, Jane Morgan, and Ann Miller played Mame, and for the London production, which opened on February 20, 1969, at the Drury Lane for 443 performances, Ginger Rogers played the title role. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1967. The original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOS-3000 and KOL-6600; the CD was first released by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records # SK-60959, and then by Sony/Arkiv # 61739). Both CDs include five bonus tracks with vocals by Jerry Herman and Alice Borden, with Herman at the piano: “St. Bridget,” “It’s Today,” “Open a New Window,” “Mame,” and the cut song “Camouflage.” The Mexico City cast album was released by Orfeon Records (LP # 12/837) with Silvia Pinal in the title role; the songs included “Necesitamos un Poquito de Navidad,” “Amigas del Alma,” and “Cancion de Gooch.” The disastrous film version was released by Warner Brothers in 1974, and starred Lucille Ball (who gave her all but nonetheless came across as Great Auntie Mame), Robert Preston, Bruce Davison, and Joyce Van Patten; Beatrice Arthur reprised her role of Vera (she replaced Madeleine Kahn, who had originally been cast in the film). The screenplay was by Paul Zindel, and from the stage production Gene Saks and Onna White reprised their direction and choreography. Except for “The Fox Hunt” and “That’s How Young I Feel,” the entire score was retained, and a new song, “Loving You,” was added for Preston. The soundtrack album was released by Warner Brothers Records (LP # 0698; released on CD by Warner Brothers/Rhino # RHM2-7843). The Broadway revival opened on July 24, 1983, at the Gershwin Theatre for forty-one performances. Angela Lansbury, Jane Connell, Sab Shimono, and Willard Waterman reprised their original roles, and were joined by Anne Francine, who had played Vera during the original run. During its preproduction period, the musical was titled My Best Girl. Mame’s musical director was Donald (Don) Pippin, and his is one of musical theatre’s most varied and fascinating careers. His first Broadway show was Ankles Aweigh (1955), for which he composed incidental dance music. He won the Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director for Oliver! in 1963 (a year later, this category was eliminated). And throughout his career he was the original musical director for a number of long-running hits and legendary flops and also-rans: 110 in the Shade (1963), Foxy (1964), Ben Franklin in Paris (1964), Dear World (1969), Applause (1970), Seesaw (1973), Mack & Mabel (1974), A Chorus Line (1975; both the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions), A Broadway Musical (1978), Woman of the Year (1980), La Cage Aux Folles (1983), and The Red Shoes (1993). Pippin wrote the scores for three Off-Broadway musicals, The Cast Aways (1975; later Castaways, 1977), The Contrast (1972), and Fashion (1974). The latter included “My Title Song,” which Pippin said was a special tribute to Herman (and a fitting one because Pippin was the original conductor of four of Herman’s six Broadway musicals).

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Mame); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Angela Lansbury); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Frankie Michaels); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Beatrice Arthur); Best Director of a Musical (Gene Saks); Best Composer and Lyricist (Jerry Herman); Best Scenic Designer (William and Jean Eckart); Best Choreographer (Onna White)

WHERE’S CHARLEY? Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 25, 1966 Closing Date: June 3, 1966 Performances: 15 Book: George Abbott Lyrics and Music: Frank Loesser Based on the 1892 play Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas. Direction: Christopher Hewett; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: John Sharpe; Scenery: Uncredited (Playbill notes that “additional settings” were designed by Peggy Clark); Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Pembroke Davenport Cast: Tom Bate (Brassett), Donald Barton (Professor Fortesque), David Smith (Jack Chesney), Darryl Hickman (Charley Wykeham), Karen Shepard (Kitty Verdun), Susan Watson (Amy Spettigue), Emory Bass (Wilkinson), Ferdinand Hilt (Sir Francis Chesney), Mort Marshall (Mr. Spettigue), Eleanor Steber (Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez), Stan Mazin (Photographer), Maria Hero (Patricia), Austin Colyer (Reggie), Violeta Landek (Photographer’s Assistant), Zebra Nevins (Photographer’s Assistant); Band Members: Rodd Barry, Dennis Cole, Gordon Cook, Jack Fletcher, Mario Maroze, Doug Spingler; Dancers: Rodd Barry, Dennis Cole, Myron Curtis, Richard Denny, Jerry Kent, Don Lawrence, Mario Maroze, Richard Maxon, Stan Mazin, Doug Spingler, Clive Thompson, Cathy Conklin, Mickey Gunnersen, Beth Howland, Violetta Landek, Sara Letton, Sharron Miller, Zebra Nevins, Rande Rayburn, Alice Mary Riley, Skiles Ricketts, Toodie Wittmer; Singers: Paul Adams, Austin Colyer, Gordon Cook, Stephen Everett, Jack Fletcher, William James, Konstantin Moskalenko, Hal Norman, Fred Osin, David Wilder, Laverne Burden, Jane Coleman, Renee Gorsey, Maria Hero, Nina Hirschfeld, Miriam Lawrence, Joyce McDonald, Betsy Norden, Mary Ann Rydzeski, Susan Stockwell, Elise Warner The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at St. Olde’s College, Oxford University, in 1892.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Years Before Us” (Students); “Better Get Out of Here” (Darryl Hickman, Susan Watson, Karen Shepard, David Smith); “The New Ashmolean Marching Society and Students’ Conservatory Band” (David Smith, Karen Shepard, Students, Young Ladies); “My Darling, My Darling” (David Smith, Karen Shepard); “Make a Miracle” (Darryl Hickman, Susan Watson); “Serenade with Asides” (Mort Marshall); “Lovelier Than Ever” (Eleanor Steber, Ferdinand Hilt, Students, Young Ladies); “The Woman in His Room” (Susan Watson); “Pernambuco” (Darryl Hickman, Susan Watson, Pernambucans) Act Two: “Where’s Charley?” (David Smith, Austin Colyer, Students, Young Ladies); “Once in Love with Amy” (Darryl Hickman); “The Gossips” (Young Ladies); “At the Red Rose Cotillion” (David Smith, Karen Shepard, Eleanor Steber, Ferdinand Hilt, Guests); Finale Based on Brandon Thomas’s 1892 farce Charley’s Aunt, Where’s Charley? dealt with Oxford college students Charley Wykeham and Jack Chesney, both of whom devise a plan for Charley to impersonate his rich aunt Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez. The reason? Charley and Jack have invited Amy Spettigue and Kitty Verdun to their rooms for lunch and they need a chaperone. Pretty soon Charley is darting in and out of Aunt-Lucia

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drag, and is even pursued by Amy’s uncle Mr. Spettigue and Jack’s father Sir Francis. And just when matters couldn’t get any more complicated, the real Aunt Lucia shows up. Where’s Charley? was Frank Loesser’s first full-length Broadway musical, opening on October 11, 1948, at the St. James Theatre for 792 performances. Its madcap story, lavish production values, star performance (by Ray Bolger), amusing George Balanchine choreography, and delightful Loesser score (including the hit songs “Once in Love with Amy” and “My Darling, My Darling”) resulted in a happy, old-fashioned musical that delighted audiences for two years. The musical has returned to Broadway three times. On January 29, 1951, a return engagement opened at the Broadway Theatre for fifty-six performances; Ray Bolger, Allyn (Ann) McLerie (Amy), and Horace Cooper (Mr. Spettigue) reprised their original roles, and Robert Shackleton was Jack. After the current 1966 revival, the musical was seen at the Circle in the Square (Uptown) on December 19, 1974, for seventy-eight performances; the cast included Raul Julia (Charley), Marcia McClain (Amy), Jerry Lanning (Jack), and Taina Elg (Donna Lucia). On March 17, 2011, the musical returned to City Center for a limited run of five performances in an Encores! concert production that starred Rob McClure (Charley), Lauren Worsham (Amy), Sebastian Arcelus (Jack), Rebecca Luker (Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez), and Howard McGillin (Sir Frances Chesney). In reviewing the concert for the New York Times, Charles Isherwood found the revival “impeccable on every level, one of the most fully realized” Encores! productions in many seasons. He praised Loesser’s score, which offered songs that “emerge from the dramatic moment at hand and precisely reflect the period and place” of the musical’s locale and time. Warner Brothers released a very faithful film version in 1952 that was made in Great Britain and included original cast members Bolger, McLerie, and Cooper, along with Shackleton from the 1951 return engagement (in the dancing chorus was Jean Marsh, who later would make her mark in Upstairs Downstairs); the choreography was created by Michael Kidd, and David Butler directed. The film hasn’t been shown commercially for decades, and as of this writing has never been released on home video (reportedly due to Jo Sullivan Loesser’s displeasure with the film; recent rumors indicate she may now be amenable to a home video release, which one hopes will be forthcoming in the near future). The London production opened at the Palace Theatre on February 20, 1958, for 404 performances; Norman Wisdom was Charley, and this time around the dances were created by Hanya Holm. Because of a musicians’ strike during the time of the original Broadway production, there was no cast album, but Bolger recorded “Once in Love with Amy.” The British production was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # 33SX1085); the CD was issued by EMI/West End Angel Records (# 0777-7-89058-2-0), and was rereleased and paired with the 1959 West End musical Chrysanthemum on Must Close Saturday Records (CD # MCSR-3044). A college production by the University of Vermont in the early 1960s was also recorded and was privately released on LP. The script was published in softcover by Samuel French (London) in 1958. The lyrics of all the songs in the musical (including deleted and unused numbers) are in the collection The Complete Lyrics of Frank Loesser (edited by Robert Kimball and Steve Nelson, and published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2003). “Saunter Away” was deleted during the original production’s tryout, and “Culture and Breeding,” “Your Own College Band,” “The Train That Brought You to Town” and “Don’t Introduce Me to That Angel” were deleted during preproduction. The 1966 revival was part of City Center’s tribute to Frank Loesser (see separate entries for How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, The Most Happy Fella, and Guys and Dolls). In reviewing the revival for the New York Times, Vincent Canby noted that Loesser’s contributions were taken “rather lightly” when the musical first opened in 1948. But he felt that despite Loesser’s “working within the prescribed limits” of that era’s “formula musical comedy,” his score nonetheless gave intimations of what was to come in his career. For example, Amy’s “The Woman in His Room” offered “stirrings” of “Adelaide’s Lament” from Guys and Dolls, and while “Pernambuco” was the “kind of big Latin hoedown number without which no Broadway show of its era was complete,” Loesser’s version of such a number was “much funnier.” As for the cast, Canby praised Susan Watson (Amy), Karen Shepard (Kitty), Mort Marshall (Mr. Spettigue), David Smith (Jack), and Eleanor Steber (Donna Lucia). But he found Darryl Hickman’s Charley an “unequivocal disappointment” despite his “vigorous” performance and his “musical comedy way” with a song. According to Canby, Hickman lacked the “finished style” and “lunatic presence” that the role demanded; the required innate madness came across as mere stage “business.” In the singing chorus of the revival was Nina Hirschfeld, forever immortalized by her father artist Al Hirschfeld, who hid the letters of her first name in his caricatures.

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ANNIE GET YOUR GUN Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: May 31, 1966 Closing Date: July 9, 1966 Performances: 47 Book: Herbert and Dorothy Fields Lyrics and Music: Irving Berlin Direction: Jack Sydow; Producer: Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director); Choreography: Danny Daniels; Scenery: Paul McGuire; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peter Hunt; Musical Direction: Franz Allers Cast: Jeffrey Scott (Little Boy, Indian Boy), Deanna Melody (Little Girl), Jerry Orbach (Charlie Davenport), Benay Venuta (Dolly Tate), Brynar Mehl (Iron Tail), Gary Jendell (Yellow Foot), John Dorrin (Mac, Mr. Clay), Ronn Carroll (Foster Wilson, Mr. Schuyler Adams), Bruce Yarnell (Frank Butler), Diana Banks (The Shy Girl), Ethel Merman (Annie Oakley), David Manning (Little Jake), Donna Conforti (Nellie), Jeanne Tanzy (Jessie), Holly Sherwood (Minnie), Rufus Smith (Colonel William F. Cody [Buffalo Bill]), Mary Falconer (Mrs. Little Horse, Mrs. Sylvia Potter-Porter), Jaclynn Villamil (Mrs. Black Tooth), Kuniko Narai (Mrs. Yellow Foot), Jim Lynn (Conductor), Beno Foster (Porter), David Forssen (Waiter), Jack Dabdoub (Major Gordon Lillie [Pawnee Bill]), Harry Bellaver (Chief Sitting Bull), Jaime Rogers (The Wild Horse), Walt Hunter (Pawnee’s Messenger, Mr. T.  L.  C. Keefer), Ben Laney (Major Domo), Patricia Hall (Mrs. Schuyler Adams), Marc Rowan (Dr. Ferguson), Bobbi Baird (Mrs. Ferguson), Grant Spradling (Mr. Ernest Henderson), Lynn Carroll (Mrs. Ernest Henderson); Singers: Bobbi Baird, Vicki Belmonte, Chrysten Carroll, Lynn Carroll, Audrey Dearden, Lynn Dovel, Mary Falconer, Patricia Hall, Florence Mercer, Susan Terry, Kenny Adams, Ronn Carroll, John Dorrin, David Forssen, Beno Foster, Walter Hunter, Ben Laney, Jim Lynn, Marc Rowan, Grant Spradling; Dancers: Diana Banks, Joanne DiVito, Barbara Hancock, Ruth Lawrence, Kuniko Narai, Eva Marie Sage, Rozann Ford, Evelyn Taylor, Jaclynn Villamil, Anne Wallace, Bjarne Buchtrup, Tony Catanzaro, Frank Derbas, Ronn Forella, Marcelo Gamboa, Jeremy Ives, Gary Jendell, Daniel Joel, Brynar Mehl, Gene Myers The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place during the mid-1880s in various locales throughout the United States, including Cincinnati, Ohio; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Colonel Buffalo Bill” (Jerry Orbach, Benay Venuta, Ensemble); “I’m a Bad, Bad Man” (Bruce Yarnell, Girls); “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly” (Ethel Merman, David Manning, Donna Conforti, Jeanne Tanzy, Holly Sherwood, Ronn Carroll); “The Girl That I Marry” (Bruce Yarnell); “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” (Ethel Merman); “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (Ethel Merman, Bruce Yarnell, Rufus Smith, Jerry Orbach); “They Say It’s Wonderful” (Ethel Merman, Bruce Yarnell); “Moonshine Lullaby” (Ethel Merman, Jim Lynn, Beno Foster, David Forssen, David Manning, Donna Conforti, Jeanne Tanzy, Holly Sherwood); “Wild West Pitch Show” (Jaime Rogers, Dancers); “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (reprise) (Ethel Merman); “My Defenses Are Down” (Bruce Yarnell, Boys); “Wild Horse Ceremonial Dance” (Jaime Rogers, Braves); “I’m an Indian, Too” (Ethel Merman); “Adoption Dance” (Ethel Merman, Jaime Rogers, Braves); “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” (reprise) (Ethel Merman) Act Two: “Lost in His Arms” (Ethel Merman, Singers); “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (reprise) (Bruce Yarnell, Benay Venuta, Jack Dabdoub, Ronn Carroll, Patricia Hall); “I Got the Sun in the Morning” (Ethel Merman, Company); “An Old-Fashioned Wedding” (Ethel Merman, Bruce Yarnell); “The Girl That I Marry” (reprise) (Bruce Yarnell); “Anything You Can Do” (Ethel Merman, Bruce Yarnell); “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (reprise) (Company); “They Say It’s Wonderful” (reprise) (Company) Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun was a slight, light-hearted romp about the professional rivalry between sharp-shooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. Their slightly cool relationship heats up when Annie realizes you can’t get a man with a gun.

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The musical, which was produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, was Irving Berlin’s biggest hit and yielded a crop of popular standards, including “The Girl That I Marry,” “They Say It’s Wonderful,” “I Got Lost in His Arms,” “Anything You Can Do,” “Doin’ What Comes Naturally,” “My Defenses Are Down,” “I Got the Sun in the Morning,” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” The musical opened at the Imperial Theatre on May 16, 1946, for a run of 1,147 performances, and starred Ethel Merman (Annie) and Ray Middleton (Frank Butler). Others in the cast included William O’Neal (Colonel Buffalo Bill), Ellen Hanley (Mary), Harry Bellaver (Chief Sitting Bull), Daniel Nagrin (Iron Tail), and Warren Berlinger (Little Boy). In supporting roles as the secondary love interest were Betty Ann Nyman and Kenny Bowers as Winnie Tate and Tommy Keeler, roles that in later productions were often eliminated, along with their songs “I’ll Share It All with You” and “Who Do You Love, I Hope.” The London production opened at the Coliseum on June 7, 1947, for 1,304 performances, which was even longer than the New York run. Dolores Gray scored a personal success for her performance as Annie, and Bill Johnson was Frank Butler. The lively and colorful MGM film version was released in 1950 with Betty Hutton (who replaced Judy Garland soon after filming began) and Howard Keel. It was issued on DVD by Warner Brothers Video (# 65438), and includes four outtakes: the cut song “Let’s Go West Again” (with Betty Hutton); two numbers with Judy Garland (“Doin’ What Comes Naturally” and “I’m an Indian, Too”); and one number by Frank Morgan and Geraldine Wall (“Colonel Buffalo Bill”). (Morgan died soon after production began and was replaced by Louis Calhern.) There were two television productions of the musical. The first was seen on NBC on November 27, 1957; Mary Martin (who had toured with the musical in the late 1940s) and John Raitt starred, and others in the cast were Reta Shaw and Susan Luckey. The second version was telecast by NBC on March 19, 1967, and was based on the current Music Theatre of Lincoln Center production; the cast included Ethel Merman and the Lincoln Center company (no tape of this production is known to exist, and is presumed lost). Besides the 1966 Lincoln Center revival (which briefly toured after its limited engagement and then returned to New York for a brief run the following fall [see separate entry]) for a total of 125 performances, there have been two other New York revivals of the musical. A City Center revival opened on February 19, 1958, for fifteen performances; the cast included Betty Jane Watson (Annie), David Atkinson (Frank Butler), Margaret Hamilton (Dolly Tate), and, from the original 1946 production, Harry Bellaver as Sitting Bull. Also in the cast were Jack Whiting, Edward Villella, Richard France, and Rain Winslow. City Center didn’t have an Annie lined up for the revival until the very last minute, and when the playbills were printed Betty Jane Watson’s name wasn’t included; instead, in the cast listing for the role of Annie Oakley there was the notation that the performer was “to be announced.” The most recent production was the misguided 1999 revival that opened on March 4 at the Marquise Theatre for a surprising 1,046 performances. The politically corrected production also suffered from a somewhat miscast Bernadette Peters, who came across as a mentally challenged hillbilly. Things got better when Reba McIntire succeeded her, and there was brief talk of a television version of the revival with McIntire in the lead; unfortunately, the telecast never came to fruition. The script was published twice in softcover, first by Emile Littler/Chappell & Co. (London) in 1952 and later in 1967 by the Irving Berlin Music Corporation. There are a number of recordings of the score, but the 1946 cast album is still the best (Decca Records LP # DL-8001; later released on CD by Decca Broadway Records # 012-159-243-2 with various bonus tracks). The current Lincoln Center revival was also recorded, and it’s worth seeking out for Berlin’s terrific song “An Old-Fashioned Wedding,” which was especially written for the production (RCA Victor Records LP # LOC/ LSO-1124; issued on CD by RCA # 1124-2-RC [the CD includes a previously unreleased extended version of “An Old-Fashioned Wedding”]). Unlike the other musicals produced by the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center, Annie Get Your Gun had a pre–Lincoln Center tryout, during which two new songs by Berlin were introduced; besides “An Old-Fashioned Wedding,” he wrote “Who Needs the Birds and Bees?,” which was dropped prior to New York. During this period, Berlin also revisited his 1950 Broadway musical Call Me Madam, which had starred Merman. Because of Angela Lansbury’s Broadway success in Mame, a projected television version of Call Me Madam was announced for her. Although Berlin wrote two new songs for the musical (“You’ve Got to Be Way Out to Be In” and a title number) and a revised version of “They Like Ike” (“We Still Like Ike”), the special was never produced.

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In reviewing the Lincoln Center production for the New York Times, Vincent Canby began his review by writing, “New York theatergoers can relax . . . Ethel Merman and Irving Berlin are collaborating again.” He noted the production was “just about the best buy in town,” and that Merman was at the top of her form (she is “a musical comedy queen of the present,” and the first-night audience’s “love [for her] threatened to turn the show into a noisy devotional service”). Canby said the production “looks like a million,” and the musical was “uncomplicated Broadway musical-comedy making at its best.” He also praised Bruce Yarnell’s Frank Butler (“despite the formidable competition, he almost” stopped the show with “My Defenses Are Down”) as well as Benay Venuta (as Dolly Tate, the role she also played in the 1950 film version), Jerry Orbach (Charlie Davenport), and Harry Bellaver, who, once again, reprised his role of Sitting Bull. For the revival, Merman’s standby was Eileen Rodgers, who in 1962 had appeared in an Off-Broadway revival of Anything Goes (1934) and had played Merman’s role of Reno Sweeney. Canby noted that because of his newspaper’s deadline, he couldn’t stay around for the final scenes of the musical and thus missed “An Old-Fashioned Wedding.” One hopes he revisited the production in order to see one of the greatest show-stopping moments in 1960s musicals.

THE GREAT WALTZ Theatres and Dates: Opened at the Music Center, Los Angeles, California, on July 26, 1965, and the Curran Theatre on September 14, 1965 Book: Jerome Chodorov (based on versions by Moss Hart and Milton Lazarus) Lyrics: Robert Wright and George Forrest (additional lyrics by Forman Brown) Music: Johann Strauss, Sr., and Johann Strauss Jr. (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold; additional musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) Direction: Albert Marre; Producers: The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association (William T. Sesnon Jr., President, and Edwin Lester, General Director) and The San Francisco Civic Light Opera Association (Allen L. Chickering, President, and Edwin Lester, General Director) (Produced for both Associations by Edwin Lester); Choreography: Eugene Loring; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Karl Kritz Cast: Norman Fontaine (Organ Grinder), Grant Griffin (First Composer), Bob Vanselow (Second Composer), James Tippey (Third Composer), Richard Frock (Fourth Composer), Fred Essler (Ebeseder), Roy Fitzell (Albert), Lynn Fields (Katie), Leo Fuchs (Hirsch), Wilbur Evans (Dommayer), Anita Gillette (Resi), Jean Fenn (Helene Vernet), George Neise (Captain Elliot), Frank Porretta (Johann Strauss Jr. [Schani]), Eric Brotherson (Hartkopf), Giorgio Tozzi (Johann Strauss, Sr.), Lorenzo Fonseca (Clerk), Larry Dean (Servant), Edward Pfeiffer (Fritz), Walter Janowitz (Drexler), John Carver (Ernst), James R. Leong (Ling Ching), Alfio Zagnoli (Doorman), Lucy Andonian (Frau Haberwatzel), Mary Tremain (Countess von Lugenstein); Singers: Dottie Beebe, Anita Hile, La Verne Highiet, Hope Mantoen, Mary Tremain, Anne Turner, Pauline Wood, Vega Siorsi, Larry Dean, Larry Fonseca, Norman Fontaine, Richard Frock, Grant Griffin, Dick Gittings, John Hyden, James Martin, Richard McDonald, James Tippey, Bob Vanselow, Alfo Zagnoli; Dancers: Sunny Asch, Anne Amor, Barrie Duffus, Mado del Castillo, Carol Gibson, Linda King, Anita Lugo, Shari White, Don Bradburn, Leo Duggan, Charles Edmondson, Paul Gleason, Howard Henderson, Charles Fernald, Keith Nelson, Edward Pfeiffer, Don Terwilliger The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Vienna in 1844.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Two by Two” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Grant Griffin, Bob Vanselow, James Tippey, Richard Frock, Leo Fuchs, Ensemble); “A Waltz with Wings” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Anita Gillette, Wilbur Evans); “I’m in Love with Vienna” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold; lyric by Forman Brown) (Jean Fenn, Ensemble); “Philosophy of Life” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Giorgio

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Tozzi); “Love and Gingerbread” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold; lyric by Forman Brown) (Frank Porretta, Anita Gillette, Fred Essler); “Make Ready!” (Dancing Ensemble); “Teeter-Totter Me” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Frank Porretta, Jean Fenn); “The Years Are You” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Giorgio Tozzi, Ensemble); “State of the Dance” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Lynn Fields, Leo Fuchs, Eric Brotherson, Ensemble); “Radetsky (March)” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright, and George Forrest) (Roy Fitzell, Lynn Fields, Dancing Ensemble); “Of Men and Violins” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Jean Fenn, Giorgio Tozzi); “An Artist’s Life” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Frank Porretta, Anita Gillette); Act One Finale Act Two: “The Enchanted Wood” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Giorgio Tozzi, Jean Fenn); “Celebrated People” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Wilbur Evans, Eric Brotherson, Ensemble); “At Dommayer’s” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Wilbur Evans, Ensemble); “The Gypsy Told Me” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Frank Porretta, Anita Gillette); “Tritsch-Tratsch Polka” (Wilbur Evans, Eric Brotherson, Rot Fitzell, Lynn Fields, Ensemble); “No Two Ways” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Giorgio Tozzi, Frank Porretta, Jean Fenn, Anita Gillette); “Music!” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Leo Fuchs, Wilbur Evans, Eric Brotherson); “The Blue Danube” (musical adaptation by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Robert Wright and George Forrest) (Jean Fenn, Anita Gillette, Ensemble) The Great Waltz looked at the relationship between Johann Strauss Sr. and his son Johann Strauss Jr. (aka Schani). The Los Angeles and San Francisco Civic Light Opera Associations’ revival never made it to Broadway, but was recorded by Capitol Records (LP # SVAS-2426) and was later issued on CD by DRG Records (# 19084). The production starred Metropolitan Opera stars Giorgio Tozzi (Strauss Sr.) and Jean Fenn as well as a host of Broadway performers, such as Anita Gillette, Wilbur Evans, Eric Brotherson, and Leo Fuchs. Frank Porretta was Schani. The musical began life as Walzer aus Wien; it opened in Vienna on October 30, 1930, at the Stadttheater with a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner, Heinz Reichert, and Ernst Marischka, and the music was adapted by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Julius Bittner. As Waltzes from Vienna, the musical premiered in London the following year, opening at the Alhambra Theatre on August 17 for a run of 607 performances; the adaptation was by Caswell Garth and Desmond Carter. The cast included Robert Halliday and Esmond Knight, who alternated in the role of Schani. Also featured prominently in the cast was Evelyn Herbert. Halliday and Herbert had starred in the original 1928 Broadway production of New Moon, introducing such standards as “Stouthearted Men,” “One Kiss,” “Wanting You,” and “Lover, Come Back to Me.” The musical was produced in Paris as Valses de Vienne in 1933, and the following year the Broadway version premiered on September 22 as The Great Waltz. The work was the opening attraction at Rockefeller Center’s new Center Theatre, and its two slightly separated engagements totaled 347 performances. The script was adapted by Moss Hart, the music by Korngold, Julius Bittner, G. A. Clutsam, Herbert Griffith, Frank Tours, and Robert Russell Bennett, and the cast included H. Reeves-Smith (Strauss Sr.) and Guy Robertson (Schani). A new version of The Great Waltz was produced by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Civic Light Opera Associations in 1949. Korngold was once more involved, this time around adapting the entire score, and Milton Lazarus wrote the new book. New lyrics were written by Robert Wright and George Forrest, with additional lyrics by Forman Brown. The Associations revived this version in 1953. The current 1965 production offered a new book by Jerome Chodorov (the program noted it was based on versions by Moss Hart and Milton Lazarus), and Korngold’s musical adaptation was retained, with additional musical adaptation by Wright and Forrest. Wright and Forrest’s lyrics, as well as Forman Brown’s, were also used in the new production. During the run of the show, “The Birthday Song” (musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest, and lyric by Forman Brown) was added to the score, and was recorded for the cast album. There have been three film versions of the work. The 1934 British film Waltzes from Vienna (released in the United States as Strauss’s Great Waltz) was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, in what was to be his only musical (he once referred to the film as the “low ebb” of his career). It starred Esmond Knight (as Schani, in the role he played in the West End), Edmund Gwenn (Strauss Sr.), and Jessie Matthews.

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The second and third film versions were released as The Great Waltz. The 1938 version received a lavish treatment from MGM, and starred Luise Rainer and Fernand Gravet; it was directed by Julien Duvivier. The 1972 adaptation was filmed in Austria; directed by Andrew L. Stone and released by MGM, its cast included Horst Buchholz, Mary Costa, and Rossano Brazzi. The lyrics and musical adaptation were by Robert Wright and George Forrest, and Onna White choreographed. Besides the 1965 recording, another recording of the score (which is based on the 1934 Broadway production) appears to have been a radio adaptation of the musical from February 15, 1936; this version stars Jessica Dragonette and James Melton (Al Goodman conducted). An LP was issued by AEI Records (# 1153). The soundtrack of the 1972 film version was released by MGM Records (# 1SE-39ST).

HOT SEPTEMBER “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre and Dates: Opened at the Shubert Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, on September 14, 1965, and closed there on October 9, 1965 Book: Paul Osborn Lyrics: Rhoda Roberts Music: Kenneth Jacobson (dance music by Robert Prince) Based on the 1953 play Picnic by William Inge. Direction: Joshua Logan; Producers: Leland Hayward and David Merrick; Choreography: Danny Daniels; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Milton Rosenstock Cast: Lee Lawson (Millie Owens), Richard Granat (Bomber), Don Slaton (Beano), Michael Scotlin (Binky), Les Freed (Rubberneck), Gene Lindsey (Poopdeck), Gene Castle (Spider), Brown Bradley (Corky), Kathryn Hays (Madge Owens), Patricia Roe (Flo Owens), Sean Garrison (Hal Carter), Paula Trueman (Mrs. Potts), Lovelady Powell (Rosemary Sydney), John Stewart (Alan Seymour), Lada Edmund Jr. (Juanita Badger), Ed Crowley (Ben), John Hallow (Jim), Eddie Bracken (Howard Bevans), Evelyn Page (Irma Kronkite), Betty Lester (Christine Schoenwalder), Alice Evans (Selma); Singers: Darrell J. Askey, Brown Bradley, Connie Danese, Gay Edmond, Judie Elkins, Les Freed, Renee Gorsey, Gene Lindsey, Marilyne Mason, Diane McAfee, Charles McKenna, Richard Nieves; Dancers: Barbara Alexander, Gene Castle, Kay Cole, Barbara Douglas, Ronn Forella, Charles Kalan, Michele Karaty, Ray Morgan, Marie Patrice, Don Percassi, Michael Scotlin, Don Slaton, Geri Spinner, Anne Wallace The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a small Kansas town during the present year on Labor Day and the day after.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Another Crumby [Crummy] Day”/“Hey, Delilah” (Lee Lawson, Don Slaton, Michael Scotlin, Les Freed, Gene Lindsey, Gene Castle, Brown Bradley); “Whistle of a Train” (Kathryn Hays, Patricia Roe, Lee Lawson); “Golden Moment” (Patricia Roe, Kathryn Hays); “Come On Strong” (Sean Garrison); “Somethin’ More” (Sean Garrison); “Live” (John Stewart, Lee Lawson, Sean Garrison, Kathryn Hays, Ensemble); “What Do You Do?” (Kathryn Hays, Paula Trueman); “Tell Me the Truth” (Lee Lawson, Paula Trueman); “Show Me Where the Good Times Are” (Company); “Frug” (Company); “This Town”/“A Guy Like Me” (Company); “Who Needs It?” (Lovelady Powell, Evelyn Page, Betty Lester, Alice Evans); “Hot September Dance” (Sean Garrison, Kathryn Hays) Act Two: “Rosemary’s Soliloquy” (Lovelady Powell); “Tell Me the Truth” (reprise) (Lee Lawson); “You” (Sean Garrison, Kathryn Hays); “I Got It Made” (Sean Garrison, Eddie Bracken, Ensemble); “Something More” (reprise) (Sean Garrison); “Goodbye, Girls” (Lovelady Powell, Betty Lester, Evelyn Page, Alice Evans, Patricia Roe, Eddie Bracken, John Stewart, Paula Trueman, Kathryn Hays, Lee Lawson, Ensemble); “I Blew It” (Sean Garrison); “Golden Moment” (reprise) (Kathryn Hays)

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Hot September was based on William Inge’s successful 1953 drama Picnic, which took place over a Labor Day weekend in a small Kansas town. The play centered around various lonely women, including the widowed Flo Owens (Peggy Conklin), her two daughters (the beautiful, older Madge, played by Janice Rule, and the tomboyish younger daughter Millie, played by Kim Stanley), the widow’s spinster sister Rosemary (Eileen Heckart) who lives with them, and Helen, an old maid neighbor (Ruth McDevitt). When hunky drifter Hal (Ralph Meeker) enters their humdrum existence, he awakens dormant emotions and soon all their lives are changed, and perhaps not for the better. The play ran for 477 performances and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, and in 1955 was made into an enjoyable film; Kim Novak gave one of her best performances as Madge, and although William Holden was about ten years too old for the part, he was nonetheless effective. And in their dance at the picnic, Novak and Holden were mesmerizing in one of the most sensuous of all screen dances. Joshua Logan directed both the play and film, and one of the most fascinating aspects of the film is to see how he managed to find a way to incorporate a scene with male semi-nudity (the locker room sequence with Holden and Cliff Robertson solved this problem). The film also enjoyed a hit song, a combination of two melodies, the “Theme from Picnic” and “Moonglow.” Inge later revised the play as Summer Brave, which opened Off Broadway in 1973 for a limited run by the Equity Library Theatre, and in 1975 was produced on Broadway for a disappointing eighteen performances. Picnic was revived on Broadway in 1994 for forty-five performances and in 2013 for forty-nine performances; in 2000, a television movie based on the play was presented on CBS. Hot September was Logan’s third time as director of Inge’s play, but the musical version was a fast flop that never saw its scheduled opening night of October 25, 1965, at the Alvin Theatre. The musical’s tryout began on September 14, 1965, at Boston’s Shubert Theatre, and closed there permanently on October 9, losing a reported $450,000 in the process. The book was by Paul Osborn, who had written such plays as On Borrowed Time, Morning’s at Seven, A Bell for Adano, and The World of Suzie Wong as well as the screenplays of The Yearling, East of Eden, Sayonara, and South Pacific. Newcomers Rhoda Roberts and Kenneth Jacobson wrote the respective lyrics and music, and in the late 1950s had enjoyed two pop hits with “Put a Light in the Window” and “Swinging Shepherd’s Blues.” They later wrote the enjoyable score for the 1970 Off-Broadway flop Show Me Where the Good Times Are (the infectious title song had first been heard in Hot September). “Show Me Where the Good Times Are” was also included in Neva Small’s wonderful collection Neva Small: My Place in the World, released by Small Penny Enterprises, LLC, Records (CD # NS-2211). For the musical, the opening Boston cast included Patricia Roe (Flo), Kathryn Hays (Madge), Lee Lawson (Millie), Lovelady Powell (Rosemary), Sean Garrison (Hal), and Eddie Bracken as Howard Bevans, Rosemary’s sometimes beau. However, during the Boston run Hays was replaced by Sheila Sullivan and Roe by Betty Lester. John Stewart (who was known as Johnny Stewart earlier in his career) played the role of Alan Seymour, which had been created by Paul Newman on the stage and by Cliff Robertson in the film. Stewart had originated the role of Prince Chulalongkorn in the original 1951 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, and, with Sandy Kennedy, sang the amusing reprise version of the King’s “A Puzzlement.” Besides The King and I, Stewart appeared in two other major Broadway musicals, Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn’s High Button Shoes (1947), in which he introduced “Get Away for a Day in the Country” with Jack McCauley and chorus, and Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner’s innovative Love Life (1948), generally considered Broadway’s first concept musical. He also appeared in the original Broadway productions of the plays The Happy Time (1950), The Grass Harp (1952), Bernadine (1952), The Sleeping Prince (1956), and The Waltz of the Toreadors (1957), and was in the Off-Broadway musicals The Crystal Heart (1960) and The Tattooed Countess (1961). Lada Edmund Jr. played the role of Juanita; her Playbill bio noted she had “zoomed to television fame and the cover of TV Guide as the gyrating ‘girl in the cage’ on Hullabaloo.” The critics were harsh in their assessments of the musical. Variety suggested the show’s creators were confused and should decide if the evening was “Picnic with music or Hot September with just a tinge of Inge”; Kevin Kelly in the Boston Globe said the new musical was “neither good nor bad but mindless in between”; and Elliot Norton in the Boston Post found the evening “synthetic.” The cast album was scheduled to be recorded by RCA Victor Records, but was cancelled due to the musical’s quick demise. At one point after the Boston closing, some of the cast members and a small instrumental group made a private recording of the score as a souvenir for those closely associated with the production. The invaluable Blue Pear Records eventually released the recording (LP # BP-1012), and the original cast performers in-

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clude Sean Garrison, Betty Lester, Sheila Sullivan (who had replaced Kathryn Hays), Lovelady Powell, Eddie Bracken, Lee Lawson, Paula Trueman, John Stewart, Evelyn Page, and Alice Evans; the album also includes tracks from the demo recording (performed by Bernie Knee). The songs on the album are: “Another Crummy Day,” “Look at Him,” “Golden Moment,” “Come on Strong,” “Something More,” “Live,” “What Do You Do?,” “Tell Me the Truth,” “Show Me Where the Good Times Are,” “This Town,” “A Guy Like Me,” “Who Needs It?,” “Rosemary’s Soliloquy,” “You,” I Got It Made,” and “Goodbye, Girls”; the recording also included “Tell Her,” which wasn’t used in the production, and reprise versions of “Golden Moment” and “Show Me Where the Good Times Are.” (“Look at Him” appears to have been added to the Boston production at some point after its opening; it’s not listed in an early Playbill.) Numbers not heard on the recording but listed in the Playbill are: “Hey, Delilah,” “Whistle of a Train,” “Frug,” “Hot September Dance,” and “I Blew It.” “Golden Moment” was included in Frank Sinatra’s collection My Kind of Broadway (Reprise Records LP # F-1015). Picnic isn’t the only Inge play to have been adapted for the musical stage. Come Back, Little Sheba (1950) and Bus Stop (1955) have also gone that route. Come Back, Little Sheba became the musical Sheba, and opened at the First Chicago Center on July 24, 1974, with Kaye Ballard and George D. Wallace in the leading roles. The book and lyrics were by Lee Goldsmith, and the music was by Clint (aka Clinton) Ballard Jr., who wrote the scores for the Off-Broadway musicals The Ballad of Johnny Pot (1971), The Red Blue-Grass Western Flyer Show (1975), and Hillbilly Women (1979). The musical later surfaced as Doc and Lola on August 10, 1978, at the Lenox Arts Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, with the book by Rocco Bufano and the lyrics by Ballard, Bufano, and Goldsmith. On August 31, 2001, the work was presented under its original musical title of Sheba at the White Barn Theatre in Westport, Connecticut, with Donna McKechnie in the title role; this time around, the book and lyrics were credited to Goldsmith. The 2001 production was recorded by Original Cast Records (CD # OC-6025) as Come Back, Little Sheba. With lyrics by Ron Miller and music by Tom Baird, and a cast that included Paula Wayne and David Cryer, the musical version of Bus Stop was presented as Cherry for three free workshop performances beginning on May 8, 1972, at the Auditorium/Library and Museum of the Performing Arts at the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center. Although the workshop didn’t credit a book writer, an unpublished and undated manuscript of the libretto is by George Axelrod; this version was at one time rumored for a London production with Joey Heatherton. Years later, Jefry Silverman wrote a musical version of the play; titled Perfect Strangers, the adaptation’s title song was heard in Silverman and Walter Willson’s 1985 revue-like OffBroadway musical Options, which had first been produced at the 1985 William Inge Festival (aka IngeFest) in Independence, Kansas.

LOVE IS A BALL “A New Musical Prior to Broadway” Theatres and Dates: The revue opened at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California, on September 27, 1965, and permanently closed at the Civic Auditorium in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 25, 1965 Special Material and New Lyrics: James Thurber, Jules Feiffer, and J. Marks Music: Henry Mancini, Franz Waxman, Dave Brubeck, Stan Kenton, and John Lewis Direction and Choreography: J. Marks; Producers: Robert T. Gaus in association with the San Francisco Contemporary Dancers’ Foundation; Scenery: Peter Giralomi (Orpheus scenery by Jean Cocteau) (film animation by Al Medoro); Costumes: James Croshaw; Lighting: J. Marks; Musical Direction: Bob Ayers Cast: Alice Ghostley, J. Marks, Diana Russell, James Croshaw, Raymond Evans, Nancy Wolfe, Michele Sevryn, Gayle Howard, Mardi Van Winkle, Ingrid Anderson, Sandra Shea, Gary Pinley, Barbara Keeling, Pat Finnegan, Rudy Grau, Robert Crandall, Alan Viau, Sandra Viera The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Dialogue of the Clown”; “Oom-Pah-Pah!”; “I’ve Been Waiting for Your Phone Call”; “Elegant Lovers”; “Hello, Young Lovers” (from the 1951 Broadway musical The King and I; lyric by Oscar Hammerstein

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II, music by Richard Rodgers); “First Love”; “Blues in the Night” (1941 film Blues in the Night; lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by Harold Arlen); “The Blues”; “Boogie”; “Goddesses of Love”; “The Boston Beguine” (1952 Broadway revue New Faces of 1952; lyric and music by Sheldon Harnick); “Naked Love”; “If Ever I Would Leave You” (1960 Broadway musical Camelot; lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe); “The Four Seasons”; “Courtly Lovers” Act Two: “Ballad of Lovers”; “Orpheus”; “Love for Sale” (1930 revue The New Yorkers; lyric and music by Cole Porter); “Johnny Come Lately” (1962 Off-Broadway revue Dime a Dozen; lyric by Seymour Zogott, music by Claibe Richardson); “The Thurber Set”; “Love Is a Ball!” Love may be a ball, but Love Is a Ball (or, depending on the source, Love Is a Ball!) sure wasn’t, although Herb Caen in the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the revue offered “extraordinary clowning, dancing, singing, and cutting up! A happy union of nonsense and the Folies Bergere!” The revue floundered after less than a month on the road, opening on September 27, 1965, at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose, California, and closing permanently on October 25 at the Civic Auditorium in Fort Worth, Texas. The evening was an apparently uneasy mixture of songs, dances, and sketches “conceived, directed, and choreographed” by J. Marks, who also appeared in the production and contributed special material and lyrics (other lyric and sketch writers were James Thurber and Jules Feiffer). The songs were both old and new, the latter by Henry Mancini, Franz Waxman, Dave Brubeck, Stan Kenton, and John Lewis; the score also included such Broadway and film standards as “Blues in the Night,” Hello, Young Lovers,” and “If Ever I Would Leave You.” The eighteen-member cast included Alice Ghostley, who performed Sheldon Harnick’s memorable “Boston Beguine,” a song she had introduced in New Faces of 1952. Ghostley was a wry, sardonic performer, a sort of female Paul Lynde (who had also appeared in the 1952 edition of New Faces); in fact, the two of them could have been brother and sister. Ghostley was also in the mode of such comics as Nancy Walker and Alice Pearce, but she never quite found the stage or television vehicle to make her mark. She was in a number of short-lived musicals: Off-Broadway’s Sandhog (1954), Livin’ the Life (1957), and Gentlemen, Be Seated! (1963), and Broadway’s All in One (1955) and Shangri-La (1956) as well as Alice (1978), which closed prematurely during its pre-Broadway tryout in Philadelphia. She was in the original production of A Thurber Carnival (1960), and in 1962 was in S. J. Perelman’s sadly underrated satire The Beauty Part, one of the wittiest comedies of the 1960s.

• 1966–1967 Season

GUYS AND DOLLS “A Musical Fable of Broadway” Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: June 8, 1966 Closing Date: June 26, 1966 Performances: 23 Book: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows Lyrics and Music: Frank Loesser Based on various characters in short stories by Damon Runyon, including “Blood Pressure” (1930) and “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” (1933). Direction: Gus Schirmer (Jr.); Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Ralph Beaumont; Scenery: Jo Mielziner’s scenery for the original 1950 production adapted by Peter Wolf; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Irving Actman Cast: Dale Malone (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Joe Ross (Benny Southstreet), Ken Ayers (Rusty Charlie), Barbara Meister (Sarah Brown), Clarence Nordstrom (Arvide Abernathy, Mission Band Member), Jeanne Schlegel (Mission Band Member), Carl Nicholas (Mission Band Member), Susan Cogan (Mission Band Member), Jeanne Frey (Mission Band Member), Tom Pedi (Harry the Horse), Frank Campanella (Lieutenant Brannigan), Jan Murray (Nathan Detroit), Roger Brown (Angie the Ox), Vivian Blaine (Miss Adelaide), Hugh O’Brian (Sky Masterson), Rita O’Connor (Mimi), Claire Waring (General Matilda B. Cartwright), B.  S. Pully (Big Jule), Eddie Phillips (Drunk), Marvin Goodis (Waiter); Dancers: Diane Arnold, Nephele Buecher, Marilyn D’Honau, Judy Dunford, Mercedes Ellington, Shelly Frankel, Altovise Gore, Rose Hototik, Joan Lindsay, Rita O’Connor, Melissa Stoneburn, Maria Strattin, Gerard Brentte, Frank Coppola, Vito Durante, Philip Filiato, Mark Holliday, Robert La Crosse, Teak Lewis, Carlos Macri, Mitchell Nutick, Paul Owsley, Dom Salinaro, Marc Scott; Singers: Susan Cogan, Ken Ayers, Roger Brown, Joe Bellomo, Reese Burns, Richard Ensslen, Paul Flores, Marvin Goodis, Joseph Gustern, Mark Howard, Doug Hunt, Robert Maxwell, Sean Walsh The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City and in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Musical Numbers Act One: Opening (aka “Runyonland”) (Ensemble); “Fugue for Tinhorns” (Dale Malone, Joe Ross, Ken Ayers); “Follow the Fold” (Barbara Meister, Clarence Nordstrom, Mission Band Members); “The Oldest Established” (Jan Murray, Dale Malone, Joe Ross, Ensemble); “I’ll Know” (Barbara Meister, Hugh O’Brian); “A Bushel and a Peck” (Vivian Blaine, Hot Box Girls); “Adelaide’s Lament” (Vivian Blaine); “Guys and Dolls” 377

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(Dale Malone, Joe Ross); “San Juan” (Ensemble); “If I Were a Bell” (Barbara Meister); “My Time of Day” (Hugh O’Brian); “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” (Hugh O’Brian, Barbara Meister) Act Two: “Take Back Your Mink” (Vivian Blaine, Hot Box Girls); “Adelaide’s Lament” (reprise) (Vivian Blaine); “More I Cannot Wish You” (Clarence Nordstrom); “The Crap Game Dance” (Ensemble); “Luck Be a Lady” (Hugh O’Brian, Crapshooters); “Sue Me” (Jan Murray, Vivian Blaine); “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” (Dale Malone, Ensemble); “Follow the Fold” (reprise) (Mission Meeting Group); “Marry the Man Today” (Vivian Blaine, Barbara Meister); “Guys and Dolls” (reprise) (Company) City Center’s revival of Guys and Dolls was its third and final production of the classic musical, which would be revived three more times on Broadway (for more information, see entry for the 1965 revival). The current production also marked the final offering in City Center’s four-musical tribute to Frank Loesser (the other musicals were How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, The Most Happy Fella, and Where’s Charley?). The current revival starred Hugh O’Brian (Sky Masterson), Vivian Blaine (Miss Adelaide), Jan Murray (Nathan Detroit), and Barbara Meister (Sarah Brown); Iva Withers was the latter’s standby. Others in the cast included Dale Malone (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Clarence Nordstrom (Arvide Abernathy), Tom Pedi (Harry the Horse), and B. S. Pully (Big Jule) as well as Broadway stalwarts Eddie Phillips and Rita O’Connor. Blaine, Pedi, Pully, and Phillips reprised their roles from the original 1950 production. Vincent Canby in the New York Times said the revival was a “boff climax” to City Center’s current season. Guys and Dolls was not only Loesser’s “masterpiece,” it was also “one of the great moments in the American musical theatre.” The production was “just about perfect,” and the performances “couldn’t be better.” Hugh O’Brian was “funny, authoritative and totally at ease,” and Barbara Meister was a “lovely” performer who sang “fully,” and, when the role required, clowned “broadly.” He also praised Vivian Blaine, who “hasn’t grown older by a minute” since she created the role of Miss Adelaide sixteen years earlier, and, in Sam Levene’s role of Nathan Detroit, comedian Jan Murray was “fine” and “totally legitimate in his performance.” Canby also lauded director Gus Schirmer and choreographer Ralph Beaumont. But it was Loesser who “dazzles,” with his classic score of joyous, humorous, caustic, and romantic songs. And while many hands created Guys and Dolls, the musical looked as though “it had sprung, full-grown, from one wild, appealing intelligence.” Following the lead of the previous year’s revival, the production changed the locale of Sky and Sarah’s trip from Havana to San Juan.

SHOW BOAT Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: July 19, 1966 Closing Date: September 10, 1966 Performances: 63 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Jerome Kern Based on the 1926 novel Show Boat by Edna Ferber. Direction: Lawrence Kasha; Producer: The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director); Choreography: Ronald (Ron) Field; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Franz Allers Cast: Bob La Crosse (Rubberface), David Wayne (Captain Andy), David Thomas (Windy), William Warfield (Joe), Rosetta Le Noire (Queenie), Allyn Ann McLerie (Ellie), Eddie Phillips (Frank), Margaret Hamilton (Parthy Ann Hawks), Bob Monroe (Pete), Constance Towers (Julie), William Traylor (Steve), Stephen Douglass (Gaylord Ravenal), Barton Stone (Vallon, Jim), Barbara Cook (Magnolia), Neil McNelis (Backwoodsman, Third Barker), Jess Green (Jeb), George McWhorter (First Barker), Doug Spingler (Strong Woman), Garrett Morris (Second Barker), Congress of Beauties: Emilina Escariz, Rita O’Connor, Nancy Van Rijn, Carol Hanzel, Sally Neil (Fatima), Helen Noyes (Landlady, Old Lady on Levee), Joyce McDonald (Ethel), Frances Haywood (Sister), Mary Manchester (Mother Superior), Maureen McNabb (Kim), Clyde Walker (Jake), Paul Adams (Man with Guitar), Edward Taylor (Doorman at Trocadero), John Roberson (Drunk), Martha Danielle (Lot-

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tie), Trudy Wallace (Dolly), Frances Buffalino (Sally), Judith Keller (Maisie), Barbara Lindner (A Girl), Dale Westerman (A Man); Female Dancers: Emilina Escariz, Lois Etelman, Carol Hanzel, Vivian Houston, Eileen Lawlor, Sally Neal, Rita O’Connor, Carol Perea, Nancy Van Rijn; Male Dancers: Bryant Baker, Allan Byrns, Peter DeNicola, Ronald Dennis, Bob Hall, Bob La Crosse, Donald Mark, Robert St. John, Doug Spingler; Female Singers: Phyllis Bash, Frances Buffalino, Jane Coleman, Martha Danielle, Dolores Godwin, Frances Haywood, Ernestine Jackson, Judith Keller, Mary Manchester, Barbara Lindner, Joyce McDonald, Estella Munson, Geraldine Overstreet, Lorice Stevens, Trudy Wallace; Male Singers: Paul Adams, Donald Coleman, Ray Duval, Scott Gibson, Jess Green, Vincent Henry, Richard Kahn, James Kelley, James Kennon-Wilson, George McWhorter, Laried Montgomery, Garrett Morris, Garwood Perkins, John Roberson, Alan Sanderson, Richard Sparks, Edward Taylor, Clyde Walker, Dale Westerman, Joe Williams, Lee Winston; Children: Paul Dwyer, Michael Grady, Lisa Huggins, Jeanne Ladomirak, William Sims The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place from the 1880s to the 1920s, principally in Mississippi and Chicago.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Cotton Blossom” (Ensemble); “Show Boat Ballyhoo” (David Wayne, The Show Boat Troupe, Townspeople); “Only Make Believe” (Stephen Douglass, Barbara Cook); “Ol’ Man River” (William Warfield, Stevedores); “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (Constance Towers, Rosetta Le Noire, Barbara Cook, William Warfield, Quartette); “Queenie’s Ballyhoo” (aka “C’mon Folks”) (Rosetta Le Noire, David Wayne, Ensemble); “Life upon the Wicked Stage” (Allyn Ann McLerie, Eddie Phillips); “You Are Love” (Barbara Cook, Stephen Douglass); Cakewalk and Finale (Company) Act Two: “At the Fair” (Sightseers, Barkers, Ushers); “Why Do I Love You?” (Barbara Cook, Stephen Douglass, Ensemble); “Bill” (lyric by P. G. Wodehouse and Oscar Hammerstein II) (Constance Towers); “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (reprise) (Barbara Cook); “Service and Scene Music at St. Agatha’s Convent”; “Only Make Believe” (reprise) (Stephen Douglass); “Goodbye, My Lady Love” (lyric and music by Joseph E. Howard) and Cake Walk (Eddie Phillips, Allyn Ann McLerie); “After the Ball” (lyric and music by Charles K. Harris; introduced as an interpolation in the post-Broadway tour of the 1891 musical A Trip to Chinatown) (Barbara Cook); “You Are Love” (reprise) (Stephen Douglass); “Ol’ Man River” (reprise) (William Warfield, Company) The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center’s production of Show Boat was the musical’s sixth New York revival (for more information, see entry for City Center’s 1961 revival), and included a stellar cast of musical theatre and film favorites, including Barbara Cook, Stephen Douglass, Constance Towers, David Wayne, William Warfield, Margaret Hamilton, Rosetta Le Noire, Eddie Phillips, and Allyn Ann McLerie. Stanley Kauffmann in the New York Times noted that while the dialogue was “warped” and the once daring plot was now “weather-worn,” the score kept the musical afloat (“Oh, Jerome Kern, thou art mighty yet”) because the otherwise “serviceable” show had one “of the best scores ever written” for the musical theater. He felt Lawrence Kasha’s direction and Ronald Field’s choreography were more “painstaking than breathtaking,” but they nonetheless helped move the musical “amiably along,” and Oliver Smith’s set offered a show boat that not only sailed but pivoted, thus allowing the audience to see action on both the stern and bow. As for the cast, Barbara Cook looked pretty and sang prettily, and “handily” accompanied herself on the guitar during a reprise of “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (at that point, Kauffmann had to leave the theatre and he “couldn’t help hatin’ dat deadline”); Douglass’s voice and bearing were “impressive,” but he was “no master of romantic panache”; Warfield delivered the expected thrills with “Ol’ Man River”; as for Hamilton, “empires rise and fall” but she is the “one prim Yankee absolute in a dissolute universe.” Best of all was Towers as the “tigerishly lovely” Julie (her “Bill” drew two encores), and most disappointing was Wayne’s Captain Andy. Kauffmann noted he was a “good actor” who lacked the “kind of broad personality needed here that has nothing necessarily to do with acting.” During rehearsals, “I Might Fall Back on You” (performed by Allyn Ann McLerie and Eddie Phillips) was dropped, but the song was reinstated for the production’s tour. The revival’s cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1126). In 1962, Columbia Records released a studio cast album of Show Boat (LP # OL-5820; CD # SK-61877) that included two members

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(Barbara Cook and William Warfield) who appeared in the current revival, along with John Raitt, Anita Darian, and Fay De Witt. The CD offered four bonus tracks: “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (Tess Gardella, of the original 1927 production); “Bill” (Helen Morgan, also of the original production); “I (Ah) Still Suits Me” (Paul Robeson, who appeared in the 1928 London production, and with Hattie MacDaniel introduced “I Still Suits Me” in the 1936 film version); and “Nobody Else But Me” (Jan Clayton, who introduced the song in the 1946 revival).

A HAND IS ON THE GATE “AN EVENING

OF

POETRY

AND

FOLK MUSIC

BY

AMERICAN NEGROES”

Theatre: Longacre Theatre Opening Date: September 21, 1966 Closing Date: October 8, 1966 Performances: 21 Poems and Songs: See list of poems and musical numbers below Direction: Production “arranged” and directed by Roscoe Lee Browne; Producers: Ivor David Balding for The Establishment Theatre Company, Inc. (Directors: Ivor David Balding, Peter Cook, and Joseph E. Levine) and Rita Fredricks (Stephen Aaron, Associate Producer); Music: Music arranged by Bill Lee and Stuart Scharf; Lighting: Jules Fisher (Lighting Consultant) Cast: Leon Bibb, Roscoe Lee Browne, Gloria Foster, Moses Gunn, Ellen Holly, James Earl Jones, Josephine Premice, Cicely Tyson The revue was presented in two acts.

Poems and Songs Act One: “On Liberty and Slavery” (by George Moses Horton) (James Earl Jones); “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (by Langston Hughes) (Ellen Holly); “Frederick Douglass” (by Robert Hayden) (Moses Gunn); “We Wear the Mask” (by Paul Laurence Dunbar) (Cicely Tyson); “Southern Mansion” (by Arna Bontemps) (Leon Bibb); From The Dark Symphony: “Lento Grave” (by Melvin Tolson) (Josephine Premice); From “O Black and Unknown Bards” (by James Weldon Johnson) (James Earl Jones, Gloria Foster, Roscoe Lee Browne); “’Buked and Scorned” (traditional) (Leon Bibb); From The Dark Tower (by Countee Cullen) (James Earl Jones); “Mother to Son” (by Langston Hughes) (Ellen Holly); “An Old Woman Remembers” (by Sterling Brown) (Gloria Foster); “If We Must Die” (by Claude McKay) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “My City” (by James Weldon Johnson) (Moses Gunn); “The Glory of the Day Was in Her Face” (by James Weldon Johnson) (Josephine Premice); “A Death Song” (by Paul Laurence Dunbar) (Leon Bibb); “Sence You Went Away” (by James Weldon Johnson); “When Malindy Sings” (by Paul Laurence Dunbar) (Cicely Tyson); “Miss Melerlee” (by John Holloway) (Leon Bibb); “A Negro Love Song” (by Paul Laurence Dunbar) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “Hey-ey-ey-ey Jane Jane” (traditional children’s song) (Ensemble); “Ol’ Lem” (by Sterling Brown) (James Earl Jones, Moses Gunn); “Robert Whitmore” (by Frank Marshall Davis) (Ellen Holly); “Runagate Runagate” (by Robert Hayden) (Gloria Foster, James Earl Jones); “Tired” (by Fenton Johnson) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “’Buked and Scorned” (reprise) (Leon Bibb); “October Journey” (by Margaret Walker) (Josephine Premice); “The Crazy Woman” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Cicely Tyson); “After Winter” (by Sterling Brown) (Moses Gunn); “Molly Means” (by Margaret Walker) (Cicely Tyson, Gloria Foster, Ellen Holly, Josephine Premice); “Little Boy, Little Boy” (traditional) (Josephine Premice, Leon Bibb); “For a Lady I Know” (by Countee Cullen) (Cicely Tyson); “Saturday’s Child” (by Countee Cullen) (Gloria Foster); “No Images” (by Waring Cuney) (James Earl Jones); “Why Try” (by Ted Joans) (Roscoe Lee Brown); “Epigram” (by Armand Lanusse) (Josephine Premice); “Conception” (by Waring Cuney) (Cicely Tyson); “As a Possible Lover” (by LeRoi Jones) (Moses Gunn); “As When Emotion Too Far Exceeds Its Cause” (by G. C. Oden) (James Earl Jones); “To Be in Love” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Gloria Foster); “Wisdom” (by Frank Yerby) (Leon Bibb); “Careless Love” (by W. C. Handy) (Josephine Premice); “Calm After the Storm” (by Frank Yerby) (Gloria Foster); “At Early Morn” (by Binga Dismond) (James Earl Jones); “La vie c’est la vie” (by Jessie Fauset) (Ellen Holly); “The Treehouse” (by James Emanuel) (Moses Gunn); “A Lovely Love” (by

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Gwendolyn Brooks) (Cicely Tyson); “Welschmerz” (by Frank Yerby) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “On Neglect” (by Roscoe Lee Browne) (Ellen Holly); “Dink’s Song” (traditional) (Josephine Premice) Act Two: “Four Questions Addressed to His Excellency, His Prime Minister” (by James Vaughn) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “Mentors” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Ellen Holly); “To a Young Poet” (by Myron O’Higgins) (Gloria Foster); “Counterpoint” (by Owen Dodson) (Leon Bibb); “Journey to a Parallel” (by Bruce McM. Wright) (Moses Gunn); “The Elevator Man Adheres to His Form” (by Margaret Danner) (Josephine Premice); “Ontogeny Recapitulates” (by Roscoe Lee Browne) (James Earl Jones); “Far from Africa: Four Poems” (by Margaret Danner) (Ellen Holly, Cicely Tyson, Gloria Foster, Josephine Premice); “Notes for a Movie Script” (by M. Carl Holman) (James Earl Jones); “. . . Meanwhile a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Ellen Holly); “Letter to My Sister” (by Anne Spencer) (Cicely Tyson); “Bound No’th Blues” (by Langston Hughes) (Gloria Foster); “Ma Rainey” (by Sterling Brown) (Josephine Premice); “Get Up, Blues” (by James Emanuel) (Cicely Tyson); “The Rebel” (by Mari Evans) (Cicely Tyson); “Look at That Gal” (by Julian Bond) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “Harlem Sweeties” (by Langston Hughes) (Leon Bibb, Moses Gunn, James Earl Jones, Roscoe Lee Browne); From “A Street in Bronzeville: Kitchenette” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Josephine Premice); “Heart of the Woods” (by Wesley Curtright) (Ellen Holly); “The Ballad of Rudolph Reed” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Cicely Tyson); “Letters from the South” (by Robert Hayden) (Moses Gunn); “Between the World and Me” (by Richard Wright) (James Earl Jones); “My Angel” (by Jonathan Brooks) (Leon Bibb); “The DayBreakers” (by Arna Bontemps) (Gloria Foster); “Witch Doctor” (by Robert Hayden) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “Glory, Glory” (traditional) (Josephine Premice, Leon Bibb); “Appoggiatura” (by Donald Hayes) (Moses Gunn); “Preface to a 20-Volume Suicide Note” (by LeRoi Jones) (Leon Bibb); “The Voyage of Jimmy Poo” (by James Emanuel) (Moses Gunn); “A Moment Please” (by Samuel Allen) (James Earl Jones, Roscoe Lee Browne); “The Distant Drum” (by Calvin Hernton) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “We Have Been Believers” (by Margaret Walker) (Gloria Foster); “Oh Shenandoah” (traditional) (Leon Bibb); “Piano After War” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Moses Gunn); “When in Rome” (by Mari Evans) (Cicely Tyson); “American Gothic: To Satch) (by Samuel Allen) (James Earl Jones); “Eas’ Man” (traditional) (Leon Bibb); “My Lord, What a Morning” (by Waring Cuney) (Gloria Foster); “Tell Rachel, He Whispered” (by Owen Dodson) (Ellen Holly); “Alien” (by Donald Hayes) (Leon Bibb); “The Preacher Ruminates” (by Gwendolyn Brooks) (Gloria Foster); “Personal” (by Langston Hughes) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “Blues” (by Langston Hughes) (Josephine Premice, James Earl Jones, Leon Bibb); “Sunset Horn” (by Myron O’Higgins) (Roscoe Lee Browne); “Rocks and Gravel” (collected by Alan Lomax; arranged by Leon Bibb) (Leon Bibb) Similar in style to The Hollow Crown and The Golden Age, A Hand Is on the Gate offered an intimate evening in which a small group of performers in evening dress recited poetry and gave readings while a group of musicians occasionally played songs appropriate for the specific nature of the proceedings. The Hollow Crown looked at British royalty from the perspective of writers over the centuries, and The Golden Age was a celebration of the Elizabethan era. The limited-engagement A Hand Is on the Gate was a self-described evening of “Poetry and Folk Music by American Negroes” in which eight performers and singers (Leon Bibb, Roscoe Lee Brown [who arranged and directed the program], Gloria Foster, Moses Gunn, Ellen Holly, James Earl Jones, Josephine Premice, and Cicely Tyson) spoke and sang some ninety-three poems and songs by dozens of writers, including Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen, Frank Yerby, Owen Dodson, and W. C. Handy. The music was arranged by Bill Lee (bass) and Stuart Scharf (guitar), and they along with two other musicians (Floyd Williams [percussionist] and Sheldon Powell [flutist]) accompanied the singers. The New York notices were mixed. Both Dan Sullivan in the New York Times and Norman Nadel in the New York World Journal-Tribune felt the evening was too long and could have benefited from judicious editing, and Nadel noted there should have been more complete poems read rather than just segments of them. He also mentioned the evening was a “potpourri” which lacked “design” and direction. Further, he said the evening proved that “not everyone knows how to read a poem,” including “several of the theater’s most dedicated Negro actors and actresses.” And Sullivan suggested the show sometimes looked and sounded “like an elocution-school recital, with everyone speaking his piece very nicely to polite elocutionschool applause.” However, Richard Watts in the New York Post said the readings resulted in a “beautiful evening of stirring lyric grandeur,” and Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal found the presentation “unusual and

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often stimulating” (although he too noted the revue would have been more effective in a shortened version). Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News liked the “casual, engaging evening,” but suggested much of the material could have benefited from an explanation concerning the “time, place and circumstances of the authorship.” “C.H.” in Women’s Wear Daily concluded his favorable review by noting the evening was “not a Negro experience; it’s a human experience.” Of the cast members, Josephine Premice walked away with some of the best notices for her rendition of “Careless Love” and a sequence about Ma Rainey, and Leon Bibb was highly praised for “’Buked and Scorned,” “Miss Melerlee,” and “Oh Shenandoah.” The production had first been presented by the New York Shakespeare Festival on August 15, 1966, for one performance. The original cast album was released on a two-LP set by Verve/Folkways Records (# FV/FVS-9040-2OC). Two weeks after the opening of A Hand Is on the Gate, the Off-Off-Broadway one-woman show The World of My America covered much of the same territory. Paulene Myers starred in and adapted the evening’s material, which included readings from the poetry and writings of Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Sojourner Truth. Other similar shows during the era which explored the black experience in America were In White America (Off-Broadway, 1963); Jerico-Jim Crow (two Off-Broadway productions in 1964 and in 1968); Walk Together Children (two Off-Broadway productions in 1968 and in 1972); and The Believers (Off-Broadway, 1968). Even the mainstream Broadway musical Hallelujah, Baby! (1967) looked at racial relations from the perspective of black and white characters who never age, even as decades pass and the country undergoes major cultural and political changes. During the run of A Hand Is on the Gate, the order of the material was sometimes changed; also, some sequences were dropped and others added. For example, “All Hid” (a traditional “Children’s Playgame”) and “If the Birds” (by Roscoe Lee Browne) were recorded for the cast album, but aren’t listed in the opening night Playbill.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Leon Bibbs); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Josephine Premice)

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN Theatre: Broadway Theatre Opening Date: September 21, 1966 Closing Date: November 26, 1966 Performances: 78 After its limited engagement at the New York State Theatre, the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center’s production of Annie Get Your Gun briefly toured and then returned to New York for another limited run, this time at the Broadway Theatre. The run was a noncommercial one, was still under the aegis of Lincoln Center, and there were no private producers involved. The two engagements played for a total of 125 performances. For more information about the musical, see entry for the State Theatre run, which opened on May 31, 1966. With a few exceptions, the cast and other credits remained the same for the second engagement. This time around, Jonathan Anderson succeeded Franz Allers as musical director; Eva Marie Sage succeeded Jaclynn Villamil in the role of Mrs. Black Tooth, and Tony Catanzaro followed Jaime Rogers in the role of Wild Horse. Of the singers, Vicki Belmonte didn’t return for the Broadway Theatre engagement, and neither did the dancers Anne Wallace, Jaclynn Villamil, and Jeremy Ives. Carolyn Dyer joined the production as a dancer. The New York Times reported the second visit was slated for ten weeks because of Ethel Merman’s aversion to long-run commitments. The newspaper also noted that audience reaction was so favorable to “An OldFashioned Wedding” that Merman sang a minimum of four encores at each performance (as well as encores of such old favorites as “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun”).

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Choreographer (Danny Daniels, for Walking Happy and Annie Get Your Gun)

THE CONSUL Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: October 6, 1966 Closing Date: October 30, 1966 Performances: 2 Libretto and Music: Gian-Carlo Menotti; Producer: The New York City Opera; Direction: Gian-Carlo Menotti; Scenery and Costumes: Horace Armistead; Musical Direction: Charles Wilson Cast: David Clatworthy (John Sorel), Patricia Neway (Magda Sorel), Evelyn Sachs (The Mother), Joseph Fair (Secret Police Agent), Philip Erickson (First Plainclothesman), Richard Park (Second Plainclothesman), Beverly Evans (The Secretary), David Smith (Mr. Kofner), Julia Migenes (The Foreign Woman), LaVergne Monette (Anna Gomez), Gene Bullard (Nika Magadoff [The Magician]), Jack Bittner (Assan), Mabel Mercer (The Voice on the Record) The opera was presented in three acts. The action takes place somewhere in Europe during the recent past. The New York City Opera’s October 1966 revival of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s The Consul was as of this writing the sixth of its eight revivals of the 1950 Cold War opera (for more information, see entry for the 1960 production). Howard Klein in the New York Times said the opera’s power “pulls the listener through the wringer,” and although Menotti’s libretto and staging “pull the right theatrical strings at the right times . . . The Consul is not a work of musical genius” but is nonetheless “one of great theatrical talent.” For the revival, Patricia Neway re-created her original role of Magda, and Klein noted her aria “To This We’ve Come” resulted in “fervent applause.” The production marked Neway’s sixth and final appearance in a City Opera revival of the work (the company offered two more revivals, in 1974 and 1975). Klein also praised the “excellent” and “dedicated” cast, which included David Clatworthy (John), Julia Migenes, LaVergne Monette, and Charlotte Povia. Charles Wilson was the conductor.

THE APPLE TREE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Shubert Theatre Opening Date: October 18, 1966 Closing Date: November 25, 1967 Performances: 463 Book: Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock (additional book material by Jerome Coopersmith) Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick Music: Jerry Bock Direction: Mike Nichols; Producer: Stuart Ostrow; Choreography: Lee (Becker) Theodore (additional musical staging by Herbert Ross); Scenery and Costumes: Tony Walton (film sequence of Barbara Harris by Richard Williams); Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Elliot Lawrence The musical was presented in three acts. Act One: The Diary of Adam and Eve Sources: The short stories “Extracts from Adam’s Diary” (1904) and “Eve’s Diary” (published in magazine format in 1905 and in book format in 1906) by Mark Twain (both works are generally known as The Diaries of Adam and Eve).

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The action takes place in Eden on Saturday, June 1. Cast: Alan Alda (Adam), Barbara Harris (Eve), Larry Blyden (Snake)

Musical Numbers “Here in Eden” (Barbara Harris); “Feelings” (Barbara Harris); “Eve” (Alan Alda); “Friends” (Barbara Harris); “The Apple Tree” (“Forbidden Fruit”) (Larry Blyden); “Beautiful, Beautiful World” (Alan Alda); “It’s a Fish” (Alan Alda); “Go to Sleep, Whatever You Are” (Barbara Harris); “What Makes Me Love Him” (Barbara Harris) Act Two: The Lady or the Tiger? Source: The 1882 short story “The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton. The action takes place a long time ago in a semi-barbaric kingdom. Cast: Larry Blyden (Balladeer), Marc Jordan (King Arik), Barbara Harris (Princess Barbara), Jay Norman (Prisoner), Jaclynn Villamil (Prisoner’s Bride), Carmen Alvarez (Nadjira), Alan Alda (Captain Sanjar), Robert Klein (Guard); Members of King Arik’s Court: Jackie Cronin, Barbara Lang, Mary Louise, Michael Davis, Neil F. Jones

Musical Numbers “I’ll Tell You a Truth” (Larry Blyden); “Make Way” (King Arik’s Court, Marc Jordan); “Forbidden Love” “In Gaul”) (Barbara Harris, Alan Alda); “The Apple Tree” (reprise) (Larry Blyden); “I’ve Got What You Want” (Barbara Harris); “Tiger, Tiger” (Barbara Harris); “Make Way” (reprise) (King Arik’s Court); “Which Door?” (Alan Alda, Barbara Harris, Marc Jordan, King Arik’s Court); “I’ll Tell You a Truth” (reprise) (Larry Blyden) Act Three: Passionella Source: The 1957 short story “Passionella” by Jules Feiffer. The action takes place in present-day New York City. Cast: Larry Blyden (Narrator), Barbara Harris (Ella, Passionella), Robert Klein (Mr. Fallible), Marc Jordan (Producer), Alan Alda (Flip [The Prince Charming], George L. Brown); Subway Riders, El Morocco Patrons, Fans, Flip’s Followers, Movie Set Crew: Carmen Alvarez, Jackie Cronin, Michael Davis, Neil F. Jones, Marc Jordan, Robert Klein, Barbara Lang, Mary Louise, Jay Norman, Jaclynn Willamil

Musical Numbers “Oh, To Be a Movie Star” (Barbara Harris); “Gorgeous” (Barbara Harris); “(Who, Who, Who, Who,) Who Is She?” (Company); “Wealth” (Barbara Harris); “You Are Not Real” (Alan Alda, Company); “George L.” (Barbara Harris, Alan Alda) The Apple Tree was an evening of three separate one-act musicals (based on Mark Twain’s The Diary of Adam and Eve, Frank R. Stockton’s “The Lady or the Tiger?,” and Jules Feiffer’s “Passionella”) with two vague, unrelated themes: each plot utilized a man-and-woman-with-devil-type-as-tempter theme (for the respective three mini-musicals, Adam, Eve, and the devil [aka “Snake”]; Princess Barbara, Captain Sanjar, and the Balladeer; and Ella/Passionella, Flip, and the Friendly Neighborhood Godmother), and, for some reason known only to its creators, the three musicals were tied together by references to the color brown (respectively, a brown house for Adam and Eve; a house painted brown for Princess Barbara and Captain Sanjar; and [spoiler alert] Flip’s real name, George L. Brown). Incidentally, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick had considered a number of short story adaptations for The Apple Tree, including Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown.” The vastly underrated books for the three musicals were amusing, pithy and direct, and abounding in verbal and visual jokes, and the stories were told with a wealth of music (a total of twenty-four separate songs,

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not counting reprises). Bock’s score was rich in melody and rhythm, and Harnick’s lyrics were among his best. But, like the book, the delightful score is today generally overlooked and underappreciated (the lack of an extractable hit song didn’t help). The Diary of Adam and Eve begins on Saturday, June 1, when Adam and Eve share the blissfulness of the Garden of Eden (although “something” tells Eve she’d better enjoy it while she can). In the meantime, Adam and Eve begin to assign names to things around them, although Adam tends to use awkward appellations: he calls one particular bird a “loud-mouthed fat-beak,” but Eve has the uncanny ability to give everything its perfectly right and exact name (in this case, “parrot”). And when they see a “great waterfall,” Eve names it “Niagara Falls” because, well, it just looks like Niagara Falls. When the First Baby arrives, they aren’t sure what it is, but Eve instinctively sings it to sleep with the First Lullaby (“Go to Sleep, Whatever You Are”) while in hyperkinetic fashion Adam sings that “It’s a Fish.” But Adam and Eve grow to love one another, and with “What Makes Me Love Him” Eve sang one of the most gorgeous and shimmering ballads ever heard in a Broadway musical. When she dies, Adam realizes it wasn’t a tragedy when he and Eve were forced to leave the Garden of Eden because “wherever” Eve was “there was Eden.” The gentle charms of The Diary of Adam and Eve soon descended (or perhaps ascended) into blissful musical comedy madness with The Lady or the Tiger? Set in an ancient “semi-barbaric” kingdom, the musical opened with a rainstorm of lashing whips as hell-cat Her Royal Highness (Her Flashing Eyeness, Her SelfIndulgeness) Barbara makes her grand entrance on a throne carried by the royal guards. We soon discover Her Royal Proudness Barbara is in love with commoner Captain Sanjar, a “forbidden love” that perhaps can only flower if they steal away to a place called Gaul (it’s divided in three parts, they’ll pick the part that’s closest to their hearts). But their dreams are for naught, and Sanjar is brought to trial for the sin of loving the royal one, and thus he must choose one of two doors, one leading to a beautiful woman whom he can marry, the other to a ravenous tiger that will kill him. The jealous Barbara knows what’s behind each door, and as the curtain falls she signals to him which one he should choose. The third musical, Passionella, was total insanity, offering some of the most hilarious moments ever seen in musical comedy. Chimneysweep Ella is a drudge, a slavey, a nobody, and her only wish is to be a “mooo-vie star” (why, if her wish were granted she’d be so grateful that after premieres she’d sweep up the theatre and fold up the chairs). In a clever bit of stage magic, Ella is instantly (instantly) transformed into the sexy, curvaceous, and blonde Passionella (whose very bosoms blossom like balloons before our eyes). (Note: This segment was restaged for the Tony Award show, and doesn’t completely reflect all the stage business seen in the theatre.) But Passionella is warned: She is only a gorgeous movie star between the hours from the Huntley-Brinkley news show to the Late, Late Show. So Passionella becomes a great underground movie star who naturally takes the subway to El Morocco and only makes her films during nighttime hours. But like so many who achieve the heights of movie stardom, Passionella realizes It’s Lonely at the Top (“Oh, how hollow is all this beauty without the right man to share it with”). At the opening of Sunset Strip’s newest “psychedelic drugstore,” she finally meets the man of her dreams, rock star “Flip, the Prince, Charming,” who has the “sulky masculinity of Presley” and the “hairstyle of Eleanor Roosevelt.” But Flip tells Passionella “You Are Not Real”: her Cinerama body and celluloid heart can’t make his heart throb because the girl of his dreams is a slob. Passionella decides she’s “tired of being a cardboard figure on a tinsel background” and demands that her studio allow her to play one of the “real people.” So soon she’s starring in the $20 million production of The Chimney-Sweep, which is filmed in daylight, no less, and the entire free world (“with the exception of France”) is stunned. Suddenly it’s Oscar Night, and against the backdrop of a King Kong-sized Oscar, presenter Flip, the Prince, Charming, opens-the-envelope-please, and announces that Passionella is the winner. In one of the grandest and funniest moments in all musical theatre, Passionella sweeps down the aisle of the Shubert Theatre to accept her Oscar, and Harris’s dead-on acceptance speech was one for the record books. At first, she’s all breathless high-pitched little-girl squeals of excited babble and incoherency, but in a New York millisecond she switches to a deep contralto voice which matter-of-factly thanks all those who made her great achievement possible. Passionella and Flip immediately decide to marry, and from the Oscar ceremony they go to Passionella’s chic Bel-Air home where they pass the night “making tender love in front of the television set.” But when the Late Late Show is over, the lights black out, a huge flash is seen, and suddenly Passionella is back to Ella, and Flip turns out to be a nerdy mouse of a man named George L. Brown. The two realize that both have been granted wishes by their respective Friendly Neighborhood Godmothers, and they merrily laugh and giggle

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over the wackiness of it all as the curtain falls and the National Anthem is heard against the backdrop of a screen showing the American flag in all its glory. With its amusing books, literate score, and scintillating performances by Barbara Harris, Alan Alda, and Larry Blyden, the evening was further enhanced by Mike Nichols’s razor-sharp direction, which included a brief, amusing CinemaScope documentary film depicting Passionella’s rise to the top, seen between “(Who, Who, Who, Who) Who Is She?” and “I Know.” But the musical lost money, and ran for little more than a year (463 performances). For her four roles, the evening brought Harris a well-deserved Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, but she began missing performances (soon Phyllis Newman spelled her for all matinees) and perhaps the ticket-buying public was leery of investing in tickets without the guarantee of Harris’s indelible presence. Walter Kerr in the New York Times liked the first musical, but felt the evening faltered with the second and third; he also noted Alda was given less and less to do as the evening progressed, that Blyden was underutilized throughout, and that Nichols and Harris carried the evening. As for the latter, she was “exquisite, appetizing, alarming, seductive, out of her mind, irresistible and from now on unavoidable. Would you believe just plain nice?” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily was almost completely unimpressed by the musical, noting “the music, the story, the dance, the movement, the shape and basis and manner” of the show “hang, like so many apples, never forming a tree and, even separately, never amounting to much.” But Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal-Tribune said the evening consisted of the three “liveliest, loveliest” musicals of the year. “You’ve seldom seen evidences of so much and so varied talent in one theatre,” and he concluded that the word “magic” defined the entire musical; Richard Watts in the New York Post felt “there are many triumphs of the imagination in the vastly original” musical, and Harris provided “an extra touch of stage magic” with her “downright adorable” performances; Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the new musical was “original, varied and altogether enjoyable. . . . Quite an evening . . . Miss Harris’ personalities and talents seem endless. The Apple Tree is a fine occasion to see them”; and John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the show was “the novelty of the year—and next year too,” and he praised Bock and Harnick’s “extraordinary” score. During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “I Am a Happy Man” and “Useful” (The Diary of Adam and Eve); “One Third Princess” (The Lady or the Tiger?); and “I’m Lost” (Passionella). “I Am a Happy Man” was also heard during New York previews. Jerome Coopersmith had originally worked on the script of The Diary of Adam and Eve, and while he wasn’t given program credit during the tryout, his name appeared in the New York Playbill as having provided “additional book material.” Early in the Broadway run, “I Know” (sung by Barbara Harris in the Passionella sequence) was added, and the number is included in the cast album. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1967. The cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOS-3020 and # KOL-6620; issued on CD by Sony Broadway Records # SK-48209). A summer 1972 production of The Diary of Adam and Eve was presented in Canada at Niagara-on-the-Lake, and the following year was seen at the Theatre in the Dell in Toronto; the original cast recording was released by Trillium Records (LP # TR-2000). The 1994 Takarazuka production was recorded on a two-CD set by TMP Records (# TMPC-194). “I’m Lost” is included in the collection Lost in Boston II (Varese Sarabande Records # VSD-5485). The musical was revived by the York Theatre Company at the Church of the Heavenly Rest on March 20, 1987, for nineteen performances, and an Encores! presentation was seen for five performances beginning on May 12, 2005, with Kristin Chenoweth, Malcolm Gets, and Michael Cerveris. On December 14, 2006, the work was revived by the Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 for ninety-nine performances; the cast included Chenoweth, Brian d’Arcy James, and Marc Kudisch. Bock and Harnick’s Passionella was actually the second stage adaptation of the short story; the first was produced in summer stock four years earlier, and it too was directed by Mike Nichols. The World of Jules Feiffer was an evening of four playlets that Feiffer adapted from his short stories, one of which was Passionella. The revue opened at the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse in Clinton, New Jersey, on July 2, 1962, and permanently closed there on July 7. The cast included Ronny Graham, Dorothy Loudon, and Paul Sand, and although the revue wasn’t a musical, Stephen Sondheim contributed background music for two of the evening’s sequences, including one song for Passionella (“Truly Content,” which was sung by Loudon).

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (The Apple Tree); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Alan Alda); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Barbara Harris); Best Director of a Musical (Mike Nichols); Best Composer and Lyricist (Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick); Best Choreographer (Lee [Becker] Theodore); Best Costume Designer (Tony Walton)

THE THREEPENNY OPERA Theatre: Billy Rose Theatre Opening Date: October 27, 1966 Closing Date: November 6, 1966 Performances: 13 Libretto and Lyrics: Bertolt Brecht (who based his version on Elisabeth Hauptmann’s German translation of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera); Brecht’s German version translated by Marc Blitzstein Music: Kurt Weill Based on the 1728 opera The Beggar’s Opera (libretto by John Gay, music by Johann Pepusch). Direction: Michael Meschke; Producers: Jay K. Hoffman presents The Stockholm Marionette Theatre of Fantasy (Michael Meschke, Founder and Artistic Director); Choreography: Holger Rosenquist; Scenery, Masques, and Puppets: Franciska Themerson; Lighting: Jules Fisher Cast: Arne Hogsander (A Street Singer, Filch; spoken voices by Hakan Serner; Hogsander was also the puppeteer for the character of Tiger Brown [Commissioner of Police]; spoken voice by Jan Blomberg), Ulf Hakan Jansson (Mr. J. J. Peachum; spoken voice by Ingvar Kjellson), Zanza Lidums (Mrs. Peachum; spoken voice by Ulla Sjoblom), Ellika Linden (Polly Peachum; spoken voice by Helena Brodin; Linden was also the puppeteer for the character of Jenny; spoken voice by Ulla Sjoblom), Per Nielsen (Macheath [Mack the Knife]; spoken voice by Goran Graffman), Lydia de Lind van Wijngaarden (Lucy Brown; spoken voice by Meta Velander); the spoken voices of the cut-out characters of Mack’s Gang (Matt, Jake, Bob, and Walt) were by Jan Blomberg, Heinz Spira, Folka Tragardh, and Michael Meschke, respectively; and members of the entire company provided the voices for the cut-out characters of Reverend Kimball, Constable Smith, Whores, Beggars, the Crowd, and a Horse. The opera was presented in two acts. The action takes place in London in the eighteenth century.

Musical Numbers

The Playbill’s synopsis lists only the following songs; snippets of other songs may have been performed in the production, including an abridged version of “Army Song” (however, the gist of the song’s lyric may have been rewritten as spoken dialogue); the songs in the production were taken from cast album performances of the 1954 Off-Broadway revival, and the singers on the recording from that production are credited below. Act One: “Prologue” and “Mack the Knife” (Gerald Price); “Morning Anthem” (Martin Wolfson); “Instead-Of Song” (Martin Wolfson, Charlotte Rae); “Pirate Jenny” (Lotte Lenya); “Love Song” (Scott Merrill, Jo Sullivan); “The World Is Mean” (Jo Sullivan, Martin Wolfson, Charlotte Rae) Act Two: “Jealousy Duet” (Jo Sullivan, Beatrice Arthur); “How to Survive” (Scott Merrill, Charlotte Rae, Ensemble); “Call from the Grave” (Scott Merrill); “The Mounted Messenger” (William Duell, Ensemble) The 1966 revival of The Threepenny Opera was a so-called marionette version by the Stockholm Marionette Theatre of Fantasy (for more information about The Threepenny Opera, see Die Dreigroschenoper), “so-called” because there were four sets of performers either on or off stage: live performers encased in giant marionette-styled masques; live performers in regular costumes who were not in marionette drag; black-clad puppeteers who manipulated huge two-dimensional cardboard cut-out characters; and other off-stage performers who provided all the speaking voices for the cast members (they had prerecorded the dialogue, which

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was then lip-synched by the live performers). Technically, there was a fifth group of performers, the recorded cast album performances from members of the 1954 Off-Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera (MGM Records LP # E-3121). Selections from the cast album were lip-synched by the on-stage performers. For the current production, the book of the musical was abridged and the songs from the cast album were shortened (and some songs were completely eliminated). Grace Glueck in the New York Times felt the production had as much to do with Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s masterpiece “as a children’s pop-up version of Hamlet would have to the original.” The “coy” evening came across as a “two-dimensional cabaret act that reduces to comic-strip cuteness the full-bodied flavor and bite” of the original (she noted that Brecht, Weill, and Marc Blitzstein “must be doing cartwheels”). But Glueck admitted the production offered occasional “visual fun,” such as the notion of Peachum’s masque depicting him as a giant toad. Further, after the wedding scene, the cardboard Polly is folded up and carried off, and later Macheath slips the two-dimensional Lucy Brown through the bars of his prison cell. Despite Blitzstein’s famous adaptation of Brecht’s original German book and lyrics, all New York revivals have utilized different translations, and so the marionette production marked the first and only time a Threepenny Opera revival actually used Blitzstein’s translation.

GILBERT BECAUD ON BROADWAY Theatre: Longacre Theatre Opening Date: October 31, 1966 Closing Date: November 20, 1966 Performances: 19 Lyrics: Pierre Delanoe, Louis Amade, Maurice Vidalin, Charles Aznavour, Jean Broussolle, Mack David, and Gilbert Becaud Music: Gilbert Becaud Producer: Norman Twain (Jean Silly, Production Coordinator); Scenery and Lighting: Ralph Alswang; Musical Direction: Raymond Bernard Cast: Gilbert Becaud; Orchestra: Gilbert Sigrist (Piano), Pierre Lemarchand (Drummer), Herbert Tissier (Bass), Harry Katz (Spanish Guitar), and Pierre DoRagon (Electric Guitar). The concert was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Je t’attends”; “Viens dans la lumiere”; “Les jours meilleurs”; “C’etait mon copain”; “Age tendre et têtes de bois”; “Le bateau blanc”; “Rosy and John”; “Forever”; “Quand il est mort le poète”; “T’es venu de loin”; “Le pianiste de Varsovie”; “La corrida” Act Two: “Alors raconte”; “Mon arbre”; “Mademoiselle Lise”; “Sand and Sea”; “L’oiseau de toutes les couleurs”; “The Other Three”; “L’orange”; “Nathalie”; “La jour ou la pluie viendra”; “Et maintenant”; “La ballade des baladins” The popular French singer, composer, and lyricist Gilbert Becaud (1927–2001) was here making his Broadway debut in the first of his two one-man Broadway concerts. Besides Gilbert Becaud on Broadway, he also appeared in Gilbert Becaud Sings Love, which opened at the Cort Theatre on October 6, 1968, for twenty-four performances. For the current concert, Becaud was accompanied by a five-member orchestra. Becaud is probably best known for his songs “Le jour ou la pluie viendra” (“The Day That the Rains Came Down,” a popular hit for Jane Morgan); “Je t’appartiens” (“Let It Be Me,” popularized by the Everly Brothers); “Seul sur son étoile” (“It Must Be Him,” a smash hit for Vikki Carr); and “Et maintenant” (“What Now, My Love,” perhaps Becaud’s most popular song and one that seems to have been recorded by every singer in the entire world). Another of his hit songs was “L’important c’est la rose.” According to Robert Alden in the New York Times, “a dozen dancing, prancing chorus boys couldn’t put more zip into a show than” Becaud, and thus his one-man show (in which he was backed by five musicians)

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was a “rewarding” evening in the theatre. Alden noted Becaud was a “first-rate musician” with an “electric quality” and a “wild amount of energy” who sang mostly in French, sometimes in English, and occasionally offered English “explanations” of the songs performed in French. Alden felt Becaud’s songs lost something in translation, and noted when Becaud sang “What Now, My Love” in both French and English, the French version was “so much more effective that comparison is not possible.” And although Alden praised Becaud’s show, he found the singer occasionally prone to grasp for “the cheap effect, an over-dramatization that is synthetic” and that “makes a play for the quick tears and the audience’s quick applause.” Becaud wrote the music for the Broadway musical Roza, which opened at the Royale (now Bernard B. Jacobs) Theatre on October 1, 1987, for twelve performances. In 1975, Gabrielle took a number of Becaud’s independent songs and attempted to weave them into a story line. In retrospect, Gabrielle can be seen as a chilling forerunner of the so-called jukebox musical of the Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys variety in which non-show songs are expected to carry the weight of plot, character, and atmosphere. So perhaps Becaud is to blame for this depressing and apparently permanent trend in musical theatre. As Becaud Tonight, Gabrielle premiered at Buffalo’s Studio Arena Theatre, and then played at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The book and direction were by Jose Quintero, original and adaptations of lyrics were by Jason Darrow, the choreography by Dan Siretta, the sets and costumes by Eugene and Franne Lee, and the cast included Tammy Grimes, Laurence Guittard, Marilyn Cooper, and Danny Meehan. The innocuous musical permanently disappeared after its last Washington performance.

LET’S SING YIDDISH “A MUSICAL SHOW” Theatre: Brooks Atkinson Theatre Opening Date: November 9, 1966 Closing Date: January 29, 1967 Performances: 107 Text and “Art Songs”: Based on Yiddish folklore, humor, and art songs by Itsik Manger, Mordecai Gebirtig, Morris Rosenfeld, M. Nudelman, and Wolf Younin; Literary Supervision by Wolf Younin; Shtetl “envisioned” by Sylvia Youin and Naomi Hoffman Direction: Mina Bern (Bernard Sauer, Production Supervisor); Producer: Ben Bonus; Assistant Direction and Choreography: Felix Fibich (Judith Fibich, Assistant Choreographer); Musical Direction: Renee Solomon Cast: Ben Bonus, Mina Bern, Max and Rose Bozyk, Susan Walters, Shmulik Goldstein, Bernard Sauer, The Fibich Dancers (Donna Shadden, James May, Martha Pollak, Tamara Woshak, Tony Masullo, Dan Tylor) The revue was presented in two acts. Act One: Once upon a Shtetl The action takes place in a European shtetl (little town) before the two World Wars. Cast: Susan Walters (Girl, Shaindele), Max Bozyk (Shadchen, Berl), Rose Bozyk (Neighbor, Mother), Mina Bern (Minstrel, Baile), Shmulik Goldstein (Organ Grinder), Bernard Sauer (Drummer), Ben Bonus (Yosl-Ber, Actor); The Fibich Dancers

Musical Numbers

“Shadchen Dance” (The Fibich Dancers); “Wedding Dance” (The Fibich Dancers); “Let’s Sing Yiddish” (this sequence was comprised of various Hassidic melodies, including “Amul in a Shtetl,” “Oifin gonickle,” “Hoifzinger,” “Yussel Baer,” “Odesser motiven,” “Shaindeleh,” and “Nigun”) (Ben Bonus, Ensemble) Act Two The action takes place in America. Cast: Susan Walters, Bernard Sauer, Mina Bern, Shmulik Goldstein, Ben Bonus, The Fibich Dancers, Rose Bozyk, Max Bozyk

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Musical Numbers

“Castle Garden” (Susan Walters, Bernard Sauer, Mina Bern, Shmulik Goldstein); “Life in the Shop” (Ben Bonus, The Fibich Dancers, Mina Bern, Susan Walters, Bernard Sauer, Shmulik Goldstein); “On the Subway” (Rose Bozyk, Max Bozyk, The Fibich Dancers); “Encounter in the Park” (Rose Bozyk, Max Bozyk); “Wishful Thinking” (Mina Bern, Ben Bonus, The Fibich Dancers); “American in Israel” (Mina Bern, Bernard Sauer, Ensemble); “Let’s Sing Yiddish” (Ensemble) Although the heyday of Yiddish Theatre in the 1920s and 1930s was long gone, Second Avenue continued to be home for the occasional Yiddish musical or revue. But traditional Yiddish fare didn’t surface much on Broadway, with only occasional offerings, such as Molly Picon’s Oy is dus a leben! (1942), about her life in early Yiddish theatre, and the Jewish revues Bagels and Yox and Borscht Capades (both 1951). Most “Jewish” musicals (such as Milk and Honey, I Can Get It for You Wholesale, and Fiddler on the Roof) had Jewish characters and readily identifiable “ethnic” plot points (Jewish weddings, bar mitzvahs, pogroms), but these musicals were targeted for mainstream Broadway audiences rather than the specialized ones who attended traditional Yiddish theatre. With the burgeoning Off-Broadway movement of the mid-1950s, specifically Jewish/Yiddish musicals found their niche there and thus by the late 1950s and early 1960s a small stream of such musicals and revues were produced on an average of one per season, including The Kosher Widow (1959), Bei mir bistu schoen (1961), Go Fight City Hall (1961), The Stones of Jehoshaphat (1963), Enchanting Melody (1964), and Hello, Charlie (1965). But it wasn’t until the 1966–1967 Broadway season that Yiddish entertainments found a foothold on Broadway itself. The season offered three specifically “Jewish” musicals, Let’s Sing Yiddish, Hello, Solly!, and Sing Israel Sing, with the first and last produced by Ben Bonus, who also starred in them. These shows weren’t blockbusters, but they nonetheless paved the way for more specialized Jewish entertainments on Broadway itself, and so for the next few years Broadway saw at least one Jewish-oriented entertainment per season. Let’s Sing Yiddish was the 1966–1967 season’s first such Jewish musical. Performed entirely in Yiddish, it opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, and its producer and star was Ben Bonus, with a cast that included Mina Bern (Bonus), Max Bozyk, Rose Bozyk, Susan Walters, Shmulik Goldstein, and Bernard Sauer. The show played for 107 performances, and then later in the season Bonus and the other cast members returned to the Atkinson for the season’s third Jewish offering, Sing Israel Sing. The revue-like Let’s Sing Yiddish looked at Jewish life from the perspectives of the “old country” and the United States. The first act, which took place prior to World War I, was titled Once Upon a Shtetl (small town), and dealt with the routine events of daily life, including religious worship, work, and marriage. The untitled second act focused on the Jewish immigrant in America, and looked at both his work life and his cultural assimilation. Richard F. Shepard in the New York Times felt Let’s Sing Yiddish was a “modest success.” Was it another Fiddler on the Roof? Well, no, but there was already a Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway. Shepard noted his readers should not “examine” the new revue; they should “just enjoy it,” and he noted “a good effort at simplicity and understatement beats a bad effort at complexity and overstatement.” Shepard singled out the choreography by Felix Fibich, whose dances were “lissome” and “imaginative . . . folk styles bordering on ballet or vice versa.” He also liked Susan Walters, who was “pretty and talented” and who sang with “warmth and beauty.” As for Ben Bonus’s sketch of a hammy actor reciting “Sein oder nicht sein” from Hamlet, Shepard said he’d have to defer an opinion on how Bonus compared to John Gielgud because one would first have to track down a recording of Gielgud reading Hamlet in Yiddish. After Let’s Sing Yiddish and Sing Israel Sing, Bonus (and Mina Bern) returned to Broadway one more time in 1970’s Light, Lively and Yiddish, which took its format from Let’s Sing Yiddish: the first act took place in a European shtetl, the second in New York (where “the beat is rock”) and Tel Aviv.

CABARET “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre (during the Broadway run, the musical also played at the Imperial Theater and the Broadway Theatre)

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Opening Date: November 20, 1966 Closing Date: September 6, 1969 Performances: 1,165 Book: Joe Masteroff Lyrics: Fred Ebb Music: John Kander Based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1935 novella Mr. Norris Changes Trains (published in the United States as The Last of Mr. Norris) and his 1939 novella Goodbye to Berlin; both were later published in the 1945 collection The Berlin Stories (reissued in 1975 as The Berlin of Sally Bowles); the musical is also based upon the stage adaptation of The Berlin Stories, the 1951 play I Am a Camera by John van Druten. Direction: Harold Prince; Producers: Harold Prince in association with Ruth Mitchell; Choreography: Ronald (Ron) Field; Scenery: Boris Aronson; Costumes: Patricia Zipprodt; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: Joel Grey (Master of Ceremonies), Bert Convy (Clifford Bradshaw), Edward Winter (Ernst Ludwig), Howard Kahl (Customs Official), Lotte Lenya (Fraulein Schneider), Jack Gilford (Herr Schultz), Peg Murray (Fraulein Kost), Tresha Kelly (Telephone Girl), Maryann Burns (Kit Kat Club Band Member), Janice Mink (Kit Kat Club Band Member), Nancy Powers (Kit Kat Club Band Member), Viola Smith (Kit Kat Club Band Member), Frank Bouley (Maitre D’), John Herbert (Max), Ray Baron (Bartender), Jill Haworth (Sally Bowles), Mary Ehara and Rita O’Connor (Two Ladies), Bruce Becker (German Sailor), Steven Boockvor (German Sailor), Roget Briant (German Sailor), Edward Nolfi (German Sailor), Mara Landi (Frau Wendel), Eugene Morgan (Herr Wendel), Miriam Lehmann-Haupt (Frau Kruger), Sol Frieder (Herr Erdmann), Pat Gosling (Maria [Kit Kat Girl]), Lynn Winn (Lulu [Kit Kat Girl]), Bonnie Walker (Rose [Kit Kat Girl]), Marianne Selbert (Fritzie [Kit Kat Girl]), Kathie Dalton (Texas [Kit Kat Girl]), Barbara Alston (Frenchie [Kit Kat Girl), Jere Admire (Bobby), Bert Michaels (Victor), Jayme Mylroie (Greta), Robert Sharp (Felix) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Berlin, Germany, in 1929 and 1930, before the start of the Third Reich.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Willkommen” (Joel Grey, Company); “So What?” (Lotte Lenya); “Don’t Tell Mama” (Jill Haworth, Girls); “Telephone Song” (Company); “Telephone Dance” (aka “Kiss Dance”) (Company); “Perfectly Marvelous” (Bert Convy, Jill Haworth); “Two Ladies” (Joel Grey, Mary Ehara, Rita O’Connor); “It Couldn’t Please Me More” (aka “The Pineapple Song”) (Lotte Lenya, Jack Gilford); “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” (Joel Grey, Waiters); “Why Should I Wake Up?” (Bert Convy); “The Money Song” (aka “Sitting Pretty”) (Joel Grey, Cabaret Girls); “Married” (Lotte Lenya, Jack Gilford); “Fruit Shop Dance” (Lotte Lenya and Sailor, Cabaret Girls and Sailors); “Meeskite” (Jack Gilford); “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” (reprise) (Peg Murray, Edward Winter, Guests) Act Two: “Kick Line” (Joel Grey, Cabaret Girls); “If You Could See Her” (aka “The Gorilla Song”) (Joel Grey, Girls); “Married” (reprise) (Lotte Lenya, Jack Gilford); “If You Could See Her” (reprise) (Joel Grey, Jere Admire); “What Would You Do?” (Lotte Lenya); “Cabaret” (Jill Haworth); Finale (Bert Convy, Jill Haworth, Lotte Lenya, Jack Gilford, Joel Grey, Company) Cabaret was an entertaining, ambitious, and innovative musical that was also unsatisfying and frustrating. It never fully exploited its strengths and was too quick to rely on tried-but-true musical comedy conventions. Cabaret was at its stunning best in the surreal cabaret sequences in which the sinister Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) seduced the customers with the promise of wicked amusement. Here was a menacing portrait of the Weimar Republic of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and the decadent follies of the cabaret mirrored the political horrors to come. The M.C. existed only in the world of the cabaret; he spoke little dialogue, never interacted with the other characters, and served as a poisonous pied piper merrily leading to hell the cabaret’s clueless patrons and performers, and the German nation itself. Broadway had never quite seen anything like the incisive scenes, songs, dances, and décor of the cabaret sequences, but unfortunately the book never matched them. The plot focused on two rather conventional love stories, British cabaret singer Sally Bowles (Jill Haworth) and American writer Cliff Bradshaw (Bert

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Convy), and their landlady Fraulein Schneider (Lotte Lenya) and Jewish grocery store owner Herr Schultz (Jack Gilford). The book was honest and didn’t provide happy endings for either couple, but their stories were presented in ordinary and predictable fashion and their songs were either pleasant but strictly routine Broadway fare (“Why Should I Wake Up?,” “Perfectly Marvelous,” and “Married”) or charming but extraneous (“It Couldn’t Please Me More,” aka “The Pineapple Song,” and “Meeskite”). Walter Kerr in the New York Times said the musical was “stunning,” and he praised Boris Aronson’s scenery and John Kander and Fred Ebb’s score, which summed up the “melodic desperation of an era and makes new, sprightly, high-voltage energy of it.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said Cabaret was two musicals, the cabaret sequences and the book sections. The latter needed “a new idea of musical theatre continuity” which wasn’t to be found in Joe Masteroff’s book, and so the musical was “schizoid” and “schizophrenic.” But he found the cabaret music “superb—cheap, bitter, dissonantly melodic and longlined,” and the lyrics “moved rhythmically and displayed an originality, a poetry, fresh rhyme schemes, and sometimes no rhymes at all.” (But he found the title song “awfully reminiscent” of “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home?”) John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the new musical was “smartly and picturesquely” presented, but noted the story ran downhill in the second act. Richard Watts in the New York Post found the evening “both brilliant and remarkable,” and its “glory [is] that it can upset you while it gives theatrical satisfaction.” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal-Tribune said Cabaret was a “scintillatingly unconventional musical,” and he singled out “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” in its metamorphosis from “lovely ballad” to “Nazi marching song” as “one of the most ingenious turns of the evening.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the work was “one of the most exciting, imaginative and effective musicals to come to Broadway this year or any other,” and he too praised the arc of “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” from its “nice, fresh harmonious hymn to pleasure” to its ultimately “sinister implication.” One of the most controversial aspects of the production was Jill Haworth’s performance. She was a nineteen-year-old British performer making her Broadway debut (and as it turned out, her only Broadway appearance) after roles in three Otto Preminger films (Exodus, The Cardinal, and In Harm’s Way). Kerr said she was the musical’s “one wild wrong note,” and found her “a damaging presence, worth no more to the show than her weight in mascara.” Gottfried said she had “neither the vulnerability nor the spunk necessary” for the role, and commented that the British Haworth “could barely manage the beginnings of an English accent.” But Cooke said her “white, slightly fragile beauty . . . makes us care” about her, and in her performance “there is an essential humanity in her waywardness that is most affecting,” and Watts found her “appealing” and noted Sally is a “blind, wayward, somewhat soiled heroine, but as played by the talented and attractive Jill Haworth, she is a charming one.” Nadel spent three paragraphs of his review analyzing Haworth’s performance. While she lacked “seasoning” in musical theatre, he felt for “several interesting reasons” audiences wouldn’t mind or even notice because her “ungainliness on stage blends conveniently into Sally’s native awkward manner.” And since Sally is supposed to be a “poor singer,” Haworth’s lack of vocal expertise was actually in character. (For some, Liza Minnelli’s Sally wasn’t believable because her voice was too good and too professional for the role. When watching and listening to her, one wonders: With that voice and that stage presence, why isn’t Sally on Broadway or in Hollywood?) Nadel also said Haworth was a “real professional who knows how to compensate for her own shortcomings,” and thus she had “spontaneous charm,” an “almost poignant youthfulness,” and an “abundance of heart” that “she throws into her performance.” If the cast recording is an indication of her stage performance, then Haworth comes across as a performer and singer of theatrical know-how who could put over a song with assurance and conviction. She was the first to sing the now-standard title song, and hers may be the definitive performance of the iconic number. Lotte Lenya, who had lived in Germany during the era depicted in Cabaret and had starred there in the original productions of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, added gravitas to Cabaret, offering an authenticity that later productions couldn’t possibly match. Two of her songs (“So What?” and “What Would You Do?”) were evocative of Weill, and Lenya was peerless in her interpretations. Much was made of Boris Aronson’s striking scenic design, including the opening sequence. There was no show curtain, and as the audience entered the theatre they saw an essentially bare stage. Leaning against the back wall of the stage was a huge mirror that reflected the audience. It was distorted, and thus its images

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were askew and splintered. The artist George Grosz was the inspiration for the musical’s overall “look” and its poster artwork, and Cabaret institutionalized the trend of scenic designers using artists of the past as the inspiration for a musical’s décor. Aronson had previously used Chagall as his inspiration for Fiddler on the Roof and would later borrow Fragonard for Follies (1971). Other musicals that utilized an artist’s style for their scenic look were Shenandoah (1975; Grandma Moses) and A Doll’s Life (1982; Munch). During the early performances of the tryout, Cabaret was presented in three acts. The first ended with “Tomorrow Belongs to Me”; the second began with “Why Should I Wake Up?” and ended with a reprise of “Tomorrow Belongs to Me”; and the third began with “If You Could See Her.” During the tryout, “Roommates” and “What Am I to Say?” were dropped. Other songs written for, but not used in, the musical were “Good Time Charlie” and “It’ll All Blow Over.” During the tryout, “Don’t Tell Mama” was heard early in the first act (for Sally and the cabaret girls), and the title song was performed late in the second (as a solo for Sally). But during New York previews, “I Don’t Care Much” was performed in the second act by Sally in the spot where “Cabaret” had been previously heard, and the title song (now for Sally and the cabaret girls) was inserted into the first act, replacing “Don’t Tell Mama” (for a brief period during previews, the latter was cut from the show). Toward the end of the New York preview period, “I Don’t Care Much” was out, “Don’t Tell Mama” was back in (as a first-act number), and the title song was in its original second-act spot as a solo for Sally. “I Don’t Care Much” was of course popularized by Barbra Streisand, and the song was reinstated in later productions (and performed by the M.C.). The first Broadway revival opened on October 29, 1987, at the Imperial Theatre for 272 performances; the cast included Joel Grey (the M.C.), Alyson Reed (Sally), Gregg Edelman (Clifford), Regina Resnik (Fraulein Schneider), and Werner Klemperer (Herr Schultz). It was a generally faithful to the original production, although the M.C.’s part was slightly expanded to include the reinstated “I Don’t Care Much”; Cliff’s “Why Should I Wake Up?” was cut and a quite ordinary song (“Don’t Go”) was substituted; and “Meeskite” was deleted. For the “Money” song, the revival incorporated both the original 1966 song (which is sometimes identified in programs and recordings as “Sitting Pretty”) and the one especially written for the film version, “Money, Money, Money” (“Money Makes the World Go Around”). The wildly overrated 1998 revival opened on March 19 at Henry Miller’s Theatre (temporarily called the Kit Kat Klub for the revival, and later renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre) for a marathon run of 2,377 performances. It won four Tony Awards: Best Musical Revival, Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Alan Cumming as the M.C.), Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Natasha Richardson), and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ron Rifkin as Herr Schultz). The revival placed more emphasis on the political horrors of Germany and was franker in its depiction of sex (the M.C. was clearly gay, and Cliff was now a bi-sexual), but the production tried too hard to be “naughty” and daring. At times it seemed more laughable than edgy because the director and performers aimed for shock for the sake of shock, and thus the overall effect was that of bad little children all dressed up in S&M party wear. Unfortunately, the revival still depicted the two love stories in mostly conventional terms. Three songs were dropped (“Telephone Song,” “Meeskite,” and “Why Should I Wake Up?”) and three were added (from the film version, “Mein Herr” and “Maybe This Time,” and the reinstated “I Don’t Care Much”). All three Broadway productions of Cabaret were flawed in one way or another, and only the 1972 film version is truly satisfying. It is also one of the few examples of a film adaptation that improves upon the original. Bob Fosse’s imaginative and powerful direction and Jay Presson Allen’s incisive screenplay cleared away the deadwood, including the elimination of the Schneider-Shultz subplot (she remained, but only as a minor character). The story focused on Sally and Cliff’s affair, but with a difference: here, the two share a male lover, Max (who wasn’t a character in the stage production). The cast included Liza Minnelli (Sally), Michael York (Cliff), Helmut Griem (Max), and Joel Grey (reprising his stage role of the M.C.). The film also added two characters (from the original Isherwood stories and their stage adaptation I Am a Camera), Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson) and Fritz Wendel (Fritz Wepper), and focused on their doomed romance. Their tragedy was more poignant and touching than the Schneider-Shultz subplot in the stage musical. The film added three songs: two, “Mein Herr” and a new “money” song called “Money, Money, Money” (“Money Makes the World Go Around”), were written especially for the film, and a third, “Maybe This Time,” had been recorded by Minnelli in 1964 and was interpolated into the score. Most importantly, all the songs in the film were presentational and not narrative. As a result, eight songs were performed in the cabaret itself (“Two Ladies,” “If You Could See Her,” [in some programs and recordings, this song is identified as “The Gorilla Song”], “Cabaret,” “Maybe This Time,” “Mein Herr,” “Money, Money,

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Money,” and the “Kick Line”); one in a beer garden (“Tomorrow Belongs to Me”); and two were heard on a radio: “Heiraten” (“Married”), sung by Greta Keller (the song was also played on the piano by a resident in Cliff and Sally’s boarding house), and “It Couldn’t Please Me More” (the latter was also heard on a phonograph). The “cabaret” songs were juxtaposed against the film’s nonmusical narrative and commented on the action and characters, but never once did the characters break into song to express thoughts and feelings. This alienation effect worked well, and so the streamlined script and presentational songs brought a certain Brechtian quality to the film. Cabaret won eight Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Minnelli), Best Supporting Actor (Grey), Best Director (Fosse), and Best Scoring Adaptation (Ralph Burns). The first London production opened on February 28, 1968, at the Palace Theatre for 336 performances. Judi Dench was Sally, and other cast members included Kevin Colson (Cliff), Barry Dennen (The M.C.), Lila Kedrova (Fraulein Schneider), and Peter Sallis (Herr Schultz). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1967, and the revised script for the 1998 revival was published in a lavish hardback edition by Newmarket Press in 1999. The Making of “Cabaret” by Keith Garebian was published by Mosaic Press in 1999, and a second edition was republished by Oxford University Press in 2011. Another book on the musical is “Cabaret”: Music on Film by Stephen Tropiano, published by Limelight in 2011. The original Broadway cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOS-3040 and # KOL-6640; issued on CD by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy Records # SK-60533 with bonus tracks of Kander and Ebb performing “I Don’t Care Much,” “Roommates,” “Good Time Charlie,” and “It’ll All Blow Over”). The 1987 revival wasn’t recorded, but the 1998 production was released by RCA Victor/BMG Records (CD # 0902663173-2); the soundtrack was issued by ABC Records (LP # ABCD-752); and the 1968 London cast recording was released by CBS/Embassy Records (LP # CBS-31490). Two other London revivals were recorded (First Night Records LP # CAST-5, with Wayne Sleep as the M.C., and BK Records CD # BK003-CD). There are a number of recordings of the score, including a 1970 German cast recording (Preiser Records LP # SPR-3220); a 1989 Netherlands cast recording (Disky Records CD # DCD-5125); a 2002 German cast album (Bremer Theatre Records; no label number); a 2004 Mexico City cast recording (RetroLab Production Records; no label number); and an undated Italian cast recording (Carisch Records CD # CL-61). A two-CD studio cast album was released by That’s Entertainment Records (# CDTER2-1210) that included finale, curtain call, and exit music as well as the “Fruit Shop Dance”; bonus tracks included “Don’t Go,” “I Don’t Care Much,” “Mein Herr,” “Maybe This Time,” and “Money, Money” (the latter a combination of the two “money” songs). The cast included Maria Friedman (Sally), Gregg Edelman (Cliff, here reprising his role from the 1987 revival), Judy Dench (now playing Fraulein Schneider), Fred Ebb (Herr Schultz), and Jonathan Pryce (The M.C.). A 1977 Los Angeles Harbor College production was released on a two-LP set (Audio Engineering Associates Records LP # AEA-1160-2) and includes the complete “Telephone Song”/“Telephone Dance” sequence as well as the “Fruit Shop Dance.” In the above song list, songs that had alternate titles are so identified: “It Couldn’t Please Me More” (“The Pineapple Song”). Further, Cabaret was more dance-driven than one might suspect from the musical numbers listed in the New York Playbill. It’s customary for Playbill to list songs and dances, but for some reason in the mid-1960s major dance numbers from some musicals were never included (such as the delightful “Shop Ballet” from Half a Sixpence). No less than three dance sequences were omitted from Cabaret’s Playbill: the dazzling “Telephone Dance” (sometimes referred to as the “Kiss Dance,” which was included in the repertoire of the American Dance Machine); the charming “Fruit Shop Dance”; and the second act opening number “Kick Line.” (All the dances are included in the above list.) In preproduction, Cabaret was titled Welcome to Berlin. In the early 1960s, Sandy Wilson, the lyricist and composer of The Boy Friend, wrote a musical adaptation of Isherwood’s stories called Goodbye to Berlin. A demo recording includes the following numbers: “Prelude,” “Don’t Say Goodbye to Berlin” (with reprise), “In This Room,” “Suddenly I’m So Happy,” “Just a Girl,” “It’s My Life,” “When the Linden Trees Are Blooming,” “It Might Have Been Worse,” “To Be a Mother,” “Be an Angel,” “I Can Live on Love,” and “The Girl Men Say Goodbye To.” Incidentally, in the original Broadway production Joel Grey’s “two ladies” were Mary Ehara and Rita O’Connor. The latter, along with Suzanne Rogers, was also one of Gene Nelson’s “two ladies” (“Sally” and “Margie,” respectively) in “The God-Why-Don’t-You-Love-Me Blues” (aka “Buddy’s Blues”) from the original 1971 production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. As the blasé Margie, O’Connor told Nelson he was “perfect, goddammit.” (During the early tryout performances, “Sally” and “Margie” were played by John J. Martin and Dick Latessa.)

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Cabaret); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Jack Gilford); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Lotte Lenya); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Joel Grey); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Edward Winter); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Peg Murray); Best Director of a Musical (Harold Prince); Best Composer and Lyricist (John Kander and Fred Ebb); Best Scenic Designer (Boris Aronson); Best Choreographer (Ron Field); Best Costumes (Patricia Zipprodt) New York Critics’ Circle Award (1966–1967): Best Musical (Cabaret)

WALKING HAPPY “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: November 26, 1966 Closing Date: April 16, 1967 Performances: 161 Book: Roger O. Hirson and Ketti Frings Lyrics: Sammy Cahn Music: James Van Heusen Based on the 1915 play Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse. Direction: Cy Feuer; Producers: Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin by arrangement with Lester Linsk; Choreography: Danny Daniels; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Robert Fletcher; Musical Direction: John Passeretti Cast: George Rose (Henry Horatio Hobson), Ed Bakey (George Beenstock), Thomas Boyd (Minns), Casper Roos (Denton), Carl Nicholas (Tudsbury), Michael Quinn (Heeler), Louise Troy (Maggie Hobson), Sharon Dierking (Alice Hobson), Gretchen van Aken (Vickie Hobson), James B. Spann (Albert Beenstock), Michael Berkson (Freddie Beenstock), Emma Trekman (Mrs. Hepworth), Steven Jacobs (Footman), Gordon Dilworth (Tubby Wadlow), Norman Wisdom (Will Mossop), Jane Laughlin (Ada Figgins), Lucille Benson (Mrs. Figgins), Ian Garry and Al Lanti (The Figgins Brothers), Eleanor Bergquist (Customer), Richard Sederholm (Handbill Boy), Bert Bier (Thief), Chad Block (Policeman), Richard Korthaze (Beggar); Townsmen: Burt Bier, Chad Block, Thomas Boyd, Ian Garry, Gene Galvin, Steven Jacobs, Richard Korthaze, Al Lanti, Carl Nicholas, Don Percassi, Michael Quinn, Casper Roos, Richard Sederholm, Dan Siretta; Townswomen: Eleanor Bergquist, Diane L. Blair, Sandra Brewer, Ellen Graff, Marian Haraldson, Jane Laughlin, Marie Patrice O’Neill, Nada Rowland, Anne Wallace The action takes place in Salford, an industrial town in Lancashire, England, in 1880.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Think of Something Else” (George Rose, Ed Bakey, Townsmen); “Where Was I?” (Louise Troy); “How D’ya Talk to a Girl?” (Norman Wisdom, Gordon Dilworth); “Clog and Grog” (dance) (Townsmen); “If I Be Your Best Chance” (Norman Wisdom); “A Joyful Thing” (dance) (Norman Wisdom, Lucille Benson, Jane Laughlin, Townspeople); “What Makes It Happen?” (Norman Wisdom); “Use Your Noggin” (Louise Troy, Gretchen van Aken, Sharon Dierking) Act Two: “You’re Right, You’re Right” (Louise Troy); “I’ll Make a Man of the Man” (Louise Troy); “Walking Happy” (Norman Wisdom, Louise Troy, Townspeople); “I Don’t Think I’m in Love” (Norman Wisdom, Louise Troy); “Such a Sociable Sort” (George Rose, Friends); “It Might as Well Be Her” (Norman Wisdom, Gordon Dilworth); “People Who Are Nice” (George Rose); “You’re Right, You’re Right” (reprise) (Norman Wisdom, Louise Troy, George Rose); “I Don’t Think I’m in Love” (Norman Wisdom) Walking Happy was lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jimmy Van Heusen’s second Broadway musical within twelve months. Skyscraper had opened on November 13, 1965, and Walking Happy on November 26, 1966. Both musicals were based on successful plays, both opened at the same theatre (the Lunt-Fontanne), and

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both had the same producers (Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin), director (Feuer), and scenic and lighting designer (Robert Randolph). Both shows were recorded by Capitol Records, and both yielded some mildly popular songs (“Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong” and “I’ll Only Miss Her When I Think of Her” from Skyscraper and the title song from Walking Happy). Unfortunately, both musicals shared generally middling reviews, lost money, ran through the better part of their respective seasons (241 performances for Skyscraper and 161 for Walking Happy), and for all purposes were never heard from again. Based on the 1915 play Hobson’s Choice by Harold Brighouse (which has been filmed four times, in 1920, 1931, 1954, and 1983 [the latter for television]), Walking Happy took place in a small English town in 1880 and centered around the workers of Hobson’s Bootery: The widower Henry Hobson (George Rose) owns the shop (but prefers to spend his time at the local pub, the Moonraker’s); his two young unmarried daughters Alice (Sharon Dierking) and Vickie (Gretchen Van Aken) are salesladies in the shop; his older daughter Maggie (Louise Troy) is the one who actually runs the business; and the shy and rather wimpy Will Mossop (Norman Wisdom) is a talented cobbler who works for the Hobson family. Maggie is tired of being viewed as a spinster and is equally weary of her father’s taking her for granted, and so she sets her sights on Will and teaches him to have self-confidence and walk happy. Together the two of them open a competing bootery, and soon marry. Eventually, Hobson decides it would be best for the two booteries to combine forces, and so Mossop and Hobson opens. And with Will learning to use his backbone, it looks as though his and Maggie’s marriage will be just as successful as their business partnership. The New York critics liked Norman Wisdom, here making his Broadway debut. Walter Kerr in the New York Times noted his “angular, knockabout, rag-doll shape” was well put to use by choreographer Danny Daniels, and when Wisdom went into “broken-necked struts, stiff-legged leaps, and a seven-league stride,” George Cohan himself would have been envious. Further, Wisdom seemed like a cross between Fred Astaire and Stan Laurel, with a touch of Jimmy Savo on the side. Here was a grand musical comedy performer. Unfortunately, the book and score were a letdown, and only once, in the title song, did the songs offer the bounce of old razz-ma-tazz Broadway. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily found the music “pleasantly understated . . . to the point of being innocuous, same-sounding, and manufactured for obsolete juke boxes,” and the lyrics were “Brill Building ‘song-writing.’” Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal-Tribune felt the music “doesn’t help a great deal” and the lyrics “are of a type discarded 25 years ago” (with sometimes “improbable lines . . . entirely out of character”). But John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt Cahn and Van Heusen’s score simmered with “good spirits,” and Richard Watts in the New York Post said the songs were “agreeable additions to the evening, although the score seemed pleasant rather than memorable.” As for the book, according to Watts it was “predictable and uneventful,” and Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal felt the evening didn’t “generate a great deal of excitement.” But Kerr found the show an overall “easygoing, unpretentious, minor-league musical that is neatly put together.” Gottfried felt Robert Randolph’s scenery was the only “interesting” aspect of the musical, and “interesting” only because it was “so terribly complicated, revolving, opening, closing and revolving some more . . . overdone, distracting scenery created according to a Fifties Broadway formula.” But Chapman felt Randolph’s designs were “the best” since Boris Aronson’s creations for Fiddler on the Roof, and Nadel said the most “eye-catching” aspect of the décor was the use of “motor-propelled houses which move, turn, open and shut.” Besides Wisdom’s performance, the other highlight of the evening was Danny Daniels’s choreography. “Clog and Grog” (aka “Clog Dance”) was a jaw-dropping delight, a woozy whirligig depicting the tipsy dancing of mill hands who’ve had one too many at the Moonraker’s. Kerr noted the “athletic male chorus” lifted “heels high in a cock-of-the-walk stomp, John L. Sullivan style .  .  . [the dance] couldn’t be heartier.” The number was preserved by Lee (Becker) Theodore’s American Dance Machine company, and was included in the company’s videocassette release The American Dance Machine: A Celebration of Broadway Dance, a collection of nine dances from Broadway and television shows (MGM/CBS Home Video # CV-400056); for the video, the dance is performed by Gwen Verdon, Wayne Cilento, and the American Dance Machine Company. Daniels also scored with the dance sequence “A Joyful Thing” (aka “Box Dance” and “Barrel Dance”), which had the dancers leaping onto barrel tops in what Chapman described as a “wild romp.” The dance for the title song was another show stopper, and the evening’s final dance was “Such a Sociable Sort,” a dream ballet (or, more precisely, a nightmare ballet) in which a drunken Hobson is literally bedeviled by demons from hell (of Daniels’s quartet of dances, Nadel felt this was the evening’s only “dud”). During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Be Joyful,” “I Should’ve Said,” “No More Mr. Nice,” “There’s the Girl,” “Most Girls,” “Circle This Day on the Calendar,” “Love Will Find a Way,” and “(He Is) Very Close to Wonderful.”

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During the Broadway run, “People Who Are Nice” was dropped, and while “You’re Right, You’re Right” was originally performed at the beginning of the second act and reprised late in the act, the first version was eventually cut and only the reprise version remained. Further, “It Might as Well Be Her” was heard early in the run, was dropped, and then eventually reinstated. The script was published in softcover by Samuel French in 1967, and includes “It Might as Well Be Her” and the reprise version of “You’re Right, You’re Right.” The Broadway cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # SVAS-2631; issued on CD by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-7243-5-65133-2-7). The album includes “People Who Are Nice,” “It Might as Well Be Her,” and both versions of “You’re Right, You’re Right.” “(He Is) Very Close to Wonderful,” which was cut during the tryout, was included in the collection The Broadway Soundaroundus by Marty Gold and His Orchestra (RCA Victor Records LP #LPM/LSP-3689).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Walking Happy); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Norman Wisdom); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Louise Troy); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Gordon Dilworth); Best Composer and Lyricist (Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn); Best Choreographer (Danny Daniels, for Walking Happy and Annie Get Your Gun).

I DO! I DO! Theatre: 46th Street Theatre Opening Date: December 5, 1966 Closing Date: June 15, 1968 Performances: 560 Book and Lyrics: Tom Jones Music: Harvey Schmidt Based on the 1950 play The Fourposter by Jan de Hartog. Direction: Gower Champion; Producers: David Merrick (A David Merrick and Champion-Six Inc. Production); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: John Lesko Cast: Mary Martin (She [Agnes]), Robert Preston (He [Michael]); Note: Woody Kessler and Albert Mello at the two pianos The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a bedroom, and covers fifty years of a marriage, beginning just before the turn of the twentieth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: Prologue: “All the Dearly Beloved”; “Together Forever”; “I Do! I Do!” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); “Good Night” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); “I Love My Wife” (Robert Preston); “Something Has Happened” (Mary Martin); “My Cup Runneth Over” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); “Love Isn’t Everything” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); “Nobody’s Perfect” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); “A Well Known Fact” (Robert Preston); “Flaming Agnes” (Mary Martin); “The Honeymoon Is Over” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston) Act Two: “Where Are the Snows?” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); “When the Kids Get Married” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); Another Wedding: “The Father of the Bride” (Robert Preston) and “What Is a Woman?” (Mary Martin); “Someone Needs Me” (Mary Martin); “Roll Up the Ribbons” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston); “This House” (Mary Martin, Robert Preston) I Do! I Do! was based on Jan de Hartog’s long-running Broadway hit The Fourposter, which opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on October 24, 1951, for 632 performances. The two-character play, which

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starred real-life husband-and-wife Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, followed the mostly ups but occasional downs of married couple Michael and Agnes over a fifty-year period, and if the material was entirely predictable it was also charming. And the novelty of two performers carrying off such a tour de force certainly helped at the box office. Cronyn and Tandy later reprised their roles for a limited engagement of fifteen performances at City Center beginning on January 5, 1955. The play had been previously seen in London, opening at the Ambassadors Theatre on October 12, 1950, for a short run of sixty-eight performances (Michael and Agnes were played by another married couple, Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray). The relatively obscure film version (which included animated sequences) was released in 1952 with yet another married couple in the leading roles, Rex Harrison and Lili Palmer. The book and lyrics of I Do! I Do! were by Tom Jones, the music by Harvey Schmidt, and with The Fantasticks on their resume, these two knew something about intimate musicals. They did a fine job of adapting The Fourposter into a musical and making the obvious situation-comedy aspects of the material palatable. The book was brisk, and the songs were pleasant, even if their titles alone just about summarized the entire plot: “All the Dearly Beloved,” “Together Forever,” “I Do! I Do!,” “I Love My Wife,” “My Cup Runneth Over,” “Love Isn’t Everything,” “Nobody’s Perfect,” “The Honeymoon Is Over,” “When the Kids Get Married,” “The Father of the Bride,””Roll Up the Ribbons.” Further, Gower Champion’s stylish direction, Oliver Smith’s appropriately intimate yet inventive décor, Freddy Wittop’s colorful costumes, and Robert Preston and Mary Martin’s ingratiating performances combined to make I Do! I Do! a genial evening in the theatre, if not a particularly inspired and innovative one. Champion’s staging ensured there was never a dull moment, and a particularly imaginative touch during the second act was the magical appearance of two makeup tables downstage. Martin and Preston sat in front of each table, faced the audience, and then proceeded to apply makeup and wigs in order to depict their old age. It was an affecting moment, perhaps the most touching one of the entire evening. With “My Cup Runneth Over,” the musical enjoyed a genuine hit song (and this in an era when Broadway songs were becoming increasingly irrelevant to the music-buying public), but curiously Champion’s staging avoided an applause button after this particular song and thus audience members weren’t allowed to clap for the one song in the score that they knew. Preston came off best, winning a Tony Award for Leading Best Actor in a Musical for his performance. Martin was amiable, but sometimes overly coy (and did she really need to ride all over the stage on her son’s tricycle?). She was also a bit too genteel, and her approach to “Flaming Agnes,” the score’s finest song, was far too reserved (in a 1974 national tour with Carol Burnett and Rock Hudson, Burnett’s “Flaming Agnes” was definitive, an hilarious, pull-all-the-stops-out show-stopper). But Martin was quite touching in the wistful and haunting “What Is a Woman?,” an unjustly ignored song that is one of Schmidt and Jones’s finest. Walter Kerr in the New York Times loved Preston and Martin, noting they made such a “handsome couple” he could “even see what he sees in her.” But he felt their material was “barely passable . . . [a] carefully condensed time capsule of all the clichés that have ever been spawned by people married and/or single.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said that for most of the evening Michael and Agnes never seemed to be in a real marriage and that instead he was watching “talented performers” rather than characters. But as the two aged, their “teamwork” improved. John Chapman in the New York Daily News liked the “charming, disarming comedy-with-music”; Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal-Tribune felt I Do! I Do! was “a happy show, generous with charm and lavish with love”; and Richard Watts in the New York Post found the evening “charming, tuneful, warmhearted and delightful.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily praised the musical, finding it “a work of remarkable consistency, fine musicality, warm rhythms and superb performances.” He particularly liked the score, noting Schmidt’s music was “rooted in basic song patterns” which nonetheless “move around each other” because Schmidt “mixes them up, weaving part of this song into that one,” and Jones’s lyrics were “unusually musical. . . . They move, they lilt, they bounce” and have “admirable language sense.” Gottfried liked the idea of having the ten-minute-long first scene performed entirely in song, and he, along with another critic or two, liked Schmidt’s musical joke in Preston’s song “The Father of the Bride,” which paid a brief musical homage to Richard Rodgers’s “Soliloquy” from Carousel. During the tryout, the songs “What Can I Tell Her?,” “We’re Not Getting Any Younger,” “Echoes of the Past,” and “Thousands of Flowers” were dropped. The songs “Guess We May as Well Stay Married Now,” “Throw It Away,” and “Man and Wife” were cut prior to the tryout (incidentally, the latter also served as the

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show’s preproduction title). During the tryout, “The Father of the Bride” was titled “My Daughter Is Marrying an Idiot.” The collection Lost in Boston II (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5485) includes “Man and Wife,” “Guess We May as Well Stay Married Now,” “Throw It Away,” and “Thousands of Flowers.” The latter can also be heard on a live recording sung by Preston and Martin in the collection Forgotten Broadway (LP # T-101 [unlabeled]) as well as in the Living Strings Plus Trumpet collection “Mame” and Other Songs from Broadway and Motion Pictures (RCA Camden Records LP # CAL/CAS-2106). Jones and Schmidt wrote three title songs for the musical. The first version of “I Do! I Do!” (“I Do Adore You”) was apparently dropped during rehearsals; the second “I Do! I Do!” (“I Do! I Do!”) was the version heard in New York and was recorded for the cast album; and a third “I Do! I Do!” (“Who Loves to Touch You?”) was written for the proposed film version (see below). The first and third songs can be heard on the cast recording of the 1997 Off-Broadway Jones-and-Schmidt tribute revue The Show Goes On (DRG Records CD # 19008), and all three songs can be heard in a medley on Susan Watson’s priceless collection of Jones and Schmidt material titled Earthly Paradise (Nassau Records CD # 96568). The London production opened at the Lyric Theatre on May 16, 1968, and starred Ian Carmichael and Anne Rogers; it played for 166 performances. In 1982, a cable television adaptation produced by RKO/Nederlander & The Entertainment Channel starred Lee Remick and Hal Linden; it was directed by Marge Champion, and included all the songs from the stage production. The telefilm was released on VHS videocassette format by RKO HomeVideo. The musical was revived Off-Broadway at the Lamb’s Theatre on March 28, 1996, for sixty-eight performances; David Garrison and Karen Ziemba starred. The original Broadway cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1128; CD # 11282-RC); the British cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # RD/SF-7938); and the 1969 Tokyo cast album was issued by Toshiba Records LP # TP-72157 (the CD was released by HMI Records # HMI-113). The cast recording of the 1996 Off-Broadway revival was released by Varese Sarabande Records (CD # VSD-5730). Once Preston and Martin left the New York production, Gordon MacRae and Carol Lawrence assumed their roles. In the 1960s, the film rights were bought by United Artists, but a film version never materialized. Walter Mirisch was set to produce, and Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke were mentioned for the leads, with Gower Champion to direct. An earlier musical version of The Fourposter premiered on June 14, 1963, at the Clark Memorial Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama. Titled No Bed of Roses, the book was by Gail Manners, the lyrics and music by Martin Kalmanoff, and the two-person cast featured Gail Manners and Walter Cassel. The program didn’t include a list of musical numbers, but a newspaper review singled out the following songs: “Over the Threshold,” “No Bed of Roses,” “Four Poster,” “God Is Love,” “Empty Rooms,” “My Little Rival,” “It’s You Who Makes Me Sing,” and “The First Day and the Last Day.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (I Do! I Do!); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Robert Preston); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Mary Martin); Best Director of a Musical (Gower Champion); Best Composer and Lyricist (Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones); Best Scenic Designer (Oliver Smith); Best Costume Designer (Freddy Wittop)

A JOYFUL NOISE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: December 15, 1966 Closing Date: December 24, 1966 Performances: 12 Book: Edward Padula Lyrics and Music: Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau (dance music by Lee Holdridge)

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Based on the 1959 novel The Insolent Breed by Borden Deal. Direction: Edward Padula; Producers: Edward Padula and Slade Brown in association with Sid Bernstein; Choreography: Michael Bennett (Leland Palmer and Jo Jo Smith, Assistant Choreographers); Scenery and Lighting: Peter Wexler; Costumes: Peter Joseph; Musical Direction: Rene Wiegert Cast: John Raitt (Shade Motley), Clifford David (Brother Locke), George Mathews (Walter Wishenant), Susan Watson (Jenny Lee), Art Wallace (Sam Frederickson), Leland Palmer (Miss Jimmie), The Saw Mill Boys and the Motley Crew (Eric Weissberg [De Witt], Martin Ambrose [Freddy], Charles Morley [Jaybird], Oatis Stephens [Oscar], and Tommy Tune [Tommy]), Swen Swenson (Bliss Stanley), Jack Fletcher (Stage Manager), Ken Ayers (Director), Karen Morrow (Mary Texas), Boys (Paul Charles, Scott Pearson, Alan Peterson, and Barry Preston), Jack Mette (Announcer), Jo Jo Smith (Bailey), Shawn Campbell (John Tom); Townspeople and City People: Ensemble Singers: Veronica McCormick, Jessica Quinn, Diane Tarleton, Linda Theil, Jamie Thomas, Ken Ayers, Jack Fletcher, Stuart Mann, Eric Mason, Jack Mette, Darrell Sandeen; Ensemble Dancers: Christine Bocchino, Susan Donovan, Baayork Lee, April Nevins, Diane Phillips, Joy Serio, Melissa Stoneburn, Carol Lynn Vazquez, Bonnie Ano, Paul Charles, Winston DeWitt Hemsley, Scott Pearson, Alan Peterson, Barry Preston, Steven Ross, Jo Jo Smith, Tommy Tune The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place yesterday and today in Macedonia and Nashville, Tennessee.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Longtime Travelin’” (John Raitt); “A Joyful Noise” (John Raitt, Townspeople); “I’m Ready” (Susan Watson, Leland Palmer, Girls); “Spring Time of the Year” (John Raitt); “I Like to Look My Best” (John Raitt, Art Wallace, Eric Weissberg, Martin Ambrose, Charles Morley, Oatis Stephens, Tommy Tune); “No Talent” (Swen Swenson); “Not Me” (Susan Watson, Leland Palmer); “Until Today” (John Raitt, Susan Watson); “Swinging a Dance” (John Raitt, Company); “To the Top” (Swen Swenson, John Raitt) Act Two: “I Love Nashville” (Karen Morrow, Paul Charles, Scott Pearson, Alan Peterson, Barry Preston); “Whither Thou Goest” (Clifford David); “We Won’t Forget to Write” (Leland Palmer, Art Wallace, Eric Weissberg, Martin Ambrose, Charles Morley, Oatis Stephens, Tommy Tune); Grand Ole Opry: “Ballad Maker” (John Raitt, Eric Weissberg, Martin Ambrose, Charles Morley, Oatis Stephens, Tommy Tune); “Barefoot Gal” (Karen Morrow); “Clog Dance” (Ensemble); and “Fool’s Gold” (John Raitt, Karen Morrow, Eric Weissberg, Martin Ambrose, Charles Morley, Oatis Stephens, Tommy Tune, Ensemble); “The Big Guitar” (Swen Swenson); “Love Was” (Susan Watson); “I Say Yes” (John Raitt, Eric Weissberg, Martin Ambrose, Charles Morley, Oatis Stephens, Tommy Tune, Ensemble); “Lord, You Sure Know How to Make a New Day” (John Raitt); “A Joyful Noise” (reprise) (John Raitt, Townspeople) Borden Deal’s 1959 novel The Insolent Breed focused on the forty-year saga of Shade Motley and his five children, musicians all who become famous folksingers on the radio (the novel’s dust jacket also noted the story dealt with the “ageless” conflict of Puritanism and paganism). When The Insolent Breed was adapted for the stage, the musical’s story centered on Shade (John Raitt) and his early years as a wandering folksinger who ends up working in a sawmill in Macedonia, Tennessee, and has an affair with the boss’s daughter Jenny Lee (Susan Watson), who happens to be engaged to the local preacher, Brother Locke (Clifford David). Not realizing Jenny Lee is pregnant with his child, Shade takes off for Nashville where he’s discovered by talent scout Bliss Stanley (Swen Swenson), and there he teams up with singer Mary Texas (Karen Morrow) to become a country and western superstar. But he doesn’t find fulfillment in show business, leaves Bliss and Mary Texas behind, and returns to Macedonia and his roots as an itinerant minstrel. Shade is welcomed by Jenny Lee and Brother Locke, and he discovers that his and Jenny Lee’s daughter has a musical talent for making a “joyful noise.” The critics thought the idea of a Broadway musical focusing on the world of country-and-western music was a good one, but since they didn’t like the specifics of A Joyful Noise, the show was gone after twelve performances. Walter Kerr in the New York Times noted the musical was so inept it was unclear in what century the story was taking place: Was Shade Motley Johnny Appleseed or Elvis Presley? The early scenes in Medville seemed to indicate the former, with the show looking like a Grant Wood drawing come to life and the girls in the chorus reminding one of “Florodora Time.” And when it was clear the pregnant Jenny Lee was going to marry Brother Locke, the plot seemed to be a Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler version of The Scarlet

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Letter. But with the entrance of sporty talent scout Bliss Stanley, we were deep into Forty-Second Street territory. And we were also in 1966, with references to the Great Society and the entertainment industry. Kerr’s confusion was understandable, and he not only questioned in which century the show took place, he also wanted to know “in what century it was written.” Kerr wished Swenson had been given more dancing, but noted Leland Palmer was given most of the dancing “antics” devised by Michael Bennett, here choreographing a Broadway musical for the first time; in regard to Oscar Brand and Paul Nassau’s score, Kerr singled out “We Won’t Forget to Write,” a “reasonably catchy conversational tune.” As for Peter Wexler’s scenery, the “empty space” surrounding the performers suggested “something, somewhere has been cut out of the show” (and he concluded his review by stating the evening was “not enough”). Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal-American was “bitterly disappointed” that a joyful noise was not forthcoming from the musical, which instead offered a “whimper.” He felt the evening began propitiously with Raitt’s “Longtime Travelin’,” but noted things went downhill fast when Susan Watson (“and some other maidens”) sang “I’m Ready,” and then when Watson and Palmer performed “Not Me” by dancing with a pair of Raitt’s pants. He was also disappointed that Swenson wasn’t given enough to do, but felt “Swinging a Dance” perked up the proceedings and gave Palmer a sequence in which to shine. He also mentioned that the “Clog Dance” was the evening’s best number (and noted that with the recent Walking Happy this was definitely the Broadway season for clog dancing). He also praised Karen Morrow, “a real talent” who “deserves better songs, better makeup, better costuming and better direction.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily felt the evening was “tossed away by beginners” who failed to utilize the basic premise of their story and its connection to country and western music. As for the “mature” Raitt, he felt the part needed a “young Presley,” and Swenson’s role “made no sense” because he “always spread limp wrists to move into a Forties Gene Kelly dance.” Edward Padula’s direction was “awkward” and Bennett’s choreography “moved from pseudo-de Mille to pseudo-Robbins to even pseudo-Gennaro.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal felt the evening was better suited to a television special, and despite “isolated successes” the musical didn’t add up to a “worthwhile evening by Broadway standards.” But he twice singled out “We Won’t Forget to Write,” and also praised “Fool’s Gold” and “Swinging a Dance.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical was “pleasantly entertaining” and “intermittently stimulating” but the show’s “admonitory narrative” and “cautionary tale” became “bogged down in . . . pretentious dullness.” However, he liked the “attractive” score and Bennett’s “vigorous and enlivening” dances. John Chapman in the New York Daily News gave the musical its most positive review, predicting his readers would be hearing songs from the score “for quite a time” and said they were “well-staged, well-sung and happily danced,” and he liked the “balletic abandon” of the “pixy of a girl” redhead named Leland Palmer. Incidentally, Shade Motley’s back-up singers are known as the Motley Crew, and the quintet included Eric Weissberg, Martin Ambrose, Charles Morley, Oatis Stephens, and future Broadway star, director, and choreographer Tommy Tune. The musical played a three-month tour in summer stock music tents prior to the Broadway run. During the tryout, Ben Shaktman was the director, in New York previews Dore Schary was credited, and by opening night Edward Padula was listed as director. For the tryout, James Rado (later one of the coauthors and stars of Hair) was Brother Locke; he was succeeded by Clifford David. Mitzie Welch (and later Gay Edmond) was Mary Texas, the role eventually played by Karen Morrow in New York, and the character of Jenny Lee (named Saralee during the tryout) was performed by Donna McKechnie during the tryout and by Susan Watson in New York. On the road, The Motley Crew was a foursome (Weissberg, Ambrose, Morley, and Stephens). The following songs were deleted: “The Hymn,” “Quiet Town,” “A Dollar a Song,” “Nashville, U.S.A.,” “All My Life,” “Natural Man,” and “Ballad Maker.” During New York previews, the opening song was “Lord, You Sure Know How to Make a Sunday,” but the song was later relegated to the end of the second act (before the finale) as “Lord, You Sure Know How to Make a New Day.” The cast album had been scheduled to be recorded by Liberty Records, which cancelled the recording due to the show’s brief run. But in the 1980s Blue Pear Records (LP # BP-1018) issued an album of the score taken from a live Broadway performance (this recording includes “Lord, You Sure Know How to Make a Sunday,” but instead of placing the song at the beginning of the first act, the number is heard in the next-to-last spot in the second act). Oscar Brand’s 1982 Off-Off-Broadway revue It’s a Jungle Out There! included one song from A Joyful Noise, “Longtime Travelin’.” Playwrights Lyricists Composers on Theatre (edited by Otis L. Guernsey Jr. and published by Dodd Mead & Company in 1974) includes the verse of the unused “Lord, You Sure Know How to Make a Sunday.”

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CAROUSEL Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: December 15, 1966 Closing Date: January 1, 1967 Performances: 22 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1909 play Liliom by Ferenc Molnar. Direction: Gus Schirmer; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (dances re-staged by Gemze de Lappe); Scenery: Paul C. McGuire; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Feder; Musical Direction: Jonathan Anderson Cast: Nancy Dussault (Carrie Pipperidge), Constance Towers (Julie Jordan), Louise Larabee (Mrs. Mullin), Bruce Yarnell (Billy Bigelow), Paul Adams (First Policeman), Alexander Clark (David Bascombe), Patricia Neway (Nettie Fowler), Jack De Lon (Enoch Snow), Michael Kermoyan (Jigger Craigin), Jenny Workman (Hannah), Darrell Notara (Boatswain, Carnival Boy), Gene Albano (Second Policeman), William R. Miller (Captain), Jay Velie (Heavenly Friend [Joshua]), Parker Fennelly (Starkeeper), Sandy Duncan (Louise), Dennis Cole (Enoch Snow Jr.), Philip Ewart (Principal); Townspeople: Phyllis Bash, Jane Coleman, Mona Elson, Maria Hero, Joyce McDonald, Estella Munson, Marie O’Kelley, Joyce Olson, Eleanor Shaw, Maggie Task, Paul Adams, Gene Albano, Darrell Askey, Bob Barbieri, Austin Colyer, Gordon Cook, Philip Ewart, Marvin Goodis, William R. Miller, Laried Montgomery, Joe R. Rhyne, Joseph Williams, Jerry Wyatt; Dancers: Karen Brock, Linda Caputi, Alice Condodina, Joanna Crosson, Lois Etelman, Carol Flemming, Joanne Geahry, Mickey Gunnersen, Lucia Lambert, Gilda Mullett, Toodie Wittmer, Roy Barry, Joseph Carow, Reese Haworth, Curtis Hood, Paul Olson, Vernon Wendorf The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Maine in 1873 and 1888.

Musical Numbers Act One: Prelude: “Waltz Suite: Carousel” (Ensemble); “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan” (Nancy Dussault, Constance Towers); “When I Marry Mister Snow” (Nancy Dussault); “If I Loved You” (Bruce Yarnell, Constance Towers); “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” (Patricia Neway, Nancy Dussault, Ensemble [Lead Dancer: Lucia Lambert]); “When I Marry Mister Snow” (reprise) (Nancy Dussault, Jack De Lon, Girls); “When the Children Are Asleep” (Jack De Lon, Nancy Dussault); “Blow High, Blow Low” (Michael Kermoyan, Bruce Yarnell, Male Chorus); “Hornpipe” (Dancers [Jenny Workman and Darrell Notara, Lead Dancers]); “Soliloquy” (Bruce Yarnell); Finale Act Two: “This Was a Real Nice Clambake” (Nancy Dussault, Patrica Neway, Constance Towers, Jack De Lon, Ensemble); “Geraniums in the Winder” (Jack De Lon); “There’s Nothin’ So Bad for a Woman” (Michael Kermoyan, Ensemble); “What’s the Use of Wond’rin’?” (Constance Towers); “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Patricia Neway); “The Highest Judge of All” (Bruce Yarnell); “Ballet” (Louise: Sandy Duncan; A Younger Miss Snow: Toodie Wittmer; The Brothers and Sisters Snow: Linda Caputi, Lois Etelman, Karen Agello, Lorraine Cullen, Dean Crane; Badly Brought-Up Boys: Reese Haworth, Curtis Hood; A Young Man Like Billy: Darrell Notara; A Carnival Woman: Jenny Workman; Members of the Carnival Troupe: Karen Brock, Carol Flemming, Lucia Lambert, Gilda Mullett, Roy Barry, Joseph Carow, Paul Olson, Vernon Wendorf); “If I Loved You” (reprise) (Bruce Yarnell); “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (reprise) (Company); Finale The current December 1966 production of Carousel was the musical’s fifth of six New York revivals as well as the fourth and final City Center visit (for more information, see entry for the 1965 Lincoln Center revival). The current revival opened a little more than a year after the Lincoln Center visit. Dan Sullivan in the New York Times rhetorically asked how Carousel stood up twenty-one years after its original production, and replied with another rhetorical question: “How do the pyramids stand up?” He

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said the revival offered “lovely tunes, strong characterizations, fine dancing, handsome sets, lively direction . . . what more could you want?” The cast included Bruce Yarnell (Billy), Constance Towers (Julie), Patricia Neway (Nettie), Nancy Dussault (Carrie), Jack de Lon (Mister Snow), Sandy Duncan (Louise), and Michael Kermoyan (Jigger). Sullivan noted that Yarnell and Towers sang “If I Loved You” with “so much unshow-biz sincerity that . . . the heart was truly touched,” and Towers was particularly affecting because in some productions Julie “can be an awful simp” but here was “a full-blooded woman.”

AT THE DROP OF ANOTHER HAT Theatre: Booth Theatre Opening Date: December 27, 1966 Closing Date: April 9, 1967 Performances: 104 Lyrics: Michael Flanders Music: Donald Swann Producers: Alexander H. Cohen (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production; Sidney Lanier, Associate Producer); Scenery: Ralph Alswang Cast: Michael Flanders, Donald Swann The revue was presented in two acts. Musical Numbers (All songs performed by Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.) Act One: “The Gasman Cometh”; “From Our Bestiary”; “P** P* B**** B** D******”; “Bilbo’s Song” (lyric by J. R. R. Tolkien); “Slow Train”; “Thermodynamic Duo”; “Sloth”; “More Songs for Our Time”; “In the Desert”; “Los Olividados” (monologue written and performed by Michael Flanders); “Motor Perpetuo”; “A Song of Patriotic Prejudice” Act Two: “All Gall”; “Horoscope”; “Armadillo Idyll”; “Twenty Tons of T.N.T.”; “Ill Wind” (music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart); “Food for Thought”; “Prehistoric Complaint”; “Twice Shy” Michael Flanders and Donald Swann’s At the Drop of Another Hat was a sequel to their earlier At the Drop of a Hat, which opened on Broadway at the Golden Theatre on October 8, 1959, for 216 performances. The earlier revue had opened in London at the Fortune Theatre on January 24, 1957, for 733 performances, was recorded by Parlophone Records (LP # PMC-1033 and # PCS-3001), and was later released by Angel Records (LP # 35797). At the Drop of Another Hat opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on October 2, 1963, for 174 showings, and a recording of a live performance was released by Parlophone Records (LP # PMC-1216 and PCS3052; later issued on Angel Records LP # S-36388). The bearded Flanders (who was confined to a wheelchair because of polio) and the bespectacled Swann (at the piano) had contributed material to a number of British revues (Fresh Airs, Penny Plain, Pay the Piper, Airs on a Shoestring), and while their material in both Hat revues was often amusing, a performance of At the Drop of Another Hat led this viewer to speculate that their somewhat precious and slightly smug material would have been better served in five- or ten-minute increments as part of the bill on a television variety show. Their revue-like topics weren’t all that topical and suffered from a certain timidity, and a full-length evening of their coy and mild-mannered songs and patter soon became tiresome. With one exception, the New York critics gave At the Drop of Another Hat some of the season’s best notices. Walter Kerr in the New York Times said that after being confronted by so many of Britain’s angry young men, it was nice to see Flanders and Swann again because the two of them weren’t angry, “just a bit put out.” He liked their complaint about those who can recite the Second Law of Thermodynamics, but who know nothing about the First; their sketch about airplane insurance, which guarantees a fortune for those passengers who lose “four or more limbs”; and the sequence in which a prehistoric man complains that the new architecture at Stonehenge is spoiling his view. John Chapman in the New York Daily News praised the twosome’s “civilized proceedings,” and noted he especially liked Swann’s comment that “if you’ve got a baby in the bath and its turns red, then the water’s too hot for your elbow.” He also singled out a sketch about the

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Spanish art of olive-stuffing (“Los Olividados”), an art which is as serious and important as the sport of bullfighting. And he liked a song that explained there are enough atom bombs in existence to give each person on earth “Twenty Tons of T.N.T.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the revue was the “most intelligent and stimulating thing of its kind around town, and must not be missed”; Norman Nadel in the New York World-JournalTribune indicated that Flanders and Swann offered such “outrageous wit and civilized satire that you get every stinging point even while laughing yourself into a state”; and Richard Watts in the New York Post said “one couldn’t find a way of having a more delightful evening in the theatre than to spend it” with Flanders and Swann. But Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily wasn’t impressed. He noted the stars thought they were “comic oppositions to general foolishness,” but were in fact “protectors of the Establishment.” Their true target audience was “little old ladies in long black dresses, huddled in wing chairs and tittering behind lace handkerchiefs,” and their humor demanded “neither education nor intelligence in either the creation or the comprehension.” The “simple” musical and social jokes could still be funny (but their “vaguely collegiate” humor could be heard on old Tom Lehrer records, and was old-hat when compared to the satire found in Beyond the Fringe and The Establishment), but Flanders and Swann “insist on leaning on the old library shelves to light pipes, sip wine and bore us to tears.” During the tryout, “Commonwealth Song” was deleted, and “First and Second Law” underwent a title change, to “Thermodynamic Duo.” “By Air” was listed in tryout Playbills but not in the New York Playbill; but from comments by the New York reviewers, it appears the number was performed on Broadway. “By Air” can be heard on the London cast album, along with “Sounding Brass,” “Friendly Duet,” “Bedstead Men,” and “Hippo Encore,” all of which weren’t heard in New York. At the Drop of Another Hat was filmed for British television in 1967, and was shown on American television later that year on December 18. Michael Flanders died in 1975; in 1980, Swann was seen in Swann with Topping, which opened on October 2 at the Ambassadors Theatre; this time around, Swann was joined by Frank Topping. This revue was recorded by Multi Media Records (LP # MMTLP-110).

SHERRY! “THE INTOXICATING MUSICAL COMEDY”; “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: March 28, 1967 Closing Date: May 27, 1967 Performances: 72 Book and Lyrics: James Lipton Music: Laurence Rosenthal Based on the 1939 play The Man Who Came to Dinner by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Direction: “Staging and Direction Supervised by” Joe Layton; Producers: Lee Guber, Frank Ford, and Shelly Gross (Marvin A. Krauss, Associate Producer): Choreography: Uncredited; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Robert MacKintosh; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: Mary Loane (Daisy Stanley), Janet Fox (Miss Preen), Merritt Smith (John), Barbara Webb (Sarah), Elizabeth Allen (Maggie Cutler), Donald Burr (Ernest W. Stanley), Cliff Hall (Dr. Bradley), Clive Revill (Sheridan Whiteside), Paula Trueman (Harriet Stanley), Jon Cypher (Bert Jefferson), Dolores Gray (Lorraine Sheldon), June Lynn Compton (Cosette), Byron Webster (Beverly Carlton), Haydon Smith (Westcott), Del Hinkley (Billy), Eddie Lawrence (Banjo), Leslie Franzos (Ginger); Ensemble: Diane Arnold, Edie Cowan, Carol Estey, Leslie Franzos, Altovise Gore, Carol Hanzel, Carol Perea, Peter De Nicola, Frank De Sal, Luigi Gasparinetti, Roger Allan Raby, Haydon Smith, Doug Spingler, Ted Sprague, Lucille Blackton, June Lynn Compton, Rita Metzger, Jeannette Seibert, Trudy Wallace, Herb Fields, Del Hinkley, Joe Kirkland, Duane Morris, Clyde Williams, Denise Nickerson, Glenn Dufford, Robert Fitch The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Mesalia, Ohio, between December 10 and Christmas Day, 1938.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Turn on Your Radio” (Barbara Webb, Elizabeth Allen, Mary Loane, Mesalians); “Why Does the Whole Damn World Adore Me” (Clive Revill); “Meet Mesalia” (Elizabeth Allen, Jon Cypher, Mesalians); “Maybe It’s Time for Me” (Elizabeth Allen); “How Can You Kiss Those Good Times Goodbye” (Clive Revill, Elizabeth Allen); “With This Ring” (Elizabeth Allen, Jon Cypher, Clive Revill, Cliff Hall); “Sherry” (Dolores Gray, Clive Revill); “Alas, Lorraine” (Byron Webster); “Au Revoir” (Byron Webster); “Proposal Duet” (Dolores Gray, Byron Webster); “Listen, Cosette” (Dolores Gray, June Lynn Compton); “Christmas Eve Broadcast” (Clive Revill, Dolores Gray, Mesalians) Act Two: “Putty in Your Hands” (Dolores Gray, Mesalians); “Harriet’s Pavan” (Paula Trueman); “Imagine That” (Elizabeth Allen, Clive Revill); “Marry the Girl Myself” (Clive Revill, Eddie Lawrence); “The Fred Astaire Affair” (Clive Revill, Eddie Lawrence, Leslie Franzos, Mesalians); “How Can You Kiss Those Good Times Goodbye” (reprise) (Elizabeth Allen); “Putty in Your Hands” (reprise) (Dolores Gray, Clive Revill, Eddie Lawrence); “Harriet Sedley” (Clive Revill, Eddie Lawrence, Donald Burr) Based on George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s 1939 farce The Man Who Came to Dinner, which played for 739 performances and was memorably filmed by Warner Brothers in 1941, Sherry! was Sheridan Whiteside (Clive Revill), an egotistical Manhattan lecturer, writer, and radio star who expects the world to revolve around him and indulge his every whim (the character of Whiteside was inspired by Alexander Woollcott, who actually performed the role on tour and in summer stock; Monty Wooley created the role on Broadway and reprised his role for the film version). Sherry! opened after an unusually dry patch for Broadway musicals; it was the first new book musical to premiere in New York since A Joyful Noise had opened three-and-a-half months earlier. During a lecture tour in the wilds of Ohio, Sherry falls and apparently fractures a hip while visiting the Stanleys, a hapless couple who made the fatal mistake of inviting him to dinner. He immediately takes over their home, their lives, their children, and their servants. When his secretary Maggie (Elizabeth Allen) falls in love with the town’s newspaperman and aspiring playwright Bert Jefferson (Jon Cypher), Sherry’s afraid he’ll lose a valuable employee and thus persuades glamorous film star Lorraine Sheldon (Dolores Gray) to come to Ohio and break up the romance. For a brief period chaos descends, but at the end of the musical, just when all seems well and Sherry is off for New York, he falls again and fractures his other hip. The critics were generally unimpressed with the musical and felt the evening never found its tone. Sometimes the musical was played straight, other times for camp, and yet other times for pure nostalgia. The lack of viewpoint hampered all facets of the production, and when Walter Kerr in the New York Times noted the “Christmas Eve Broadcast” sequence “has everything—everything but an idea of its own,” he could have been describing the entire production. As for the cast, Kerr felt Revill came on too strong (“why must every line be delivered with a fresh charge of dynamite?”), and that Byron Webster (Beverly Carlton) and Eddie Lawrence (Banjo) weren’t “good enough” in their respective parodies of Noel Coward and Harpo Marx. But Dolores Gray was of “incontestable help” in her parody of Gertrude Lawrence. She introduced the show’s title song (which became popular on the radio and in record sales, especially in its recording by Marilyn Maye on RCA Victor Records 45 RPM # 47-9076), and while the first part of the song was in the style of other title numbers of the era (such as “Hello, Dolly!,” “Mame,” and even “Illya Darling”), the celebratory song soon morphed into an amusing duet in which Lorraine and Sherry trade gossip about their fellow celebs. The show offered two major dance numbers, the tap number “Putty in Your Hands” (Kerr felt the chorus boys thrashed Gray about the stage “as though she were an all-purpose broom”) and “The Fred Astaire Affair” (which was “impudently antic”). Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the “aimless, disorganized” show was “perfectly awful,” but he too liked the “very funny” Astaire parody. As for Gray, her performance was directed at “the boys in the balcony.” With her “ultra-brassy, female-parody performance” and “her ridiculous costumes stretched for her almost-matronly figure,” she wasn’t playing a character as much as she was doing a “small time” turn for “homosexuals.” Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the original play and the musical version were fighting it out “in a curious sort of warfare,” and while “The Fred Astaire Affair” was the best musical sequence of the evening, most of the songs and dances seemed to interrupt the plot. He also noted Sherry insulted everyone around

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him with the exception of the Stanleys’ “Negro servants,” to whom he was “carefully courteous.” All told, Sherry! was “pleasant but disappointing.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal felt the musical was “uneven” and never “quite settled on a style,” but for the most part was “lively and funny.” Gray was in “great form,” and Woollcott himself would have been pleased with Revill’s performance. Cooke also noted Gray was “great” in a scene in which she and Cypher go to a local tavern for a drink, and while there Gray proceeds to show him how his unproduced play would work perfectly as a musical. Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal-Tribune noted Sherry! wasn’t a “major” musical but was nonetheless “generously entertaining” and “zestfully performed.” He felt the score was “pleasantly conventional” and singled out “The Fred Astaire Affair” as the evening’s high spot. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the “joyful” show was “fun,” offered “pleasant” songs, “excellent” décor, “attractive and inventive” dances, and good performances by Gray, Revill, and Allen. During the tryout, Sherry was played by George Sanders, who was replaced by Clive Revill. In Boston, the musical was billed as “The Intoxicating Musical Comedy,” but by Philadelphia it was intoxicating no more, just a plain vin ordinaire “New Musical Comedy.” During the Boston tryout, Morton Da Costa was the director and Ronald (Ron) Field the choreographer. By the time of the Philadelphia opening, Field’s name had been removed from the program and no choreographer was listed, and at the end of the Philadelphia run, Da Costa was gone, too, and Joe Layton was credited for staging and direction. Presumably, the choreography was his as well. The following songs were deleted during the tryout: “Crockfield,” “I Always Stay at the Ritz,” and “In the Very Next Moment.” The Burns Mantle Theatre Yearbook: The Best Plays of 1966–1967 listed “In the Very Next Moment” (not “Turn on Your Radio”) as the musical’s opening number, and omitted the songs “Meet Mesalia” and “The Fred Astaire Affair.” Further, Best Plays indicated “Maggie’s Date” was performed in the spot where “Meet Mesalia” was sung. But the opening night Playbill as well as Playbills throughout the run listed “Turn on Your Radio,” “Meet Mesalia,” and “The Fred Astaire Affair,” and didn’t list “In the Very Next Moment” and “Maggie’s Date.” The cast album was scheduled to be recorded by RCA Victor Records, but due to the musical’s brief run the recording was cancelled. However, thirty-six years after Sherry! closed on Broadway, Angel/EMI Records came up with a wonderful surprise: a lavish two-CD studio recording of the score (# 7243-5-33757-0-6) with a cast that included Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, Tommy Tune, and Tom Wopat. Moreover, for the overture sixty-seven musicians were used, and for the remaining songs fifty-two. The recording included fourteen songs heard at the Broadway premiere (per the opening night Playbill): “Why Does the Whole Damn World Adore Me?,” “Maybe It’s Time for Me,” “How Can You Kiss Those Good Times Goodbye,” “With This Ring,” “Sherry,” “Alas, Lorraine,” “Au Revoir,” “Proposal Duet,” “Listen, Cosette,” “Christmas Eve Broadcast,” “Putty in Your Hands,” “Imagine That,” “Marry the Girl Myself,” and “Harriet Sedley”; three songs which had been deleted during the tryout: “In the Very Next Moment,” “Crockfield,” and “I Always Stay at the Ritz”; and two songs apparently unused until the recording: “Whiteside’s Prayer” and “The Preen Beguine.” “Cream of Mush” was included as part of the “Christmas Eve Broadcast.” Omitted from the recording were four songs heard on opening night: “Turn On Your Radio,” “Meet Mesalia,” “Harriet’s Pavan,” and “The Fred Astaire Affair.” At the time of the Broadway production, a few songs from the musical were covered by various artists. As mentioned above, the title song became a hit for Marilyn Maye. “Au Revoir” was included in Ed Ames’s collection My Cup Runneth Over (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3774). Incidentally, chorus member Denise Nickerson later played the title role of Lolita, My Love during its Boston tryout (replacing Annette Ferra, who had played the role in Philadelphia). The 1971 musical, which was based on Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel Lolita, never made it to Broadway, but it boasted a rather interesting book (by Alan Jay Lerner) and a brilliant score (lyrics by Lerner, music by John Barry).

HELLO, SOLLY! “AN AMERICAN YIDDISH MUSICAL REVUE” Theatre: Henry Miller’s Theatre Opening Date: April 4, 1967

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Closing Date: May 28, 1967 Performances: 68 Producer: Hal Zeiger; Musical Direction: Al Hausman Cast: Mickey Katz, Larry Best, Michael (Getzel) Rosenberg, Stan Porter, Vivian Lloyd, Little Tanya The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical and Comedy Sequences Act One: Overture; Mickey Katz: “Darktown Strutter’s Ball” (lyric and music by Shelton Brooks); “Sunrise, Sunset” (from 1964 Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof; lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock); “Die Greene Koseene” (lyric and music by Abe Schwartz and Hyman Prizant); “The Wedding Dance” (music by Mickey Katz) (Katz’s segment also included patter and at least one traditional Yiddish folk song); Little Tanya: “People” (1964 Broadway musical Funny Girl; lyric by Bob Merrill, music by Jule Styne (Little Tanya’s segment also included Yiddish and cantorial numbers); Larry Best (Best’s segment offered comic patter) Act Two: Stan Porter: Porter’s segment included an emphasis on songs of childhood, including a medley of children’s songs (“Seise kinder yohren” [lyric and music by David Meyerowitz] and “Zing, Faigele, Zing” [lyric and music by Max Kletter]) as well as Yiddish songs (“A Zemmer” [lyric and music by Samuel Bugatch] and “Sheyibone Beis Hamikdosh” [lyric and music by Yisroll Shorr]); Michael Rosenberg (Rosenberg’s sequence consisted of comic sketches and patter); Finale Hello, Solly! was the second of three Yiddish musicals produced on Broadway during the 1966–1967 season (see Let’s Sing Yiddish and Sing Israel Sing). Hello, Solly! wasn’t a spoof of Hello, Dolly! but was instead a series of single vaudeville acts by Mickey Katz, Larry Best, Michael (Getzel) Rosenberg, Stan Porter, Vivian Lloyd, and Little Tanya. Lloyd wasn’t listed in the Playbill, and isn’t credited in The Burns Mantle Theatre Yearbook: The Best Plays of 1966–1967, but Richard Shepard’s opening night review in the New York Times noted that Porter and Lloyd’s delivery of their material “can make audiences rise and cheer or sit down and weep.” In various editions (and sometimes with other performers), the revue had been seen at Carnegie Hall for three performances beginning on September 10, 1966, as well as in such cities as Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Shepard noted the six performers were accompanied by a ten-piece band (conducted by Al Hausman), and the evening offered little in the way of fancy scenery and costumes. There were just the six performers “in one,” including comic, singer, and clarinetist Mickey Katz serving as the evening’s master of ceremonies. Shepard mentioned the material was a “mixture of Yinglish (English with Yiddish) and Yidlish (Yiddish with English) and anyone with a feeling for both should have it made.” The evening was a “mishigass of mirth,” and Shepard praised the cast: stand-up comic Larry Best (“who stands around for as long as anyone wants”); “amusing shrug-up” comic Michael (Getzel) Rosenberg; song stylists Stan Porter and Vivian Lloyd; and Little Tanya, a nine-year-old who sang “an old country ballad,” a cantorial number, and “People,” all with “gusto and understanding.” As for Katz, Shepard found him an “immensely cordial” M.C., and noted Katz’s son Joel Grey was the M.C. in “something called Cabaret . . . the boy must be a chip off the old block.” A live performance from a Carnegie Hall production of the revue was released by Capitol Records (LP # W/SW-2731); the cast members on the recording are Mickey Katz, Larry Best, Stan Porter, and Vivian Lloyd, and the musical conductor is Al Hausman.

FINIAN’S RAINBOW Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 5, 1967 Closing Date: April 23, 1967 Performances: 23

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Book: E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg Music: Burton Lane Direction: Gus Schirmer; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Betty Hyatt Linton; Scenery: Howard Bay; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Jonathan Anderson Cast: Elliot Levine (Sunny [Harmonica Player]), Ronn Carroll (Buzz Collins), Howard Fischer (Sheriff), John Dorrin (First Sharecropper), Laried Montgomery (Second Sharecropper), Sandy Duncan (Susan Mahoney), Kevin Featherstone (Henry), Carol Brice (Maude), Frank McHugh (Finian McLonergan), Nancy Dussault (Sharon McLonergan), Stanley Grover (Woody Mahoney), Len Gochman (Og), Howard I. Smith (Senator Billboard Rawkins), Ron B. Stratton (First Geologist), Clark Salonis (Second Geologist), Jim McMillan (Howard), Ellen Huggins (Diane), Austin Colyer (Mr. Robust), Paul Adams (Mr. Shears), Jerry Laws (First Passion Pilgrim Gospeler), Tiger Haynes (Second Passion Pilgrim Gospeler), John McCurry (Third Passion Pilgrim Gospeler), Paul Eichel (First Deputy), Joey Carow (Second Deputy); Singers: Barbara Christopher, Jane Coleman, Mary Falconer, Ellen Harris, Ernestine Jackson, Mina Jo King, Joyce McDonald, Dixie Stewart, Alyce Webb, Paul Adams, Austin Colyer, John Dorrin, Paul Eichel, Doug Hunt, Elliot Levine, Laried Montgomery, Garrett Morris, Garwood Perkins, Clark Salonis, Grant Spradling; Dancers: Mary Barnett, Josetta Cherry, Joanna Crosson, Joanne De Vito, Ruth Lawrence, Sally Lou Lee, Joy Serio, Toodie Wittmer, Mary Zahn, Guy Allen, Bjarne Buchtrup, Joey Carow, Dennis Edenfield, Jerry Fries, Garold Gardner, Ted Goodridge, Mark Holliday, Bob La Crosse, Ronald B. Stratton, Mark Scott; Children: Ellen Hansen, Lisa Huggins, Tom Brooke, Kevin Featherstone, William Simms The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around Rainbow Valley, Missitucky.

Musical Numbers Act One: “This Time of Year” (Singing Ensemble); “This Time of Year” Dance (Sandy Duncan, Dance Ensemble); “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” (Nancy Dussault); “Look to the Rainbow” (Nancy Dussault, Stanley Grover, Singing Ensemble); “Old Devil Moon” (Stanley Grover, Nancy Dussault); “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” (reprise) (Nancy Dussault); “Something Sort of Grandish” (Len Gochman, Nancy Dussault); “If This Isn’t Love” (Stanley Grover, Nancy Dussault, Frank McHugh, Singing and Dancing Ensembles); “If This Isn’t Love” Dance (Lead Dancer: Sandy Duncan; Three Couples: Joy Serio, Garold Gardner, Mary Zahn, Bjarne Buchtrup, Joanne Crossson, Joey Carow; The Chase Couple: Sally Lou Lee, Dennis Edenfield; The Adolescents: Joanne De Vito, Mark Scott; The Timids: Toodie Wittmer, Ronald B. Stratton; The Hep Cats: Josetta Cherry, Ted Goodridge; Triangle: Sandy Duncan, Ruth Lawrence, Sally Lou Lee, Bjarne Buchtrup, Dennis Edenfield, Bob La Crosse; Others: Mary Barnett, Joy Serio, Guy Allen, Joey Carow); “Something Sort of Grandish” (reprise) (Len Gochman); “Necessity” (Carol Brice, Singing Ensemble); “Great Come-and-Get-It Day” (Stanley Grover, Nancy Dussault, Singing and Dancing Ensembles) Act Two: “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich” (Dance—Sandy Duncan, Dancing Ensemble and Song—Nancy Dussault, Singing Ensemble); “Old Devil Moon” (reprise) (Nancy Dussault, Stanley Grover); “Dance of the Golden Crock” (Sandy Duncan); “The Begat” (Jerry Laws, Tiger Haynes, John McCurry); “Look to the Rainbow” (reprise) (Nancy Dussault, Stanley Grover, Singing Ensemble); “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love” (Len Gochman, Sandy Duncan); “If This Isn’t Love” (reprise) (Ensemble); “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” (reprise/finale) (Nancy Dussault, Company) The current 1967 revival of Finian’s Rainbow marked the musical’s third and final City Center visit. As of this writing, two more revivals have followed, one Off-Off Broadway and one on Broadway (for more information, see entry for the 1960 City Center revival of Finian’s Rainbow). Walter Kerr in the New York Times felt the “eminently revivable” musical was “somewhat matter-offactly revived” in a “flat straight line” staging which allowed the performers no time to get intimate with the audience. But he praised Frank McHugh’s Finian as well as Stanley Grover (Woody) and Carol Brice (Maude; Brice had also appeared in City Center’s 1960 revival of the musical). As for Nancy Dussault (Sharon) and Len

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Gochman (Og), the former worked too hard to “mean” the lyric of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?,” and thus her “intensity” tended to “chop the melodic line a bit,” and the latter seemed a “somewhat computerized assembly of all David Waynes past and present.” Kerr found the libretto “still pleasantly saucy,” but noted there was “an awful lot of it between the music cues.” But those music cues were what really counted, because Finian’s Rainbow had “one of the most engagingly impudent scores in the Broadway musical-comedy canon.” The cast also included Sandy Duncan (as Susan the Silent).

ILLYA DARLING “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: April 11, 1967 Closing Date: January 13, 1968 Performances: 318 Book: Jules Dassin Lyrics: Joe Darion Music: Manos Hadjidakis Based on the 1960 film Never on Sunday (direction and screenplay by Jules Dassin). Direction: Jules Dassin; Producers: Kermit Bloomgarden in association with United Artists; Choreography: Onna White (Tom Panko, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Karen Gustafson Cast: Titos Vandis (Yorgo), Thomas Raskin (Costa), Dom Angelo (Workman), Nikos Kourkoulos (Tonio), Rudy Bond (Captain), Melina Mercouri (Illya), Orson Bean (Homer Trace), Harold Gary (Waiter), William Duell (Garbage), Despo (Despo), Joe Alfasa (Musician), Gerrit de Beer (Little Man, Bodyguard), Joseph Corby (Forward Sailor), Robert La Tourneaux (Timid Sailor), Joe E. Marks (Vassily), Lou Rodgers (Voula), Sandy Ellen (Kiki), Gloria Lambert (Cassandra), Nick Athas (Playgoer), Fred Burrell (Drama Critic), Del Green (Wife), Hal Linden (No Face), Harry Kalkanis (Bodyguard), Ann Barry (The Other Girl); Ensemble: Ann Barry, Sandy Ellen, Del Green, Eileen Joy Haber, Suzanne Horn, Robert La Tourneaux, Urylee Leonardos, Lou Rodgers, Arthur Shaffer, Maria Strattin, Martin Allen, Dom Angelo, Lonnie Davis, Marcelo Gamboa, Louis Genevrino, Nat Horne, Harry Kalkanis, Robert Karl, Juleste Salve, Bill Starr, Mitch Thomas, Terry Violino, Nick Athas, Edward Becker, Alvin Cohen, Joseph Corby, Gerrit de Beer, Charles Dunn, Johnny LaMotta, Stephen Lardas, Thomas Raskin, Loukas Skipitaris The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the present time in the port of Piraeus, Greece.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Po, Po, Po” (Orson Bean, Nikos Kourkoulos); Dance (Ensemble); “Zebekiko” (Titos Vandis); “Piraeus, My Love” (Melina Mercouri, Men); “Golden Land” (Orson Bean, Ensemble); “Zebekiko” (reprise) (Titos Vandis); “Love, Love, Love” (Melina Mercouri); “I Think She Needs Me” (Orson Bean); “I’ll Never Lay Down Any More” (Despo); “After Love” (Nikos Kourkoulos); “Birthday Song” (Nikos Kourkoulous, Rudy Bond, Men); “Medea Tango” (Melina Mercouri, Men); “Illya Darling” (Melina Mercouri, Titos Vandis, Ensemble) Act Two: “Dear Mr. Schubert” (Melina Mercouri); “The Lesson” (Melina Mercouri, Orson Bean); “Never on Sunday” (Melina Mercouri, Ensemble); “Piraeus, My Love” (reprise) (Melina Mercouri); “Medea Tango” (Nikos Kourkoulous); “Heaven Help the Sailors on a Night Like This” (Ensemble); Dance (aka “Taverna Dance”) (Melina Mercouri, Orson Bean, Titos Vandis, Nikos Kourkoulous, Rudy Bond, Joe E. Marks, Harold Gary, Ensemble); “Ya Chara” (Company) IIlya Darling was based on the 1960 hit film Never on Sunday, which starred Melina Mercouri and was directed by her husband Jules Dassin. The film’s background music was by Manos Hadjidakis, who also supplied the hit title song. All three revisited the material for the stage adaptation, with Dassin directing and

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writing the book, Mercouri starring, and Hadjidakis composing the music; Titos Vandis and Despo Diamantidou had appeared in the film, and they too were in the musical. But unfortunately the musical version, unlike the sailors in the movie, didn’t make a splash. The critics were unimpressed, there wasn’t a new hit song to identify the show to the public, and so the musical meandered along for 318 performances before closing with a huge loss on its investment. The overly familiar story dealt with prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold Illya (Mercouri) who happens to never do business on the Sabbath. She also has a propensity to give upbeat endings to Greek tragedies, and so a young American scholar with the unlikely name of Homer Thrace (Orson Bean) decides in Pygmalionfashion to educate her about her cultural heritage. All this does is make her unhappy, and her relationship with Homer falters. The audience was asked to accept the preposterous notion that the two share a chaste relationship, and that Homer doesn’t realize her pimp is paying him money to educate her in order to divert her attention from organizing a strike by the town’s prostitutes. Ultimately, Homer goes back to the States and Illya reunites with boyfriend Tonio (Nikos Kourkoulos). The book was so unevenly written and directed that some critics were confused about various aspects of the plot, including the strike by the prostitutes, which seemed to come out of nowhere. There were also vague goings-on by a nefarious character known as No Face (Hal Linden), whose exact activities were unclear. Walter Kerr in the New York Times felt the musical had been left on the road and only its publicity stills were on the stage; despite Mercouri’s game attempts to sing and dance and pose in a mini-bikini, the whole evening was “in the nature of a Personal Appearance.” Further, Dassin threw together “bits and pieces, odd fragments and patches” from the film and tried to translate them into “steadily thrummed ballads and busy, bulky Broadway scenic effects” which resulted in Illya Darling “inadvertently and unluckily” making “movies seem better than ever.” As for Hadjidakis’s score, it would make “pleasant enough instrumental music to have dinner by.” Herbert Kupferberg in the New York World-Journal-Tribune felt the book offered “trite words,” the lyrics “even triter” ones, and the whole evening lacked the “charm” of the film. He also noted the character of Homer Thrace was annoying (“as doltish a tourist as anyone could wish to avoid”), that Mercouri sang the film’s theme song in Greek (“for no compelling reason, but to considerable audience effect”), and the score descended into “Broadway clichés” (which came to a climax in the “perfectly dreadful” song “I’ll Never Lay Down Any More”). Like Kerr, Kupferberg concluded that “movies are better than ever.” For his review in Women’s Wear Daily, Martin Gottfried also used the term “perfectly dreadful,” this time in reference to Dassin’s book; as for Hadjidakis’s score, it was “repetitive,” and overall the evening’s story was “almost impressively idiotic.” But he praised Onna White’s “exciting” choreography, although he wondered why she allowed Russian influences to creep into the dances. Of all the critics, John Chapman in the New York Daily News was the most pleased. He found Illya Darling “a big, splashy and unusually tuneful musical . . . a bountiful pictorial spectacle.” During the tryout and New York previews, the following songs were deleted: “Bread and Love,” “Her Eyes, Her Eyes,” “Fleet’s In,” “Maressi,” “They Don’t Like Me,” and “Fugue.” During the early weeks of the tryout, it appears the film’s title song was sung in English; as mentioned above, it was later performed in Greek by Mercouri. The original musical director was Lehman Engel, who left the show and was replaced by Karen Gustafson. During the run, “Love, Love, Love” and “After Love” were cut, and “I Think She Needs Me” (for Orson Bean) and “Take a Little Drink of Ouzo” (for Titos Vandis, Orson Bean, and male chorus) were added. The cast album was released by United Artists Records (LP # UAS-9901 and # UAL-8901; later issued on CD by Kritzerland Records # KR-20012-4). When the original cast album was released, it didn’t reflect the order of the songs as heard in the production, and so Bruce Kimmel, the producer of the CD, placed the songs in their correct order (for example, the LP opened with “Bouzouki Nights,” a made-up title that was actually a late second-act dance number called “Dance” [aka “Taverna Dance”]). For the CD, Kimmel also included two songs recorded for but not used on the LP (“Po, Po, Po” and “Birthday Song”). On his liner notes, Kimmel indicates Stephen Sondheim wrote a new opening number for the musical as well as new lyrics for “Piraeus, My Love” and “I Think She Needs Me.” For a few New York previews, Mercouri sang Sondheim’s version of “Piraeus,” but she soon dropped it in favor of the original version (according to Kimmel, Sondheim said Mercouri stopped singing his version because “he didn’t go backstage every night to pay homage” to her). Epic Records released The Music from “Illya Darling,” an instrumental version of the score by George Stratis and His Orchestra (Epic Footlight Series LP # FLS-15113 and # FLM-13113). The recording included “Maressi,” “Birthday Song,” “Taverna Dance,” and “Yorgo’s Dance” (aka “Zebekiko”).

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A 1977 Mexico City cast album was released with Sasha Montenegro in the title role; the album includes nine numbers, including an overture and “Nunca en Domingo.” In 1972, Melina Mercouri returned to Broadway in another musical, this one an adaptation of a Greek play by Aristophanes. Lysistrata, directed and adapted by Michael Cacoyannis and with lyrics and music by Peter Link, was one of the low points of 1970s musicals, and disappeared after eight performances too many.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Illya Darling); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Melina Mercouri); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Nikos Kourkoulous); Best Director of a Musical (Jules Dassin); Best Composer and Lyricist (Manos Hadjidakis and Joe Darion); Best Choreographer (Onna White)

HALLELUJAH, BABY! “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Martin Beck Theatre Opening Date: April 26, 1967 Closing Date: January 13, 1968 Performances: 293 Book: Arthur Laurents Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music: Jule Styne Direction: Burt Shevelove; Producers: Albert W. Selden and Hal James, and Jane C. Nusbaum and Harry Rigby (Joe Linhart, Associate Producer); Choreography: Kevin Carlisle (William Guske and Marie Lake, Assistant Choreographers); Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Buster Davis Cast: Leslie Uggams (Georgina), Lillian Hayman (Momma), Robert Hooks (Clem), Clifford Allen (Prover, G.I.), Garrett Morris (Prover), Kenneth Scott (Prover, G.I.), Alan Weeks (Prover, Tap, G.I.), Allen Case (Harvey), Justin McDonough (Captain Yankee), Lou Angel (Calhoun, Bus Driver), Barbara Sharma (Mary), Frank Hamilton (Mister Charles, Timmy), Marilyn Cooper (Mrs. Charles, Mistress, Ethel, Dorothy), Winston DeWitt Hensley (Tip, G.I.), Hope Clarke (Cutie, Maid), Sandra Lein (Cutie), Saundra McPherson (Cutie), Bud Vest (Prince), Carol Flemming (Princess), Darrell Notara (Sugar Daddy, Master), Chad Block (Bouncer, Official), Alan Peterson (Director), Ann Rachel (Brenda); Ensemble: Clifford Allen, Barbara Andrews, Lou Angel, Chad Block, Hope Clarke, Norma Donaldson, Carol Flemming, Nat Gales, Maria Hero, Lee Hooper, Alan Johnson, Sandra Lein, Justin McDonough, Saundra McPherson. Garrett Morris, Darrell Notara, Paul Reid Roman, Suzanne Rogers, Kenneth Scott, Ella Thompson, Bud Vest The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the United States from the turn of the twentieth century until the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: Introduction: Prologue (Leslie Uggams); The 1900s—The Kitchen: “Back in the Kitchen” (Lillian Hayman), “My Own Morning” (Leslie Uggams); “The Slice” (Robert Hooks, Clifford Allen, Garrett Morris, Kenneth Scott, Alan Weeks); “Farewell, Farewell”* (Lou Angel, Justin McDonough, Leslie Uggams, Allen Case); The 1920s—A Cabaret: “Feet Do Yo’ Stuff” (Leslie Uggams, Hope Clarke, Sandra Lein, Saundra McPherson, Winston DeWitt Hensley, Alan Weeks); “Watch My Dust” (Robert Hooks); “Smile, Smile” (Robert Hooks, Leslie Uggams, Lillian Hayman); The 1930s—The Breadline: “Witches’ Brew” (Leslie Uggams, Barbara Sharma, Marilyn Cooper, Company); “Breadline Dance” (Bums); “Another Day” (Allen Case, Robert Hooks, Barbara Sharma, Leslie Uggams); “I Wanted to Change Him” (Leslie Uggams); “Being Good Isn’t Good Enough” (Leslie Uggams)

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Act Two: The 1940s—An Army Camp and Outside a Night Club: “Dance Drill” (Winston DeWitt Hemsley, Alan Weeks, Kenneth Scott, Clifford Allen); “Talking to Yourself” (Leslie Uggams, Robert Hooks, Alan Case); “Limbo Dance” (Night Club Patrons); The 1950s—A Night Club: “Hallelujah, Baby!” (Leslie Uggams, Winston DeWitt Hemsley, Allan Weeks); “Not Mine” (Allen Case); “I Don’t Know Where She Got It” (Lillian Hayman, Robert Hooks, Allen Case); “Now’s the Time” (Leslie Uggams); “Now’s the Time” (reprise) (Company) *The Playbill indicated a character named Betty Lou also participated in this number, but no character with this name was listed in the program. The trouble with Hallelujah, Baby! was that it had a good idea—but had no idea what to do with that idea because at its core the work was an ambitious concept musical that lapsed into traditional musical comedy. The plot looked at racial relations in the United States from the turn of the century to the 1960s, and utilized the same characters, all of whom never age as the decades pass by. But for all purposes, the show seemed to be just another backstage story in which the leading character Wants to Make It Big in Show Business. The civil rights and showbiz themes never seemed to mesh, and so a well-intentioned musical dealing with social issues became just another saga about an unknown who becomes a star but who is also really and honestly sincere about civil rights, too. In the early 1900s, kitchen-maid Georgina (Leslie Uggams) and Pullman porter Clem (Robert Hooks, who early in the run was replaced by Billy Dee Williams but rejoined the show shortly before it closed) aspire to bigger things, and luck comes their way via theatrical producer Harvey (Allen Case), who offers Georgina a job in a minstrel show. By the 1920s, Georgina is a chorus girl in a nightclub; in the 1930s she’s part of the WPA and appears in a Federal Theatre musical production of Macbeth. In the 1940s, she’s a U.S.O. entertainer, and in the 1950s, a famous nightclub singer. Through all the decades, Georgina and Clem become more and more estranged, and Harvey is more and more interested in her. By the 1960s, Georgina has put Harvey behind her when she realizes Clem has always been her true love, and although she and Clem have differing views on racial issues (she’s somewhat passive, he’s an activist), they decide to marry. By the musical’s final curtain, it appears Georgina will be more committed to civil rights and equal justice for all. The Jule Styne–Betty Comden–Adolph Green score was mostly second-drawer, but offered a quartet of first-rate songs: Georgina’s warm and lovely “wanting” song “My Own Morning”; a smoky saloon song, “Talking to Yourself” (for Georgina, Clem, and Harvey); and the haunting blues “Not Mine” for Harvey. “I Don’t Know Where She Got It” was the fourth memorable number, which was sung by Georgina’s mother, played by Lillian Hayman, who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In Funny Girl, Mrs. Brice asked “Who Taught Her Everything She Knows?,” making it clear that Momma Rose—er, Momma Brice—was the talented one in the family. And when Georgina’s mother belted out “I Don’t Know Where She Got It” in pure show-business splendor, it was indeed crystal clear where Georgina got it. Hayman, incidentally, appeared in the 1968 film The Night They Raided Minsky’s; the score was by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse, and Hayman introduced the low-down Charleston-driven “You Rat, You,” which, in Annie, was refashioned as the delicate waltz “Something Was Missing.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times liked “Talking to Yourself,” and noted the musical seemed to be talking to itself because he couldn’t “imagine who else” the show could be speaking to, certainly not to “Negroes” and “white liberals.” Indeed, the musical was still in “Civics One” while the world had moved on to “Civics Six,” and the “whole sorry history” of race relations was reduced to the simplicity of a “gradeschool” reader; the show’s “editorial” was strictly from “yesterday’s editions.” Further, the jokes were weak (Georgina, accused of being a Communist, says “Red? That’s a new color to me”) and some of the lines were strictly from chorus-girl dialogue in old Warner Brothers’ musicals (“I can’t believe it! All these people I read about are giving a party for me!”). Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the show was a “drag.” Despite the “endless musical possibilities” of the material, the evening was “misguided and unguided,” “episodic and static,” “shallow,” and “superficial.” And even though some eleven o’clock choreography was “exciting,” the “frugging” dance was “more TV-special than theatre.” Richard Watts in the New York Post found the evening “lively and pleasantly tuneful but somehow strangely disappointing,” and Norman Nadel in the New York World-Journal-American said the musical bordered on the stereotypical and would have been “tedious” if it had lacked a sense of humor (of the songs, he singled out “Talking to Yourself”).

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On the other hand, Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the musical was “a real show-biz evening,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the show “distinguished” and “stunning,” and hyperbolically announced the score as the “best” Styne had ever written. But for all the mixed reviews, the musical won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Actress (Uggams won in a tie with Patricia Routledge for Darling of the Day; see entry), and the aforementioned Best Featured Actress Award for Lillian Hayman. The original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOS-3090 and # KOL-6690; the CD was later issued by Sony Broadway Records # SK-48218). During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “When the Weather’s Better,” “Worryin’,” “Hey!,” “Ugly, Ugly Gal,” and “I Want to Get Arrested.” Two demo recordings include “When the Weather’s Better,” “Hey!,” “Ugly, Ugly Gal,” and “I Want to Get Arrested” as well as the unused songs “Your Kind of Man” and “Big Talk.” During the Broadway run, two songs were dropped (“Watch My Dust” and “I Wanted to Change Him”), one which had been deleted during the tryout was added (“Hey!”), and a new song (“You Ain’t Gonna Shake Them Feathers No More”) was added for Hooks upon his return to the musical. One song in the musical (“Witches’ Brew”) had been used in Fade Out—Fade In as “Call Me Savage” and was recorded for that show’s cast album. Further, one song in Hallelujah, Baby! (“Not Mine”) was recycled as “The Harolds of This World” for Styne’s 1978 London musical Bar Mitzvah Boy (lyrics by Don Black), and is on that show’s cast album. In 1987, the musical was produced Off-Off-Broadway for a limited engagement; during previews, it was titled Song for a Saturday, but by opening night the title was back to Bar Mitzvah Boy. The cut song “Ugly, Ugly Gal” was also recycled, and was heard as “Someday Soon” in Styne’s 1980 musical One Night Stand, which closed during New York previews (the song is on the cast album). During the musical’s national tour, “Watch My Dust” was reinstated, as was “When the Weather’s Better,” which had been dropped during the tryout. But “I Wanted to Change Him,” “Hey!,” “You Ain’t Gonna Shake Them Feathers No More,” and “Breadline Dance” weren’t used. “Dance Drill” was retitled “Clem’s Drill,” “Limbo Dance” became “Under the Ropes,” and “Witches’ Brew” became “Double, Double.” For the finale sequence, “Freedom March” was added. A revised version of the musical was seen at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., during the 2004–2005 season. Again directed by Arthur Laurents, the new production had additional lyrics by Amanda Green and was set during a one-hundred-year period. The songs included “Same Boat” for Georgina and Clem as well as “When the Weather’s Better.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Hallelujah, Baby!); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Robert Hooks); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Leslie Uggams, in a tie with Patricia Routledge for Darling of the Day); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Lillian Hayman); Best Director of a Musical (Burt Shevelove); Best Composer and Lyricist (Jule Styne and Betty Comden and Adolph Green); Best Costume Designer (Irene Sharaff); Best Choreographer (Kevin Carlisle)

THE SOUND OF MUSIC Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: April 26, 1967 Closing Date: May 14, 1967 Performances: 23 Book: Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp.

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Direction: Howard Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Reid Klein; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Frederick Rudolph Dvonch Cast: Constance Towers (Maria Rainer), Jessica Quinn (Sister Berthe), Nadine Lewis (Sister Margaretta), Eleanor Steber (The Mother Abbess), Bernice Saunders (Sister Sophia), Bob Wright (Captain Georg von Trapp), Jim Oyster (Franz), Helen Noyes (Frau Schmidt), Sandy Duncan (Liesl), Gary Hamilton (Friedrich), Holly Sherwood (Louisa), Eric Hamilton (Kurt), Dawn Sherwood (Brigitta), Mindy Sherwood (Marta), Robin Sherwood (Gretl), Reid Klein (Rolf Gruber), M’el Dowd (Elsa Schraeder), Alison Sherwood (Ursula), Christopher Hewett (Max Detweiler), Larry Swanson (Herr Zeller), Grant Gordon (Baron Elberfeld), Kyle Sherwood (A Postulant), Jay Velie (Admiral von Schreiber); Neighbors of Captain von Trapp, nuns, novices, postulants, contestants in the Festival Concert, and storm troopers: Mona Elson, Susan Feldon, Barbara Gregory, Joy Ellyn Holly, Oksana Iwaszczenko, Patti Kogin, Estella Munson, Marilyn Murphy, Joyce Olson, Candida Pilla, Mary Ann Rydzeski, Ellen Shade, Ann Tell, Beverly Jane Welch, Maggie Worth, Bill Galarno, Garold Gardner. The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Austria in 1938.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Preludium” (Nuns); “The Sound of Music” (Constance Towers); “Maria” (Eleanor Steber, Nadine Lewis, Jessica Quinn, Bernice Saunders); “My Favorite Things” (Constance Towers, Eleanor Steber); “Do Re Mi” (Constance Towers, Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “You Are Sixteen” (Sandy Duncan, Reid Klein); “The Lonely Goatherd” (Constance Towers, Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “How Can Love Survive?” (M’el Dowd, Christopher Hewett, Bob Wright); “The Sound of Music” (reprise) (Constance Towers, Bob Wright, Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “Laendler” (dance) (Constance Towers, Bob Wright); “So Long, Farewell” (Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “Climb Every Mountain” (Eleanor Steber) Act Two: “My Favorite Things” (reprise) (Constance Towers, Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “No Way to Stop It” (Bob Wright, Christopher Hewett, M’el Dowd); “Something Good” (Constance Towers); “Processional” (Enemble); “You Are Sixteen” (reprise) (Constance Towers, Sandy Duncan); “Do Re Mi” (reprise) (Constance Towers, Bob Wright, Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “Edelweiss” (Bob Wright, Constance Towers, Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “So Long, Farewell” (reprise) (Constance Towers, Bob Wright, Sandy Duncan, Gary Hamilton, Holly Sherwood, Eric Hamilton, Dawn Sherwood, Mindy Sherwood, Robin Sherwood); “Climb Every Mountain” (reprise) (Company) Despite lukewarm reviews, the original Broadway production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The Sound of Music was one of their biggest hits. It opened on November 16, 1959, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, and played for 1,443 performances with a cast that included Mary Martin (Maria Rainer), Theodore Bikel (Captain von Trapp), Patricia Neway (The Mother Abbess), Kurt Kasznar (Max), Marion Marlowe (Elsa), Lauri Peters (Liesl), and Brian Davies (Rolf). The simple story dealt with postulant Maria, who becomes governess to the widowed Captain’s seven children, and realizes her true calling is her love for him and his children. Maria and the Captain marry, and the entire family escapes from Nazi Germany for a new life in the United States. The middling, predictable, and humorless book wasn’t helped by a noticeable lack of choreography and production values. But the score more than made up for the evening’s deficiencies and offered a number of popular songs, including “Do Re Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Every Mountain,” and the title number. The original London production opened on May 18, 1961, at the Palace Theatre for a run that almost doubled that of New York (2,385 performances), and the 1965 film version by Twentieth Century Fox became one of the most popular musical films ever produced and won five Oscars, including Best Picture and

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Best Director (Robert Wise). The film starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and included two new songs with lyrics and music by Rodgers, “I Have Confidence” and “Something Good.” The film exaggerated the sweetness and light of the stage production by reducing the musical’s cynical characters Max and Elsa to virtual walk-ons and eliminating their sardonic songs “How Can Love Survive?” and “No Way to Stop It.” The soundtrack was released by RCA Victor (LP # LOCD/LSOD-2005). The musical has been revived in New York three times, by City Center in 1967, by the New York City Opera in 1990, and on Broadway in 1998. The first revival opened at City Center on April 26, 1967, for twenty-three performances. Dan Sullivan in the New York Times said he belonged to the “spoilsport minority” who never much cared for the musical, and noted if it someday turned up as an ice show at Madison Square Garden, he’d still be a “prune face” who wasn’t charmed by it. But he enjoyed Rodgers’s music (if not all of Hammerstein’s lyrics, and certainly not much of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse’s book), and noted that “aside from those ponderous nuns’ chorales,” the score remained “as fresh as a mountain violet, as cheery as an oompah band.” As Maria, Constance Towers’s “delicate, clear-cut beauty and engaging sense of fun are right . . . a certain sense of dignity keeps her from overdoing the wide-eyed innocence business.” Further, she was “no sillier than she ha[d] to be, which is more than one can say for other ladies who have taken the part.” Others in the cast were Bob Wright (The Captain), Eleanor Steber (The Mother Abbess), Christopher Hewett (Max), M’el Dowd (Elsa), and Sandy Duncan (Liesl). Sullivan noted that the seven von Trapp kids were cute, “but how much cuter they would be if Director John Fearnley hadn’t told them to be cute.” The current revival included “Something Good,” from the film version of the musical and omitted “An Ordinary Couple.” Perhaps the dance sequence “Laendler” was also omitted (it wasn’t listed in City Center’s Playbill, but, then, neither was it listed in the Playbills of the production’s original Broadway run or in the published script [but was listed on the original cast album]). In the original production, “Laendler” was danced in the eleventh scene of the first act, a few minutes before “So Long, Farewell” was sung. The New York City Opera’s production opened at the New York State Theatre on March 8, 1990, for fifty-four performances, and the cast included Debby Boone (Maria), Laurence Guittard (The Captain), Claudia Cummings (The Mother Abbess), Werner Klemperer (Max), Marianne Tatum (Elsa), and Emily Loesser (Liesl). The third and most recent New York revival opened at the Martin Beck (now Al Hirschfeld) Theatre on March 12, 1998, for 533 performances, and the cast included Rebecca Luker (Maria), Michael Siberry (The Captain), Patti Cohenour (The Mother Abbess), Jan Maxwell (Elsa), and Fred Applegate (Max). This production eliminated “An Ordinary Couple” and interpolated the two songs written for the film version (“I Have Confidence” and “Something Good”). The revival’s cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (CD # 09026-63207-2). The script of the musical was published in hardback by Random House in 1960; a softcover edition of the script was published by The Applause Libretto Library in 2010. There are numerous recordings of the score, but the definitive version is that of the original Broadway cast album, which was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOL-5450 and # KOS-2020; the CD was issued by Sony Classical/Columbia/Legacy # SK-60583 and included two bonus tracks, “The Sound of Music—A Symphonic Picture for Orchestra” by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and “Do Re Mi” by Mitch Miller and the Sing-Along Chorus and The Kids).

SING ISRAEL, SING “A MUSICAL OFFERING” Theatre: Brooks Atkinson Theatre Opening Date: May 11, 1967 Closing Date: May 21, 1967 (14 performances) Return Engagement (see below)—Opening Date: June 7, 1967 Closing Date: June 11, 1967 (8 performances) Total Performances: 22 Text, Lyrics, and Music: Based on Yiddish and Israeli folklore, humor, and art songs from texts and music by Asaf Halevi, Moise Broderson, Z. Berdi Tswever, M. M. Warshavsky, Itzik Manger, L. Neidus, M. Noy, Shlomo Weisfisch, Joel Chayes, E. Kishon, H. Kon, and Ami Gilad Libretto: Wolf Younin

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Direction: Mina Bern (Felix Fibich, Assistant Director; Bernard Sauer, Production Supervisor); Producer: A Ben Bonus Production; Choreography: Felix Fibich (Judith Fibich, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Uncredited (“Kibbutz envisioned by Sylvia Younin”); Costumes: “Planned” by Judith; Musical Direction: Ami Gilad Cast: Itamar (Guard, Israeli Singer), Ben Bonus (Guard), Mina Bern (Kibbutz Girl), Susan Walters (Kibbutz Girl), Daniel Franklin (Kibbutz Man, David), Bernard Sauer (Kibbutz Man), Max Bozyk (Oldtimer, Kibbutznik), Rose Bozyk (Oldtimer, Dora, Policewoman), Shmulik Goldstein (Kibbutznik), Ami Gilad (Accordionist); Kibbutzniks: Dance Ensemble (featuring Hadassah Badoch), Melita Ross, Donna Shadden, Marsha Wolfson, Edward Effron, Tony Masullo, Ralph Nelson The revue-like musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the present time in Israel.

Musical Numbers Act One: (In the Kibbutz)—“The Dream” (Itamar, Hadassah Badoch); “Mazal, The Bride” (Susan Walters); “Companions of the Bride” (Dance Ensemble); “Only You and I” (Susan Walters, Daniel Franklin); “Encounter No. 1” (Shmulik Goldstein, Mina Bern); “Bus Station” (Bernard Sauer, Mina Bern); “Dance of the Rain” (Dance Ensemble); “Song of the Rain” (Ben Bonus); “Encounter No. 2” (Shmulik Goldstein, Rose Bozyk); “The Law Is the Law” (by M. Nudelman) (Rose Bozyk, Max Bozyk); “Meeting” (Entire Ensemble); “Sing Israel Sing” (Ben Bonus) Act Two: (In the Kibbutz—Kumzits [A Joyful Get-Together])—“Boys’ Dance” (“Debka”) (Itamar, Dance Ensemble, Daniel Franklin, Bernard Sauer); “The Bride Sings” (Susan Walters); “Economists” (by M. Nudelman) (Max Bozyk, Shmulik Goldstein); “Reminiscing” (Ben Bonus); “Dances of Many Lands” (Dance Ensemble); “Two American Business Women” (by M. Nudelman) (Mina Bern, Rose Bozyk); “Bride’s Side” (Hadassah Badoch, Itamar, Dance Ensemble, Tony Masullo, Melita Ross, Donna Shadden, Marsha Wolfson, Edward Effron, Ralph Nelson); “Groom’s Side” (Rose Bozyk [Musician], Mina Bern [Musician], Susan Walters [Musician], Shmulik Goldstein [Musician], Max Bozyk [Father-in-Law], Bernard Sauer [Father-inLaw], Susan Walters [Bride], Daniel Franklin [Groom], Mina Bern [Mother-in-Law], Rose Bozyk [Motherin-Law]); “Wedding Dance” (Entire Ensemble); “Guard of Israel” (Ben Bonus) In November 1966 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Ben Bonus had presented Let’s Sing Yiddish, the first of three Yiddish musicals seen on Broadway during the season. Bonus and most of his company returned to the Atkinson a few months later with Sing Israel, Sing (the title for the May engagement, and Sing Israel Sing for the return engagement in June; apparently Sing, Israel, Sing was never considered), another revue which celebrated the Jewish experience. Let’s Sing Yiddish had looked at Jewish life from the perspectives of the “old” country and the United States, but Sing Israel, Sing was firmly planted in Israel at a kibbutz. The almost revue-like evening had a simple plot of sorts, which dealt with a Jewish boy from Europe and a Yemenite girl. Richard Shepard in the New York Times wrote that “they fall in love. That’s about it,” and despite the story the show was essentially an “uncomplicated revue.” (The third Yiddish revue of the season was Hello, Solly!) The musical concentrated on traditional Jewish and Israeli songs, dances, and sketch-like stories. The first act was titled In the Kibbutz, the second Kumzits (A Joyful Get-Together), with the second act concentrating on the young couple’s wedding and the comments and entertainments offered by the bride’s, and then the groom’s, families. Perhaps there was a little of A Family Affair here, as Shepard noted the two mothers-in-law sang a traditional song of “maternal upwomanship.” Shepard felt Sing Israel, Sing was “a charmer, a light-footed, buoyant affair” that “tossed” dances, songs, and vaudeville-like skits to the audience, and he concluded that anyone who liked “happy Yiddish entertainment” would not want to miss the show. The musical suspended production after fourteen performances in order to translate the dialogue into English and to add additional material (an accordionist sequence for Ami Gilad and “We the Sheppards” for Itamar and the dance ensemble were added at the beginning of the second act, just before “Boys’ Dance” [“Debka”]). The return engagement opened on June 7, when the show played for eight more performances (it closed on June 11).

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Ben Bonus (and Mina Bern) returned to Broadway in 1970 with Light, Lively and Yiddish, which opened at the Belasco Theatre on October 27, 1970, for eighty-eight performances. It was performed in both Yiddish and English, and, like Let’s Sing Yiddish, it contrasted life in Israel and the United States.

WONDERFUL TOWN Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 17, 1967 Closing Date: June 4, 1967 Performances: 23 Book: Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov Lyrics: Betty Comden and Adolph Green Music: Leonard Bernstein Based on the 1938 collection of short stories My Sister Eileen by Ruth McKenney and the 1940 play My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov. Direction: Gus Schirmer; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Ralph Beaumont; Scenery: Raoul Pène du Bois; Costumes: Frank Thompson; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Irving Actman Cast: Austin Colyer (Guide), Ted Thurston (Appopolous), Ronn Carroll (Lonigan), Betsy von Furstenberg (Helen), Jack Knight (Wreck), Betty Hyatt Linton (Violet), George Marcy (Speedy Valenti), Linda Bennett (Eileen), Elaine Stritch (Ruth), Richard Miller (A Strange Man), Ben Laney (Drunk), Henry Lawrence (Drunk), Nolan Van Way (Robert Baker), Paul Adams (Associate Editor), Michael Harrison (Associate Editor), Claire Waring (Mrs. Wade), Jack Fletcher (Frank Lippencott), Marvin Goodis (Chef), Henry LeClair (Waiter), Ronny Headrick (Delivery Boy), Richard France (Chick Clark), Edward Taylor (Shore Patrolman), Tim Ramirez (First Cadet), Vito Durante (Second Cadet), Stokely Gray (Ruth’s Escort); Greenwich Villagers: Singers—Maria Bradley, Jacqueline Dean, Mona Elson, Joan Nelson, Barbara Miller, Susan Stockwell, Peggy Walthen, Alyce Elizabeth Webb, Maggie Worth, Paul Adams, Austin Colyer, Marvin Goodis, Stokely Gray, Michael Harrison, Ben Laney, Henry Lawrence, Henry LeClair, Richard Miller, Edward Taylor; Dancers—Bonnie Ano, Patty Cope, Judith Danforth, Shelley Frankel, Judith Haskell, Ellie Knowles, Ina Kurland, Kuniko Narai, Mary Ann Niles, Guy Allen, Rodd Barry, George Bunt, Vito Durante, Raphael Gilbert, Ronnie Headrick, Dan Joel, Tim Ramirez, Tony Stevens The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Greenwich Village during the 1930s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Christopher Street” (Austin Colyer, Tourists, Villagers); “Ohio” (Elaine Stritch, Linda Bennett); “Conquering New York” (dance) (Elaine Stritch, Linda Bennett, Villagers); “One Hundred Easy Ways” (Elaine Stritch); “What a Waste” (Nolan Van Way, Paul Adams, Michael Harrison); “Story Vignettes” (by Betty Comden and Adolph Green) (spoken sequence with musical underscoring) (Stokely Gray [Rexford], Henry LeClair [Mr. Mallory], Marvin Goodis [Danny], Austin Colyer [Trent], Elaine Stritch); “A Little Bit in Love” (aka “Never Felt This Way Before”) (Linda Bennett); “Pass the Football” (Jack Knight, Villagers); “Conversation Piece” (aka “Nice People, Nice Talk”) (Elaine Stritch, Linda Bennett, Jack Fletcher, Nolan Van Way, Richard France); “A Quiet Girl” (Nolan Van Way); “Conga!” (Elaine Stritch, Cadets [including Tim Ramirez and Vito Durante]) Act Two: “My Darlin’ Eileen” (Linda Bennett, Police); “Swing!” (Elaine Stritch, Villagers); “Ohio” (reprise) (Elaine Stritch, Linda Bennett); “It’s Love” (Nolan Van Way, Villagers); “Village Vortex Blues” (dance) (aka “Ballet at the Village Vortex”) (Villagers); “Wrong Note Rag” (Elaine Stritch, Linda Bennett, Villagers); “It’s Love” (reprise) (Company) The current City Center production of Wonderful Town was its third and final revival of the Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green evergreen; as of this writing, there have been two more revivals,

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one by the New York City Opera in 1991 and a Broadway revival in 2003 (for more information, see entry for City Center’s 1963 revival). For the May 1967 revival, Elaine Stritch (Ruth) and Linda Bennett (Eileen) headed a cast that included Ted Thurston, Betsy von Furstenberg, Jack Fletcher, and Richard France (among the chorus members were Mary Ann Niles and Tony Stevens). Vincent Canby in the New York Times said the revival was performed with “gusto and verve” by the “excellent” company, and while over-familiarity had taken the “edge” off the musical’s book, Bernstein’s score remained “lovely and funny.” Canby also noted the revival used the scenic designs that Raoul Pène du Bois created for the original 1953 production.

HOLLY GOLIGHTLY/BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S

Theatres and Performance Dates: As Holly Golightly, the musical began its tryout on October 15, 1966, at the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (after preview performances beginning on October 10), and closed there on October 29; after the Philadelphia engagement, the musical opened at the Shubert Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, on November 1, and closed there on November 26, 1966; as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the musical was scheduled to open on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on December 26, after a series of previews beginning on December 12; the musical permanently closed during New York previews on December 14, after giving 4 performances. Based on the 1953 novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.

Holly Golightly “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Book: Abe Burrows Lyrics and Music: Bob Merrill Direction: Abe Burrows; Producers: David Merrick (Samuel Liff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Michael Kidd (Tony Mordente, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Stanley Lebowsky Cast: Charles Welch (Joe Bell), Carolyn Kirsch (Customer), Robert Donahue (Customer, Prison Guard, Detective), Bob Gorman (Customer, Prison Guard, Gent, Brazilian Trio Member), John Sharpe (Customer, Banker, Messenger), Richard Terry (Customer, Colonel, Brazilian Trio Member), Richard Chamberlain (Jeff Claypool), Mary Tyler Moore (Holly Golightly), Sid Raymond (Sid Arbuck), Stephen Cheng (Yunioshi), Maryann Kerrick (Madam Spanella), Sally Hart (Mrs. Zimmerman), Paul Michael (Sally Tomato), Larry Devon (Prison Guard, Toupee Man), Justin McDonough (Prison Guard, Man with Gift Boxes, TV Announcer), John Anania (Warden, Brazilian Trio Member), Bill Stanton (Ukelele Player), Stan Mazin (Westerner), Mitch Thomas (Disguised Man, Jose’s Cousin), Teak Lewis (Man with Gift Boxes), Martin Wolfson (O. J. Berman), Ginger (Cat), Brooks Morton (Rusty Trawler), Sally Kellerman (Mag Wildwood), Mitchell Gregg (Jose Ybarra), Art Lund (Doc Golightly), J. Frank Lucas (Oliver O’Shaughnessy), Bud Fleming (Off-Duty Cop), Judy Dunford (Policewoman); Singers: Sally Hart, Lee Hooper, Maryann Kerrick, Marybeth Lahr, John Anania, Larry Devon, Robert Dixon, Robert Donahue, Bob Gorman, Justin McDonough, Richard Terry; Dancers: Barbara Beck, Trudy Carson, Judy Dunford, Carolyn Kirsch, Priscilla Lopez, Debe Macomber, Sally Ransone, Pat Trott, Bud Fleming, Teak Lewis, Stan Mazin, Dom Salinaro, John Sharpe, Paul Solen, Bill Stanton, Kent Thomas, Mitch Thomas The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City in the homes, haunts, and habitats of Holly Golightly.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I’ve Got a Penny” (Mary Tyler Moore); “Holly Golightly” (Richard Chamberlain); “So Here We Are Again” (Mary Tyler Moore, Sid Raymond, Neighbors); “Travelling” (Mary Tyler Moore); “Freddy Chant” (Mary Tyler Moore); “Holly Gollucci” (Paul Michael); “Scum-Dee-Dum” (Holly’s Guests); “Lament for Ten Men” (Mary Tyler Moore, Guests); “My Nice Ways” (Sally Kellerman); “Home for Wayward Girls”

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(Mary Tyler Moore); “You’ve Never Kissed Her” (Richard Chamberlain); “Bessie’s Blues” (Art Lund, Mary Tyler Moore, Customers); “Who Needs Her” (Richard Chamberlain, Mary Tyler Moore); “Freddy Chant” (reprise) (Mary Tyler Moore) Act Two: “Nothing Is New in New York” (Mary Tyler Moore, Night Club’s Patrons); “Nothing Is New in New York” (reprise) (Mary Tyler Moore); “Holly Golucci” (reprise) (Paul Michael); “The Bachelor” (Richard Chamberlain, Charles Welch); “The Rose” (Mitchell Gregg, John Anania, Bob Gorman, Richard Terry, Guests); “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (Mary Tyler Moore); “Travelling” (reprise) (Mary Tyler Moore); “Holly Golightly” (reprise) (Richard Chamberlain); “You’ve Never Kissed Her” (reprise) (Richard Chamberlain) One song added during the Philadelphia run was “Stay in the Sun” (for Mary Tyler Moore and Paul Michael), and songs added during the Boston run were “The Party People” (Sally Kellerman, Martin Wolfson, Guests), “The Girl Who Used to Be” (Art Lund, Mary Tyler Moore), and “Ciao, Compare” (Sally Kellerman, Prison Guards).

Breakfast at Tiffany’s “A NEW MUSICAL” Book: Edward Albee Lyrics and Music: Bob Merrill Direction: Joseph Anthony; Producers: David Merrick (Samuel Liff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Michael Kidd (Tony Mordente, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop (Miss Moore’s costumes by Geoffrey Beene); Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Stanley Lebowsky Cast: Richard Chamberlain (Jeff Claypool), Mary Tyler Moore (Holly Golightly), James Olson (Mr. Buckley), William (Bill) Stanton (Mr. Moss, Bar Patron), John Anania (Voice, Guest), Martin Wolfson (O. J. Berman), Richard Terry (O.  J.’s Assistant), Justin McDonough (Guest, Announcer), Henry LeClair (Guest), John Aman (Guest), Scott Schultz (Guest), Feodore Tedick (Guest), Robert Donahue (Guest, Patrick O’Connor), Brooks Morton (Rusty Trawler), Sally Kellerman (Mag Wildwood), Louis (Cat), Art Lund (Doc Golightly), Charles Welch (Joe Howard), John Sharpe (Messenger, Bar Patron), Mitchell Thomas (Bar Patron), Larry Kert (Carlos), Paula Bauersmith (Sheila Fezzonetti), Paul Solen (Hospital Attendant), Sally Hart (One of Giovanni’s Girls), Maryann Kerrick (One of Giovanni’s Girls), Marybeth Lahr (One of Giovanni’s Girls), Paul Michael (Giovanni); Singers: Sally Hart, Lee Hooper, Maryann Kerrick, Marybeth Lahr, John Anania, Henry LeClair, Robert Donahue, Bob Gorman, Justin McDonough, Richard Terry, John Aman, Scott Schultz, Feodore Tedick; Dancers: Barbara Beck, Trudy Carson, Judy Dunford, Carolyn Kirsch, Priscilla Lopez, Debe Macomber, Pat Trott, Bud Fleming, Teak Lewis, Dom Salinaro, John Sharpe, Paul Solen, Bill Stanton, Kent Thomas, Mitch Thomas The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Holly Golightly” (Richard Chamberlain); “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (Mary Tyler Moore); “When Daddy Comes Home” (Mary Tyler Moore); “Freddy Chant” (Mary Tyler Moore); “Lament for Ten Men” (Mary Tyler Moore, John Anania, Justin McDonough, Henry LeClair, John Aman, Scott Schultz, Feodore Tedick, Robert Donahue); “Lament for Ten Men” (reprise) (John Anania, Justin McDonough, Henry LaClair, John Aman, Scott Schultz, Feodore Tedick, Robert Donahue); “Home for Wayward Girls” (Mary Tyler Moore, Sally Kellerman); “Who Needs Her?” (Richard Chamberlain); “You’ve Never Kissed Her” (Art Lund); “You’ve Never Kissed Her” (reprise) (Richard Chamberlain); “Lulamae” (Art Lund, Richard Chamberlain, Mary Tyler Moore) Act Two: “Who Needs Her?” (Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Chamberlain); Dance (Mary Tyler Moore, Bill Stanton, John Sharpe, Mitchell Thomas); “Stay with Me” (Larry Kert); “I’m Not the Girl” (Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Chamberlain); “Grade ‘A’ Treatment” (Mary Tyler Moore, Larry Kert); “Ciao, Compare”

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(Paul Michael, Sally Hart, Maryann Kerrick, Marybeth Lahr); “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (reprise) (Mary Tyler Moore); “Better Together” (Richard Chamberlain); “Same Mistakes” (Mary Tyler Moore); “Holly Golightly” (reprise) (Richard Chamberlain) A musical version of Truman Capote’s novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s seemed like a sure thing. The popular 1961 film version had softened the character of Holly Golightly (who was no longer a prostitute but was instead a lovable and vulnerable kook), and the lighthearted script with its happy ending clearly demonstrated the story had musical potential with its romantic and colorful characters and its New York City locale. Further, the film benefited from Henry Mancini’s alternately shimmering and swinging background score as well as his and Johnny Mercer’s poignant Oscar-winning ballad “Moon River.” But a big, splashy, tuneful Broadway musical hit was not to be, and so the show went down in flames, becoming one of the most famous flops in Broadway history. The musical was really two musicals, one called Holly Golightly during its tryouts in Philadelphia (October 10–29, 1966) and Boston (November 1–26), and the other called Breakfast at Tiffany’s when it played four preview performances at the Majestic Theatre in New York. The credit information above reflects the two musicals: the cast, credits, and songs when Holly Golightly opened in Philadelphia, and the cast, credits, and songs from Breakfast at Tiffany’s during its short New York preview period before closing permanently prior to the official Broadway opening. Before the musical’s world premiere at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, the show seemed to have everything going for it. The David Merrick production starred Mary Tyler Moore (Holly Golightly) and Richard Chamberlain (Jeff Claypool), both fresh from their respective popular and long-running television successes The Dick Van Dyke Show and Doctor Kildare, and the credits read like a Who’s Who of Broadway: Abe Burrows (book and direction; Burrows wrote the musical’s second book adaptation when the original adaptation by screenwriter Nunnally Johnson’s was deemed wanting); Michael Kidd (choreography); Oliver Smith (scenery); Freddy Wittop (costumes); and Tharon Musser (lighting). Even the supporting players had major hits behind them, such as Art Lund (The Most Happy Fella) as Doc Golightly and Mitchell Gregg (The Unsinkable Molly Brown, No Strings) as Jose Ybarra. For the lyrics and music, Bob Merrill was hired, and at this point in his career he had enjoyed nothing but long runs: New Girl in Town (1957; 431 performances), Take Me Along (1959; 448 performances), and Carnival! (1961; 719 performances). Except for Take Me Along, his musicals were financially profitable, and perhaps even Take Me Along made money (depending on the source, the show either returned a small profit to its investors or closed just short of recouping its initial production costs). Further, Merrill was the lyricist of the then still-running Funny Girl, one of the biggest hits of the 1960s with a score that included “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Carnival! was the musical adaptation of the popular film Lili, which had enjoyed a hit theme song in “Hi-Lilli, Hi-Lo,” and Merrill came up with an even more popular theme song for Carnival! with his “Love Makes the World Go ‘Round.” So there was hope Merrill would create a song popular enough to match “Moon River.” As it turned out, a hit song didn’t emerge from Holly Golightly/Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but Merrill’s score offered a number of pleasant ballads, including “Holly Golightly,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “You’ve Never Kissed Her,” “Ciao, Compare,” “Who Needs Her?,” “Grade ‘A’ Treatment,” and “I’ve Got a Penny.” There was also “Home for Wayward Girls,” an amusing song for Holly and her friend Mag (Sally Kellerman), and “Lament for Ten Men,” a catchy and irresistible comic song for Holly’s suitors. Demand for tickets to Holly Golightly was so great that extra seats were added by bringing in folding chairs for the rear orchestra section of the Forrest Theatre, and as far as audiences were concerned, the new musical was an Event, and they seemed to enjoy what they saw. But Merrick and the show’s creators knew the musical was in trouble. Thus began a long and laborious tryout period that led to a major overhaul in both production personnel and the show’s basic concept. The background of the musical is well documented, particularly in the cover story “TV Star Swirls into Broadway,” from the November 19, 1966, issue of the Saturday Evening Post; a New York Times article by Lewis Funke titled “Why Holly Went Badly”; and Steven Suskin’s Second Act Trouble/Behind the Scenes at Broadway’s Big Musical Bombs (published by Applause Theatre and Cinema Books in 2006; for the record, other 1960s musicals covered in Suskin’s book are Fade Out–Fade In, Golden Boy, Hallelujah, Baby!, How Now, Dow Jones, Illya Darling, Kelly, Kwamina, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Pickwick, Skyscraper, Subways Are for Sleeping, and Tenderloin).

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Burrows’s Holly Golightly was essentially an old-fashioned musical comedy, but when Merrick brought in playwright Edward Albee to revise Burrows’s script, Albee was quoted by Boston critic Kevin Kelly in the Boston Globe as saying he intended “to substitute some genuine wit” to replace the “awful jokes” in Burrows’s script. Upon publication of the infamous interview, Burrows left the production and Joseph Anthony was hired to take over the direction. In Albee’s version (the unpublished script makes a fascinating read), Holly isn’t a real person at all, but instead is a fictional character created by Jeff for a book he’s writing. He can crumble up a page of his manuscript and she’ll disappear, and when he “kills” her brother Freddie, she materializes and accuses him of murder, calling him a “dirty little bastard.” The Philadelphia and Boston critics didn’t like Moore in the Burrows version, and probably when audiences were exposed to the “new” Holly in Albee’s adaptation, they too were turned off. Among the cast changes during the tryouts and previews were the additions of Larry Kert (playing Carlos, a new version of the Jose Ybarra character, which had been played by Mitchell Gregg) and James Olson (playing a new character, Mr. Buckley). And, most importantly, between Philadelphia and Boston, Ginger, who played Cat, was replaced by Louie, who played Cat; and, unless he was done in by a typo in the New York Playbill preview sheet, Louie seems to have been succeeded by Louis. The following songs were deleted during the tryout and weren’t heard in New York: “I’ve Got a Penny,” “So Here We Are Again,” “Travelling,” “Holly Golucci,” “Scum-Dee-Dum,” “My Nice Ways,” “Bessie’s Blues,” “Nothing Is New in New York,” “The Bachelor,” “The Rose,” “Stay in the Sun,” “The Party People,” and “The Girl Who Used to Be.” Songs added for New York which hadn’t been used during the tryout were: “When Daddy Comes Home,” “Lulamae,” “I’m Not the Girl,” “Grade ‘A’ Treatment,” “Better Together,” and “Same Mistakes.” The musical began a series of New York previews beginning on December 12, for an official opening on December 26. But after the fourth preview on December 14, Merrick suddenly announced he was permanently closing the show in order to save audiences and critics from “an excruciatingly boring evening” (Merrick referred to the show as his “Bay of Pigs”). Sam Zolotow in the New York Times reported the production lost an estimated $400,000 and at the time of its closing had sold about $1 million in advance tickets. The company of sixty-six was suddenly out of a job, and Merrick was required to pay the cast for a full week’s salary (plus two-eighths of their regular one-week salary) for not posting the union-required one-week closing notice. In reviewing the final preview for the New York Times, Dan Sullivan said the musical was “an exercise in the Pirandello style about fiction and reality,” and reported the audience found it “rough going” to watch author Jeff and his written-creation Holly going at it with snarls and swearing. Sullivan felt Moore and Chamberlain weren’t “ready” for a big Broadway musical, saying neither “could create a believable or sympathetic character.” Further, their voices were “small” and “clumsily amplified,” their movements “uncommanding,” and whatever “sparkle” had been in Holly’s character was lacking in Moore’s performance, no doubt due to so many rewrites. He also commented that the “unnecessary complexities” of Chamberlain’s role “escaped” him. A live performance of the penultimate New York preview was recorded by S.P.M. Records (LP # CO-4788), and includes all the Breakfast at Tiffany’s numbers listed above with the exceptions of “Lulamae,” “Ciao, Compare,” and “Better Together.” For the factual record, the audience seems to be enjoying the show, and the evening’s showstopper is clearly “Lament for Ten Men.” In 2000, Original Cast Records (CD # OC-2100) released a two-CD studio cast recording of the musical with Faith Prince (Holly Golightly), John Schneider (Jeff Claypool), Hal Linden (Doc Golightly), Patrick Cassidy (Ybarra), and, in a reprise of her role as Mag Wildwood in the original production, Sally Kellerman. While the lavish recording didn’t include all the songs heard in the tryout and preview versions, it included the following songs that had been written for, but not used in, the original production: “The Wittiest Fellow in Pittsburgh,” “Calling All Men,” “Sex Dance,” “Good Girls Go to Heaven,” and “Quiet Coffee.” As “Dirty Old Men,” “Lament for Ten Men” was later used in the London production of Bob Merrill and Jule Styne’s 1972 Broadway musical Sugar (for London, the musical reverted to the title of its source, the 1959 film Some Like It Hot). The musical opened on March 19, 1992, at the Prince Edward Theatre, and the song can be heard on the cast album released by First Night Records (CD # 28). In her collection And Then There Was Lana (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3755), Lana Cantrell included two songs from the musical (“I’ve Got a Penny” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”). John Gary on Broadway (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3928) offered “You’ve Never Kissed Her,” as did Derek and Ray’s The

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Keyboard Sounds of Today! (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3665) and Vic Damone’s The South Side of Chicago (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3675). Damone’s collection also included “Ciao Compare,” as did Robert Goulet on Broadway Volume 2 (Columbia Records LP # CS-9386 and # CL-2586). Marty Gold and His Orchestra’s The Broadway Soundaroundus (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3689) offered both title songs (“Holly Golightly” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”). Richard Greenberg’s nonmusical adaptation of Capote’s novella opened at the Cort Theatre on March 20, 2013. Like the musical, it too was a flop, but at least this Breakfast at Tiffany’s made it to opening night and played a total of thirty-eight performances.

CHU CHEM “A NEW MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT” Theatre and Performance Dates: After a series of preview performances, the musical opened at the New Locust Theatre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 15, 1966, and closed there on November 19, 1966 Book: Ted Allan Lyrics: Jim Haines and Jack Wohl Music: Mitch Leigh Direction: Albert Marre; Producers: Cheryl Crawford and Mitch Leigh (An Albert Marre Production); Choreography: Jack Cole; Scenery and Lighting: Howard Bay; Costumes: Willa Kim and Howard Bay; Musical Direction: Howard Cable Cast: The Inhabitants of Kaifeng Fu: Alvin Ing, Sumiko Murashima, Franklin Siu, Maureen Tionco, BarbaraJean Wong; Khigh Dhiegh (The Elder), Yuki Shimoda (The Prompter), Haruki Fujimoto, Joel Galietti, Murphy James, Tom Matsusaka (The Prompter’s Assistants), Reiko Sato (Pink Cloud), Tisa Chang (Black Cloud Bride), Joanne Miya (Daffodil), Virginia Wing (Cherry Stone), Heather-Jean Lee, Dana Shimizu, Mona Lee Soong, Tracey Michele Lee (Children); The Occidental Actors: Menasha Skulnik (Chu Chem), Henrietta Jacobson (Rose) (Note: During previews, the role of Rose was played by Molly Picon), Marcia Rodd (Lotte); The Mongols: Jack Cole (Lord Hoo Hah), Buzz Miller (Lord Hoo Hah’s Henchman), J.  C. McCord (Lord Hoo Hah’s Henchman), Daniel Cartagena (Lord Hoo Hah’s Acrobat), Bill Starr (Lord Hoo Hah’s Acrobat); The Inhabitants of Ming Province: James Shigeta (Prince Eagle); Robert Ito (Prince Eagle’s Brother), Chuck Morgan (Prince Eagle’s Bodyguard), Man Mountain Dean Jr. (Prince Eagle’s Bodyguard), Leon Spelman (Prince Eagle’s Bodyguard) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in China during the eleventh century. Note: The Playbill didn’t list the musical numbers. See list below for songs recorded for the LP demo album, songs listed in the program of the 1988 Off-Off-Broadway revival, and songs listed for the Playbill and recording of the 1989 Broadway revival. Chu Chem (the name of the musical’s leading character, played by Menasha Skulnik and meaning “wise man”) told the story of a group of fourteenth-century Jews in search of one of their lost tribes, which had settled in China during the eleventh century. The bizarre story was presented with some of the conventions of Chinese theatre and with a slightly improvisational feel (to give a supposed feeling of spontaneity there were no song titles listed in the program). Moreover, the “New Musical Entertainment” was presented as a combined production by a group of “Occidental Actors” and Chinese performers who come together to tell the musical’s story. Chu Chem was Mitch Leigh’s first musical after his mega-hit Man of La Mancha had opened a year earlier. In fact, many of La Mancha’s team were involved in the new musical: Albert Marre was again director, Jack Cole was choreographer (he also had a leading role in the new musical), and Howard Bay returned as scenic and lighting designer. The musical was conceived and written by Ted Allan, and the lyrics were by Jim Haines and Jack Wohl. Besides Skulnik and Cole, the cast included Molly Picon, James Shigeta, Marcia Rodd, Khigh Dhiegh, Yuki Shimoda, Buzz Miller, Alvin Ing, Reiko Sato, and Bill Starr. Perhaps the first public hint that Chu Chem was in trouble was when the musical cut short its pre-Broadway tour and cancelled its first tryout stop (at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut), and instead opened at the New Locust Theater in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it gave a series of on-again, off-again,

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and then on-again previews, with an official opening night of November 15. Molly Picon, upset that her role had grown smaller and smaller during rehearsals and previews, gave her final performance in the musical on November 14, and so on opening night her understudy Henrietta Jacobson went on. At one performance, Jacobson famously told the audience it would be “better off” without a song that had been scheduled to be performed. But with or without the song, Jacobson too was soon “better off,” because on November 19, Chu Chem closed for good, cancelling its scheduled opening at the George Abbott Theatre. (Formerly the Craig, the Adelphi, and the 54th Street Theatre, the venue was perhaps Broadway’s unluckiest theatre because it hosted an inordinate number of flop musicals.) Ernest Schier in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin found Chu Chem “confused and tasteless,” “thoroughly unpalatable, like blintzes with soy sauce,” “bizarre and unedifying,” “astonishingly banal,” “somebody’s wild idea of Chinese theatre,” and, in a comment for the ages, suggested a better title for the musical would be The King and Oy. Twenty-two years after Chu Chem folded in Philadelphia, the musical was revived Off-Off-Broadway at the Jewish Repertory Theatre on December 27, 1988, for twenty performances, with Marre again the director. Three months later, the musical opened on March 17, 1989, at the Ritz Theatre for forty-five performances. Most of the Off-Off-Broadway cast transferred to Broadway, with the major exception of Thom Sesma, who was replaced by Kevin Gray. In reviewing the Off-Off-Broadway production, Clive Barnes in the New York Post said the “little kosher eggroll of a show proves” to be “delicious,” and Richard F. Shepard in the New York Times found the musical “amusing,” singling out “Our Kind of War,” which was staged in the manner of a Marx Brothers’ romp straight out of a 1930s movie. But in his review of the Broadway production, Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News said the message in the fortune cookie handed to him by the usher read “A half-hour after seeing Chu Chem, you’ll want to see it again.” To which Watt responded, “Talk about Chinese torture.” Watt noted that cast member Mark Zeller had appeared in the 1955 flop Reuben Reuben, and now could add Chu Chem to his list (Zeller also appeared in Shangri-La, Saratoga, and Ari, and so he indeed knew something about flops). John Beaufort in the Christian Science Monitor felt that Marre’s staging of the musical was “so good-natured that only a Grinch would enter a discouraging gripe.” The 1966 demo recording included ten songs (plus alternate versions of four of the numbers): “Chu Chem,” “Love Is,” “Our Kind of War,” “A Lovely Place,” “Empty Yourself,” “I Once Believed,” “We Dwell in Our Hearts,” “One at a Time,” “My Only Love,” and “It’s Not the Truth.” Of these songs, the stand-outs are the haunting ballad “Love Is” and the highly rhythmic anti-war song “Our Kind of War.” Of the above ten songs, only four were heard in the 1988 Off-Off-Broadway production: “Love Is,” “We Dwell in Our Hearts,” “I Once Believed,” and “Our Kind of War.” Other numbers in the new production were: “Orient Yourself” (with a second-act opening reprise, “Re-Orient Yourself”; “Orient Yourself” is possibly a later version of “Empty Yourself”), “Rain,” “What Happened, What?,” “Welcome,” “You’ll Have to Change,” “I’ll Talk to Her,” “Shame on You,” “It Must Be Good for Me,” “The Wise,” “The River,” “It’s Possible,” and “Boom!” Except for “The Wise” and “Rain,” the 1989 Broadway production used all the songs heard in the OffBroadway version. The 1989 Broadway revival was recorded but never issued. However, a pirated recording of the Off-OffBroadway version (with Tom Sesma and other cast members) includes “Raisin Cookies,” “Proof,” and “The Scroll,” numbers that don’t appear on the song lists of either the 1988 or 1989 versions. The cast album of the 1966 production had been scheduled to be recorded by Mercury Records.

• 1967–1968 Season

SOUTH PACIFIC “THE PULITZER PRIZE–WINNING MUSICAL” Theatre: The New York State Theatre Opening Date: June 12, 1967 Closing Date: September 9, 1967 Performances: 104 Book: Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on James A. Mitchner’s 1947 collection of short stories Tales of the South Pacific (two of the stories, “Our Heroine” and “Fo’ Dolla’,” were the main basis for the musical). Direction: Joe Layton; Producer: The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director) (A Lincoln Center Festival ’67 Production); Scenery and Costumes: Fred Voelpel; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Jonathan Anderson Cast: Dana Shimizu (Ngana), Keenan Shimizu (Jerome), Robert Ito (Henry), Florence Henderson (Ensign Nellie Forbush), Giorgio Tozzi (Emile de Becque), Irene Byatt (Bloody Mary), Judd Jones (Abner), Brad Sullivan (Stewpot), David Doyle (Luther Billis), Mickey Karm (Professor), Justin McDonough (Lieutenant Joseph Cable, U.S.M.C.), Lyle Talbot (Captain George Brackett, U.S.N.), Bob Monroe (Commander William Harbison, U.S.N.), Ted Story (Yeoman Herbert Quale), William Lutz (Sergeant Kenneth Johnson), Frank Scannelli (Seabee Richard West), Alexander Orfaly (Seabee Morton Wise), James O’Sullivan (Private Tom O’Brien), Roger Brown (Radio Operator Bob McCaffrey), Dick Ensslen (Marine Corporal Hamilton Steves), Philip Lucas (Seabee Thomas Hassinger), Joseph della Sorte (Seabee James Jerome), Don Dolan (Private Sven Larsen), Bob Barbieri (Private Jack Walters), Jess E. Richards (Private Dick Sederholm), Marvin Camillo (Seabee Roger Pitt), Laried Montgomery (Seabee Keith Moore), Jane Coleman (Lieutenant Genevieve Marshall), Lisa Damon (Ensign Lisa Manelli), Martha Danielle (Ensign Connie Walewska), Susan Campbell (Ensign Janet McGregor), Joyce Maret (Ensign Bessie Noonan), Patti Davis (Ensign Pamela Whitmore), Anne Nathan (Ensign Rita Adams), Judy Case (Ensign Sue Yaeger), Lynn Dovel (Ensign Cora MacRae), Bobbi Baird (Ensign Dinah Murphy), Eleanor Calbes (Liat), Jack Knight (Lieutenant Buzz Adams) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on two islands in the South Pacific during World War II.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Dites-moi pourquoi” (Dana Shimizu, Keenan Shimizu); “A Cockeyed Optimist” (Florence Henderson); “Twin Soliloquies” (Florence Henderson, Giorgio Tozzi); “Some Enchanted Evening” (Giorgio

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Tozzi); “Dites-moi Pourquoi” (reprise) (Dana Shimizu, Keenan Shimizu, Giorgio Tozzi); “Bloody Mary Is the Girl I Love” (Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame” (David Doyle, Brad Sullivan, Mickey Karm, Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “Bali Ha’i” (Irene Byatt); “Bali Ha’i” (reprise) (Justin McDonough); “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” (Florence Henderson, Nurses); “Some Enchanted Evening” (reprise) (Florence Henderson, Giorgio Tozzi); “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy” (Florence Henderson, Nurses); “Younger Than Springtime” (Justin McDonough); “Bali Ha’i” (reprise) (Eleanor Calbes); Finale (Florence Henderson, Giorgio Tozzi) Act Two: Opening Act II (aka “Soft Shoe Dance”) (Florence Henderson, Nurses, Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “Younger Than Springtime” (reprise) (Justin McDonough); “Honey Bun” (Florence Henderson, David Doyle, Nurses, Sailors, Seabees, Marines); “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” (Justin McDonough); “This Nearly Was Mine” (Giorgio Tozzi); “Some Enchanted Evening” (reprise) (Florence Henderson); “Honey Bun” (reprise) (Nurses, Sailors, Marines, Seabees); Finale (Florence Henderson, Giorgio Tozzi, Dana Shimizu, Keenan Shimizu) The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center’s production of South Pacific in 1967 marked the musical’s fifth of seven New York revivals. It was also the Music Theatre’s seventh of nine revivals that opened there between 1964 and 1969 (for more information on South Pacific, see entry for the 1961 City Center revival). The current production was directed by Joe Layton and starred Florence Henderson (Nellie), Giorgio Tozzi (De Becque), Justin McDonough (Cable), Irene Byatt (Bloody Mary), Eleanor Calbes (Liat), David Doyle (Billis), and Lyle Talbot (Captain Brackett). Others in the cast were Brad Sullivan, Alexander Orfaly, Martha Danielle, and Bobbi Baird. For the 1958 film version, Rossano Brazzi played the role of De Becque, and his singing voice was dubbed by Tozzi; for the Lincoln Center revival, audiences who were familiar with his voice via the film and the film’s soundtrack album could now see him for the first time performing the role on stage. Although Dan Sullivan in the New York Times noted the revival was “lavishly mounted, appropriately cast and vigorously performed,” he nonetheless felt the musical was “so much less than it used to be.” Now the “muscle bound gobs, cheerful nurses and comely, compliant natives” were about as realistic as the “kids” in The Student Prince. Further, the racial themes were no longer “daring.” While Sullivan liked Florence Henderson, he felt her singing was too reminiscent of Mary Martin, and he hoped she’d be more “vocally” herself in future performances. As for Tozzi, he was a “strong, sympathetic” and “solid” De Becque, but was occasionally off-key. Irene Byatt’s Bloody Mary was an “old bat with Rosalind Russell touches,” David Doyle had Billis “down pat,” and Justin McDonough “manfully dealt” with the “somewhat thankless” role of Cable. Joe Layton’s “fluent” direction was packaged “prettily” and “even a little vulgarly.” The revival’s cast album was recorded by Columbia Records (LP # OS-3100), and the CD was released by Sony/Masterworks Broadway (# 82876-88393-2).

JUDY GARLAND AT HOME AT THE PALACE Theatre: Palace Theatre Opening Date: July 31, 1967 Closing Date: August 26, 1967 Performances: 24 Direction: Richard Barstow; Producers: Sid Luft (A Group V Ltd. Production); Costumes: Bill Smith Travilla; Lighting: Ralph Alswang; Musical Direction: Bobby Cole Cast: Judy Garland, John Bubbles, Jackie Vernon, Francis Brunn, Lorna Luft, Joey Luft The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: Francis Brunn (juggler); John Bubbles (singer and dancer); Jackie Vernon (comedian) Act Two: The following songs were among those performed by Judy Garland at each performance (songs are listed in alphabetical order). A program note indicated that “during the course of Miss Garland’s perfor-

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mance she will introduce her protégés [her children], Lorna and Joey Luft.” Numbers identified by (*) are those in which Garland was joined by her children. “Almost Like Being in Love” (from 1947 Broadway musical Brigadoon; lyric by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Frederick Loewe); “Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)”* (lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by Bernard Hanighen); “Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town)” (lyric and music by Fred Fisher); “For Me and My Gal” (lyric by Edgar Leslie and E. Ray Goetz, music by George W. Meyer; Garland performed this song in the 1942 film For Me and My Gal); “I Feel a Song Comin’ On” (1935 film Every Night at Eight; lyric by Dorothy Fields and George Oppenheimer, music by Jimmy McHugh); “I Loved Him, But He Didn’t Love Me” (1929 British musical Wake Up and Dream; lyric and music by Cole Porter [song was not performed in the New York production of musical, which opened in late 1929]; “Jamboree Jones”* (lyric and music by Johnny Mercer); “Just in Time” (1956 musical Bells Are Ringing; lyric by Betty Comden and Adolph Green; music by Jule Styne); “The Man That Got Away” (song introduced by Garland in the 1954 film A Star Is Born; lyric by Ira Gershwin, music by Harold Arlen); “Me and My Shadow” (lyric by Billy Rose [Al Jolson is credited as co-lyricist], music by Dave Dreyer); “Ol’ Man River” (1927 musical Show Boat; lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Jerome Kern); “Over the Rainbow” (song introduced by Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz; lyric by E. Y. Harburg, music by Harold Arlen); “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” (1918 musical Sinbad; lyric by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young, music by Jean Schwartz); “That’s Entertainment” (1953 film The Band Wagon; lyric by Howard Dietz, music by Arthur Schwartz); “This Can’t Be Love” (1938 musical The Boys from Syracuse; lyric by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rodgers);“Together”* (1959 musical Gypsy; lyric by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Styne); “The Trolley Song” (song introduced by Garland in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis; lyric and music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane); “What Now, My Love?” (“Et maintenant” [“And now”]; original French lyric by Pierre Delanoe, English lyric by Carl Sigman, music by Gilbert Becaud); “You Made Me Love You (I Didn’t Want to Do It)” (lyric by Joseph McCarthy, music by James V. Monaco; in the 1937 film The Broadway Melody of 1938, Garland performed a revised version of this song that incorporated “Dear Mr. Gable,” a new number by Roger Edens). One of the highpoints of Judy Garland’s career was her legendary one-woman concert at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961. The complete concert was recorded live on a two-LP set, and became one of her best-selling albums, and the following month she was back at Carnegie Hall for a second concert. But perhaps the Palace Theater was Judy Garland’s real theatrical home. She “appeared” there in her 1942 film For Me and My Gal, in which she memorably told Harry Palmer (Gene Kelly, in his film debut) that even if he reached the bigtime, he’d always be small-time in his heart. And it was at the Palace where Judy Garland enjoyed three stage triumphs. She first appeared there on October 16, 1951, for 266 performances, then in another concert that opened on September 26, 1956, and then the current 1967 engagement. The 1967 concert played for a limited run (but later in the year she reprised the concerts at Felt Forum in the New Madison Square Garden for three performances on December 25, 26, and 27), and the evening included appearances by dancer John Bubbles (who had created the role of Sportin’ Life in the original 1935 production of Porgy and Bess), comedian Jackie Vernon, and juggler Francis Brunn, all of whom appeared in the first act. For part of the second act, Garland was joined by her children Lorna and Joey Luft, and at one point Bubbles accompanied them for “Me and My Shadow.” Vincent Canby in the New York Times reported that Judy Garland was “magnetic . . . one of the most remarkable personalities of the contemporary entertainment scene.” She was “slim and trim,” was in “fine fettle,” and her performance was one of “spectacular showmanship.” He admitted her voice was a “memory” of its former self, but noted, “let’s face it, there are thousands of singers with voices, if that’s all you want.” Canby said she was in “total command” of the evening, even as she wrestled with a microphone cord that looked “like the Loch Ness monster” and later had to calm down an “over-exuberant” balcony claque who behaved “like a group of aging Beatles fans.” She performed a number of songs (including “The Man That Got Away,” “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody,” “Chicago,” “Just in Time,” “Almost Like Being in Love,” “What Now, My Love?,” and “For Me and My Gal”). Canby mentioned the appearance of Lorna and Joey Luft added a “sweet” but somewhat “embarrassing” dimension to the evening because it came across as an “amateur, en famille” performance, the kind that was “winning” on an intimate television screen but not quite comfortable on the huge stage of the Palace. He also commented that John Bubbles was a “veteran trouper from the uncomplicated, naïve, pre-Stokely Carmichael era.”

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EDDIE FISHER/BUDDY HACKETT Theatre: Palace Theatre Opening Date: August 28, 1967 Closing Date: October 7, 1967 Performances: 42 Producers: Hackett Productions and Fisher Productions; Musical Direction: Colin Romoff Cast: Eddie Fisher, Buddy Hackett The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers

A note in Playbill stated that Fisher and Hackett’s “billing is so ‘equal’ that not only are their names alternated in the ads, but they alternate their order of performance each night with Mr. Fisher opening the show one night and Mr. Hackett opening it the next night.” Act One: Eddie Fisher (singer) The following songs were among those performed by Fisher at each performance (songs are listed in alphabetical order): “Do Re Mi” (from 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music; lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers); “If She Walked into My Life” (1966 musical Mame; lyric and music by Jerry Herman); “The Impossible Dream” (1965 musical Man of La Mancha; lyric by Joe Darion, music by Mitch Leigh); “Let Me Entertain You” (1959 musical Gypsy; lyric by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Styne); “Mame” (1966 musical Mame; lyric and music by Jerry Herman); “People Like You” (lyric and music by Larry Kusik and Eddie Snyder); “Watch What Happens” (1964 film musical Les parapluies de Cherbourg [The Umbrellas of Cherbourg]; original French lyric by Jacques Demy, English lyric by Norman Gimbel, music by Michel Legrand) Act Two: Buddy Hackett (comedian) In 1962, Eddie Fisher had appeared at the Winter Garden Theatre in his revue-like An Evening with Eddie Fisher. In 1967, he returned to Broadway at the Palace Theatre where he shared the stage with comedian Buddy Hackett. The evening consisted of Fisher performing songs during one act, and Hackett doing comedy routines for the second. As noted above, their names alternated in the show’s advertisements, and they also alternated the order of performances. For the finale, the two performers joined together for light banter. Fisher was backed by a twenty-eight member orchestra that included ten violins. Fisher and Hackett had performed together in Detroit the previous season, and due to the success of that engagement, they toured a number of cities before they opened their limited-run engagement at the Palace. Vincent Canby in the New York Times remarked that the Borscht Belt had spread from the Catskills to the Palace Theatre. Moreover, the evening was “nothing more . . . than an expensive nightclub act” or a “blue television network” show. At times, Canby felt he was also watching a Tonight episode “on a screen of nightmare size and color quality.” Canby noted Fisher sang “his heart out through a hand mike,” and while his voice had lost its 1950s sweetness, it now had more style. Among the songs he performed were such Broadway numbers as “If She Walked into My Life” and “Mame.” At one point, Fisher plugged his latest recordings, and Canby was sure “E. F. Albee must be spinning, wherever he may be.” As for Hackett, his stand-up comedy routine had the shape of a television monologue, albeit his bantering about “broads and bladders” (including a routine about newly, and nude, recruited soldiers queuing up for a physical examination and his hope they don’t bump up against one another) was much franker than his more subdued comic patter on television variety shows. Canby noted he had found Hackett “endearing” in the past, but here the comedian came across as “abrasive.” He admitted this reaction was due to the evening’s venue of a legitimate Broadway theatre; perhaps if there’d been “a couple of slot machines in the lobby” he might have felt differently.

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MARLENE DIETRICH Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: October 9, 1967 Closing Date: November 18, 1967 Performances: 48 Producer: Alexander H. Cohen (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production); Lighting: Joe Davis; Musical Direction: Burt Bacharach Cast: Marlene Dietrich The concert was presented in one act.

Musical Numbers

All songs performed by Marlene Dietrich. “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love” (from the Broadway musical Blackbirds of 1928; lyric by Dorothy Fields, music by Jimmy McHugh); “You’re the Cream in My Coffee” (from the 1928 musical Hold Everything; lyric by B. G. [Buddy] DeSylva and Lew Brown, music by Ray Henderson); “My Blue Heaven” (from Ziegfeld Follies of 1927; lyric by George Whiting, music by Walter Donaldson); “The Boys in the Back Room” (aka “See What the Boys in the Backroom Will Have”; introduced by Dietrich in the 1939 film Destry Rides Again; lyric by Frank Loesser, music by Frederick Hollander); “The Laziest Gal in Town” (written as an independent song by Cole Porter in 1927, the number was performed by Dietrich in the 1950 film Stage Fright); “When the World Was Young (Ah, the Apple Trees)” (original French lyric by Angele Vannier, English lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by M. Phillipe-Gerard); “Jonny” (introduced by Dietrich in the 1933 film Song of Songs; lyric and music by Frederick Hollander; English lyric by Edward Heyman); “Go Away [Go ’Way] from My Window” (lyric and music by John Jacob Niles); “I Wish You Love” (lyric by Albert Beach, music by Charles Trenet); “The War’s Over, Seems We Won, Hooray” (aka “White Grass”; from the Australian television series Boomeride; lyric and music by Charles Marawood); “Boomerang Baby” (from the Australian television series Boomeride; lyric and music by Charles Marawood); “Naughty Lola” (aka “Lola” and “Lola-Lola”; introduced by Dietrich in the 1930 film The Blue Angel; lyric by R. Leibman, music by Frederick Hollander; English lyric by Sammy Lerner); “Don’t Ask Me Why I Cry” (lyric by Armin Robinson, music by Robert Stolz and Walter Reisch); “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon” (lyric and music by Kenneth King); “Marie, Marie” (lyric by Pierre Delanoe and Kolpe, music by Gilbert Becaud); “Lili Marlene” (lyric by Hans Leip, music by Norbert Schultze; English lyric by John Turner and Tommy Connor [some sources give latter’s name as Tommie Connoer]); “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (lyric and music by Pete Seeger); “Honeysuckle Rose” (lyric by Andy Razaf, music by Thomas [“Fats”] Waller); “Falling in Love Again” (introduced by Dietrich in the 1930 film The Blue Angel; lyric and music by Frederick Hollander; English lyric by Sammy Lerner); “La Vie en Rose” (lyric by Edith Piaf, music by Louiguy); “Shir Hatan” (aka “Shir Hatan-Biem”; lyric and music by Z. Sahar) It didn’t seem possible legendary film star and nightclub entertainer Marlene Dietrich had never before appeared on Broadway until her limited-engagement one-woman show opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on October 9, 1967. And it was impossible to believe she was now sixty-two years old, and a grandmother as well. She was ageless, and her glamour and regal beauty were as breathtaking now as when she had appeared in The Blue Angel some thirty-five years earlier. On stage she was cool and aloof and remote as well as warm and self-effacing, a mysterious and contradictory mixture of a bracing cold, dry martini and a comforting cup of hot tea. There was absolutely no one like her, and certainly the word “legend” was invented for her exclusive use. Dietrich was backed by a twenty-five-piece orchestra conducted by Burt Bacharach, and she sang some twenty-one songs in English, French, German, and Hebrew. These included her signature numbers “Lili Marlene,” “Naughty Lola” (“Lola-Lola”), “Falling in Love Again,” “The Laziest Gal in Town,” and “The Boys in the Back Room” as well as such standards as “You’re the Cream in My Coffee,” “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” “My Blue Heaven,” “La Vie en Rose,” and “Honeysuckle Rose.” She even offered such surprising selections as “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

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Vincent Canby in the New York Times noted that “Mrs. Rudolf Sieber, a German-born grandmother who is officially 62 years old” stepped onto the stage of the Lunt-Fontanne in a $30,000 gown of bugle beads and looked “for all the world” like Marlene Dietrich in one of “the most remarkable impersonations ever to be seen in a New York theatre.” With glamour, nostalgia, iron will, “and perhaps even a little hypnosis,” she brought an “exuberant zest” to the evening and was indeed a “one-woman environment.” She was a “cool, self-possessed cookie,” and Canby advised his readers to get over to the Lunt-Fontanne within the next six weeks. Douglas Watt in the New York Daily News reported Dietrich took “complete command” of the stage, and the way she moved was proof that “Erda, the Earth Spirit,” was in control of her body; John J. O’Connor in the Wall Street Journal said the event was a “superb evening of song in which [Dietrich’s] too often forgotten artistry as a performer is nothing short of astonishing”; and Patricia McColl in Women’s Wear Daily said, “Marlene Dietrich is. She just is,” noting if one could conjure up every “show biz cliché” then one could perhaps understand the pandemonium of the opening-night audience when Dietrich stepped onto the stage. Jerry Tallmer in the New York Post found Dietrich “elegant, impeccable, unmarred” as the years fell “off the calendar as if by movie magic.” But he noted the evening had none of the “hit-or-miss Judy Garland approach,” and thus while the evening “rolled” it rarely “grabbed.” On the other hand, Watt felt the show “might be described as a disciplined Judy Garland entertainment.” Marlene Dietrich appeared on Broadway one more time, in another one-woman show that opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1968 (see entry). There are two notable recordings of Dietrich in concert: Marlene Dietrich in London (Columbia Records LP # OL-6430 and # OS-2830) and Marlene Dietrich at the Café de Paris (Columbia Records LP # ML-4975). Dietrich has been the subject of a number of revue-like musicals. The Off-Broadway Rendez-vous with Marlene opened at the 47th Street Theatre on December 14, 1995, for twenty-four performances with the Norwegian singer and actress Norrill in the title role; Pam Gems’s play-with-music Marlene (which had originally been produced in Britain) opened on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on April 11, 1999, for twentyfive performances (Sian Phillips was Dietrich, and the production was recorded by First Night Records CD # 1791-21); the Off-Off-Broadway solo performance piece Black Market Marlene: A Dietrich Cabaret opened on October 1, 1999, at Judy’s Chelsea Cabaret for eight performances (James Beaman was Dietrich in an evening that re-created a typical performance of Dietrich in concert); and the Off-Broadway musical Dietrich & Chevalier opened at St. Luke’s Theatre on June 20, 2010, for a run of six months (Jodi Stevens and Robert Cuccioli were the leads). Marlene: Ein mythos mit musik, a popular German “musical-revue” about Dietrich by Alois Haider and Martin Flossman, played throughout Germany in the 1980s, and as Falling in Love Again the revue opened in Britain as a book musical by Lawrence Roman on October 30, 1990, at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. The program noted the evening was “suggested” by Flossman’s earlier work. (Incidentally, Roman is not to be confused with American playwright Lawrence Roman.)

HENRY, SWEET HENRY “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Palace Theatre Opening Date: October 23, 1967 Closing Date: December 31, 1967 Performances: 80 Book: Nunnally Johnson Lyrics and Music: Bob Merrill (dance music by William Goldenberg and Marvin Hamlisch) Based on the 1956 novel The World of Henry Orient by Nora Johnson. Direction: George Roy Hill; Producers: Edward Specter Productions and Norman Twain; Choreography: Michael Bennett; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Musical Direction: Shepard Coleman Cast: Alice Playten (Kafritz), Robin Wilson (Valerie Boyd), Barbara Beck (Miss Cooney), Neva Small (Gil [Marian Gilbert]), Don Ameche (Henry Orient), Louise Lasser (Stella), Trudy Wallace (Mrs. Gilbert), Julie Sargant (Usherette), Carol Bruce (Mrs. Boyd), John Mineo (Russ), George NeJame (Captain Kenneth),

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Robert Iscove (Hal), Gerard Brentte (Policeman), Milo Boulton (Mr. Boyd), Charles Rule (Policeman), K.C. Townsend (Big Val); Norton School Students: Chris Bocchino, Lori Cesar, Terry Forman, Joyce James, Baayork Lee, Gina Page, Ilene Schatz, Joy Stark, Rebecca Ulrich, Pia Zadora; Knickerbocker Greys: Paul Charles, Robert Iscove, Joe Mazzello, Kim Milford, John Mineo, George NeJame, Craig Wineline; Adult Ensemble: Robert Avian, Barbara Beck, Gerard Brentte, Gene Castle, Robert Fitch, Marvin Goodis, Neil Jones, Mary Ann Kerrick, Priscilla Lopez, Lee Lund, Laried Montgomery, Charles Rule, Julie Sargant, Mary Ann Snow, Trudy Wallace The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the present time in New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Academic Fugue” (Company); “In Some Little World” (Robin Wilson); “Pillar to Post” (Don Ameche, Louise Lasser); “Here I Am” (Robin Wilson); “Whereas” (Robin Wilson, Neva Small); “I Wonder How It Is to Dance with a Boy” (Neva Small); “Nobody Steps on Kafritz” (Alice Playten); “Henry, Sweet Henry” (Robin Wilson, Neva Small); “Woman in Love” (Robin Wilson, Neva Small); “The People Watchers” (Company) Act Two: “Weary Near to Dyin’” (Robin Wilson, Hippies); “Poor Little Person” (Alice Playten, Girls, Knickerbocker Greys); “I’m Blue, Too” (Robin Wilson, Neva Small); “To Be Artistic” (Don Ameche, Carol Bruce); “Forever” (Don Ameche); “Do You Ever Go to Boston?” (Robin Wilson); “Here I Am” (reprise) (Robin Wilson) Henry, Sweet Henry was based on Nora Johnson’s novel The World of Henry Orient, which was filmed in 1964 with a screenplay by Nora Johnson and her father Nunnally Johnson; the latter also wrote the book for the musical version. George Roy Hill, who directed the film, also directed the musical. The plot dealt with two teen-age girls (Robin Wilson and Neva Small) who are infatuated with avant-garde composer and pianist Henry Orient (Don Ameche) and proceed to stalk him all over New York City. The story had made for an entertaining film (which starred Peter Sellers in the title role), but the musical adaptation was a major disappointment that disappeared after some two months on Broadway. Clive Barnes in the New York Times found the score “feeble,” and noted the “diffuse” book concentrated too much on the schoolgirls and not enough on the title character. But he liked the cast, noting Ameche was as “suave as next year’s sunglasses,” and felt Wilson and Small made the best of their weak material. The evening’s outstanding performance was by diminutive Alice Playten, who played a blackmailing, self-obsessed schoolgirl. She was “poisonous .  .  . with the heart of a gauleiter and the voice of a ship’s siren,” and she “puppet-strutted” through “Nobody Steps on Kafritz” like a “toy Merman.” He also liked Michael Bennett’s “briskly modest” dances, which were the one “original” element of the show. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the musical offered “cliché songs, cliché staging and worsethan-cliché humor,” and noted that Bob Merrill’s score was “dated” and “musically worthless, a set of hack tunes.” He also felt the evening was too full of young female performers who may not actually be “slick little pests out of performing arts schools, but they always act like it.” Further, he found it “annoying” to listen to a young girl “belting songs like Barbra Streisand.” He also criticized Ameche : “To say that Mr. Ameche is no Peter Sellers is to say that The McGuire Sisters aren’t exactly The Beatles.” But he said the “promising new choreographer” Bennett “sneaked in . . . some nice dances,” but even these couldn’t overcome the “shiny hackwork” of the overall show. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said Henry, Sweet Henry was a “sub-standard” musical with a plot that was sometimes “hard to believe” and a score “undistinguished and at times overly sentimental.” He felt Ameche’s performance was somewhat subdued, and noted that although the character played by Robin Wilson was fourteen years old, Wilson nonetheless sang her numbers in “sophisticated ‘nightclub’ style. . . . It’s not the voice of an adolescent” (“so much for credibility”). And while Alice Playten stopped the show, her “loud and brassy” voice was out of place in this particular story. But Carol Bruce and Milo Boulton brought a few moments of “believability” toward the end of the evening, and Bennett’s “hippie ballet” (“Weary Near to Dyin’”) was the “best ensemble scene” of the musical, and he praised the “oddly dressed and eerily lighted figures” in the sequence.

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Richard Watts in the New York Post said Henry, Sweet Henry was “most disappointing. . . . [It] starts off the musical comedy season gloomily.” He noted that Ameche’s character came across as “oddly humorless and characterless,” and thus the “enthusiasm” of his fans was “somewhat unaccountable.” He also felt Carol Bruce was “wasted” in her “short and unpleasant” role, and regretted that Louise Lasser, as a married woman involved with Henry Orient, “disappeared from the scene far too early.” As for Alice Playten, he would have liked her more had she not given “the impression that she was attempting an imitation of Sophie Tucker.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News liked the “thoroughly pleasant and most affectionate” new musical, praising its “zestful” score, “ebullient” direction, “acrobatic” scenery, and “merry” dances.” He also noted Alice Playten “stops the show absolutely cold” with “Nobody Steps on Kafritz.” The “hippie” number “Weary Near to Dyin’” was one of a few numbers in mainstream mid-1960s musicals that spoofed the hippie culture; other such songs were heard in Sweet Charity (“Rhythm of Life”) and The Apple Tree (“You Are Not Real”), and soon they were joined by antiwar numbers from Mata Hari (“Maman”), Maggie Flynn (“Never Gonna Make Me Fight”), 1776 (“Momma, Look Sharp”), and Billy (“It Ain’t Us Who Make the Wars”). Merrill’s score contained a few pleasant songs, including “Poor Little Person,” “Nobody Steps on Kafritz,” “Do You Ever Go to Boston?,” and the rather interesting conversational duet “To Be Artistic“ for Ameche and Carol Bruce, who played the mother of Robin Wilson’s character. The cast album was released by ABC Records (LP # ABCS-OC-4; later issued on CD by Varese Sarabande Records # VSD-5631). The script was published in softcover by Samuel French in 1969. During the tryout, six songs (“Frantically Romantic,” “Guess Who,” “Pretty Thing,” “Mommy Cat,” “Knickerbocker Greys March,” and “The Agreer”) were dropped, and Diana Douglas, who played the role of Mrs. Gilbert, was replaced by Trudy Wallace. Soon after the Broadway opening, the song “Whereas” was dropped (and wasn’t recorded for the cast album). The demo recording includes the unused songs “Somebody, Someplace,” “You Might Get to Like Me,” “Love of My Life,” “Dearest Darling,” and “My Kind of Person.” “Somebody, Someplace” was included in the collection John Gary on Broadway (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3928).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Alice Playten); Best Choreographer (Michael Bennett)

HOW NOW, DOW JONES “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: December 7, 1967 Closing Date: June 15, 1968 Performances: 220 Book: Max Shulman Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh Music: Elmer Bernstein Direction: George Abbott; Producers: David Merrick by arrangement with Edwin H. Morris & Co., Inc. (Samuel Liff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Gillian Lynne; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Robert Mackintosh; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Peter Howard Cast: Brenda Vaccaro (Cynthia), James Congdon (Herbert), Joe McGrath (Broker), Marlyn Mason (Kate), Hiram Sherman (Wingate), Bob Gorman (Nichols, Tycoon, One of the Customers’ Men), Patti Davis (Judy Evans), Alexander Orfaly (Wally), Anthony (Tony) Roberts (Charley), Jennifer Darling (Sue Ellen), Rex Everhart (Bradbury), Tommy Tune (Waiter), Barnard Hughes (Senator McFetridge), Stanley Simmonds (Dow), Martin Ambrose (Jones), Frank DeSal (Tycoon, One of the Customers’ Men), John Joy (Tycoon, One of the Customers’ Men), Alexander Orfaly (Tycoon), Ron Schwinn (Lion), Doug Spingler (One of the Customers’ Men), Sammy Smith (Dr. Gilman), Francesca Smith (Mrs. Ragosa), Fran Stevens (Mrs. Klein), Sally DeMay

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(Mrs. Harris), Lucie Lancaster (Mrs. Callahan), Charlotte Jones (Mrs. Millhauser), Arthur Hughes (A. K.); Dancers: Oscar Anthony, Linnea Chandler, Joel Conrad, Patricia Cope, Frank DeSal, Lois Etelman, Cyndi Howard, Yanco Inone, Eileen Lawlor, Debra Lyman, Diana Quijano, Sally Ransone, George Ramos, Ron Schwinn, Doug Spingler, Ron L. Steinbeck, Pat Trott; Singers: Martin Ambrose, Leigh Curran, Patti Davis, Bill Gibbens, Bob Gorman, Maria Hero, John Joy, Joe McGrath, Jack Murray, Alexander Orfaly, Anna Pagan, Dixie Stewart, Mara Worth The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place at the present time in New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture; “A-B-C” (Brenda Vaccaro, Tourists, Wall Streeters); “They Don’t Make ’Em Like That Anymore” (Marlyn Mason, Brenda Vaccaro); “Live a Little”/“Crazy Night Ballet” (Anthony Roberts, Marlyn Mason, New Yorkers); “The Pleasure’s About to Be Mine” (Anthony Roberts, Marlyn Mason); “A Little Investigation” (Hiram Sherman, Barnard Hughes, Stanley Simmonds, Martin Ambrose, Frank DeSal, Bob Gorman, John Joy, Alexander Orfaly); “Walk Away” (Marlyn Mason); “Goodbye, Failure, Goodbye” (aka “Gawk, Tousle, and Shucks”) (Anthony Roberts, Bob Gorman, Frank DeSal, John Joy, Doug Spingler, Brokers); “Step to the Rear” (Anthony Roberts, Charlotte Jones, Francesca Smith, Fran Stevens, Sally DeMay, Lucie Lancaster, Ensemble); “Shakespeare Lied” (Marlyn Mason, Brenda Vaccaro, Sammy Smith); “Big Trouble” (Marlyn Mason) Act Two: “Credo” (aka “Rich Is Better”) (Sammy Smith, Fran Stevens, Charlotte Jones, Francesca Smith, Sally DeMay, Lucie Lancaster, New Yorkers); “One of Those Moments” (aka “Just for the Moment”) (Marlyn Mason); “Big Trouble” (reprise) (Hiram Sherman, Tycoons); “He’s Here!” (Brenda Vaccaro); “Panic” (Company); “Touch and Go” (Anthony Roberts, Marlyn Mason); “That’s Good Enough for Me” (Company) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying certainly succeeded in its merry spoof of big business, so why not a satiric look at Wall Street? Based on an “original idea” by lyricist Carolyn Leigh, How Now, Dow Jones was game but just didn’t go very deep in its thrusts and sallies at the world of Wall Street. The book was tame, and despite a good number or two, the score was even tamer, and the evening ultimately bogged down in romantic plots and subplots. The musical ran out the season, chalking up 220 performances, but it went down in the record books as a money-losing also-ran. The show’s basic premise was promising. Kate (Marlyn Mason) is “The Voice of Dow Jones” because she announces the closing averages. Her fiancé Herbert (James Congdon) is more interested in stocks than marriage, and says he’ll marry her when the Dow hits 1,000. When Kate discovers she’s pregnant with Herbert’s child, she decides the only way to get a ring on her finger is to announce that the market has hit 1,000. When she does, all hell breaks loose and the country is in the midst of a raging bull market. In the meantime, Kate meets broker Charley Matson (Anthony [Tony] Roberts). After a brief fling, she realizes she loves him as she never did Herbert, but soon discovers he’s already engaged. A secondary plot centered on Kate’s girlfriend, Wall Street tour guide Cynthia Pike (Brenda Vaccaro), who’s an in-name-only mistress to William Foster Wingate (Hiram Sherman), a powerful broker. Wingate discovers Kate’s announcement was phony, and when word gets out about her hoax, chaos overtakes the financial world as prices fall and the market bottoms out. But all ends happily when A. K. (Arthur Hughes), one of the Street’s legendary tycoons, decides to buy up everything, and soon everyone else is buying, too. Wall Street recovers, Kate and Charley are reunited, and it looks as though Cynthia will soon be a real mistress rather than a nominal one. Unfortunately, the book lacked a sharp comic edge, and a mocking, tongue-in-cheek tone was missing from the situations and dialogue. Further, the score lacked the satiric fizz that Frank Loesser brought to his “business” songs in How to Succeed. The “Wall Street” songs in How Now (“A-B-C,” “A Little Investigation,” “Panic,” “That’s Good Enough for Me”) were far less enjoyable than Loesser’s counterparts. However, there were a couple of good solid traditional songs in the score, specifically Kate’s brooding ballad “Walk Away” and the jolly, upbeat production number “Step to the Rear,” which became a hit and is the score’s best-known song. And the finest one of all was left on the road, the rather dark and sinuous “Where You Are,” one of the finest theatre ballads of the 1960s. Walter Kerr in the New York Times noted the new musical was “shy a few things,” such as an “amusing” book, “melodic” songs, “lyrics with life to them,” and dancing (“the dancing is marching, if that”). Clive Barnes

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in the New York Times said he’d “rarely” seen “so much energy confused with invention, or noise confused with music,” noting the book was “inexplicable” and the score “as enlivening as an endless chain of ticker tape.” He felt the show was “original” in two aspects: it offered the first unmarried pregnant heroine in musical comedy (he forgot about Fanny [1954]), and it contained “what might well be the last recorded instance of a joke about Edsel.” Otherwise, the evening’s “best joke” came from David Merrick’s one-sentence Playbill biography: “Mr. Merrick is best known as the distinguished producer of the musical Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily regretted the show’s creators sacrificed “their talents to an originality-eating machine.” This was all the more regrettable because they weren’t “hacks.” Carolyn Leigh was one of the “most intelligent” lyricists in musical theatre, and her work for How Now showed it; Elmer Bernstein was a “trained and creative musician,” and his “quite fresh” score offered welcome “odd tempos”; and Max Schulman was a “clever writer with a healthy, humorous sense of the ridiculous.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal noted that while the book didn’t make much sense, it never got in the way of the evening’s entertainment and so the “fiscal frolic turns out quite nicely,” and Richard Watts in the New York Post found the evening “lively and entertaining . . . an almost unfailingly enlivening show.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News felt the musical’s “lively topical moments” bogged down in “slow-moving” scenery and “overlong” production numbers. As for the musical’s title, Chapman said it was the “best part” of the show; William Goldman in The Season said it was “perhaps the most maddening name of any show in recent years; it was the Ajax, the white tornado of musical-comedy titles”; Barnes noted one of the most “interesting aspects” of the evening was that the title was devoid of a question mark (“Perhaps they do not wish to risk an answer”); and who can forget Walter Winchell’s cheesy endorsement of the show (“How Now Dow Wow!”). Besides “Where You Are,” the following songs were deleted during the tryout: “Music to Their Ears,” “Take Me There,” “Wall Street Hoedown,” ”I Ain’t Got It,” “We’ll Stand and Cheer,” and “Status Quo.” Soon after the New York opening, “Touch and Go” was cut (but was included in the cast album), and a reprise of “The Pleasure’s About to Be Mine” was substituted. “Music to Their Ears,” “We’ll Stand and Cheer,” and “Where You Are” were listed in the New York opening night Playbill, but were not performed (“Music” was replaced by “Goodbye, Failure, Goodbye,” and “Where You Are” by “Touch and Go”). When the musical began performances in Philadelphia, the show’s director was Arthur Penn, who was later replaced by George Abbott. The role of Miss Whipple was played by Madeline Kahn, whose part was written out of the musical, and when the role of Senator McFetridge was added to the show, Barnard Hughes played the part. The script was published in softcover by Samuel French in 1968. The cast album was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1142; later issued on CD by RCA Victor # 09026-63581-2), and didn’t include “Panic” (however, the lyric of the song is in the published script). Incidentally, “One of Those Moments” and “Just for the Moment” are the same song; the former title is listed in the Playbill, the latter on the cast album, and the script refers to the song by both titles. Similarly, “Goodbye Failure, Goodbye” and “Gawk, Tousle, and Shucks” are the same number (referred to as the former in the Playbill and published script, and as the latter on the cast album). Further, “Credo” and “Rich Is Better” are the same song (referred to as the former in the Playbill and as the latter on the cast album and published script). Living Voices Sing the Music from the Broadway Musical “How Now, Dow Jones” (RCA Camden Records LP # CAL/CAS-2189) included “Where You Are” and “Gawk, Tousle, and Shucks,” and the former was also heard in the collection John Gary on Broadway (RCA Victor Records LP # LPM/LSP-3928). Choreographer Gillian Lynne went on to create the dances for the original London and New York productions of Cats (London, 1981; New York, 1982), and How Now’s cast included future Broadway performerdirector-choreographer Tommy Tune in the minor role of a waiter.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (How Now, Dow Jones); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Anthony Roberts); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Brenda Vaccaro); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Hiram Sherman); Best Director of a Musical (George Abbott); Best Composer and Lyricist (Elmer Bernstein and Carolyn Leigh)

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BRIGADOON Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: December 13, 1967 Closing Date: December 31, 1967 Performances: 23 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Frederick Loewe Direction: Gus Schirmer; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (for this production, the dances were restaged by Gemze de Lappe and Dennis Cole); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Jonathan Anderson Cast: Bill Hayes (Tommy Albright), Russell Nype (Jeff Douglas), Paul Adams (Sandy Dean), Karen Morrow (Meg Brockie), Earl McDonald (Archie Beaton), Edward Villella (Harry Beaton), Alexander Clark (Andrew MacLaren), Sarah Jane Smith (Jean MacLaren), Margot Moser (Fiona MacLaren), Gordon Cook (Angus McGuffie), Evan Thomas (Charlie Dalrymple), Leslie Franzos (Maggie Anderson), Dennis Cole (Sword Dancer), Wilfred Schuman (Sword Dancer), William LeMassena (Mr. Lundie), Maurice Eisenstadt (Bagpiper), Paul Adams (Frank), Jeanne Murray Vanderbilt (Jane Ashton), Edward Becker (Stuart Dalrymple), Henry Lawrence (McGregor); Townsfolk of Brigadoon: Chris Callen, Phyllis Bash, Jane Coleman, Peggy Cooper, Mona Elson, Marta Heflin, Oksana Iweszczenko, Mina Jo King, Barbara Miller, Roberta Vatske, Paul Adams, Donald Brassington, Edward Becker, Peter Clark, Gordon Cook, Henry Lawrence, Ken Richards, Robert Monteil, Don Wonder; Dancers: Anita Arnell, Joanna Crosson, Chele Graham, Jane Jaffe, Nicole Karol, Karen Kristin, Lucia Lambert, Toodie Wittmer, Marget Wyeth, Paul Berne, Scott Hunter, J. David Kirby, William Koch, Dick Korthaze, Wilfred Schuman, Bud Spencer, Ron Tassone, Duane Taylor The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Brigadoon (a village in the Scottish Highlands) and in New York City during May of last year.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Once in the Highlands” (Chorus); “Brigadoon” (Chorus); “Down on MacConnachy Square” (Paul Adams, Karen Morrow, Townsfolk); “Waitin’ for My Dearie” (Margot Moser, Girls); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” (Evan Thomas, Townsfolk); “I’ll Go Home with Bonnie Jean” Dance (Leslie Franzos, Edward Villella, Fishmongers, Dancers); “The Heather on the Hill” (Margot Moser, Bill Hayes); “The Love of My Life” (Karen Morrow); “Jeannie’s Packin’ Up” (Girls); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” (Evan Thomas); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” Dance (Sarah Jane Smith, Dancers); “Almost Like Being in Love” (Bill Hayes, Margot Moser); “The Wedding Dance” (Sarah Jane Smith, Evan Thomas, Dancers); “Sword Dance” (Edward Villella, Dennis Cole, Wilfred Schuman, Dancers) Act Two: “The Chase” (Men of Brigadoon); “There But for You Go I” (Bill Hayes); “My Mother’s Wedding Day” (Karen Morrow, Townsfolk); “Funeral Dance” (Leslie Franzos); “From This Day On” (Bill Hayes, Margot Moser); “Come to Me, Bend to Me” (reprise) (Margot Moser); “The Heather on the Hill” (reprise) (Margot Moser); “I’ll Go Home With Bonnie Jean” (reprise) (Evan Thomas); “From This Day On” (reprise) (Bill Hayes, Margot Moser); “Down on MacConnachy Square” (reprise) (Townsfolk); Finale (Company) The 1967 revival of Brigadoon was the last of City Center’s six productions of the classic musical (for more information about the musical and its ten New York revivals, see entry for the 1962 City Center production). The current 1967 production marked the fourth City Center appearance of Edward Villella in the role of Harry Beaton (he had previously been seen in the 1962, 1963, and 1964 City Center revivals, and in 1967 reprised his role for a television production of the musical). Clive Barnes in the New York Times said Alan Jay Lerner’s book was dated and the jokes “so old” they could have “vintage labels attached to them.” And he was dismissive of the plot, suggesting that when

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Tommy returns to Brigadoon and disappears forever into the past, his friend Jeff will have to come up with an explanation for the disappearance to the local police and may even be charged with murder. But Barnes praised Frederick Loewe’s “endearing and entrancing” score, and liked the musical’s emphasis on choreography. Villella was the “clear star” of the evening with his dancing, his “remarkably intense acting,” and his “huge star personality,” all of which tended to “unbalance” the show. Hayes and Moser were “acceptable” but “pallid” leads, but Morrow had “fun” with her comic role.

HOW TO BE A JEWISH MOTHER Theatre: Hudson Theatre Opening Date: December 21, 1967 Closing Date: January 13, 1968 Performances: 21 Play: Writer uncredited Lyrics: Herbert Martin Music: Michael Leonard Based on the 1964 book How to Be a Jewish Mother: A Very Lovely Training Manual by Dan Greenburg. Direction: Avery Schreiber; Producers: Jon-Lee and Seymour Vall (Rick Mandell and Margaret Aldrich, Associate Producers); Choreography (Musical Staging): Doug Rogers; Scenery: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Michael Travis; Lighting: John J. Moore; Musical Direction: Julian Stein Cast: Molly Picon, Godfrey Cambridge The play with music was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers It appears that all songs were sung by Molly Picon. Act One: “Once the Man You Laughed At”; “Laugh a Little” Act Two: “Since the Time We Met”; “The Wedding Song”; “Child You Are” Based on Dan Greenburg’s book of the same name, the stage version of How to Be a Jewish Mother was first conceived as an intimate comedy without musical numbers. The original unpublished script by Seymour Vall was comprised of three characters, the Mother, her husband Harry (who never speaks), and the Propman, who at times plays such characters as a janitor and a clothes salesman, and at other times takes on the role of Mother’s son, Marvin. The play was in many ways an evening-long give-and-take in which the Mother and the Propman explain that the ultimate duty of a Jewish mother is “to plant, cultivate, and harvest guilt” in her offspring. Further, a Jewish mother must learn “The Seven Basic Sacrifices,” such as not letting your son know you fainted in the supermarket from fatigue, and then making sure he knows you’re not letting him know. And throughout the script’s first act, the actress who plays the Jewish mother says her lines and interacts with the Propman as she goes through her daily routines of cooking, cleaning, and setting the table. When the show was produced, it was conceived as a play with music, and Herbert Martin and Michael Leonard contributed five songs. The team had earlier written the pleasant score for the 1965 musical The Yearling, which had closed on Broadway after just three performances. The two-member cast starred Molly Picon as the mother and comedian Godfrey Cambridge (apparently someone thought it would be hilarious to cast a black actor in the part of the Jewish son [as well as in other roles]). At one point in the evening, Cambridge actually played a Jewish mother himself, as the mother of a young woman engaged to Picon’s son. During the tryout, Picon and Cambridge’s character were assigned names (Sarah Gordon and George Roy Trotman, respectively). While early tryout Playbills credited the play to Vall, later stops on the road listed three writers, Vall, Renee Taylor, and Joseph Bologna. But by opening night there was no specific writing credit, and Taylor and Bologna’s names were no longer in the program. Instead, the Playbill stated the production was “conceived” by Vall.

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Clive Barnes in the New York Times said the revue-like “playlet-with-musiclet” was “sublimely monotonous” and “singularly unfunny.” The script creaked “with palsy,” the score was “abominable,” and the evening was sometimes “frankly racist” in its “jokes” that “Negroes lacked taste.” Further, the “humorously defensive anti-Semitism” was “rather unpleasant.” But he praised the performances of Picon and Cambridge. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the show was a “rag-tag Catskill entertainment, amateurishly written and directed as a Saturday night in the social hall.” He felt Leonard was a “talented” composer who here was facing a “hopeless” assignment and thus had to “grind out junk-type songs” (but he noted one song was an “exquisite ballad”). He felt Picon’s and Cambridge’s performances were “uncoordinated and undirected,” and mentioned that Picon supposedly stepped out of character and chided Cambridge for being “clumsy tonight,” to which the latter “out-corned her with a phony break-up laugh.” Richard Watts in the New York Post found Picon a “lovely performer” and Cambridge a comedian of “exceptionally winning and intelligent skill,” but their material was satisfactory at best and resulted in an “odd and slender concoction.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal admitted the evening was a “bit thin” and “tired,” but it was nonetheless an “amiable spoof.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News also found the show “amiable” (if “placid”), and said it lacked “snap and sting.” Overall, he said he couldn’t find much to say about it because the show itself didn’t have much to say.

THE HAPPY TIME “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Broadway Theatre Opening Date: January 18, 1968 Closing Date: September 28, 1968 Performances: 285 Book: N. Richard Nash Lyrics: Fred Ebb Music: John Kander Based on the 1945 novel The Happy Time by Robert L. Fontaine and the 1950 play The Happy Time by Samuel Taylor. Direction and Choreography: Gower Champion (Kevin Carlisle, Associate Choreographer) (Film Sequences: Created by Christopher Chapman and Directed by Gower Champion; Film Technical Direction by Barry O. Gordon); Producer: David Merrick; Scenery: Peter Wexler; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Oscar Kosarin Cast: Robert Goulet (Jacques Bonnard), Jeanne Arnold (Suzanne Bonnard), George S. Irving (Philippe Bonnard), Mike (Michael) Rupert (Bibi Bonnard), Charles Durning (Louis Bonnard), Kim Freund (Annabelle Bonnard), Julane Stites (Gillie Bonnard), Connie Simmons (Nanette Bonnard), June Squibb (Felice Bonnard), David Wayne (Grandpere Bonnard); The Six Angels: Jacki Garland (Lizette), Mary Gail Laverenz (Sylvie), Tammie Fillhart (Dorine), Mary Ann O’Reilly (Monique), Vicki Powers (Bella), and Susan Sigrist (Grace), Julie Gregg (Laurie Mannon), Jeffrey Golkin (Foufie), Dallas Johann (Ganache); Students of St. Pierre Boys’ School: Dancers—Ron Abshire, Jovanni Anthony, Quinn Baird, Andy Bew, Blake Brown, Leonard Crofoot, Ron Crofoot, Wayne Dugger, Joe Giamalva, Dallas Johann, Gene Law, Steve Reinhart, Jon Simonson, Michael Stearns, Sammy Williams (Swing Dancer); Singers—Marc Anthony, Alan Bright, George Connolly, Tom De Mastri, Paul Dwyer, Scott Gandert, Eric Hamilton, Gary Hamilton, Jeffrey Hamilton, Kevin Hamilton, Mark Lonergran, Brian Shyer, Brandy Wayne, Teddy Williams, Marc Winters The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Jacques Bonnard’s studio in the present time, and in the small town of St. Pierre, Canada, in the past.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Happy Time” (Robert Goulet, The Bonnard Family); “He’s Back” (The Bonnard Family); “Catch My Garter” (Jacki Garland, Mary Gail Laverenz, Tammie Fillhart, Mary Ann O’Reilly, Vicki

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Powers, Susan Sigrist); “Tomorrow Morning” (Robert Goulet, David Wayne, Mike Rupert, Jacki Garland, Mary Gail Laverenz, Tammie Fillhart, Mary Ann O’Reilly, Vicki Powers, Susan Sigrist); “Please Stay” (Mike Rupert, Robert Goulet); “I Don’t Remember You” (Robert Goulet); “St. Pierre” (The Glee Club); “I Don’t Remember You” (reprise) (Julie Gregg, Robert Goulet); “Without Me” (Mike Rupert, Schoolmates); “The Happy Time” (reprise) (Robert Goulet) Act Two: “(Walking) among My Yesterdays” (Robert Goulet); “Please Stay” (reprise) (Julie Gregg); “The Life of the Party” (David Wayne, Jacki Garland, Mary Gail Laverenz, Tammie Fillhart, Mary Ann O’Reilly, Vicki Powers, Susan Sigrist, Schoolboys); “Seeing Things” (Robert Goulet, Julie Gregg); Ballet (aka “The Boys’ Ballet”) (Mike Rupert, Julane Stites, Kim Freund, Connie Simmons, Schoolboys); “A Certain Girl” (David Wayne, Robert Goulet, Mike Rupert); “Being Alive” (Robert Goulet); “St. Pierre” (reprise) (Schoolboys); “The Happy Time” (reprise) (Robert Goulet, Company) The Happy Time was loosely based on the novel and later play of the same name. Robert Fontaine’s novel was adapted for the stage in 1950 by Samuel Taylor, where it enjoyed a long run of 614 performances, and was then filmed in 1952. The musical adaptation was short on plot, and was even shorter on incident. It was a wispy memory piece, heavy on mood and atmosphere but offering little in the way of narrative. Further, the evening was stretched out to accommodate two extended dance sequences that had little to do with the story and were essentially time-fillers. For all that, the evening sustained a bittersweet, nostalgic mood as successful photographer Jacques Bonnard (Robert Goulet) looks back on his family in the little town of St. Pierre in Canada, recalling “the happy time” of his boyhood. There in the past he sees and remembers his naïve young nephew Bibi (Mike [Michael] Rupert), his endearingly naughty grandfather (David Wayne), his brothers (George S. Irving and Charles Durning), their respective wives (Jeanne Arnold and June Squibb), and Laurie Mannon (Julie Gregg), a girl he once loved. Memories swirl around Jacques as the concertina-like “memory music” of the title song carries him back to the days of youth and innocence. Gower Champion’s inventive staging added to the mood with the use of films and enlarged photographs that reflected the bygone world of Jacques’s past. Robert Goulet gave an affecting performance as Jacques, and won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical; Gower Champion also won the Tony for Best Direction and Best Choreography. Despite the lack of plot and characterization, John Kander and Fred Ebb came up with a number of distinguished songs, and it’s a shame their score is often overlooked by cabaret singers as well as by show buffs. Among the score’s highlights are a trio of haunting songs for Jacques, “(Walking) among My Yesterdays,” “I Don’t Remember You,” and the title song; Bibi’s musically edgy and lyrically entreating “Please Stay”; the family’s amusing fugue “He’s Back”; Grandpere’s bubbly “The Life of the Party”; and the richly melodic trio “A Certain Girl” for Grandpere, Jacques, and Bibi. During the tryout, the latter was performed as a duet for Grandpere and Bibi; the song had originally been written for Kander and Ebb’s unproduced musical Golden Gate, and can be heard on the demo recording of that score, performed by Kander and Ebb (Golden Gate, aka The Emperor of San Francisco, had been projected for production in 1965). On stage and on the cast recording, “Seeing Things” came across as a bombastic and shrill scold of a number; but in his collection The Kander & Ebb Album, Brent Barrett’s hushed and seductive interpretation completely reinvents the song and shows what a truly lovely ballad it is. Clive Barnes in the New York Times suggested The Happy Time might not give its audience the “happiest” time, but it would certainly guarantee a “moderately” happy one. He noted that sometimes the evening seemed like a “trimmed-down play” with “incidental” songs and dances, but he praised the “pleasant and agreeable” score, singling out the showstopper “The Life of the Party.” And he praised Champion’s direction, which utilized “beautifully free and open movement patterns” that allowed the scenes to “swirl” from one to the next with “gossamer sweetness and zest.” But for the second-act ballet sequence Champion “came a sore cropper”; the extraneous dance didn’t advance the plot and according to Barnes revealed the “ironic poverty” of the choreographer’s abilities. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily found the book “ridiculous” (“no story happens”) and felt the “old-fashioned” songs could have come from any number of other musicals. He said Champion directed “badly,” but when Champion “invented a dance cue . . . everything bursts into great charges of choreography” and redeems “great chunks of leaden dialogue.” He also liked Peter Wexler’s “dancing scenery” and the “constant and lovely display of films and slides.” As for Goulet, he played his role in the manner of a “patent

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leather vocalist for some Forties swing band in a Betty Grable movie . . . a very true yet musically insensitive voice.” Julie Gregg played his girlfriend “as a million other new faces have in a million other musicals.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said the musical was a struggle between a “brilliant production” and a “mediocre” book, and he feared the book won. But he praised Champion for keeping the show moving, and he liked the “agreeable” score as well as the scenery, projections, and costumes. John Chapman in the New York Daily News liked the “generally excellent” songs as well as the sets and projections, but suggested the book be thrown away and the story go back to its original sources for inspiration. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal praised “several” of the “very pleasant tunes” and liked the physical production. But he felt the evening’s “slow” moments kept the musical from being exciting and firstrate. He also noted that the six chorus girls were about “as likely to be in St. Pierre as a troupe of elephants,” and felt Wayne’s “The Life of the Party” was out of character. Indeed, the song was reminiscent of the title number in Hello, Dolly! because Wayne ascended and then descended a steep red stepladder as he celebrated Life with a capital “L” in his red coat and red paper hat against a backdrop of streamers, balloons, and chorus girls (Chapman suggested the song should be titled “Hello, Davy!”). During the tryout and New York preview period, the following songs were deleted: “Jeanne-Marie,” “Allez Oop,” “I Won’t Go,” and “I’m Getting Younger Every Year.” (“Being Alive” was cut shortly after the Broadway opening, and wasn’t recorded for the cast album.) During the tryout, the role of Laurie was played by Linda Bennett, who was replaced by Julie Gregg. During previews, Marc Winters’s role of Gaston was eliminated, but he remained in the production as one of the singers. Iva Withers was the standby for the characters of Suzanne and Felice. The script was published in softcover by The Dramatic Publishing Company in 1969. The cast album was recorded by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1144; later released on CD by RCA Victor Records # 09026-61016-2). Orch. ’70 Plays Music from “The Happy Time” was an instrumental interpretation of the score conducted by Joe Reisman that was also released by RCA (LP # LPM/LSP-3986). The score’s demo recording (performed by Kander and Ebb) includes the cut and/or unused songs “AllezOop,” “In His Own Good Time,” “I’m Getting Younger Every Year,” “If You Leave Me Now,” and “Being Alive.” “If You Leave Me Now” was also recorded for the collection Lost in Boston (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5475). In 1980, the musical was seen in a revised version at Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut, with Joe Masiell as Jacques. The production included one number cut prior to the Broadway opening (“JeanneMarie”) and three songs previously unused (“In His Own Good Time,” “I’m Sorry,” and “Running”).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (The Happy Time); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Robert Goulet); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Mike Rupert); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Julie Gregg); Best Director of a Musical (Gower Champion); Best Composer and Lyricist (John Kander and Fred Ebb); Best Scenic Designer (Peter Wexler); Best Costume Designer (Freddy Wittop); Best Choreographer (Gower Champion)

DARLING OF THE DAY “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: George Abbott Theatre Opening Date: January 27, 1968 Closing Date: February 24, 1968 Performances: 33 Book: Uncredited Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg Music: Jule Styne (dance music by Trude Rittman) Based on the 1908 novel Buried Alive by Arnold Bennett and The Great Adventure, his 1913 stage adaptation of the novel.

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Direction: Noel Willman (Fred Hebert, Assistant to the Director); Producers: The Theatre Guild and Joel Schenker; Choreography: Lee (Becker) Theodore; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Raoul Pène du Bois; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Buster Davis Cast: Peter Woodthorpe (Oxford), Vincent Price (Priam Farll), Charles Welch (Henry Leek), Carl Nicholas (Old Gentleman), Brenda Forbes (Lady Vale), Ross Miles (Cabby), Leo Leyden (Doctor), Patricia Routledge (Alice Challice), Joy Nichols (Daphne), Teddy Green (Alf), Marc Jordan (Bert), Beth Howland (Rosalind), Reid Klein (Sydney), Larry Brucker (Attendant), Paul Eichel (Frame Maker), Mitchell Jason (Duncan), John Aman (Equerry, Constable), Charles Gerald (The King), Camila Ashland (Mrs. Leek), Herb Wilson (Curate), Fred Siretta (Curate), Michael Lewis (Pennington), Leo Leyden (Judge); Singers: Marian Haraldson, Kay Oslin, Jeannette Seibert, Maggie Task, Maggie Worth, John Aman, Larry Brucker, Paul Eichel, Reid Klein, Carl Nicholas, Albert Zimmerman; Dancers: Bonnie Ano, Reby Howells, Beth Howland, Georgianne Thon, Phyllis Wallach, Denise Winston, Christopher Chadman, George Lee, Jim May, Ross Miles, Fred Siretta, Herb Wilson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in London and Putnam in 1905.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Mad for Art” (Art Lovers); “He’s a Genius” (Peter Woodthorpe, Vincent Price, Charles Welch); “To Get Out of This World Alive” (Vincent Price); “It’s Enough to Make a Lady Fall in Love” (Patricia Routledge, Teddy Green, Marc Jordan, Putney Friends); “A Gentleman’s Gentleman” (Patricia Routledge, Teddy Green, Marc Jordan, Vincent Price, Mitchell Jason, Bystanders); “Double Soliloquy” (Vincent Price, Patricia Routledge); “Let’s See What Happens” (Patricia Routledge, Vincent Price); “Panache” (Peter Woodthorpe, Brenda Forbes); “I’ve Got a Rainbow Working for Me” (Vincent Price, Putney Friends); “Money, Money, Money—” (Teddy Green, Marc Jordan, Reid Klein); “That Something Extra Special” (Patricia Routledge); “Money, Money, Money—” (reprise) (Teddy Green, Marc Jordan, Reid Klein) Act Two: “What Makes a Marriage Merry” (Patricia Routledge, Vincent Price, Teddy Green, Marc Jordan, Joy Nichols, Beth Howland); “He’s a Genius” (reprise) (Peter Woodthorpe, Assistants); “Not on Your Nellie” (Patricia Routledge, Teddy Green, Marc Jordan, Putney Friends); “Sunset Tree” (Vincent Price, Patricia Routledge); “Butler in the Abbey” (Vincent Price, Courtroom); “Not on Your Nellie” (reprise) (Company) Darling of the Day is sometimes referred to as Jule Styne’s “Frederick Loewe musical,” and for good reason. The British setting, the somewhat atypical Styne score (less brass and a more than usual gently melodic sweep), the typically witty lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, and a leading man who wasn’t much of a singer, all brought My Fair Lady to mind. But the musical received generally middling reviews and lacked a popular hit song, and so it was gone in a month. Later in the season, Patricia Routledge won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical (in a tie with Leslie Uggams for Hallelujah, Baby!), but by then Darling of the Day was history and to this day remains one of Styne’s least-known scores. The musical was based on Arnold Bennett’s 1908 novel Buried Alive, which he later adapted as the play The Great Adventure, which opened on Broadway in 1913 and was the first production to play the Booth Theatre. The musical was first announced as The Great Adventure as a vehicle for Geraldine Page. During the tryout, the show was titled Married Alive!, but for New York it became Darling of the Day, which had been the name of one of the songs deleted during the show’s chaotic tryout. The story centered on great but reclusive painter Priam Farll (Vincent Price), who returns to London with his valet Henry Leek (Charles Welch) after spending twenty years in the South Seas. Farll is to be knighted by the king, but he’s unimpressed with London society and the art world, and when Leek suddenly dies of a heart attack, Farll assumes his identity and lets the world think it is Farll who died. Farll discovers Leek has been corresponding with young widow Alice Challice (Patricia Routledge) via a marriage bureau, and decides to meet her. Alice has of course never met Leek, and so assumes Farll is her letter-writing correspondent. They fall in love and decide to marry, eventually settling in Putney where Farll can paint to his heart’s content and will never have to deal with pompous art dealers and greedy collectors. But Farll is rooted out by gallery owner Oxford (Peter Woodthorpe), who exposes him despite Farll’s insistence that he is indeed Leek. The matter goes to court, and Farll’s impersonation is discovered when it’s announced that the “real” Farll had moles on

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his neck, as does the impersonator of Leek. The court concludes that Britain’s social order will fall apart if there’s a butler in the abbey, and so Farll is allowed to continue his life as Leek and can paint for enjoyment. Clive Barnes in the New York Times said Buried Alive was a “crunchy” novel, but the musical was a “soggy cream puff . . . about as intriguing a confection as those to be found” at a bakery “at the end of a very long day.” As a result, Vincent Price’s character was reduced to a “zero-hero”; the part was made of straw, and Price performed it with “friendly blandness.” But in the “thumping good” “Not on Your Nellie,” which was the musical’s “high point,” Patricia Routledge stopped the show. Actually, in another musical Routledge would have stopped the show with this number; in the case of Darling of the Day, she started the show. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily found the musical an “embarrassment,” noting even Raoul Pène du Bois’s costumes were “ill-fitting, horribly colored designs executed in the skimpiest of materials.” As for Price, he had “about as much right to be on a musical stage as does Adolf Eichmann to raise funds for the United Jewish Appeal,” and he gave an “unusual and remarkable impression of cardboard.” But Routledge was like “an apple on a string, rosy, bouncing and delicious. . . . She may have been playing the commoner but she had all the class.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times noted that despite some problems (including a “messy” opening sequence as well as a “self-congratulatory” performance by Price), Darling of the Day “wins, and is winning.” Further, Styne’s score was one of his “very best,” Harburg’s lyrics were “fun,” and “the book—my God, even the book—is full of pleasant surprises.” Best of all was Routledge, here giving “the most spectacular, most scrumptious, most embraceable musical comedy debut since Beatrice Lillie and Gertrude Lawrence came to this country as a package” (Lillie and Lawrence had made their Broadway debuts in Andre Charlot’s Revue of 1924). Kerr warned his readers that “if you don’t catch her act now, you’ll someday want to kill yourself.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the new musical “bountiful,” and noted Routledge was the “toast of this town .  .  . the darlingest darling to come from overseas since Beatrice Lillie invaded this shore.” He also liked the score, “a double handful of jaunty songs,” and singled out Routledge’s “lovely ballad” “That Something Extra Special” and the “real house-wrecker” “Not on Your Nellie,” an “ebullient” song that in itself was “worth the ticket price.” Like John Chapman, who noted the musical’s title wasn’t “particularly apt,” Richard Watts in the New York Post thought the title “rather aimless.” But he praised the “superior musical comedy,” a “thoroughly delightful” show that had “charm, tunefulness, humor, imagination, a good book, impeccable taste and a handsome production.” As for Routledge, she was a “treasure” who justified the show’s title. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal wasn’t all that taken with the new musical, but he praised Routledge, noting she was the evening’s “chief attraction” and a “joy all the way through.” Steven Vinaver, the musical’s original director, was replaced by Noel Willman. The book was by Nunnally Johnson, but by the time of the New York premiere his name was no longer in the credits, and like The Conquering Hero no one was credited for the book. During the tryout and New York previews, the following songs were dropped: “People on Exhibition” (a dance sequence), “Darling of the Day,” “Lying in State,” “A Blushing Bride,” “Where Would Britain Be without a Butler,” “Putney on the Thames,” “I’m Simp-Ally Mad for Bones,” “Lady Alice” (a montage sequence), “Stranger in Your Eyes” (aka “That Stranger in Your Arms”), “Don’t Pour the Thames into the Rhine,” “Ding Dong Day,” and “A Little Extra Shilling” (the latter may have been reworked as “That Something Extra Special”). The cast recording was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # LOC/LSO-1149; the CD was released by RCA # 09026-63334-2); the cast album didn’t include “Mad for Art” and “Double Soliloquy,” both of which were performed during the New York run. The show’s demo recording includes the deleted “Putney on the Thames,” which had first been heard in Subways Are for Sleeping as “Strange Duet.” Another song from the musical, “It’s Enough to Make a Lady Fall in Love,” had been earlier heard as “The Guy with the Polka-Dot Tie” (from Ice Capades of 1943, which had opened at Madison Square Garden on September 4, 1942). The collection The Unknown Theatre Songs of Jule Styne (Blue Pear Records LP # BP-1011) includes “Putney on the Thames,” “A Blushing Bride,” and “That Stranger in Your Arms.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Patricia Routledge, in a tie with Leslie Uggams for Hallelujah, Baby!)

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GOLDEN RAINBOW “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Shubert Theatre Opening Date: February 4, 1968 Closing Date: January 12, 1969 Performances: 383 Book: Ernest Kinoy Lyrics and Music: Walter Marks Based on the 1955 teleplay The Heart’s a Forgotten Hotel and its 1957 stage adaptation A Hole in the Head, both by Arnold Schulman. Direction: Arthur Storch; Producers: Joseph P. Harris and Ira Bernstein (A Diplomat Production); Choreography: Tom Panko; Scenery and Lighting: Robert Randolph; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Musical Direction: Elliot Lawrence Cast: Alan Kass (Mr. Novotny), Scott Jacoby (Ally), Howard Mann (Mr. Hausknecht), Linda Jorgens (Eloise, Persian Girl), Charles Karel (Laundryman, First Reporter, Stage Manager), Will Hussung (Henry), Sid Raymond (Mr. Diamond), Steve Lawrence (Larry Davis), Fay Sappington (Mrs. Magruder), Joseph Sirola (Lou Garrity), Gene Foote (Jerome Stone), Marilyn Cooper (Rosemary Garrity), John Anania (Gordon, Nebuchadnezzar), Sam Kressen (Mr. Korngold), Lanier Davis (Second Reporter, Victor), Diana Saunders (Lead Dancer, Virgin), Eydie Gormé (Judy Harris), Carol Conte (Georgia), Thelma Sherr (Stripper), Frank Pietri (Sam), Larry Merritt (Umbawa), Carole Bishop (Cat-Girl), Antony De Vecchi (Hero), Michael Vita (Gambler); Dancers: Carole Bishop, Carol Conte, Susan Donovan, Antony De Vecchi, Tina Faye, Alice Glenn, Linda Jorgens, Maralyn Miles, Jean Preece, Wayne Boyd, Gene Foote, Blair Hammond, Larry Merritt, Frank Pietri, Tom Rolla, Michael Shawn, Michael Vita; Showgirls: Betty Jo Alvies, Bernadette Brookes, Rae Samuels, Thelma Sherr The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Las Vegas at the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Golden Rainbow” (Las Vegans); “We Got Us” (Steve Lawrence, Scott Jacoby); “He Needs Me Now” (Eydie Gormé); “Kid” (Steve Lawrence); “For Once in Your Life” (Eydie Gormé, Steve Lawrence, The Boys); “Taking Care of You” (Eydie Gormé, Scott Jacoby, Friends); “I’ve Got to Be Me” (Steve Lawrence) Act Two: “The Fall of Babylon” (Babylonians); “Taste” (Joseph Sirola, Friends); “Desert Moon” (Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gormé); “All in Fun” (Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gormé); “It’s You Again” (Eydie Gormé); “I’ve Got to Be Me” (reprise) (Steve Lawrence); “How Could I Be So Wrong?” (Eydie Gormé); “We Got Us” (reprise) (Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gormé, Scott Jacoby); Finale (Company) Golden Rainbow was based on Arnold Schulman’s 1957 comedy-drama A Hole in the Head, which in turn had been based on his teleplay of the same name. The plot centered on a Miami Beach widower who’s trying to raise his young son while attempting to make a go of his rundown hotel. After his brother and sisterin-law fail in their efforts to find him a second wife, they try to gain custody of the boy, but they fail at that, too, when the boy insists on remaining with his father. The locale of the musical was switched to Las Vegas, but the basic plot still centered on widower Larry Davis (Steve Lawrence) who is struggling to keep his decrepit Golden Rainbow Motel afloat, pay his bills, and raise his son Ally (Scott Jacoby). For the musical, his successful fashion-consultant sister-in-law Judy Harris (Eydie Gormé) wants custody of Ally so he can live with her in New York. Before Larry’s marriage, he and Judy had been an item, but now there’s no love lost between them (as Judy says, “The only thing we have in common now is hostility”). Larry calls her “The Wicked Witch of the East” and hopes Dorothy will drop a house on her, and she calls him a bum. But, hey, this is Steve ’n’ Eydie we’re talking about, and so by the finale they’re in each other’s arms and along with Ally they sing a reprise of “We Got Us.” The show’s book was barely a booklet, the songs were sometimes extraneous (“The Fall of Babylon,” “Desert Moon”), and there wasn’t much in the way of characterizations—or, for that matter, even other characters (of the score’s thirteen songs, ten were performed as solos or duets by the stars, two were performed

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by chorus members, and only one by a secondary character). Walter Marks’s score was by no means distinguished, but it was tuneful, brassy, and pleasantly old-fashioned in an old-hat Las Vegas-lounge-music kind of way. And in “I’ve Gotta Be Me” the show boasted one of the most popular Broadway songs of the era. But it was Steve ’n’ Eydie who made the evening work. Their stage chemistry was charming (if perhaps somewhat calculated), they seemed to be having a genuinely good time, and both had stage presence. They were stars, and their enthusiasm rubbed off on the audience. So despite mixed reviews, the show managed to run a year. Clive Barnes in the New York Times noted Lawrence’s character in Golden Rainbow was similar to the title role he played in What Makes Sammy Run? In this case, What Makes Larry Walk? would have been an appropriate title because of the new show’s “slow pace,” but the evening was often “shaken into spurts of life” thanks to the “sweetly, glossily naturalistic expertise” of its two stars. But Barnes felt the show had let them down; instead of dialogue, the two traded “insult wisecracks .  .  . with a dazzling casualness” that resulted in their coming across like “two comedians pretending to put each other down with a comic feud.” Thus the evening seemed like a “slickly contrived cabaret act” and an “end-of-the-season television spectacular.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the first act offered more “genuine entertainment” than any Broadway musical of the past two years, and if the second act “nearly collapsed,” the evening nonetheless provided “flashes” of “good show-biz razzle-dazzle.” The stars’ dialogue was essentially nightclub material consisting of “floor show exchanges, a collection of wisecracks and patter,” and their songs were “singable, even catchy in a stock style . . . very entertaining.” James Davis in the New York Daily News felt Lawrence’s “best song in a lean larder” was “I’ve Got to Be Me” (in later Playbills, the title was altered to “I’ve Gotta Be Me”), and Gormé’s stand-out number was “How Could I Be So Wrong?” Davis was also taken with the show’s opening number, a title song that was “bouncy” and made the evening “full of promise.” But after this “rousing introduction,” the show drifted into “dull musical comedy.” Shortly after the Broadway premiere, this song was dropped in favor of a new opening number (“24 Hours a Day”). Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal found the musical “quite old-fashioned and considerably below the current standards of Broadway.” But he liked Lawrence’s “vigorous performance,” and he praised Gormé’s “excellent singing voice.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said the show “offered at best only a moderately diverting evening’s entertainment,” and while it wasn’t a “bad musical comedy,” it was not “particularly interesting.” Like Barnes, Watts noted Lawrence’s character was similar to Sammy Glick. And while he didn’t mention “I’ve Got to Be Me” by name, Watts said there was one number that he “enjoyed particularly” (although it reminded him of a song from The Roar of the Greasepaint). The script was published in softcover by Metromedia-on-Stage (undated). The cast album was recorded by Calendar Records (LP # KOM/KOS-1001); Lawrence also recorded two songs for Calendar Records 45 RPM # 63-1001 (“I’ve Got to [Gotta] Be Me” and the deleted “Life’s a Gamble”) and Gormé recorded two as well on the same label (# 63-1002), “How Could I Be So Wrong” and “He Needs Me Now.” She also recorded “It’s You Again” for her collection Eydie (RCA Victor Records/Stage II Productions, Inc., LP # LSP-4093). The cast album was later released on CD by GL Records (# GL-309); appropriately enough, the recording company was located in Las Vegas. The demo recording included “Life’s a Gamble” as well as a second deleted number, “Suddenly You.” Soon after the Broadway opening, the title song was replaced by “24 Hours a Day”; the latter was recorded for the cast album, but the eventually deleted title song can be heard on the demo. During the tryout and New York previews, the following songs were dropped: “Live It Up,” “The Time Is Now,” “No Chance, No Dice, No Deal,” and the previously mentioned “Life’s a Gamble” and “Suddenly You.” During the tryout, choreographer Ronald (Ron) Field was replaced by Tom Panko. Walter Marks’s New York Playbill bio indicated his musical adaptation of The Teahouse of the August Moon would be seen on Broadway at the end of 1968, and the program for a later 1969 summer stock production of Golden Rainbow (with Gordon MacRae, Aliza Kashi, and Scott Jacoby) indicated the Teahouse musical would open on Broadway in late 1969. Teahouse finally made it to Broadway on December 28, 1970, for a short run of sixteen performances. But the score wasn’t by Marks. The Broadway adaptation’s lyrics and music were by Stan Freeman and Franklin Underwood. A Hole in the Head inspired two popular songs: not only “I’ve Got to Be Me” from Golden Rainbow, but also “High Hopes,” from the 1959 film adaptation of A Hole in the Head (introduced in the film by Frank Sinatra, the song, with lyric by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen, won the Academy Award for Best Song).

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Scott Jacoby); Best Scenic Designer (Robert Randolph)

THE GRAND MUSIC HALL OF ISRAEL Theatre: Palace Theatre Opening Date: February 6, 1968 Closing Date: March 31, 1968 Performances: 64 Direction and Choreography: Jonathan Karmon; Producers: Lee Guber and Shelly Gross, by arrangement with Bruno Coquatrix; Costumes: Designed by Hovav Kruvi and executed by Berta Kwartz; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Itzchak Graziani Cast: Helena Hendel, Geula Gill and The High Willows (David Tal, Igal Hared), Ilan and Ilanit, The Carmelim (Ruty, David, Shima, Michal, Hannan), Nishri, Boaz and Nechemia, Alice and Hannan, The Karmon Histadruth Ballet The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Israeli Rhapsody” (Karmon Histadruth Ballet); Songs of Youth: “Lavriada” (lyric and music by M. Lavry and Itzchak Graziani); “Bekol makom” (lyric and music by Gilad Ben Shachar); “Nagnu bekol” (lyric and music by Fred Nil and Drora Chafkin); and “Shav ani eleich” (lyric and music by Gilad Ben Shachar) (Ilan and Ilanit); “Dance of the Fisherman” (Karmon Histadruth Ballet); “Oriental Rhythms” (Boaz and Nechemia); The New Sound of Israel’s Hit Parade: “Keren yar” (lyric and music by Naomi Shemer); “Shilgia” (lyric and music by Naomi Shemer and Guy Beart); and “Machar” (lyric and music by Naomi Shemer and Itzchak Graziani) (The Carmelim [Ruty, David, Shima, Michal, Hannan]); “Hassidic” (dance) (music by Gill Aldena) (Karmon Histadruth Ballet) Act Two: “Desert Rhythms (on the Seaside of the Mediterranean)” (Karmon Histadruth Ballet); Helena Hendel (“One of Israel’s greatest artists [who] tells the story of her people in song”); “A Day Like Every Day in a Kibbutz on the Border” (Yona and the Karmon Histadruth Ballet); “Music in a Novel Manner” (including the “Sabre Dance” [music by Aram Katchaturian]) (Nishri); “The New Spirit of a People in Their Singing Style” (Geula Gill and The High Willows [David Tal, Igal Hared]); “The Feasts of the Kibbutz” (Karmon Histadruth Ballet); “Shalom from the Grand Music Hall of Israel” (including the song “Jerusalem of Gold”) (Company) The revue The Grand Music Hall of Israel was directed and choreographed by Jonathan Karmon, and was presented in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. It was a vaudeville-like evening of dances, songs, and various novelty acts, and had previously been produced in Tel Aviv, Paris, and other countries. Dan Sullivan in the New York Times said vaudeville (Israeli-style) was back at the Palace, and it was a “happy” event, “especially if you are Jewish.” Unlike Fiddler on the Roof, the revue didn’t look far back into the history of the Jewish people. Here was an evening that concentrated mostly on the “vigor, youth [and] fun” of the present, and sometimes its “mod” look was a bit disconcerting. Sullivan noted that the equivalent of the revue’s singing quintet could be found “in every Middlesex village and farm,” and Karmon’s dancers traded a “native” style in favor of a “slightly homogenized look.” Otherwise, the evening was “colorful,” “fast-moving,” and “easy to like.” Sullivan singled out singer Geula Gill as the best on the bill. She was an Eydie Gormé type (“if Eydie had been born in Israel instead of the Bronx”), and her songs reflected both “ache” and “glitter.” Others in the cast included Nishri, a xylophonist who “brought down the house” with his ability to produce calliope-like music from a “forest” of wooden sticks, and Helena Hendel, a guitarist-folksinger who included Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” in her repertoire.

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Karmon produced a total of six Jewish-oriented revues in New York over a period of fourteen years. His first Broadway visit was a dance revue titled Karmon Israeli Dancers in 1962, and this was followed by the current Grand Music Hall of Israel in 1968; his other Broadway offerings were The New Grand Music Hall of Israel (1969), and To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter (1971). His final revues were seen Off-Broadway: a new edition of The Grand Music Hall of Israel in 1973 and the 1976 revue Don’t Step on My Olive Branch. The 1967 Paris cast album of The Grand Music Hall of Israel was recorded by London International Records (LP # SW-99463), and To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter was released by Buddah Records (LP # 95004) on a two-LP set. A flavor of Karmon’s other revues can be sampled on two recordings by Vanguard Records: Folk Songs (LP # VRS-9048) and Songs of the Sabras (LP # VRS-9060), both of which include songs and dance music by the Karmon Israeli Dancers and Singers.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Geula Gill)

HERE’S WHERE I BELONG “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Billy Rose Theatre Opening Date: March 3, 1968 Closing Date: March 3, 1968 Performances: 1 Book: Alex Gordon (see notes below) Lyrics: Alfred Uhry Music: Robert Waldman (dance music by Arnold Goland) Based on the 1952 novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Direction: Michael Kahn; Producers: Mitch Miller in association with United Artists; Choreography: Tony Mordente; Scenery: Ming Cho Lee; Costumes: Ruth Morley; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Theodore Saidenberg Cast: Paul Rogers (Adam Trask), Walter McGinn (Caleb Trask), Ken Kercheval (Aron Trask), James Coco (Lee), Casper Roos (Will Hamilton), Bette Henritze (Mrs. Bacon), Dena Dietrich (Mrs. Tripp), Patricia Kelly (Mrs. Heink), Heather MacRae (Abra Bacon), Lee Wilson (Schoolchild), Tod Miller (Schoolchild), Barbara Webb (Miss Ida), Scott Jarvis (Rabbit Holman), Graciela Daniele (Faith), Aniko Morgan (Eva), Dorothy Lister (Della), Nancy Wickwire (Kate), Joseph Nelson (Joe), Joetta Cherry (Juana), Taylor Reed (Newspaper Man), Darrell Askey (British Purchasing Agent); Townspeople, Mexican Field Workers, Denizens of Castroville Street: Darrell Askey, Joetta Cherry, Graciela Daniele, Elisa DeMarko, Larry Devon, John Dickerson, Bud Fleming, John William Gardner, Gene Gavin, John Johann, Ray Kirchner, Jane Laughlin, Dorothy Lister, Andy Love, Richard Marr, David McCorkle, Joyce McDonald, Tod Miller, Aniko Morgan, Joan Nelson, Joseph Nelson, Donald Norris, Taylor Reed, Clifford Scott, Joy Serio, Michele Simmons, David Thomas, Barbara Webb, Lee Wilson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Salinas, California, in 1915–1917.

Musical Numbers Act One: “We Are What We Are” (Paul Rogers, Walter McGinn, James Coco, Ken Kercheval); “Cal Gets By” (Walter McGinn); “Raising Cain” (Walter McGinn , Ensemble); “Soft Is the Sparrow” (Ken Kercheval); “Where Have I Been?” (Paul Rogers, James Coco, Townspeople); “No Time” (aka “No Time Is a Good Good-Bye Time”) (Walter McGinn, Ken Kercheval); “Progress” (Male Ensemble); “Good Boy” (Walter McGinn); Ballet (known as the “Lettuce Harvest Ballet”) (Walter McGinn, Joetta Cherry, Heather MacRae,

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Dancing Ensemble); “Act Like a Lady” (Heather MacRae); “The Send-Off” (Townspeople); “Top of the Train” (Paul Rogers, Walter McGinn); “Waking Up Sun” (Heather MacRae, Walter McGinn) Act Two: “Pulverize the Kaiser” (Bette Henritze, Dena Dietrich, Patricia Kelly, Townspeople); “Where Have I Been?” (reprise) (Paul Rogers); “Good Boy” (reprise) (Ken Kercheval); “You’re Momma’s” (Nancy Wickwire); “Here’s Where I Belong” (aka “Here Is Where I Belong”) (Walter McGinn, Heather MacRae); “We’re a Home” (Paul Rogers, James Coco, Ken Kercheval, Heather MacRae, Walter McGinn) John Steinbeck’s bloated and somewhat pretentious 1952 novel East of Eden was made into a memorable 1955 film directed by Elia Kazan and scripted by Paul Osborn, and with a cast that included James Dean, Richard Davalos, Raymond Massey, Julie Harris, Jo Van Fleet, Burl Ives, and, in a very small but memorable role, Lois Smith. Like the film, the musical adaptation focused on two fraternal twins, Caleb and Aron Trask (Walter McGinn and Ken Kercheval), and their conflicted relationships with one another and their father Adam (Paul Rogers), who favors Aron over Caleb; further, both brothers are attracted to Abra (Heather MacRae). The brothers believe their mother, Kate (Nancy Wickwire), died in childbirth; Adam has never told them she abandoned them and is now the madam of a brothel. Caleb eventually discovers the truth about Kate, and when Adam refuses to accept a gift of money from Caleb, Caleb burns the money and tells Aron the truth about their mother. Unable to face this reality, Aron joins the army, and is killed in the war. On his deathbed, Adam finally realizes it is Caleb who was always the responsible son and the one who deserved his love. Clive Barnes in the New York Times said the “most distinguished” aspect of Here’s Where I Belong was Ming Cho Lee’s scenery. Otherwise, the show was “clumsy and leaden-footed,” and the “too serious” and “unusually somber” evening was never quite comfortable within the conventions of musical comedy (a “jolly” song-and-dance sequence was soon followed by a “big” dramatic scene, and “the mind cannot adjust so easily”). Barnes was right when he suggested the novel would have been better served as an opera than a musical, noting that in the overture and in some songs Robert Waldman created a musical sound akin to a “muted, distorted echo of Aaron Copeland.” If Waldman had gone further in this direction the results might have been satisfying. Otherwise, Barnes said the musical “should probably have ended up not only East of Eden but West of Philadelphia.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said Here’s Where I Belong was “an imitation of a musical”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News suggested the creators should have consulted with Steinbeck on how to fix the show, and noted the book was never clear about why Kate left Adam to run a bordello, and further he could never figure out which brother Abra loves; Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical “desperately dreary . . . a curiously ungainly amalgamation of story and music” that resulted in a “clumsy juxtaposition of elements. . . . Everything appears to have gone wrong with Here’s Where I Belong.” With such negative reviews (only Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal was cautiously positive, noting that the evening was “not of a high voltage, but it has its rewards if one is patient”), the producer Mitch Miller closed the show after its opening-night performance. Barnes noted that for the pivotal role of Caleb, Walter McGinn resembled Dean, and “did well” even if he lacked Dean’s “morose intensity,” and Gottfried also mentioned McGinn’s resemblance to Dean (but noted he lacked Dean’s “nervous intensity”). As Adam, Royal Shakespeare Company actor Paul Rogers (who had won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his role of the father in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming during the previous season) was singled out by Barnes for the “great dignity” of his performance; Barnes also noted Rogers had a “strong” singing voice and a “faultless” American accent. Gottfried said Rogers was a “terrific” actor who played his role “quite straightforwardly, as if in a drama.” Barnes was “much taken” by the “sugar-and-roses prettiness” of Heather MacRae (Gordon MacRae’s daughter), and Gottfried found her “genuinely impressive.” As for Nancy Wickwire, Gottfried said her part was “less a role than a crumb,” and she was “nearly humiliated by its nonsense.” Barnes noted her role of a “red-hot mama who prefers a house to a home” was an “impossible” part, which Wickwire “acted impossibly.” The critics were generally unimpressed with Waldman’s music and Alfred Uhry’s lyrics, although, as noted, Barnes felt if Waldman had been allowed to develop his score in the direction of opera his contributions might have worked better. Cooke noted the score was “unpretentious” and was at its best in “lively” hoe-down numbers and “attractive” ballads, and Chapman found some of the songs “attractive,” singling out “No Time” and “Progress.” Gottfried felt the score was “more than pleasant if you’re willing to overlook its being 15 years behind the times” and if one also overlooked the “obvious influences” of Copeland, Bernstein, and Sondheim.

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During the tryout and New York preview period, the following songs were dropped: “Perfect,” “Sweeping Change,” “Tell Me about Your Eden,” and “Mr. Mouse.” During the tryout, Hanya Holm was credited with the production’s choreography and musical staging, but by the New York preview period, no one was credited; instead, the program noted there was a “Ballet by Hanya Holm.” (This was of course the so-called “Lettuce Harvest Ballet,” which fair or not, is often grouped with two other notorious ballets of the period, Café Crown’s “King Lear Ballet” and Ari’s concentration-camp ballet, “Dov’s Nightmare.”) By opening night, “dances and musical staging” were credited to Tony Mordente, and Holm’s name was completely eliminated from the Playbill, lettuce harvest ballet or no lettuce harvest ballet. During the tryout and New York previews, Terrence McNally was credited with the book, but by opening night he had left the show and the Playbill credited the non-existent “Alex Gordon” as the author of the book. Prior to the New York opening night, Genevieve Pitot was listed as the composer of the dance music, but the opening night Playbill credited Arnold Goland. The musical was picketed on opening night by Asian members of Actors Equity, who protested that an Asian role in the musical (the servant, or houseboy, Lee) was performed by a Caucasian actor (James Coco). The original cast album had been scheduled to be recorded by United Artists Records, but the recording was cancelled due to the brief Broadway run. Blue Pear Records later released a recording of a performance from a Broadway preview, which didn’t include “Top of the Train” and the so-called “Lettuce-Harvest Ballet,” both of which were performed on opening night. A demo recording included six songs from the musical. As “Reveille Sun,” “Waking Up Sun” (aka “Waking-Up Sun”) was included in the collection Unsung Musicals III (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5769). The musical’s title song was recorded by Heather MacRae and Lewis Cleale for the collection Lost Broadway and More (Original Cast Records CD # OC-6830), and MacRae performed “Waking Up Sun” for Lost Broadway and More Volume 3 (no label and unnumbered, but presumably released by Original Cast Records). Here’s Where I Belong marked the first of three scores written by Waldman and Uhry. Their musical The Robber Bridegroom, first produced Off-Off-Broadway in 1974, was seen on Broadway in 1975 for a limited two-week engagement and then was produced on Broadway for an open-end run in 1976. The score was minor but pleasant, and for his title role in the 1976 production Barry Bostwick won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. The team’s final effort was the ambitious concept musical Swing, which closed during its pre-Broadway tryout in 1980 and offered a delightful and melodic pastiche-driven score. Uhry went on to win the 1987–1988 Pulitzer Prize for his Off-Broadway drama Driving Miss Daisy, and won the 1997 Tony Award for his Broadway drama The Last Night of Ballyhoo. The 1989 film version of Driving Miss Daisy won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Jessica Tandy), and Best Screenplay (Uhry). Driving Miss Daisy was revived on Broadway in 2010 with Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones. In 1995, another musical version of the material appeared when the Japanese Takarazuka troupe presented East of Eden. The musical seems to have used little in the way of original music, and instead emphasized traditional spirituals (“Joshua Fit De Battle of Jericho” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”), songs of the World War I era (“It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary”), and even a title song with music by Leonard Rosenman, who composed the background music for the 1955 film. A two-CD set was released by TCA Records (# TCAC-6). Besides the two lyric adaptations of East of Eden, there have been other musical adaptations of Steinbeck’s works. His 1937 novella and play Of Mice and Men has been adapted twice, first as a 1958 Off-Broadway musical that played for thirty-seven performances (book by Ira J. Bilowit and Wilson Lehr, lyrics by Ira J. Bilowit, and music by Alfred Brooks), and then as an opera with libretto and music by Carlisle Floyd, which premiered in Seattle in 1970 and was first produced in New York in 1983; an operatic version of his 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath was adapted by Ricky Ian Gordon, and was presented by the Minnesota Opera in 2007; Steinbeck’s 1950 novel and play Burning Bright was adapted as an opera by Frank Lewin, and premiered at Yale University in 1983; and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Pipe Dream, which opened on Broadway in 1955 for 246 performances, was based on the novel Sweet Thursday (1954); although the Broadway run was the shortest of any of the team’s works, it nonetheless offered a melodic, often unappreciated score. Except for the Off-Broadway Of Mice and Men, all the musical and operatic versions of Steinbeck’s works have been recorded. Besides the 1955 film version of East of Eden, there was a 1981 television mini-series; and as of this writing another theatrical film version of the novel is in development.

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Of James Dean’s three major films, East of Eden (1955), Rebel without a Cause (1955), and Giant (1956), he lived to see the release of only the first one. He died in an automobile accident on September 30, 1955, and on the day before his death, his Eden costar Richard Davalos opened on Broadway, creating the role of Rodolpho in the original production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, and the day after his death Eden costar Lois Smith opened on Broadway in Sally Benson’s play The Young and Beautiful. Ironically, a few years after his appearance in Here’s Where I Belong, Walter McGinn, who played Dean’s film role of Caleb, also died in a car accident.

THE EDUCATION OF H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Alvin Theatre Opening Date: April 4, 1968 Closing Date: April 27, 1968 Performances: 28 Book: Benjamin Bernard Zavin Lyrics and Music: Paul Nassau and Oscar Brand Based on short stories by Leo Rosten, which originally appeared in the New Yorker and then in the 1939 collection The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N; another collection (The Return of H*Y*M *A*N K*A*P*L*A*N) was published in 1959. Direction: George Abbott; Producers: Andre Goulston/Jack Farren and Stephen Mellow (David W. Sampliner, Associate Producer); Choreography: Jaime Rogers; Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Winn Morton; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Julian Stein Cast: Stephen Bolster (Jimmy), Dick Ensslen (Pushcart Vendor), Cyril Murkin (Old Clothes Man), Donna McKechnie (Kathy McKenna), Nathaniel Frey (Sam Pinsky), David Gold (Reuben Pionsky), Dick Latessa (Giovanni Pastora), Honey Sanders (Mrs. Moskowitz), Susan Camber (Sarah Moskowitz), Gary Krawford (Mr. Parkhill), Maggie Task (Fanny Gidwitz), Barbara Minkus (Rose Mitnick), Tom Bosley (Hyman Kaplan), Dorothy Emmerson (Eileen Higby), Beryl Towbin (Marie Vitale), Mimi Sloan (Mrs. Mitnick), Wally Engelhardt (Officer Callahan), Hal Linden (Yissel Fishbein), David Ellin (Guard), Rufus Smith (Judge Mahon); Dancers: Pamela Barlow, Mickie Bier, Susan Camber, Joanne DiVito, Andrea Duda, Lee Lund, Kuniko Narai, Eileen Woliner, Takeshi Hamagaki, Yanco Inone, Pat Matera, Barry Preston, George Ramos, Steven Ross; Singers: Alice Cannon, Martha Danielle, Trudy Wallace, Edward Becker, David Ellin, Jack Fletcher The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the Lower East Side of New York City during the period 1919–1920.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Strange New World” (Gary Krawford); “OOOO-EEEE” (Tom Bosley, Barbara Minkus, Gary Krawford, Students); “A Dedicated Teacher” (Dorothy Emmerson, Beryl Towbin, Gary Krawford); “Lieben dich” (Tom Bosley); “Loving You” (Barbara Minkus); “The Day I Met Your Father” (Mimi Sloan); “Anything Is Possible” (Tom Bosley, Students, Dancers, Singers); “Spring in the City” (Donna McKechnie, Dick Latessa, David Gold, Nathaniel Frey, Honey Sanders, Maggie Task, Dancers, Singers) Act Two: “Old-Fashioned Husband” (Hal Linden); “Julius Caesar” (Tom Bosley); “I Never Felt Better in My Life” (Tom Bosley, Dancers, Singers); “When Will I Learn?” (Barbara Minkus); “All American” (Nathaniel Frey, Students) A few critics were mystified by the asterisks in the musical’s title, but as far as Jewish immigrant Hyman Kaplan was concerned, these weren’t asterisks. They were stars that represented those on the American flag, and so the sign on his tailor shop boasted the name H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N. (The only mystery is why Hyman didn’t add “stars” after the last letters of his first and last names.)

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The musical was based on Leo Rosten’s New Yorker short stories about Jewish immigrants in New York during the early decades of the twentieth century. Hyman Kaplan (Tom Bosley) and various Jewish and Italian immigrants living in the Lower East Side during 1919–1920 dutifully attend English classes as the first step in becoming an American citizen. Hyman, eager to become a citizen and proud to be in America, is a willing if somewhat exasperating pupil of Mr. Parkhill (Gary Krawford), who teaches at P.S. 102. And it’s there that Hyman falls in love with fellow-pupil Rose Mitnick (Barbara Minkus), whose family is pressuring her to marry the pompous Yissel Fishbein (Hal Linden), a man she doesn’t love. When Hyman becomes unwittingly involved with radicals, he’s arrested and risks deportation, but all ends well when he’s cleared of any subversive charges, is united with Rose, and, at the finale, recites the Pledge of Allegiance with his fellow, newly minted citizens. Clive Barnes in the New York Times noted the season had been a “famine” for musicals, and so he felt this “modest” musical was “better than most” of the recent crop. Although the book was “hokey,” it had a “certain charm,” and he liked the performances, singling out (as did the other critics) Hal Linden in what might be called the “Jack Cassidy” role. Linden played Rose’s “smug” and “self-satisfied” fiancé, and his song “Old-Fashioned Husband” was the evening’s show-stopper; “exuding complacency out of his very pores,” Linden was “so dazzlingly unpleasant that he was even able to win your sympathy.” Throughout his review, Barnes alternately referred to the show’s title as Hyman Asterisk, The Education of Hyman Asterisk, The Asterisked Hyman and His Education, and The Education of ***** *****. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the new musical “funny, warm-hearted, offbeat . . . a welcome addition to our spring show season,” and he praised Bosley’s “endearing” performance. He also liked Jaime Rogers’s choreography, noting that three “big” dance sequences had been “inventively” staged by him. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the musical was “oddly endearing” with an “unassuming” score complemented with lyrics that were “intelligent and to the point and often very funny.” But Richard Watts in the New York Post deemed the musical “a flat and essentially unexhilarating evening” with a “never very enlivening” book; further, he found the songs “modestly agreeable” but “far from memorable.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily found the book inadequate, and called the score “hackneyed and even trashy.” But he praised Rogers’s “splendid” choreography and found Hal Linden “absolutely swell” in the role of Rose’s self-obsessed fiancé. Much of the evening’s humor emanated from Hyman’s confusion with the English language. As a result, he states his “hobo” is hiking (when he means “hobby”); that he likes to see the trees, birds, grass, and “bloomers” (“blooms”); for “Julius Caesar” he refers to “Julius Scissor”; and Shakespeare’s “sound and fury” becomes “sounds and phooey.” Barnes felt the book was too quick to capitalize on “immigrant howlers of language,” and it does seem that a little of this kind of humor went a long way. Featured player Gary Krawford seems to have been typecast. Hyman Kaplan marked the second time in two years when he appeared on Broadway as a character associated with a school, first as a student in PousseCafe and then as a teacher in Hyman Kaplan. And he later appeared in the national tour of Zorba as the introverted former professor who finally learns to live when he meets the title character. The script was published in softcover by the Dramatic Publishing Company in 1968. In the script, the songs “OOOO-EEEE,” “A Dedicated Teacher,” “Lieben dich,” and “Julius Caesar” are identified as “Ooee Ooere,” “Teachers on Parade,” “Lieben dir,” and “Shakespeare.” During the tryout, the song “Homework” was deleted. There was no cast recording, but the collection Forgotten Broadway Vol. II (unlabeled LP # T-102) includes an original cast performance of Barbara Minkus performing “When Will I Learn?” and Broadway Musicals of 1968 (Original Cast Records CD # 6243) includes “Loving You.” “When Will I Learn?” was also recorded by Nick Palmer on RCA Victor Records 45 RPM # 47-9486. The production boasted three future Tony Award-winning performers: Donna McKechnie, Hal Linden, and Dick Latessa. Another cast member was Broadway stalwart Nathaniel Frey, who had appeared with Hyman star Tom Bosley in another George Abbott-directed musical, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fiorello! (1959). Frey was also in the original casts of a number of productions (except for Goldilocks and She Loves Me, all were directed by Abbott), including Barefoot Boy with Cheek (1947), High Button Shoes (1947), Call Me Madam (1950), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951), Wonderful Town (1953), Damn Yankees (1955), Goldilocks (1958), and She Loves Me (1963). In the original 1965 production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, he created the role of Murray (the cop).

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Two decades after Hyman Kaplan closed, it was revived for a limited Off-Off-Broadway engagement by the American Jewish Theatre, and included two songs not heard in the original Broadway production (“The Adult Class” and “Love Will Come”).

GEORGE M! “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Palace Theatre Opening Date: April 10, 1968 Closing Date: April 26, 1969 Performances: 427 Book: Michael Stewart and John and Fran Pascal Lyrics and Music: George M. Cohan (lyric and music revisions by Mary Cohan) Based on the life of George M. Cohan (1878–1942). Direction and Choreography: Joe Layton; Producers: David Black, Konrad Matthaei, and Lorin E. Price; Scenery: Tom John; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: (Note: The Playbill listed the cast in alphabetical order, not in order of appearance.) Loni Ackerman (Dog Trainer, Second Pianist, Fay Templeton’s maid Rose), Jonelle Allen (Living Statue, Secretary in Cohan and Harris’s office), Jacqueline Alloway (Fay Templeton, Draper’s Assistant, Wardrobe Lady), Karin Baker (Living Statue, Pushcart Girl), Susan Batson (First Little Girl, Mrs. Red Deer, Sharpshooter’s Assistant, Little Girl in Fay Templeton’s scene), Bill Brandon (Acrobat, Boy in Pushcart), Roger Braun (Dr. Webb, E.  F. Albee, Living Statue, Ben, Mayor), Danny Carroll (Louis Behman, Bell Ringer, Vendor, Fay Templeton’s Manager [Freddie]), Gene Castle (Willie in “Popularity,” Sharpshooter, Wait [Stage Manager of I’d Rather Be Right]), Jerry Dodge (Jerry Cohan), Jamie Donnelly (Ethel Levey), James Dybas (Stagehand at Providence Grande Theatre, Dog Trainer, Louie, Congressman Burkhardt, Actor in Strike Scene), Harvey Evans (Sam Harris, Violinist, Bell Ringer), Joel Grey (George M. Cohan), Betty Ann Grove (Nellie Cohan), Patti Mariano (Second Little Girl, Acrobat), Angela Martin (Ventriloquist, Ma Templeton), John Mineo (Archie the Drummer, Draper, Dockhand, Judge Anspacher, First Policeman in Nelly Kelly, Man on Street), Jill O’Hara (Agnes Nolan), Bernadette Peters (Josie Cohan), Scotty Salmon (First Pianist, Acrobat, Bell Ringer, Piano Player in Cohan and Harris’s office), Kathie Savage (Living Statue, Pushcart Girl), Janie Sell (Madame Grimaldi, Mrs. Baker, Flamethrower’s Assistant), Alan Weeks (Buck and Winger, Designer’s Assistant, Sailor, Frankie), Ronald Young (Saxophonist, Flamethrower, Bell Ringer, Ship’s Captain, Alderman Hailey, Accordionist in Harrigan, Director of I’d Rather Be Right) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in various cities (mostly New York City) throughout the United States during the period 1878–1937.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Musical Moon” (from the 1911 musical The Little Millionaire) (Jerry Dodge, Betty Ann Grove); “Oh, You Wonderful Boy” (The Little Millionaire, 1911) (Bernadette Peters); “All Aboard for Broadway” (George Washington, Jr., 1906) (Joel Grey, Jerry Dodge, Betty Ann Grove, Bernadette Peters); “Musical Comedy Man” (introduced as “The Musical Comedy Maid” in The Honeymooners, 1907) (Joel Grey, Jerry Dodge, Betty Ann Grove, Bernadette Peters, Company); “All Aboard for Broadway” (reprise) (Joel Grey, Jerry Dodge, Betty Ann Grove, Bernadette Peters, Company); “I Was Born in Virginia” (George Washington, Jr., 1906) (Jamie Donnelly); “Twentieth-Century Love” (possibly written for, but not used in, The Merry Malones, 1927) (Joel Grey, Jerry Dodge, Betty Ann Grove, Bernadette Peters, Jamie Donnelly); “My Town” (possibly revised version of “My Flag” from Hello, Broadway!, 1914) (Joel Grey); “Billie” (Billie, 1928) (Jill O’Hara); “Push Me Along in My Pushcart” (1906 revival of The Governor’s Son [1901] (Jamie Donnelly, Karin Baker, Kathie Savage); “A Ring to the Name of Rose” (The Rise of Rosie O’Reilly, 1923) (Bernadette Peters, Danny Carroll, Harvey Evans, Scotty Salmon, Ronald Young); “Popularity” (dance; aka

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“Sweet Popularity”; Running for Office, 1903) (Gene Castle, Company); “Give My Regards to Broadway” (Little Johnny Jones, 1904; Joel Grey, Company) Act Two: “Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway” (Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway, 1906) (Joel Grey, Loni Ackerman); “So Long, Mary”(Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway, 1906) (Joel Grey, Harvey Evans, Loni Ackerman, Danny Carroll, Angela Martin); “Down by the Erie Canal” (Hello, Broadway!, 1914) (Jonelle Allen, Politicians, Susan Batson, Company); “Mary” (aka “Mary’s a Grand Old Name”; Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway, 1906) (Jacqueline Alloway); “All Our Friends” (revised version of “They’re All My Boys” from Little Nellie Kelly, 1922) (Harvey Evans, Company); Sequence: The Years Till 1919 (songs performed by Joel Grey and Company): “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (aka “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Yankee Doodle Boy”; Little Johnny Jones, 1904); “Nellie Kelly, I Love You” (Little Nellie Kelly, 1922); “Harrigan” (Fifty Miles from Boston, 1908); “Over There” (1917; independent song, not written for a musical); and “You’re a Grand Old Flag” (originally “The Grand Old Rag”; George Washington, Jr., 1906); “The City” (music taken from “The Man Who Owns Broadway” from The Man Who Owns Broadway, 1909) (Company); “I’d Rather Be Right” (I’d Rather Be Right, 1937; lyric by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rodgers) (Joel Grey, Company); “Give My Regards to Broadway” (reprise) (Joel Grey); Epilogue (Company; George M. Cohan’s voice on the recording at the end of the epilogue): “Dancing Our Worries Away” (Little Nellie Kelly, 1922); “The Great Easter Sunday Parade”(possibly “Easter Parade” from The Merry Malones, 1927); “Hannah’s a Hummer” (source unknown; possibly intended for his unproduced play A Wise Guy); “The Barnum and Bailey Rag” (Hello, Broadway!, 1914); “The Belle of the Barber’s Ball” (Cohan and Harris Minstrels, 1908); “The American Ragtime” (The American Idea, 1908); “All in the Wearing” (Little Nellie Kelly, 1922); “I Want to Hear a Yankee Doodle Tune” (Mother Goose, 1903) George M! was a quasi-biographical revue-like musical that purported to tell the story of the life, times, and career of performer, writer, lyricist, composer, director, and producer George M. Cohan. Yankee Doodle Dandy, the 1942 Warner Brothers’ film version of Cohan’s life, had done just that in a far more entertaining version, and in the process won James Cagney an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the legendary song-and-dance man. The film used the framework of a prologue and epilogue set in the White House, during which Cohan tells his life story to President Roosevelt. The musical also utilized a prologue and epilogue, but here the gratuitous device was used to “explain” who Cohan was to presumably ignorant theatre audiences. The critics found fault with the book, but were generally kind to the show, praising Joel Grey (although Walter Kerr in the New York Times thought Grey would have been better suited playing Al Jolson), the songs, and Joe Layton’s choreography. Clive Barnes in the New York Times felt the book was “scrappy, ill-prepared, and mediocrely written,” noting “nothing” could help the show’s “shapelessness” except by starting over from scratch. For all that, Barnes noted that while the musical had been deemed ineligible for the Best Musical Tony Award, he gave the show his own “personal Tony” as well as a “couple” of Tonys to Grey. He also said Layton’s choreography was “as good, if not better, as any in town,” and praised Jerry Dodge, Betty Ann Grove, and Bernadette Peters (as Cohan’s respective father, mother, and sister), and Jamie Donnelly and Jill O’Hara (as his first and second wives), Harvey Evans (his manager), and the “exceptional” dancer Gene Castle. The latter scored in “Popularity,” the show’s best number and one of the finest theatre dances of the era (it was preserved by the American Dance Machine, and is included in the videocassette release The American Dance Machine: A Celebration of Broadway Dance [MGM/CBS Home Video # CV-400056]; for the video, Gwen Verdon, Wayne Cilento, and the American Dance Machine Company perform the number). John Chapman in the New York Daily News enjoyed the “crisp, fresh” songs by Cohan, and praised the leads as well as the rest of the company, most of whom played multiple roles. Chapman also enjoyed the “delightful novelty” of having the entr’acte performed by two “honky-tonk” piano players on each side of the stage. Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical “fast-moving, dynamic and a little breathless . . . vigorous fun . . . a good evening’s entertainment,” and suggested the “splendidly” performed songs and dances made up for the book’s “slenderness.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the musical was an “evening-long vaudeville” of “enjoyable nostalgia,” but noted the cast members were “performers rather than persons,” and felt he was seeing an “animated book” of Cohan’s life.

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Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said George M! wasn’t “really a musical about Cohan but a musical about musicals about Cohan, if you know what I mean,” and he noted the story-line came through not by way of the script but through one’s familiarity with show-business plots. He concluded that the show was “one of the weirdest musicals I’ve ever seen. And one of the noisiest. And one of the most confused.” During the tryout, “We’ve Never Been over There” and “The Two of Us” were deleted. The medley in the epilogue was considerably shortened, and the following songs were dropped: “Goodbye, Bargravia,” “To Heaven on the Bronx Express,” “You Can Tell That I’m Irish,” “Cohan’s Bungalow Song,” “Always Leave Them Laughing When You Say Goodbye,” “Hello to Broadway,” “Busy Little Broadway,” “I Wanted to Come to Broadway,” “Goodbye Broadway,” and “The Man Who Owns Broadway.” Prior to the tryout performances, Lauree Berger was scheduled to play the role of Ethel Levey, which was eventually assumed by Jamie Donnelly. The original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # KOS-3200; later issued on CD # CK3200); the album is far more entertaining than the actual stage production, and makes for delightful listening as a kind of Greatest Hits of George M. Cohan. Three other recordings of the score were released: Living Voices Sing the Music from the Broadway Musical “George M!” (RCA Camden Records LP # CAL/CAS2275); Mickie Finn Plays “George M!” All the Yankee Doodle Tunes (ABC Dunhill Records # DS-50041); and the Banjo Barons’ Chorus and Orchestra performing Songs from the Hit Musical “George M!” (Columbia Records “CS-9643). The musical was seen in an NBC television adaptation that aired on September 12, 1970; besides Grey and Peters, who reprised their Broadway roles, the cast included Red Buttons, Jack Cassidy, Nanette Fabray, Blythe Danner, Anita Gillette, and Lewis J. Stadlen. The direction was by Martin Charnin and Walter C. Miller, and the choreography by Alan Johnson. George M! was the first of three musicals starring Joel Grey that played the Palace, all of which lost money: George M! was the longest-running of the lot, chalking up 427 performances, and it was followed by Goodtime Charley (1975; 104 performances) and The Grand Tour (1979; 61 performances). But Grey bounced back in three hits, the 1996 revival of Chicago (in which he played Mr. Cellophane [Amos Hart]; as of this writing, the production is both the longest-running revival ever produced on Broadway [with over 6,000 performances to its credit] and is the third longest-running show in Broadway history); the mega-hit Wicked (2003; Grey played the role of the Wizard, replacing Robert Morse during the show’s tryout); and the longrunning 2011 revival of Anything Goes. Another musical about Cohan was the Off-Broadway revue George M. Cohan Tonight!; the one-man show starred Jon Peterson, and it opened at the Irish Repertory Theatre on March 9, 2006, for seventy-seven performances (the production was recorded by Ghostlight Records [CD # 791558-441024]).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Joel Grey); Best Choreographer (Joe Layton)

I’M SOLOMON “A MUSICAL FABLE” Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: April 23, 1968 Closing Date: April 27, 1968 Performances: 7 Book: Anne Croswell and Dan Almagor Lyrics: Anne Croswell (additional lyrics by Erich Segal and David Finkle) Music: Ernest Gold (additional music by Bill Weeden) Based on the 1942 play King Solomon and the Cobbler by Sammy Groneman. Direction: Michael Benthall; Producers: Zvi Kolitz, Solomon Sagall, and Abe Margolies (Philip Turk and Kalman Ginzburg, Associate Producers); Choreography: Donald McKayle; Scenery: Rouben Ter-Arutunian; Costumes: Jane Greenwood; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Gershon Kingsley

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Cast: Meir Alon (Meir), Al DeSio (Ali), John Dorrin (Isaac), Sally Neal (Tavern Dancer), Dick Shawn (Yoni, Solomon), Karen Morrow (Na’Ama), Kenneth Scott (Yoel), Johnny La Motta (Mago), Ed Ericksen (Lemech), Alice Evans (Aviva), Lynn Archer (Bruria), Gordon Cook (Officer of the Royal Guard), Paul Reed (Ben Hesed), Barbara Webb (Princess Nofrit), Mary Barnett (F’htar), Carmen Mathews (Bathsheba), Nat Horne (Ambassador); Solomon’s Concubines: Jeri Barto, Connie Burnett, Miriam Ehrenberg, Carol Flemming, Mary Jane Houdina, Nina Janik, Carol Manning, Sally Neal, Martha Pollak, Renee Rose, Joan Tannen, Nina Trasoff, and Myrna White; Fred Pinkard (Ranor), Garrett Morris (Aide), Caryl Tenney (Rachel); Other Wives of Solomon: Lynn Archer, Chris Callan, Jacque Dean, Alice Evans, Carol Flemming, Marsha Hastings, Mary Jane Houdina, Sherry Lambert, Carol Manning, Sally Neal, and Joan Tannen; Salome Jens (Makedah); People of Jerusalem, Courtiers, Guards, Slaves, Children, Ethiopians, Others: Clifford Allen, Meir Alon, Jeri Barto, Connie Burnett, Chris Callan, Al Cohen, Gordon Cook, Nikolas Dante, Jacque Dean, Esteban de Leon, Al DeSio, John Dorrin, Miriam Ehrenberg, Ed Ericksen, Carol Flemming, Stokely Gray, Rodney Griffin, Jerry Grimes, Marsha Hastings, Nat Horne, Mary Jane Houdina, Jason Howard, Nina Janik, Sherry Lambert, Johnny La Motta, Carol Manning, Garrett Morris, Sally Neal, Keith Perry, Martha Pollack, Ken Richards, Renee Rose, Jeffrey Shawn, Clay Taliaferro, Joan Tannen, Caryl Tenney, Nina Trasoff, Kyle Weaver, Bruce Wells, Myrna White The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around Jerusalem from the morning of one day to noon of the next, around 100 BC.

Musical Numbers Act One: “David and Bathsheba” (Dick Shawn, People of Jerusalem); “Hail the Son of David!” (Dick Shawn, Courtiers, Solomon’s Wives); “Preposterous” (Dick Shawn); “Have You Heard?” (People of Jerusalem); “The Citation” (Paul Reed); “In Love with a Fool” (Karen Morrow); “Someone Like Me” (Dick Shawn); “In Someone Else’s Sandals” (Dick Shawn, Carmen Mathews, Slaves, Concubines); “The Three Riddles” (Fred Pinkard, Paul Reed, Dick Shawn, People of Jerusalem) Act Two: “Once in 2.7 Years” (Solomon’s Wives); “Have You Ever Been Alone with a King Before?” (Dick Shawn, Karen Morrow); “Lord, I Am But a Little Child” (Dick Shawn); “I Am What I Am” (Dick Shawn); “Something in His Eyes” (Karen Morrow); “That Guilty Feeling” (Dick Shawn); “Time to Let Go” (Carmen Mathews); “With Your Hand in My Hand” (Dick Shawn, Karen Morrow, Carmen Mathews, People of Jerusalem); “Lord, I Am But a Little Child” (reprise) (Company) With a run of only seven performances and a desperate claim to impress would-be ticket buyers that it was a musical that offered “a cast of 60,” one might assume I’m Solomon received scathing notices from the critics. But although they had major reservations about the musical, the critics had many positive things to say. I’m Solomon was based on Sammy Groneman’s 1942 play King Solomon and the Cobbler, which was produced at the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv for 300 performances and was later adapted into a musical that played in Tel Aviv for over 600 performances. This musical version was later produced in Britain, France, Holland, and Sweden as well as Expo ’67 in Canada. The Broadway musical version was completely different from the first, with the new book credited as an “American Adaptation in Collaboration” with Groneman and Zvi Kolitz, and Anne Croswell and Dan Almagor. The lyrics were by Croswell, who had contributed the felicitous lyrics for the 1960 Off-Broadway musical Ernest in Love as well as the lyrics for Tovarich, and the score was the first and only musical by the successful film composer Ernest Gold, who was best known for his hit title song from Exodus. (When Exodus was adapted as a Broadway musical called Ari, the music wasn’t by Gold but by Walt Smith, with additional music by Peter Howard and Bob Bernstein; the tiresome show closed after nineteen performances.) The slight story took place during a two-day period in Jerusalem around 100 BC, and centered on King Solomon’s exchanging roles with look-alike cobbler Yoni (both roles were played by Dick Shawn). Perhaps the evening’s cleverest touch was whenever Solomon’s revered insights were spoken by the cobbler they were ridiculed. Others in the cast included Carmen Mathews as Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother; Karen Morrow as Na’Ama, Yoni’s wife; Salome Jens as Sheba; and Mary Barnett as F’htar, a mute slave girl.

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Clive Barnes in the New York Times felt I’m Solomon wavered between operetta and musical comedy, but was ultimately neither-nor. But the evening was “strong on spectacle, musically it is strongly sophisticated, and its story . . . has the virtues of its own simplicities.” The score was “tuneful and quietly effective,” and he singled out “Something in His Eyes” and “In Someone Else’s Sandals.” But he mentioned that “Once Every 2.7 Years” was the “most tasteless thing on Broadway—dirty without being clever” (a representative group of Solomon’s some seven hundred wives complain about the rarity of his marital attentions). Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s sets had an “architectural grandeur and even a nobility rare in American design”; Donald McKayle’s choreography was “equally distinguished”; Michael Benthall’s direction was “effective”; and the performances “very strong,” especially the “delightful wry, dry” Carmen Mathews. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the book “laborious” and noted the score had a “jiggety quality” which was “often monotonous.” But he singled out one of the evening’s two interpolations, “That Guilty Feeling,” and said the musical was a “colorful spectacle” with “fabulous” sets and costumes. Further, Shawn was “ingratiating” and Mathews was an “authoritative musicomedienne.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said the new musical was “ambitious, good-natured, and well-meaning,” but felt the book “mediocre in humor and satire.” But the score was “just moderately good,” and, like Chapman, he singled out “That Guilty Feeling.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily noted I’m Solomon attempted to be a Hollywood spectacle, and said you’d have to see it to believe it (but “it really isn’t worth the trouble”). The evening was one of “extraordinary ineptitude . . . vulgar and silly . . . a very weird evening.” Further, the musical was “absurdly” directed, had “crazy carved-ivory scenery,” and bad jokes (in reply to the comment that a girl is “the light in the Pharaoh’s eye,” someone says “She looks more like the Pharaoh’s lighthouse”). But Gottfried found Shawn “delightful,” and praised his “hilarious, arm-waving heroic song” (“Hail the Son of David!”); and noted Carmen Mathews lent dignity to her role (“lending dignity to I’m Solomon is like fitting a brassiere for Mount Everest”). During the tryout, the musical was titled In Someone Else’s Sandals. The book was credited to Erich Segal and Anne Croswell, but by the New York opening Croswell and Dan Almagor were listed as the writers; however, Segal wrote the lyric for one song (“The Three Riddles”) which was heard during both the tryout and the New York run. Martha Velez played the role of Princess Nofrit during the tryout, and was replaced by Barbara Webb. One song (“Jerusalem”) was deleted prior to the New York opening, and two songs not by Gold and Croswell were added to the score, “Have You Ever Been with a King Before?” and “That Guilty Feeling,” both with lyrics by David Finkle and music by Bill Weeden. One number from the musical (“I’m in Love with a Fool”) was included in the collection Broadway Musicals of 1968 (Original Cast Records CD # 6243), and Lost Broadway and More Volume 3 offered “Something in His Eyes” (no label and unnumbered, but presumably released by Original Cast Records). Perhaps the most interesting aspect of I’m Solomon is that three of its leading players were among the most flop-prone performers of their era. Dick Shawn had appeared in Fade Out—Fade In (1964) upon its reopening in 1965, when it played for just 72 more performers before closing in the red for a total of 271 performances. He also appeared in A Musical Jubilee (1975), which shuttered after 92 performances, and was in two pre-Broadway closings, Mitch Leigh’s Halloween (1972) and Cy Coleman’s Home Again, Home Again (1979). His nonmusical appearances were also failures: For Heaven’s Sake, Mother! (1948; 7 performances; here billed as Richy Shawn); The Egg (1962; 8 performances); and Peterpat (1965; 21 performances). He starred in the New York City Opera’s ambitious minstrel-show-styled Civil War opera Gentlemen, Be Seated! (1963), with a score by Jerome Moross, but after its initial 3 performances the work all but disappeared (as a Confederate dandy, Shawn lamented that this isn’t a gentleman’s “woah any moah”). Besides I’m Solomon, Carmen Mathews appeared in six other flop musicals: Courtin’ Time (1951; 37 performances); Zenda (1963; closed during its pre-Broadway tryout); The Yearling (1965; 3 performances); Dear World (1969; 132 performances); Ambassador (1972; 9 performances); and Copperfield (1981; 13 performances). She was also in a succession of nonmusical flops: The Seventh Trumpet (1941; 11 performances); The Assassin (1945; 13 performances); Made in Heaven! (1946; 91 performances); The Ivy Green (1949; 7 performances); The Man in the Dog Suit (1958; 36 performances); Night Life (1962; 63 performances); Lorenzo (1963; 4 performances); and Ring ’Round the Bathtub (1972; 1 performance). She was in a few long runs, some of them profitable, others not: Harriet (1943; 377 performances); My Three Angels (1953; 342 performances); and Holiday for Lovers (1957; 100 performances). And she was in the original production of Edward Albee’s 1966 Pulitzer-Prize-winning drama A Delicate Balance, which, despite a run of just 132 performances, man-

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aged to close in the black. In 1983, she appeared in an eventual Pulitzer-Prize winner when she created the role of Seurat’s mother in Playwrights Horizons’ workshop production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. But by the time the musical opened on Broadway the following year, Barbara Byrne had assumed the role. Karen Morrow was also in a succession of Broadway and Off-Broadway flops. Besides I’m Solomon, she appeared in four other Broadway musical failures: I Had a Ball (1964; 199 performances); A Joyful Noise (1966; 12 performances); The Grass Harp (1971; 7 performances); and The Selling of the President (1972; 5 performances). She was also in two Off-Broadway flops, Sing Muse! (1961; 39 performances) and Music! Music! (1974; 37 performances). Her only hit was the 1963 Off-Broadway revival of The Boys from Syracuse, which ran for an even 500 performances. Fortunately, the cast albums of five of these musicals (Sing Muse!, The Boys from Syracuse, I Had a Ball, A Joyful Noise, and The Grass Harp) were released commercially, and so lovers of traditional Broadway sound can enjoy her clarion, brassy, and Mermanesque musical comedy voice.

HAIR “THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL” Theatre: Biltmore Theatre Opening Date: April 29, 1968 Closing Date: July 1, 1972 Performances: 1,750 Book and Lyrics: Gerome Ragni and James Rado Music: Galt MacDermot Direction: Tom O’Horgan; Producers: Michael Butler (Bertrand Castelli, Executive Producer); Choreography: Julie Arenal; Scenery: Robin Wagner; Costumes: Nancy Potts; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Galt MacDermot Cast: James Rado (Claude), Ronald Dyson (Ron), Gerome Ragni (Berger), Steve Curry (Wolf), Lamont Washington (Hud, Father, Principal), Lynn Kellogg (Sheila), Sally Eaton (Jeanie), Melba Moore (Dionne). Shelley Plimpton (Crissy), Sally Eaton (Mother), Jonathan Kramer (Mother, Tourist, Young Recruit), Paul Jbara (Mother, General Grant), Robert I. Rubinsky (Father, Principal, Tourist, Parent), Suzannah Norstrand (Father, Principal), Diane Keaton (Waitress, Parent), Lorri Davis (Abraham Lincoln), Donnie Burks (Sergeant); The Tribe: Donnie Burks, Lorri Davis, Leata Galloway, Steve Gamet, Walter Harris, Diane Keaton, Hiram Keller, Marjorie LiPari, Emmaretta Marks, Natalie Mosco, Suzannah Norstrand, Robert I. Rubinsky The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present in the East Village.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Aquarius” (Ronald Dyson, Company); “Donna” (aka “My Donna”) (Gerome Ragni, Company); “Hashish” (Company); “Sodomy” (Steve Curry, Company); “Colored Spade” (Lamont Washington, Company); “Manchester” (aka “Manchester, England”) (James Rado, Company); “Ain’t Go No” (Steve Curry, Lamont Washington, Melba Moore, Company); “I Believe in Love” (Lynn Kellogg); “Air” (Sally Eaton, Shelley Plimpton, Melba Moore, Company); “Initials” (Company); “I Got Life” (James Rado, Company); “Going Down” (Gerome Ragni, Company); “Hair” (James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Company); “My Conviction” (Jonathan Kramer, Company); “Easy to Be Hard” (Lynn Kellogg); “Hung” (Gerome Ragni, Steve Curry, James Rado, Lynn Kellogg, Sally Eaton, Company); “Don’t Put It Down” (Gerome Ragni, Steve Curry); “Frank Mills” (Shelley Plimpton); “Hare Krishna” (aka “Be-In”) (Company); “Where Do I Go?” (James Rado, Company) Act Two: “Electric Blues” (Suzannah Norstrand, Leata Galloway, Steve Gamet, Paul Jabara); “Black Boys” (Diane Keaton, Suzannah Norstrand, Natalie Mosco); “White Boys” (Melba Moore, Lorri Davis, Emmaretta Marks); “Walking in Space” (Company); “Abie Baby” (Lamont Washington, Ronald Dyson, Donnie Burks, Lorri Davis); “Prisoners in Niggertown” (aka “3-5-0-0“) (Company); “What a Piece of Work Is Man” (Ronald Dyson, Walter Harris); “Good Morning Starshine” (Lynn Kellogg, Melba Moore,

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Company); “The Bed” (Company); “The Flesh Failures” (aka “Let the Sun Shine In”) (James Rado, Lynn Kellogg, Donnie Burks, Company) When Hair premiered Off-Broadway at the Public’s Anspacher Theatre on October 20, 1967, it was an instant hit and became the theatrical event of the 1967–1968 season. It played there for 49 performances before moving uptown to Off-Broadway’s Cheetah Theatre on December 22, 1967, for an additional 45 showings, and the inevitable Broadway transfer was on April 29, 1968, when it opened at the Biltmore Theatre for a marathon run of 1,750 performances. Hair was an atmospheric mood piece that emphasized a particular point of view instead of plot and character. And here the view was an antiestablishment protest mentality in which hippies celebrate their counterculture of illegal drugs and casual sex and rail against the Vietnam War and the draft. Like the later Rent (1996) and its sentimental glorification of Village-type misfits, Hair’s message and its more-sensitivethan-thou hippies were passé almost as soon as it opened. But the combination of its popular songs (in this era, it was unusual for a musical to enjoy even a single hit song, and Hair offered no less than three standards, “Aquarius,” “Good Morning Starshine,” and “Let the Sun Shine In”), the edginess of its clearly nonmainstream Broadway attitude, and its rather innocent and sometimes tongue-in-cheek vulgarity (which included a gratuitous and somewhat pretentious nude scene) helped establish Hair as the era’s zeitgeist. The musical’s greatest strength was Galt MacDermot’s melodic score, for without his music Hair would no doubt have gone the way of Salvation (1969), Stomp (1969), Sambo (1969), Exchange (1970), Touch (1970), Earthlight (1971), Soon (1971), Tarot (1971), Blood (1971), Virgin (1971), Lotta (1973), and other forgotten so-called rock musicals (all of which seemed to espouse one-word titles). Despite its weak and sometimes repetitious lyrics (poor lyrics were the bane of rock musicals) and its virtually non-existent book, Hair is important as the first successful concept musical. There had been concept musicals before (such as Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s 1947 Allegro and Alan Jay Lerner and Kurt Weill’s 1948 Love Life), but Hair was the first commercially successful one, and its popularity institutionalized the concept musical and paved the way for Celebration (1969), Promenade (1969), Company (1970), Follies (1971), Mass (1971), A Look at the Fifties (1972), Chicago (1975), A Chorus Line (1975), Pacific Overtures (1976), 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976), Swing (1980), Nine (1982), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987), Assassins (1991), and The Voyage (1992). For the concept musical, the story and characters are less important than the mood, atmosphere, and viewpoint of the production. A linear storyline with well-defined characters and a clear beginning, middle, and end are less important than an overall pattern in which book, lyrics, music, direction, choreography, visual design, and performance style tell an essentially abstract story that avoids a traditional narrative and a clear-cut conclusion. In concept musicals we met restless and discontented singles and married couples seeking Company in Manhattan; we regretted the Follies of lost youth, ideals, and innocence; we witnessed a priest’s loss of faith in the Church and in himself while celebrating Mass; and we discovered that long Hair was a means of protesting the status quo. At the end of Oklahoma!, Jud Fry dies, Curley and Laurey marry, and Oklahoma becomes a brand new state. But what happens to birthday-boy Bobby in Company when his friends throw a surprise party for him at the end of the musical? Or is that party really the same one they gave him at the beginning of the show? Was everything in between an introspective review of his relationships? At the end of the Follies reunion party, will Ben and Phyllis reconcile and accept their essentially loveless marriage for what it is? And will Sally and Buddy adapt to the reality of their empty lives and unhappy marriage? And how about Claude in Hair? At the end of the musical, the young antiwar protester is drafted into the army. Plays and films that depict a misfit in the military traditionally use this situation as the starting point of the plot. But Hair gives us an evening of Claude and his rebelliousness in the free-wheeling anything-goes world of the East Village in the mid-1960s, and then suddenly catapults him into the conservative military world of tradition, rules, and obedience, a culture in which you cut your hair. How in the world does Claude adapt to this new environment? The inherent conflict in his situation takes place after the final curtain, because the concept musical presents situations and asks questions for which there are perhaps no resolutions and answers. When Hair opened at the Anspacher, the evening was in two acts; at the Cheetah it was in one; and for Broadway, the musical was back to two. For the Cheetah run, Frank Metzler replaced Martin Aronstein as the lighting designer, and there were various cast replacements: Steve Curry replaced cowriter Gerome Ragni

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(as Berger); Susan Anspach followed Jill O’Hara (Sheila); and Gale Dixon succeeded Shelley Plimpton (Crissy). For Broadway, Tom O’Horgan replaced Gerald Freedman as director; Robin Wagner was the scenic designer (succeeding Ming Cho Lee); Jules Fisher was now the show’s third lighting designer; and while there had been no choreography credits for the two Off-Broadway engagements, Julie Arenal was now credited. For Broadway, Ragni was back in his role of Berger, and Shelley Plimpton returned as Crissy. For the role of Claude, Walker Daniels was replaced by coauthor James Rado; Lynn Kellogg succeeded Susan Anspach in the role of Sheila; and Diane Keaton and Melba Moore joined the cast. Fifteen new songs were added for Broadway: “Donna,” “Hashish,” “Sodomy,” “Colored Spade,” “I Believe in Love,” “Initials,” “My Conviction,” “Hung” (which was dropped soon after the Broadway opening), “Don’t Put It Down,” “Hare Krishna,” “Abie Baby,” “Prisoners in Niggertown,” “What a Piece of Work Is Man,” “The Bed,” and “The Flesh Failures.” Four songs from the Off-Broadway production were dropped (“Red Blue and White,” “Climax,” “Dead End,” and “Exanaplanetooch” (the latter two were heard in Broadway preview performances, and “Red Blue and White” was refashioned as “Don’t Put It Down”). “You Are Standing on My Bed” was also dropped during Broadway previews. “Aquarius,” the show’s most enduring song, was moved from its original late second-act spot in the Off-Broadway version and became the opening number for Broadway. “Dead End” was added after the Broadway opening, and for the national tour three songs were added (“Kama Sutra,” “Hello There,” and “Oh Great God of Power”). For many seasons, a few critics had complained that scores for new musicals didn’t reflect contemporary music and instead sounded as if they were stuck in a 1940s and 1950s groove. With the opening of Hair, many reviewers fell over themselves with gushing (and perhaps unconsciously condescending) reviews. One critic raved about the depiction of hippie joy and anger (as though only hippies experienced such emotions); and for some critics the emphasis on nonconformity was an automatic badge of merit. But the musical’s narrow point of view almost did it in, relegating it to being little more than a quaint look at a time of superficial, self-congratulatory lifestyles and a period when restraint and good taste had become shibboleths. Despite the weak book, the smug and self-satisfied aura of the show, the cardboard characters, and the generally repetitious and unimaginative lyrics, there will always be an interest in Hair because of its time-capsule quality. MacDermot’s melodic (and, in truth, often old-fashioned) score will always make Hair memorable; and, of course, the show is important for institutionalizing the concept musical. RCA Victor Records released both the Off-Broadway (LP # LSO-1143) and Broadway (LP # LSO-1150) cast albums, and a later LP reissue (# 1150-1-RC) included previously unreleased material (“Going Down” and “Electric Blues”). Further, the 1988 CD release of the Broadway cast album included five previously unreleased songs (“I Believe in Love,” “The Bed,” and reprise versions of “Ain’t Got No,” “Manchester, England,” and “Walking in Space”). In 2003, RCA released a “deluxe” two-CD edition of the score (# 82876-56085-2) that included both the Off-Broadway and Broadway cast albums; the set also included previously unreleased tracks from the 1967 production (an “Opening” sequence, “Red Blue and White,” [which became “Don’t Put It Down” for the Broadway version], and “Sentimental Ending” [a finale that wasn’t listed in the Off-Broadway program but is in the published script]). Besides the above, RCA released DisinHAIRited (LP # LSO-1163; later issued on CD by RCA Records/ Arkiv Music # 05095), a collection of songs written for but not used in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions as well as numbers especially written for the recording; among the singers on the recording are James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Galt MacDermot, Melba Moore, Susannah Norstrand, Donnie Burks, and Leata Galloway. The songs include “One-Thousand-Year-Old Man,” “So Sing the Children on the Avenue,” “Manhattan Beggar,” “Mr. Berger,” “I’m Hung,” and “Mess O’Dirt.” Other recordings include: a British studio cast recording (Polydor Records LP # 583-043); the Paris cast album (Philips Records LP # 844-987-BY); the Tokyo cast album (RCA LP # LSO-1170); and a 2004 concert version (a benefit for the Actors’ Fund of America) released by Ghostlight Records (CD # 1968-2). There was also a recording of songs from the show titled Hair Styles by the Terminal Barbershop (Atco Records LP # SD-33-301). The script was published in softcover by Pocket Books in 1969, and was also included in the hardback collection Great Rock Musicals, edited by Stanley Richards and published by Stein and Day in 1979. In 2003, Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of “Hair” by Scott Miller was published in softcover by Heinemann Press, and in 2010, HAIR: The Story of the Show That Defined a Generation (by Eric Grode, with a foreword by James Rado) was published in hardback by Running Press. The musical has been twice revived on Broadway. The first returned to Hair’s original home, the Biltmore, where it opened on October 5, 1977, for 43 performances (the score included “Dead End”). The second

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revival opened at the Al Hirschfeld (formerly Martin Beck) Theatre on March 31, 2009, and was more successful, chalking up 519 performances and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. The production was recorded by Ghostlight Records (CD # 8-44-67), and Hair: Let the Sun Shine In, a documentary film about the musical, was released in 2009. This revival included “I’m Black” (formerly “Colored Spade”), “Sheila Franklin,” “The Stone Age,” “Minuet,” “Yes, I’s Finished on Y’alls Farmlands,” “Give Up All Desires,” “How Dare They Try,” and “Eyes Look Your Last”; the production also included “Oh Great God of Power.” The musical was also revived for five performances by Encores! at City Center on May 3, 2001 (“Dead End” and “Oh Great God of Power” were included in the score). On September 22, 2007, the musical was seen for three special concert performances presented free at Central Park’s Delacorte Theatre; directed by Diane Paulus, the production was the genesis for the later 2009 revival, which she also directed, and it included “Ain’t Got No Grass,” “Hello There,” “Oh Great God of Power,” “Minuet,” “Yes, I’s Finished on Y’alls Farmlands,” “Give Up All Desires,” “How Dare They Try,” and “Eyes Look Your Last.” A weak and disappointing film version was released by United Artists in 1979; the two-LP soundtrack was issued by RCA Victor Records (# CBL2-3274). Many film musicals of the era were helmed by directors who seemed clueless about the genre (note Richard Attenborough’s Oh! What a Lovely War and A Chorus Line, Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz, and John Huston’s Annie). So when Milos Forman was announced as director, he seemed an inspired choice because his style and sensibility appeared a natural match for the iconoclastic material. But he proved as uninteresting as Attenborough, Lumet, and Huston. The original London production of Hair opened on September 27, 1968, at the Shaftesbury Theatre for 1,998 performances, which surpassed the lengthy run of the original Broadway production. There was a sequel of sorts to Hair. James Rado wrote the lyrics and music and cowrote the book with Ted Rado for Rainbow, which opened Off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre on December 18, 1972, for fortyeight performances. In 1973, a revised version briefly toured with Rado as The Rainbow Rainbeam Radio Show, and was subtitled Heavenzapopin’. The concert-like musical focused on the spirit of a young man who was killed in the Vietnam War and now travels through the universe in search of peace. Perhaps he was Hair’s Claude, who was drafted and shipped to Vietnam.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Hair); Best Director of a Musical (Tom O’Horgan)

NEW FACES OF 1968 (LEONARD SILLMAN’S NEW FACES OF 1968) “THE NEW EDITION” Theatre: Booth Theatre Opening Date: May 2, 1968 Closing Date: June 15, 1968 Performances: 52 Sketches: David Axelrod, William F. Brown, Peter De Vries, Ronny Graham, Robert Klein, Norman Kline, Gail Parent, Jack Sharkey, Nat Simon, Kenny Solms, and Charles Tobias (continuity and additional dialogue by William F. Brown) Lyrics: David Axelrod, Gene P. Bissell, June Carroll, Tony Geiss, Clark Gesner, Ronny Graham, Murray Grand, Hal Hackady, Michael McWhinney, Richard Maltby Jr., Fran Minkoff, Paul Nassau, Gail Parent, Sydney Shaw, and Arthur Siegel Music: Gene P. Bissell, Michael Cohen, Carl Friberg, Clark Gesner, Ronny Graham, Murray Grand, Fred Hellerman, Alonzo Levister, Sam Pottle, Jerry Powell, Sydney Shaw, David Shire, Arthur Siegel, and Kenny Solms Direction: “Staged by” Leonard Sillman and “Directed by” Frank Wagner; Producers: Jack Rollins (An AllCorduroy Production); Choreography: Frank Wagner; Scenery and Costumes: Winn Morton; Fashions: Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Donald Brooks, Oscar de la Renta, Schiaparelli, and others; Lighting: Paul Sullivan; Musical Direction: Ted Simons

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Cast: Michael K. Allen, Suzanne Astor, Rod Barry, Gloria Bleezarde, Trudy Carson, Marilyn Child, Dottie Frank, Elaine Giftos, Madeline Kahn, Robert Klein, Joe Kyle, Robert Lone, Brandon Maggart, George Ormiston, Rod Perry, Nancie Phillips The revue was presented in two acts.

Sketches and Musical Numbers Act One: “Illustrated Overture”; “Definitions” (sketch “by Random House”) (Gloria Bleezarde, Rod Barry); “Welcome” (Leonard Sillman [“The Producer”]); “Opening” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham) (Company); “Audition” (sketch by Robert Klein) (Robert Klein [“The Auditioner”]); “By the Sea” (lyric and music by Clark Gesner) (Brandon Maggart); “Where Is the Waltz?” (lyric by Paul Nassau, music by Alonzo Levister) (Michael K. Allen [Singer], Dottie Frank [Dancer], Elaine Giftos [Dancer], Trudy Carson [Dancer]); “A New Waltz” (lyric by Fran Minkoff, music by Fred Hellerman) (Marilyn Child [Singer], Robert Lone [Dancer], Joe Kyle [Dancer]); “Happy Landings” (sketch by Jack Sharkey) (Madeline Kahn [Airline Stewardess]); “The Girl in the Mirror” (lyric by Fran Minkoff, music by Fred Hellerman) (Rod Perry); “Isolation” (Joe Kyle, Gloria Bleezarde); “The American Hamburger League” (sketch by Norman Kline) (Rod Barry [Introduction], Madeline Kahn [Beth], Marilyn Child [Helene], Brandon Maggart [Rex], George Ormiston [Dexter], Robert Klein [Wayne]); “Isolation” (Trudy Carson, Rod Barry); Love Songs (introduced by Leonard Sillman): “Something Big” (lyric by David Axelrod, music by Sam Pottle) (George Ormiston, Elaine Giftos); “Love in a New Tempo” (aka “The Unrequited Love March”) (lyric and music by Ronny Graham) (Robert Klein); and “Hungry” (lyric and music by Murray Grand) (Suzanne Astor, Rod Barry); “Luncheon Ballad” (lyric by Michael McWhinney, music by Jerry Powell) (Suzanne Astor, Marilyn Child, Madeline Kahn, Nancie Phillips); “The Underachiever” (sketch by Peter De Vries) (Gloria Bleezarde [Introduction], Robert Klein [Freshman], Madeline Kahn [Freshman’s Wife]); “You’re the One I’m For” (lyric and music by Clark Gesner) (Brandon Maggart); “Where Is Me?” (lyric by June Carroll, music by Arthur Siegel) (Marilyn Child); “Gospel According to Jack” (sketch by William F. Brown) (Suzanne Astor, Rob Barry, Trudy Carson, Marilyn Child, Dottie Frank, Madeline Kahn, Robert Klein, Robert Lone, Brandon Maggart, Rod Perry); “Isolation” (Robert Klein, Elaine Giftos); “Mama Doll” (sketch by Charles Tobias and Nat Simon; conception by George Ormiston and Nancie Phillips) (Nancie Phillips [Doll], George Ormiston [Little Boy]); “Toyland” (dialogue, lyric, and music by Gene P. Bissell) (Madeline Kahn [Production Singer], Robert Klein [Compere], Company) Act Two: Introduction (Leonard Sillman, Gloria Bleezarde); “Hullabaloo at Thebes” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham) (Leonard Sillman [Introduction], Robert Klein [Oedipus], Suzanne Astor [Jocasta], Trudy Carson [Antigone], Elaine Giftos [Ismene]); “X9RL220” (lyric by Michael McWhinney, music by Jerry Powell) (Gloria Bleezarde); “You Are” (lyric and music by Clark Gesner) (Brandon Maggart); “Evil” (lyric and music by Sydney Shaw) (Michael K. Allen); “The Refund” (sketch by Peter De Vries) (George Ormiston [Introduction and Clarification], Robert Klein [Fred Abernathy], Brandon Maggart [Ben Abernathy], Dottie Frank [Sarah Cobleigh]); “Prisms” (lyric by Hal Hackady, music by Carl Friberg) (Marilyn Child); “Tango” (lyric by David Axelrod, music by Sam Pottle) (Leonard Sillman [Introduction], Company); “Isolation” (cymbals and tambourines played by Gloria Bleezarde and Robert Lone; lyric and music by Arthur Siegel); “Philosophy” (lyric by Hal Hackady, music by Carl Friberg) (Rod Perry [Singer], Dottie Frank [Dancer], Joe Kyle [Dancer], Elaine Giftos [Dancer]); “The Pile-Up” (Brandon Maggart); “Das Chicago Song” (lyric by Tony Geiss, music by Michael Cohen) (Madeline Kahn); “Missed America” (dialogue, lyric, and music by Kenny Solms and Gail Parent; additional dialogue by Ronny Graham) (George Ormiston [M.C.], Nancie Phillips [Miss Alabama], Dottie Frank [Miss Minnesota], Suzanne Astor [Miss Connecticut]); “Die Zusammenfugung” (lyric by David Axelrod, music by Sam Pottle (Gloria Bleezarde [Introduction], Brandon Maggart [Scheiss], Robert Klein [Pfeffer], Madeline Kahn [Heidi], George Ormiston [The Connection]); “Opening Reprise” (Leonard Sillman); “The Girl of the Minute” (lyric by Richard Maltby Jr., music by David Shire) (Company) The 1968 edition was the last of the New Faces revues. Beginning with the first entry in 1934, Broadway saw a total of seven editions (for more information about the series, see New Faces of 1962), with the series reaching its peak with the 1952 visit, which ran for almost a year and enjoyed a screen adaptation. But the final edition lasted just a few weeks, closing after fifty-two performances.

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Unfortunately, the new edition wasn’t all that new in terms of inspiration, offering many tired and routine revue topics. Even some of its songs were recycled from various revues of the past. The overly familiar targets included suburbia, flying and airline “hostesses,” Lassie, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and (believe it or not) beauty contests. As for the score, at least four songs had been heard in, or written for, other shows. The “Opening” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham) was from the 1952 edition of New Faces; “Love in a New Tempo” (lyric and music by Graham) had been heard as “The Unrequited Love March” in the 1965 OffBroadway revue Wet Paint; “The Girl of the Minute” (lyric by Richard Maltby Jr., music by David Shire) was the title song from an unproduced musical; and “Das Chicago Song” (aka “In Old Chicago”) (lyric by Tony Geiss, music by Michael Cohen) had been introduced by Madeline Kahn in the 1966 Off-Broadway revue Mixed Doubles. Kahn reprised the song in New Faces, and her performances of the number in both revues were preserved on two cast albums: Mixed Doubles (which also included songs from the 1966 Off-Broadway revue Below the Belt; the two-LP set was released by Upstairs at the Downstairs Records LP # UD-37W56) and the cast album of New Faces of 1968 (Warner Brothers-Seven Arts Records, Inc., LP # BS-2551; released on CD by DRG Records # 19070). The 1952 edition had offered Graham’s “Oedipus Goes South,” and the current revue included another Oedipus spoof by Graham called “Hullabaloo at Thebes.” Both revues also included spoofs of Arthur Miller. The 1952 edition laughed at Death of a Salesman (“Of Fathers and Sons” by Melvin [Mel] Brooks), and the current revue offered Peter De Vries’s “The Refund,” which kidded Miller’s drama The Price, which had opened on Broadway earlier in the year. The 1952 edition had offered a trio of “Three for the Road” songs (“Raining Memories,” “Waltzing in Venice,” and “Take Off the Mask”), and the new one offered a trio of “Love Songs” (“Something Big,” “Love In a New Tempo,” and “Hungry”). Incidentally, the new edition also included Norman Kline’s sketch “The American Hamburger League,” which appears to have been a tryout of sorts for his 1969 Off-Broadway revue The American Hamburger League (with incidental music by Arthur Siegel), which played for just one performance (in his review for the New York Times, Clive Barnes noted the revue was “underdone with onions” and had the “wrong kind of ketchup”). The sketch was in the early performances of New Faces, but at one point during the run was dropped. New Faces of 1968 was presented as a backers’ audition in the living room of Leonard Sillman’s home, with Sillman himself acting as the evening’s host. (The Playbill noted Kelly Britt was the standby for the women in the revue, and F. David Halpert for the men. Sillman’s standby was “David Merrick.”) In reviewing New Faces of 1968, Barnes noted Sillman told the audience it would have to use its imagination in regard to the revue’s conceit that it was a backer’s audition in his home, and Barnes suggested that if Sillman and the show’s creators “had used a little more imagination, the audience would not have had to use so much.” But he liked a few of the sketches (“The Refund”) and songs (“Love in a New Tempo,” “Das Chicago Song”), and among the performers singled out Madeline Kahn, Brandon Maggart, Michael K. Allen, and Robert Klein (the critics noted that in looks and performance style, the latter was similar to Ronny Graham). Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily found the revue “absurd and pathetic, [an] unwitting parody of old-time, show-time Broadway” with “swivel-hipped male dancers” and performers who were often “abused, misused, or entirely useless.” But there were a few “beauty marks in a sea of acne,” including “very funny girl” Madeline Kahn’s “Das Chicago Song,” the “funny” spoof of The Price (“The Refund”), and a spoof of pop-psychology in which we’re told a lesbian has deep doubts about her masculinity. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal found the evening a “mixed bag,” some of the sketches getting “tired before they’re half-finished,” but also some “good” sketches and some “pleasant” songs. Richard Watts in the New York Post said he “enjoyed” some of the numbers but noted the evening wasn’t “overrun with exhilarating rewards.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times found much of the material “elderly,” but liked “funny girl” Madeline Kahn (“with eyes that disapprove of everything”) and some of the other performers. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the revue offered “charming people, songs and sketches,” and was happy to note “there is one thing about the show which makes it unique on Broadway—no microphones.” An earlier version of the 1968 edition had been seen in summer stock two years earlier, as New Faces of 1966. It included eight performers who later appeared in the 1968 version: Suzanne Astor, Rod (Rodd) Barry, Marilyn Child, Dottie Frank, Brandon Maggart, George Ormiston, Rod Perry, and Nancie Winsten (the 1966 edition also included among its cast members Marian Mercer, who had been in the 1962 edition and in late 1968 appeared in Promises, Promises and won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical).

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The 1966 production included a number of songs and sketches which weren’t used in the 1968 version, including the sketches “I’m Hip” (by David Axelrod), “John Doe” (by Michael McWhinney), “Conversation” (by Bill Majeski and Ronny Graham), “The Envelope, Please” (by Treva Silverman; see below), “What’s New, T.C.?” (by Ronny Graham), and “God Is Alive” (by Peter De Vries), and the songs “Muzak” (lyric by Richard Maltby Jr., music by David Shire; see below), “Let’s Go Home, John” (lyric and music by Jerry Powell), “The Cub and the Wolf” (lyric by June Carroll, music by Arthur Siegel), “Poffins/Sade” (sketch by Ronny Graham and Peter De Vries, with lyric by Hal Hackaday, music by Clint Ballard, and additional lyrics and music by Graham; see below), “The B.O.E. Tango” (lyric and music by Clark Gesner), “Go Slow, Saturday” (lyric by Michael McWhinney, music by Jerry Powell; see below), “Show Your Love” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham), “Sortie a la Guerre” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham), and “Go Find Me, Love” (lyric and music by Ronny Graham). Also dropped was an extended number titled “Religion a Go Go” which included three sequences: “On the Winning Team” (lyric and music by Michael McWhinney and Jerry Powell), “W.A.S.P.” (lyric and music by Eve Merrian and Irma Jurist), and “The World’s Greatest American” (lyric and music by Ronald Axe and Don Tucker). The 1966 revue also included a few alternate numbers which were occasionally performed during the run: “More Songs by Meller” (sketch by Robert Benchley), “Story of a Saturday Night” (sketch by David Axelrod and Sam Pottle), “LSD” (sketch by Peter De Vries and Ronny Graham), “The Cradle of Protest” (sketch by Peter De Vries), “College Days” (lyric by Michael McWhinney, music by Jerry Powell), “$50 from Home” (lyric by June Carroll, music by Arthur Siegel), and “Seymore Abernathy” (sketch by Nixon St. a Quintrelle). Kenny Solms and Gail Parent’s 1968 sketch “Missed America” was performed in the 1966 version in four separate sequences seen throughout the revue (“Miss Alabama,” “Miss Minnesota,” “Miss Connecticut,” and “Miss America”). The New York “Tango” number was the “Believe It or Not Tango” for the 1966 version. As “The Sound of Muzak,” “Muzak” had first been heard in the 1963 Off-Broadway revue Graham Crackers. It was later sung in Malby and Shire’s 1989 revue Closer Than Ever, and was recorded for the twoCD set cast album (RCA Victor Records # 60399-2-RG). “The Envelope, Please” had first been performed in the 1964 Off-Broadway revue . . . And in This Corner, and was later included in two more Off-Broadway revues, Below the Belt (1966) and The Playoffs of Mixed Doubles (which appears to have opened during the 1966–1967 season). “Poffins/Sade” sounds particularly amusing; the spoof managed to merge the plots of the 1964 film Mary Poppins and the 1965 stage production The Persecution and Assassination of Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis De Sade (Marian Mercer played the role of Mary Poffins). As “A Musical Fairy Tale,” a revised version of the sketch was performed during New York previews (based on an idea by Hal Hackady and Leonard Sillman; sketch by Ronny Graham and William F. Brown; lyrics by Hackady; music by Clint Ballard; additional lyrics and music by Graham). During the New York preview performances, the role of “The Nanny” was played by Madeline Kahn. Besides “A Musical Fairy Tale,” “Go Slow, Saturday” (which had also been performed in the 1966 production) was heard during New York previews but was deleted prior to the opening night performance. During New York previews, the song “By the Sea” was titled “By the C,” and “The Pile-Up” was known as “Numbers Pile-Up.”

THE KING AND I Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: May 23, 1968 Closing Date: June 9, 1968 Performances: 22 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. Direction: John Fearnley; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Jerome Robbins (Robbins’s choreography “reproduced” by Yuriko); Scenery: Paul McGuire; Costumes: Irene Sharaff (Sharaff’s costumes “supervised” by Frank Thompson); Lighting: Feder; Musical Direction: Jonathan Anderson

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Cast: Sam Kirkham (Captain Orton), Eric Hamilton (Louis Leonowens), Constance Towers (Anna Leonowens), Paul Flores (The Interpreter), Ted Beniades (The Kralahome), Michael Kermoyan (The King), Robert Lenn (Phra Alack), Stanley Grover (Lun Tha), Eleanor Calbes (Tuptim), Anita Darian (Lady Thiang), Michael Thom (Prince Chululongkorn), Dana Shimizu (Princess Ying Yoalwalk), Christopher Hewett (Sir Edward Ramsey); Princes and Princesses: Caryn Chow, Sonja Furiya, Dana Shimizu, Rachel Torin, Nancy Ticotin, Russell Chow, Lewis Gerado, Lawrence Kikuchi, Jaime Roque, Jason Rosen, Keenan Shimizu, Marcus Ticotin; The Royal Dancers: Diane Adler, Paula Chin, Carol Fried, Linda Gumiela, Joann Ogawa, Margot Parsons, Kathleen Pierini, Susan Platt, Juanita Londono, Wonci Lui, Stephanie Satie, Britt Swanson, Margot Travers, Jaclynn Villamil, Rebecca West, Yuriko, Lazar Dano, Gary Dutton, Vito Durante, Rodger Gerhardstein, Tim Ramirez; Singers (Wives, Priests, Amazons, Slaves): Joann diDonato, Lee Hooper, Charlotte Marcheret, Betsy Norden, Barbara Reisman, Rebecca West, Maggie Worth, Larry Devon, Beno Foster, Richard Kie Wye Khan The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around the King’s Palace, Bangkok, Siam, during the early 1860s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “I Whistle a Happy Tune” (Constance Towers, Eric Hamilton); “My Lord and Master” (Eleanor Calbes); “Hello, Young Lovers” (Constance Towers); “March of the Siamese Children” (Constance Towers, Michael Kermoyan, The King’s Wives and Children); “A Puzzlement” (Michael Kermoyan); “Getting to Know You” (Constance Towers, Wives, Children); “We Kiss in a Shadow” (Eleanor Calbes, Stanley Grover); “A Puzzlement” (reprise) (Michael Thom, Eric Hamilton); “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” (Constance Towers); “Something Wonderful” (Anita Darian); Finale (Company) Act Two: “Western People Funny” (Anita Darian, Wives); “I Have Dreamed” (Eleanor Calbes, Stanley Grover); “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” (ballet) (Eleanor Calbes [Narrator], Diane Adler [Uncle Thomas], Wonci Lui [Little Eva], Paula Chin (Topsy], Yuriko [Eliza], Carol Fried [King Simon], Jaclynn Villanil (Angel], Royal Dancers: Diane Adler, Linda Gumiela, Juanita Londono, Joann Ogawa, Margot Parsons, Susan Platt, Britt Swanson, Margot Travers; Propertymen: Larry Devon, Gary Dutton, Vito Durante, Roger Gerhardstein, Richard Kie Wye Kahn, Tim Ramirez; Lazar Dano [Drummer], Lawrence Kikuchi [Buddha]); “Shall We Dance?” (Constance Towers, Michael Kermoyan); Finale (Company) The 1968 City Center revival of The King and I was the company’s fourth and final revival of the classic Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical (for more information about The King and I, see entry for the 1960 City Center revival). Including the four City Center productions, the musical has been revived in New York eight times. The cast of the 1968 revival included Constance Towers (Anna), Michael Kermoyan (The King), Anita Darian (Lady Thiang), Eleanor Calbes (Tuptim), Stanley Grover (Lun Tha), and Christopher Hewett (Sir Edward). Towers later reprised her role in the 1977 Broadway revival with Yul Brynner, and in that production Kermoyan was The Kralahome (Kermoyan was also seen as The Kralohome in the 1964 revival by the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center). Darian had earlier appeared as Lady Thiang in City Center’s 1960 and 1963 revivals of the musical. Clive Barnes in the New York Times praised the musical’s “strong and interesting” book and its music (“the melodies come back like old friends,” and you are soon “entertaining the suspicion that they don’t write musicals like that anymore”). He said the cast “could hardly be bettered,” and noted Constance Towers’s “fine voice”; she was a “good actress” who “successfully blends the proper mixture of dignity with spirit, of Victorian lace and warm blood.” And Kermoyan was “well cast” as the “muddled, aggressive yet essentially progressive King.”

CATCH MY SOUL “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre and Dates: Opened on March 5, 1968, at the Ahmanson Theatre in the Music Center of Los Angeles, California, and closed there on April 13, 1968

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Book and Lyrics: “Words by William Shakespeare” Music: Ray Pohlman (special music by Paul Arnold) Based on the play Othello by William Shakespeare (first performed in approximately 1603). Direction: Jack Good; Producer: The Center Theatre Group (Elliot Martin, Director); Choreography: Andre Tayir; Scenery: Will Steven Armstrong; Costumes: Ray Aghayan; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Jack Kelso Cast: Jerry Lee Lewis (Iago), William Marshall (Othello), Julienne Marie (Desdemona), William Jordan (Cassio), Gerrianne Raphael (Emilia), William Lanteau (Roderigo), Wesdon Bishop (Montnao), Gloria Jones (Bianca), Joseph Mascolo (Lodovico), Dick Caruso (Sax Man); Dancers, Soldiers, Grotesques, Others: Cozette Day, Carolyn Dyer, Teri Jimenez, Trayce Johnson, Debbie Katz, Karen Lorhan, Marilyn Procopio, Hazel Rogers, Heike Witting, John Almaraz, Tony Barberio, Dick Caruso, Douglas Collins, Bill Dvorak, Charles Moore, Jeff Phillips, Andrew Robinson, Michael Shanahan, Al Sobek, Michael Walker; Observers: Irene Cuffe, Lillian Shrewsbury, Gene Tully, Pat Houtchens; The Blossoms: Darlene Love, Fanita James, Jean King; The Frank Walker Singers: Frank Walker, Ollie Jackson, Gene Townsel, George McFadden The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place “where it’s happening,” and the time is “now.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “Catch My Soul” (William Marshall, Julienne Marie, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers, Ensemble); “That’s What You Call Love” (Jerry Lee Lewis, Ensemble); “King Stephen” (Gloria Jones, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers, Ensemble); “Let Me the Cannikin Clink” (Jerry Lee Lewis, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers, Ensemble); “That’s What You Call Love” (reprise) (Jerry Lee Lewis); “Good Name” (Jerry Lee Lewis); “Why Why Why?” (William Marshall, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers); “Black Revenge” (William Marshall, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers); “Pontic Sea” (William Marshall, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers) Act Two: “May the Winds Blow” (The Blossoms); “That Handkerchief” (William Marshall); “The Brainwash” (William Marshall, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers, Ensemble); “A Likely Piece of Work” (Gloria Jones, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers, Ensemble); “Very WellGo-To-Very Well” (William Lanteau, Jerry Lee Lewis); “Comfort Forsake Me” (Julienne Marie, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers); “Give Me Some Action Now” (Jerry Lee Lewis, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers, Ensemble); “Willow” (Julienne Marie); “If Wives Do Fall” (Gerrianne Raphael); “Put Out the Light” (William Marshall, The Blossoms, The Frank Walker Singers); “Speak of Me as I Am” (William Marshall) Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the 1967 world premiere engagement of Catch My Soul is that it starred rock-and-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis (yes, the Jerry Lee Lewis of “Great Balls of Fire” and “A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On”). The musical, which was directed and conceived by Jack Good, closed after its Los Angeles tryout, but had a more-than-modest afterlife with a London production, a film version, and two recordings. The West End production, subtitled “The Rock-Othello,” opened at the Roundhouse Theatre on December 21, 1970, and then transferred to the Prince of Wales Theatre, for a total run of five months. The cast included Jack Good (Othello), Lance LeGault (Iago), and Sharon Gurney (Desdemona). Twelve songs were held over from the 1967 production, and ten new ones added, and while the program’s title page credited the score to Ray Pohlman and Emil Dean Zoghby, the song list provided more specific credits. The program’s twelve retained songs with credits are: “Catch My Soul” (by Emil Dean Zoghby); “King Stephen” (Emil Dean Zoghby); “Let Me the Cannikin Clink” (London title: “Cannikins”) (Lance LeGault); “Good Name” (Ray Pohman); “Why Why Why?” (London title: “Why”) (Emil Dean Zoghby); “Black Revenge” (Ray Pohlman and Gass); “May the Winds Blow” (London title: “May the Wind Blow”) (Ray Pohlman); “(A) Likely Piece of Work” (Ray Pohlman); “Very Well-Go-To-Very Well” (Ray Pohlman); “Willow” (Emil Dean Zoghby); “If Wives Do Fall” (Ray Pohlman and Emil Dean Zoghby); and “Put Out the Light” (Ray Pohlman); and the ten new ones were: “Wedding Chant” (Emil Dean Zoghby and Gass); “Ballad of Catch My Soul” (Lance LeGault); “Lust of the Blood” (Ray Pohlman and Gass); “Drunk” (Emil Dean Zoghby); “Seven Days and Nights” (Emil Dean Zoghby); “Comfort Forsake Me” (Ray Pohlman); “This Is the Night” (Lance

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LeGault); “You Told a Lie” (Emil Dean Zoghby); “Black on White” (Emil Dean Zoghby and Dean Austin); and “Death Chant” (Emil Dean Zoghby). The London cast recording, which was taken from a live performance, was released by Polydor Records (LP # 2383-035), and includes one song (“Goats and Monkeys” by Gass) which wasn’t listed in the London program. In 1974, a film version was released (first as Catch My Soul, and then later retitled Santa Fe Satan). Directed by Patrick McGoohan, the film’s cast included Ritchie Havens, Lance LeGault (who had appeared in the London stage production), Season Hubley, Tony Joe White, Susan Tyrrell, and Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. In his 2012 Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin found the film “uninvolving, heavy-handed stuff. Some good music, but if the play’s the thing, this one doesn’t make it.” In The Hollywood Musical, Clive Hirschhorn found this “really risible” adaptation of Shakespeare “unintentionally hilarious” in its transposition from Venice to the American Southwest. According to Hirschhorn, Othello is now a black evangelist, Desdemona “his flower-power wife,” and Iago a “dyspeptic leader of a hippie commune with a Satan complex.” The songs in the film are as follows (with sometimes variant songwriting credits): four from either the Los Angeles and London productions (“Catch My Soul” [Jack Good and Tony Joe White]; “Put Out the Light” [Jack Good and Ray Pohlman]; “Why” [Jack Good, Emile Dean Zoghby]; and “Lust of the Blood” [Jack Good and Ray Pohlman]), twelve new ones (“Othello” [Tony Joe White]; “Working on a Building” [Tony Joe White]; “Wash Us Clean” [Jack Good and Tony Joe White]; “Backwoods Preacherman” [Tony Joe White]; “Eat the Bread—Drink the Wine” [Jack Good and Tony Joe White]; “Book of Prophecy” [Jack Good and Richie Havens]; “That’s What God Said” [Delaney Bramlett]; “Chug a Lug” [“The Drinking Song”] [Delaney Bramlett]; “I Found Jesus” [Delaney Bramlett]; “Looking Back” [Delaney Bramlett and Tony Joe White];“Open Our Eyes” [Leon Lumkins]; and “Tickle His Fancy” [Allene Lubin]), and one traditional number (“Run Shaker Life” [which was apparently adapted by Richie Havens]). The soundtrack album was released by Metromedia Records (LP # 0698). Other lyric adaptations of Shakespeare’s tragedy run the gamut, from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Otello to Othello: The Remix. The opera (with a libretto by Arrigo Boito) premiered at La Scala in Milan, Italy, on February 5, 1887. The latter, written by the Q Brothers, was a so-called hip-hop version that was first produced by the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in 2011 (the London premiere took place on May 4, 2012).

DUMAS AND SON “A ROMANTIC MUSICAL” Theatres and Dates: Opened at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California, on August 1, 1967, and closed there on September 16, 1967; opened at the Curran Theatre, San Francisco, California, on September 19, 1967, and permanently closed there on November 9, 1967 Book: Jerome Chodorov Lyrics: Robert Wright and George Forrest Music: Camille Saint-Saens (music adapted by Robert Wright and George Forrest) Direction: Joseph Anthony; Producers: The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association (William T. Sesnon Jr., President, and Edwin Lester, General Director) (“Produced especially for the Association by Edwin Lester”) (Edward Greenberg, Associate Producer); Choreography: Tony Charmoli; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Robert La Marchina Cast: Inia Tewiata (Dumas), Gilbert Price (Charlemagne), John D. Richardson (Caesar), Truman Gaige (Jacques, Concierge, Duclos, Doctor), Barbara Weber (Cosette), Hermione Gingold (Celeste), Candace Cooke (Cleo), Carole Shelyne (Violette), Frank Porretta (Davy), Michael Quinn (First Barker, Auctioneer), Larry Fonseca (Second Barker), Glenn Cole (Third Barker), Terence Monk (François), Constance Towers (Marie), Gregory Morton (Baron de la Roche), Edward Everett Horton (Victor), John Dyar (Butler), John Dorrin (Doorman), Elfie Furst (Jeanette), Adolfo Balli (Labiche), Lynn Archer (Nanine), Derrik Lewis (Armand); Parisians: Bruce Bain, Adolfo Balli, Phil Broughman, Eugene L. Brundage, Howard Chitjian, Glenn Cole, Larry Dean, John Dorrin, John Dyar, Charles Fernald, Larry Fonseca, Wayne Foster, Bruce Freeman, Ronald Godines, Diane Anthony, Lynn Archer, Stefani Christopherson, Carla Flynn, Andrea Fulton, Elfie Furst, Jackie Gregory, Sandra J. Hunt, Vickie La Belle, Patricia Sigris, Anne Turner, Barbara Weber

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The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Monte Cristo and Paris around 1850.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Ssh! Dumas at Work!” (Gilbert Price, John D. Richardson, Truman Gaige, Men); “Young Man about Paris” (Inia Tewiata, Hermione Gingold, Candace Cooke, Carole Shelyne); “Prodigal Papa” (Frank Porretta); “On the Rue Macabre” (Michael Quinn, Larry Fonseca, Theatregoers); “The Night of St. Leandre” (Artists, Models); “Cruel One” (Gilbert Price); “So Will I Love My Love” (Frank Porretta, Constance Towers); “The Cold of Nichette” (Hermione Gingold); “Is It Too Late?” (Constance Towers); “The Show Is On!” (Gilbert Price, Actors, Parisians); “Monkey on a String” (Inia Tewiata, Frank Porretta); “Stay in My Arms” (Constance Towers, Frank Porretta); “Theatre!” (Inia Tewiata, Frank Porretta, Actors); “A Bowl of Gold” (Inia Tewiata, Guests) Act Two: “Young Man about Paris” (reprise) (Frank Porretta, Candace Cooke, Carole Shelyne, Terence Monk, Parisians); “The Sale Is On!” (Gilbert Price, Actors, Parisians); “Younger with the Years” (Inia Tewiata, Hermione Gingold); “Another April” (Constance Towers); “Proud Inside” (Inia Tewiata, Gilbert Price); “Stay in My Arms” (reprise) (Frank Porretta, Constance Towers) Set in France around 1850, Dumas and Son looked at the relationship between Alexander Dumas pere (1802–1870) and his son Alexander Dumas fils (1824–1895). The father was the author of such famous novels as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, and his son was best known for his novel (and later play) The Lady of the Cameillias, a fictionalized account of his brief affair with one of Paris’s most beautiful young courtesans (Marie Duplessis [in the novel, Marguerite Gautier]). Today the work is best remembered for Verdi’s 1853 operatic adaptation La Traviata (in which the Marie/Marguerite character is called Violetta). The story is also well known for MGM’s 1937 film adaptation Camille, which starred Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor. In his program notes for Dumas and Son, Edwin Lester, the producer as well as the General Director for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association, wrote that librettist Jerome Chodorov had originally planned to adapt La Traviata into an operetta utilizing Verdi’s score and using Dumas pere and fils and Marie Duplessis as the main characters. When Robert Wright and George Forrest joined the project, they concluded Camille Saint-Saens’s music would better suit the story, and as the musical developed the plot became less a Traviata retread and more a study of the sometimes testy relationship between the father and son. Dumas and Son opened at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center of Los Angeles County, playing there August 1 through September 16, 1967; it then moved to San Francisco, opening at the Curran Theatre on September 19 and permanently closing there on November 9. The cast included Inia Tewiata (who had played Tony in the London production of The Most Happy Fella), Frank Porretta, Constance Towers, Hermione Gingold, Edward Everett Horton, Gregory Morton, and Truman Gaige. The program also indicated it was “introducing” Gilbert Price, although Price had earlier been seen in New York, Off-Broadway in Jerico-Jim Crow (1964) and on Broadway in The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd (1965), and was heard on the cast albums of both productions. So he was hardly being “introduced” in Dumas and Son. By the time the musical reached San Francisco, choreographer Tony Charmoli had been replaced by John Sharpe, the role of François (played by Terence Monk) had been eliminated, and five songs had been deleted (“On the Rue Macabre,” “The Night of St. Leandre,” “Cruel One,” “The Show Is On!,” “Monkey on a String”), and two had been added (“King of Fools” and “Action in the Auction”). In “Highlights of the Season in Los Angeles,” Dale Olson in The Best Plays of 1967–1968 noted Dumas and Son was “lavish” and “lived up to Lester’s reputation for super production values” (the scenery had been designed by Oliver Smith, and Freddy Wittop created the costumes), but otherwise felt the evening was “very dull.” He singled out Smith’s scenic designs as some of the best seen in Los Angeles that season. The demo recording was performed by Wright and Forrest, and included four deleted songs (“On the Rue Macabre,” “The Night of St. Leandre,” “Cruel One,” and “Monkey on a String”); one number that apparently wasn’t used in the production (“Grand Panjandrum”); and six songs that were heard in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco runs (“Young Man about Paris,” “So Will I Love My Love,” “Is It Too Late?,” “Prodigal

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Papa,” “Stay in My Arms,” and “A Portrait of Marie”). “Stay in My Arms” can also be heard in the collection Classics from Hollywood to Broadway: Songs by Robert Wright and George Forrest (Koch/Schwann Records CD # 3-1064-2).

HELLZAPOPPIN’ ’67 “THE WORLD’S FUNNIEST MUSICAL” Theatre and Dates: opened on July 1, 1967, at La Ronde (a theatre in the Garden of Stars, Expo ’67) in Montreal, Canada, and closed there permanently on September 16, 1967 Lyrics and Music: Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel Direction: Jerry Adler; Producer: Alexander H. Cohen; Choreography: Buddy Schwab (Drusilla Davis, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery and Costumes: Raoul Pène du Bois; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: John Berkman Cast: Soupy Sales, Betty Madigan, Luba Lisa, Claiborne Cary, Jackie Alloway, Brandon Maggart, Jack Fletcher, Ted Thurston, Suzan Clemm, Will B. Able, Graziella, Johnny Melfi; Singers and Dancers: Barbara Brownell, Trudy Carson, Linda Grant, Sharon Halley, Linda Jorgens, Marilyn Miles, Mabel Robinson, Lynn Winn, Mary Zahn, Dennis Edenfield, Bill Gerber, Tony Juliano, Ross Miles, Eddy (Eddie?) Phillips, Scotty Salmon, Fred Siretta, Michael Toles, Lester Wilson The revue was presented in one act.

Sketches and Musical Numbers Overture (Orchestra); Soupy Sales (comic routine); “Hellzapoppin” (Soupy Sales, Company); “The Great Explodo” (Soupy Sales, Ted Thurston); “Songwriter” (Johnny Melfi); “Montreal” (Betty Madigan, Company); “Love Revisited” (Soupy Sales, Luba Lisa, Jackie Alloway, Suzan Clemm, Ted Thurston); “History Revisited” (Brandon Maggart, Ted Thurston); “The Umbrella” (Will B. Able, Mabel Robinson, Company); “Psychiatrist Revisited” (Soupy Sales, Claiborne Cary, Brandon Maggart, Jackie Alloway, Ted Thurston, Luba Lisa, Jack Fletcher, Betty Madigan, Suzan Clemm); “Air Strip” (Jackie Alloway, Luba Lisa, Suzan Clemm, Company); Finale (Soupy Sales, Company) Hellzapoppin’ ’67 was the first of two attempts (three, if one counts a short-lived television special; see below) by producer Alexander Cohen to duplicate the success of the original Hellzapoppin’, which opened on Broadway in 1938 and ran for over three years. Cohen’s Hellzapoppin’ ’67 played at Montreal’s Expo ’67, permanently closing there after its run, and his second attempt, Hellzapoppin’, closed during its pre-Broadway engagement during the 1976–1977 season. (The revue’s souvenir program alternately referred to the show’s title as Hellzapoppin ’67 and as Hellza-poppin ’67; and other sources refer to the revue as Hellzapoppin’ ’67 and Hellzapoppin ’67.) The original production of Hellzapoppin’ (“The Screamlined Revue”) opened at the 46th Street (now Richard Rodgers) Theatre on September 22, 1938, and when it closed after 1,404 performances it was the longest-running musical (book musical or revue) in Broadway history. Ole Olsen and Chuck Johnson produced and starred in the show, which was decidedly low brow in most of its humor: a woman walked through the theatre calling out “Oscar, Oscar” for no apparent reason; various cast members skulked about the theatre attempting to drop (hopefully rubber) snakes and spiders on audience members; during intermission a man in a gorilla suit ran after women in the aisles and lobby; throughout the evening, another cast member rolled about the stage wrapped in a strait-jacket; and before the show began, a ticket scalper wandered through the theatre telling audience members it wasn’t too late, he could get them good seats for I Married an Angel (the hit Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical had premiered four months before Hellzapoppin’ opened). The revue also offered singers, dancers, a fiddle player, a cyclist, celebrity impersonators, and other accoutrements of old-time vaudeville, and while the critics’ notices were somewhat cool, they also acknowledged the evening was often entertaining (Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times noted that “if you can imagine a demented vaudeville brawl without the Marx Brothers, Hellzapoppin’ is it, and a good part of it is loud, low and funny”). The critics were particularly taken with the prologue, which, like most film theatres of the era,

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began the program with a newsreel. In this case, such politicians as Roosevelt, LaGuardia, Hitler, and Mussolini were seen on the screen, but from their mouths came the voices of various cast members from behind the curtain, and thus Hitler spoke with a Jewish accent and Mussolini “in deep Harlem tones,” per Richard Watts in the New York Herald-Tribune (this sequence wasn’t listed in the Playbill). Hellzapoppin’ ’67 was Alexander Cohen’s first attempt to resurrect the famous revue. It opened on July 1, 1967, at Expo ’67’s La Ronde, a theatre in the Garden of Stars, in Montreal, Canada. But the revue permanently closed there on September 16, and a projected December 1967 Broadway opening (as Hellzapoppin’ ’68) was cancelled, as was the cast album of the Expo ’67 production, which had been scheduled to be recorded by RCA Victor Records. The revue’s title song (that is, “Hellzapoppin’” [not “Hellzapoppin’ ’67”]) was recorded by Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars on Stateside Records (45 RPM # SS-2166) and by Jimmy Durante (Warner Brothers Records 45 RPM # 7024/K15667). “Just Like an Old-Time Movie” (which isn’t listed in the revue’s program) was included in the collection The Golddiggers (Metromedia Records LP # MD-1009). The collection Lost Broadway and More Volume 4 (no label and unnumbered, but presumably released by Original Cast Records) includes “(The) Umbrella” and “Montreal,” the latter performed by Raymond Jessel, who along with Marian Grudeff, wrote the lyrics and music. The team had earlier contributed most of the score for Cohen’s flop 1965 Broadway musical Baker Street. The revue’s cast included comedian Soupy Sales (who was billed above the title), Luba Lisa, Claiborne Cary, Jackie Alloway, Brandon Maggart, Ted Thurston, and Will B. Able. For whatever it’s worth, the revue’s souvenir program requested that audiences “please do not reveal the ending to your friends.” Cohen’s second try at Hellzapoppin’ opened on November 22, 1976, at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, then played at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., and finally at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, where it closed on January 22, 1977, thus cancelling its scheduled Broadway premiere at the Minskoff Theatre on February 13. The revue reportedly lost around $1,250,000. The sketches were by Abe Burrows, Bill Heyer, and Hank Beebe, and the songs were by Heyer and Beebe as well as by Carolyn Leigh and Jule Styne (and one number, Carolyn Leigh and Cy Coleman’s “Bouncing Back for More,” had been written for, but not used in, Wildcat [1960]). Jerry Lewis headlined the revue, and other cast members included Lynn Redgrave, Herb Edelman, Joey Faye, Robert Fitch, Justine Johnston (who was looking for that elusive Oscar), and Brandon Maggart, who had appeared in Hellzapoppin’ ’67. A couple of the revue’s new songs were pleasant in an old-time-show-business kind of way (“Once I’ve Got My Cane,” “One to a Customer”), and the title song was catchy despite its strange lyric (“Prisoners in their cells a’poppin’ / Hellzapoppin’”). The revue’s highlights were two sketches, one in which Lewis and Redgrave depicted television co-anchors who hate each other, and another which spoofed A Chorus Line. For the latter, cast members lined up across the stage in Chorus Line fashion, and when an unseen voice summoned one of the cast members to step forward and tell his story, Lewis, in his unique and inimitable way, knock-kneed his way to the edge of the stage and then proceeded to fall face forward into the orchestra pit. The backstage drama of the production’s riffs and tiffs was well documented in the press, including a full cover story in the February 7, 1977, issue of New York magazine (“Hellzafloppin! Is This the End of Jerry Lewis? A Backstage Report” by Cliff Jahr) and a February 7, 1977, article in People (“The Final Curtain Falls on Hellzapoppin’ But Nobody Is Applauding”). In between his failed stage productions of Hellzapoppin’, Cohen was executive producer of a television variety show version of the revue. Hellzapoppin’ aired on the ABC Comedy Hour on March 1, 1972; it was hoped the show would be picked up as a summer replacement series, to be followed by a regular slot as part of ABC’s upcoming fall season. But it was not to be. The performers on the one-time airing included Jack Cassidy, Ronnie Schell, the Jackson Five, June Wilkinson, and Lyle Waggoner as well as the following performers who later appeared in the 1976 stage production: Lynn Redgrave, Bob Williams and Louie, and the Volantes.

HOW DO YOU DO I LOVE YOU “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatres and Dates: The musical played in summer stock venues (such as “tent” theatres in the round, including Shady Grove Music Fair in Gaithersburg, Maryland) during summer 1967 Book: Michael Stewart

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Lyrics: Richard Maltby Jr. Music: David Shire Direction: Stone Widney; Producers: Lee Guber and Shelly Gross; Choreography: Tony Mordente; Scenery: Michael Annals (set decoration by Milton Duke); Costumes: Sara Brook; Lighting: Lester Tapper; Musical Direction: Arthur Rubinstein Cast: Suzanne Barry (Mrs. Englebach), Donald Norris (Mr. Englebach, Voice Over, Old Man), Andrea Stevens (Nurse, Bruce’s Girl, Doug’s Mother), Phyllis Newman (Alice Francis), Loni Ackerman (Kid Sister), Merry Lynn Katis (Kid Sister, Model), Tracy Phelps (Woman from Personnel, Larry’s Mother), Carole Cook (Endicott), Raymond George (McIlheny), Jody Burke (Fiske), Joey Baio (Casmirkian), Jay Geber (Evans), Mary Ann Squitieri (Ella), Susan Morse (Lorraine), Virgil Curry (Doug, Newscaster), Pat Lysinger (Girl on Couch, Bruce’s Mother), Jerry Holmes (Larry, Roger Hofflinger), Michael Davis (Bruce, Getty), Philip Lucas (Stanley), Mary Ann Niles (Stanley’s Girl, Stanley’s Mother), Pamela Peadon (Getty’s Nurse) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in East Orange, New Jersey, and in New York City during the present time.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Just Across the River” (Phyllis Newman, Loni Ackerman, Merry Lynn Katis); “Life Is Too Short” (Joey Baio, Carole Cook, Mary Ann Squitieri, Susan Morse); “Zeroing in On You” (Phyllis Newman, Virgil Curry, Jerry Holmes, Michael Davis, Philip Lucas); “Houses in Larchmont” (Phyllis Newman); “Houses in Larchmont” (reprise) (Virgil Curry, Jerry Holmes, Michael Davis, Philip Lucas); “Pleased with Myself” (Phyllis Newman, Ensemble); “Nine to Five” (Jay Gerber); “Still Single” (Carole Cook, Mary Ann Squitieri, Susan Morse); “When He Marries Me” (Phyllis Newman, Carole Cook, Mary Ann Squitieri, Susan Morse, Joey Baio) Act Two: “They Married for Love” (Carole Cook, Joey Baio, Suzanne Barry, Phyllis Newman); “How Do You Do, I Love You” (Phyllis Newman, Joey Baio, Company); “Her Laughter in My Life” (Jay Gerber); “Meet My Girl” (Virgil Curry, Jerry Holmes, Michael Davis, Philip Lucas, Andrea Stevens, Tracy Phelps, Pat Lysinger, Mary Ann Niles); “One Step” (Carole Cook, Joey Baio); “This Is the Day” (Carole Cook, Suzanne Barry, Donald Norris, Company); “A Different Drummer” (Phyllis Newman); “One Step” (reprise) (Carole Cook, Joey Baio); “A Life Full of Surprises” (Phyllis Newman, Jay Gerber) How Do You Do I Love You was a musical about computer dating services, and its locale was the New York City area, including East Orange, New Jersey. But the musical’s 1967 summer-tent tour never got to Broadway, despite a book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr., music by David Shire (with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick), and a cast that included Phyllis Newman. Maltby and Shire were talented, but as a team they didn’t enjoy many theatrical successes. How Do You Do I Love You and Love Match (1968) folded prior to Broadway, and their 1961 Off-Broadway musical The Sap of Life closed after 49 performances. Their two Broadway musicals weren’t successful: Baby (1983) closed after a disappointing run of 241 performances, and the lavish and seemingly can’t-miss Big (1996) disappeared after 193 showings. Their greatest successes together were Off-Broadway retrospectives of their songs. Starting Here, Starting Now (1977) played for 120 performances and enjoyed a long life in regional theatre, and Closer Than Ever (1989) ran for 288 performances. Happily, The Sap of Life, Baby, Big, Starting Here, Starting Now, and Closer Than Ever were recorded. Maltby enjoyed major successes in other theatrical ventures. He conceived and directed Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978; after 28 Off-Off-Broadway performances, the musical transferred to Broadway for a marathon run of 1,604 performances); he directed, adapted, and wrote additional lyrics for the American version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song and Dance (1985; 474 performances); and he coscripted and wrote the English lyrics for Miss Saigon (London, 1989 [4,264 performances]; New York, 1991 [4,097 performances]). Although How Do You Do I Love You disappeared after its summer 1967 tour, three of its songs (“Just Across the River,” “Pleased with Myself,” and “One Step”) surfaced in Starting Here, Starting Now and were recorded for the revue’s cast album (RCA Victor Records LP # ABL1-2360). A fourth number, “Her Laughter in My Life,” was included in the collection Unsung Musicals (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5462).

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MATA HARI “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre and Dates: Opened at the National Theatre, Washington, D.C., on November 18, 1967, and closed there on December 9, 1967 Book: Jerome Coopersmith Lyrics: Martin Charnin Music: Edward Thomas Direction: Vincente Minnelli; Producers: David Merrick (Samuel Liff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Jack Cole; Scenery and Lighting: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Irene Sharaff; Musical Direction: Colin Romoff Cast: Jake Holmes (The Young Soldier), Mark Dempsey (Lieutenant Boulet), Pernell Roberts (Captain Henry LaFarge), Joe Corby (Lieutenant Devries), Kuniko Narai (Christiana), Reiko Sato (Carlotta), Myrna White (Midge), Marisa Mell (Mata Hari), George Marcy (Vaudeville Man), Sandy Ellen (Vaudeville Woman), Ellen Kravitz (Vaudeville Child), Martha Schlamme (Paulette LaFarge), Paul Glaser (Flower Vendor), Seymour Penzner (Philipe), Nadine Lewis (Claudine), Ryan Harrison (Pierre), Blythe Danner (Michele), Helen G. Ross (Mrs. Dupre), Dominic Chianese (Maurice), Lewis Pierce (Innkeeper), Robert Kelly (First German), Gordon Voorhees (Second German, Stage Manager), Bill Reilly (Lieutenant Grant), W. B. Brydon (Major Bonnard), Jacque Dean (Landlady); Officers, Diplomats, Vendors, Musicians, Soldiers, Gendarmes, Parisians, Others: Bobbi Baird, Baruch Blum, Eileen Casey, Joseph Corby, Peter Costanza, Jacque Dean, Anthony Devecchi, Judith Danford, Carolyn Dyer, Sandy Ellen, Jack Fletcher, Garold Gardiner, Luigi Gasparinetti, Joanne Geahry, Altovise Gore, Peggy Hagen, Robert Kelly, Betty Kent, Ellen Kravitz, Tracy Moore, Ray Morgan, Lewis Pierce, Jeff Phillips, Bill Reilly, Skiles Ricketts, Don StomsVik, Francine Storey, Caryl Tenney, Marshall Thomas, Nina Trasoff, Martha Velez, Gordon Voorhees, Masha Wolfson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in France (mostly in Paris) during World War I.

Musical Numbers Act One: “This Is Not a Very Nice War” (Jake Holmes); “Is This Fact?” (Pernell Roberts, Joe Corby, Mark Dempsey, Soldiers); “Mata Hari’s Dance at the Salon” (Marisa Mell, Kuniko Narai, Reiko Sako, Myrna White); “Everyone Has Something to Hide” (Marisa Mell, Ensemble); “Waltz at the Salon” (Ensemble); “How Young You Were Tonight” (Pernell Roberts, Martha Schlamme); “Curiosity” (Marisa Mell, Pernell Roberts, Mark Dempsey, Officers, Dancing Girls); “I’m Saving Myself for a Soldier” (George Marcy, Sandy Ellen, Ellen Kravitz, Ensemble); “I’m Saving Myself for a Soldier” (reprise) (George Marcy, Sandy Ellen, Ellen Kravitz, Ensemble); “Maman” (Jake Holmes); “The Choice Is Yours” (Marisa Mell, Pernell Roberts); “Sextet” (Martha Schlamme, Pernell Roberts, Nadine Lewis, Helen G. Ross, Seymour Penzner, Blythe Danner, Dominic Chianese, Ryan Harrison, Unidentified Performer); “I Don’t See Him Very Much Anymore” (Martha Schlamme); “No More Than a Moment” (Marisa Mell, Pernell Roberts); “In Madrid” (Ensemble); “Dance at the Café del Torro” (Marisa Mell, Kuniko Narai, Reiko Sako, Myrna White) Act Two: “Hello, Yank!” (Jake Holmes, French and American Soldiers); “You Have No Idea” (Marisa Mell, Pernell Roberts, Mark Dempsey, Officers); “Interrogation Ballet” (Marisa Mell, W. B. Brydon, Dancers); “Sextet” (reprise) (Martha Schlamme, Relatives, People on the Street); “There Is No You” (Pernell Roberts); “There Will Be Love Again” (Marisa Mell); “There Is No You” (reprise) (Pernell Roberts) Based on the exploits of the legendary World War I French spy, Mata Hari closed during its pre-Broadway tryout and immediately took its place in a triumvirate with Kelly and Breakfast at Tiffany’s as one the most notorious flops of the 1960s. The musical began its tryout at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., on November 18, 1967, and played there for three weeks of its scheduled four-week engagement, closing on December 9 instead of December 16. The production cancelled its Philadelphia tryout stop and its New York premiere, where it was to open at the Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre on January 13, 1968. When it closed, its loss was a then staggering $500,000.

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The lavish musical was overstuffed with plot, and despite an often fine score (which was perhaps too top-heavy with ballads) and an ambitious if flawed book, the hopelessly inept production wasn’t ready to face an audience. The musical seemed to need at least another month of rehearsal and rewrites, and so when the curtain went up on the first preview performance, audiences were witness to a disaster in the making. Indeed, the calamitous first preview was legendary, and the icing on the cake was the final sequence, which showed Mata Hari (Marisa Mell) executed by a firing squad. But not quite dead. As she lay on the stage in a “dead” pose, Mell proceeded to scratch the side of her nose in full view of the audience. The unfocused book awkwardly juxtaposed scenes of Mata Hari’s political and romantic intrigues (including her ill-fated romance with French intelligence officer Captain Henry LaFarge, played by Pernell Roberts) with many extraneous sequences surrounding LaFarge and his family, including his wife Paulette (Martha Schlamme), children (one of whom was played by Blythe Danner), and other relatives (four numbers centered on LaFarge and his family life: “How Young You Were Tonight,” “Sextet,” “I Don’t See Him Very Much Anymore,” and the reprise of “Sextet”). LaFarge desires the exciting temptress but also wants his dependable wife, and thus faces the age-old musical-comedy dilemma of not being able to make up his mind, a problem Lizzie faced just a few seasons earlier in 110 in the Shade. (For ironic subtext, the same actress should have played the roles of both Mata Hari and Paulette.) The musical also offered dancing girls who back up Mata Hari when she entertains (“Mata Hari’s Dance at the Salon”) as well as strolling vaudevillians (their number “I’m Saving Myself for a Soldier” was one of the evening’s highlights). And like the nameless M.C. in Cabaret, the musical offered a nameless, shadowy character named The Young Soldier (Jake Holmes) who lurked around the fringes of the plot and to a certain extent commented on the war by interrupting the stage action with scenes from the battlefront. Clearly meant to mirror the anti-Vietnam-war protests of the mid-1960s, the Young Soldier’s antiwar song “Maman” was another of the score’s highlights, and he also took part in the big production number “Hello, Yank!” But unlike the M.C., the Young Soldier was underutilized (he sang the show’s opening number “This Is Not a Very Nice War,” which was cut early in the run), and audience members could be forgiven for assuming he was an actual character in the plot and not realizing he was a slightly pretentious symbolic mouthpiece for the authors. If the musical’s concept and plot were expansive, so was the show’s look. Jo Mielziner’s lavish scenery (including huge sets that cut away to reveal other locales) and Irene Sharaff’s gorgeous costumes were among the most bountiful of the era. Unfortunately, Jack Cole’s choreography was often more workmanlike than inspired. The salon dance and the “Dance at the Café del Torro” came across as throwaway numbers, and the “Interrogation Ballet” (aka “Interrogation and Ballet” and “The Arrest Ballet”) was more ambitious than entertaining (this viewer summed up the sequence with just one word in his Playbill: “Awful!”) . But the choreography and stage movement surrounding “I’m Saving Myself for a Soldier” and “Hello, Yank!” were welcome for their old-time musical-comedy pizzazz. Director Vincente Minnelli’s direction seemed nonexistent (indeed, he left the show midway through the Washington run), and the leading performances were lacking. Roberts was stiff and uncomfortable, and the stunningly beautiful Mell (like the Bella Darvi tribute in Off-Broadway’s The Billy Barnes Revue) was cute but hard to understand, and she seemed clearly out of her element on the musical stage. Schlamme’s thankless role of the long-suffering but always understanding wife was underwritten and almost unplayable. By the second week of the Washington run, four numbers had been dropped, the aforementioned “This Is Not a Very Nice War” as well as “No More Than a Moment,” “Curiosity,” and the finale/reprise of “There Is No You,” and one (“Not Here, Not Now”) was added. During preproduction, Mata Hari was titled Façade. A small-scale revival of Mata Hari, now titled Ballad for a Firing Squad, opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre de Lys on December 13, 1968, almost a year to the day of the Washington closing (the revised production had been briefly considered for Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre). The new version still included the Young Soldier and the overall antiwar subplot, but couldn’t find a viable text for the story of Mata Hari and LaFarge. As a result, Ballad for a Firing Squad was gone after seven performances and lost its $60,000 investment. A number of new songs were written for Ballad for a Firing Squad: “There Is Only One Thing to Be Sure Of,” “Fritzie,” “I Did Not Sleep Last Night,” “What Then?” “What Might Have Been,” and a title song. Songs performed in Washington that weren’t used in the revival were: “This Is Not a Very Nice War,” “Curiosity,” “No More Than a Moment,” “In Madrid,” “Dance at the Café del Toro,” “You Have No Idea,” “There Is No

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You,” “There Will Be Love Again,” “Waltz at the Salon,” and the “Interrogation and Ballet.” The revival’s “Dance at the Salon” had been titled “Mata Hari’s Dance at the Salon” in Washington. On January 25, 1996, the York Theatre revived the musical as Mata Hari for a limited engagement; like the Washington production, the musical closed early, for a total of thirteen previews and twelve official performances (it had been set to run through February 18, but closed on February 4). But the production resulted in a recording of the score when Original Cast Records released CD # OC-8600 (the 1967 production had been scheduled to be recorded by RCA Victor Records, but the recording was cancelled when the musical closed on the road, but bootleg copies of a live performance from the Washington run have made the rounds of show music collectors). The CD offers songs from the 1967 and 1968 versions, new songs written for the York production, and poster artwork for both Mata Hari and Ballad for a Firing Squad. For the recording, the same performer (Robin Syke) sings the roles of both Mata Hari and Paulette. (In the York production, Marguerite MacIntyre was Mata Hari, and Syke was Paulette; for Ballad for a Firing Squad, Renata Vaselle was Mata Hari, and Adelle Rasey was Paulette.) The York production used the following songs that were heard in Washington: “Is This Fact?,” “Dance at the Salon,” “Everyone Has Something to Hide,” “How Young You Were Tonight,” “I’m Saving Myself for a Soldier,” “The Choice Is Yours,” “Sextet” (titled “This Is Nice” in the York program and “Sextet” on the recording), “Maman,” “Not Now, Not Here,” “Hello, Yank!,” “I Don’t See Him Very Much Anymore,” and “You Have No Idea.” Numbers written for Ballad of a Firing Squad and subsequently used for the York production were “Fritzie” and “What Might Have Been,” and a new song (“Gone”) was added for the York version. Numbers omitted from the York version but that had been heard in the 1967 production were “This Is Not a Very Nice War,” “Waltz at the Salon,” “Curiosity,” “In Madrid,” “Dance at the Café del Torro,” “Interrogation and Ballet,” “There Is No You,” and “There Will Be Love Again,” and some songs included in the Off-Broadway revival were also omitted from the York production (“Ballad for a Firing Squad,” “There Is Only One Thing to Be Sure Of,” “I Did Not Sleep Last Night,” and “What Then?”). Another lyric version about Mata Hari was the 1983 Spanish musical Mata-Hari, which was recorded by Polydor Records (LP # 815-455-1). The book and lyrics were by Adolfo Marsillach, the music by Anton Garcia Abril (in collaboration with Manuel Codeso), and Concha Velasco played the title role.

• 1968–1969 Season

MY FAIR LADY Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: June 23, 1968 Closing Date: June 30, 1968 Performances: 22 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Frederick Loewe Based on the 1912 play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and the 1938 film Pygmalion (screenplay by Shaw and others; the film was produced by Gabriel Pascal, who received My Fair Lady program credit). Direction: Samuel Liff; Producer: The New York City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Hanya Holm (for this production, Holm’s original choreography restaged by Harry Woolever); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Cecil Beaton (for this production, costumes supervised by Stanley Simmons); Lighting: Feder; Musical Direction: Anton Coppola Cast: George Bunt (Busker), John Johann (Busker), Kiki Minor (Busker), Claire Waring (Mrs. Eynsford-Hill), Inga Swenson (Eliza Doolittle), Evan Thomas (Freddy Eynsford-Hill), Byron Webster (Colonel Pickering), James Beard (A Bystander, Jamie, Lord Boxington), Fritz Weaver (Henry Higgins), Charles Goff (Selsey Man, Harry, Ambassador), Jack Fletcher (Hoxton Man, Third Cockney), Laried Montgomery (First Cockney), Stokely Gray (Second Cockney, Servant), William James (Fourth Cockney, Butler, Servant), Larry Devon (Bartender), George Rose (Alfred P. Doolittle), Leta Bonynge (Mrs. Pearce), Blanche Collins (Mrs. Hopkins), Jeanne Shea (Servant, Mrs. Higgins’s Maid), Hanna Owen (Servant), Maggie Worth (Servant, Queen of Transylvania), Joyce Olson (Servant), Margery Maude (Mrs. Higgins),Todd Butler (Chauffeur), Darrell Sandeen (Footman, Flunkey, Bartender), Peter Constanza (Footman), Blanche Collins (Lady Boxington), Richard Maxon (Constable), Kiki Minor (Flower Girl), Erik Rhodes (Zoltan Karpathy); Singing Ensemble: Marcia Brushingham, Spring Fairbank, Maryann Kerrick, Joyce Olson, Hanna Owen, Jeanne Shea, Barbara Sorensen, Maggie Worth, Jim Connor, Peter Costanza, Larry Devon, Jack Fletcher, Stokely Gray, William James, Laried Montgomery, Darrell Sandeen; Dancing Ensemble: Lisa Ackerman, Judith Austin, Cindi Bulak, Joyce Maret, Mari McMinn, Kiki Minor, Skiles Ricketts, Britt Swanson, Margot Travers, Oscar Anthony, George Bunt, Todd Butler, Richard Dodd, Joe Helm, John Johann, Donald Mark, Richard Maxon, Duane Taylor, Jimmy White The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in London in 1912.

Musical Numbers Act One: Street Entertainers (George Bunt, John Johann, Kiki Minor); “Why Can’t the English?” (Fritz Weaver); “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (Inga Swenson, Laried Montgomery, Stokely Gray, Jack Fletcher, William James);

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“With a Little Bit of Luck” (George Rose, Charles Goff, James Beard); “I’m an Ordinary Man” (Fritz Weaver); “With a Little Bit of Luck” (reprise) (George Rose, Ensemble); “Just You Wait” (Inga Swenson); “The Rain in Spain” (Fritz Weaver, Inga Swenson, Byron Webster); “I Could Have Danced All Night” (Inga Swenson, Leta Bonynge, Maids); “Ascot Gavotte” (Ensemble); “On the Street Where You Live” (Evan Thomas); “The Embassy Waltz” (Fritz Weaver, Inga Swenson, Erik Rhodes, Ensemble) Act Two: “You Did It” (Fritz Weaver, Byron Webster, Leta Bonynge, Servants); “Just You Wait” (reprise) (Inga Swenson); “On the Street Where You Live” (reprise) (Evan Thomas); “Show Me” (Inga Swenson, Evan Thomas); “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (reprise) (Inga Swenson, Laried Montgomery, Stokely Gray, Jack Fletcher, William James); “Get Me to the Church on Time” (George Rose, Charles Goff, James Beard, Ensemble); “A Hymn to Him” (Fritz Weaver); “Without You” (Inga Swenson, Fritz Weaver); “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” (Fritz Weaver) City Center’s 1968 revival of My Fair Lady was its second and final production of the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe classic (for more information about the musical, see entry for City Center’s 1964 revival). For the 1968 production, Fritz Weaver and Inga Swenson teamed up for the second time (both had starred in Baker Street three years earlier). Richard F. Shepard in the New York Times found Weaver’s Higgins “splendidly vinegary,” and said Swenson’s Eliza was “marvelous” with a “delicate, sweet voice” which smoothly morphed into a “rasping” Cockney accent. George Rose gave a “magnificently earthy performance” as Alfred P. Doolittle (when he reprised the role for the 1976 Broadway revival, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical). As for the musical itself, Shepard found it “delightful,” and wondered who was “in the more enviable situation, one who is seeing the show for the first time” or one who has seen it before. He concluded that “either way” the evening “makes lovely, light summer fare.” The production was directed by Samuel Liff, was conducted by Anton Coppola, and Hanya Holm’s original choreography was re-created for the revival. The production also offered the original sets and costumes by Oliver Smith and Cecil Beaton, respectively. In the role of Zoltan Kaparthy was memorable character actor Erik Rhodes, who specialized in playing conceited, continental types (and so of course Kaparthy was a natural for him). He appeared as Tonetti in the original 1932 Broadway production of Cole Porter’s Gay Divorce, and introduced “How’s Your Romance?” and “You’re in Love.” He’s best known for his performances in two Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’s film musicals, The Gay Divorcee (1934; he reprised his stage role for the revised and retitled film version) and Top Hat (1935). As a pompous dress designer in the latter, he stated “I am no man, I am Bedini!” and announced that never again would women be allowed to wear his dresses. In 1953, he appeared on Broadway in Porter’s Can-Can, and with Hans Conried introduced the naughty “Come Along with Me.”

WEST SIDE STORY Theatre: The New York State Theatre Opening Date: June 24, 1968 Closing Date: September 7, 1968 Performances: 89 Book: Arthur Laurents Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Music: Leonard Bernstein Based on a conception of Jerome Robbins; loosely based on William Shakespeare’s 1594 play Romeo and Juliet. Direction and Choreography: Jerome Robbins (for this production, Robbins’s direction and choreography was reproduced by Lee [Becker] Theodore); Producer: The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director) (A Lincoln Center Festival ’68 Production); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Winn Morton; Lighting: Peter Hunt; Musical Direction: Maurice Peress Cast: The Jets: Avind Harum (Riff), Kurt Peterson (Tony), Ian Tucker (Action), Robert LuPone (A-Rab), Stephen Reinhardt (Baby John), George Ramos (Snowboy), Roger Briant (Big Deal), Victor Mohica (Diesel), Chuck Beard (Gee-Tar), Joseph Pichette (Mouth Piece), Kenneth Carr (Tiger); Their Girls: Garet de Troia (Graziella), Nancy Dalton (Velma), Rachel Lampert (Minnie), Sherry Lynn Diamant (Clarice), Carol Han-

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zel (Pauline), Jeanne Frey (Pucky), Lee Lund (Anybody’s); The Sharks: Alan Castner (Bernardo), Victoria Mallory (Maria), Barbara Luna (Anita), Bobby Capo Jr. (Chino), Edgar Coronado (Pepe), Peter de Nicola (Indio), Pat Matera (Luis), Steven Gelfer (Anxious), Ramon Caballero (Nibbles), Pernett Robinson (Juano), Byron Wheeler (Toro), George Comtois (Moose); Their Girls: Kay Oslin (Rosalia), Lee Hooper (Consuelo), Connie Burnett (Teresita), Eileen Barbaris (Francisca), Judith Lerner (Estella), Carol Lynn Vasquez (Marguerita), Diane McAfee (Felicia); The Adults: Martin Wolfson (Doc), Joseph Mascolo (Schrank), Josip Elic (Krupke), Bill McCutcheon (Gladhand) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the West Side of New York City during the last days of summer.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Prologue” (dance) (Jets, Sharks); “Jet Song” (Avind Harum, Stephen Reinhardt, Robert LuPone, Victor Mohica, Jets); “Something’s Coming” (Kurt Peterson); “The Dance at the Gym” (The Jets, The Sharks); “Maria” (Kurt Peterson); “Tonight” (Kurt Peterson, Victoria Mallory); “America” (Barbara Luna, Shark Girls); “Cool” (Avind Harum, Jets); “One Hand, One Heart” (Kurt Peterson, Victoria Mallory); “Tonight” (Quintet and Chorus) (Company); “The Rumble” (dance) (Avind Harum, Alan Castner, Jets, Sharks) Act Two: “I Feel Pretty” (Victoria Mallory, Kay Oslin, Connie Burnett, Lee Hooper); “Somewhere” (danced by Company; sung by Jeanne Frey); “Gee, Officer Krupke” (Ian Tucker, George Ramos, Jets); “A Boy Like That” (Barbara Luna, Victoria Mallory); “I Have a Love” (Barbara Luna, Victoria Mallory); “Taunting” (dance) (Barbara Luna, Jets); Finale (Company) The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center’s 1968 production of the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen SondheimArthur Laurents 1957 landmark musical West Side Story was their eighth of nine revivals of classic musicals during the period 1964–1969 (one more revival was to follow, when Oklahoma! was produced there the following year). The Lincoln Center production marked the second of four New York revivals of West Side Story (for more information about the musical, see entry for the 1960 return engagement production). The cast of the 1968 revival included Kurt Peterson (Tony) and Victoria Mallory (Maria), both of whom would soon originate roles in Sondheim musicals; both appeared in the original 1971 production of Follies (as Young Ben and Young Heidi, respectively), and Mallory created the role of Ann in A Little Night Music (1973). Other cast members included Barbara Luna (Anita), who created roles in the original productions of two musicals by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, first appearing in South Pacific (1949) as Ngana (Emile De Becque’s daughter) and introducing “Dites-moi,” and then as one of the royal princesses in The King and I (1951); and Robert LuPone (A-Rab) later created the role of Zach in the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of A Chorus Line (both 1975). In his review for the New York Times, Dan Sullivan seemed a bit conflicted about the merits of the musical. He wrote that of the “great American musicals,” West Side Story ranked “very close to the top,” but noted the musical had become a bit dated (the gang wars of the 1950s had been replaced by the “even more frightening riots” of the 1960s), and the hostilities between the two street gangs were “mild” compared with the “black-white confrontation staring us in the face today.” Further, he felt that by the late 1960s the Sharks and Jets would dance to the music of the Rolling Stones rather than Bernstein’s “boppy sound,” and he mentioned the language was dated due to the conventions of 1950s Broadway writing. He also commented that at its heart West Side Story was “constructed of the common clay of many a Broadway musical” with its boymeets-girl plot, its traditional male and female chorus, its “exotic background,” and its equally traditional “show-stopping comedy number” (“Gee, Officer Krupke”). But for all that, he noted the new production is “still hanging very, very tough,” and Bernstein’s score took on a “new dimension” when one realized how well it “illuminates, and is illuminated by” Jerome Robbins’s choreography (here re-created by Lee [Becker] Theodore, who originated the role of Anybody’s in the 1957 production). As a result, a “carefully produced” West Side Story “will always be worth seeing.” As for the cast, Sullivan felt Peterson needed to sharpen his performance: it was difficult to believe his Tony was once the leader of a tough street gang. As for Mallory, he felt her exuberant performance could use a “touch of apprehension” to foreshadow the tragedy to come. In regard to the male dancers, he felt they’d be more forceful “when they remember that they are supposed to be dancing even when they are not dancing, if

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that is not too obscure.” He explained that the gang members are always on the edge of “exploding” and thus their collective fuse needed to “sizzle a little more.”

NOEL COWARD’S SWEET POTATO “A MUSICAL REVUE” Theatre: Ethel Barrymore Theatre Opening Date: September 29, 1968 Closing Date: October 12, 1968 Performances: 17 Note: The production reopened at the Booth Theatre on November 1, 1968, and closed on November 23, 1968, for 27 performances, for a total Broadway run of 44 performances. Lyrics and Music: Noel Coward (material assembled and adapted by Roderick Cook and Lee [Becker] Theodore) Direction and Choreography: Lee (Becker) Theodore (Robert Tucker, Co-Choreographer); Producers: Robert L. Steele in association with The Erani Corporation; Scenery: Helen Pond and Herbert Senn; Costumes: David Toser (Haute Couture: Baba); Lighting: Peter Hunt; Musical Direction: Charles Schneider Cast: George Grizzard, Dorothy Loudon, Carole Shelley, Arthur Mitchell, Tom Kneebone, Bonnie Schon, Ian Tucker, Robert LuPone, Stephen Reinhardt, Ron Carter The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “A Beginning” (Company); “Useful Phrases” (from Sail Away, 1961 [New York], London [1962]) (George Grizzard, Dorothy Loudon, Arthur Mitchell, Bonnie Schon); “Dance, Little Lady” (This Year of Grace, 1928 [London], New York [1928]) (Bonnie Schon, Boys); “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” (The Third Little Show, 1931 [New York]; later used in the 1932 London revue Words and Music [which opened in New York in 1938 as Set to Music]) (George Grizzard, Dorothy Loudon, Carole Shelley, Tom Kneebone); “World Weary” (introduced in the New York production of This Year of Grace, 1928) (Arthur Mitchell, Bonnie Schon, Boys); “A Bar on the Piccola Marina” (independent song, written in the 1950s) (George Grizzard); “Literature” (Dorothy Loudon, Tom Kneebone); “Why Does Love Get in the Way?” (Ace of Clubs, 1950 [London]) (Carole Shelley); “Men about Town” (To-Night at 8:30/Red Peppers, 1936 [London], New York [1936]) (George Grizzard, Dorothy Loudon, Tom Kneebone); “Matelot” (Sigh No More, 1945 [London]) (Arthur Mitchell, Carole Shelley, Bonnie Schon); “Eve” (Tom Kneebone); “Consecutive Fifths” (music by Fred Werner and Roderick Cook) (George Grizzard); “Mad about the Boy” (Words and Music, 1932 [London]; opened in New York as Set to Music, 1938) (Dorothy Loudon, Carole Shelley, Bonnie Schon, Boys); “I Wonder What Happened to Him?” (independent song, 1944) (George Grizzard, Tom Kneebone); “Karate” (Bonnie Schon); “A Room with a View” (This Year of Grace, 1928 [London], New York [1928]) (Dorothy Loudon); “Waltzes” (George Grizzard, Boys); “I Like America” (Ace of Clubs, 1950 [London]) (Company) Act Two: “Let’s Do It” (lyric and music by Cole Porter, from Paris [1928]; later used in the 1929 London revue Wake Up and Dream; Coward’s revised lyric was written in the 1940s) (Company); “Three White Feathers” (Words and Music, 1932 [London]; opened in New York as Set to Music, 1938) (Dorothy Loudon, Tom Kneebone); “Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington” (independent song, 1936) (George Grizzard, Boys); “Headless Dance” (music of “Never Again” used for dance [“Never Again” was introduced in Set to Music, New York [1938]) (Arthur Mitchell, Ron Carter); “Alice” (aka “Alice Is At It Again” and “Sweet Alice”; dropped during the tryout of Pacific 1860, London [1946]) (Tom Kneebone); “Social Grace” (Arthur Mitchell, Bonnie Schon, Ian Tucker, Dorothy Loudon, Tom Kneebone); “Sweet Potato” (Carole Shelley, Boys); “Party Chat/Amanda, Elyot and Friends” (Carole Shelley, George Grizzard, Company); “If Love Were All” (Bitter Sweet, 1928 [London], New York [1928]) (Dorothy Loudon); “Sex Talk” (Tom Kneebone); “Sunset in Samolo” (music by Fred Werner and Roderick Cook) (Carole Shelley); “Teach Me How to Dance Like Grandma” (This Year of Grace, 1928 [London], New York [1928]) (Dorothy Loudon, Arthur Mitchell); “Boy Actor” (George Grizzard); “World Weary” (reprise) (Company); “An Ending” (Company)

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It isn’t surprising Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato went down for the count not once but twice during the 1968–1969 season. The revue was a tribute to Coward, but instead of presenting his songs and sketches in a straightforward and traditional fashion, the production desperately tried to saturate the entertainment in what passed for trendiness in 1968. As a result, the opening number (“A Beginning”) was an homage to Hair in which the cast members appeared on a semi-darkened stage, purportedly in the nude (but probably body stockings were worn); further, many of the songs (such as “Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington” and “Dance, Little Lady”) were sung to a rock beat (Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily reported that some of the songs were presented in an “easy-listening, Herb Alpert style”); and others tried to coyly dramatize songs: a woman locked out on her balcony proceeds to sing “A Room with a View,” and a sequence of Coward’s waltzes was depicted as a slow-motion dance in which a man fights off three muggers. Moreover, the scenic and costume designs were in the mode of pop-art. Although the revue was supposedly a tribute to Coward, two sequences (“Consecutive Fifths” and “Sunset in Samolo”) had music by Fred Werner and Roderick Cook, and another offered Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It,” albeit with Coward’s lyrical revision. The revue first opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on September 29, 1968, and closed there on October 12 after seventeen performances. The New York Times reported the show cost $225,000 to produce, and for its reopening at the Booth Theatre an additional $35,000 was raised to cover the cost of the move and a new advertising campaign. The revue reopened on November 1, and permanently closed on November 23 after twenty-seven more showings, for a total Broadway run of forty-four performances. Dorothy Loudon wasn’t around for the second opening, as she had left the production in order to appear in The Fig Leaves Are Falling, which opened on January 2, 1969, and closed two days later after four performances. Clearly, the 1968–1969 season was an unlucky one for her. For the second Potato production, Mary Louise Wilson succeeded Loudon, and except for some minor reshuffling of the songs and sketches, the material in both engagements was the same. The Playbill cover for the Barrymore engagement featured a Hirschfeld drawing of Coward and the cast members, along with the title of the show (Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato), while the cover for the Booth engagement was a photograph of the cast members in coy deshabille (along with artful lighting and what appears to be heavy air-brushing) with the title of the show given as Sweet Potato. But the credit page for each Playbill gave the show’s title as Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato. Clive Barnes in the New York Times felt the revue needed Coward’s “mordant and mortuary voice,” but here the material was instead “defensively twisted.” But he praised the “brilliance” of the cast (and noted Carole Shelley had a “beautifully acid look—she is Eve with a crabapple”), and felt Lee (Becker) Theodore’s direction and choreography was “adroit and deft.” Gottfried noted that every number (save “If Love Were All,” which was presented straight) was “dressed up with mockery, double-meanings, lightworks, [and] rock rhythms.” He said the evening wasn’t “excessively queer,” and indicated the revue was “pleasant . . . like turning the pages in a magazine.” Surprisingly, Gottfried reported that Dorothy Loudon (who could belt with the best of them) lacked the “voice for the Big Song.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times didn’t appreciate the superimposed “rock beat,” and felt some sequences offered “good ideas” with “bad endings.” But for all that, Coward’s songs were always entertaining, and thus the revue “might be just the thing for that evening you don’t know what to do with.” Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the revue’s creators didn’t “trust” Coward’s material, and thus insisted on the trappings of rock music. But as the evening progressed he found he “finally got to like” the “inventively staged” revue. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the revue “beguiling,” and said he wished the “sooty” performers in Hair could see it and “learn how the other half lives.” Alan Jeffreys on WABC-TV-7 thought the show was a “mixed bag” that really belonged in an intimate venue like the PLaza-9 Theatre or the Upstairs at the Downstairs. In this way, when the revue was “very, very good” you could watch it, and when it was dull (“which it frequently is”) you could chat with your companion and sip a drink. Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 liked the “delightful” evening. He thought it “horrid” that Coward was known by younger audiences only for his appearance in the film Boom! and thus felt the revue would set things right. The revue credited Roderick Cook with the show’s misguided “conception,” but Cook redeemed himself four years later with the sparkling Oh Coward!, which he directed and costarred in (with Barbara Cason and

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Jamie Ross). The revue, which opened Off-Broadway on October 4, 1972, at the New Theatre, and ran for 294 performances, was one of the classiest lyricist-composer tributes ever seen in New York. The revue returned to New York in June 1981 in an Off-Off-Broadway production at Ted Hook’s On Stage; opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre in November 1986; and later Off-Off-Broadway at the Irish Repertory Theatre in February 1999. The original production of Oh Coward! was recorded by Bell Records (LP # BELL-9001), and the script was published in hardback by Doubleday & Company in 1974. A television version of the revue was produced by Columbia Pictures and was telecast in March 1980. Another Off-Broadway entry devoted to Coward’s work was If Love Were All (1999), and in 1972 Cowardy Custard opened in London.

MARLENE DIETRICH Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: October 3, 1968 Closing Date: November 30, 1968 Performances: 67 Producer: Alexander H. Cohen (A Nine O’Clock Theatre Production); Lighting: Joe Davis; Musical Direction: Stan Freeman Cast: Marlene Dietrich The concert was presented in one act.

Musical Numbers All songs were performed by Marlene Dietrich. “Look Me Over Closely” (lyric and music by Terry Gilkyson); “You’re the Cream in My Coffee” (from the 1928 Broadway musical Hold Everything; lyric by B. G. [Buddy] DeSylva and Lew Brown, music by Ray Henderson); “Boomerang Baby” (from the Australian television series Boomeride; lyric and music by Charles Marawood); “Lola” (aka “Lola-Lola” and “Naughty Lola”; introduced by Dietrich in the 1930 film The Blue Angel; lyric by R. Leibman, music by Frederick Hollander; English lyric by Sammy Lerner); “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (lyric and music by Pete Seeger); “The Laziest Gal in Town” (written as an independent song by Cole Porter in 1927, the song was performed by Dietrich in the 1950 film Stage Fright); “Shir hatanbiem” (aka “Shir hatan”; lyric and music by Z. Sahar); “La vie en rose” (lyric by Edith Piaf, music by Louiguy); “Jonny” (introduced by Dietrich in the 1933 film Song of Songs; lyric and music by Frederick Hollander; English lyric by Edward Heyman); “Go Away (Go ’Way) from My Window” (lyric and music by John Jacob Niles); “Lili Marlene” (lyric by Hands Leip, music by Norbert Schultze; English lyric by John Turner and Tommy Connor [some sources give latter’s name as Tommie Connoer]); “Das lied ist aus” (lyric and music by Walter Reisch, A. Robinson, and Robert Stoltz); “I Wish You Love” (lyric by Albert Beach, music by Charles Trenet); “Marie, Marie” (lyric by Pierre Delanoe and Kolpe, music by Gilbert Becaud); “Honeysuckle Rose” (lyric by Andy Razaf, music by Thomas [“Fats”] Waller); “When the World Was Young (Ah, the Apple Trees)” (original French lyric by Angele Vannier, English lyric by Johnny Mercer, music by M. Phillipe-Gerard); “White Grass” (aka “The War’s Over, Seems We Won, Hooray”; from the Australian television series Boomeride; lyric and music by Charles Marawood); “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon” (lyric and music by Kenneth King); “Falling in Love Again” (introduced by Dietrich in the 1930 film The Blue Angel; lyric and music by Frederick Hollander; English lyric by Sammy Lerner) Marlene Dietrich had made her Broadway debut on October 9, 1967 (see entry), and now a year later was making her second and final appearance there in another one-woman show. As in her previous Broadway evening, Dietrich sang about twenty songs. She performed many of the numbers heard during the 1967 engagement, but now added a few new ones to her repertoire. Dan Sullivan in the New York Times felt the words emblazoned on the marquee of the Mark Hellinger Theatre seemed perhaps “a little much,” but maybe not: “The Queen of the World” was definitely “on the

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right track.” Dietrich was “imperial not to say imperious,” and it was “bracing” to encounter a star who didn’t “give a damn” if you loved her or not, just “so long as you admit she’s got the stuff. And Dietrich still does.” The legend seemed to say, “Take it or leave it,” and Sullivan concluded, “We’ll take it.” This time around, Dietrich opened her concert with a new song, “Look Me Over Close” (“as if everybody in the audience wasn’t,” said Sullivan); she also performed “Boomerang Baby” (“a pseudo-Australian rock song”), “When the World Was Young” (“smokily disillusioned”), and her signature songs “Jonny,” “Lili Marlene,” and “See What the Boys in the Backroom Will Have.” Sullivan noted her performance was as stylized as a Japanese Noh play, and said she almost seemed to join the audience in watching the image she had created by winking at them and saying “Not bad.” For the 1967 engagement, Burt Bacharach had conducted the orchestra. This time around, he still was the musical arranger, but the conductor was Stan Freeman, who was the lyricist and composer of I Had a Ball. Freeman’s Playbill bio stated he was presently composing the score for a musical version “of a famous Pulitzer Prize winning play” (this was Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen; based on John Patrick’s 1953 comedy The Teahouse of the August Moon, the musical opened at the Majestic Theatre on December 28, 1970, for a run of sixteen performances).

GILBERT BECAUD SINGS LOVE Theatre: Cort Theatre Opening Date: October 6, 1968 Closing Date: October 26, 1968 Performances: 24 Lyrics: Pierre Delanoe, Louis Amade, Maurice Vidalin, Charles Aznavour, Jean Broussolle, Mack David, Carl Sigman, and Gilbert Becaud Music: Gilbert Becaud Producers: Norman Twain and Marcel Akselrod, by arrangement with Felix Marouani; Scenery and Lighting: Ralph Alswang; Musical Direction: Raymond Bernard Cast: Gilbert Becaud The concert was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Le jour où la pluie viendra”; “Les jours meilleurs”; “C’etait mon copain”; “Le bateau blanc”; “Rosy and John”; “L’étoile”; “La grande roue”; “Je t’attends”; “Je partirai”; “T’es venu de loin”; “Le pianiste de Varsovie”; “Cornelius” Act Two: “L’oiseau de toutes les couleurs”; “The Other Three”; “Les cerisiers sont blancs”; “La grosse noce”; “La rivière”; “Les cloches”; “Je reviens te chercher”; “Nathalie”; “Et maintenant”; “L’important c’est la rose” Gilbert Becaud had first appeared in Gilbert Becaud on Broadway during the 1966–1967 season, and here he was returning for his second and final New York visit. In reviewing Becaud’s performance, Dan Sullivan in the New York Times echoed Robert Alden’s comments in the Times when the latter covered Becaud’s first New York engagement. Sullivan said the singer had “energy to burn and he recklessly burns it .  .  . scampering about like Cantor, skidding on his knees like Jolson.” And although Becaud was a “grand” entertainer, Sullivan felt his sometimes “flashy dramatic effect sometimes leads to embarrassing moments.” In particular, Sullivan noted a song that depicted a conversation between Christ and a little boy; the song concluded with Becaud appearing in silhouette in a Crucifixion pose. But, overall, Becaud’s “sleek good looks,” “bright charm,” and “slightly calculated naivete” could “sell your old grandmother $25,000 worth of dancing lessons,” and “worse, she would probably consider it money well spent.” For Gilbert Becaud Sings Love, the singer was accompanied by five musicians.

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THE MEGILLA OF ITZIK MANGER “A NEW MUSICAL

IN

YIDDISH

AND

ENGLISH”

Theatre: John Golden Theatre Opening Date: October 9, 1968 Closing Date: December 15, 1968 (78 performances) Return Engagement (see below)—Longacre Theatre; Opening Date: April 19, 1969 Closing Date: April 26, 1969 (12 performances) Total Performances: 90 Book and Lyrics: The original Israeli script and lyrics were written by Shmuel Bunim, Hayim Hefer, Itzik Manger, and Dov Seltzer; the Broadway version was adapted by Shmuel Bunim, with English commentary by Joe Darion Music: Dov Seltzer Direction: Shmuel Bunim (Amnon Kabatchnik, Assistant Director); Producers: Zvi Kolitz, Solomon Sagall, and Alice Peerce; Scenery and Costumes: Uncredited (a program note indicated that the original Israeli production was designed by Shlomo Vitkin); Lighting: Eldon Elder; Musical Direction: Max Meth Cast: Mike Burstein (Interlocutor, Fastrigosso, Fanfosso, Other Assorted Characters), Pesach Burstein (Ahasueras, Morcechai, Other Assorted Characters), Lillian Lux (Vashti, Zeresh, Innkeeper, Various Mothers), Zisha Gold (Haman, Tailor, Fanfosso’s Daughter, Different Jews), Susan Walters (Esther, Tailor’s Apprentice, First Girl, Second Girl, Other Girls), Ariel Furman (Second Interlocutor, Vayzatha, Characters of Assorted Sexes); Market People, Palace Attendants, Street Crowds, Wedding Guests, Others: Mike Burstein, Pesach Burstein, Lillian Lux, Zisha Gold, Susan Walters, Ariel Furman The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a small town in Europe during the present time (the characters reenact the Biblical story of Esther, which takes place during the fifth century).

Musical Numbers Act One: Prologue: “The Tailor’s Megilla” (Company); “Theme of the Megilla” (“Der nigun fun der megille”) (Company); “Drinking Song” (“Oom Pa Pa”) (“Dem melech’s sudeh”) (Company); “Vashti’s Farewell” (“Vashti’s Last Mile”) (“Vashti’s kloglid”) (Lillian Lux); “Song of the Walnut Tree” (“Der alter nussenboim”) (Company); “Theme of the Megilla” (reprise) (Company); “Fastrigossa’s Lament” (“Di elegiye fun Fastrigosso”) (Mike Burstein); “Fastrigossa’s Lament” (reprise) (Mike Burstein); “Song of the Golden Peacock” (“Das lid fun der goldener paveh”) (Company); “Fly, Little Bird” (“Flits fegelech”) (Mike Burstein, Company) Act Two: “The Gevald Aria” (“Gevald”) (Company); “The Tailors’ Drinking Song” (“Come Into the Tavern”) (“Kum arain in shenk”) (Company); “S’a mechaye” (“The King’s Song” [“It’s a Groove”]) (Pesach Burstein); “Song of the Walnut Tree” (reprise) (Company); “The Tailor’s Song” (“From Stopchet to Kolomay”) (“Dos shneider lid”) (Company); Various reprises; “Revolutionary Song” (“Mir velen nisht fasten”) (Company); “A Mother’s Tears” (“Fastrigosso’s Mame”) (Lillian Lux); “’Cause Uncle Mordechai Is So Smart” (“Der fetter Mord’che heist”) (Mike Burstein, Lillian Lux); “Chiribim” (Company); “Lechaim” (“A Toast to the Players”)(Company) The Megilla of Itzik Manger, which depicted the Old Testament’s Book of Esther, had previously been produced in Jaffa and Tel Aviv. The megilla, or story, told of young Esther (Susan Walters) who marries the Persian King Ahasueras (Pesach Burstein); with the help of her uncle Mordechai (also performed by Pesach Burstein), she thwarts the king’s evil prime minister, Haman (Zisha Gold), who wants to persecute the Jews. Ahasueras executes Haman and the Jews celebrate with the Feast of Purim with the Purimspiel, a special folk play presented annually during the Purim holiday. Itzik Manger had created a series of poems that told the story of Esther from the perspective of a simple tailor living in a shtetl, or small European town, and the musical thus presented the megilla as seen through the prism of Purimspiel folk theatre and commedia dell’arte in which the tailor and five of his fellow townsmen reenact the story of Esther in the mode of their everyday shtetl life, sometimes in the roles of the villagers, sometimes in the roles of the biblical characters (all the performers played multiple roles).

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The musical was presented in Yiddish and English. The original Israeli version was written by Shmuel Bunim, Hayim Hefer, Itzik Manger, and Dov Seltzer, and the script for the Broadway production was adapted by Bunim, with English commentary by Joe Darion. The original songs were by Seltzer, who also adapted other music for the production (such as the traditional “Hava Nagilah” and Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer”). Richard F. Shepard in the New York Times said the musical was as “light as a quality matzoh ball and as sparkling as seltzer,” and he noted Pesach Burstein was a “magnificently broad comedian,” Susan Walters was an “attractive and beguiling” as well as “fetching” Esther, and Lillian Lux was a “funny acerbic” Vashti as well as “assorted other yentas.” The production played for seventy-eight performances. Four months after it closed, the musical reopened on April 19, 1969, at the Longacre Theatre for twelve more showings, for a total run of ninety performances. For the return engagement, all the original Broadway cast members returned (except for Susan Walters, who was replaced by Evelyn Kingsley). Harry Gilroy in the New York Times liked the “very old and blithely new” retelling of Esther’s story, but felt those who didn’t know Yiddish would be at a disadvantage (but noted that despite knowledge of Yiddish, some theatergoers “seemed to be left behind”). He concluded it would be “nice” to have the “linguistic understanding to appreciate fully what a poetic, oddly humorous play this is.” Soon after the opening, the first-act number “Song of the Golden Peacock” was replaced by “Song of the Rain” (“In droissen iz a regen”), and “Peacock” was moved to the second act, replacing the reprise of “Song of the Walnut Tree.” The Broadway cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # OS-3270), which also issued the 1968 Israeli cast album (LP # 70011); the Broadway cast album included “Song of the Golden Peacock,” “Song of the Walnut Tree,” and “Song of the Rain.” The musical was released on videocassette in 1983 by Sisu Home Entertainment (# V956-DV).

HER FIRST ROMAN “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: October 20, 1968 Closing Date: November 2, 1968 Performances: 17 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Ervin Drake (additional [uncredited] songs by Sheldon Harnick [lyrics] and Jerry Bock [music]) Based on the 1906 play Caesar and Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw. Direction: Derek Goldby (“production supervised” by Robert Weiner and George Thorn); Producers: Joseph Cates and Henry Fownes in association with Warner Brothers-7 Arts; Choreography: Dania Krupska; Scenery and Costumes: Michael Annals; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Peter Howard Cast: Claudia McNeil (Ftatateeta), Bruce MacKay (Rufio), Jack Dabdoub (Roman Centurian), Richard Kiley (Caesar), Leslie Uggams (Cleopatra), Barbara Sharma (Iras), Diana Corto (Charmian), Larry Douglas (Achillas), Earl Montgomery (Pothinus), Phillip Graves (Ptolemy), Brooks Morton (Britannus), George Blackwell (Roman Sentry), Cal Bellini (Apollodorus), Marc Jordan (Palace Official); Roman Soldiers: John Baylis, Paul Berne, George Blackwell, Gerry Burkhardt, Robert Carle, Gordon Cook, Bill Gibbens, Scott Hunter, Sean Nolan, Doug Spingler, Don StomsVik, Ronald Stratton; Egyptians: Pamela Barlow, Diana Corto, Priscilla Lopez, Sally Neal, Trina Parks, Suzanne Rogers, Renee Rose, Geri Seignious, Henry Baker, Marc Jordan, George Nestor, Alexander Orfaly, Kenneth Scott The action takes place in Egypt from October 48 BC through March 47 BC. The musical was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: “What Are We Doing in Egypt?” (Bruce MacKay, Jack Dabdoub, Roman Soldiers); “Hail to the Sphinx” (Richard Kiley); “Save Me from Caesar” (Leslie Uggams, Richard Kiley); “Many Young Men from Now” (Leslie Uggams); “Ptolemy” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (Leslie Uggams, Egyptian Women); “Old Gentleman” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (Richard Kiley);

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“Her First Roman” (Bruce MacKay, Brooks Morton, Roman Soldiers); “Magic Carpet” (Leslie Uggams, Cal Bellini, Egyptians); “Rome” (Richard Kiley); “The Things We Think We Are” (Richard Kiley, Leslie Uggams, Brooks Morton, Cal Bellini) Act Two: “I Cannot Make Him Jealous” (Leslie Uggams); “The Dangerous Age” (Bruce MacKay, Brooks Morton); “In Vino Veritas” (Richard Kiley, Bruce MacKay, Brooks Morton, Cal Bellini); “Caesar Is Wrong” (lyric by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock) (Richard Kiley); “Just for Today” (Leslie Uggams) Her First Roman was based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Caesar and Cleopatra, and the critics couldn’t help but compare the new musical to My Fair Lady, another musical based on a play by Shaw. Because Ervin Drake’s book, lyrics, and music didn’t match the lyrical and melodic wit that Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe brought to their adaptation of Shaw’s Pygmalion, Her First Roman received a merciless blasting by the critics and closed after seventeen performances, a long run considering the unanimously negative reviews. During the tryout, the musical was directed by Michael Benthall and choreographed by Kevin Carlisle, and Robert Weiner and George Thorn received a “production supervised by” credit; by the time of the New York opening, Weiner and Thorn were still credited for their “supervision” of the production, but the “entire production” was listed “under the supervision of” Derek Goldby, and Dania Krupska was credited for the choreography. The critics felt Drake had carved out chunks of Shaw’s play in order to add undistinguished and sometimes extraneous songs. Further, there was the feeling Drake never quite settled on a point of view. Were scenes of muscular, bare-chested soldiers and songs such as “What Are We Doing in Egypt?” meant to be tongue-in-cheek? or high camp? or perhaps a parody of Egyptian epics? If so, how did they square with Cleopatra’s brooding and elegiac “Just for Today,” not only the finest song in the score and one of the best songs heard on Broadway in the 1960s, but also an art song of stunning beauty with rich melody and lyrical delicacy? Walter Kerr in the New York Times felt too much stage time was spent on songs that weren’t particularly germane to the plot and were thus “musical detours” (“Rome,” “In Vino Veritas,” “Ptolemy”), and wished Drake had written music that cemented the relationship between Caesar and Cleopatra. The opening number (“What Are We Doing in Egypt?”) was perhaps another “detour,” since the song seems to be an attempt to contemporize the action (for “Egypt,” read “Vietnam”), a ploy used by other period musicals during the 1968–1969 season (the young men in the Civil War–era Maggie Flynn sang “Never Gonna Make Me Fight,” and Billy, set in 1796, asserted that “It Ain’t Us Who Make the Wars” (“but it’s us that’s gotta fight ’em”). Overall, Her First Roman followed the lines of Shaw’s play, depicting the background of warring Egyptian and Roman armies as the sixteen-year-old Cleopatra and the middle-aged Caesar meet and fall in love. The politics surrounding the two leads to court intrigue, including two assassinations, but all ends on an upbeat note when Caesar returns to Rome with Cleopatra at his side. Ironically, that will be where Cleopatra meets her second Roman, Marc Antony. Clive Barnes in the New York Times felt half the performers seemed to be in a musical, and the other half in a revival of Shaw’s play, with only Kiley “comfortably bestriding both worlds.” The musical was “a bad case of underachievement,” and he suggested his readers wait for Her Second Roman. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily stated Drake was not even up to typical “Broadway hackwork,” noting he hadn’t mastered the formula of “true Broadway junk” and thus his work was a “pale imitation of trash.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said the evening “seemed fatally flat and undistinguished,” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal felt that other than Kiley and Uggams’s performances there was “little else to cheer about,” and Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 said Egypt was about ninety-eight-percent “desert” and Her First Roman also approached that number. Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 said Her First Roman “is not a good musical,” and Alan Jeffreys on WABCTV-7 said the show was “dreadful” with “forgettable tunes.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the musical “visually dazzling,” noting Michael Annals’s décor made everything else on Broadway “look as though it has come out of a ragbag, so far as splendor is concerned.” He also singled out seven songs he enjoyed: “What Are We Doing in Egypt?,” “Old Gentleman,” “The Dangerous Age,” “Rome,” “Many Young Men From Now,” “Magic Carpet,” and the evening’s “most lyrical number,” “In Vino Veritas.” In his review, Gottfried noted that “everybody” in the New York theatre world knew that Drake hadn’t written all the songs for the musical, and, indeed, Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock wrote three numbers (“Ptolemy,” “Old Gentleman,” and “Caesar Is Wrong”) for which they didn’t receive program credit.

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The cast recording was scheduled to be released by Atlantic Records, but was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run. A live recording of one of the Boston tryout performances was released by S.P.M. Records (unnumbered LP), and includes two eventually deleted songs (“He Pleasures Me” and “I Fell In with Evil Companions”). In 1993, Lockett-Palmer Recordings (CD # 931306) released a “25th Anniversary Cast Recording” that included Kiley and Uggams reprising their original roles; the cast also included Priscilla Lopez (who had appeared in the chorus of the original production and had understudied the role of Iras), Brenda Silas-Moore, Ron Raines, Jack Eddelman, Matt Leahy, and Byran Miller. The CD includes six songs that had been cut from the show prior to opening night (“When My Back Is to the Wall,” “Pleasure Him,” “Parable of the Monkey,” “The Wrong Man,” “Let Me Lead the Way,” and “I Fell In with Evil Companions”); Drake wrote new verses for “Magic Carpet,” “The Dangerous Age,” “Let Me Lead the Way,” and a reprise version of the title song; and a previously unused verse for “I Can’t Help Feeling Jealous” (performed with “I Cannot Make Him Jealous”) was also included on the recording. All the songs heard in the Broadway production were included on the recording (with the exception of Bock and Harnick’s contributions), and the CD included a bonus track of the demo recording of “Song to the Sphinx” (aka “Hail to the Sphinx” and “Hail Sphinx”). The recording didn’t include “I Don’t Know Where I’m Going,” which was deleted during the tryout. In her collection What’s an Uggams? (Atlantic Records LP # SD-8196), Leslie Uggams recorded two songs from Her First Roman, the haunting “Just for Today” as well as the cut number “The Wrong Man.” In his Broadway collection Only Love (Capitol Records LP # ST-125), Gordon MacRae included “In Vino Veritas.” The cast of Her First Roman included Larry Douglas, who had created the role of Lun Tha in the original 1951 Broadway production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s The King and I and with Doretta Morrow introduced “We Kiss in a Shadow” and “I Have Dreamed.” He also had a leading role in What’s Up? (1943), Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s first Broadway musical. Incidentally, Broadway audiences saw Caesar and Cleopatra before their London counterparts. The play was first performed at the New Amsterdam Theatre on October 30, 1906, for a run of forty-nine performances; the West End premiere didn’t occur until the following year.

MAGGIE FLYNN “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: ANTA Theatre Opening Date: October 23, 1968 Closing Date: January 5, 1969 Performances: 81 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss (book in collaboration with Morton Da Costa and based on an idea by John Flaxman) Direction: Morton Da Costa; Producers: John Bowab in association with Harris Associates, Inc., and LevinTownsend Enterprises, Inc.; Choreography: Brian MacDonald; Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: W. Robert LaVine; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: John Lesko Cast: David Vosburg (Mulligan Sergeant), Larry Pool (Sprague Sergeant, Lieutenant), James Senn (Garibaldi Sergeant), Austin Colyer (Donnelly), George Tregre (O’Malley), Roger Bigelow (First Soldier), Charles Rule (Carter, Fireman, Captain Piedmont), Stanley Simmonds (O’Brian), Mario Maroze (Clancy), William James (Timmy), Douglas Grant (Walter), Shirley Jones (Maggie Flynn), Clarence Espinosa (William), Gian Carlo Esposito (Andrew), Vincent Esposito (Erasmus), Sharon Brown (Violet), Jewel Hoston (Hyacinth), Irene Cara (Iris), Stephanie Mills (Pansy), Cheri Welles (Chrysanthemum), Jennifer Darling (Mary O’Cleary), Bill Barrian (Bob Jefferson), Mitch Taylor (Will Jefferson), Nick Malekos (Officer O’Reilly), Peter Norman (Effram), Hazel Steck (Molly, Mrs. Van Stock, Tessie), John Stanzel (Mick), Robert Mandan (Bellini, General Parkinton), Robert Roman (Atlas), Jack Cassidy (Phineas), Kathleen Robey (Young Girl), Roy Barry (Goliath), Jim Senn (Lena), George Bunt (Acrobat), Don Bonnell (Acrobat), Robert Kaye (Colonel John Farraday), Sibyl Bowan (Mrs. Vanderhoff), Jeannette Seibert (Mrs. Opdyke), June Eve Story (Second Lady), Sandie Fields (Mrs. Savage, Lady of the Evening), Betty Hyatt Linton (Deaf Lady), Dallas Johann (Soldier Ed Waters), Reby Howells (Lady of the Evening) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in New York City in 1863.

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Musical Numbers Act One: “Never Gonna Make Me Fight” (Soldiers and Men from Barlow’s, William James); “It’s a Nice Cold Morning” (Shirley Jones, Children); “I Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way” (Shirley Jones, Saloon Boys); “Learn How to Laugh” (Jack Cassidy, Townspeople); “Maggie Flynn” (Jack Cassidy); “The Thank You Song” (Shirley Jones, Jennifer Darling, Children); “Look Around Your Little World” (Robert Kaye, Jack Cassidy); “Maggie Flynn” (reprise) (Jack Cassidy, Shirley Jones, Children, Saloon Boys); “I Won’t Let It Happen Again” (Shirley Jones); “How about a Ball?” (Jack Cassidy, Shirley Jones, Sibyl Bowan, Ladies); “Pitter Patter” (Jack Cassidy); “I Won’t Let It Happen Again” (reprise) (Shirley Jones) Act Two: “Never Gonna Make Me Fight” (reprise) (Austin Colyer, Stanley Simmonds, William James, Men); “Why Can’t I Walk Away?” (Jack Cassidy); “The Game of War” (Children); “Mr. Clown” (Jack Cassidy, Shirley Jones, Children, Bums, Ladies of the Evening); “Pitter Patter” (reprise) (Shirley Jones); “The Riot” (Company); “Don’t You Think It’s Very Nice?” (Shirley Jones, Jack Cassidy, Children); “Mr. Clown” (reprise)/”Maggie Flynn” (reprise) (Shirley Jones, Jack Cassidy) Maggie Flynn was set against the background of the New York City draft riots that occurred in mid-July 1863 when lower- and middle-class men took to the streets to protest Lincoln’s new conscription laws, which were seen as unfair because the rich could buy their way out of the draft for $300, an astronomical sum far beyond the reach of anyone but the wealthy. At one point during the four-day riot, the protests got out of hand and property was destroyed. And things took a decided turn for the worse when the rioters started turning on blacks who lived and worked in the city. The lower classes believed the blacks were taking away “their” jobs, and further blamed blacks for causing the Civil War. Soon not only property but lives were destroyed when blacks were set upon by angry mobs (although precise figures weren’t kept, it’s estimated that hundreds of blacks and whites were killed during the four-day riot). One target of the protestors was an orphanage that housed black children; although the children were safely removed from the building, the angry mobs nonetheless burned down the building. In the musical, Maggie Flynn (Shirley Jones) is a young woman who seven years earlier was deserted by her husband (who in two weeks will be declared legally dead). Maggie runs an orphanage on Christopher Street for black children, and she’s constantly trying to make ends meet so the children can be fed, clothed, and kept warm. If she finds her professional life worrisome because she sometimes doesn’t know where the children’s next meal is coming from, she soon discovers her personal life is in disarray as well. Although she’s engaged to stuffy Colonel John Farraday (Robert Kaye), she finds herself attracted to Bartholomew Grady (Jack Cassidy), a clown and would-be actor. To her surprise, she discovers he’s really Phineas Flynn, her long-lost wandering husband. (This was the season for wandering men with the name of Phineas; Come Summer offered Phineas Sharp, a peddler with wanderlust who roams the New England countryside selling his wares.) In the meantime, Maggie rents a room to two young men who are in fact Confederate spies, and, accused of harboring them, she’s thrown into jail (and is joined there by the orphans). Ultimately, Maggie is exonerated, and she and the children are free to go back to the orphanage. There they find Phineas, but when they realize the orphanage will be the target of the rioters, Maggie, Phineas, and the children escape and look forward to a better life elsewhere. It’s easy to see why the tumultuous events of the 1860s resonated with the creators of Maggie Flynn. The background of a seemingly endless war coupled with war and draft protests as well as race riots was mirrored in the 1960s with its antiwar and antidraft protests as well as the race riots that shook so many U.S. cities during the era. Clearly, the writers and producers of Maggie Flynn hoped theatre audiences in 1968 would find the story relevant, and perhaps audiences would have done so if the musical hadn’t been so hardwired into conventional 1950s musical-theatre storytelling. Here was a potentially dramatic and thrilling story that demanded conceptmusical treatment; further, the basic narrative was one of almost operatic intensity and would have been well served with sung-through music. But the creators fell into the trap of conventionality with the story’s love triangle and Sound-of-Music approach to its depiction of Maggie and the orphans. And if the orphans were overly cute, the jail scene went one further with its depiction of cute whores who shared the same cell with Maggie and the children. Clearly, Maggie Flynn was not up to the inherent drama of its basic story. Both Clive Barnes in the New York Times and Leonard Harris of WCBS-TV-2 sarcastically proclaimed Maggie Flynn the best Broadway musical since Her First Roman (which had opened three days earlier). Barnes

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found the musical’s plot a “strange idea,” and suggested it came off like “The Sound of Music played blackface.” He admitted Morton Da Costa’s direction was often robust with a “determined bustle” about it, and noted the evening began with the male chorus marching down the aisles of the theatre to the accompaniment of drums. He praised Brian MacDonald’s dance sequence “The Riot,” saying it was “most imaginatively choreographed,” but otherwise would have preferred Jones and Cassidy in a revival of Oklahoma! But overall the other critics were kind to the musical, albeit with qualifications. Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the evening was “generally entertaining,” but had misgivings about the book; Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal admitted the show was clichéd and that the season might well indeed offer better musicals, but said it would be hard for other shows to “equal the best” of Maggie Flynn. Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 felt the musical was “pretty bad,” but noted the score was “good” (“for the kind of score it is”) and thus felt there was “probably” an audience for the show. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the new musical “rather sobersided,” and although he didn’t find much to like in the score, he enjoyed Cassidy’s “Mr. Clown” (many of the critics singled out this number). Alan Jeffreys on WABC-TV-7 felt Maggie Flynn was “dandy,” and Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the evening was full of “grand” old-fashioned show-business touches. He singled out Cassidy as the “king of show-biz. . . . He is, in the oldest and truest sense, a performer.” He noted Cassidy’s first scene had him tossing his hat some fifteen feet across the stage to a hat-rack hook, and the hat confidently landed on that hook. Here was “the confidence of Cassidy” performing the trick, and while it might be “the fake, fake confidence of Broadway,” Cassidy was always “beaming to bust. That’s show business and I’ll buy it.” He also felt the show worked because the songs were “singable . . . the music never stops . . . [and] most intangibly, the [show] just works.” During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Walkin’ My Dog (on Christopher Street),” “Beautiful Maggie Flynn,” “What Does He Think?,” “Homeless Children,” “Gossip Song,” and a reprise version of “It’s a Nice Cold Morning” titled “It’s a Nice Hot Morning.” The script was published in softcover by Samuel French; the copyright page indicates the script was published in 1968, but in all likelihood the publication date was 1969 or 1970 because the script was clearly not published during the musical’s short run. The original cast album was released by RCA Records (LP # LSOD-2009; released on CD by DRG Records # 19123). RCA Victor also recorded Music from “Maggie Flynn” by the Hugo and Luigi Chorus and Orchestra (LP # LSP-4083); the album includes two deleted numbers (“Walkin’ My Dog (on Christopher Street)” and “What Does He Think?”). Gordon MacRae’s collection Only Love (Capitol Records LP # ST-125) includes two songs from the musical, “Why Can’t I Walk Away?” and “What Does She Think?” At the time of the production, Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy were married. The musical marked their second New York appearance together, for in 1957 they had starred as Polly Peachum and Macheath in the New York City Center Light Opera Company’s limited-run revival of The Beggar’s Opera.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Jack Cassidy)

ZORBA “A MUSICAL” Theatre: Imperial Theatre Opening Date: November 17, 1968 Closing Date: August 9, 1969 Performances: 305 Book: Joseph Stein Lyrics: Fred Ebb Music: John Kander Based on the 1946 novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

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Direction: Harold Prince; Producers: Harold Prince in association with Ruth Mitchell; Choreography: Ronald (Ron) Field; Scenery: Boris Aronson; Costumes: Patricia Zipprodt; Lighting: Richard Pilbrow; Musical Direction: Harold Hastings Cast: David Wilder (Constable), John Cunningham (Nikos), Alex Petrides (Alexis), Maria Karnilova (Hortense), James Luisi (Manolako), Nat Horne (Panayotis), Carmen Alvarez (Widow), Al De Sio (Mimiko), Joseph Alfasa (Konstandi), Marsha Tamaroff (Sofia), Jerry Sappir (Kyriakos), Lorraine Serabian (Leader), Angelo Saridis (Kostantinos), Alicia Helen Markarian (Marina), Gerrit De Beer (Fivos), Lee Hooper (Efterpi), Herschel Bernardi (Zorba), Loukas Skipitaris (Loukas), Juliette Durand (Meropi), Charles Kalan (Aristos), Johnny La Motta (Georgi), Anthony Marciona (Antonis), Susan Marciona (Tasso), Lewis Gundunas (Thanos), Richard Dmitri (Pavli), Gerard Russak (Father Zacharia), Miriam Welch (Aliki), Paul Michael (Mavrodani), Louis Garcia (Chyristo), Edward Nolfi (Zacharias), Jemela Omar (Belly Dancer), Robert Bernard (Old Man), Richard Nieves (Katapolis), Nina Dova (Despo), Connie Burnett (Irini), Peggy Cooper (Athena), Wayne Boyd (Grigoris), Martin Meyers (Vasilis); Instrumental Interlude Soloists: Jerry Sappir, Ali Hafid, Angelo Saridis The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in a Bouzouki circle in the present, and in Piraeus, Greece, and the island of Crete in 1924.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Life Is” (Lorraine Serabian, Company); “The First Time” (Herschel Bernardi); “The Top of the Hill” (Lorraine Serabian, Chorus); “No Boom Boom” (Maria Karnilova, Herschel Bernardi, John Cunningham, Admirals); “Vive Le Difference” (The Admirals, Dancers); “The Butterfly” (John Cunningham, Lorraine Serabian, Carmen Alvarez, Chorus); “Goodbye, Carnavaro” (Maria Karnilova, Herschel Bernardi); “Belly Dance” (Jemela Omar); “Grandpapa” (Herschel Bernardi, Lorraine Serabian, Chorus); “Only Love” (Maria Karnilova); “The Bend of the Road” (Lorraine Serabian, Chorus); “Only Love” (reprise) (Lorraine Serabian) Act Two: “Bells” (Dancers); “Y’assou” (John Cunningham, Herschel Bernardi, Maria Karnilova, Lorraine Serabian, Chorus); “Why Can’t I Speak?” (Carmen Alvarez, Lee Hooper); “Mine Celebration” (Herschel Bernardi, Company); “The Crow” (Lorraine Serabian, Women); “Happy Birthday” (Maria Karnilova); “I Am Free” (Herschel Bernardi); “Life Is” (reprise) (Lorraine Serabian, Company) Zorba was one of the most tiresome and pretentious musicals of its era. Almost everything was wrong with it, beginning with its shallow philosophy that kicking up your heels in dance will solve your problems. If a light-hearted musical such as Hello, Dolly! suggests dancing as a means to “whirl away your worries,” so be it. But for a supposedly ambitious and serious musical like Zorba to suggest such a facile approach to life’s problems and tragedies is an insult to its audience. As soon as the curtain rose, the musical was off on the wrong foot. The first scene took place in a café in modern-day Greece. Seated in two semi-circular rows was the entire company, who announced they were going to perform “the Zorba story.” The leader of the group (played by Lorraine Serabian, who is identified as “Leader” and seems to have been patterned after the M.C. in Cabaret) begins to sing “Life Is,” which offers the fortune-cookie wisdom that “Life is what you do while you’re waiting to die,” an aphorism akin to the late 1960’s platitude that “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Once the leader and the group finish the song, they reenact “the Zorba story,” which occurs on Crete in 1924. The remainder of the musical barely touched upon these players again and never developed the character of the enigmatic Leader. One wonders why the authors chose such a confused beginning when they could have told the story straight, beginning in 1924 and without the trappings of modern-day players telling “the Zorba story.” (Director Harold Prince used this annoying device again in the leaden A Doll’s Life [1983], in which modern-day performers in a production of Ibsen’s A Doll House find themselves transported into a musical sequel of Ibsen’s play.) Zorba was based on the 1946 novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, and while most audience members had probably not read the book, they were undoubtedly familiar with the popular 1964 film of the same name as well as its top-ten theme song composed by Mikis Theodorakis. The film starred Anthony Quinn (Zorba), Alan Bates (Nikos), Irene Papas (The Widow), and Lila Kedrova (Hortense), the latter of whom won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

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As the musical proper begins in 1924, a serious young man named Nikos (John Cunningham) is headed for Crete to open an abandoned mine that he’s inherited. He soon meets Zorba (Herschel Bernardi), a noblesavage sort who embraces life by saying he’s an interesting person who soars like a seagull and stamps like a bull; but in reality Zorba is just an annoying windbag. Instead of being a charming free spirit, his grating and pushy behavior is about as welcome as a stale baklava. Once in Crete, Nikos and Zorba encounter an insular community, but eventually enter into romantic liaisons, Nikos with a young widow (known as Widow, and played by Carmen Alvarez) and Zorba with Hortense, an aging courtesan (Maria Karnilova). A villager’s unrequited love for the widow results in his suicide, and soon his death is avenged when another villager stabs the widow to death. In the meantime, the courtesan dies of illness. But despite suicide, murder, and a fatal illness, Zorba announces for what seems the hundredth time that he is “free,” and he and Nikos hold out their arms to one another and embrace. And then the Leader and her company reappear for the finale to sing that “Life is what you do while you’re waiting to die.” The musical’s concept and book were flawed, and the story was replete with repressed characters and even repressed songs (“Why Can’t I Speak?,” “The Butterfly”). Further, Boris Aronson’s décor was surprisingly uninspired and awash in dull colors, which one supposes were the visual equivalent of repression and thus were in keeping with the show’s concept. Ron Field’s choreography was unmemorable, but lively enough in a Zorba-on-the-Roof kind of way. The score was problematic. Fred Ebb’s lyrics were the most disappointing of all his musicals; the lyrics seemed to aim for spare understatement, but instead came across as dummy lyrics waiting for the final lyrics to follow. John Kander’s music was the most satisfactory aspect of the evening (a later German recording brought out the music’s glory; see below), but it was hampered by the dull lyrics and Bernardi’s sluggish singing voice. Only once did the score reach its potential, in Hortense’s surreal “Happy Birthday,” in which the dying old woman recalls a long-ago birthday when she was a little girl and all life was before her. Here Kander’s music shimmered with a sad music-hall hurdy-gurdy tinkliness, and Ebb’s brilliant lyric matched the bittersweet mood of the moment. “Happy Birthday” was one of the finest theatre songs of the decade, beautifully written and composed, hauntingly performed, and brilliantly staged. In Anthony Quinn drag, Bernardi probably did his best, but his excruciatingly annoying character and his lack of star quality all but did him in. Cunningham and Alvarez tried hard, too, but their repressed characters and underwritten roles defeated them. Only Maria Karnilova escaped from the wreckage. Hers was a touching performance, an over-aged cocotte living out one last fling before giving up the ghost in a phantasmagoric memory of that long-ago birthday. The musical closed in the red after just nine months of performances. Certainly word of mouth about the dour proceedings on the Imperial stage plus the lack of a hit song contributed to the short run of 305 showings (apparently no one thought of a title song in which the Leader and chorus could sing “You live life to the brim, Zorba / Full of vigor and vim, Zorba”). Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily noted the musical’s concept hadn’t been fully developed and was at war with the book, and hence Zorba was “of great interest from a theoretical point of view, but of vague vitality as theatre.” He also noted the evening came across like a Fiddler-on-the-Roof wannabe, and assumed Prince quickly learned it “isn’t so easy to make ouzo from schnapps.” As for Bernardi’s performance, Gottfried reported it was “frankly, terrible.” He was “hidden beneath six ridiculous pounds of make-up and wigs” and “looked and sounded as if he were wearing a rubber mask on both his face and his presence.” He lacked the “animal magnetism” of Zorba’s nature and his dancing was about as “relaxed” as Lyndon Johnson at the Electric Circus. Clive Barnes in the New York Times generally liked Zorba (“not a great classic . . . but it will still serve admirably until the next one comes along”), but remarked the use of the Greek chorus was “cutely gimmicky” and that Bernardi wasn’t playing the role of Zorba but was instead playing Anthony Quinn playing Zorba. Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 found the musical a “disappointment . . . not as strong as its list of assets,” and Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 felt the evening varied in quality and never quite “seemed to reach out and take hold.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times said the characterizations and motivations were weak, and he never really knew the people on the stage; further, Zorba was “the only musical I ever saw that left me actively disliking the bit players.” In conclusion, Kerr said the musical was “honestly ambitious and emotionally bleak.” The remaining critics were generous in their appraisals of the show. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the heretofore “dull” Broadway season “perked up” with the opening of Zorba; Richard Watts in

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the New York Post said the work was “brilliant . . . a remarkable musical play”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the evening was “unforgettable . . . magnificent—a great work of musical theatre”; and Alan Jeffreys on WABC-TV-7 suggested his viewers put Zorba “at the top” of their must-see list. The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1969. Early advertisements for the musical included Israeli singer Margalit Ankory in the cast (as the Leader), but as mentioned above the role was eventually played by Lorraine Serabian. The original cast album was released by Capitol/EMI Records (LP # SO-118; later released on CD by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-7-64665-2). Capitol/EMI Records also released Music from the Broadway Hit “Zorba” by Claus Ogerman, an instrumental reading of the score that included the unused song “Better Than Nothing” (LP # ST-119). One song in the musical, “The Top of the Hill,” was refashioned as “Over the Wall” for Kander and Ebb’s 1993 Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. The national tour starred John Raitt (Zorba), Barbara Baxley (Hortense), Chita Rivera (Leader), Gary Krawford (Nikos), and Marsha Tamaroff (Widow); for this production, “Bells,” “Y’assou,” and “Why Can’t I Speak?” were deleted, and “Bouboulina” (for Raitt, Baxley, Rivera, and chorus) and “That’s a Beginning” (for Tamaroff, Krawford, and Rivera) were added. The musical was revived on Broadway on October 16, 1983, with Quinn and Kedrova reprising their film roles, and their presence gave a certain gravitas to the production, with Kedrova in particular giving a charming and touching performance. The revival ran for 362 performances, besting the original run by almost two months, and included a new song (“Woman,” for Zorba) and one that had been written for the national tour (“That’s a Beginning,” for the Leader, here called The Woman [Debbie Shapiro Gravitte]). For the revival, the “Mine Celebration” was called “Mine Song.” The production was recorded by RCA Records (LP # ABL1-4732; CD # 09026-683377-2), and other cast members included Robert Westenberg, Rob Marshall, Tim Flavin, and John Mineo. The 1988 Hungarian cast recording was released by Hungaroton MHV Records (LP # SLPX-14110). The finest recording of the score is from the German production, which opened at the Theatre an der Wien on January 28, 1971 (Sorbas was released by Preiser Records LP # SPR-3221), and the sizzling and electric performances by the cast members and the orchestra raise the score to a level undreamed of in the Broadway production. And hearing the songs performed in German is a plus because it allows one to avoid Ebb’s generally unimaginative and clichéd lyrics. The German recording of Zorba proves the score is one of Kander’s finest.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Zorba); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Herschel Bernardi); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Maria Karnilova); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Lorraine Serabian); Best Director of a Musical (Harold Prince); Best Scenic Designer (Boris Aronson); Best Costume Designer (Patricia Zipprodt); Best Choreographer (Ronald [Ron] Field)

PROMISES, PROMISES “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Shubert Theatre Opening Date: December 1, 1968 Closing Date: January 1, 1972 Performances: 1,281 Book: Neil Simon Lyrics: Hal David Music: Burt Bacharach Based on the 1960 film The Apartment (directed by Billy Wilder; screenplay by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond). Direction: Robert Moore; Producers: David Merrick (Samuel Liff, Associate Producer); Choreography: Michael Bennett; Scenery: Robin Wagner; Costumes: Donald Brooks; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Harold Wheeler

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Cast: Jerry Orbach (Chuck Baxter), Edward Winter (J. D. Sheldrake), Jill O’Hara (Fran Kubelik), Ken Howard (Eddie, Karl Kubelik), Paul Reed (Mr. Dobitch), Adrienne Angel (Sylvia Gilhooley), Norman Shelly (Mr. Kirkeby), Vince O’Brien (Mr. Eichelberger), Donna McKechnie (Vivian Della Hoya), A. Larry Haines (Dr. Dreyfuss), Dick O’Neill (Jesse Vanderhof), Rita O’Connor (Dentist’s Nurse, Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Carole Bishop (Company Nurse, Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Gerry O’Hara (Company Doctor, Intern), Millie Slavin (Peggy Olson), Baayork Lee (Lum Ding Hostess, Miss Wong), Scott Pearson (Waiter, Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Michael Vita (Madison Square Garden Attendant, Eugene), Betsy Haug (Dining Room Hostess, Clancy’s Lounge Employee), Margo Sappington (Miss Polansky, Clancy’s Lounge Employee), Marian Mercer (Marge McDougall), Julane Stites (Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Melissa Stoneburn (Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Rod Barry (Clancy’s Lounge Patron, New Young Executive), Gene Cooper (Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Bob Fitch (Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Neil Jones (Clancy’s Lounge Patron), Michael Shawn (Clancy’s Lounge Patron, Intern), Graciela Daniele (Clancy’s Lounge Employee, Intern’s Date), Kay Oslin (Helen Sheldrake), Barbara Alston (Intern’s Date); Orchestra Voices: Kelly Britt, Margot Hanson, Bettye McCormick, Ilona Simon The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present in New York City.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra and Orchestra Voices); “Half as Big as Life” (Jerry Orbach); “Grapes of Roth” (dance) (Bar Patrons); “Upstairs” (Jerry Orbach); “You’ll Think of Someone” (Jill O’Hara, Jerry Orbach); “Our Little Secret” (Jerry Orbach, Edward Winter); “She Likes Basketball” (Jerry Orbach); “Knowing When to Leave” (Jill O’Hara); “Where Can You Take a Girl?” (Paul Reed, Norman Shelly, Vince O’Brien, Dick O’Neill); “Wanting Things” (Edward Winter); “Turkey Lurkey Time” (Donna McKechnie, Margo Sappington, Baayork Lee) Act Two: “A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing” (Jerry Orbach, Marian Mercer, Bar Patrons); “Whoever You Are” (Jill O’Hara); “Christmas Day” (Orchestra Voices); “A Young Pretty Girl Like You” (Jerry Orbach, A. Larry Haines); “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” (Jill O’Hara, Jerry Orbach); “Promises, Promises” (Jerry Orbach) Promises, Promises was based on Billy Wilder’s 1960 cynical comedy-drama The Apartment, a touching and brooding film which looked at the dark side of the holiday season (attempted suicide is juxtaposed with what’s probably the most politically incorrect Christmas office party ever filmed). The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration. The film begins on November 1 (with Bud Baxter, the film’s main character, cleaning up after a Halloween party), reaches its emotional peaks on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and ends on a cathartic New Year’s Eve. Wilder’s brilliant direction and his and I. A. L. Diamond’s acerbic screenplay offered an array of somewhat rancid New Yorkers, most of whom are lost in a moral wilderness. By the film’s conclusion, the two leading characters (Bud Baxter and Fran Kubelik) leave the tawdry past behind and look forward to a presumably better future. In the musical, Bud (Jerry Orbach) is a likable nebbish who hopes to climb the corporate ladder by lending his apartment to the married managers in his office for their extramarital affairs and one-night-stands. He’s attracted to Fran (Jill O’Hara), a young woman who works in his office building, not realizing she’s the mistress of his boss J. D. Sheldrake (Edward Winter) and that it is she whom Sheldrake takes to his apartment for sex. Neil Simon’s book worked beautifully. It captured the humor and pathos of the film’s plot and ingeniously developed the film’s brief use of Bud’s speaking directly to the audience. In the film, Bud’s off-screen voice talks to the viewer, but the device was quickly dropped after the opening scenes. But throughout the musical Bud makes asides and comments to the audience, and the conceit worked well because it softened a potentially off-putting and slightly sleazy character. Orbach’s self-effacing performance was masterful. He owned the stage as he commented upon and acted in his own story, and he won a well-deserved Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Overlooked by many was Jill O’Hara’s touching performance as Fran. Fran is essentially dark and unhappy, and O’Hara’s performance and singing style beautifully matched the lump-in-the-throat emotional intensity of the character. Edward Winter’s role was somewhat shortchanged

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in the musical version, but his powerful song “Wanting Things” humanized the character in a way the film never did. In the almost cameo role of Marge MacDougall, a bimbo whom Bud picks up at a bar on Christmas Eve, Marian Mercer was hysterically funny in all her owl-coat grandeur, and she too won a Tony (for Best Featured Actress in a Musical). At the time of it opening, much was made of the musical’s new “sound.” But when the show was revived in 2010, some mocked the alleged quaintness of 1968 audiences and critics for their supposed naivety in thinking the score was radically different from others of its era. These critics simply didn’t do their homework. In 1968, the sound of Promises, Promises was indeed different from the era’s other Broadway musicals. Here was no rock musical, but a traditional Broadway score embellished with the sound and orchestrations of pop songs of the day. Composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David had enjoyed a string of pop hits during the mid and late 1960s, and to Promises, Promises Bacharach brought a pop-tune sensibility to his score, including the use of off-stage singing voices. Sometimes his music was a bit too perky, and a couple of times the songs completely missed the mark (“Where Can You Take a Girl?,” “A Young Pretty Girl Like You”), but for the most part the score was the quintessence of how pop songs sounded on the radio, albeit in morphed versions that also mirrored traditional Broadway music. Bud’s opening number “Half as Big as Life,” his quirky “Upstairs,” his joyous “She Likes Basketball,” and his pulsating title song as well as Fran’s driving “Knowing When to Leave” gave the theatre a contemporary pop-sound intensity completely alien to the other musicals of its time. And Bacharach offered other musical surprises. Bud and Fran’s “You’ll Think of Someone” and Bud and Sheldrake’s “Our Little Secret” were notable for their shifting harmonics and unexpected key changes, and there was even time for a folk-like number, the sweetly haunting “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” which was the score’s finest song and one of the best ballads of the era. The evening also served up two somewhat overlooked holiday songs. The loopy and almost surreal “Turkey Lurkey Time” was excitingly sung and danced at the Christmas office party by Donna McKechnie, Margo Sappington, and Baayork Lee, and it was a welcome addition to the delightful collection A Broadway Christmas (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5517) where it was sung in all its Sixties’ go-go boots glory by Debbie Shapiro Gravitte. On stage and on the cast album, “Christmas Day” seemed like a throwaway number (like the dance “Grapes of Roth,” it wasn’t even listed in the Playbill), but later recordings (such as Johnny Mathis’s lovely rendition) reveal a solid Christmas ballad that sadly has never quite reached holiday-standard status. Clive Barnes in the New York Times said he felt like sending Promises, Promises a congratulatory telegram instead of a review, and noted Simon’s book was one of the “wittiest” in years. Further, Bacharach’s score “excitingly reflects today rather than the day before yesterday . . . it is fond of bolero rhythms and hidden celestial choirs.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily also praised the score, mentioning it was “the first music I’ve heard on Broadway since I don’t know when (I’ve heard songs, I haven’t heard music).” Gottfried reported that Bacharach and orchestrator Jonathan Tunick “shattered” the “archaic system” of traditional Broadway sound by utilizing an amplified orchestra as well as such eclectic instruments as the organ, bass fiddle, and guitar. Further, there were loud speakers running up the walls of the Shubert (“right to the second balcony”) and there was an “honest-to-God recording engineer” in the house. Of course, all this was new in 1968, and no one could have foreseen how the new technology would eventually dominate the sound of a Broadway musical to the point where all stage voices blended together and sadly didn’t allow the audience to identify the source of a specific voice. Richard Watts in the New York Post praised Bacharach’s “brilliant modernistic score. .  .  . Remarkable . . . am not sure whether its beat is in the most up-to-the-moment rhythm, but it suggests it without going to extremes.” Watts mentioned he kept hoping for one “romantically tuneful” song, and then suddenly there was the “wonderful ballad” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” He also liked Robert Moore’s “expert and imaginative” direction and Michael Bennett’s choreography (actually, except for a crowded barroom scene [“Grapes of Roth”] and the Christmas office party sequence, the evening didn’t provide much in the way of dancing). John Chapman in the New York Daily News also praised the “smart and modern” songs, and singled out “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and the “zingy” “Turkey Lurkey Time.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal noted the score was “lively and original, despite a tendency to use tom-tom beats a bit too much,” and Walter Kerr in the New York Times said the score was “part new sound, part old, rock for over-30’s, with a parakeet insistence, a fingers-drumming-the-desk impatience, a soft white wail coming up under an edgy beat,” and noted “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” was “Having the Best of Both Worlds.” Kerr felt Bacharach and David had “at least temporarily solved the problem of what to do about music in an age moving too fast for melody but missing it.”

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Alan Jeffreys on WABC-TV-7 found Promises, Promises “a super greased-lightning hit .  .  . a show that soars into that stratosphere reserved for Broadway’s best.” But Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 found the score “long on beat and short on melody,” and Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 said the score was no more than “serviceable,” noting the songs were “interchangeable and suitable as opening numbers for the Persian Room slick, uptempo, heartless rock.” During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Loyal, Resourceful” (for Bud and Sheldrake, which was replaced by “Our Little Secret”); “A Stroke of Luck” (for four of the executives who use Bud’s apartment); and “Tick Tock Goes the Clock” (for Donna McKechnie, Adrienne Angel, and Barbara Lang, which dealt with single girls in the Big City; Lang left the musical during the tryout, reportedly because this, her one major number, was dropped; her character of Ginger Lutnitz was written out of the script). Incidentally, during the following season McKechnie had a similar number in Stephen Sondheim’s Company (1970) when her dance solo “Tick Tock” also commented on single young women in Manhattan (it too was choreographed by Michael Bennett). “Tick Tock Goes the Clock” was recorded for the collection Lost in Boston (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5475). Cut prior to production was Fran’s ballad “What Am I Doing Here?” (which was eventually replaced by “Knowing When to Leave”); the song is included in Eydie Gorme’s Eydie (RCA Victor Records/Stage II Productions, Inc., LP # LSP-4093) and in the collection Lost in Boston II (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5485). Other songs deleted during preproduction were “In the Right Kind of Light,” “Let’s Pretend We’re Grown Up,” “Phone Calls,” and “Hot Food” (the latter made it to early tryout Playbills, but was never performed). The script was published in hardback by Random House in 1969. The original cast album was released by United Artists Records (LP # UAS-9902; later issued on CD by RYKO/MGM # RCD-10750; then by Varese Sarabande # 302-066-647-2; and most recently by Kritzerland # KR-20015-9, a two-CD set that includes the cast album as it was originally released as well as a remixed version of the score in show order). Other recordings include two Italian cast albums (C.G.D. Records LP # FGS-5063 [with Johnny Dorelli and Catherine Spaak] and Carosello Records CD # CARSM-064-2) and a British studio cast album (Fontana Records LP # SFL-13192). The London production opened on October 2, 1969, at the Prince of Wales Theatre for 560 performances; the cast included Tony Roberts and Betty Buckley, with Donna McKechnie reprising her Broadway role. Also in the cast was Jack Kruschen as Dr. Dreyfuss, a role he created for the 1960 film and for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The London cast album was recorded by United Artists Records (LP # UAS-29075), and was released on CD by Kritzerland Records (# KR-20016-3). The movie rights were bought by Twentieth Century Fox (at one point Barry Manilow was mentioned for the lead), but the film was never made. The musical was revived by Encores! at City Center on February 20, 1997, for five performances; the cast included Martin Short (Bud), Kerry O’Malley (Fran), Christine Baranski (Marge), Terrence Mann (Sheldrake), and Dick Latessa (Dreyfuss), and the production was directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall. The 2010 Broadway revival opened on April 25 at the Broadway Theatre for 289 performances. The leads were Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth, and other cast members included Dick Latessa (here again playing Dreyfuss) and Katie Finneran (as Marge; and like Marian Mercer before her, the role brought Finneran the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical). In order to beef up Chenoweth’s role, the production included two of Bacharach and Hal David’s pop songs from the 1960s, “A House Is Not a Home” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” The cast album was released by Sony/Masterworks Broadway Records (CD # 88697-741442), and the Barnes & Noble edition of the recording includes three sing-along bonus tracks (of “I Say a Little Prayer,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” and the title song).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Promises, Promises); Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Jerry Orbach); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Jill O’Hara); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (A. Larry Haines); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Edward Winter); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Marian Mercer); Best Director of a Musical (Robert Moore); Best Choreographer (Michael Bennett)

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CARNIVAL! Theatre: New York City Center Opening Date: December 12, 1968 Closing Date: January 5, 1969 Performances: 30 Book: Michael Stewart Lyrics and Music: Bob Merrill Based on material by Helen Deutsch. Although the 1953 MGM film Lili isn’t officially credited as the musical’s source, Deutsch wrote its screenplay, which is based on the short story “The Man Who Hated People” by Paul Gallico, which originally appeared in the October 28, 1950, issue of The Saturday Evening Post; in 1954, Gallico’s revised version of the story was published as the short novel The Love of Seven Dolls. Direction: Gus Schirmer (Jack Adams, “Designer and Supervisor of Magic and Illusion”); Producers: The City Center of Music and Drama, Inc. (Norman Singer, General Administrator) and The City Center Light Opera Company (Jean Dalrymple, Director); Choreography: Gower Champion (for this production, Champion’s choreography was restaged by John [Johnny] Nola); Scenery and Lighting: Feder (Richard Fuhrman, Associate Designer); Costumes: Harry Curtis (Curtis’s costumes were based on the original designs by Freddy Wittop); Musical Direction: Peter Howard Cast: Pierre Olaf (Jacquot), Carmine Caridi (Mr. Schlegel), George Nestor (Grobert), Marcello Gamboa (Roustabout), Fred Randall (Roustabout), Steven Ross (Roustabout), Paul Solen (Roustabout), Leonard Brook (Dog Trainer), Maria Hero (Wardrobe Mistress), Nina Janik (Harem Girl, Blue Bird), Dottie Lester (Harem Girl, Blue Bird), Maralyn Miles (Harem Girl, Blue Bird), Linda Rankin (Harem Girl, Blue Bird), Maureen Hopkins (Bear Girl), Dorothy D’Honau (Princess Olga), Art Ostrin (Band Member), Nate Barnett (Band Member), Dean Crane (Stilt Walker, Clown, Aerialist), The Martin Brothers (Jugglers), John Drew (Clown), David Berk (Strongman), Mary Ann Niles (Gladys Zuwicki), Christina Bartel (Gloria Zuwicki), Roberta Vatske (Gypsy), Richard France (Marco the Magnificent), Karen Morrow (The Incomparable Rosalie), Jennifer Rose (Greta Schlegel), Victoria Mallory (Lily), Leon Bibb (Paul), Robert L. Hultman (Dr. Glass); Program Note: Puppets performed by Richard Barclay. The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on the outskirts of a town in Southern Europe.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Direct from Vienna” (Karen Morrow, Carmine Caridi, Carnival People); “A Very Nice Man” (Victoria Mallory); “Fairyland” (Puppets); “I’ve Got to Find a Reason” (Leon Bibb); “Mira” (Victoria Mallory); “Sword, Rose and Cape” (Richard France, Marcello Gamboa, Fred Randall, Steven Ross, Paul Solen); “Humming” (Karen Morrow, Carmine Caridi); “Yes, My Heart” (Victoria Mallory, Marcello Gamboa, Fred Randall, Steven Ross, Paul Solen); “Everybody Likes You” (Leon Bibb); “Magic, Magic” (Richard France, Karen Morrow, Victoria Mallory); “Tanz Mit Mir” (Nina Janik, Dottie Lester, Maralyn Miles, Linda Rankin); “Carnival Ballet” (Victoria Mallory, Carnival People, Townspeople); “Mira” (reprise) (Victoria Mallory); “Theme from Carnival” (aka “Love Makes the World Go ’Round”) (Victoria Mallory, Puppets) Act Two: “Yum Ticky” (Victoria Mallory, Puppets); “The Rich” (Victoria Mallory, Puppets); “Theme from Carnival” (reprise) (Victoria Mallory, Puppets); “Beautiful Candy” (Victoria Mallory, Puppets, Vendors); “Her Face” (Leon Bibb); “Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris” (Pierre Olaf, Carnival People); “I Hate Him” (Lili)/“Her Face” (reprise) (Leon Bibb); “Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris” (reprise) (Carnival People); “Always, Always You” (Richard France, Karen Morrow); “She’s My Love” (Leon Bibb) For more information about Carnival!, see entry for the original 1961 production. City Center’s holiday revival of the musical in December 1968 didn’t sit well with Clive Barnes. In his review for the New York Times, he stated the musical was “ephemeral,” and wondered why City Center bothered to “resuscitate the near but dead past.” The new production had “definite finesse” and a “certain charm,” but

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he indicated the book was cloying and tiresome and he found Bob Merrill’s score “not exactly memorable” (but noted one or two of the hummable songs would “stay with you until you get to the restaurant”). But Barnes praised the cast, saying they had “charm, charm and charm again.” Victoria Mallory was an “enchanting” Lili, and despite suffering from flu, she was just fine. In an early example of nontraditional casting, the puppeteer Paul was played by black performer Leon Bibbs, and Barnes felt he was the “best” in the company, “singing his heart out, and acting with far more power” than the role demanded. Others in the cast included Pierre Olaf (Jacquot), here reprising his role from the original production, Karen Morrow (Rosalie), and Richard France (Marco). Gower Champion’s original choreography was restaged by John (Johnny) Nola (who had appeared in the original 1961 production as one of the roustabouts). Sadly, City Center’s mission of producing low-priced revivals of Broadway musicals came to an end, and a twenty-five-year tradition was abruptly over. The institution would occasionally offer a musical import, such as the Spanish zarzuela Fiesta in Madrid (1969) and the Canadian musical Anne of Green Gables (1972), but with Carnival! the era of Jean Dalrymple and her steady stream of musical revivals was a thing of the past.

THE FIG LEAVES ARE FALLING Theatre: Broadhurst Theatre Opening Date: January 2, 1969 Closing Date: January 4, 1969 Performances: 4 Book and Lyrics: Allan Sherman Music: Albert Hague Direction: George Abbott; Producers: Joseph Harris, Lawrence Carr, and John Bowab (produced in association with Harris Associates, Inc., and Levin-Townsend Enterprises, Inc.); Choreography: Eddie Gasper; Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Robert MacKintosh; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Abba Bogin (orchestra conducted by Jack Lee) Cast: Barry Nelson (Harry Stone), Dorothy Loudon (Lillian Stone), Jenny O’Hara (Pookie Chapman), Jay Barney (Mr. Mittleman), Joe McGrath (Hodgekins), Darrell Sandeen (Reverend Walters), Frank DeSal (Gelb, Queen Victoria), Jean Even (Mildred, Marlene), Marilyne Mason (Mimsy), Kenneth Kimmins (Charley Montgomery), Patrick Spohn (Marty), Helon Blount (Mother-in-Law), David Cassidy (Billy), Louise Quick (Cecelia), Alan Weeks (Le Roy), Anna Pagan (Mary Queen of Scots), Pat Trott (Elizabeth Marsden), John Joy (Mao-Tse), Mara Landi (Grace), Jocelyn McKay (Cynthia), Lathan Sanford (Tough Guy); Dancers: Jean Even, Mary Jane Houdina, Renata Powers, Sally Ransone, Charlene Ryan, Pat Trott, Frank DeSal, John Medeiros, Michael Misita, Lathan Sanford, Tony Stevens, Patrick Spohn, Pi Douglas; Singers: Sherry Lambert, Mara Landi, Rosemary McNamara, Anna Pagan, Jocelyn McKay, Edmund Gaynes, John Joy, Joe McGrath, Darrell Sandeen, Alan Weeks The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present time in New York City and in Larchmont.

Musical Numbers Act One: “All Is Well in Larchmont” (Choir); “Lillian” (Company); “Like Yours” (Jenny O’Hara, Wallstreeters); “All of My Laughter” (Jenny O’Hara, Barry Nelson); “Give Me a Cause” (Protestors); “Today I Saw a Rose” (Barry Nelson); “We” (Dorothy Loudon); “For Our Sake” (David Cassidy, Louise Quick); “Light One Candle” (Alan Weeks, Frank DeSal, Anna Pagan, Hippies, Yippies, Others); “Oh, Boy” (Choir) Act Two: “The Fig Leaves Are Falling” (The Boys’ Club); “For the Rest of My Life” (Dorothy Loudon); “I Like It” (Barry Nelson, Jenny O’Hara); “Broken Heart” (Dorothy Loudon); “Old-Fashioned Song” (Kenneth Kimmins, Ensemble); “Lillian, Lillian, Lillian” (Dorothy Loudon, Louise Quick, David Cassidy); “Did I Ever Really Live?” (Barry Nelson); “All of My Laughter” (reprise) (Barry Nelson) With the exceptions of The Fig Leaves Are Falling and Celebration, all the season’s musicals were based on films, novels, plays, or historical events, but unfortunately an original libretto was no guarantee of artistic,

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critical, and audience success. The Fig Leaves Are Falling was gone after four performances, and the ambitious but fatally flawed Celebration disappeared after three months. Allan Sherman wrote the book and lyrics for The Fig Leaves Are Falling, and Albert Hague composed the music. Most of the action took place in the New York suburb of Larchmont, where business executive Harry Stone (Barry Nelson) is married to Lillian (Dorothy Loudon) and has two teen-aged children, Billy (David Cassidy) and Cecelia (Louise Quick). He suddenly has a case of the twenty-year itch when he’s smitten by Pookie Chapman (Jenny O’Hara), a woman young enough to be his daughter. Their affair takes them to Europe, but eventually Harry realizes his place is with Lillian, who forgives him and welcomes him back into the family fold. Like Promises, Promises, the musical’s leading man spoke directly to the audience, but this time around the critics weren’t amused. In fact, there was a Pirandello approach to much of the evening’s proceedings, including a black character who told the audience he was the musical’s token “Negro.” And at one point during the proceedings, a roasted chicken was raffled off to one (lucky?) audience member (when writing about the auction of the chicken, two critics referred to the “T” word, turkey). And typical of many musicals of the era, the show offered a “hippie” sequence (actually two sequences: one depicted a love-in in Central Park that included the song “Light One Candle,” and another, also set in the Park, involved a protest march and the song “Give Me a Cause”). Clive Barnes in the New York Times felt the basic plot was “serviceable,” but otherwise said the musical needed a new book, new music, new lyrics, new settings, new direction, new choreography, and a partially new cast. Sherman’s book lacked “wit, charm and imagination,” his lyrics were “more predictable than a railway timetable,” and the contributions of Hague were “vague” (“not so much old-fashioned as unfashioned”). But he liked Nelson and Loudon, noting the latter would have “stopped” the show if it had ever started. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily also praised Nelson and Loudon, and noted the score was “purposely difficult” and “hard to sing.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said there was “nothing particularly wrong” with the new musical, but at the same time it wasn’t “very interesting.” Further, the score was “agreeable” but “fairly mild.” Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal said the evening’s strengths were Loudon’s “engaging” performance and “one good hippy rock-and-roll number” (“Light One Candle”). Alan Jeffreys on WABC-TV-7 said Loudon gave a “fabulous” performance, but otherwise felt the evening might have been better off as a straight comedy sans music. Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 lamented that The Fig Leaves Are Falling is “the kind of musical I wish they weren’t writing anymore.” Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 admitted the evening was no masterpiece, but nonetheless thought it was “funny,” “entertaining,” a “good show” with a “lively, driving” score, “clever” lyrics, an “excellent” cast, and “the best collection of production numbers this season.” Similarly, John Chapman in the New York Daily News liked the “pleasant” show, and singled out four songs in Hague’s “bouncy” score (“All My Laughter,” “Like Yours,” “Light One Candle,” and the title song). The demo recording included one song (“Juggling”) that wasn’t heard in the final score. During the tryout and New York preview period, “Not Tonight,” “Let What Happens Happen,” and “What Did We Do Wrong?” were deleted. The rehearsal script included “Not Tonight,” “Let What Happens Happen,” “Juggling,” “The Girl Who Folds Out” (for teenager son Billy, who sings about looking at Playboy magazine centerfolds), “Dirty Old Men,” and “Change Your Partner.” The sheet music of one unused song, “My Aunt Minnie,” was published before the musical was given a title, and so the sheet music notes that the song is from “a new, exciting musical comedy that has no title yet.” The cast album was scheduled for release by RCA Victor Records, which cancelled the recording due to the show’s brief run. “Did I Ever Really Live?” was included in Gordon MacRae’s collection Only Love (Capitol Records LP # ST-125). The four-performance flop The Fig Leaves Are Falling was yet another detour on Dorothy Loudon’s long journey to a hit show. She had appeared in Nowhere to Go but Up (1962; 9 performances) and Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato (1968; 44 performances), and after Fig Leaves was seen in Lolita, My Love (1971), which closed during its pre-Broadway tryout. She finally found herself in a smash with the long-running Annie (1977), memorably creating the role of Miss Hannigan (and in the process won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical). Unfortunately, after Annie she encountered another string of musical flops: despite her touching performance, Michael Bennett’s dazzling choreography, and some fine songs for the ballroom sequences, Ballroom (1978) closed after 116 performances, and an Annie sequel (Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge)

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closed during its tryout during the 1989–1990 season. Loudon’s final musical appearance was in a regional production of Over & Over, John Kander and Fred Ebb’s 1999 out-of-control musical version of The Skin of Our Teeth (despite a later revised regional version with a new title [All About Us], the musical has yet to be seen in a New York production). Incidentally, Nelson appeared in one more Broadway musical. He starred in a non-singing role opposite Liza Minnelli in Kander and Ebb’s The Act (1977) (during his vacation, Gower Champion, the show’s director and co-choreographer, replaced him). While Jenny O’Hara was appearing in The Fig Leaves Are Falling at the Broadhurst Theatre, her sister Jill O’Hara was appearing next door at the Shubert in Promises, Promises. After Fig Leaves and Promises, the two never again originated roles in a Broadway musical. (But during the lengthy run of Promises, Promises, Jenny eventually replaced her sister in the role of Fran Kubelik.)

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Dorothy Loudon)

CELEBRATION Theatre: Ambassador Theatre Opening Date: January 22, 1969 Closing Date: April 26, 1969 Performances: 109 Words: Tom Jones Music: Harvey Schmidt Direction: Tom Jones; Producers: Cheryl Crawford and Richard Chandler (A Portfolio Production); Choreography: Vernon Lusby; Scenery, Costumes, and Lighting: Ed Wittstein; Musical Direction: Rod Derefinko Cast: Keith Charles (Potemkin), Michael Glenn-Smith (Orphan), Susan Watson (Angel), Ted Thurston (Rich); The Revelers: Glenn Bastian, Cindi Bulak, Stephan de Ghelder, Leah Horen, Patricia Lens, Norman Mathews, Frank Newell, Pamela Peadon, Felix Rice, Sally Riggs, Gary Wales, Hal Watters The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place on a platform on New Year’s Eve.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Celebration” (Keith Charles, The Revelers); “Orphan in the Storm” (Michael Glenn-Smith, The Revelers); “Survive” (Keith Charles, The Revelers); “Somebody” (Susan Watson, Hittites); “Bored” (Ted Thurston); “My Garden” (Michael Glenn-Smith, The Revelers); “Where Did It Go?” (Ted Thurston, Sycophants); “Love Song” (Susan Watson, Keith Charles, Ted Thurston, Michael Glenn-Smith, The Revelers); “To the Garden” (Company) Act Two: “I’m Glad to See You’ve Got What You Want” (Susan Watson, Michael Glenn-Smith); “It’s You Who Makes Me Young” (Ted Thurston, The Revelers); “Not My Problem” (Keith Charles, Machines); “Fifty Million Years Ago” (Michael Glenn-Smith); “The Beautician Ballet” (Ted Thurston, The Revelers); “Saturnalia” (Keith Charles, The Revelers); “Under the Tree” (Susan Watson, Animals); “Winter and Summer” (Company); “Celebration” (reprise/finale) (Company) Celebration lasted only three months on Broadway, running for 109 performances. Despite modest production values, sixteen cast members, and just nine musicians in its orchestra, the musical lost much of its investment. The easy explanation for the poor showing was that the musical was too special for uptown theatergoers and should have been produced in a small Off-Broadway house where it would have found its target audience and enjoyed a long and prosperous run. But it’s doubtful Celebration would have flourished Off-Broadway, either. It was an allegorical musical that lost its way in a labyrinth of vague plotting, nebulous

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characters, and pseudo-myths, none of which came together in a unifying whole. Ultimately, the evening boiled down to the belief that youth is good and old age is bad (this was a popular late 1960s theme, and musicals as disparate as Hair and The Fig Leaves Are Falling bought into this notion). Celebration took place on New Year’s Eve, and on the one hand offered a ritualistic look at the changing of the seasons (winter turns into spring, the old year gives way to the new) and on the other attempted to comment on the then-trendy generation-gap issue. Since the characters were allegorical in nature (they even sported generic brand names such as Orphan, Angel, and Rich), it was impossible to care about them and their problems. In the midst of the vague plot was Potemkin (Keith Charles), an undefined character who despite his somewhat portentous name didn’t figure much into the plot (and who in the published script was also identified as “Pot”). He was sometimes the evening’s narrator, an M.C. of sorts (M.C. types were another cliché of late 1960s musicals; see Cabaret, Zorba, and Mata Hari), and at other times morphed into a cynical bum disdainful of the other characters. Added to the mix were the Revelers, masked figures who at first seemed like refugees from a Shakespearean festival and who variously portrayed beauticians, New Year’s Eve partygoers, and even the orchestra players. While trying to find the orphanage of his childhood, Orphan (Michael Glenn-Smith) meets an angel named Angel (Susan Watson), who’s really a chorus girl portraying a fallen angel as part of an act with Satan and the Devil Girls and who is looking for her big break on Broadway. He also comes across an older man, a wealthy capitalist named Rich (Ted Thurston); being old and rich, Edgar Allen Rich is clearly a Bad Person. Rich has made his fortune producing artificial fruit, artificial flowers, artificial limbs, glass eyes, and falsies, and now owns the property where the orphanage used to stand and where now only the orphanage’s garden remains. When Orphan shows Rich the Eye of God (a piece of stained glass from the orphanage’s chapel), Rich is overcome with sentiment, and Potemkin urges Orphan and Angel to feign love for one another so that Rich will give Orphan the garden in trade for Angel, who will then have her own “angel” to finance her career in show business. So Orphan and Angel play the roles of Adam and Eve in the garden, Rich is entranced, and it looks as though Orphan will have his garden and Angel her show business benefactor. Rich’s New Year’s Eve revels begin, and Angel has indeed gone from rags to riches. But Rich has banished Orphan from the garden, and announces his intention to overrun the garden with plastic flowers so that nothing of nature remains. Orphan crashes the party, and soon he and Rich battle it out in a war between winter and summer, between the old and the young. The New Year is soon approaching, Potemkin appears as Father Time, and as a clock begins to strike midnight, twelve mirrors materialize. In Man of La Mancha fashion, the mirrors reveal the truth to Rich: that he and the old year are dying. (And they do.) Orphan and Angel (aka Adam and Eve) are then reunited, but leave the garden to face the world, or, more precisely, as performers they ask what’s waiting for them “outside the theatre” as they leave the stage, walk down the aisle of the Ambassador Theatre, and head out for 49th Street. If Schmidt and Jones’s songs had been stronger, the pretentious goings-on might have been more tolerable. But the score offered only a couple of ingratiating numbers (including the title song). For the most part the songs were curiously flat and uninteresting; they hovered on the verge of an intriguing lyrical or melodic idea, but never quite succeeded in overcoming a certain ordinary quality. But Celebration has the dubious distinction of offering the only song in the canon of musical theater devoted to a man’s very specific reaction in getting an erection (“delicious liquid” is “tickling me”). Rich’s “Slowly Rising” was sung contrapuntally with Orphan and Angel’s “Love Song,” but curiously “Slowly Rising” was embedded within “Love Song” and wasn’t listed as a stand-alone song in the Playbill, script, and cast album. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said Celebration was “hapless, helpless, hopeless. . . . It is sticky and icky.” Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the story never came to “interesting life” because its “allegorical overtones” made it “tiresomely pretentious”; Richard F. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal noted the musical was “successful” in being “different,” but that was all; otherwise, the book was “diluted to the point of banality.” Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 said the musical was “tasteless and witless” and he was “embarrassed” for the performers, and Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 liked the first act, but felt the ultimately “weary” and “stodgy” plot defeated the show. But Alan Jeffreys on WABC-TV-7 found Celebration a “complete original . . . the kind of musical that breeds happy memories of an evening of pure theatre” and Tom Prideaux in Life said the musical was a “stunningly original New Year’s Eve morality play” (the fourpage article included five photographs, four in stunning color).

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Clive Barnes in the New York Times felt the musical had its strong points, but overall was “rather fey, coy and cutesy,” and the experimental devices of masks and symbols came across “in the modish manner of a smart window decorator” rather than of “forward looking” theatre creators. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily felt Celebration was “likable,” but noted its attempt to “charm” was “slightly off-putting.” He also found some of the lyrics “cloying,” and said that once the plot got going after a slow start, the musical was deep in “fey-land.” The lyrics and music had their strong points, but were sometimes “inconsistent” (and he criticized the “crude, unnecessary erection song (‘Keep it up, keep it up’).” While the musical was sometimes “delightful,” it was at other times “embarrassing or boring.” Celebration gestated for years, first as a musical called Ratfink, which took place in the Metropolitan Museum. Schmidt and Jones abandoned that title and locale, and refashioned the work as Celebration, which was first seen at the team’s Portfolio Theatre in a workshop production during the fall of 1968. (But another of Schmidt and Jones’s musicals, the Off-Off-Broadway The Bone Room, adopted the museum setting.) The script of Celebration was published in 1973 by Drama Book Specialists in hardback (in an edition that also included The Fantasticks). The cast album was released by Capitol Records (LP # SW-198; later released on CD by Broadway Angel Records # ZDM-7243-5-65169-2-2). Six months after the Broadway closing, the musical was seen at the University of Maryland on October 28, 1969; the cast recording of this production was issued by Century Records (LP # 36082) and includes “Saturnalia,” which was heard in the Broadway production but wasn’t recorded for the original cast album. A third recording of the score is the demo album, which includes seven songs, all of which were used in the Broadway production.

RED, WHITE AND MADDOX “A THING

WITH

MUSIC”

Theatre: Cort Theatre Opening Date: January 26, 1969 Closing Date: March 1, 1969 Performances: 41 Book: Don Tucker and Jay Broad Lyrics and Music: Don Tucker Direction: Jay Broad and Don Tucker; Producers: Edward Padula (William Domnitz and Arthur Miller, Associate Producers) (A Theatre Atlanta Production); Scenery and Costumes: David Chapman; Lighting and Design Supervision: Richard Casler; Visual Materials: Bill Diehl Jr.; Musical Direction: Uncredited Cast: The Kids: Georgia Allen (Alberta), Fran Brill (Student Leader), Lois Broad (Cynical Campaigner), Ronald Bush (The Senator), Fred Chappell (Air Force General), Mitchell Edmonds (Governor of Indiana), Karl Emery (Standard Bearer), Clarence Felder (Interlocutor), Gary Gage (General of the Armies), William Gammon (Radio Commentator), Elaine Harris (Student Delegate), Ted Harris (Buttercup Boy), Christopher Lloyd (Bombardier), Bettye Malone (Rock Singer), Ted Martin (Boy from the New Left), Sandy McCallum (The Redneck), Muriel Moore (Virginia Maddox), Arlene Nadel (Girl from the New Left), Steve Renfroe (Political Commentator), Judy Schoen (Little Mary Sue), Susan Shaloub (Protestor), William Trotman (C.I.A. Chief), James Weston (Rock Singer); Jay Garner (Lester Maddox) The musical was presented in two acts. For Act One, the action takes place “one hundred years later”; for Act Two, “one hundred years too late.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “What America Means to Me” (Company); “Givers and Getters” (Company); “Jubilee Joe” (Company); “Ballad of a Redneck” (Men); “First Campaign Song” (Salvation Army Band, Company); “Hoe Down” (Company); “Phooey” (Jay Garner); “Second Campaign Song” (Salvation Army Band, Company); “God Is an American” (Company)

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Act Two: “Hip-Hooray for Washington” (Jay Garner); “City Life” (Company); “Song of the Malcontents” (Company); “The General’s Song” (Company); “Little Mary Sue” (Company); “Billie Joe Ju” (Company); “The Impeachment Waltz” (Company); “Red, White and Maddox Kazoo March” (Company) Red, White and Maddox was a revue-like “Thing with Music” which looked askance at Lester Maddox (1915–2003), who was governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. The musical opened on Broadway during the middle of his first and only term as governor (the show had first been seen in Atlanta, produced by Theatre Atlanta). The New York Playbill explained that Maddox closed his successful Pickrick Restaurant rather than bow to segregation, and further noted he was a master of the unconscious ability to “turn the non-sequitur into a comic routine or to consistently say the wrong thing at the right time.” As a result, many of the lines in Red, White and Maddox were “word-for-word Lesterisms . . . sometimes the real Lester is hard to improve upon.” (For example, when Maddox was once asked about prison reform, he replied such reform would come when there was a better kind of prisoner.) The first act (“One Hundred Years Later”) looked at Maddox from the perspective of his Pickrick days as well as his tenure as governor; the second act (“One Hundred Years Too Late”) was a fantasy that depicted President Maddox in the White House, including a look at his most memorable presidential deed: starting a nuclear holocaust that brings down the curtain on Earth. Clive Barnes in the New York Times noted that in Atlanta Maddox was of “local interest,” but for Broadway he was more of a “national joke than a national figure.” Further, it was hard to “legitimately make fun of a laughingstock.” And when the second act looked into the future, Barnes warned “you can only be satirical about the past.” As for Jay Garner’s Maddox (Garner had created the role in the original Atlanta production), Barnes said he was “fantastically funny,” “tellingly accurate,” and a “joy.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily also felt the musical was too regional in its perspective; although the show now had a New York address at the Cort Theatre, it was “still in Atlanta.” He felt works such as Red, White and Maddox were exactly what residential theatres should be doing; but going to Broadway with such shows “misunderstands the point” of such productions. As for Garner’s performance, Gottfried felt his characterization would be as “flamboyant” as it was in Atlanta once the performer’s “opening night nerves and laryngitis” were overcome. As for the company, their “brave smiles” and “determined projection” came across as “insecure” and “looking very graduation day,” and Don Tucker’s score “sounded like the music at a grade school dance 15 years ago.” Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the “parochial” musical had the “slightly disarming air of hopeful amateur theatricals. . . . [It] seems lost in the professional Broadway theatre.” He found Tucker’s score “lively and agreeable,” and singled out “Jubilee Joe” as “particularly bright and tuneful.” But he noted screen projections depicting the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King didn’t fit into the “mocking fun” of the evening. (Gottfried had also noted that slides that showed slums, riots, starving children, and the “murdered faces of good men” simply turned the subjects into clichés.) Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal felt the evening was “oversimplified and a bit immature” in its thinking, but nonetheless it had an “unmistakable perverse power of its own.” He noted that besides Maddox (and political conservatives), the evening also came out against the military and Richard Nixon (and even Lyndon Johnson seemed to be shortchanged). Lee Silver in the New York Daily News liked the “light-hearted” spoof, noting that much of the evening was presented in minstrel-show fashion that told its story in a series of “narrations, sketches, commentaries, songs, dances, jokes and blackouts.” And while Tucker’s score was not “unusual,” the songs were appropriate for the evening and offered a series of ballads, folk songs, blues numbers, rock dances, and hoedowns, all “neatly integrated to advance the story or emphasize a scene.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times and Alan Jeffreys on WABC-TV-7 commented that a couple of numbers reminded them of songs from The Music Man, and the latter noted the show lacked the “snap and sparkle” necessary for a good lampoon. The cast album had been scheduled to be recorded by Metromedia Records, but the recording was cancelled due to the show’s brief run. One or two New York critics singled out “Jubilee Joe,” which was recorded on single 45 RPMs by Metromedia, Columbia, and Capitol Records. The Metromedia recording (# MM-104) with vocals by Manny Kellem includes both “Jubilee Joe” and a title song (the Playbill didn’t include a title number in the show’s song list, but did include “The Red, White and Maddox Kazoo March”).

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For the original Atlanta production, Ronald Axe was credited with additional lyrics, and the costumes were designed by both David Chapman and David Charles.

CANTERBURY TALES Theatre: Eugene O’Neill Theatre Opening Date: February 3, 1969 Closing Date: May 18, 1969 Performances: 121 Book: Martin Starkie and Nevill Coghill Lyrics: Nevill Coghill Music: Richard Hill and John Hawkins Based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s collection of stories The Canterbury Tales (written between 1387 and 1400). Direction: Martin Starkie (based on Vlado Habunek’s direction of the original London production); Producers: Management Three Productions Ltd. (Jerry Weintraub and Martin Kummer) and Frank Productions Inc. (Allen B. Whitehead) by arrangement with Classic Presentations Limited; Choreography: Sammy Bayes (Bert Michaels, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Derek Cousins (scenery supervised by Richard Seger); Costumes: Loudon Sainthill; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Oscar Kosarin Cast: The Pilgrims: Martyn Green (Chaucer), Edwin Steffe (Host), Roy Cooper (Miller), Hermione Baddeley (Wife of Bath), David Thomas (Cook), Leon Shaw (Merchant), Reid Shelton (Knight), George Rose (Stewart), Ann Gardner (Prioress), Evelyn Page (Nun), Garnett Smith (Priest, Pardoner), Bruce Hyde (Clerk of Oxford), Ed Evanko (Squire), Richard Ensslen (Friar), Bert Michaels (Summoner); Other Pilgrims, Workmen: Terry Eno, Jack Fletcher, Tod Miller, Gene Myers, Ron Schwinn, David Thomas; Village Girls: Mary Jo Catlett, Betsy Dickerson, Karen Kristin, Joyce Maret, Patricia Michaels, Marianne Selbert, Suzan Sidney; The Miller’s Tale: Ed Evanko (Nicholas), Sandy Duncan (Alison), George Rose (The Carpenter), Bruce Hyde (Absalon), Roy Cooper (Gervase), Terry Eno (Robin), Mary Jo Catlett (Parishoner), Suzan Sidney (Parishoner); The Steward’s Tale: Roy Cooper (Miller), Evelyn Page (Miller’s Wife), Sandy Duncan (Molly), Ed Evanko (Alan), Bruce Hyde (John); The Merchant’s Tale: George Rose (January), Martyn Green (Justinus), Garnett Smith (Placebo), Sandy Duncan (May), Ed Evanko (Damian), Roy Cooper (Pluto), Ann Gardner (Proserpina), Evelyn Page (Duenna), Tod Miller (Page, Attendant), Patricia Michaels (Bridesmaid), Marianne Selbert (Bridesmaid), Karen Kristin (Bridesmaid), Joyce Maret (Bridesmaid), Terry Eno (Attendant), Gene Myers (Attendant), Ron Schwinn (Attendant), Jack Fletcher (Attendant); The Wife of Bath’s Tale: Reid Shelton (King), Ann Gardner (Queen), Hermione Baddeley (Old Woman), Bruce Hyde (Young Knight), Roger Franklin (Executioner), Terry Eno (Courtier), Ron Schwinn (Courtier), Tod Miller (Courtier), Gene Myers (Courtier), Karen Kristin (Court Lady), Marianne Selbert (Court Lady), Joyce Maret (Court Lady), Patricia Michaels (Court Lady), Mary Jo Catlett (Housewife), Sandy Duncan (Sweetheart) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place between the Tabard Inn, London, and the Canterbury Cathedral in the spring during the latter part of the fourteenth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra); “Song of Welcome” (Edwin Steffe, Company); “Good Night Hymn” (Company); “Canterbury Day” (Company); “Pilgrim Riding Music” (Company); The Miller’s Tale—“I Have a Noble Cock” (Ed Evanko), “Darling, Let Me Teach You How to Kiss” (Bruce Hyde), and “There’s the Moon” (Ed Evanko, Sandy Duncan); “It Depends on What You’re At” (Hermione Baddeley, Evelyn Page, Company); “Love Will Conquer All” (Ann Gardner, Suzan Sidney, Company); The Steward’s Tale—“Beer Is Best” (Roy Cooper, Evelyn Page, Ed Evanko, Bruce Hyde, Sandy Duncan); “Canterbury Day” (reprise) (Company) Act Two: “Come On and Marry Me, Honey” (Hermione Baddeley, Company); “Mug Dance” (Company); “Where Are the Girls of Yesterday?” (Edwin Steffe, Company); The Merchant’s Tale—“Hymen, Hymen”

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(Company), “If She Has Never Loved Before” (George Rose), “I’ll Give My Love a Ring” (Ed Evanko, Sandy Duncan), and “Pear Tree Quintet” (Ed Evanko, George Rose, Roy Cooper, Ann Gardner, Sandy Duncan); “I Am All A-Blaze” (Ed Evanko); “Love Pas De Deux” (Marianne Selbert, Ron Schwinn); The Wife of Bath’s Tale—“What Do Women Want?” (Bruce Hyde, Karen Kristin, Marianne Selbert, Joyce Maret, Patricia Michaels); “April Song” (Company); “Love Will Conquer All” (reprise) (Ann Gardner, Suzan Sidney, Company) Canterbury Tales was a long-running London hit, opening at the Phoenix Theatre on March 21, 1968, and playing for 2,082 performances; the production was inspired by the recording The Canterbury Pilgrims, a collection of excerpts from Nevill Coghill’s translation of Chaucer that included original songs and background music by Richard Hill and John Hawkins. The Broadway edition didn’t match the success of its London counterpart; it lasted a little more than three months, for a total of 121 showings. The musical took place in the late 1300s during a four-day pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral; in order to pass the time on their journey, the pilgrims entertain one another with various stories, and Chaucer himself serves as the evening’s narrator. Chaucer’s original Tales served up a total of twenty-four stories; the musical focused on four (“The Miller’s Tale,” “The Steward’s Tale,” “The Merchant’s Tale,” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”), all dealing with romantic, if not downright ribald, events (seductions, cuckolded husbands, older men incapable of sexual arousal and thus in need of aphrodisiacs). Clive Barnes in the New York Times noted the British production had been “mildly enchanting,” but for Broadway “the mildness seems to have the edge on the enchantment.” London’s “remarkably stylish staging and performance” were missing in New York and the direction seemed “coarser”; the “sea-change” was decidedly not to the musical’s advantage. As for the score, it was “merry” and “sweet” enough, but seemed more “incidental and accidental” than “transcendental.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the musical should have opened “in the library stacks . . . a graduate school show.” He felt the evening lacked theatricality, and said the four tales merged together with little distinction; there were “endless, pointless and regularly incoherent interludes.” Walter Kerr in the New York Times complained there were “quite long treadmill passages” between the tales, and knowing the evening offered four made one “a bit impatient until Number Three” was over. Further, the evening’s humor was “sledge-hammer heavy rather than deftly knowing.” Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the evening was a “little monotonous,” and also chided the performers, who “virtually roll on the stage with laughter” in order to let the audience know “how mirthful it all is.” Further, he criticized the ending, noting the “sudden bow” to piousness after all the rowdiness was “somewhat embarrassing.” But John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the evening “absolutely enchanting,” and Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal enjoyed the show, saying he hoped it would be around for a long time. Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 said the musical was “fun,” but noted it took place on “Cape Codpiece” rather than on the road to Canterbury. The London production included “The Priest’s Tale” between the Miller and Steward’s tales; otherwise, the musical program was essentially the same for both productions, albeit with occasional variant titles for some of the songs. The London cast album was recorded by Decca Records (LP # LK-4956 and # SKL-4956; later reissued by That’s Entertainment Records [LP # TER-1076]), and the Broadway cast album was issued by Capitol Records (LP # SW-229; later released on CD by Broadway Angel Records [# ZDM-5-65171-2]) and then reissued by Arkiv Records/EMI (# 65171). Although the Broadway production flopped, a national touring version was mounted with Ray Walston, Constance Carpenter, Martyn Green, and Reid Shelton, the latter two reprising their New York roles. The tour added one song (“Chanticleer”) and omitted two dance numbers (“Mug Dance” and “Love Pas de Deux”) and one song (“Pear Tree Quintet”). The musical was later revived Off-Broadway at the Rialto Theatre on February 12, 1980, where it was a flop all over again, this time chalking up just sixteen performances (earlier in the season, this production had been presented at the Equity Library Theatre on November 29, 1979, for thirty performances). As theatrical coincidence would have it, the winter of 1969 saw two musicals based on The Canterbury Tales (Barnes noted there were “flying Chaucers” everywhere). Like Broadway’s Canterbury Tales, Off-Broadway’s Get Thee to Canterbury (subtitled a “Medieval Happenynge”) was also a flop, opening at the Sheridan Square Playhouse on January 15 for a run of twenty performances. In his review of Get Thee to Canterbury,

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Barnes criticized its weak book and score, indicating the former had “little genuine Chaucerian flavor” and the latter reminded him of the “duller and more forgettable hymns in the English hymnal.” A much earlier lyric adaptation of The Canterbury Tales was The Canterbury Pilgrims, which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House on March 8, 1917, for seven performances; the music was by Reginald De Koven, who had composed the successful operetta Robin Hood (1891), and the libretto was by Percy MacKaye, the author of The Scarecrow (1911), one of the finest American plays. An unsigned review in the New York Times praised De Koven’s “unceasingly melodious” score and noted MacKaye’s libretto was full “of situation and action, full of life and humor . . . an ingenious and elaborate plot.”

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Sandy Duncan); Best Scenic Designer (Derek Cousins); Best Costume Designer (Loudon Sainthill); Best Choreographer (Sammy Bayes)

DEAR WORLD Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: February 6, 1969 Closing Date: May 31, 1969 Performances: 132 Book: Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Lyrics and Music: Jerry Herman Direction and Choreography: Joe Layton; Producers: Alexander H. Cohen (Hildy Parks, Associate Producer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Freddy Wittop; Lighting: Jean Rosenthal; Musical Direction: Donald Pippin Based on the 1945 play La folle de Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux; produced in New York in 1948 as The Madwoman of Chaillot (translated by Maurice Valency). Cast: William Larsen (The Chairman of the Board), Clifford Fearl (Board Member), Charles Karel (Board Member), Zale Kessler (Board Member), Charles Welch (Board Member), Joe Masiell (The Prospector), Kurt Peterson (Julian), Pamela Hall (Nina), Gene Varrone (The Waiter), Michael Davis (The Doorman), Ty McConnell (The Busboy), Ted Agress (The Juggler), Miguel Godreau (The Deaf-Mute), John Taliaferro (The Peddler), Angela Lansbury (Countess Aurelia [The Madwoman of Chaillot]), Milo O’Shea (The Sewerman), Jane Connell (Gabrielle [The Madwoman of Montmartre]), Carmen Mathews (Constance [The Madwoman of the Flea Market]); The People of Paris: Nicole Barth, Bruce Becker, Toney Brealond, Jane Coleman, Jack Davison, Jacque Dean, Richard Dodd, John Grigas, Marian Haraldson, Tony Juliano, Gene Kelton, Carolyn Kirsch, Urylee Leonardos, Larry Merritt, Ruth Ramsey, Orrin Reiley, Patsy Sabline, Connie Simmons, Margot Travers, Mary Zahn The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Paris during an early spring.

Musical Numbers Act One: “The Spring of Next Year” (William Larsen, Joe Masiell, Clifford Fearl, Charles Karel, Zale Kessler, Charles Welch); “Each Tomorrow Morning” (Angela Lansbury, Company); “I Don’t Want to Know” (Angela Lansbury); “I’ve Never Said I Love You” (Pamela Hall), “Garbage” (Milo O’Shea, Angela Lansbury, Jane Connell, Carmen Mathews, Company); “I Don’t Want to Know” Ballet (Company); “Dear World” (Angela Lansbury, Company) Act Two: “Kiss Her Now” (Angela Lansbury); The Tea Party: “Memory” (Carmen Mathews), “Pearls” (Angela Lansbury, Jane Connell), “Dickie” (Jane Connell), “Voices” (Carmen Mathews), and “Thoughts” (Angela Lansbury); “And I Was Beautiful” (Angela Lansbury); “Each Tomorrow Morning” (reprise) (Kurt Peterson); “One Person” (Angela Lansbury, Company); Finale (Company)

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Jean Giraudoux’s play La folle de Chaillot was written in 1943. He died in 1944, and the play was produced the following year, on December 19 at the Theatre de l’Athenee in Paris. As The Madwoman of Chaillot, Maurice Valency’s translation opened on Broadway three years later, at the Belasco Theatre on December 27, 1948, for 368 performances, and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Foreign Play. The cast included Martita Hunt (as Countess Aurelia, in a role that won her the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play), Estelle Winwood (The Madwoman of Passy), Nydia Westman (the Madwoman of St. Sulpice), Doris Rich (the Madwoman of La Concorde), Clarence Derwent (the President), and John Carradine (the Ragpicker). (For the musical, the number of madwomen was reduced from four to three; the Ragpicker became the Sewerman, and during the musical’s tryout the role of the President morphed into the role of the Chairman of the Board.) Dear World was the decidedly uninspired musical version of the play, and while it too won its leading lady a Tony Award (Angela Lansbury for Best Leading Actress in a Musical), the piece was tiresome and bloated. Further, its story was reprehensible in its support of vigilante justice: the Countess is depicted as a hero for murdering her political enemies. Specifically, the plot dealt with a group of rich businessmen (being rich and being businessmen, they are automatically evil) who plan to pollute the Seine and all of Paris when they discover vast reserves of oil may lie under the city. They need to test the waters beneath Paris in order to ascertain the existence of the oil, and the necessary spot for testing is directly beneath the Café François, a hangout for various Parisian eccentrics, including Countess Aurelia, whose apartment is in the basement of the café. Besides the Countess, the musical focused on two other madwomen, Gabrielle, The Madwoman of Montmartre (Jane Connell), who is forever searching for her long-lost dog Dickie, and Constance, The Madwoman of the Flea Market (Carmen Mathews), who is deaf only on Wednesdays. Other characters included the Sewerman (Milo O’Shea); the Deaf-Mute (Miguel Godreau); Julian, a would-be bomber (Kurt Peterson); and Nina (Pamela Hall), a waitress at the café who becomes romantically involved with Julian. The Sewerman tells the Countess that a secret door in the café’s cellar will lead the unsuspecting down a series of steps that go on forever, into the bowels of the earth (and maybe even to Hell?). The Countess and her cronies hold a mock trial in which the businessmen are tried in absentia and found guilty. When the businessmen arrive to inspect the waters beneath the café, the Countess opens the secret door for them, and once they’ve gone through the door, she seals up their tomb forever. The men are sent to their deaths, Paris is saved from industrial pollution, and the eccentrics of Paris can go about their daily routines. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s book was essentially workable, but was wordy and humorless; and the musical’s basic message (it’s acceptable to kill one’s political and philosophical enemies) was certainly unacceptable. Moreover, the romantic subplot between Julian and Nina slowed down the evening, and the character of the Deaf Mute almost immediately wore out his welcome. Further, the libretto left little opportunity for choreography. But Oliver Smith’s décor, Freddy Wittop’s costumes, and Jean Rosenthal’s magical lighting design created a fairy tale–like romantic world for the Countess and the crowd at the Café François. With some notable exceptions, Jerry Herman’s songs were disappointingly weak. The vapid romance between Julian and Nina produced two equally vapid songs (“I’ve Never Said I Love You” and “Kiss Her Now”), and such “upbeat” numbers as “One Person” and “Each Tomorrow Morning” were mechanical and generic in nature. Further, the title song quickly became the subject of ridicule for lyrical unpleasantness (it admonished the sick “Dear World” to rip off its bandages, tear out its stitches, kill its infection, cut out its growth, and stand on its crutches with pride). But Herman offered three inspired musical interludes. The madwomen’s “Tea Party” sequence (which included “Memory,” “Pearls,” “Dickie,” “Voices,” and “Thoughts”) was a brilliant piece that captured the surreal lunacy of the characters; “Garbage” was a lilting and melodic list song of “the time when garbage was a pleasure,” and it too bordered on the surreal; and ”I Don’t Want to Know” was a swirling angst-ridden waltz for Aurelia which could easily have come from Edith Piaf’s songbook. Clive Barnes in the New York Times said Giraudoux’s play had been “adapted, twisted and generally pounded” into a musical, and Lawrence and Lee’s book had a “well-worn air . . . as if it had been rewritten more times than Soviet history.” As for Herman’s songs, Barnes felt the composer-lyricist hadn’t decided whom to evoke, Jacques Brel or Jean Sablon, and concluded that Dear World and Herman’s three previous Broadway scores led him to believe Herman had “only written one musical—and it’s getting worse!” As for Lansbury, “no connoisseur of musical comedy” could dare miss her “lovely” performance, “a memory worth treasuring in an evening that seems destined to be forgotten.”

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Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily suggested the new musical might well be titled Floorscraper, Can’t-Can’t, or Queer World, and concluded that the “patchwork” evening was a “disaster.” Richard Watts in the New York Post found the show “disappointingly mediocre. . . . It never comes to stimulating life, musically, dramatically, or humorously.” And Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal noted the “pedestrian” evening offered a book that showed signs of “much carpentry.” But Walter Kerr in the New York Times found the musical “in the main quite charming,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News said the evening was “diverting,” offering a “romantic thesis and an imaginative, original libretto.” Dear World underwent an arduous tryout that culminated in a then record-breaking fifty-seven Broadway preview performances before it braved the New York critics. The original opening was scheduled for December 26, 1968, but with all the postponements it finally opened five weeks later, on February 6, 1969, when it lasted less than four months for a total of 132 money-losing performances. The musical had a total of three directors (first Lucia Victor, then Peter Glenville, and finally Joe Layton) and two choreographers (Donald Saddler and then Layton). The role of the President was first played by Michael Kermoyan, but the part eventually morphed into the Chairman of the Board, and William Larsen assumed the role. During the tryout and New York previews, the following songs were dropped: “Through the Bottom of the Glass,” “I Like Me,” “It’s Really Rather Rugged to Be Rich,” “Just a Little Bit More,” and “Have a Little Pity on the Rich.” An early rehearsal script also includes the unused song “Civilization Gets in the Way.” The original cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # BOS-3260; the CD was first issued by Sony Broadway Records # SK-48220 and then later by Arkiv/Sony Records #59995). The original cast album included (but didn’t list) the “Dance” following the title song, but the CD editions of the score cite this sequence. A 1978 revival of the musical at UCLA included two cut songs (“Through the Bottom of the Glass” and “Just a Little Bit More”). Forty-four years after the Broadway run, the musical’s British premiere took place at London’s Charing Cross Theatre on February 13, 2013, with Betty Buckley in the role of Countess Aurelia. The revised book was by David Thompson. The entire score was retained, and three songs were interpolated: two (“Just a Little Bit More” and “Have a Little Pity on the Rich”) had been deleted either during the tryout or the preview period of the original Broadway production, and one (“A Sensible Woman”) seems to have been dropped either before or during rehearsals of the original production. Another musical adaptation of Giraudoux’s play was written by Claibe Richardson and Kenward Elmslie; as of this writing, their version has gone unproduced.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Angela Lansbury); Best Scenic Designer (Oliver Smith)

1776 “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: 46th Street Theatre (during run, the musical transferred to the Majestic Theatre) Opening Date: March 16, 1969 Closing Date: February 13, 1972 Performances: 1,217 Book: Peter Stone Lyrics and Music: Sherman Edwards Direction: Peter Hunt; Producer: Stuart Ostrow; Choreography: Onna White; Scenery and Lighting: Jo Mielziner; Costumes: Patricia Zipprodt; Musical Direction: Peter Howard Cast: Members of the Continental Congress—David Ford (John Hancock [President]), Dal Richards (Dr. Josiah Bartlett [from New Hampshire]), William Daniels (John Adams [Massachusetts]), Roy Poole (Stephen Hopkins [Rhode Island]), David Vosburgh (Roger Sherman [Connecticut]), Ronald Kross (Lewis Morris

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[New York]), Henry Le Clair (Robert Livingston [New York]), Edmund Lyndeck (Reverend Jonathan Witherspoon [New Jersey]), Howard Da Silva (Benjamin Franklin [Pennsylvania]), Paul Hecht (John Dickinson [Pennsylvania]), Emory Bass (James Wilson [Pennsylvania]), Robert Gaus (Caesar Rodney [Delaware]), Bruce MacKay (Colonel Thomas McKean [Delaware]), Duane Bodin (George Read [Delaware]), Philip Polito (Samuel Chase [Maryland]), Ronald Holgate (Richard Henry Lee [Virginia]), Ken Howard (Thomas Jefferson [Virginia]), Charles Rule (Joseph Hewes [North Carolina]), Clifford David (Edward Rutledge [South Carolina]), Jonathan Moore (Dr. Lyman Hall [Georgia]), Ralston Hill (Charles Thomson [Congressional Secretary]), William Duell (Andrew McNair [Congressional Custodian]), B.  J. Slater (A Leather Apron), Scott Jarvis (Courier), Virginia Vestoff (Abigail Adams), Betty Buckley (Martha Jefferson) The musical was presented in one act (during the run, an intermission was added, immediately after “Momma, Look Sharp”). The action takes place in Philadelphia and in “certain reaches of John Adams’ mind” during May, June, and July 1776.

Musical Numbers “Sit Down, John” (William Daniels, Congress); “Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve” (William Daniels); “Till Then” (William Daniels, Virginia Vestoff); “The Lees of Old Virginia” (Ronald Holgate, Howard Da Silva, William Daniels); “But, Mr. Adams” (William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, David Vosburgh, Henry Le Clair); “Yours, Yours, Yours” (William Daniels, Virginia Vestoff); “He Plays the Violin” (Betty Buckley, Howard Da Silva, William Daniels); “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men” (Paul Hecht, Conservatives); “Momma, Look Sharp” (Scott Jarvis, William Duell, B. J. Slater); “The Egg” (Howard Da Silva, William Daniels, Ken Howard); “Molasses to Rum” (Clifford David); “Yours, Yours, Yours” (reprise) (Virginia Vestoff); “Is Anybody There?” (William Daniels) Seeming to come out of nowhere, 1776 was the surprise hit of the season. It was a patriotic musical in an era that often disdained traditional values, by a lyricist and composer (Sherman Edwards) who had never before written a Broadway musical, a director (Peter Hunt) who had never worked on Broadway, and a cast that decidedly were not box-office names (William Daniels [John Adams], Ken Howard [Thomas Jefferson], Paul Hecht [John Dickinson], Clifford David [Edward Rutledge], Roy Poole [Stephen Hopkins], David Ford [John Hancock], Ronald Holgate [Richard Henry Lee], and Howard Da Silva [Benjamin Franklin]). And yet the outfrom-under 1776 became the season’s second-longest-running musical with 1,217 performances (Promises, Promises edged it out with 1,281) and won three Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical. The musical told the familiar story of the Continental Congress and its efforts to write and ratify the Declaration of Independence, and its characters were from the pages of history (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, etc.). And yet the brilliance of the musical was its ability to build such suspense that you wondered what the story’s outcome would be. The evening ended with an obvious but nonetheless theatrically brilliant touch, showing the cast members frozen in the pose of Robert Edge Pine and Edward Savage’s painting Congress Voting Independence as a scrim fell before them to reveal the Declaration itself with the signatures in full view. The evening was quirky, determined to find its own way musically. As Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily noted, the musical began with what amounted to a ten-minute operetta in the style of Mozart (“Sit Down, John”). At other times, the evening offered an old-time razzle-dazzle Broadway show-stopper (“The Lees of Old Virginia”), a dramatic, introspective song (“Is Anybody There?”), a smug minuet (“Cool, Cool, Considerate Men”), a blistering comment on slavery (“Molasses to Rum”), and, in “Momma, Look Sharp,” the score’s highlight, a folk-like antiwar song about a dying young soldier’s last moments as he thinks of his mother (“Oh, Ma, am I done?”). Further, for long periods there was no music at all. Edwards was determined not to create extraneous musical moments when dialogue was more effective. If the musical had a flaw, it was its insistence in bringing two unnecessary characters into the plot via “memory” scenes. The additions of Martha Jefferson (Betty Buckley) and Abigail Adams (Virginia Vestoff) didn’t contribute much to the evening, and their songs were vapid and weak (“Till Then,” “Yours, Yours, Yours,” and, in “He Plays the Violin,” an embarrassingly silly attempt at sexual double entendre). And for many, a weakness in Edwards’s lyrics was his strange habit of emphasizing certain syllables when no such emphasis was required.

1968–1969 SEASON

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Clive Barnes in the New York Times wrote that one didn’t “have to be an historian to love 1776 . . . a most striking, most gripping musical. I recommend it without reservation”; Richard Watts in the New York Post found the musical “a brilliant and remarkably moving work of theatrical art .  .  . a most exhilarating accomplishment”; John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the work “a magnificently staged and stunningly original musical”; and Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal reported the evening was “firstrate both as musical entertainment and as a semi-documentary.” But Gottfried slammed the new musical, noting its playing time stretched “from the endless to the eternal,” and he criticized the “patriotic clichés,” “cardboard characters from summer historical pageants,” a general lack of movement, and direction that “left everything to be desired, and then some.” He concluded that 1776 was “a wooden replica of souvenir-shop patriotism.” Songs written for the musical that were dropped prior to production were “Increase and Multiply” (aka “Doozy Lamb”), “Man’l of Arms, British Style,” “Chidda Boom Chick Chick,” “Gloom Gloomy Doom,” and “Are You That Man?” The script was published in hardback and paperback by the Viking Press in 1970. The cast album was released by Columbia Records (LP # BOS-3310; later issued on CD by Sony Broadway # SK-48215). For the recording, the role of Benjamin Franklin is sung by Rex Everhart, who early in the run (and during the time of the cast recording session) had succeeded the ailing Howard Da Silva, the role’s creator (but Da Silva soon returned to the Broadway production, and in fact reprised his role for the 1972 film version). Another recording of the score was All the Hits from the Smash Broadway Musical “1776” by the Ray Bloch Singers (Ambassador Records LP # S-98083). The London production (“A New Musical from the Colonies”) premiered on June 16, 1970, at the New Theatre for 168 performances; the cast included David Kernan (Edward Rutledge), and the cast album was released by EMI/Columbia Records (LP # SCX-6424). As of this writing, Harbinger Records is scheduled to release a CD of the demo recordings of the musical, along with recordings of the show’s songs performed by Sherman Edwards. The 1972 film version was released by Columbia Pictures; directed by Peter Hunt, the film included members from the Broadway production, including William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Ronald Holgate, Roy Poole, David Ford, and Virginia Vestoff; other performers in the film were Donald Madden (John Dickinson), John Cullum (Edward Rutledge), Blythe Danner (Martha Jefferson), Ray Middleton (Col. Thomas McKean), Rex Robbins (Roger Sherman), and Stephen Nathan (The Courier). Prior to release, some twentyfive minutes’ worth of footage was deleted from the film, including the song “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men.” For the film’s “Restored Director’s Cut” on DVD (Columbia # 05891), the deleted material was edited into the print in its proper sequence. The film’s soundtrack was released by Columbia Records (LP # S-31741), and Da Silva’s performance on the soundtrack album constitutes an “original cast” performance as well. The musical was revived in New York by the Roundabout Theatre Company on August 14, 1997, where it played at the Criterion Center Stage Right for 109 performances; the production then transferred to the Gershwin Theatre on December 3 for an additional 224 showings, for a total of 333 performances. The cast members included Brent Spiner (John Adams), Paul Michael Valley (Thomas Jefferson), Tom Aldredge (Stephen Hopkins), Pat Hingle (Benjamin Franklin), Gregg Edelman (Edward Rutledge), Jerry Lanning (Rev. John Witherspoon), Michael Cumpsty (John Dickinson), MacIntyre Dixon (Andrew McNair), John Herrera (Roger Sherman), and Lauren Ward (Martha Jefferson). The cast recording was released by TVT Records (CD # TVT-8150-2). During the original production’s tryout and for the first few weeks of the musical’s New York run, 1776 was presented in one act. But early in the run the evening was divided into two acts, with the first ending after “Momma, Look Sharp.” As mentioned, the two longest-running and most successful musicals of the season were Burt Bacharach’s Promises, Promises and Edwards’s 1776. Both composers had written successful pop songs, Bacharach a string of number-one hits during the mid- and late 1960s and Edwards a few hits in the late 1950s (such as “Wonderful, Wonderful” [a hit for Johnny Mathis], “See You in September,” and “Broken-Hearted Melody”), but despite their initial successes on Broadway, neither composer would ever again write another Broadway musical.

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Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (1776); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ron Holgate); Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Virginia Vestoff); Best Director of a Musical (Peter Hunt); Best Scenic Designer (Jo Mielziner) Note: William Daniels, who clearly had the leading role in 1776, was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical because at the time of the production the Tony Award Committee considered performers whose names were below the title to be featured (not leading) performers. As a result, Daniels declined to accept the nomination. New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award (1968–1969): Best Musical (1776) Drama Desk Awards: Best Musical Book Writer (Peter Stone) Note: From its beginning in 1954 and through the 1967–1968 season, all Drama Desk awards had been given to Off-Broadway productions. Beginning with the 1968–1969 season, awards were given to Broadway productions as well, and until 1974, only winners (not nominees) were announced.

COME SUMMER “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: March 18, 1969 Closing Date: March 22, 1969 Performances: 7 Book and Lyrics: Will Holt Music: David Baker (dance music by David Baker and John Berkman) Based on the 1954 novel Rainbow on the Road by Esther Forbes. Direction and Choreography: Agnes de Mille (James Mitchell, Directorial Assistant; Vernon Lusby, Choreographic Assistant); Producers: Albert W. Selden and Hal James; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Stanley Simmons; Lighting: Thomas Skelton; Musical Direction: Milton Rosenstock Cast: Ray Bolger (Phineas Sharp), William Cottrell (Nathaniel Burnap), David Cryer (Jude Scribner), Margaret Hamilton (Dorinda Pratt), John Gerstad (Labe Pratt), Cathryn Damon (Submit Pratt [aka Mitty]), Dorothy Sands (Mrs. Meserve), Barbara Sharma (Emma Faucett), Francis Faucett (William LeMassena); Dancing Characters: Lovers—Evelyn Taylor, David Evans; Head Logger—William Glassman; The Populace: Marcia Brushingham, Ellen Everett, Sunny Hannum, Lucia Lambert, Mary Ann Rydzeski, Lana Sloniger, Sarah Jane Smith, Britt Swanson, Jeanette Williamson, Toodie Witmer, Jenny Workman, James Albright, Paul Berne, Bjarne Buchtrup, Dennis Cole, Leonard John Crofoot, Harry Endicott, David Evans, William Glassman, Walter Hook, Doug Hunt, Del Horstmann, John Johann The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the towns and surrounding countryside along the Connecticut River in New England during “the peddlers’ season” (early spring to late fall) in 1840, “just before the factories took over.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “Good Time Charlie” (Ray Bolger, Peddlers); “Think Spring” (Ray Bolger, David Cryer, Populace); “Wild Birds Calling” (David Cryer, Cathryn Damon); “Goodbye, My Bachelor” (Ray Bolger); “Fine, Thank You, Fine” (Barbara Sharma); “Road to Hampton” (David Cryer); “Come Summer” (Ray Bolger, David Cryer, Barbara Sharma, Cathryn Damon, Evelyn Taylor, David Evans); “Let Me Be” (Cathryn Damon, David Cryer); “Feather in My Shoe” (Ray Bolger); “The Loggers’ Song” (Ray Bolger, David Cryer, Loggers, Populace) Act Two: “Jude’s Holler” (David Cryer, Populace); “Faucett Falls Fancy” (Ray Bolger, Populace); “Rockin’” (Barbara Sharma, David Cryer); “Skin and Bones” (Ray Bolger); “Moonglade” (Ray Bolger, David Cryer, Cathryn Damon, Barbara Sharma, Margaret Hamilton, John Gerstad, William LeMassena, Populace); “Women” (Cathryn Damon); “No” (Ray Bolger, Populace); “So Much World” (David Cryer)

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Come Summer was based on Esther Forbes’s 1954 novel Rainbow on the Road (one critic noted the titles seemed turned around: surely the novel was titled Come Summer, and its musical version was Rainbow on the Road), and if the musical had opened in the 1950s it might have lasted a good deal longer than its seven performances in the late 1960s. It probably wouldn’t have been profitable even then, but it might have run a few months, enjoyed a cast album, seen one or two of its songs on the hit parade, and lasted a few seasons on the summer tent circuit. But the hard economics of the new Broadway had little room for a pleasant but meandering musical, one almost as meandering as its leading character, the peddler Phineas Sharp (Ray Bolger), who travels throughout the New England towns and countryside in 1840 during the “peddlers’ season” from early spring to late fall (“just before the factories took over”). But Come Summer was never boring. It offered an ingratiating cast, with Bolger joined by his Wizard of Oz nemesis Margaret Hamilton (as Dorina Pratt); the love interest was supplied by David Cryer (Jude Scribner) and Cathryn Damon (Submit “Mitty” Pratt); and Barbara Sharma (Emma Faucett) contributed a memorable comic interlude. The tuneful score (with lyrics by Will Holt and music by David Baker) offered a number of delightful songs (“Good Time Charlie,” “Think Spring,” “Wild Birds Calling,” “Feather in My Shoe,” the title song, and “Fine, Thank You, Fine,” Sharma’s showstopper in which she complained about her marriage to a much older man). For a refreshing change, Agnes de Mille’s choreography placed an emphasis on male dancers, and Oliver Smith’s Grandma Moses–inspired scenery was colorful and atmospheric, and even included a cyclorama to give the effect of the characters traveling along the Connecticut River and a treadmill to convey the movements of peddlers, riverboat men, and farmers. In truth, Come Summer offered more atmosphere than plot. The mild story dealt with the peddler Phineas and his young sidekick Jude, who paints portraits for a living as the two roam the New England countryside in 1840. Jude meets Mitty, paints her portrait, they fall in love, they soon marry, and he temporarily gives up his itinerate existence. But like Gideon Briggs in Greenwillow, the call to wander is too great, and soon Jude is on the road again, where he has a brief fling with a former girlfriend Emma, who is now married to an older man. Ultimately, Jude decides to settle down for good, heads back home to the forgiving Mitty, and Phineas takes off by himself to peddle his wares. At least three of the New York critics indicated the musical came from the Broadway of twenty years ago. Clive Barnes in the New York Times didn’t like the “boring” story and “nonexistent score,” but nonetheless (“apart from the book, lyrics and music”) there were “gorgeous things” in the evening, including “beautifully stylish” direction by de Mille, “the best dancers and the best dancing on Broadway,” and “imaginative and happily witty” settings. John Chapman in the New York Daily News found Come Summer “an enormously appealing new musical” which included “charming ensemble dances” (including a “rather spooky” one in a graveyard [“Moonglade”]) and a “memorable trip” down the Connecticut River (thanks to the treadmill and cyclorama effects). Richard Watts in the New York Post felt much of the choreography was filler for an undernourished plot (“graceful but rather meaningless” dances), but he praised the “modestly pleasant score” and “painting-like” settings with their treadmills and cyclorama. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal felt some of Baker’s score offered “lively dance and marching numbers,” and he noted de Mille’s dance for the loggers was particularly impressive (he and Barnes singled out lead dancer William Glassman). But Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily felt the plot of the “incredibly antique show” could have ended “a whole lot sooner—like last Saturday.” As for Baker’s score, it wasn’t “ambitious” but was nonetheless “unusually melodic and very singable.” But Gottfried wondered why Bolger was considered a star, noting he lacked “grace, style,” and “musical sense.” He had no stage presence, and for Come Summer he “refused” to relate to what was happening on stage, looking “mildly less than grouchy” and coming across as “quite unpleasant.” For the curtain call of the musical’s second performance (a Wednesday matinee, on the morning of which the mostly negative reviews had come out), Bolger spoke to the audience. He was in a bitter mood, and announced the musical would close at the end of the week; he excoriated the critics, and said family musicals were apparently unwelcome on Broadway (but he was happy to see that the recently-opened 1776 was a hit). Virtually all the critics praised David Cryer, including Barnes, who noted he “looks a little like Nureyev, sounds a little like Corelli, and has a personality all of his own.” Great things were predicted for Cryer, but unfortunately his three major New York roles were in flop musicals. After Come Summer, he had the leading male roles in Ari (1971; 19 performances) and the 1973 revival of The Desert Song (15 performances). During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Back Door Man,” “How Far Away Is Far Away,” and “The Last Word.”

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The demo recording includes the cut song “How Far Away Is Far Away,” and the unused number “Golden Love.” For this recording, “The Loggers’ Song” was titled “The Logger.” During the 1990s, the release of a combination studio and original cast album was rumored (with Sharma to reprise her stage role), and apparently the orchestral tracks were recorded. But sadly the album has never been released. On December 14, 1980, a staged reading of the musical took place by the York Theatre Company. The cast included Will Holt (Phineas), Robert Sevra (as Jude, who substituted at the last minute for the ailing Joe Masiell), Rita Gardner (Mitty), and Judith Roberts (Emma). Original cast member John Gerstad was set to play the roles of Francis Faucett and Deacon Blair (Gerstad had created the role of Faucett in the original production), but, like Masiell, he was replaced at the last minute (by John Newton) due to indisposition. The production included four songs not heard in the original production (“Little New England Town,” “Birchbark Boat,” “Song of the Western Migration,” and “Conflicting Testimony”) and one (“Back Door Man”) which was deleted during the tryout.

BILLY “A NOW MUSICAL”; “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Billy Rose Theatre Opening Date: March 22, 1969 Closing Date: March 22, 1969 Performances: 1 Book: Stephen Glassman Lyrics: Gene Allan Music: Ron Dante (incidental music by Wally Harper) Based on the novella Billy Budd by Herman Melville (written in 1886 and published posthumously in 1924). Direction: Arthur A. Seidelman; Producers: Bruce W. Stark in association with Joseph Shoctor (A Vanark Enterprises Ltd. Production); Choreography: Grover Dale; Scenery: Ming Cho Lee; Costumes: Theoni V. Aldredge; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Jack Lee Cast: The Officers—Laurence Naismith (Captain Edward Vere), William Countryman (Lieutenant William Radcliffe), Michael Tartel (Lieutenant Roger Mordant), John Devlin (John Claggart [Master-at-Arms]), Simm Landres (Corporal John Bernard), Laried Montgomery (Marine Corporal), Danny Villa (Marine Corporal); The Seamen—Robert Salvio (Billy Budd), John Beal (Dansker), Dolph Sweet (Whiskers), George Marcy (Campbell), Alan Weeks (Boscombe), Igors Gavon (Boyer), Al Cohen (Gilbert), Peter de Maio (Donald Taff), Danny Carroll (Rawley), Joseph Dellasorte (John Thorp), Bill Schustik (Stafford), Pascual Vaquer (Fallon), Howard Girven (Smithy), Laried Montgomery (Stoker), Steven Broockvor (Rush), Christopher Chadman (Potter), Michael Peters (Roper), Tim Ramirez (Marsten), Ron Tassone (Harker), Frank De Sal (Seeger), De Wayne Oliver (Grimer); Barbara Monte (Molly) The musical was presented in one act. The action takes place aboard a man-of-war in 1796.

Musical Numbers Prelude; “Molly” (Robert Salvio); “Chanty” (Bill Schustik, Pascual Vaquer, Howard Girven, Laried Montgomery); “Watch Out for Claggart”/“Work” (Alan Weeks, John Devlin, Crew); “Shaking Hands with the Wind” (Robert Salvio); “Whiskers’ Dance” (Dolph Sweet, Crew); “It Ain’t Us Who Make the Wars” (George Marcy, Crew); “The Bridge to Nowhere” (Laurence Naismith); “It Ain’t Us Who Make the Wars” (reprise) (Crew); “There in the Dark”/“Afraid” (John Devlin, Robert Salvio); “In the Arms of a Stranger” (John Beal); “The Fiddlers’ Green” (Robert Salvio, Joseph Dellasorte, Igors Gavon, Peter de Maio, Crew); “Molly” (reprise) (Barbara Monte); “Requiem” (Robert Salvio) Billy was an earnest if misguided attempt to bring Herman Melville’s ambiguous novella about good and evil to the musical stage. The musical didn’t cheapen the material, never going after easy laughs or obvious

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Broadway razzle-dazzle, but Stephen Glassman’s book nonetheless missed the nuances and neo-religious overtones of Melville’s story. However, Melville’s basic plot was retained in Glassman’s rather low-key and understated approach, which focused on the relationship between the young, handsome, and naive sailor Billy Budd (Robert Salvio) and the older Master-at-Arms, John Claggart (John Devlin), who inexplicably takes an immediate and intense dislike to the younger man (there’s a distinct homoerotic element to the story, at least from the perspective of Claggart’s character, and bare-chested men and a flogging sequence added a touch of S&M to the musical’s repressed sexual atmosphere). Watching and ruminating upon the troubled relationship between Billy and Claggart is the ship’s Captain Vere (Laurence Naismith), who senses the tragedy to come. Soon enough, Billy accidentally kills Claggart when the latter unjustly accuses him of treason, and though Billy may have been justified in his action, Vere must quash even the slightest hint of mutiny and thus unwillingly signs off on Billy’s execution by hanging. Since Billy was produced in the late 1960s at the height of nationwide protests against the Vietnam War and the military, the musical capitalized on the rigid military rules of the latter part of the eighteenth century, and included an antiwar number. Further, the rock-tinged score attempted to make the self-described (at least in its early newspaper advertisements) “Now Musical” relevant to theatregoers. The musical was more introspective than one might suspect from the New York reviews and the show’s brief one-performance run. And it had traditional musical theatre muscle, especially in Grover Dale’s exciting choreography and Ming Cho Lee’s breathtaking set, a dazzling depiction of the man o’ war Indomitable, which was replete with masts (strong enough to lift a performer to the flies), sails, rigging, yardarms, crow’s nest, cannons, and multilevel decks. The performances were understated, and the three leading actors brought depth and intelligence to their roles. But, like 1776, which shoe-horned two female characters into the narrative, Billy’s major misfire was the brief introduction of an extraneous female character into the plot; there was no place for Billy’s sweetheart Molly (Barbara Monte) in this male-dominated musical (during previews, she shared a title song with Billy, but by opening night the song was gone and her role was relegated to a brief appearance at the beginning of the evening). Understated too was Ron Dante and Gene Allan’s slightly (and slight) rock score; in fact, their contributions were generally too mild and vague to make an impact, although the trendy antiwar number (“It Ain’t Us Who Make the Wars”) was a rousing testosterone-filled chorus for the seamen, who also scored with the pulsating “Watch Out for Claggart”/“Work” sequence. Clive Barnes in the New York Times said he approached his review of Billy “with a hushed and cemetery walk,” for despite the musical’s “under-intelligence and sub-achievement,” the work had “honest aspirations.” And he praised Grover Dale’s “brilliant” choreography with its “vigor and gutsyness” and Ming Cho Lee’s “superb” setting. Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said the musical was a “teeny-bopper attempt” to reduce Melville’s mysticism into a statement about conscientious objectors and the Vietnam War. He noted the score was “a strange combination of rock rhythms, extended and artful theatre composing, and conventional show tunes.” And while the rock music didn’t mesh with the period of the late 1790s, the “complicated” songs were “rather effective (and sometimes more than that). . . . In general the music is the best thing about Billy.” Like Barnes, Gottfried praised Dale’s choreography, saying it was “a burst of muscular, even electric dance. . . . Dale [is] an original. . . . [He] has a freshness and technique that is exhilarating.” He also liked Lee’s “towering” set. John Chapman in the New York Daily News called the evening a “one-act tragic opera” with “minor-key modern” music and an “economically and vividly” written book. He also praised Lee’s “stunningly pictorial” man o’ war, which worked “like a Swiss watch” and was the musical’s “most exciting element.” He also singled out Dale’s “hearty” dances. Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 found Billy “a compelling piece of theatre . . . a good show” with a “superb” scenic design and strong choral and dance numbers. But Richard Watts in the New York Post felt the evening needed more drama, and the lack of conflict rendered the plot “meaningless.” Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 also said the plot lacked dramatic tension, but he praised Lee’s “exciting” set and Dale’s “expressive” and “decorative” dances. The New Yorker found Dale’s choreography “attractively vigorous,” and hinted that what Billy should have been was “a blessedly wordless ballet.” Also praised were Lee’s sets (“the success of the occasion”) and Arthur A. Seidelman’s direction (he made the scenes “march at a commandingly smart clip”). During previews, the songs “The Night and the Sea,” “My Captain,” and the title number were dropped. The unpublished script includes three songs not used in the Broadway production, “I Can See Tomorrow” (for

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Billy), “Look Again” (Claggart), and “That’s What a Woman’s For” (Molly). The first two numbers presented the diametrically opposing philosophies of Billy and Claggart, for while Billy sings of tomorrow’s bright promises (“just over the sea / it’s waiting for you and me”), Claggart sings that once one sees the world the way it really is, one will never want to look at it again. The musical was titled Billy-Be-Dam’ during preproduction. For the demo recording, “Requiem” was also identified as “Sentry.” The Broadway cast album was scheduled to be recorded by ABC Records, but was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run. A more successful attempt to bring the story to the lyric stage was Benjamin Britten’s opera Billy Budd, which premiered in London at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1951 (the opera received a belated premiere in New York in 1978, when it was produced by the Metropolitan Opera). In 1951, there was also a dramatic version of the material which opened on Broadway for 105 performances in an adaptation by Louis O. Coxe and Robert Chapman (the leads were Charles Nolte, Torin Thatcher, and Dennis King). In 1962, a powerful film version of the play was released by Allied Artists; directed by Peter Ustinov, the three leads were Terence Stamp, Robert Ryan, and Ustinov, and other cast members included Melvyn Douglas, David McCallum, Paul Rogers, and John Neville. In the musical’s title role, Robert Salvio gave a touching performance. Gottfried noted the “extremely talented” performer “sings not only well but in a stylized way uncommon to Broadway.” Unfortunately, Billy was Salvio’s only musical appearance on Broadway; his other major musical role was that of the M.C. in the national touring company of Cabaret. Almost two years prior to the day of Billy’s opening, Salvio had played the title role in the Off-Broadway drama Hamp in which he portrayed a young man caught up in the web of military justice (and here again he was executed, this time by firing squad).

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Scenic Designer (Ming Cho Lee); Best Choreographer (Grover Dale) Drama Desk Awards: Best Choreographer (Grover Dale)

TRUMPETS OF THE LORD Theatre: Brooks Atkinson Theatre Opening Date: April 29, 1969 Closing Date: May 3, 1969 Performances: 7 Text Adaptation: Vinnette Carroll Lyrics and Music: Traditional gospel songs (music adapted by Howard Roberts) Based on the 1922 book God’s Trombones by James Weldon (the book is a collection of his sermons). Direction: Theodore Mann; Producer: Circle in the Square (Theodore Man, Artistic Director; Paul Libin, Managing Director; Gillian Walker, Associate Director); Scenery: Marsha Eck; Costumes: Domingo A. Rodriguez; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Howard Roberts Cast: Theresa Merritt (Sister Henrietta Pinkston), Lex Monson (Reverend Bradford Parham), Bernard Ward (Reverend Ridgley Washington), Cicely Tyson (Reverend Marion Alexander); Female Voices: Berniece Hall, Ella Eure, Camille Yarbrough; Male Voices: Earl Baker, Bill Glover, Milton Grayson, William Stewart; Musicians: Robert Henson (Piano), Percy Brice (Drums) The musical was presented in one act.

Musical Numbers “So Glad I’m Here” (Company); “Call to Prayer” (Company); “Listen Lord—A Prayer” (Lex Monson); “Amen Response” (Company); “In His Care” (Bill Glover, Berniece Hall, Company); “The Creation” (Lex Monson); “God Lead Us Along” (Theresa Merritt); Noah Medley: “Noah Built the Ark” (Cicely Tyson), “Run Sinner Run” (Camille Yarbrough, Company), and “Didn’t It Rain” (Berniece Hall, Company); “The Judge-

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ment Day” (Bernard Ward); “In That Great Gettin’ Up Morning” (Bernard Ward, Company); Funeral Suite: “Soon One Morning” (Berniece Hall, Company), “There’s a Man” (Theresa Merritt, Earl Baker, Company), “Go Down, Death” (Lex Monson), and “He’ll Understand” (Theresa Merritt); “Were You There” (Cicely Tyson); “Calvary” (Male Voices); “Crucifixion” (Female Voices); Freedom Suite: “Reap What You Sow” (Cicely Tyson, Company), “I Shall Not Be Moved” (Company), “We Are Soldiers” (Company), “Woke Up This Morning” (Company), “Let My People Go” (Bernard Ward), “We Shall Overcome” (Theresa Merritt, Company), and “Jacob’s Ladder” (Company); Postlude: “God Be with You” (Company) The gospel musical Trumpets of the Lord had first been seen in New York in an Off-Broadway production six years earlier, and the current production marked its Broadway debut. The Off-Broadway version had opened at the Astor Place Playhouse on December 21, 1963, for a run of 160 performances. Vinnette Carroll’s adaptation of James Weldon Johnson’s God’s Trombones, a 1922 collection of sermons, depicted biblical stories through the use of sermons, prayers, gospel and other traditional music, and even some dancing. There have been other musical adaptations of God’s Trombones. Off-Broadway’s Shakespeare in Harlem, which opened at the 41st Street Theatre on February 9, 1960, and ran for thirty-two performances, consisted of two one-act plays with music, God’s Trombones and Shakespeare in Harlem. The former was an adaptation of Johnson’s sermons by Robert Glenn, with music by Robert (Bob) Cobert, and the cast included Frederick O’Neal and Isabel Sanford (the second play was based on writings by Langston Hughes, and it too was adapted by Glenn with music by Cobert). (Cobert is best known for his theme music for television game shows and soap operas as well as the background music for the popular mini-series The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. His most popular work is the theme music for the horror soap opera Dark Shadows.) On April 11, 1975, God’s Trombones opened Off-Off-Broadway at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew for twelve performances, and at Town Hall on April 16, 1982, for three performances. It’s unclear if these productions were based on Carroll’s adaptation or on the Glenn and Cobert adaptation. Two revised versions of Carroll’s adaptation were performed Off-Off-Broadway in 1989 (as God’s Trombones!) and in 1997 (as God’s Trombones). The former opened on October 4 at the Theatre of the Riverside Church for forty-five performances with a cast which included Theresa Merritt, Rhetta Hughes, and Trazana Beverley. Carroll wasn’t officially credited, but this version seems to have been based on her adaptation. The 1997 version opened on February 5 at the Tribeca Arts Center for five performances; Carroll was credited for the adaptation, and Hughes and Beverley were again in the cast. Another version of God’s Trombones was Godsong, an Off-Off-Broadway production adapted by Ted Truesdale, first seen at the Amas Repertory Theatre on March 4, 1976, and then at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club (ETC) on April 23 and on December 30 of that year. The Broadway production of Trumpets of the Lord played for just seven performances. The cast included most of the performers from the 1963 production (Theresa Merritt, Lex Monson, Cicely Tyson, Berniece Hall, Earl Baker, Bill Glover, and William Stewart), with only one major cast change (for Broadway, Bernard Ward assumed the role of Rev. Ridgley Washington, which had been performed by Al Freeman Jr. in the original production). The adaptation of Johnson’s writings was presented as a revival meeting that consisted of sermons, traditional gospel songs, and a bit of dancing. Although Clive Barnes in the New York Times noted he hadn’t seen the original production, he felt “times have changed” and the “naïve but eloquent” material had become a period piece since its premiere in 1963. He felt the evening saw “a black God, a Black Christ and Black angels,” and said it was time for “both sides” (black and white) to stop looking at religion from such a perspective. Thus the writing was now “quaint,” and the only moment in the evening that “rang true” was the story of the Jews in Egypt because their plight echoed that of the history of blacks in the United States. Peter Davis Dibble in Women’s Wear Daily indicated the intimate show belonged Off-Broadway. He also noted the evening was a “wonderfully and terribly subtle anti-White Statement in which it is difficult to say where Theatre begins or Sermon begins.” He further commented that the musical’s “anti-White” sentiment was “so subtle as to be relatively non-existent for the run-of-the-mill theatregoer.” John Chapman in the New York Daily News praised the “magnificently sung” spirituals and said the work was “great-hearted, deep-spirited and full-voiced”; but he said he’d rather have seen a revival of The Green Pastures because it had the humor that Trumpets lacked. Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal also had “mixed feelings” about the production, noting a “sense of loss and discontinuity” permeated the

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evening because the musical’s “Negroes” who celebrated God and the Bible were “a different breed from the militant Negroes monopolizing today’s headlines.” Richard Watts in the New York Post said the evening was “interesting,” but would have been more “gratifying” if it had more songs and fewer spoken segments. John Bartholomew Tucker on WABC-TV-7 said the “prayer meeting” evening could “almost put you to sleep at times,” but Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 found the “old-fashioned” show “irresistible.” However, he noted the musical was of mostly “historical interest” because its time had passed due to the “growing disinclination of negroes to wait for the intervention of God.”

LOVE MATCH “THE NEW SPARKLING MUSICAL” Theatres and Dates: Opened at the Palace West Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 3, 1968, and opened at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, California, on November 19, 1968, permanently closing there on January 4, 1969 Book: Christian Hamilton Lyrics: Richard Maltby Jr. Music: David Shire Direction: Danny Daniels (“entire production supervised by Noel Willman); Producer: Center Theatre Group (Elliot Martin, Director); Choreography: Danny Daniels; Scenery: Robin Wagner; Costumes: Ray Diffen; Lighting: Jules Fisher; Musical Direction: Theodore Seidenberg Cast: Ann Marie Longtin (Dance Valentine Victoria), Brynar Mehl (Dance Valentine Albert), Marilyn D’Honau (Dance Attendant, Second Lady, Second Nursemaid), Betty Lynn (Dance Attendant, Third Nursemaid), Patricia Routledge (Victoria), Michael Allinson (Lord Melbourne), Lee Wilson (Victoria [as a child]), Patricia Ripley (Duchess of Kent), Hal Linden (Ernest), Laurence Guittard (Albert), Keith Perry (First Footman, Major Domo), Michael Amber (Second Footman, Doctor), Martin Ambrose (Lord Conyngham), Ronald Drake (Archbishop of Canterbury), Anne Wallace (Servant Girl), Barbara Gregory (Lady in Waiting), Jacqueline Britt (Lady in Waiting), Fred Albee (Rosenau Footman), Rodney Griffin (Rosenau Footman, Fourth Footman), Don Percassi (Rosenau Footman, Sailor), Phillip Filiato (Rosenau Footman, Spanish Count, Third Footman), J. J. Jepson (Messenger, Drummer), Rex Robbins (Inspector Plank), Bill Hinnant (Boy Jones), Helen Wood (First Lady, First Nursemaid), Carl Nicholas (Thomas Moore), Peter Costanza (Photographer); Singers: Jacqueline Britt, Karen Ford, Barbara Gregory, Miriam Lawrence, Joyce O’Neil, Julie Sargant, Michael Amber, Martin Ambrose, Peter Costanza, Carl Nicholas, Keith Perry, Ken Richards; Dancers: Marilyn D’Honau, Janet Fraser, Ann Marie Longtin, Betty Lynn, Kuniko Narai, Anne Wallace, Lee Wilson, Helen Wood, Fred Albee, Kim Bray, Phillip Filiato, Rodney Griffin, J.  J. Jepson, George Lee, Brynar Mehl, Don Percassi The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Great Britain and centers on the relationship of Queen Victoria (1819–1901) and Prince Albert (1819–1861).

Musical Numbers Act One: “These Two Hands” (Patricia Routledge, Michael Allinson); “Coronation Parade” (Helen Wood, Ensemble); “Play It Again” (Patricia Routledge, Michael Allinson, Patricia Ripley, Ronald Drake, Ensemble); “The Packing Song” (Laurence Guittard, Fred Albee); “As Plain as Daylight” (Patricia Routledge); “I Hear Bells” (Bill Hinnant, Rex Robbins); “I May Want to Remember Today” (Patricia Routledge); “A Meaningful Life” (Laurence Guittard); “The Grand Diversion” (Patricia Routledge, Laurence Guittard, Michael Allinson, Patricia Ripley, Hal Linden, Ensemble); “I Won’t Sleep a Wink Tonight” (Patricia Ripley, Hal Linden, Rex Robbins, Helen Wood, Marilyn D’Honau); “Waiting for Morning Alone” (Patricia Routledge); “Beautiful” (Patricia Routledge, Laurence Guittard, Ensemble) Act Two: “I Don’t Believe It” (Hal Linden, Michael Allinson, Ronald Drake, Bill Hinnant, Rex Robbins); “A World of Love” (Carl Nicholas); “Mine” (Patricia Routledge); “A Woman Looking for Love” (Hal Linden); “The Little Part of Me That’s Mine” (Laurence Guittard); “Never Again” (Patricia Routledge, Company);

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“The World and You” (Laurence Guittard, Ensemble); “Play It Again” (reprise) (Patricia Routledge, Company) In Love Match, the aging Queen Victoria (Patricia Routledge) reminisces about her life and marriage with Prince Albert (Laurence Guittard). As a young woman, she was urged by the prime minister, Lord Melbourne (Michael Allinson), to marry either her cousin Albert or her cousin Ernest (Hal Linden), the latter whom she rejects as too caddish. But two years after her coronation, she marries his brother, the shy and retiring Albert, who eventually becomes secure in his role as prince consort and statesman, and (with her approval) dominates her and her throne. The musical premiered in Phoenix at the Palace West Theatre on November 3, 1968, and then moved to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on November 19, where it permanently closed on January 4, thus cancelling its scheduled five-week tryout engagement at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit and its February opening in New York. When the musical shuttered, its losses were approximately $525,000. Variety reported that for the musical’s first week (of nine performances) in Phoenix the musical grossed “about $14,000” in ticket sales (during the same week, the tryout of Promises, Promises in Washington, D.C., grossed $95,140 for eight performances, a then house record for the National Theatre). The opening-night performance in Phoenix lasted three hours and thirty-five minutes, and O’Haf in Variety noted the “tortuous, meandering” production was “much too long” and needed serious pruning. Despite the “mundane” book by Christian Hamilton and the “trite” songs by Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire, the musical had “undeniable merits,” including a “warm and striking” performance by Routledge and an “excellent” interpretation of Albert by Guittard. Further, Robin Wagner’s settings were “superb” and Danny Daniels’s choreography was “sensational” and “spectacularly extravagant” (particularly the “Coronation Parade,” an “impressive tour-de-force”). The demo recording includes six songs not heard in the production: “Prelude,” “To Be Alive,” “You Should Know These Things,” “A Change for the Better,” “Freuchen,” and “You’ll Have It Beautiful.” The recording includes “Beautiful” (here called “A Beautiful Surprise”) and “A Meaningful Life” (here “A Wonderful Life”) as well as nine other songs heard in the production. The 1977 Off-Broadway revue Starting Here, Starting Now was an evening of songs by Maltby and Shire that opened on March 7 at the Barbarann Theatre Restaurant for 120 performances; five songs from Love Match were included in the revue: “(I Think) I May Want to Remember Today,” “Beautiful,” “I Don’t Believe It,” “I Hear Bells,” and “Today Is the First Day of the Rest of My Life” (the latter appears to have been written for, but not used in, Love Match). The cast album of the revue was released by RCA Victor Records (LP # ABL1-2360); a South African cast recording was issued by EMI Records (LP # EMCJ[L]-11539); and a 1993 London production was recorded by That’s Entertainment Records (CD # CDTER-1200). The first two recordings include four songs from Love Match (both omit “Beautiful”), but the London recording includes all five songs. Love Match was one of three musicals about Victoria and Albert that didn’t go anywhere. Charles Strouse and Lee Adams’s I and Albert (originally announced for production as H.R.H.) was the team’s only musical written expressly for the London stage, but despite a pleasant if minor score, a book by Jay Presson Allen, and direction by John Schlesinger, the musical managed only 120 performances at the Piccadilly Theatre after its opening on November 2, 1972 (Polly James and Sven-Bertil Taube were the leads). An original and studio cast recording was later released by That’s Entertainment Records (LP # TERS-1004; later released on CD by Jay Records # CD-JAY-1353). And while the program for the Off-Off-Broadway musical Victoria (which opened at the Theatre at Mama Gail’s on September 20, 1975) indicated the production was “Broadway-bound,” it never arrived. But the musical offered some promising song titles (such as “Coronation Cakewalk” and “Doin’ the Windsor Walk”) and Mel Gussow in the New York Times said the “diverting” evening was more in the style of a “chamber operetta” than a traditional Broadway musical. He also found the score “exuberant and unabashedly old-fashioned.” The most successful theatrical version of the story is Laurence Housman’s drama Victoria Regina, which opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on December 26, 1935, for 517 performances; Helen Hayes was Victoria, and, in his Broadway debut, Vincent Price was Albert. When Love Match was originally announced for production, Max von Sydow was scheduled to play Albert; when the musical was finally ready for production, von Sydow had other commitments and thus Guittard assumed the role.

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A MOTHER’S KISSES “A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY” Theatres and Dates: Opened at the Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, on September 21 (some sources cite September 23), 1968, and closed there on September 28; opened at the Morris Mechanic Theatre, Baltimore, Maryland, on October 1, and permanently closed there on October 19, 1968 Book: Bruce Jay Friedman Lyrics and Music: Richard Adler (dance music by Roger Adams) Based on the 1964 novel A Mother’s Kisses by Bruce Jay Friedman. Direction: Gene Saks; Producers: Lester Osterman Productions (Lester Osterman, Richard Horner, and Lawrence Kasha) in association with Frederic S. and Barbara Mates; Choreography: Onna White (Pat Cummings, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: William and Jean Eckart; Costumes: Alvin Colt; Lighting: Tharon Musser; Musical Direction: Colin Romoff Cast: Beatrice Arthur (Meg), Bill Callaway (Joseph), Renee Roy (Kathleen), Anna Franklin (Maid), Carl Ballantine (Father), Maggie Task (Ditcher, Bess), Ned Wertimer (Dr. Hurwitz, Rabbi), Alan North (The Cop, Commander), Del Horstman (The Druggist, Chris, Professor), Taylor Reed (The Butcher), Rudy Bond (Salamandro), Arthur Anderson (Harley, Camp Doctor, Schulz, Dr. Peretz), Steven Ross (Ruffio), John Johann (Kenzie), Daniel (Danny) Goldman (Hortz, Buffkins), Teddy Williams (Camper), Patrick Cook (Camper, Bellhop), Joseph Neal (Camper), Caryl Hinchee (Frenchie), Kate Wilkinson (Mrs. Rhinelander, Chambermaid), Joseph Corby (Lifeguard), Ruth Jaroslow (Hester), Cyndi Howard (Barbara), Carol Estey (Co-ed), Jacquie Ullendorf (Co-ed), Lori Cesar (Co-ed), Don Wonder (Philly), Maggie Worth (Woman Attendant); Singers: Patrick Cook, Joseph Corby, Larry Devon, Del Horstman, Joseph Neal, Taylor Reed, Don Wonder, Lori Cesar, Sheila Hogue, Luba Mauro, Mary Ann Rydjeski, Maggie Task, Maggie Worth; Dancers: Ray Chabeau, Gene Gavin, John Johann, Steven Ross, Terry Violino, Teddy Williams, Linda Campagna, Carol Esty, Lois Etelman, Caryl Hinchee, Cyndi Howard, Jacquie Ullendorf The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place “about twenty years ago” in New York City, a summer camp, and a “plain’s state.”

Musical Numbers Act One: “Look at Those Faces” (Parents, Neighbors, Young People); “He’s Got Meg” (Beatrice Arthur, Shopkeepers); “Left by the Wayside” (Bill Callaway, Campers); “When You Gonna Learn? (To Put Your Money on This Baby)” (Beatrice Arthur); “Fellas Kiss Their Dads” (Carl Ballantine); “Meg’s New York” (Beatrice Arthur, Carl Ballantine, Bill Callaway, Alan North, New Yorkers); “A Course in Your Mother” (Beatrice Arthur) Act Two: “Where Did the Summer Go?” (Bill Callaway); “They Won’t Regret It” (Bill Callaway, Neighborhood People); “I Told Them We Were Lovers” (Beatrice Arthur); “I Have a Terrible Secret” (Bill Callaway, Cyndi Howard, Carol Estey, Jacquie Ullendorf, Lori Cesar); “There Goes My Life” (Beatrice Arthur); “A Course in Your Mother” (reprise) (Beatrice Arthur); “We’ve Got Meg” (reprise) (Beatrice Arthur, Bill Callaway, Hotel Friends) Bruce Jay Friedman’s popular 1964 novel A Mother’s Kisses found its way to the musical stage, but not for long. The musical’s tryout began at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on September 21, 1968, and then travelled to the Morris Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore, where it opened on October 1. The musical permanently closed there on October 19, thus cancelling its New York engagement at the 46th Street (now Richard Rodgers) Theatre, where it was scheduled to begin previews on October 24 prior to an October 29 opening. The comic musical centered on Meg (Beatrice Arthur), a Jewish Mother from Hell who is determined to run the life of her son Joseph (Bill Callaway). When Joseph goes to summer camp, she rents a nearby cottage in order to keep an eye on him, and when he enters college she follows him there. At one point, she books Joseph and herself into a hotel room, assuring him in song that the hotel gave them a room together because “I Told Them We Were Lovers.” By the musical’s finale, Joseph seems to have untied Meg’s apron strings and silver cord. But has he really? Meg is irrepressible, and in song informs him that he should sign up for “A Course in Your Mother.”

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Variety felt the musical’s chance for success was on the “negative side” and questioned whether the creators could come up with the necessary “intensive revisions” during the tryout period. The musical offered “sparse” entertainment with “too many low spots,” and even Onna White’s choreography was “pretty much routine.” Further, William and Jean Eckart’s sets were “skeletal,” although they “got a lot of mileage out of comparatively abbreviated construction,” and Alvin Colt’s costumes were “attractively appropriate for their less than lavish requirements.” Beatrice Arthur attacked her role with “considerable authority,” and Variety singled out her songs “He’s Got Meg,” “A Course in Your Mother,” and “There Goes My Life.” But overall Richard Adler’s score failed to produce a “rousing” number and often lacked “punch.” But Variety mentioned two songs that were on the “livelier side,” the opening ensemble number “Look at Those Faces” and “I Have a Terrible Secret,” for Joseph and a trio of co-eds. After A Mother’s Kisses, Arthur never again appeared in a new Broadway musical, but she parlayed her no-nonsense, steam-roller personality into two long-running television sit-coms, Maude and Golden Girls. As for Richard Adler, he wrote one Broadway score after A Mother’s Kisses, the charming and underrated 1976 musical Music Is, which collapsed after eight performances. The stand-out song in this melodic and enchanting score was the haunting and yearning “Should I Speak of Loving You?,” one of the best theatre ballads of the era. Early advertisements and window cards for A Mother’s Kisses listed Bernadette Peters among the cast members. But her role was eliminated during rehearsals, and so she never appeared in the musical. During the course of the tryout, two songs were deleted (“Fellas Kiss Their Dads” and “Meg’s New York”) and two were added (“With a Little Help from Your Mother” and “People of Passionate Nature”). A recording of Beatrice Arthur singing “There Goes My Life” can be heard on Forgotten Broadway (unnamed label # T-101). Another song, “Don’t Live Inside of Yourself,” was included in the collection Unsung Musicals III (Varese Sarabande Records CD # VSD-5769); according to the CD’s liner notes, the number had been written by Adler for an earlier adaptation of A Mother’s Kisses (which had a book by Jerome Chodorov). “When You Gonna Learn?” is included in Eydie Gorme’s collection Eydie (RCA Victor Records/Stage II Productions, Inc., LP # LSP-4093). During the mid-2000s, Original Cast Records announced it would produce and release a studio cast recording of the score (Debbie Reynolds was mentioned as one of the singing leads), but as of this writing it appears the project has been abandoned. Although A Mother’s Kisses was a failure, Jewish mothers came back with a vengeance the following year with the publication of Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint. And in the year preceding the production of the musical, Eileen Heckart gave a memorable performance as another formidable Jewish mother in the black comedy-mystery film No Way to Treat a Lady. Her delicious performance more than met its match with Lainie Kazan’s hilarious interpretation of another take-no-prisoners Jewish mother in the 1982 film My Favorite Year, a performance that perhaps is the Last Word in Jewish Mothers on Film (when the film was adapted into a stage musical in 1992, Kazan reprised her sparkling performance). In 1996, Friedman’s book A Father’s Kisses was published (the musical A Mother’s Kisses had included a song for Joseph’s father [Carl Ballantine] titled “Fellas Kiss Their Dads”).

• 1969–1970 Season

OKLAHOMA! Theatre: New York State Theatre Opening Date: June 23, 1969 Closing Date: September 6, 1969 Performances: 88 Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Richard Rodgers Based on the 1931 play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Direction: John Kennedy; Producer: The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center (Richard Rodgers, President and Producing Director); Choreography: Agnes de Mille (for this production, de Mille’s original choreography was re-created by Gemze de Lappe); Scenery and Lighting: Paul C. McGuire; Costumes: Miles White; Musical Direction: Jay Blackton Cast: Margaret Hamilton (Aunt Eller), Bruce Yarnell (Curly), Lee Beery (Laurey), Sam Kirkham (Ike Skidmore), Del Horstmann (Slim), Kurt Olson (Joe), Lee Roy Reams (Will Parker), Spiro Malas (Jud Fry), April Shawhan (Ado Annie Carnes), Ted Beniades (Ali Hakim), June Helmers (Gertie Cummings), Donna Monroe (Donna), Judith McCauley (Judith), Dixie Stewart (Dixie), Joyce Tomanec (Joyce), William Griffis (Andrew Carnes), John Gerstad (Cord Elam); Singers: Bobbi Lange, Judith McCauley, Donna Monroe, Eleanor Rogers, Dixie Stewart, Maggie Task, Joyce Tomanec, Maggie Worth, John Almberg, John D. Anthony, Lester Clark, Stokley Gray, Mark East, Del Horstmann, Robert Lenn, Joe McGrath, Kurt Olson, Alex Orfaly, Ken Richards, Tom Trelfa; Dancers: Sandra Balesti, Graciela Daniele, Katherine Gallagher, Mary Lynne McRae, Gilda Mullett, Sally Ransone, Audrey Ross, Lana Sloniger, Eileen Taylor, Toodie Wittmer, Jenny Workman, Mary Zahn, James Albright, Paul Berne, Andy G. Bew, Henry Boyer, Bjarne Buchtrup, Michael Ebbin, William Glassman, Michael Lane, Brynar Mehl, Ralph Nelson, Lee Wilson The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) at the turn of the twentieth century.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” (Bruce Yarnell); “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” (Bruce Yarnell, Lee Beery, Margaret Hamilton); “Kansas City” (Lee Roy Reams, Margaret Hamilton, Boys); “I Cain’t Say No” (April Shawhan); “Many a New Day” (Lee Beery, Girls, Sandra Balesti [The Girl Who Falls Down]); “It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!” (Ted Beniades, Boys); “People Will Say We’re in Love” (Bruce Yarnell, Lee Beery); “Pore Jud” (Bruce Yarnell, Spiro Malas); “Lonely Room” (Spiro Malas); “Out of My Dreams” (Lee Beery, Girls); “Laurey Makes Up Her Mind” (ballet) (Sandra Balesti [Dream Laurey], Brynar Mehl [Dream Curly], James Albright [Dream Jud], Lee Wilson [Child]; Jud’s Post Cards—Mary Zahn, Graciela Daniele, Eileen Taylor; Laurey’s Friends—Jenny Workman, Toodie Wittmer, Gilda Mullett, Lana

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

Sloniger, Mary Lynne McRae, Katherine Gallagher; Cowboys—William Glassman, Paul Berne, Michael Lane, Henry Boyer, Andy G. Bew, Bjarne Buchtrup, Michael Ebbin, Ralph Nelson; Other Post Cards—Audrey Ross, Sally Ransone) Act Two: “The Farmer and the Cowman” (William Griffis, Margaret Hamilton, Bruce Yarnell, Lee Roy Reams, Sam Kirkham, April Shawhan, Del Horstmann, Ensemble; William Glassman, Solo Dancer); “All er Nothin’” (April Shawhan, Lee Roy Reams; danced by Gilda Mullett and Toodie Wittmer); “People Will Say We’re in Love” (reprise) (Bruce Yarnell, Lee Beery); “Oklahoma!” (Bruce Yarnell, Lee Beery, Margaret Hamilton, Sam Kirkham, Ensemble); “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” (reprise) (Lee Beery, Bruce Yarnell, Ensemble); Finale (Ensemble) The Music Theatre of Lincoln Center’s production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Oklahoma! marked the institution’s ninth and final entry in its series of revivals of classic musicals, which had begun in 1964 with a revival of the team’s The King and I. The current production of Oklahoma! was the musical’s seventh of nine New York revivals (for more information, see entry for the February 1963 revival). Lewis Funke in the New York Times noted the musical’s story had “grown terribly tedious” but emphasized that the familiar score retained its “freshness, melody and rhythm.” Yarnell had plenty of stage presence and brought “vigor and credibility” to his songs; Beery was a “spirited, likeable” Laurey (but sometimes the cavernous theatre’s acoustics were “too much for her”); Hamilton brought the “right humor” to her role; and Malas was “excellent” as Jud Fry, bringing “pathos and bitterness” to his characterization. Funke concluded that the revival “should prove a boon to those who’ve had enough of Hair,” for here was a family show that’s “sure not where it’s at. But then it never was. It just happens to be one of the treasures of our theater.”

THE NEW MUSIC HALL OF ISRAEL Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: October 2, 1969 Closing Date: November 29, 1969 Performances: 68 Additional Dialogue: Al Fogel Direction and Choreography: Jonathan Karmon (Gavri Levi, Assistant Director); Producer: Leon H. Gildin; Costumes: Designed by Lydia Pinkus Ganay and executed by Bertha Kwartz; Musical Direction: Rafi Paz Cast: Geula Gill, Germaine Onikowski (Mistress of Ceremonies), Leah Dorly Trio, Yoel Dan, Almonznino, Elisheva and Michael Boas, The Karmon Dancers (Lead Dancers—Yoni and Dani; Girls—Adina, Edna, Eva, Geula, Haiuta, Iona Miriam, Nava, Ogira, Ora, Riki, Rina, Rinale, Shara, Tami, Tamar; Boys—Alex, Aron, Avi, Clod, Ehud, Iosi, Itamar, Moshe, Nathan, Naftali, Oshiri, Tuvia, Zev, Zvulun, Zwi, Israel) The revue was presented in two acts.

Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra); “Springtime in Israel” (The Karmon Dancers); Elisheva and Michael; “Dance of the Fisherman” (The Karmon Dancers); “The Legend of Timma” (The Karmon Dancers); “A New and Humorous Shadow World” (Almonznino); “A Girl, Two Boys and Two Guitars” (Leah Dorly Trio); “A Hassidik Marriage” (The Karmon Dancers) Act Two: “Magic of the Negev” (The Karmon Dancers); “The Popular Music of Israel” (Yoel Dan); “Rhythms and Dances of the Desert” (Boas); “Lest We Forget” (The Karmon Dancers); Geula Gill; “Mosaic” (The Karmon Dancers); “Israel, Joy of Life” (Company) The New Music Hall of Israel was another of Jonathan Karmon’s Jewish revues that played in New York between 1962 and 1976, and was for all purposes a new edition of his previous season’s The Grand Music Hall of Israel (see entry for more information about Karmon’s other revues).

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Murray Schumach in the New York Times said the revue “ignited” both the performers and the audience in “contagious joy. . . . The atmosphere was one of a Jewish wedding in the era before the caterers took over.” He singled out singers Geula Gill, Yoel Dan, and the Leah Dorly Trio. He also cited the “experts” who played hand drums, xylophones, and recorders, and, especially, one Almonznino, who was “extraordinary” in his “imaginative” ability to make hand shadows on a screen. Schumach noted the evening’s “real disappointment” was the Karmon Dancers (which lacked “very good dancers” and “imaginative choreography”); even their “little Jewish wedding dance” was “inferior” to a similar dance in Fiddler on the Roof. During the revue’s previews, Guber-Gross-Ford Productions, Inc., the producer of The Grand Music Hall of Israel, filed an injunction to halt performances of the new revue, claiming they had first rights to produce any return engagement of the company within a three-year period following the first presentation, which had opened in 1968. The suit was apparently settled amicably, because the revue played two months, tallying up a total of sixty-eight regular performances. Louis Calta in the New York Times reported that $500,000 was “tied up” in the new edition, and that the revue had chalked up some $100,000 in advance ticket sales.

JIMMY “A MUSICAL PLAY

OF THE

LIFE

AND

GOOD TIMES

OF JIMMY

WALKER”

Theatre: Winter Garden Theatre Opening Date: October 23, 1969 Closing Date: January 3, 1970 Performances: 84 Book: Melville Shavelson Lyrics and Music: Bill and Patti Jacob Based on the 1949 book Beau James: The Life and Times of Jimmy Walker by Gene Fowler; and the 1957 film Beau James (screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson, and direction by Melville Shavelson). Direction: Joseph Anthony; Producers: Jack L. Warner in association with Don Saxon (Harry Mayer, Associate Producer); Choreography: Peter Gennaro (Bill Guske, Assistant Choreographer); Scenery: Oliver Smith; Projections: Charles E. Hoefler and James Hamilton; Costumes: W. Robert Lavine; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Milton Rosenstock Cast: Frank Gorshin (Jimmy Walker), Cindi Bulak (Bonnie, Miss Queens), Jack Collins (Jim Hines), William Griffis (Al Smith), Julie Wilson (Allie Walker), Edward Becker (Francis Xavier Aloysius O’Toole), Stanley Simmonds (Lawrence Horatio Fink), Paul Forrest (Antonio Viscelli), Henry Lawrence (Stanislaus Kazmir Wojciezkowski), Peggy Hewett (Mrs. Al Smith), Sally Neal (Miss Manhattan), Andrea Duda (Miss Bronx), Carol Conte (Miss Brooklyn, Girl in Fur Coat), Nancy Dalton (Miss Richmond), Gary Gendell (Stage Manager), Anita Gillette (Betty Compton), Dorothy Claire (Texas Guinan), Larry Douglas (Edward Duryea Dowling), Clifford Fearl (Warrington Brock), Evan Thompson (Charley Hand), Del Horstmann (Moe, Politician), Carl Nicholas (Izzy, Tailor), Herb Fields (Policeman), Andy G. Bew (Photographer), Tony Stevens (Photographer), Barbara Andres (Secretary), Frank Newell (Reporter), Ben Laney (Politician, Policeman), Joe McGrath (Politician, Band Vocalist), Sandi McCreadie (Passerby), Sibyl Bowan (Mrs. Compton), Steven Boockvor (Doorman), Dwight Weist (Recorded Impersonations); Dancers: Cindi Bulak, Carol Conte, Nancy Dalton, Andrea Duda, Saundra McPherson, Sally Neal, Eileen Shannon, Monica Tiller, Pat Trott, Andy G. Bew, Steven Boockvor, Christopher Chadman, David Evans, Gary Gendell, Scott Hunter, Frank Newell, Harold Pierson, Tony Stevens; Singers: Barbara Andres, Gini Eastwood, Barbara Gregory, Peggy Hewett, Mary Louise, Sandi McCreadie, Claire Theiss, Roberta Vatske, John D. Anthony, Edward Becker, Austin Colyer, Herb Fields, Paul Forrest, Del Horstmann, Ben Laney, Henry Lawrence, Joe McGrath, Carl Nicholas The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place mostly in New York City during the period 1925–1931.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Will You Think of Me Tomorrow?” (Frank Gorshin); “The Little Woman” (William Griffis, Jack Collins, Frank Gorshin, Julie Wilson); “The Darlin’ of New York” (Jack Collins, William Griffis, Evan

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

Thompson, Julie Wilson, Frank Gorshin, Sally Neal, Andrea Duda, Carol Conte, Nancy Dalton, Cindi Bulak, Campaign Workers); “Oh, Gee!” (Anita Gillette); “The Walker Walk” (Dorothy Claire, Anita Gillette, Guinan Girls, Frank Gorshin, Patrons); “That Old Familiar Ring” (Anita Gillette, Frank Gorshin); “The Walker Walk” (reprise) (Jack Collins, Del Horstmann, Ben Laney, Joe McGrath, Party Workers); “I Only Wanna Laugh” (Julie Wilson); “They Never Proved a Thing” (Frank Gorshin, Jack Collins, Paul Forrest, Stanley Simmonds, Edward Becker, Henry Lawrence, Del Horstmann, Ben Laney, Joe McGrath, Clifford Fearl, Carl Nicholas); “What’s Out There for Me?” (Frank Gorshin) Act Two: “Riverside Drive” (Frank Gorshin, Strollers); “The Squabble Song” (Frank Gorshin, Anita Gillette); Medley (Joseph McGrath); “One in a Million” (Frank Gorshin, Anita Gillette); “It’s a Nice Place to Visit” (Paul Forrest, Stanley Simmonds, Edward Becker, Henry Lawrence, Clifford Fearl, Carol Conte, Company); “The Charmin’ Son-of-a-Bitch” (Julie Wilson); “Jimmy” (Anita Gillette); “Our Jimmy” (Jack Collins, Frank Gorshin, Julie Wilson, Evan Thompson, William Griffis, Dorothy Claire, Sally Neal, Andrea Duda, Carol Conte, Nancy Dalton, Cindi Bulak, Herb Fields, Spectators); “Life Is a One-Way Street” (Frank Gorshin); Finale (Frank Gorshin, Anita Gillette) If Fiorello! could tell the story of New York’s Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, run for two years, and win a Pulitzer Prize to boot, then why not a musical about New York’s Mayor James J. Walker? In truth, Walker’s story was more colorful than LaGuardia’s, and so a musical about the jaunty and debonair mayor was surely a natural for the musical stage. So ten years after Fiorello! premiered on Broadway, Jimmy opened. But lightning didn’t strike twice, and Richard Watts in the New York Post noted the only remarkable thing about Jimmy was that its title lacked an exclamation point. And perhaps the musical offered a Dubious First: John Chapman in the New York Daily News reported that in one scene Frank Gorshin (in the title role) was seen “bareassed nekked” in a shower sequence (“like a character in an off-Broadway exposure”). Hair had of course offered a bit of coy (and dimly lit) nudity, but here for the first time was the leading performer in a traditional Broadway musical baring his all. The musical begins in 1931 aboard the S.S. Conte Grande when James J. Walker (1881–1946), who was New York’s mayor during the years 1926–1932, looks back on his time in office as he also looks forward to a solitary vacation in Europe (Walker resigned in 1932, but the musical unaccountably had him resigning a year earlier, an error noticed by at least two of the New York critics). Walker and his wife Allie (Julie Wilson) have an on-again but mostly off-again relationship, and he soon becomes involved with showgirl Betty Compton (Anita Gillette). In the meantime, Allie finally agrees to a divorce, but Betty has now left him to marry someone else. If Walker’s personal life is a shambles, his political one is even worse because his administration is plagued by scandal. And even though exhaustive political investigations clear him of any wrong-doing, he decides to resign from office and take off for Europe. The finale of the musical again finds him alone on the deck of the S.S. Conte Grande, but not for long. Betty appears, now divorced and ready to become the next Mrs. Walker. Clive Barnes in the New York Times surveyed the evening’s “wreckage,” noting Joseph Anthony’s direction was a “perfectly adequate job of funereal cosmetics” and the orchestra members “remained awake from beginning to end.” Otherwise, the musical had three “fatal flaws” (the book, lyrics, and music), and while Jimmy “was not the kind of show that could be stopped,” troupers Wilson and Gillette “threatened to start it.” And Gorshin, who was best known as an impressionist, offered a “certain Cagney-like, pugnacious charm, and a nervy, driven vitality.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily said Fiorello! was an “overrated” but “enjoyable” musical, but Jimmy was “sheer manufacturing”; in comparison with Fiorello!, Jimmy was “vastly inferior as a piece of stagecraft or as simple entertainment.” He noted that each act opened with a “lovely, sentimental, lyrical song” (“Will You Think of Me Tomorrow?” and “Riverside Drive”), but otherwise Bill and Patti Jacob’s score was “without melody, historical sense or a feel for the show’s subject.” As for Peter Gennaro’s contributions, the “once promising” choreographer (who designed the dances for Fiorello!) was now only offering an “amalgam of Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse and Michael Kidd at their dead worst.” Gottfried noted the large dancing chorus “seemed to have worked very hard at perfecting the junk they were assigned.” Chapman found the musical “witless and vulgar”; Watts said it was “very dull, commonplace and ineffectual entertainment”; Leonard Harris on WCBS-TV-2 noted the evening was “dull and dreadful”; and Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal exclaimed that the show was a “musical misfire.” Edwin Newman on NBC-TV-4 said the book was “dismal” and Gorshin “pallid,” but found the score “good . . . old-fashioned . . .

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pleasantly melodious and nostalgic”; as for Gennaro’s choreography, it was “standard stuff, but lively and well done.” John Bartholomew Harris on WABC-TV-7 said the lyrics “limped,” “the score didn’t score,” and while the show began in the Roaring Twenties, it ended up in “the great depression.” In the spirit of musical comedy cross-pollination, the prohibition agents Izzy and Moe made cameo appearances in Jimmy (they themselves were the subject of the 1962 Broadway musical Nowhere to Go but Up), and speakeasy hostess Texas Guinan was a secondary character in the show (Guinan was herself the subject of the 1969 musical Hello, Sucker!, which played in summer stock but never made it to Broadway). And James J. Walker had “appeared” in Fiorello! in the second-act show-stopper “Gentlemen Jimmy,” a tribute to the “dapper, happy-go-lucky son of Broadway.” But Jimmy revealed a shocking lack of musical comedy manners by not offering a song about “Fascinatin’ Fiorello” or “La-La LaGuardia.” During the tryout, the following songs were deleted: “Sights and Sounds—1925,” “The Walker Years” (a ballet sequence), “The Five Cent Fare,” “Don’t Send Me Away,” and “One Day at a Time.” Shortly after the New York opening, “What’s Out There for Me?” was dropped and “Five Lovely Ladies” (New York’s five boroughs) was added. The cast album was released by RCA Victor (LP# LSO-1162; the CD was issued by Arkiv Records/RCA Records # 05093, with songs in show order). The musical was based on both Gene Fowler’s 1949 book Beau James: The Life and Times of Jimmy Walker and its 1957 film version Beau James, which was released by Paramount. The film’s screenplay was by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson; the latter also directed the film, and later wrote the book of the musical. The film’s cast included Bob Hope (Jimmy), Vera Miles (Betty Compton), and Alexis Smith (Allie). Besides Fiorello! and Jimmy, there has been one other musical about a New York mayor. The Off-Broadway Mayor saluted Edward I. Koch (who was New York’s mayor when the revue-like musical opened), and while it wasn’t as successful as Fiorello!, neither was it a fast flop like Jimmy. It premiered at the Top of the Gate/The Village Gate on May 13, 1985, and ran for 185 performances with Lenny Wolpe in the title role. The sketches were by Warren Leight, the lyrics and music by Charles Strouse, and the cast album was released by New York Music Company Records (LP # NYM-21). After the Off-Broadway run, the musical opened at the Latin Quarter on October 23, 1985, for an additional seventy performances (perhaps under a Middle Broadway contract). One New York mayor actually “appeared” in a Broadway musical. During a performance of Seesaw (1973), then-mayor John Lindsay had a walk-on in one scene with Michele Lee for a few minutes before regular performer Ken Howard took over for the remainder of the evening (Lindsay and Howard shared a remarkable resemblance to one another). Incidentally, Jimmy marked the first new book musical to premiere on Broadway since Billy, which had opened a full six months earlier. There had been a few arid periods with no openings of new book musicals in the 1960s (four months elapsed between Little Me and Tovarich, and three-and-a-half months between A Joyful Noise and Sherry!), but the longest stretch in modern Broadway history was the period of over nine months between the openings of Lady in the Dark and Best Foot Forward in 1941.

BUCK WHITE “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: George Abbott Theatre Opening Date: December 2, 1969 Closing Date: December 6, 1969 Performances: 7 Book, Lyrics, and Music: Oscar Brown Jr. Based on the 1968 play Big Time Buck White by Joseph Dolan Tuotti. Direction: Oscar Brown Jr. and Jean Pace; Producers: Zev Bufman in association with High John Productions; Scenery: Edward Burbridge; Costumes: Jean Pace; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Merl Saunders Cast: Herschell Burton (Hunter), David Moody (Honey Man), Ted Ross (Weasel), Charles Weldon (Rubber Band), Ron Rich (Jive), Muhammad Ali aka Cassius Clay (Buck White), Eugene Smith (Whitey), Don Sutherland (Black Man)

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in the present time at the meeting hall of the Beautiful Allelujah Days organization.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Honey Man Song” (David Moody); “Money, Money, Money” (Ted Ross, David Moody); “Nobody Does My Thing” (Herschell Burton); “Step Across That Line” (Charles Weldon); “H.N.I.C.” (Ron Rich); “Beautiful Allelujah Days” (Ron Rich, Ted Ross, Herschell Burton, Charles Weldon, David Moody); “Tap the Plate” (Ron Rich, Charles Weldon, David Moody); “Big Time Buck White Chant” (Company) Act Two: “Big Time Buck White Chant” (reprise) (Muhammad Ali, Company); “Better Far” (Muhammad Ali); “We Came in Chains” (Muhammad Ali, Company); “Black Balloons” (Muhammad Ali, Company); “Look at Them” (Eugene Smith); “Mighty Whitey” (Muhammad Ali, Company); “Get Down” (Muhammad Ali, Company) Buck White was a short-lived seven-performance flop that is best remembered today for its jaw-dropping casting. The title role was performed by no less than Muhammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay) in his first and only Broadway musical. Buck White was based on the play Big Time Buck White by white Irish-Italian playwright Joseph Dolan Tuotti, which opened at the Village South Theatre on December 8, 1968, for 124 performances, and had been previously produced in Los Angeles, first at Budd Schulberg’s Watts’ Writers’ Workshop in the Frederick Douglass Theatre and then later at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles. The musical version, which opened on Broadway almost a year to the day of the play’s Off-Broadway premiere, had first been produced in San Francisco in early 1969 by Mel Goldblatt and Dialogue Black/White Company. The musical’s book was adapted by Oscar Brown Jr., who also wrote the lyrics and music, and Ron Rich (who had directed the original Los Angeles production of the play) and David Moody re-created their original nonmusical roles of Jive and H. M. (Honey Man) for the musical. Buck White was directed by both Brown and his wife Jean Pace, the latter of whom also designed the costumes. The musical takes place at the meeting hall of an organization known as the Beautiful Allelujah Days (B.A.D.), a community antipoverty group funded by government money. For virtually the entire and almost plotless first act, the musical centers on the group’s leaders and their back-and-forth, almost Amos and Andylike banter (including racist jokes about both blacks and whites). Walter Kerr in the New York Times noted when they started singing they skipped around “from Mike 1 to Mike 2, then to Mike 3,” and thus these socalled “black militants” seemed more like “black nightclub performers.” Their good-natured ribbing and mock insults eventually subside as the “audience” arrives at the meeting hall to attend a question-and-answer session by a black militant named Big Time Buck White. And as the first act draws to a close, Big Time himself appears, walking down the aisle of the theater and onto the stage sporting a long robe, a flashy neck chain, and a huge Afro hair-do. For the equally plotless second act, Big Time takes questions about racial matters from the audience (like Big Time Buck White, the musical mostly utilized “plants” in the audience who asked questions), and the evening eventually ended without ever quite deciding on a point of view or a core-belief statement from Big Time about racial issues (Richard P. Cooke in the Wall Street Journal noted Big Time’s philosophy seemed both “mild and militant,” and the headline of Kerr’s review asked the question, “Is Buck White Furious—Or Is It Only Saying ‘Boo’?”). Perhaps the closest Big Time ever comes to revealing his beliefs is when an audience member asks him if he likes whites, and he immediately responds with “Next question.” As for Muhammad Ali’s performance, the critics were generally kind if perhaps a shade condescending. John Chapman in the New York Daily News said he possessed an “uncanny quiet power,” that he spoke “most clearly,” and sang “surprisingly well,” especially the song “We Came in Chains”; Clive Barnes in the New York Times said Ali sang with “a pleasant slightly impersonal voice,” acted “without embarrassment and moves with innate dignity,” and “does himself proud” (but noted “when left in the background, [Ali] disappears completely in a manner no experienced actor would”); Cooke noted Ali gave a “strangely dignified and impressive appearance” and sang “distinctly and musically”; and Kerr said that while Ali did “his chores well enough,” he had “the lightest, and least dominant voice” of the evening.

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However, Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily, noted that Ali had lost his heavyweight title because of his refusal to be drafted (and thus was “deprived of his livelihood” and “possibly his rights”), and was now being “paraded” around in a Broadway musical, a situation not all that different from the Jack Jefferson character in the play The Great White Hope (which had opened on Broadway the previous year). According to Gottfried, Ali had been “stripped of his achievement and denied his conviction,” and was now “in effect a slave to commercial purposes.” Gottfried also mentioned that for Ali’s stage entrance he was apparently directed to look “frightened and bewildered,” and thus was “treated for all the world like King Kong. It is awful.” Chapman found Brown’s score “lusty”; Barnes said it was “pleasantly bouncy without being memorable” (and singled out “We Came in Chains” and “Mighty Whitey,” both of which had “considerable power”); Cooke singled out “Look at Them” and “Mighty Whitey”; Kerr indicated “Black Balloons” was the score’s “prettiest” song, and praised the “incantatory rhythms” of “Get Down”; Richard Watts in the New York Post found the score “pleasant if unmemorable”; and Gottfried felt Brown’s “derivative soul music” was “blown up into big-band arrangements.” It would seem the musical lost some of its effectiveness by being produced in a large theatre. With over 1,400 seats, the George Abbott was certainly not the best venue for a one-set musical with an eight-member cast and an off-stage combo of ten musicians. Perhaps the musical, like its straight play source, should have been produced in an intimate Off-Broadway house. The cast album had been scheduled to be recorded by Buddah Records but was cancelled due to the musical’s brief run. A month after the musical’s closing on Broadway, the first act of the work was resurrected and produced Off-Broadway at the Village Gate for eighteen performances beginning on January 10, 1970. January 1970 also saw an Off-Broadway production of Brown’s intimate revue Joy, which opened on the 27th at the New Theatre for 208 performances. The three cast members (backed by three musicians) were Brown, Pace, and one Sivuca. These three had previously formed High John Productions, which had coproduced Buck White and also coproduced Joy, which earlier had been produced in San Francisco and on a Group “W” television special as Time for Joy (prior to New York, Joy was also seen in Chicago as Joy 66). Brown had also appeared in his one-man revue Worlds of Oscar Brown, Jr., which opened at the Gramercy Arts Theatre in 1965 for fifty-five performances. His 1961 musical Kicks & Co. closed in Chicago during its pre-Broadway tryout, and so Joy was Brown’s longest-running New York show. As for Ali, he never again appeared in another musical, but in the October 17, 1979, issue of Variety a fullpage advertisement exclaimed that “Muhammed Ali Is Purlie.” Using Mozelle’s Broadway poster artwork, the ad touted an upcoming film version of the 1970 Broadway musical Purlie. The Hush Production Inc. and Seidelman/Nice company announced that along with Ali, the other film cast members would include Sherman Helmsley [sic], Patti LaBelle, Melba Moore, Dionne Warwick, “and more to come.” But along with the names of the performers came a caveat: “Billing Not Contractually Binding.” The film was of course never made, but a touring company of Purlie was filmed for cable television and was eventually released on videocassette by MGM/CBS Home Video (# CV-700087); the cast included Robert Guillaume, Melba Moore, Sherman Hemsley, Linda Hopkins, Rhetta Hughes, Brandon Maggart, and Don Scardino.

LA STRADA “THE NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Opening Date: December 14, 1969 Closing Date: December 14, 1969 Performances: 1 Book: Charles K. Peck Jr. Lyrics and Music: Lionel Bart Direction: Alan Schneider; Producers: Charles K. Peck Jr. and Canyon Productions, Inc.; Choreography: Alvin Ailey; Scenery: Ming Cho Lee; Costumes: Nancy Potts; Lighting: Martin Aronstein; Musical Direction: Hal Hastings

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THE COMPLETE BOOK OF 1960S BROADWAY MUSICALS

Cast: John Coe (The Old Man, Alberti), Bernadette Peters (Gelsomina), Anne Hegira (Mother), Lisa Belleran (Elsa), Mary Ann Robbins (Eva), Susan Goeppinger (Sophia, Sister Claudia), Stephen Pearlman (Zampano), Lucille Patton (Castra), Paul Charles (Acrobat), Harry Endicott (Acrobat), Larry Kert (Mario [The Fool]), Peggy Cooper (Mama Lambrini); Company: Loretta Abbott, Glen Brooks, Henry Brunjes, Connie Burnett, Robert Carle, Paul Charles, Barbara Christopher, Peggy Cooper, Betsy Dickerson, Harry Endicott, Anna Maria Fanizzi, Jack Fletcher, Nino Galanti, Susan Goeppinger, Rodney Griffin, Mickey Gunnersen, Kenneth Kreel, Don Lopez, Joyce Maret, Stan Page, Odette Panaccione, Mary Ann Robbins, Steven Ross, Larry Small, Eileen Taylor Source: The 1954 film La Strada; screenplay by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, and Ennio Flaiano (aka Flajano) and direction by Federico Fellini. The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in and around the cities and villages of Southern Italy in the early 1950s.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Seagull, Starfish, Pebble” (Bernadette Peters); “The Great Zampano” (Bernadette Peters, Stephen Pearlman); “What’s Going On Inside?” (Stephen Pearlman); “Belonging” (Bernadette Peters); “Wedding Dance” (Company); “I Don’t Like You” (Bernadette Peters); “Encounters” (dance) (Bernadette Peters, Company); “There’s a Circus in Town” (Larry Kert); “You’re Musical” (Larry Kert, Bernadette Peters); “Only More!” (Bernadette Peters) Act Two: “What a Man” (Bernadette Peters, Peggy Cooper); “Everything Needs Something” (Bernadette Peters); “Sooner or Later” (Larry Kert); “Sooner or Later” (reprise) (Bernadette Peters); “Belonging” (reprise) (Bernadette Peters); “The End of the Road” (Company) La Strada (The Road) had a number of questionable distinctions. It was the fourth and final of the decade’s musicals to play a single performance on Broadway (Kelly, Here’s Where I Belong, and Billy were the others), and it’s probably the only musical in Broadway history whose Playbill credited a writer (in this case, lyricist and composer Lionel Bart) for all the songs in a production when in fact only two of his songs were heard during the evening. A Playbill insert somewhat clarified matters by indicating that “at this performance” there were “additional” songs by Martin Charnin and Elliot Lawrence. (See lists below for composer and lyricist credits.) Like Sweet Charity, which was based on the 1957 Italian film Night of Cabiria and was directed and cowritten by Federico Fellini (and starred his wife Giuietta Masina in the title role of Sweet Cabiria), La Strada was based on a 1954 Italian film (of the same name) that was directed and cowritten by Fellini and also starred Masina. Both films won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, but when it came to their musical adaptations, only Charity was successful. The musical La Strada underwent a grueling tryout, all of which came to naught when the musical went down in flames after its opening-night performance. The story centered on the pathetic, simple-minded waif Gelsomina (Bernadette Peters), who is sold by her mother to Zampano (Stephen Pearlman, who replaced Vincent Beck during the tryout), a crude and brutish strongman who entertains in travelling circuses. Gelsomina has a talent for clowning, and so Zampano figures the two of them can make a living on the road. Gelsomina becomes genuinely fond of Zampano, who doesn’t return her affection, and when the two join a circus, she seems to find love when she meets Mario (Larry Kert), an acrobat and clown. But like Zampano, Mario doesn’t really care for her. Nevertheless, Zampano becomes jealous of Gelsomina’s interest in Mario, and murders him. And then he abandons Gelsomina, whom he leaves to die on the road. The downbeat story had colorful characters and atmosphere, and there might have been a successful and satisfying musical in it (or better yet perhaps an opera or ballet), but the adaptation that opened and quickly closed at the Lunt-Fontanne was not that musical. Because he was physically unable to contribute new songs that were needed during the tryout, Lionel Bart’s lyrics and music were quickly supplanted by contributions by Martin Charnin and Elliot Lawrence. The following is the Broadway opening night song listing, along with the actual credits of who actually wrote what. This listing is then followed by a list of other songs written for the production, most of which were dropped during the musical’s only tryout venue, the Fisher Theatre in Detroit, Michigan:

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Act One “Seagull, Starfish, Pebble” (**) “The Great Zampano” (*) “What’s Going On Inside?” (**) “Belonging” (*) “Wedding Dance” (***) “I Don’t Like You” (**) (aka “I Don’t Like You a Lot”) “Encounters” (dance) (****) (aka “Encounters Ballet”) “There’s a Circus in Town” (**) “You’re Musical” (**) “Only More!” (**)

Act Two “With a Man” (**) “Everything Needs Something” (**) (aka “Everything Needs a Something”) “Sooner or Later” (**) “Sooner or Later” (reprise) (**) “Belonging” (reprise) (*) “The End of the Road” (**) Composer/Lyricist Key (*) Lyric and music by Lionel Bart (**) Lyric by Martin Charnin, music by Elliot Lawrence (***) Music by Lionel Bart and Elliot Lawrence (some of the music in this dance used the music of the song “If Her Mother Only Knew” (see below) (****) Music by Lionel Bart and Elliot Lawrence

Deleted/Unused Songs See Composer/Lyricist Key above; # denotes songs dropped during Detroit tryout; ## denotes song dropped during New York previews; and ### denotes songs in script of working draft dated January 1, 1968. “All My Worldly Belongings (Possessions)” (*) “Bacchanalia Ballet” (*) (###) “Ciao” (#) (Composer/Lyricist unknown) “Harvest Hymn” (*) (###) “He Who Laughs Last” (*) “Hullo (Hello) and Goodbye” (*) “I Can Wait” (**) (#) “If Her Mother Only Knew” (*) “Introduction” (*) “La-La-La” (**) “Living in Dreamland”/“Tan-Tan-Ta-Ra! Farewell!” (the latter aka “Zampano’s Farewell”) (*) (#) “My Turn to Fall” (*) (#) “Nothing” (*) “The Pick of the Bunch” (*) (###) “Presenting Zampano” (##) (Composer/Lyricist unknown) “The Sea-Shell (Seashell) Game” (*) (#) “Something Special” (*) (Some of the music in this number is heard in the dance “Encounters.”) “There’s a Circus in Town” (*)

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“To Be a Performer!” (*) (#) “To Be a Pioneer” (*) “The Trouble with Marriage” (**) “Vespers Hymn” (*) (###) “What’s Left” (**) (#) “Where Will We Be Tomorrow” (**) (#) “(With) All These Worldly Possessions” (*) In reviewing the tryout for Variety, Thur wrote that “hard work and severe tightening must be done to bring life to” La Strada. He found Bart’s score “adequate,” noting that only the march “Be a Performer” stood out. As for the duet “Sooner or Later,” he felt the song “almost makes it,” but said Kert and Peters hadn’t yet found the “fuse” to “set it off.” As for Peters, Thur indicated her lyrics were “lost” because of her “too small singing voice,” but he noted Beck performed “strongly and sung lustily” and that he and Kert were the two “strongest” members of the cast. When the musical opened in New York, Variety’s Hobe found it “soso” and only “moderately interesting, but that isn’t good enough for Broadway.” He thought the book was “exasperating,” but felt Bart’s songs seemed “good enough, without being outstanding.” He singled out four numbers, all of which were written by Charnin and Lawrence. He found Peters “likeable,” but said she lacked “experience and range for a major Broadway role . . . a good singer but not too audible in the lower register.” Hobe also noted that both La Strada and Nights of Cabiria had similar leading characters, “appealing but essentially stupid” women with an overdose of “feminine masochism.” Brendan Gill in the New Yorker said the book was “execrable”; the lyrics and music were “no less execrable”; Ming Cho Lee’s scenery and Nancy Potts’s costumes were “dreary”; and Alvin Ailey’s choreography was “dreary” and “silly.” But he praised the “adorably gallant” Peters in her “skimpy” role. Clive Barnes in the New York Times noted it’s “a long La Strada that has no turning,” with a “weak” book and a score “undistinguished to the point of Muzak-like oblivion,” and John Chapman in the New York Daily News found the book “sappy,” noting the evening was “generally lugubrious” (he decided he’d “rather see a good revival of Carnival”). Leonard Harris on WCBA-TV-2 found the book “insensitive and indeterminate,” Bart’s songs “routine,” and Charnin and Lawrence’s songs “even more routine.” Only Peters “manages to stay aloft,” and he noted she was a “good” singer when she wasn’t attempting to channel Barbra Streisand. He also mentioned that in the final scenes of the musical the “potentially capable actress” was “pushed beyond her present abilities.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily found the musical “sloppy and out of control,” with no one in charge. The book was “crudely written,” but he noted Bart’s score was “sweet and simple” and “enormously improved” by Eddie Sauter’s orchestrations. However, the score was sometimes “interrupted” when “stock Broadway brass” was added to the orchestrations by Lawrence (Gottfried mentioned that both Bart and Lawrence didn’t seem to know the musical was set in Italy). Gottfried felt Peters was a “neat” performer (“despite her tendency to speak like a squeezed balloon”), but here her “cutey-poo, pigeon-toed, Groucho Marx crouch and belter mannerisms knew no restraint.” Further, Kert played his role “as if it were a chorus boy’s dream,” and between the two of them “the worst of show business destroyed any hope for softness.” But Richard Watts in the New York Post said La Strada had a “brilliant“ first act and a second that was a “serious letdown.” Nevertheless, the evening was “a superior musical drama” that offered “much freshness, originality and genuinely moving dramatic force that it deserves deep respect and admiration.” He singled out “You’re Musical” as the “joy of the evening” (Chapman praised the song as well). There was no cast recording, but an instrumental album of the score (Sir Julian Plays the Score from Lionel Bart’s New Musical “La Strada”) was issued by United Artists (LP # UAS-6688); the selections heard are: “The Great Zampano,” “Belonging,” “Nothing,” “The Seashell Game,” “Zampano’s Farewell,” “To Be a Pioneer,” “To Be a Performer,” “Hullo and Goodbye,” “Something Special,” “My Turn to Fall,” “If Her Mother Only Knew,” “Living in Dreamland,” “Introduction,” and “All My Worldly Belongings.” A demo/studio cast recording of the score was issued on CD by Bayview Records (# RNBWO-28), and includes the following numbers: “Overture,” “The Seashell Game,” “To Be a Performer,” “Belonging,” “Hullo and Goodbye,” “Nothing,” “My Turn to Fall,” “Something Special,” “Tan-Tan-Ta-Ra! Farewell!,” “If Her Mother Only Knew,” “Zampano the Great” (reprise version only), and the finale (a reprise version of “To Be a Performer”). “Starfish” is included in the collection Unsung Broadway (Varese Sarabande CD # VSD-5462).

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Besides the above-listed songs that were deleted during the tryout, there were two major cast changes. Vincent Beck’s program bio indicated “an intensive talent search covering both sides of the Atlantic finally ended on his doorstep” when he was chosen for the role of Zampano. But not for long. He was soon replaced by his understudy Stephen Pearlman. Patricia Marand played the role of Marita, Mario’s partner, but when the role was eliminated, she and her solo number (the ominously titled “My Turn to Fall”) were left behind in Detroit. La Strada marked Bernadette Peters’s second one-performance flop. In 1967, she had appeared in Mary Mercier’s comedy-drama Johnny No-Trump, one of the era’s many plays that looked at the so-called generation-gap. But unlike others of its ilk, Johnny No-Trump didn’t try for easy laughs and gags; it was a slightly flawed but nonetheless touching and intelligently written play about the coming of age of a teenage boy. La Strada also marked the first of Peters’s two “circus” musicals. Fifteen months after La Strada closed, she was back in the ring with the 1971 Off-Off-Broadway limited engagement of Nevertheless, They Laugh, which played for five performances. It was a musical adaptation of Leonid Andreyev’s 1916 play He Who Gets Slapped, which earlier had been adapted as an opera by Robert Ward, first as Pantaloon in 1956 and then in a revised version in 1959 as He Who Gets Slapped. Nevertheless, They Laugh was somewhat similar to La Strada in its story of a circus bareback rider whose father forces her into marriage with a scoundrel; in order to “save” her, an unhappy circus clown proceeds to murder her and then commit suicide. After these two shows, Peters will undoubtedly turn down offers to appear in revivals of Jumbo (1935), Are You with It? (1945), Carnival! (1961), and Barnum (1980). Incidentally, Carnival! centers on a frustrated and unhappy circus puppeteer who falls in love with a rather simple and naïve young woman who works with him, but mercifully Paul doesn’t murder Lili and kill himself. Peters’s performance and singing styles are suited to the role of Lili, and it’s surprising she never performed the role as a Broadway replacement or on tour or in summer stock.

COCO “A NEW MUSICAL” Theatre: Mark Hellinger Theatre Opening Date: December 18, 1969 Closing Date: October 3, 1970 Performances: 332 Book and Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Music: Andre Previn Direction: Michael Benthall (Film sequences directed by Fred Lemoine); Producers: Frederick Brisson (for Brisson Productions, Inc.) and Montford Productions, Inc. (Fred Hebert, Associate Producer); Choreography: Michael Bennett; Scenery and Costumes: Cecil Beaton; Lighting: Thomas Skelton; Musical Direction: Robert Emmett Dolan Cast: Katharine Hepburn (Coco Chanel), George Rose (Louis Greff), Jeanne Arnold (Pignol), Maggie Task (Helene), Rene Auberjonois (Sebastian Baye), Al DeSio (Armand), Jack Beaber (Albert), Eve March (Docation), David Holliday (Georges), Gene Varrone (Loublaye, Lapidus), Shirley Potter (Varne), Margot Travers (Marie), Rita O’Connor (Jeanine), Graciela Daniele (Claire), Lynn Winn (Juliette), Carolyn Kirsch (Madelaine), Diane Phillips (Lucille), Rosemary Heyer (Colette), Charlene Ryan (Simone), Suzanne Rogers (Solange), Gale Dixon (Noelle), Richard Woods (Dr. Petijean), David Thomas (Claude), Will B. Able (Dwight Berkwit), Robert Fitch (Eugene Bernstone), Chad Block (Ronny Ginsborn), Dan Siretta (Phil Rosenberry), Leslie Daniel (Nadine); Models, Seamstresses, Customers, Fitters: Vicki Allen, Karin Baker, Kathy Bartosh, Kathie Dalton, Alice Glenn, Maureen Hopkins, Linda Jorgens, Tresha Kelly, Nancy Killmer, Jan Metternich, Marilyn Miles, Joann Ogawa, Jean Preece, Ann Reinking, Skiles Ricketts, Marianne Selbert, Pamela Serpe, Bonnie Walker, Oscar Antony, Roy Barry, William James, Richard Marr, Don Percassi, Gerald Teijelo; Cast members on film: Bob Avian (Grand Duke Alexandrovitch [Jack Dabdoub, Grand Duke Alexandrovitch’s Voice]), Michael Allinson (Charles [Duke of Glenallen]), Paul Dumont (Julian Lesage), Jon Cypher (Papa) The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Paris in 1953 and 1954, and in the memory of Coco Chanel.

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Musical Numbers Act One: Overture (Orchestra); “But That’s the Way You Are” (Jack Dabdoub); “The World Belongs to the Young” (Katharine Hepburn, George Rose, Rene Auberjonois, Jeanne Arnold, Company); “Let’s Go Home” (David Holliday); “Mademoiselle Cliché de Paris” (Katharine Hepburn); “On the Corner of the Rue Cambon” (Katharine Hepburn); “The Money Rings Out Like Freedom” (Katharine Hepburn, Ensemble); “A Brand New Dress” (Gale Dixon); “A Woman Is How She Loves” (David Holliday); “Gabrielle” (Jon Cypher); “Coco” (Katharine Hepburn); “The Preparation” (Katharine Hepburn, Company) Act Two: Entr’acte (Orchestra); “Fiasco” (Rene Auberjonois, Charlene Ryan); “When Your Lover Says Goodbye” (George Rose); “Coco” (reprise) (Katharine Hepburn); “Ohrbach’s, Bloomingdale’s, Best & Saks” (Will B. Able, Robert Fitch, Chad Block, Dan Siretta); “Ohrbach’s, Bloomingdale’s, Best & Saks” (reprise) (Katharine Hepburn, Will B. Able, Robert Fitch, Chad Block, Dan Siretta, Ensemble); “Always Mademoiselle” (Coco, Mannequins) Coco was one of the “event” musicals of the decade, for here was legendary stage and film actress Katharine Hepburn making her musical comedy debut in a lavish show about legendary dress designer Coco Chanel. Further, the book and lyrics were by My Fair Lady’s Alan Jay Lerner, popular film composer Andre Previn wrote the music, and Cecil Beaton, who designed the sets and costumes for both My Fair Lady and Gigi, created the décor and costumes. But the sure-fire Coco misfired, and played for just 332 performances. It closed two months after Hepburn left the show (she was succeeded by Danielle Darrieux), but Hepburn later toured with the musical for six months, and the road tour enabled the show to recoup its initial investment. The weak story took place in Paris during 1953 and 1954, when the retired, bored, and seemingly passé Coco decides to make a comeback and reopen her fashion salon. But her new creations are mocked by the critics, and it looks as though she’s completely out-of-touch with the fashionistas of the day until American buyers plead for her merchandise so they can mass-produce her creations for the U.S. market. Thus Coco is back on top again, and her legend continues. The book included a number of extraneous characters, including Louis Greff (George Rose, giving a rather smug and self-satisfied performance), her attorney; Pignol (Jeanne Arnold), her long-time assistant; the flaming Sebastian Baye (Rene Auberjonois, who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical), an assistant brought in to help Coco with her comeback collection; Noelle (Gale Dixon), a young mannequin in whom Coco takes a motherly interest; and Noelle’s boyfriend, reporter Georges (David Holliday). There were also a few memory characters who appeared, spoke, and sang on film, such as Coco’s father (Jon Cypher) and various of her lovers, including Grand Duke Alexandrovitch (Bob Avian, whose voice was that of Jack Dabdoub), Charles, Duke of Glenallen (Michael Allinson), and Julian Lesage (Paul Dumont). The book didn’t have much in the way of plot and characterization, but thanks to Hepburn’s star quality, Michael Benthall’s direction, Michael Bennett’s choreography and stage movement, and Lerner’s often amusing dialogue, the evening moved along at a fast clip and, except for the tiresome subplot of Noelle and Georges’ affair, the proceedings were generally never too boring. Lerner’s dialogue was exceptionally sparkling, and if his overall book had matched his individual lines, the musical would undoubtedly have been more successful. In one instance, Pignol wonders if Sebastian is “homosexual” and Greff replies, “He’s way beyond that,” and in another Coco exclaims that women need “independence, not equality,” because “in most cases equality is a step down.” As for the score, the highlight was the “Always Mademoiselle” sequence in which Coco reflects upon her past while ghostly mannequins silently parade about the salon in her timeless fashions. The brilliant lyric and haunting music made for one of the finest musical-theatre moments of the decade, and the sequence was happily preserved on the Tony Award telecast (and is available on DVD). Another highlight was Sebastian’s “Fiasco,” in which he exults in the apparent disaster of Coco’s comeback. His delirious delight amounted to a musical orgasm as he squealed and shrieked about the “vicious, pernicious, divine” crowd which mocked Coco’s new creations. Exciting, too, was “Ohrbach’s, Bloomingdale’s, Best & Saks” in which Coco and four American buyers celebrate their new partnership. As for the secondary plot involving Noelle and Georges, the former was stuck with the wimpy “A Brand New Dress” (in which she pines for “a brand new dress / a fairyland new dress”), the score’s worst song and one of the low points of the theatrical decade. Georges fared much better with his amorous and seductive ballad “Let’s Go Home” and the fascinating “A Woman Is How

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She Loves” which offered abrupt and sometimes improvisatory-like musical flights that sounded like riffs from a chic Fifties’ jazz club. Clive Barnes in the New York Times said the “totally unexciting” life of Coco was a story “simple to the point of disappearance.” But he praised Hepburn’s “fantastic vitality,” Lerner’s “occasionally acerbic wit and even occasional wisdom,” and noted that “Ohrbach’s, Bloomingdale’s, Best & Saks” was an “exultant” number, “quite definitely one of the best staged musical numbers I have ever seen.” He praised Auberjonois’s “limp-ankled” performance, as did John Chapman in the New York Daily News, who indicated he “flits all over the place as a pansy cutter and fitter.” But Chapman said the show belonged to Hepburn, and he singled out “Ohrbach’s, Bloomingdale’s, Best & Saks” as the musical highlight of the production. Richard Watts in the New York Post said the “handsome and elaborate” show was “surprisingly dull” with an “inferior” book and a “very minor” score, and added that if the musical was factual, then Chanel had “led a remarkably dull life.” Martin Gottfried in Women’s Wear Daily noted that Coco built the lobby of Radio City Music Hall on the stage of the Mark Hellinger, with Hepburn as “chief usher.” But the Music Hall’s lobby “is not a Broadway musical. . . . Coco isn’t terrible. It’s just a lobby.” He noted Lerner’s book wasn’t a “story” but was instead “an engraving on the side of a building,” and Previn’s score was “so derivative it can almost be called a panorama of American musical theatre.” Further, the star was never allowed to be either herself or Chanel, and so with “too many costume changes and a bad makeup job” she was left to control “a stage that is too big to drive.” He said the “terribly fine actor” Auberjonois was “turned loose as a faggot designer,” and he found Dixon’s role “bewildering” because the book seemed to suggest and then quickly retreat from the notion that Chanel’s interest in her resulted from a “lesbian attraction.” During previews, the following songs were deleted: “Turn on the Lights” (for Coco, and the show’s opening number), “Personal History” (for the mannequins), and “Someone on Your Side” (for Noelle). The preview Playbill listed “The Collection,” which followed “Always Mademoiselle,” but it appears the title was discarded and the parade of mannequins from Coco’s past was woven into the overall umbrella title of “Always Mademoiselle.” “The Preparation” (for Coco’s comeback showing) was performed by Coco and the company at the end of the first act, but wasn’t recorded for the cast album. When Darrieux succeeded Hepburn, the song “But That’s the Way You Are” was dropped. Speaking of previews, Coco was one of the first major Broadway musicals to forgo an out-of-town tryout and instead concentrate on a series of New York previews. Prior to Coco occasional musicals had opted for extended preview periods instead of pre-Broadway engagements, such as Wish You Were Here (and its swimming pool) in 1952, Café Crown (1964), Anya (1966), and Billy (1969). But even other musicals that didn’t have traditional tryouts, such as The Beast in Me (1963), A Joyful Noise (1966), and Buck White (1969), had been previously produced in summer stock and regional theatres. With Coco, the floodgates opened. As the decades passed, more and more musicals chose a long series of New York previews in order to avoid the expense of a pre-Broadway tryout. But one suspects that in some instances additional capitalization for a tryout might have been money well spent, to allow musicals to get through their initial growing pains and for performers to grow in their parts away from the harsh and sometimes unforgiving glare of New York preview audiences and columnists. (Even Internet reports from a pre-Broadway tryout city don’t seem as fatal and as frequent as the comments made about shows in New York previews.) The original cast album of Coco was released by Paramount Records (LP # PMS-1002), but was soon recalled, reportedly due to Hepburn’s unhappiness with it (on the LP and CD she often sounds like Donald Duck on Benzedrine, but in the theatre her singing voice was much calmer and relaxed). Parts of the album were rerecorded, remixed, and remastered for a second release, and it is the “second” recording that was issued on CD by MCA Classics/Broadway Gold # MCAD-11682. Variety reported Paramount not only bankrolled the entire Broadway production (for $900,000), it also paid $2,250,000 for the film rights. Moreover, before the national tour took place (which enabled the show to recoup its initial investment), the New York losses had amounted to $175,000, which were added to the total amount Paramount spent on the Broadway and proposed film productions. Variety later reported that producer Frederick Brisson hoped to present a television version of the musical with Katharine Hepburn, perhaps in 1973. In the early 1970s, the musical was briefly seen in summer stock with Ginger Rogers in the title role, and much later the Musicals in Mufti series at the Theatre at Saint Peter’s revived the show on September 10–12,

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2010, with Andrea Marcovicci in the title role; the production included the cut song “Someone on Your Side,” which was reinstated for the character of Noelle.

Awards Tony Awards and Nominations: Best Musical (Coco); Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Katharine Hepburn); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Rene Auberjonois); Best Featured Actor in a Musical (George Rose); Best Director of a Musical (Michael Benthall); Best Costume Designer (Cecil Beaton); Best Choreographer (Michael Bennett)

1491 “A ROMANTIC SPECULATION” Theatres and Dates: Opened on September 2, 1969, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, and closed there on October 25; then opened and permanently closed at the Curran Theatre, San Francisco, California Book: Meredith Willson and Richard Morris in collaboration with Ira Barmak Lyrics and Music: Meredith Willson Direction: Richard Morris; Producers: Edwin Lester and The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera (George B. Gose, President, and Edwin Lester, General Director) (Edward M. Greenberg, Associate Producer); Choreography: Danny Daniels; Scenery: Oliver Smith; Costumes: Miles White; Lighting: Peggy Clark; Musical Direction: Julian Stein Cast: Joseph Mell (Jacobini), John Cullum (Columbus), Chita Rivera (Beatriz), Steven Arlen (Don Esteban), Kathryn Hays (Lady Emilia), Jean Fenn (Queen Isabella), Gino Conforti (King Ferdinand), Bruce Gordon (Fray Torquemada), Nora Coppola (Lady in Waiting), Karen Yarmat (Lady in Waiting), Ann Barber (Friend of Beatriz), Annette Cardona (Friend of Beatriz), Sandra Fitzell (Friend of Beatriz), Elfie Furst (Friend of Beatriz), Yvonne Green (Friend of Beatriz), Helen Wood (Friend of Beatriz), Lucy Andonian (Innkeeper), Adolfo Balli (Monk of the Court), Howard Chitjian (Monk of the Court), Tom Jepperson (Monk of the Court, Seaman), Robert Mazzarella (Monk of the Court), Dale Verdugo (Monk of the Court, Seaman); People of the Town and Court: Ann Barber, Annette Cardona, Yvonne Green, Ellen Graff, Cecilia Miranda, Kuniko Narai, Anne Wallace, Helen Wood, Connie Baldwin, Nora Coppola, Sandra Fitzell, Elfie Furst, Karen Yarmat, Gene Gavin, Robert Lorca, Miguel Mansson, Gene Myers, Richard Oliver, Manolo Rivera, Patrick Spohn, Danny Villa, Jimmy White, Adolfo Balli, Howard Chitjian, John Dorrin, Tyler Gilman, Tom Jepperson, Michael McCormack, Robert Mazzarella, Dean Rhodus, Dale Verdugo The musical was presented in two acts. The action takes place in Portugal and Italy in 1491.

Musical Numbers Act One: “Pretty Girl” (John Cullum, Chita Rivera); “Get a Map” (John Cullum, Chita Rivera, Joseph Mell, Kathryn Hays, Steven Arlen, People of the Town); “What Does a Queen Have” (Chita Rivera); “Birthday” (Jean Fenn, Court); “The Trastamara Rose” (Steven Arlen, Jean Fenn); “Glory Land” (John Cullum, Gino Conforti, Steven Arlen, Court); “Where There’s a River” (Ann Barber, Annette Cardona, Sandra Fitzell, Elfie Furst, Yvonne Green, Helen Wood); “Woman” (Chita Rivera); “Tio Paco” (Gino Conforti, Tavern Crowd); “The Queen and the Sailor” (Jean Fenn, John Cullum) Act Two: “The Wonderful Plan” (John Cullum, Bruce Gordon); “Genius” (Jean Fenn, John Cullum); “Lady” (Jean Fenn); “Why Not” (Chita Rivera, Men of the Town); “Near but Never Too Near” (Chita Rivera, John Cullum); “Where There’s a River” (reprise) (Kathryn Hays, Nora Coppola, Karen Yarmat); “Lash the Wheel” (John Cullum)

1969–1970 SEASON

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The collapse of 1491 during its pre-Broadway tryout marked the sad end of Meredith Willson’s steadily declining career in musical theatre. His first show was the glorious The Music Man (1957), one of the greatest of American musical comedies; it played on Broadway for 1,375 performances, and boasts one of the cleverest and most melodic scores ever heard in New York. His next musical was the somewhat disappointing The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960); although it was profitable, it played a rather modest 532 performances, and got by because of Tammy Grimes’s galvanic performance and a few catchy songs. His final Broadway musical was the dismal Here’s Love (1963), which lost money and ran for just 334 performances. Willson contributed a mostly dull score (with just one inspired moment, “That Man Over There”), and today the musical is most remembered for Michael Kidd’s lively choreography and William and Jean Eckart’s colorful sets. Willson’s final score was 1491, which didn’t even make it to Broadway. It opened on September 2, 1969, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, playing there until October 25, when it moved on to the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, where it permanently shuttered without ever risking the New York critics. The chaotic musical told a number of different stories, but as Edwa in Variety noted, they were less plots and subplots than vignettes. Portrayed as an egotistical con-man, Columbus (John Cullum) tries to talk Queen Isabella (Jean Fenn) into financing his voyage to the New World; she’s attracted to him, but since he’s only interested in his mistress Beatriz (Chita Rivera), the queen decides to punish him by sending him off on his precious voyage, presumably hoping he’ll perish along the way. And surely the musical’s authors were kidding when they had Isabella say to Columbus, “You could have known my love. You shall know my wrath.” In the meantime, Edwa reported there were a number of other characters, including the bi-sexual King Ferdinand (Gino Conforti), who makes a play for Columbus; Lady Emilia (Kathryn Hays), who loves Columbus; Jacobini (Joseph Mell), Beatriz’s apparently closeted Jewish uncle, who confesses to a priest he attends synagogue services; Fray Torquemada (Bruce Gordon), a sinister leader of the Inquisition; and Esteban (Steven Arlen), who questions Columbus’s seafaring abilities. Edwa suggested that the “unbelievable bore” of a show had a “dull” book, a “bland” and “pedestrian” score, and “uninspired” choreography, and thus “there is little that can be done other than start over again.” For a brief period, a pirated recording of a live preview performance was available on a two-CD set. It appears that during at least part of the tryout, “Sail On” (for John Cullum and Chita Rivera) was heard as the opening number and the finale. In the rehearsal script, the song was titled “Lash the Wheel,” and under this title the song was performed for the finale by Cullum at some performances. The script also includes five songs not heard during the tryout: “The Silken Song,” “Patter Song,” “Isabella Catholica,” “With Love,” and “Now I Know.” In the script, “The Queen and the Sailor” was titled “The Sailor and the Queen,” and “Lady” was known as “Every Woman Is a Queen.” Other lyric works about Columbus include the 1930 opera Christophe Colomb (libretto by Paul Claudel, music by Darius Milhaud); the innovative 1945 Twentieth Century Fox film musical Where Do We Go from Here? (lyrics by Ira Gershwin, music by Kurt Weill), which included the mini-opera “The Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria” in which Fred MacMurray portrayed Columbus; the 1975 Off-Off-Broadway musical Columbus (book by Allen R. Belknap, lyrics by Beth Bowden, and music by Gary Levinson); the 1976 opera Christopher Columbus (libretto by Don White, and music by Jacques Offenbach which was adapted by Patric Schmid); and the 1992 opera The Voyage (libretto by David Henry Hwang, music by Philip Glass), one of the finest and most important lyric works of the American musical theatre. Columbus was also the subject of Chris Crosses, the University of Pennsylvania’s Mask and Wig Club musical for the 1946–1947 academic year. The book was by Robert F. (Bo) Brown, the lyrics by Darrel H. Smith and Moe Jaffe, and the music by Clay A. Boland. Henry P. Sullivan played Columbus, and the score included such songs as “The World Is Round-O” and “That’s What Made Those Happy Old Indians Dance.” The production toured five states over a period of six weeks, including a full week of performances at Philadelphia’s Erlanger Theatre and two performances at Wilmington’s Playhouse Theatre.

• Appendix A: Alphabetical List of Shows

This list includes revivals. All American Aloha Hawaii America, Be Seated! Annie Get Your Gun (May 1966) Annie Get Your Gun (September 1966) Anya Anyone Can Whistle The Apple Tree At the Drop of Another Hat Awf’lly Nice Bajour Baker Street Bamboche! The Beast in Me Beg, Borrow or Steal Ben Franklin in Paris Beyond the Fringe Beyond the Fringe 1964 Beyond the Fringe ’65 Billy The Billy Barnes People Bravo Giovanni Breakfast at Tiffany’s (aka Holly Golightly) Brigadoon (1962) Brigadoon (1963) Brigadoon (1964) Brigadoon (1967) Buck White Bye Bye Birdie Cabaret Cafe Crown Cambridge Circus Camelot Can-Can Canterbury Tales Carnival! (1961)

Carnival! (1968) Carousel (1965) Carousel (1966) Catch My Soul Celebration Christine Chu Chem Coco Comedy in Music/Opus 2 Come Summer The Committee The Conquering Hero The Consul (1960) The Consul (1962) The Consul (March 1966) The Consul (October 1966) Continental Circus Cool Off! The Cradle Will Rock Danny Kaye Darling of the Day Dear World Dick Button’s Ice-Travaganza Die Dreigroschenoper Do I Hear a Waltz? Donnybrook! Do Re Mi Double Dublin Drat! The Cat! Dumas and Son Eddie Fisher Live at the Winter Garden Eddie Fisher/Buddy Hackett The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N An Evening with Josephine Baker An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May An Evening with Yves Montand

533

534

APPENDIX A

Fade Out—Fade In A Family Affair Fiddler on the Roof The Fig Leaves Are Falling Finian’s Rainbow (April 1960) Finian’s Rainbow (May 1960) Finian’s Rainbow (1967) Fiorello! Flora, The Red Menace Folies Bergère 1491 Foxy (1962) Foxy (1964) From A to Z From the Second City Funny Girl A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum The Gay Life George M! Get on Board! The Jazz Train Gilbert Becaud Gilbert Becaud on Broadway The Girl Who Came to Supper The Golden Age Golden Boy Golden Rainbow The Grand Music Hall of Israel The Great Waltz Greenwillow Guys and Dolls (1965) Guys and Dolls (1966) Hair Half a Sixpence Hallelujah, Baby! A Hand Is on the Gate The Happiest Girl in the World The Happy Time Hello, Dolly! Hello, Solly! Hellzapoppin’ ’67 Henry, Sweet Henry Her First Roman Here’s Love Here’s Where I Belong High Spirits Holiday in Japan The Hollow Crown Holly Golightly (aka Breakfast at Tiffany’s) Hot September Hot Spot How Do You Do I Love You How Now, Dow Jones How to Be a Jewish Mother

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1961) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1966) I Can Get It for You Wholesale I Do! I Do! I Had a Ball I’m Solomon Illya Darling Impulse! Irma La Douce “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN” Jack Benny Jennie Jimmy A Joyful Noise Judy Garland at Home at the Palace Kean Kelly Ken Murray’s Hollywood Kicks & Co. The King and I (1960) The King and I (1963) The King and I (1964) The King and I (1968) Kismet Kiss Me, Kate Kwamina La Belle La Grosse Valise La Strada Laughs and Other Events Lena Horne and Her Nine O’Clock Revue Les Poupées de Paris Let It Ride! Let’s Sing Yiddish Little Me Lock Up Your Daughters Love Is a Ball! Love Match Maggie Flynn Mame Man of La Mancha Marlene Dietrich (1967) Marlene Dietrich (1968) Mata Hari Maurice Chevalier Maurice Chevalier at 77 The Megilla of Itzik Manger (October 1968) The Megilla of Itzik Manger (April 1969) The Merry Widow Milk and Honey The Most Happy Fella A Mother’s Kisses

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SHOWS

Mr. President The Music Man My Fair Lady (1964) My Fair Lady (1968) New Faces of 1962 New Faces of 1968 The New Music Hall of Israel Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato (September 1968 and November 1968) No Strings Nowhere to Go but Up Oh! What a Lovely War Oklahoma! (February 1963) Oklahoma! (May 1963) Oklahoma! (1965) Oklahoma! (1969) Oliver! (1963) Oliver! (1965) On a Clear Day You Can See Forever 110 in the Shade Pal Joey (1961) Pal Joey (1963) Pickwick Pleasures and Palaces Porgy and Bess (1961) Porgy and Bess (1962) Porgy and Bess (1964) Porgy and Bess (1965) Pousse-Cafe Promises, Promises Red, White and Maddox The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd Royal Flush Rugantino Sail Away The Saint of Bleecker Street (March 1965) The Saint of Bleecker Street (September 1965) 1776 She Loves Me Sherry! Show Boat (1961) Show Boat (1966) Show Girl Sing Israel Sing (May 1967) Sing Israel Sing (June 1967) Skyscraper Something More! Sophie

The Sound of Music South Pacific (1961) South Pacific (1965) South Pacific (1967) Space Is So Startling! Spoon River Anthology Stop the World—I Want to Get Off Street Scene (1960) Street Scene (1963) Street Scene (1966) The Student Gypsy, or “The Prince of Liederkranz” Subways Are for Sleeping Summer Time Revue Sweet Charity Tambourines to Glory Tenderloin 13 Daughters This Was Burlesque The Threepenny Opera A Thurber Carnival (February 1960) A Thurber Carnival (September 1960) A Time for Singing To Broadway With Love Tovarich Trumpets of the Lord The Unsinkable Molly Brown Vintage ‘60 Wait a Minim! Walking Happy We Take the Town West Side Story (1960) West Side Story (1964) West Side Story (1968) What Makes Sammy Run? Where’s Charley? Wiener Blut Wildcat Wonderful Town (1963) Wonderful Town (1967) Wonderful World of Chemistry Wonder World The World of Charles Aznavour The Yearling Young Abe Lincoln Zenda Zizi Zorba The Zulu and the Zayda

535

• Appendix B: Chronology (by Season)

The following is a seasonal chronology of the 271 productions discussed in this book. Musicals marked with an asterisk listed (alphabetically) at the end of each season are those that closed either during Broadway previews or during their pre-Broadway engagements. Following each title is a classification describing the nature of each musical (book musical with new music; book musical with preexisting music; revue; import; etc.). For more information on classifications, see appendix C, “Chronology (by Classification).” 1959–1960 Beg, Borrow or Steal (book musical with new music) The Cradle Will Rock (institutional revival) Street Scene (institutional revival) The Consul (institutional revival) A Thurber Carnival (revue) Greenwillow (book musical with new music) Bye Bye Birdie (book musical with new music) From A to Z (revue) West Side Story (return engagement) Finian’s Rainbow (institutional revival) Finian’s Rainbow (commercial revival) Christine (book musical with new music) The King and I (institutional revival) *Lock Up Your Daughters (import; book musical with new music) 1960–1961 A Thurber Carnival (return engagement) Vintage ’60 (revue) Irma La Douce (import) An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May (revue) Laughs and Other Events (personality revue) Tenderloin (book musical with new music) The Unsinkable Molly Brown (book musical with new music) Camelot (book musical with new music) Wildcat (book musical with new music) Do Re Mi (book musical with new music) Show Girl (revue) The Conquering Hero (book musical with new music) 13 Daughters (book musical with new music) The Happiest Girl in the World (book musical with preexisting music [Jacques Offenbach])

537

538

APPENDIX B

Show Boat (institutional revival) Carnival! (book musical with new music) Young Abe Lincoln (Off-Broadway transfer; book musical with new music) South Pacific (institutional revival) Porgy and Bess (institutional revival) Donnybrook! (book musical with new music) Pal Joey (institutional revival) *Aloha Hawaii (book musical with new music) *Holiday in Japan (revue) *Impulse! (revue) 1961–1962 The Billy Barnes People (revue) From the Second City (revue) Sail Away (book musical with new music) Milk and Honey (book musical with new music) Let It Ride! (book musical with new music) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (book musical with new music) Kwamina (book musical with new music) An Evening with Yves Montand (personality revue) Kean (book musical with new music) The Gay Life (book musical with new music) Subways Are for Sleeping (book musical with new music) A Family Affair (book musical with new music) New Faces of 1962 (revue) No Strings (book musical with new music) All American (book musical with new music) I Can Get It for You Wholesale (book musical with new music) The Consul (institutional revival) Porgy and Bess (institutional revival) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (book musical with new music) Can-Can (institutional revival) Bravo Giovanni (book musical with new music) Brigadoon (institutional revival) *Kicks & Co. (book musical with new music) *Lena Horne and Her Nine O’Clock Revue (personality revue) *We Take the Town (book musical with new music) 1962–1963 Fiorello! (institutional revival) Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden (personality revue) Stop the World—I Want to Get Off (import; book musical with new music) Mr. President (book musical with new music) Bamboche! (revue) Beyond the Fringe (import; revue) Nowhere to Go but Up (book musical with new music) Little Me (book musical with new music) Oliver! (import; book musical with new music) Maurice Chevalier (personality revue) The Hollow Crown (import; revue) Brigadoon (institutional revival) Wonderful Town (institutional revival) Oklahoma! (institutional revival) Jack Benny (personality revue)

CHRONOLOGY (BY SEASON)

539

Tovarich (book musical with new music) Danny Kaye (personality revue) Sophie (book musical with new music) Hot Spot (book musical with new music) She Loves Me (book musical with new music) Street Scene (institutional revival) Oklahoma! (return engagement) The Beast in Me (revue) Pal Joey (institutional revival) *Foxy (book musical with new music) *Get on Board! The Jazz Train (revue) *La Belle (book musical with preexisting music [Jacques Offenbach]) 1963–1964 The King and I (institutional revival) Spoon River Anthology (revue) The Student Gypsy, or “The Prince of Liederkranz” (book musical with new music) Here’s Love (book musical with new music) Jennie (book musical with new music) 110 in the Shade (book musical with new music) Tambourines to Glory (book musical with about 50 percent new music) The Golden Age (revue) The Girl Who Came to Supper (book musical with new music) Double Dublin (import; revue) Beyond the Fringe 1964 (import; revue) Hello, Dolly! (book musical with new music) An Evening with Josephine Baker (personality revue) Rugantino (import; book musical with new music) Foxy (book musical with new music) What Makes Sammy Run? (book musical with new music) Funny Girl (book musical with new music) Anyone Can Whistle (book musical with new music) High Spirits (book musical with new music) West Side Story (institutional revival) Café Crown (book musical with new music) Porgy and Bess (institutional revival) My Fair Lady (institutional revival) Fade Out—Fade In (book musical with new music) 1964 World’s Fair Revues: To Broadway with Love (this entry incorporates information about Continental Circus; Dick Button’s Ice-Travaganza; Les Poupées de Paris [revival]; Summer Time Revue; and Wonderful World of Chemistry); America, Be Seated!; and Wonder World *Cool Off! (book musical with new music) *Space Is So Startling! (import; book musical with new music) *Zenda (book musical with new music) 1964–1965 Folies Bergère (import; revue) The King and I (institutional revival) The Merry Widow (institutional revival) Wiener Blut (import; revival of book musical with preexisting music [Johann Strauss, Jr.]) The Committee (revue) Fiddler on the Roof (book musical with new music) Oh! What a Lovely War (import; revue) Cambridge Circus (import; revue)

540

APPENDIX B

Golden Boy (book musical with new music) Ben Franklin in Paris (book musical with new music) Comedy in Music/Opus 2 (personality revue) Something More! (book musical with new music) Zizi (import; personality revue) Bajour (book musical with new music) I Had a Ball (book musical with new music) Beyond the Fringe ’65 (import; revue) Brigadoon (institutional revival) Kelly (book musical with new music) Baker Street (book musical with new music) Porgy and Bess (institutional revival) Die Dreigroschenoper (institutional revival) This Was Burlesque (Off-Broadway transfer; revue) Do I Hear a Waltz? (book musical with new music) The Saint of Bleecker Street (institutional revival) Maurice Chevalier at 77 (personality revue) Half a Sixpence (import; book musical with new music) Guys and Dolls (institutional revival) Ken Murray’s Hollywood (revue) Flora, The Red Menace (book musical with new music) Kiss Me Kate (institutional revival) The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd (import; book musical with new music) *Awf’lly Nice (revue) *Pleasures and Palaces (book musical with new music) *Royal Flush (book musical with new music) 1965–1966 South Pacific (institutional revival) The Music Man (institutional revival) Kismet (institutional revival) Oliver! (import; return engagement) Carousel (institutional revival) The Saint of Bleecker Street (institutional revival) Pickwick (import; book musical with new music) Drat! The Cat! (book musical with new music) The World of Charles Aznavour (personality revue) On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (book musical with new music) The Zulu and the Zayda (book musical with new music) Skyscraper (book musical with new music) Man of La Mancha (book musical with new music) Anya (book musical with preexisting music [Sergei Rachmaninoff]) The Yearling (book musical with new music) La Grosse Valise (import; book musical with new music) Oklahoma! (institutional revival) Sweet Charity (book musical with new music) Street Scene (institutional revival) Wait a Minim! (import; revue) The Consul (institutional revival) Pousse-Café (book musical with new music) “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN” (book musical with new music) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (institutional revival) The Most Happy Fella (institutional revival) A Time for Singing (book musical with new music)

CHRONOLOGY (BY SEASON)

541

Mame (book musical with new music) Where’s Charley? (institutional revival) Annie Get Your Gun (institutional revival) *The Great Waltz (revival; book musical with preexisting music [Johann Strauss, Sr.]) *Hot September (book musical with new music) *Love Is a Ball! (revue) 1966–1967 Guys and Dolls (institutional revival) Show Boat (institutional revival) A Hand Is on the Gate (revue) Annie Get Your Gun (institutional revival; return engagement) The Consul (institutional revival) The Apple Tree (book musical with new music) The Threepenny Opera (import; revival) Gilbert Becaud on Broadway (personality revue) Let’s Sing Yiddish (revue) Cabaret (book musical with new music) Walking Happy (book musical with new music) I Do! I Do! (book musical with new music) A Joyful Noise (book musical with new music) Carousel (institutional revival) At the Drop of Another Hat (import; revue) Sherry! (book musical with new music) Hello, Solly! (revue) Finian’s Rainbow (institutional revival) Illya Darling (book musical with new music) Hallelujah, Baby! (book musical with new music) The Sound of Music (institutional revival) Sing Israel, Sing (revue) Wonderful Town (institutional revival) *Chu Chem (book musical with new music) *Holly Golightly (title during pre-Broadway tryout)/Breakfast at Tiffany’s (title during Broadway previews) (book musical with new music) 1967–1968 Sing Israel, Sing (return engagement; revue) South Pacific (institutional revival) Judy Garland at Home at the Palace (personality revue) Eddie Fisher/Buddy Hackett (personality revue) Marlene Dietrich (personality revue) Henry, Sweet Henry (book musical with new music) How Now, Dow Jones (book musical with new music) Brigadoon (institutional revival) How to Be a Jewish Mother (revue) The Happy Time (book musical with new music) Darling of the Day (book musical with new music) Golden Rainbow (book musical with new music) The Grand Music Hall of Israel (import; revue) Here’s Where I Belong (book musical with new music) The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N (book musical with new music) George M! (book musical with preexisting music [George M. Cohan]) I’m Solomon (book musical with new music) Hair (Off-Broadway transfer; book musical with new music)

542

APPENDIX B

New Faces of 1968 (revue) The King and I (institutional revival) *Catch My Soul (book musical with new music) *Dumas and Son (book music with preexisting music [Camille Saint-Saens]) *Hellzapoppin’ ’67 (revue) *How Do You Do I Love You (book musical with new music) *Mata Hari (book musical with new music) 1968–1969 My Fair Lady (institutional revival) West Side Story (institutional revival) Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato (revue) Marlene Dietrich (personality revue) Gilbert Becaud (personality revue) The Megilla of Itzik Manger (import; book musical with mostly new music) Her First Roman (book musical with new music) Maggie Flynn (book musical with new music) Zorba (book musical with new music) Promises, Promises (book musical with new music) Carnival! (institutional revival) The Fig Leaves Are Falling (book musical with new music) Celebration (Off-Broadway transfer; book musical with new music) Red, White and Maddox (revue) Canterbury Tales (import; book musical with new music) Dear World (book musical with new music) 1776 (book musical with new music) Come Summer (book musical with new music) Billy (book musical with new music) The Megilla of Itzik Manger (return engagement; import; book musical with preexisting music) Trumpets of the Lord (Off-Broadway transfer; revue) *Love Match (book musical with new music) *A Mother’s Kisses (book musical with new music) 1969–1970 Oklahoma! (institutional revival) The New Music Hall of Israel (import; revue) Jimmy (book musical with new music) Buck White (book musical with new music) La Strada (book musical with new music) Coco (book musical with new music) *1491 (book musical with new music)

• Appendix C: Chronology (by Classification)

All of the following 271 productions are listed chronologically within their classification. For specific seasons, see appendix B, “Chronology (by Season).” For more information, see specific entry for each production.

BOOK MUSICALS WITH NEW MUSIC (98) With one exception, the following ninety-eight book musicals offered completely new lyrics and music (the score of Tambourines to Glory was a combination of old and new songs, and since about half the score was new, the musical is included in this list). Upon their closings, seventeen of these musicals had paid back their initial production costs and had yielded profits to their investors. An eighteenth, Coco, paid back its investment during its post-Broadway tour; and it’s conceivable the film sales of Little Me, She Loves Me, Baker Street, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever eventually brought them into the profit column. Beg, Borrow or Steal Greenwillow Bye Bye Birdie Christine Tenderloin The Unsinkable Molly Brown Camelot Wildcat Do Re Mi The Conquering Hero 13 Daughters Carnival! Donnybrook! Sail Away Milk and Honey Let It Ride! How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying Kwamina Kean The Gay Life Subways Are for Sleeping A Family Affair No Strings All American

I Can Get It for You Wholesale A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Bravo Giovanni Mr. President Nowhere to Go but Up Little Me Tovarich Sophie Hot Spot She Loves Me The Student Gypsy, or “The Prince of Liederkranz” Here’s Love Jennie 110 in the Shade Tambourines to Glory The Girl Who Came to Supper Hello, Dolly! Foxy What Makes Sammy Run? Funny Girl Anyone Can Whistle High Spirits Café Crown Fade Out—Fade In

543

544

APPENDIX C

Fiddler on the Roof Golden Boy Ben Franklin in Paris Something More! Bajour I Had a Ball Kelly Baker Street Do I Hear a Waltz? Flora, the Red Menace Drat! The Cat! On a Clear Day You Can See Forever The Zulu and the Zayda Skyscraper Man of La Mancha The Yearling Sweet Charity Pousse-Café “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN” A Time for Singing Mame The Apple Tree Cabaret Walking Happy I Do! I Do!

A Joyful Noise Sherry! Illya Darling Hallelujah, Baby! Henry, Sweet Henry How Now, Dow Jones The Happy Time Darling of the Day Golden Rainbow Here’s Where I Belong The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N I’m Solomon Her First Roman Maggie Flynn Zorba Promises, Promises The Fig Leaves Are Falling Dear World 1776 Come Summer Billy Jimmy Buck White La Strada Coco

BOOK MUSICALS WITH PREEXISTING MUSIC (3) The following three musicals had new books, but their scores were drawn from preexisting music. The Happiest Girl in the World (Jacques Offenbach) Anya (Sergei Rachmaninoff) George M! (George M. Cohan)

REVUES (22) Of the following twenty-two revues, some were traditional (with songs, dances, and sketches) while others concentrated on comic skits and sketches with incidental music and songs. Since some of these productions (such as An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May and Ken Murray’s Hollywood) don’t fall under such traditional classifications as book musical, musical revue, drama, and comedy, they are included in this book as revues. Two of the revues (Sing Israel Sing and How to Be a Jewish Mother) could technically be classified as book musicals, but their books were more in the nature of revue-like sketches with musical numbers. A Thurber Carnival From A to Z Vintage ’60 An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May Show Girl The Billy Barnes People From the Second City New Faces of 1962 Bamboche!

The Beast in Me Spoon River Anthology The Golden Age The Committee Ken Murray’s Hollywood A Hand Is on the Gate Let’s Sing Yiddish Hello, Solly! Sing Israel, Sing

CHRONOLOGY (BY CLASSIFICATION)

How to Be a Jewish Mother New Faces of 1968

545

Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato Red, White and Maddox

PERSONALITY REVUES (16) Unlike the revues listed in the previous section, these productions were more in the nature of concert-like personal appearances rather than traditional revues. For instance, while Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden and Judy Garland at Home at the Palace included other performers on their bills, the evenings were clearly star-driven and were produced solely as vehicles for their leads. An argument could be made that the revue Show Girl belongs on this list as a personality revue for Carol Channing, but it’s conceivable had the show been a long-running smash hit, that other performers (say, of the Edie Adams variety) could have succeeded Channing in New York and on tour (if there had been a postBroadway tour). One can easily envision Adams as the revue’s leading lady, and if one replaced Channing’s famous Marlene Dietrich impersonation with Adams’s equally celebrated one of Marilyn Monroe, Show Girl would have been tailor-made for Adams’s unique comic and singing talents. Laughs and Other Events (Stanley Holloway) An Evening with Yves Montand Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden Maurice Chevalier Jack Benny Danny Kaye An Evening with Josephine Baker Comedy in Music/Opus 2 (Victor Borge)

Maurice Chevalier at 77 The World of Charles Aznavour Gilbert Becaud on Broadway Judy Garland at Home at the Palace Eddie Fisher/Buddy Hackett Marlene Dietrich (1967) Marlene Dietrich (1968) Gilbert Becaud

WORLD’S FAIR REVUES (8) The following are the eight major revues that were performed at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Les Poupées de Paris was new to the Fair, but was technically a revival because it had first been produced in Hollywood in October 1961. From there, a revised edition played at the Seattle’s World‘s Fair in 1962, and an Off-Broadway production opened later that same year. To Broadway with Love America, Be Seated! Wonder World Continental Circus

Dick Button’s Ice-Travaganza Les Poupées de Paris (revival) Summer Time Revue Wonderful World of Chemistry

IMPORTS (25) Irma La Douce Stop the World—I Want to Get Off Oliver! Beyond the Fringe The Hollow Crown Double Dublin Beyond the Fringe 1964 Rugantino Folies Bergère Wiener Blut Oh! What a Lovely War! Cambridge Circus Zizi

Beyond the Fringe ’65 Half a Sixpence The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd Pickwick La Grosse Valise Wait a Minim! The Threepenny Opera At the Drop of Another Hat The Grand Music Hall of Israel The Megilla of Itzik Manger Canterbury Tales The New Music Hall of Israel

546

APPENDIX C

INSTITUTIONAL REVIVALS (57) The following revivals were produced by not-for-profit institutions for limited runs. NYCCLOC = New York City Center Light Opera Company; NYCO = New York City Opera; MTLC = Music Theater of Lincoln Center. The Cradle Will Rock (NYCO) Street Scene (NYCO) The Consul (NYCO) Finian’s Rainbow (NYCCLOC) The King and I (NYCCLOC) Show Boat (NYCCLOC) South Pacific (NYCCLOC) Porgy and Bess (NYCCLOC) Pal Joey (NYCCLOC) The Consul (NYCO) Porgy and Bess (NYCO) Can-Can (NYCCLOC) Brigadoon (NYCCLOC) Fiorello! (NYCCLOC) Brigadoon (NYCCLOC) Wonderful Town (NYCCLOC) Oklahoma! (NYCCLOC) Street Scene (NYCO) Pal Joey (NYCCLOC) The King and I (NYCCLOC) West Side Story (NYCCLOC) Porgy and Bess (NYCCLOC) My Fair Lady (NYCCLOC) The King and I (MTLC) The Merry Widow (MTLC) Brigadoon (NYCCLOC) Porgy and Bess (NYCO) Die Dreigroschenoper (NYCO) The Saint of Bleecker Street (NYCO)

Guys and Dolls (NYCCLOC) Kiss Me, Kate (NYCCLOC) South Pacific (NYCCLOC) The Music Man (NYCCLOC) Kismet (MTLC) Carousel (MTLC) The Saint of Bleecker Street (NYCO) Oklahoma! (NYCCLOC) Street Scene (NYCO) The Consul (NYCO) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (NYCCLOC) The Most Happy Fella (NYCCLOC) Where’s Charley? (NYCCLOC) Annie Get Your Gun (MTLC) Guys and Dolls (NYCCLOC) Show Boat (MTLC) The Consul (NYCO) Carousel (NYCCLOC) Finian’s Rainbow (NYCCLOC) The Sound of Music (NYCCLOC) Wonderful Town (NYCCLOC) South Pacific (MTLC) Brigadoon (NYCCLOC) The King and I (NYCCLOC) My Fair Lady (NYCCLOC) West Side Story (MTLC) Carnival! (NYCCLOC) Oklahoma! (MTLC)

COMMERCIAL REVIVALS (1) The decade saw just one commercial revival. When the April 1960 institutional revival of Finian’s Rainbow by the New York City Center Light Opera Company completed its limited run at City Center, it was quickly brought to Broadway by private producers Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr (with John F. Herman and Theatrical Interests Plan, Inc.). The revival briefly played at the 46th Street Theatre, which had been the home of the musical’s original 1947 production. Finian’s Rainbow (May 1960)

RETURN ENGAGEMENTS (7) When is a return engagement not a revival? Generally, a return engagement is a limited Broadway run of a musical’s touring company (such as Oliver! and Annie Get Your Gun), but sometimes the engagement is extended due to the availability of the performers and the popularity of the production (West Side Story). In other cases, the musical may temporarily close for various reasons (such as revisions) and will reopen weeks

CHRONOLOGY (BY CLASSIFICATION)

547

or months later (Sing Israel Sing) or a show may be temporarily resurrected for a brief run due to its earlier popularity (such as the return of City Center’s February 1963 revival of Oklahoma in April of that year). West Side Story (April 1960) A Thurber Carnival (September 1960) Oklahoma! (NYCCLOC) (April 1963) Oliver! (August 1965)

Annie Get Your Gun (September 1966) Sing Israel Sing (June 1967) The Megilla of Itzik Manger (April 1969)

TRANSFERS FROM OFF-BROADWAY (5) Some productions are more or less direct transfers, opening soon after their Off-Broadway closings (such as Young Abe Lincoln, which transferred to Broadway after its Off-Broadway run, and then after the Broadway production returned to Off-Broadway for another run); others (Trumpets of the Lord) are Broadway versions of musicals that had been seen Off-Broadway in previous seasons. Young Abe Lincoln This Was Burlesque Hair

Celebration Trumpets of the Lord

PRE-BROADWAY CLOSINGS (28) The following are pre-Broadway closings listed separately by seasons (and alphabetically within seasons). For specific years, see appendix B “Chronology (by Season).” Note that Holly Golightly/Breakfast at Tiffany’s closed during its New York preview period; and that while Foxy closed during its pre-Broadway tryout, some eighteen months later it was revised and produced on Broadway.

1959–1960 Lock Up Your Daughters (import; book musical with new music)

1960–1961 Aloha Hawaii (book musical with new music) Holiday in Japan (import; revue) Impulse! (revue)

1961–1962 Kicks & Co. (book musical with new music) Lena Horne and Her Nine O’Clock Revue (personality revue) We Take the Town (book musical with new music)

1962–1963 Foxy (book musical with new music) Get on Board! The Jazz Train (revue) La Belle (book musical with preexisting music [Jacques Offenbach])

548

APPENDIX C

1963–1964 Cool Off! (book musical with new music) Space Is So Startling! (import; book musical with new music) Zenda (book musical with new music)

1964–1965 Awf’lly Nice (revue) Pleasures and Palaces (book musical with new music) Royal Flush (book musical with new music)

1965–1966 The Great Waltz (revival; book musical with preexisting music [Johann Strauss, Sr.]) Hot September (book musical with new music) Love Is a Ball! (revue)

1966–1967 Chu Chem (book musical with new music) Holly Golightly (title during pre-Broadway tryout)/Breakfast at Tiffany’s (title during Broadway previews) (book musical with new music)

1967–1968 Catch My Soul (book musical with new music) Dumas and Son (book musical with preexisting music [Camille Saint-Saens]) Hellzapoppin’ ’67 (revue) How Do You Do I Love You (book musical with new music)

1968–1969 Love Match (book musical with new music) A Mother’s Kisses (book musical with new music)

1969–1970 1491 (book musical with new music)

• Appendix D: Discography

The following is a list of recordings of the musicals discussed in this book, including revivals. For more information about the recordings, see specific entries. The criterion for this list is that the recordings were officially on sale to the public at one time or another; entries in this book often cite demo recordings, but these aren’t included in the discography unless they were commercially released. Incidentally, of the ninety-eight book musicals with new music to premiere on Broadway during the decade, all but four were recorded (via cast albums, studio cast recordings, commercially released demos, or pop cover versions of songs from the scores). The discography includes all recordings except cover versions (if applicable, information about cover versions are included in a musical’s specific entry). The four musicals that appear to have never been commercially recorded are Café Crown, Come Summer, Billy, and Buck White. The first list cites recordings of those musicals that first opened in the 1960s. The second list reflects recordings of musicals that were revived in the 1960s but that were originally released prior to 1960. Annie Get Your Gun appears on both lists because the original production was recorded in 1946 (and thus belongs in the second list), and the 1966 revival was also recorded (thus, the first list). Earlier musicals (such as The Merry Widow) are included in the first list because a recording resulted directly from a 1960s revival.

RECORDINGS OF MUSICALS THAT FIRST OPENED IN THE 1960S All American Annie Get Your Gun Anya Anyone Can Whistle The Apple Tree At the Drop of Another Hat Bajour Baker Street Beg, Borrow or Steal (as Clara) Ben Franklin in Paris Beyond the Fringe Bravo Giovanni Bye Bye Birdie Cabaret Cambridge Circus Camelot Canterbury Tales Carnival!

Catch My Soul Celebration Christine Coco The Committee Darling of the Day Dear World Do I Hear a Waltz? Donnybrook! Do Re Mi Drat! The Cat! Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May Fade Out—Fade In A Family Affair Fiddler on the Roof Flora, the Red Menace Folies Bergère

549

550

APPENDIX D

1491 Foxy From the Second City Funny Girl A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum The Gay Life George M! The Girl Who Came to Supper Golden Boy Golden Rainbow The Grand Music Hall of Israel The Great Waltz Greenwillow Hair Half a Sixpence Hallelujah, Baby! A Hand Is on the Gate The Happiest Girl in the World The Happy Time Hello, Dolly! Hello, Solly! Henry, Sweet Henry Here’s Love Here’s Where I Belong Her First Roman High Spirits Holly Golightly/Breakfast at Tiffany’s Hot September Hot Spot How Now, Dow Jones How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying I Can Get It for You Wholesale I Do! I Do! I Had a Ball Illya Darling Irma La Douce “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN” Jennie Jimmy A Joyful Noise Kean Kelly Kwamina La Grosse Valise La Strada Laughs and Other Events (’Ere’s Holloway recording) Les Poupées de Paris Let It Ride! Little Me Lock Up Your Daughters

Maggie Flynn Mame Man of La Mancha Mata Hari The Megilla of Itzik Manger The Merry Widow Milk and Honey Mr. President New Faces of 1968 No Strings Oh! What a Lovely War Oliver! On a Clear Day You Can See Forever 110 in the Shade Pickwick Pleasures and Palaces Pousse-Café Promises, Promises The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd Rugantino Sail Away 1776 She Loves Me Sherry! Show Girl Skyscraper Something More! Sophie Spoon River Anthology Stop the World—I Want to Get Off Subways Are for Sleeping Sweet Charity Tambourines to Glory Tenderloin 13 Daughters This Was Burlesque A Thurber Carnival A Time for Singing To Broadway with Love Tovarich The Unsinkable Molly Brown Wait a Minim! Walking Happy What Makes Sammy Run? Wildcat Wonderful World of Chemistry Young Abe Lincoln Zorba The Zulu and the Zayda

DISCOGRAPHY

RECORDINGS OF MUSICALS PRODUCED BEFORE 1960 BUT REVIVED IN THE 1960S Annie Get Your Gun Brigadoon Can-Can Carousel Comedy in Music The Consul The Cradle Will Rock Finian’s Rainbow Fiorello! Guys and Dolls The King and I Kismet Kiss Me, Kate The Most Happy Fella

The Music Man My Fair Lady Oklahoma! Pal Joey Porgy and Bess The Saint of Bleecker Street Show Boat The Sound of Music South Pacific Street Scene The Threepenny Opera/Die Dreigroschenoper West Side Story Where’s Charley? Wonderful Town

551

• Appendix E: Filmography

The following lists consist of film versions of revues and musicals that opened in the 1960s (the referenced Annie Get Your Gun was a televised film version of the 1966 revival) or film versions of revues and musicals revived in the 1960s but which were originally produced prior to 1960 (the referenced Annie Get Your Gun was a theatrical film released in 1950). For more information about a film, see the entry for the specific musical.

FILM VERSIONS OF REVUES AND MUSICALS THAT OPENED IN THE 1960S Annie Get Your Gun At the Drop of Another Hat Beyond the Fringe Bye Bye Birdie Cabaret Camelot Catch My Soul Do I Hear a Waltz? (television interview) Fiddler on the Roof Flora, the Red Menace From the Second City Funny Girl A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum George M! Golden Boy Hair Half a Sixpence Hello, Dolly! How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying I Do! I Do! Irma La Douce “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN”

Kean Ken Murray’s Hollywood Lock Up Your Daughters Mame Man of La Mancha Oh! What a Lovely War Oliver! On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Pickwick Red, White and Maddox Rugantino 1776 She Loves Me Show Girl Spoon River Anthology Stop the World—I Want to Get Off Subways Are for Sleeping (television documentary) Sweet Charity This Was Burlesque The Unsinkable Molly Brown Young Abe Lincoln

553

554

APPENDIX E

FILM VERSIONS OF REVUES AND MUSICALS PRODUCED BEFORE 1960 BUT REVIVED IN THE 1960S Annie Get Your Gun Brigadoon Can-Can Carousel Comedy in Music The Consul Finian’s Rainbow The Great Waltz Guys and Dolls The King and I Kismet Kiss Me, Kate The Merry Widow The Most Happy Fella

The Music Man My Fair Lady Oklahoma! Pal Joey Porgy and Bess The Saint of Bleecker Street Show Boat The Sound of Music South Pacific Street Scene West Side Story Where’s Charley? Wonderful Town

• Appendix F: Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas

The following is a chronological list of all operettas by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan that were revived in New York during the period from January 1, 1960, through December 31, 1969. The opening date, the number of performances, and the name of the producer are given after each title (all fifty-two revivals were produced at the New York City Center). Of the fourteen major works by Gilbert and Sullivan, the decade saw nine of them produced in New York: The Mikado, or The Town of Titipu; The Pirates of Penzance, or Love and Duty; The Gondoliers, or The King of Barataria; H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass That Loved a Sailor; Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri; Trial by Jury; The Yeomen of the Guard, or The Merryman and His Maid; Patience, or Bunthorne’s Bride; and Ruddygore [later, Ruddigore], or The Witch’s Curse. The five operettas not produced during the period were: Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old; The Sorcerer; Princess Ida, or Castle Adamant; Utopia (Limited), or The Flowers of Progress; and The Grand Duke, or The Statutory Duel. Incidentally, during the 1978–1979 season, the Light Opera of Manhattan (LOOM) offered thirteen of the operettas (Thespis wasn’t presented because most of the score is lost), including the first production of Utopia (Limited) since its 1894 New York premiere as well as the first ever New York showing of The Grand Duke. The The The The

Mikado (September 30, 1960; four performances; New York City Opera Company) Pirates of Penzance (October 6, 1960; four performances; New York City Opera Company) Mikado (January 17, 1961; eight performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) Pirates of Penzance (January 19, 1961; six performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Gondoliers (January 25, 1961; four performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (February 4, 1961; four performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (October 5, 1961; four performances; New York City Opera Company) The Mikado (November 4, 1961; three performances; New York City Opera Company) Iolanthe (April 11, 1962; three performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (April 12, 1962; four performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Mikado (April 14, 1962; five performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Gondoliers (April 18, 1962; three performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Mikado (October 13, 1962; two performances; New York City Opera Company) The Mikado (November 13, 1962; ten performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Gondoliers (November 15, 1962; five performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Iolanthe (November 17, 1962; four performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Pirates of Penzance (November 20, 1962; six performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Trial by Jury (November 22, 1962; seven performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (November 22, 1962; seven performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Mikado (October 12, 1963; three performances; New York City Opera Company) The Yeomen of the Guard (March 18, 1964; three performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company)

555

556

APPENDIX F

H.M.S. Pinafore (March 20, 1964; five performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Mikado (March 22, 1964; six performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) Patience (March 25, 1964; four performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Gondoliers (March 27, 1964; two performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Pirates of Penzance (March 28, 1964; four performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) Iolanthe (April 3, 1964; three performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) Iolanthe (November 17, 1964; seven performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Trial by Jury (November 19, 1964; ten performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (November 19, 1964; ten performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Pirates of Penzance (November 24, 1964; eight performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Mikado (November 26, 1964; ten performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Ruddigore (December 3, 1964; five performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (April 14, 1965; five performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) Patience (April 15, 1965; three performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Mikado (April 16, 1965; six performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Pirates of Penzance (April 20, 1965; four performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Yeomen of the Guard (April 21, 1965; two performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Mikado (November 17, 1966; nine performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Ruddigore (November 22, 1966; four performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (November 23, 1966; eight performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Patience (November 29, 1966; four performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Pirates of Penzance (April 25, 1968; seven performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (April 27, 1968; eight performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Mikado (May 1, 1968; eight performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) The Yeomen of the Guard (May 8, 1968; three performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) Patience (May 15, 1968; three performances; New York City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company) H.M.S. Pinafore (October 29, 1968; four performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Patience (October 31, 1968; four performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Mikado (November 1, 1968; eight performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) The Pirates of Penzance (November 6, 1968; four performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company) Iolanthe (November 8, 1968; four performances; D’Oyle Carte Opera Company)

• Appendix G: New York City Center Light Opera Company Productions

The following is a chronological list of all the New York City Center Light Opera Company productions discussed in this book. 1959–1960 Finian’s Rainbow The King and I 1960–1961 Show Boat South Pacific Porgy and Bess Pal Joey 1961–1962 Porgy and Bess Can-Can Brigadoon 1962–1963 Brigadoon Wonderful Town Oklahoma! Oklahoma! (return engagement) Pal Joey 1963–1964 The King and I West Side Story Porgy and Bess My Fair Lady

1964–1965 Brigadoon Guys and Dolls Kiss Me Kate 1965–1966 South Pacific The Music Man How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying The Most Happy Fella Where’s Charley? 1966–1967 Guys and Dolls Carousel Finian’s Rainbow The Sound of Music Wonderful Town 1967–1968 Brigadoon The King and I 1968–1969 My Fair Lady Carnival!

557

• Appendix H: New York City Opera Company Productions

The following is a chronological list of all the New York City Opera Company productions discussed in this book. 1959–1960 The Cradle Will Rock Street Scene The Consul 1961–1962 The Consul 1962–1963 Street Scene

1964–1965 Die Dreigroschenoper The Saint of Bleecker Street 1965–1966 The Consul 1966–1967 The Consul

559

• Appendix I: Music Theatre of Lincoln Center Productions

The following is a chronological list of all the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center productions discussed in this book. 1964–1965 The King and I The Merry Widow 1965–1966 Kismet Carousel Annie Get Your Gun

1967–1968 South Pacific 1968–1969 West Side Story 1969–1970 Oklahoma!

1966–1967 Show Boat Annie Get Your Gun (return engagement)

561

• Appendix J: Other Operetta Productions

The following is a chronological list of other operettas revived in New York during the period January 1, 1960, through December 31, 1969. After each title, the name of the composer is given, along with the production’s opening date, number of performances, and the name of the producer (all the productions were performed at City Center). The Merry Widow (Franz Lehar; October 21, 1962; three performances; The New York City Opera Company) The Merry Widow (Franz Lehar; October 13, 1963; four performances; The New York City Opera Company) La Vie Parisienne (Jacques Offenbach; March 10, 1964; eight performances; The Theatre de France Company, presented by Sol Hurok under the auspices of the City Center of Music and Drama and by arrangement with the government of the French Republic) The Merry Widow (Franz Lehar; October 10, 1964; three performances; The New York City Opera Company) Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss Jr.; October 11, 1964; four performances; The New York City Opera Company) Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss Jr.; September 25, 1965; four performances; The New York City Opera Company)

563

• Appendix K: Published Scripts

The following are lists of published scripts for all the musicals discussed in this book. See specific entries for information regarding publisher and publication dates. The criterion for these lists is that the scripts were officially on sale to the public at one time or another; entries in this book occasionally refer to unpublished manuscripts, which are not included in the following lists. The first list reflects published scripts of musicals that first opened during the 1960s, and the second reflects published scripts of musicals that were produced prior to 1960. Annie Get Your Gun appears on both lists; in the first list, it is the revised script of the 1966 revival (including the new song “An Old-Fashioned Wedding”), and in the second it is the script of the original 1946 production.

MUSICALS FIRST PRODUCED IN THE 1960S All American Annie Get Your Gun Anyone Can Whistle The Apple Tree Bajour Baker Street Ben Franklin in Paris Beyond the Fringe Bye Bye Birdie Cabaret Camelot Carnival! Celebration Do I Hear a Waltz? The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N Fade Out—Fade In Fiddler on the Roof Flora, the Red Menace Funny Girl A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum The Gay Life Golden Boy Golden Rainbow Hair Half a Sixpence Hello, Dolly! Henry, Sweet Henry

How Now, Dow Jones How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying I Can Get It for You Wholesale Little Me Lock Up Your Daughters Maggie Flynn Mame Man of La Mancha No Strings Oh! What a Lovely War On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Pickwick Promises, Promises 1776 She Loves Me Skyscraper The Student Gypsy, or “The Prince of Liederkranz” Sweet Charity Tambourines to Glory Tenderloin A Thurber Carnival The Unsinkable Molly Brown Walking Happy What Makes Sammy Run? The Yearling Zorba The Zulu and the Zayda 565

566

APPENDIX K

MUSICALS FIRST PRODUCED PRIOR TO 1960 Annie Get Your Gun Brigadoon Carousel The Consul The Cradle Will Rock Finian’s Rainbow Fiorello! Guys and Dolls The King and I Kismet Kiss Me, Kate The Most Happy Fella The Music Man

My Fair Lady Oklahoma! Pal Joey Porgy and Bess The Saint of Bleecker Street Show Boat The Sound of Music South Pacific Street Scene The Threepenny Opera/Die Dreigroschenoper West Side Story Where’s Charley? Wonderful Town

• Appendix L: Theatres

The following is an alphabetical list of the theatres where all the productions discussed in this book opened; under the name of each theatre are the titles of the productions (all productions are listed chronologically). Included are the names of productions that transferred to other theatres (e.g., Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Imperial Theatre, and is listed as such, but it can also be found in entries for the Majestic and Broadway Theatres because it transferred to these two theatres; transfer productions are so noted). Alvin Theatre (Alvin Theatre, Neil Simon Theatre) Greenwillow Wildcat Irma La Douce (transfer) New Faces of 1962 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum High Spirits

Maurice Chevalier at 77 Flora, the Red Menace The Yearling “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN” Sherry! The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N

Ambassador Theatre Stop the World—I Want to Get Off (transfer) The World of Charles Aznavour Celebration Anta Theatre (Guild Theatre, ANTA [Playhouse] Theatre, Virginia Theatre, August Wilson Theatre) A Thurber Carnival The Conquering Hero A Thurber Carnival (return engagement) Maggie Flynn Anta Washington Square Theatre (demolished) Man of La Mancha Belasco Theatre (Stuyvesant Theatre, Belasco Theatre) Spoon River Anthology (transfer) Billy Rose Theatre (National Theatre, Billy Rose Theatre, Trafalgar Theatre, Nederlander Theatre) A Family Affair Here’s Where I Belong The Threepenny Opera (1966 revival) Billy Biltmore Theatre (Biltmore Theatre, Samuel J. Friedman Theatre) Hair Booth Theatre Spoon River Anthology At the Drop of Another Hat

New Faces of 1968 Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato (return engagement) 567

568

APPENDIX L

Broadhurst Theatre Sail Away Bravo Giovanni No Strings (transfer) 110 in the Shade Oh! What a Lovely War

Kelly Half a Sixpence Cabaret The Fig Leaves Are Falling

Broadway Theatre (B.S. Moss’s Colony Theatre, Universal’s Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss’s Colony Theatre, Broadway Theatre) Kean Annie Get Your Gun (1966 return engagement) Tovarich Funny Girl (second transfer) The Girl Who Came to Supper The Happy Time Folies Bergère Cabaret (second transfer) Zizi Mame (transfer) Baker Street Fiddler on the Roof (second transfer) A Time for Singing Brooks Atkinson Theatre (Mansfield Theatre, Brooks Atkinson Theatre) Vintage ’60 Sing Israel Sing An Evening with Josephine Baker Sing Israel Sing (return engagement) Let’s Sing Yiddish Trumpets of the Lord Cort Theatre The Zulu and the Zayda Gilbert Becaud Sings Love Red, White and Maddox Eden Theatre (Yiddish Arts Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Eden Theatre, Village East Cinema) Man of La Mancha (second transfer) Ethel Barrymore Theatre Laughs and Other Events Beyond the Fringe ’65 Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato Eugene O’Neill Theatre (Forrest Theatre, Coronet Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theatre) Show Girl She Loves Me Young Abe Lincoln Something More! Let It Ride! Canterbury Tales 54th Street Theatre (Craig Theatre, Adelphi Theatre, Radiant Center, Yiddish Arts Theatre, Adelphi Theatre, 54th Street Theatre, George Abbott Theatre) Bye Bye Birdie (first transfer) The Student Gypsy, or “The Prince of Liederkranz” 13 Daughters What Makes Sammy Run? Kwamina La Grosse Valise Do Re Mi (transfer) Darling of the Day No Strings Buck White Bamboche! 46th Street Theatre (Chanin’s 46th Street Theatre, 46th Street Theatre, Richard Rodgers Theatre) Christine Do I Hear a Waltz? Finian’s Rainbow (May 1960 revival) Pickwick Tenderloin Pousse-Café Donnybrook! I Do! I Do! How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying 1776

THEATRES

569

Henry Miller’s Theatre (Henry Miller’s Theatre, Park-Miller Theatre, Avon-at-the-Hudson, Xenon, Kit Kat Klub, Henry Miller’s Theater, Stephen Sondheim Theatre) The Hollow Crown The Committee An Evening with Josephine Baker (transfer) Hello, Solly! Hudson Theatre (Hudson Theatre, Savoy Theatre, Hudson Theatre; since 1968, no longer a functioning theatre) This Was Burlesque How to Be a Jewish Mother Imperial Theatre Carnival! Oliver! Fiddler on the Roof

Cabaret (first transfer) Zorba

John Golden Theatre (Theatre Masque, John Golden Theatre) Comedy in Music/Opus 2 An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May Ken Murray’s Hollywood An Evening with Yves Montand Wait a Minim! Beyond the Fringe The Megilla of Itzik Manger Beyond the Fringe ’64 Little Theatre (Little Theatre, Anne Nichols’ Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Little Theatre, Winthrop Ames Theatre, Little Theatre, Helen Hayes Theatre) Tambourines to Glory Double Dublin Longacre Theatre A Hand Is on the Gate Gilbert Becaud on Broadway The Megilla of Itzik Manger (return engagement) Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (Globe Theatre, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre) Little Me Marlene Dietrich (1967 engagement) Wiener Blut (1964 revival) How Now, Dow Jones Ben Franklin in Paris Her First Roman Bajour (transfer) Come Summer Skyscraper The New Music Hall of Israel Walking Happy La Strada Lyceum Theatre (New Lyceum Theatre, Lyceum Theatre) The Golden Age Majestic Theatre Camelot Hot Spot Tovarich (first transfer) Jennie Anyone Can Whistle A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (second transfer)

Golden Boy Funny Girl (first transfer) Fiddler on the Roof (first transfer) 1776 (transfer)

570

APPENDIX L

Mark Hellinger Theatre (Hollywood Theatre, Warner Brothers Theatre, 51st Street Theatre, Mark Hellinger Theatre, Times Square Church; since 1989, no longer a functioning theatre) Rugantino Illya, Darling A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum I’m Solomon (first transfer) Marlene Dietrich (1968 engagement) Fade Out–Fade In Dear World On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Coco A Joyful Noise Man of La Mancha (third transfer) Martin Beck Theatre (Martin Beck Theatre, Al Hirschfeld Theatre) Beg, Borrow or Steal Oliver! (return engagement) Bye Bye Birdie Drat! The Cat! The Happiest Girl in the World Hallelujah, Baby! Milk and Honey Baker Street (transfer) Cafe Crown Man of La Mancha (first transfer) I Had a Ball New York City Center (Mecca Temple [Auditorium], [New York] City Center) The Cradle Will Rock (1960 revival) Brigadoon (1964 revival) Street Scene (1960 revival) Porgy and Bess (1965 revival) The Consul (1960 revival) Die Dreigroschenoper (1965 revival) Finian’s Rainbow (May 1960 revival) The Saint of Bleecker Street (1965 revival) The King and I (1960 revival) Guys and Dolls (1965 revival) Show Boat (1961 revival) Kiss Me, Kate (1965 revival) South Pacific (1961 revival) South Pacific (1965 revival) Porgy and Bess (1961 revival) The Music Man (1965 revival) Pal Joey (1961 revival) The Saint of Bleecker Street (1965 revival) The Consul (1962 revival) Oklahoma! (1965 revival) Porgy and Bess (1962 revival) How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying Can-Can (1962 revival) (1966 revival) Brigadoon (1962 revival) The Most Happy Fella (1966 revival) Fiorello! (1962 revival) Where’s Charley? (1966 revival) Brigadoon (1963 revival) Guys and Dolls (1966 revival) Wonderful Town (1963 revival) Carousel (1966 revival) Finian’s Rainbow (1967 revival) Oklahoma! (1963 revival) The Sound of Music (1967 revival) Oklahoma! (1963 return engagement) Wonderful Town (1967 revival) Street Scene (1963 revival) Brigadoon (1967 revival) Pal Joey (1963 revival) The King and I (1968 revival) The King and I (1963 revival) My Fair Lady (1968 revival) West Side Story (1964 revival) Carnival! (1968 revival) Porgy and Bess (1964 revival) My Fair Lady (1964 revival) New York State Theatre The King and I (1964 revival) The Merry Widow (1964 revival) Kismet (1965 revival) Carousel (1965 revival) Street Scene (1966 revival) The Consul (1966 revival)

Annie Get Your Gun (1966 revival) Show Boat (1966 revival) The Consul (1966 revival) South Pacific (1967 revival) West Side Story (1968 revival) Oklahoma! (1969 revival)

THEATRES

Palace Theatre Sweet Charity Judy Garland at Home at the Palace Buddy Hackett/Eddie Fisher

Henry, Sweet Henry The Grand Music Hall of Israel George M!

Plymouth Theatre (Plymouth Theatre, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre) From A to Z The Beast in Me Irma La Douce Cambridge Circus Royale Theatre (Royale Theatre, John Golden Theatre, Royale Theatre, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre) The Billy Barnes People From the Second City St. James Theatre (Erlanger’s Theatre, St. James Theatre) Do Re Mi Mr. President Subways Are for Sleeping Hello, Dolly! Shubert Theatre Bye Bye Birdie (second transfer) The Gay Life I Can Get It for You Wholesale Stop the World—I Want to Get Off Here’s Love Oliver! (transfer)

Bajour The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd The Apple Tree Golden Rainbow Promises, Promises

Winter Garden Theatre West Side Story (return engagement) The Unsinkable Molly Brown All American Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden Nowhere to Go but Up Carnival! (transfer)

Sophie Tovarich (second transfer) Funny Girl Mame Jimmy

Ziegfeld Theatre (demolished) Maurice Chevalier Jack Benny Danny Kaye

Foxy Anya

571

• Bibliography

For the productions discussed in this book, I used source materials such as playbills, programs, souvenir programs, published and unpublished scripts, commercial and private recordings, commercial and private films, sheet music, flyers, window cards (posters), and newspaper advertisements. In addition, many published reference books were invaluable for both information and reality checks, and I’ve listed these below. The Best Plays. As of this writing, the most recent edition of this invaluable series is The Best Plays Theatre Yearbook of 2007–2008 (Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, editor). New York: Limelight Editions, 2009. Bloom, Ken. American Song: The Complete Musical Theatre Companion, 1900–1984 (two volumes), first edition. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985. ———. American Song: The Complete Musical Theatre Companion, Second Edition. New York: Schirmer Books, 1996. Day, Barry. Noel Coward: The Complete Lyrics. New York: The Overlook Press, 1998. Goldman, William. The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1969. Hart, Dorothy, and Robert Kimball (editors). The Complete Lyrics of Lorenz Hart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983. Kimball, Robert (editor). The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983. ———. The Complete Lyrics of Frank Loesser. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. ———. The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. ———. The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. Leonard, William Torbert. Broadway Bound: A Guide to Shows That Died Aborning. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1983. New York Theatre Critics’ Reviews. Vols. 20–30. New York: Critics’ Theatre Reviews, 1960–1970. See Note below. Norton, Richard C. A Chronology of American Musical Theatre (three volumes). New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Sondheim, Stephen. Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. Suskin, Steven. Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows and Careers of Broadway’s Major Composers (revised and expanded third edition). New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. ———. Opening Nights on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theater, Oklahoma (1943) to Fiddler on the Roof (1964). New York: Schirmer Books, 1990. ———. More Opening Nights on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Musical Theatre, 1965 Through 1981. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997. ———. Second Act Trouble: Behind the Scenes at Broadway’s Big Musical Bombs. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2006. Theatre World. As of this writing, the most recent edition of this important series is Theatre World Volume 68, 2011– 2012 (Ben Hodges and Scott Denny, editors). New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2013. Van Hoogstraten, Nicholas. Lost Broadway Theatres. Revised edition. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1997. Wlaschin, Ken. Gian Carlo Menotti on Screen: Opera, Dance and Choral Works on Film, Television and Video. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1999. Note: Virtually all the brief newspaper quotes in this book come from the annual series New York Theatre Critics’ Reviews. Both the inaugural volume in 1940 as well as the 1996 volume were published in New York by Critics’ Theatre Reviews. The early volumes did not credit an editor (the 1996 volume cites Pat Willard).

573

574

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Each volume includes the complete newspaper reviews of all plays and musicals to open on Broadway in a calendar year (the series doesn’t adhere to the traditional Broadway season, e.g., 1960–1961). Later volumes also include reviews of selected Off-Broadway and regional productions and reviews from magazines such as Newsweek, New York, the New Yorker, Time, and Variety. The 1960 volume contains all the newspaper reviews of all the shows to open during that year. To use Camelot as an example, the volume includes the musical’s seven complete newspaper reviews. (The reviews in the series were photographed directly from the newspapers, including the original headlines for the reviews. But actual photographs are included only in the later volumes of the series.) To continue using Camelot as an example, the newspaper reviews for the musical appear on pages 154–58 of the 1960 edition. In this book, I may quote a brief snippet from a review; if the reader wants to see the complete review, the 1960 edition will include the complete newspaper reviews as well as the dates of the reviews, along with the names of the critics and the newspapers. But the reviews don’t include the specific page numbers of the newspapers in which the reviews originally appeared.

• Index

Aaron, Stephen, 380 Abbott, George, 41–42, 93, 122, 124, 137, 235, 237, 247, 302, 339, 367, 432, 448, 493 Abbott, Tom, 228 Abrams, Bob, 139 Achille, Marcel, 135 Ackerman, Loni, 450, 468 Ackland, Joss, 31 Actman, Irving, 299, 377, 417 Adam, Noelle, 114 Adams, Don, 133 Adams, Jack, 492 Adams, Kenny, 129 Adams, Lee, 15, 17–18, 116–17, 210, 266–67, 356, 513 Adams, Paul, 402, 435 Adams, Roger, 269, 514 Adams, Samuel Hopkins, 42 Adamson, Harold, 94, 270 Adelson, Lenny, 248 Adkins, Gilbert, 184 Adler, Jerry, 324, 466 Adler, Richard, 98–100, 514–15 Adrian, 47–48, 51 Adrian, Max, 158–59 Agee, James, 15 Aghayan, Ray, 34, 463 Ahrens, Lynn, 341 Aidman, Charles, 188 Ailey, Alvin, 523, 526 Ainsley, William, 308 Akselrod, Marcel, 479 Albee, Edward, 419, 421, 454 Alberghetti, Anna Maria, 38, 68, 70, 317 Albery, Donald, 36, 147, 154, 207, 318 Albright, Jessica, 15 Alda, Alan, 72, 230, 384, 386 Alda, Robert, 218, 299 Alden, Robert, 242, 388–89 Aldredge, Theoni V., 118, 143, 223, 332, 362, 373, 409, 508 Aldrich, Margaret, 436 Aleichem, Sholem, 259, 260 Alessandrini, Gerard, 145

Alexander, Rod, 60 Ali, Muhammad, 521–23 Alixandre, 88 Alk, Howard, 87 All American, 116–18 Allan, Gene, 508 Allan, Ted, 262, 422 All-Corduroy Production, 458 Allen, Clifford, 411 Allen, David, 247 Allen, Elizabeth, 291–92, 404 Allen, Georgia, 497 Allen, Herbert, 247 Allen, Jay Presson, 393 Allen, John, 70 Allen, Jonelle, 450 Allen, Michael K., 459 Allen, Norman, 296 Allen, Rae, 328 Allen, Raymond, 233 Allen, Robert, 165 Allen, Steve, 170–71 Allen, Woody, 20–21 Allen-Hodgdon (producer), 296 Allers, Franz, 47, 51, 253, 255, 316, 319, 369, 378 Allinson, Michael, 512 Alloway, Jacqueline (Jackie), 450, 466 Alloy, Al, 53 Allwyn, Marilyn, 54 Almagor, Dan, 452 Aloha, 62 Aloha Hawaii, 62, 80–81 Alon, Meir, 453 Alpert, Larry, 93 Alswang, Ralph, 83, 133, 147, 207, 258, 271, 300, 327, 388, 403, 426, 479 Alton, Richard, 79 Alvarez, Anita, 24–25 Alvarez, Carmen, 238, 486 Amade, Louis, 388, 479 Ambrose, Martin, 400 Ameche, Don, 60–61, 362, 430–31 575

576

INDEX

America, Be Seated!, 243–44 Ames, Nancy, 304 Amonsin, Viraj, 71 Anania, John, 26, 152, 419 Anastasia, 339 The Anastasia Game, 341 Anden, Mathew, 288 Anderson, Joan, 33 Anderson, Jonathan, 382, 402, 408, 425, 435, 461 Anderson, Leroy, 163 Anderson, R. Alex, 81 Andes, Keith, 51, 338 Andrews, Barbara, 249 Andrews, Julie, 20, 47 Andrews, Nancy, 26, 152–53 Andreyev, Leonid, 527 Angel, Adrienne, 489 Angelo, Dom, 409 Anglin, Florence, 6, 178, 350 Annals, Michael, 468, 481–82 Annie, 494 Annie Get Your Gun, 369–71, 382–83 Ann-Margret, 17–18 ANTA-Goodspeed Production, 335 Antheil, George, 183, 217 Anthony, Joseph, 196, 419, 421, 464, 519 Anya, 338–41 Anyone Can Whistle, 222–25 Aplon, Boris, 339 Appell, Don, 91–92 The Apple Tree, 383–87 archy and mehitable, 3 Arenal, Julie, 455 Ari, 453 Aristophanes, 63–64 Arkin, Alan, 87 Arlen, Steven, 530 Armistead, Horace, 8, 120, 354, 383 Armstrong, Louis, 210, 242 Armstrong, Will Steven, 67, 70, 98, 107, 118, 278, 354, 463 Arnell, France, 344 Arno, Sig, 255 Arnold, Jeanne, 437, 527 Arnold, Paul, 463 Aronson, Boris, 53–54, 259, 391–93, 395, 486 Aronstein, Martin, 432, 448, 450, 452, 481, 488, 508, 521, 523 Around the World, 270 Around the World in 80 Days, 270 Arthur, Beatrice, 259, 364–67, 514–15 Arthur, Carol, 226 Arthur, Maureen, 97 Arthur, Tom, 111 Ashcroft, Peggy, 159 Askey, Darrell J., 76, 236 Association Française d’Action Artistique, 274 Aston, Frank, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 26, 28, 30, 35, 38, 41, 43, 49, 52, 57, 61, 65, 77 Astor, Suzanne, 243, 459

Atkins, Norman, 360 Atkinson, Brooks, 3, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 23, 28, 30, 35, 79, 94, 125, 294, 317, 466 Atkinson, David, 338, 370 Atkinson, Don, 63 Atkinson, Sarah, 352 Atlas, Allan, 40 Attenborough, Richard, 264 At the Drop of Another Hat, 403–4 Attles, Joseph, 98 Atwell, Lester, 302 Auberjonois, Rene, 527–30 Auer, Mischa, 255 Augie & Margo, 133 Aumont, Jean Pierre, 166–68 Auntie Mame, 365 Auric, Georges, 275 Aurthur, Robert Alan, 98 Avery, Brian, 362 Avian, Robert, 149 Aviv Dancers, 211 Awf’lly Nice, 308 Axe, Ronald, 34, 499 Axelrod, David, 243, 458 Ayers, Bob, 375 Ayers, Ken, 51, 377 Ayers, Lemuel, 163, 179, 304, 316, 346 Ayler, Ethel, 98 Aznavour, Charles, 327, 388, 479 Babatunde, Obba, 268 Bacharach, Burt, 429, 479, 488, 490 Baddeley, Hermione, 246, 499 Bagley, Ben, 88 Bailey, Pearl, 209 Bain, Conrad, 172 Baird, Bil, 285–86 Bajour, 276–78 Baker, David, 34, 341, 506 Baker, Jennifer, 141 Baker, Josephine, 211–13 Baker, Karin, 450 Baker, Susan, 141 Baker, Word, 111 Baker Street, 285–87 Bakey, Ed, 395 Bal, Jeanne, 104, 106 Balding, Ivor David, 380 Balistreri, Michael, 341 Ball, Diane, 54 Ball, Lucille, 51–53, 333, 366 Ball, William, 74, 121 Ballad for a Firing Squad, 470–71 Balanchine, George, 368 Ballantine, Carl, 514 Ballard, Clint, Jr., 375 Ballard, Kaye, 161–62, 179, 310–11, 375 Ballard, Lucinda, 104–6 Ball at the Savoy, 44

INDEX Balsam, Martin, 149 Bamboche!, 145–47 Bancroft, Anne, 93 Banjo Eyes, 94 Barclay, Humphrey, 265 Barefield, Eddie, 184 Barefield, Edward, 308 Barer, Marshall, 185, 354 Barker, Danny, 184 Barlow, Charles, 111 Barmak, Ira, 530 Barnes, Billy, 85–86 Barnes, Clive, 423, 431, 433–38, 441, 443, 446, 449, 451, 454, 462, 477, 482, 484–85, 487, 490, 492–94, 497–98, 500–502, 505, 507, 509, 511, 520, 522–23, 526, 529 Barnes, Irving, 74, 121, 232 Barnes, Mae, 243 Barnett, Art, 182, 359 Barney, Jay, 493 Baron, Sydney S., 200 Barratt, Watson, 129 Barrett, Betty, 2 Barris, Norman, 98 Barry, John, 406 Barry, Lee, 58 Barry, Rod(d), 341, 459 Barry, Roy, 341 Barry, Suzanne, 468 Barry, Thomas, 319 Barsha, Debra, 172 Barstow, Richard, 426 Bart, Lionel, 31, 154, 156, 318, 523 Barton, Donald, 367 Barton, John, 158–60 Bartow, Art, 269 Barzee, Anastasia, 268 Bash, Serena, 287 Basile, Jo, 251 Bass, Emory, 367 Bastian, Glenn, 495 Batchelder, William H., 304 Bate, Tom, 367 Bates, Lulu, 109 Bates, Rawley, 306 Batson, Susan, 450 Battles, John, 61–62 Bauer, Felice, 133 Baxley, Barbara, 175 Bay, Howard, 24, 66, 78, 91, 182, 314, 335–36, 338, 408, 422 Bayes, Sammy, 499 Bayless, Gene, 67 Beaber, Jack, 527 Beach, Scott, 258 Beamer, Keola, 60 Bean, Orson, 108 Beard, James, 473 The Beast in Me, 179–81 Beaton, Cecil, 42–43, 233, 473, 527, 530

577

Beattie, Herbert, 354 Beau James, 519, 521 Beaumont, Ralph, 78, 161, 298, 311, 341, 360, 377, 417 Becaud, Gilbert, 388–89, 479 Becher, Thomas, 111 Beck, Barbara, 430 Beck, Sydney, 201 Beck, Vincent, 527 Becker, Ed, 299 Becker, Edward, 519 Becker, Lee. See Theodore, Lee Becker Bedsow, Len, 170 Beene, Geoffrey, 419, 458 Beery, Lee, 517 Beg, Borrow or Steal, 1–3 Behan, Brendan, 83, 206 Bel Geddes, Edith Luytens, 131 Bellaver, Harry, 370–71 La Belle, 185–86 Belleran, Lisa, 524 Benedetti, Lino, 213 Ben Franklin in Paris, 268–71 Beniades, Ted, 29, 161, 266, 462 Bennett, Alan, 147–49, 207, 280 Bennett, Arnold, 439 Bennett, Joe, 228 Bennett, Linda, 281–82, 417 Bennett, Michael, 191, 193, 277, 400–401, 430–31, 488, 527 Bennett, Tony, 133 Benny, Jack, 165–66 Benson, Roy, 67 Benthall, Michael, 452, 527 Benton, Robert, 356, 358 Benzell, Mimi, 91–92 Bergersen, Baldwin, 206 Bergman, Alan, 272 Bergman, Ingrid, 339 Berkman, John, 466, 506 Berkowitz, Sol, 149, 151 Berlin, Irving, 143–45, 369–70 Berman, Shelley, 109–10 Bern, Mina, 389, 416–17 Bernard, Raymond, 388, 479 Bernardi, Herschel, 262, 276, 486–87 Bernie, Al, 308 Bernie, Dick, 290 Bernstein, Elmer, 432, 434 Bernstein, Ira, 442 Bernstein, Leonard, 5, 22, 62, 161, 163, 228, 289, 417, 474 Bernstein, Richard N., 70 Bernstein, Sid, 327, 400 Berry, Ken, 85–86 Berry, Mary Sue, 49, 174 Berse, Ellen, 91 Besoyan, Rick, 190–91 Best, Larry, 407 Betti, Henri, 251 Bettis, Valerie, 354 Beyond the Fringe, 147–49

578

INDEX

Beyond the Fringe ‘65, 280–81 Beyond the Fringe 1964, 207–8 Bhaskar, 26, 27, 28, 308 Bianco, Larry, 211 Bibb, Leon, 380, 382, 492–93 Bier, Burt, 91, 309, 332 Bierko, Craig, 315 Bigelow, Roger, 483 Bikel, Theodore, 230, 354, 356 Billy, 508–10 The Billy Barnes People, 85–86 Billy Budd, 510 Bines, David, 168 Birch, Pat, 23 Birdwood, Judy, 265 Bishop, Wesdon, 463 Bissell, Gene P., 458 Bittner, Jack, 182 Black, David, 265, 450 Blackman, Jack, 131 Blackstone, Milton, 139 Blackton, Jay, 26, 78, 93, 137, 143, 203, 362, 404, 450, 517 Blaine, Vivian, 299–300, 377 Blanc, Marie Lys, 274 Blankman, Howard, 246–47 Blass, Bill, 458 Blaszka, Felix, 274 Bleezarde, Gloria, 459 Blitzstein, Marc, 4, 289, 387–88 Blomberg, Jan, 387 Bloom, Leo, 324 Bloomgarden, Kermit, 104, 149, 223, 314, 409 The Blue Angel, 355 Blue Star, 93 Blyden, Larry, 124, 182, 215–16, 219, 384, 386 Blyth, Ann, 317 Bock, Jerry, 42–43, 137, 139, 175–76, 238, 259–62, 383, 481–82 Bogart, Paul, 305 Bogin, Abba, 12, 111, 360, 493 Bojar, Alvin, 251 Bolender, Todd, 185 Bolger, Ray, 116–17, 368, 506–7 Bolin, Shannon, 190 Bologna, Joseph, 436 Bolster, Stephen, 448 Bolton, Guy, 339–41 Bonard Productions, 158, 179 Bond, Rudy, 409 Bond, Sheila, 78 Bonfils, Helen, 10, 33, 88, 158, 179 Bonus, Ben, 389–90, 416–17 Booke, Sorrell, 137–38 Booth, Shirley, 292 Borden, Johnny, 91 Borge, Victor, 271–72 Borges, James, 82 Borodin, Alexander, 316 Bosco, Philip, 76–77

Bosler, Virginia, 160 Bosley, Tom, 138, 149, 448–49 Bostwick, Barry, 447 Bowab, John, 347, 364, 483, 493 Bowen, Roger, 259 Box, William, 85 Boyd, Thomas, 395 Boyer, Charles, 167 Bozyk, Max, 389, 416 Bozyk, Rose, 389, 416 Bracken, Eddie, 1, 3 Bradley, Brown, 373 Brambell, Wilfred, 282 Bramble, Mark, 80 Brand, Oscar, 399, 448 Brandeaux, Pal’mere, 308 Brando, Marlon, 300 Brandon, Bill, 318, 450 Brantley, Ben, 97, 145, 358 Brash, Marion, 288 Braswell, Charles, 33, 88, 172, 174 Braun, Roger, 450 Bravo Giovanni, 126–28 Brazzi, Rossano, 426 Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 418–22, 434 Breaux, Marx, 53, 107 Brecht, Bertolt, 288, 387 Breffort, Alexandre, 36 Brennan, Eileen, 187, 190, 208 Brian, Donald, 255 Briant, Roger, 474 Brice, Carol, 24, 66, 74, 121, 232, 408 Brice, Fanny, 212, 219–22, 252 Bricusse, Leslie, 141, 287, 306, 322 Brigadoon, 129–31, 160–61, 281–82, 435–36 Brighouse, Harold, 395 Bright, Patricia, 33 Brill, Fran, 497 Brill, Marty, 229 Bring Back Birdie, 18 Brinkley, David, 109 Brisson, Frederick, 527 Britten, Benjamin, 510 Broad, Jay, 497 Broad, Lois, 497 Broadhurst, Cecil, 247–48 Broderick, Matthew, 97, 315 Broderson, Moise, 415 Brodie, Steve, 283 Brodin, Helena, 387 Brogan, Patricia, 206 Brook, Bob, 308 Brook, Leonard, 492 Brook, Peter, 36, 38 Brook, Sara, 468 Brooke-Taylor, Tim, 265 Brooks, David, 143–44 Brooks, Donald, 114–15, 235, 243, 302, 328, 458, 488 Brooks, Lawrence, 250, 339, 341

INDEX Brooks, Mel, 116 Broome, John, 141 Brosset, Colette, 344–45 Broussolle, Jean, 388, 479 Brown, Forman, 255, 371 Brown, Georgia, 154 Brown, Jack, 269 Brown, Joe E., 66–67 Brown, John Mason, 79 Brown, Johnny, 266 Brown, Kelly, 19 Brown, L. Slade, 15, 116, 310, 400 Brown, Michael, 243 Brown, Molly Tobin, 45 Brown, Oscar, Jr., 83, 131–32, 521, 523 Brown, R. G., 111 Brown, Warren J., 143 Brown, William F., 458 Browne, Lori, 306 Browne, Roscoe Lee, 380 Brubeck, Dave, 375 Bruce, Carol, 78, 80, 111, 291, 431–32 Bruce, Eddie, 24 Bruning, Mary Ann, 211 Brunn, Francis, 426 Bruno, Jean, 1 Bryant, Ben, 354 Bryant, Joyce, 287 Brynner, Yul, 30 Bubbles, John, 426–27 Bucci, Mark, 34, 111 Buchanan, Frank, 248 Buck, Pearl S., 26, 28 Buckley, Robert, 178 Buck White, 521–23 Buffery, Anthony, 264 Bufman, Zev, 34, 521 Bulak, Cindi, 495, 519 Bull, Peter, 323 Bunim, Shmuel, 480 Bunt, George, 473 Burbridge, Edward, 521 Burke, Johnny, 14, 76–77, 184 Burlingame, Lloyd, 31 Burnett, Carol, 20, 236, 398 Burning Bright, 447 Burns, Barry, 22, 124, 228 Burns, David, 122, 208–9 Burns, Reese, 359 Burr, Donald, 332, 404 Burrows, Abe, 95, 98, 125–26, 217, 298, 359, 377, 418, 421 Burstein, Mike, 480 Burstein, Pesach, 480–81 Burton, Herschell, 521 Burton, Richard, 47, 51 Bury, John, 262 Bush, Ronald, 497 Bus Stop, 375 Butler, John, 83, 109, 111, 179

579

Butler, Michael, 455 Button, Dick, 242 Buwen, John, 168 Buzzi, Ruth, 347 Byatt, Irene, 425 Bye Bye Birdie, 15–19 Byrne, Gabriel, 51 Byrne, Gaylea, 314 Byrne, Kiki, 141 Byrs, Henry, 327 By the Beautiful Sea, 270, 279 Cabaret, 390–95 Cable, Howard, 422 Cabot, Ceil, 62 Cacoyannis, Michael, 411 Caen, Herb, 376 Caesar, Jimmy, 81 Caesar, Sid, 152–53 Café Crown, 229–31 Cagney, James, 451 Cahn, Sammy, 83, 242, 332, 334, 395, 443 Call, John, 362 Callaway, Bill, 514 Callin, Mickey, 23 Call Me Madam, 370 Calloway, Cab, 169, 209 Calta, Louis, 33, 80, 179, 221, 232–33, 347, 519 Calvi, Gerard, 344 Cambridge, Godfrey, 436–37 Cambridge Circus, 264–66 Camelot, 47–51 Cameron, John, 264 Cameron, Madge, 354 Camp, Hamilton, 258 Campbell, Douglas, 201 Campbell, Mark, 183, 217 Campbell, Patton, 58, 116, 335–36, 352 Canaday, John, 235, 321 Canadian Theatre Exchange Limited, 182 Canby, Vincent, 360, 362, 368, 371, 378, 418, 427–28, 430 Can-Can, 125–26 Cancilla, Elaine, 347 Canetti, Jacques, 100 The Canterbury Pilgrims, 501 Canterbury Tales, 499–501 Cantor, Arthur, 201, 258, 344 Canyon Productions, Inc., 523 Capote, Truman, 418 Cappy, Ted, 238 Carby, Fanny, 262 Cardell, Tony, 137 Caridi, Carmine, 492 Carlisle, Kevin, 137, 411, 437 Carney, Art, 302 Carnival!, 67–70, 492–93 Carnival in Flanders, 217 Carnovsky, Morris, 109–10 Carousel, 319–21, 402–3

580

INDEX

Carow, Joseph, 314 Carr, Lawrence, 25, 172, 347, 364, 493 Carradine, John, 502 Carroll, Bob, 238 Carroll, Danny, 450 Carroll, Diahann, 38, 114–16, 178 Carroll, Helena, 154 Carroll, June, 111, 458 Carroll, Ronn, 369, 408, 417 Carroll, Vinnette, 131–32, 510 Carron, Elisabeth, 178 Carson, Trudy, 459 Carter, Dixie, 254, 256, 319 Carter, Joey, 111 Carter, Terry, 98 Carver, John, 160 Cary, Claiborne, 466 Case, Allen, 411 Cash, Rosalind, 185 Casler, Richard, 339, 497 Caspary, Vera, 120 Cass, Lee, 360, 362 Cass, Peggy, 10–11, 33 Cassel, Walter, 399 Cassels, John, 264 Cassidy, Claudia, 184 Cassidy, Jack, 175–77, 236, 309, 356–59, 483, 485 Castel, Nico, 350 Castella, Bob, 100–101 Castelli, Bertrand, 455 Castle, Gene, 373, 451 Catanzaro, Tony, 382 Catch My Soul, 462–64 Cates, Joseph, 188, 217, 481 Cates Brothers, 188, 217 Catlett, Mary Jo, 208 Cavo, Nino, 310 Celebration, 495–97 Center Theatre Group, 463, 512 Cervantes, 337 Cervantes, Miguel de, 335 Chakiris, George, 23 Challenger, Rudy, 200 Chamberlain, Richard, 234, 418–19 Chambers, Ernest, 56 Champion, Gower, 15, 17, 19, 67–69, 208–10, 397, 437–39, 492, 495 Champion, Marge, 399 Champion-Six Inc., 397 Chandler, Richard, 495 Chanel, Coco, 527–30 Chaney, Stewart, 246 Channing, Carol, 56–57, 154, 208–10 Chaplin, Saul, 184 Chaplin, Sydney, 107–8, 114, 220, 222 Chapman, Christopher, 437 Chapman, Dave, 497 Chapman, Graham, 265

Chapman, John, 2–3, 11, 14–15, 17, 21, 28, 30, 38–39, 41, 43, 49, 52, 55, 57, 59, 61, 65, 73, 77, 86, 89, 91–93, 95– 96, 99, 105, 110, 113, 123, 127, 140–42, 145, 148, 151, 153, 155, 159, 167–69, 171, 174, 176, 181, 189, 191, 193, 196, 198, 201, 204, 214, 218–19, 225, 227, 231, 237, 259, 261, 264, 266–67, 270–71, 275, 277, 283, 286, 294, 298, 303, 307, 323, 325–26, 332, 334, 337, 340, 342–43, 349, 364, 386, 392, 396, 398, 401, 403–4, 406, 410, 413, 432, 434, 437, 439, 441, 446, 449, 451, 454, 460, 477, 482, 488, 494, 496, 500, 503, 505, 507, 509, 511, 520, 522–23, 526, 529 Chapman, Robert, 510 Chapman, William, 12, 71, 120, 350 Chappell, Fred, 497 Charlap, Mark “Moose,” 58, 60, 282 Charles, Keith, 495 Charley’s Aunt, 367 Charmoli, Tony, 40, 464 Charnin, Martin, 22, 172, 174–75, 248, 469, 524 Chastain, Don, 114, 356 Chaucer, Geoffrey, 499 Chayes, Joel, 415 Chenoweth, Kristin, 199, 315, 330, 386, 491 Chen Wen, 247 Cherry, 375 Chevalier, Maurice, 153, 157–58, 169, 255, 295–96 Chiari, Walter, 104–5 Chickering, Allen L., 371 Child, Marilyn, 459 Chilton, Charles, 262 Chodorov, Jerome, 80, 161, 163, 278, 341, 371, 417, 464 Christine, 26–28 Christopher Columbus, 531 Christy, Eileen, 319 Chu Chem, 81, 422–23 Church, George, 179, 196 Chute, B. J., 12–13 Circle in the Square, 510 City Center of Music and Drama, Inc., 492 Claire, Nancy, 244 Clara, 1–2 Clark, Alexander, 129, 281, 304, 402, 435 Clark, Alice, 34 Clark, Jerry, 39 Clark, Oliver, 269 Clark, Peggy, 15, 45, 56, 88, 129, 139, 160–61, 163, 179, 182, 187, 203, 243, 276, 281, 299, 304, 313, 346, 359– 60, 367, 371, 377, 408, 414, 417, 435, 440, 464, 519, 530 Clark, Sterling, 45, 104, 223 Clarke, Douglas, 170 Clarke, Hope, 146 Classic Presentations Limited, 499 Clatworthy, David, 383 Claude Giraud Productions, 274 Clay, Cassius, 521–23 Cleese, John, 265 Clements, L. D., 187 Close, Glenn, 73 Cobert, Robert, 511

INDEX Cockett, Kalani, 81 Coco, 527–30 Coco, James, 445 Cocteau, Jean, 375 Coda, Frank, 262 Coe, George, 218, 364 Coe, John, 524 Coe, Peter, 32, 154, 318, 322 Cogan, Susan, 377 Coghill, Nevill, 499 Cohan, Alexander H., 39 Cohan, George M., 450–52 Cohan, Mary, 450 Cohen, Alexander H., 83, 100, 133, 147, 157, 207, 213, 215, 271, 285, 295, 300, 362, 403, 429, 466, 478, 501 Cohen, Judith, 172 Cohen, Martin B., 26 Cohen, Michael, 458 Cohen, Walter, 26 Colbert, Claudette, 167 Cole, Bobby, 426 Cole, Clay, 242 Cole, Dennis, 435 Cole, Jack, 76–77, 102–3, 122, 215, 249, 310–11, 316, 335–36, 422, 469 Coleman, Cy, 51–52, 152–53, 347–48 Coleman, Robert, 3, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 26, 28, 30, 35, 38–39, 43, 49, 52, 55, 57, 64, 77, 86, 89, 94, 96, 103, 105, 108, 110, 123, 125–26, 140, 142, 145, 148, 151, 155, 159, 169, 171, 174, 176, 181, 189, 191, 193 Coleman, Shepard, 190, 208, 210, 262, 430 Collins, Blanche, 328 Collins, Jack, 519 Collins, Una, 262 Collyer, David, 95 Colombini, Willy, 213 Colt, Alvin, 12, 26, 51, 60–61, 191, 244, 272, 305, 430, 442, 514 Coltellacci, Giulio, 213 Columbia Theatrical Enterprises, Inc., 274 Colyer, Austin, 359, 417, 483 Comden, Betty, 53, 107–8, 161, 163, 184, 235, 411, 413, 417 Come Back, Little Sheba, 375 Comedy in Music: Opus 2, 271–72 Come Summer, 506–8 The Committee, 258–59 Committee Productions, 258 Compass Fair, Inc., 238 Conforti, Gino, 132, 260, 335, 338, 530 Congdon, James, 432 Conklin, John, 200 Conley, Harry, 290 Conlow, Peter, 24, 243 Connell, Jane, 310, 364 Connelly, Marc, 180 Connery, Sean, 73 Connor, Jim, 322 The Conquering Hero, 58–60

581

Conrad, Marion, 251 The Consul, 8–10, 120–21, 353–54, 383 Continental Circus, 241 Continental Theatre Arts Corp., 308 Convy, Bert, 34–35, 149, 179, 391 Conway, Jack, 133 Cook, Barbara, 29–30, 104, 106, 175–77, 272, 320, 378–79 Cook, Carole, 468 Cook, Peter, 147–49, 207, 280, 380 Cook, Roderick, 102, 203, 476–78 Cook and Brown, 184 Cooke, Candace, 464 Cooke, Richard P., 381–82, 386, 392, 396, 398, 401, 404, 406, 413, 431, 434, 437, 439, 441, 443, 446, 449, 451, 460, 482, 485, 487, 496, 498, 500, 503, 505, 507, 511– 12, 520, 522–23 Cool Off!, 246–47 Cooper, Marilyn, 118, 120 Cooper, Roy, 499 Coopersmith, Jerome, 285, 383, 469 Copeland, Joan, 168 Copes, Juan Carlos, 111 Coppola, Anton, 126, 128, 213, 233, 313, 359, 473 Coppola, Francis Ford, 25 Coppola, William, 66 Coquatrix, Bruno, 444 Corbett, Jim, 111 Corby, Donald, 22 Corby, Joe, 469 Cordori, Joseph, 137 Corio, Ann, 290–91 Coronica, Lidia, 256 Corsaro, Frank, 337 Corto, Diana, 481 Corwin, Norman, 337 Costa, Muriel, 178. See also Greenspon, Muriel Costanza, Peter, 322 Costigan, James, 179, 181 Cottrell, William, 506 Countryman, William, 508 Coupe, Diane, 344 Courtney, Marguerite, 194 Cousins, Derek, 499 Coward, Noel, 88–90, 203–4, 226, 476–78 Cowles, Chandler, 4 Coxe, Louis O., 510 Crabtree, Don, 63, 170 The Cradle Will Rock, 4–6 Crawford, Cheryl, 194, 422, 495 Crawford, Douglas, 31 Crawford, Jerry, 121 Crawford, Joseph, 26, 137 Crawford, Michael, 124, 210 Crazy with the Heat, 271 Creatore, Luigi, 483 Cresson, James, 172, 174 Criss, Darren, 97 Crist, Judith, 26, 101, 169, 212, 252 Crofoot, Alan, 318

582

INDEX

Cronkite, Walter, 97 Cronyn, Hume, 398 Croshaw, James, 375 Crosille, Nicole, 251 Cross, Beverley, 296, 298 Crosson, Joanna, 360 Croswell, Anne, 166–67, 452–53 Crouse, Russel, 143–44, 413 Crowley, Bob, 321 Cryer, David, 506–7 Culbertson, Sandy, 242 Cullum, John, 47, 328, 530 Cumming, Alan, 290, 393 Cummings, Pat, 514 Cunningham, Beatrice, 238 Cunningham, John, 174, 486 Cunningham, Sarah, 331 Curnock, Richard, 262 Curry, Steve, 60, 228, 455 Curtis, Harry, 492 Curtis, Myron, 233 Cushman, Nancy, 332 Cutell, Lou, 70 Cypher, Jon, 335, 338 Dabdoub, Jack, 339, 481 Da Costa, Morton, 173, 238, 241, 315, 406, 483, 485 Dale, Grover, 88, 179, 296, 508–10 Dale, Ted, 82 Daley, Bob, 45 Dalrymple, Jean, 24, 28, 57, 66, 71, 74, 78, 125, 129, 137, 160–61, 163, 179, 182, 187, 228, 232–33, 281, 298, 303, 313–14, 346, 359–60, 367, 377, 402, 408, 414, 417, 435, 461, 473, 492 Dalton, Peter, 262 Damon, Cathryn, 215, 506 Damon, Stuart, 19, 36, 246, 291 Damone, Vic, 317 Dan, Yoel, 518 Dancin’, 59 Daniel, Billie Lynn, 74 Daniele, Graciela, 218 Daniels, Danny, 116, 226, 369, 373, 395–96, 512, 530 Daniels, William, 503, 506 Danner, Blythe, 469–70 Danner, Harry, 276 Danny Kaye, 168–69 Dante, Ron, 508 D’Antonakis, Fleury, 291 D’Arcy, Richard, 56 Darden, Michael, 24 Darden, Severn, 87 Darian, Anita, 66–67, 187, 294, 322, 462 Darin, Bobby, 43 Darion, Joe, 335, 338, 409, 480 Darling, Robert, 265 Darling of the Day, 439–41 Darrieux, Danielle, 528 Da Silva, Howard, 4–5, 185, 331, 504–5

Dassin, Jules, 409–10 Davalos, Richard, 448 Davenport, Pembroke, 29, 60, 102, 139, 182, 185, 187, 249, 278, 304, 346, 367 David, Clifford, 51, 400 David, Hal, 488, 490 David, Mack, 388, 479 Davidson, John, 346–47 Davies, Brian, 122–23 Davies, Spencer, 85 Davies, Valentine, 191 Davis, Bob, 81 Davis, Buster, 411, 440 Davis, Cherry, 154 Davis, Donald, 28 Davis, Drusilla, 466 Davis, Harry, 126 Davis, James, 443 Davis, Joe, 36, 429, 478 Davis, Luther, 316 Davis, Meyer, 244 Davis, Michael, 10, 33, 347 Davis, Ossie, 331 Davis, Owen, 28 Davis, Patti, 432 Davis, Sammy, Jr., 142, 266–68, 290, 349 Davis, Virgil, 81 Davison, Jack, 314, 364 Day, Edith, 90 Deal, Borden, 400 Dean, James, 446, 448 De Arco, Delfino/Delphino, 60, 71 Dear World, 501–3 de Beer, Gerrit, 322 DeComier, Robert, 63 Deeks, Jean, 249 Deems, Mickey, 34, 310 Deering, Diane, 196 de Franco, Tony, 308 de Ghelder, Stephan, 495 de Hartog, Jan, 397 De Koven, Reginald, 501 Delanoe, Pierre, 388, 479 de la Passadiere, Guy, 354, 356 de Lappe, Gemze, 163, 319, 346, 402, 435, 517 de la Renta, Oscar, 458 de Lavallade, Carmen, 83, 211–12 Delfont, Bernard, 141, 306, 322 de Liagre, Alfred, Jr., 98 Dell, Gabriel, 125, 161, 163, 223 del Monte, George, 125 DeLon, Jack, 243, 299, 350, 360, 402 Delta Rhythm Boys, 133 DeLuise, Dom, 190 De Martin, Imelda, 281 de Mille, Agnes, 98–100, 129–30, 160, 163, 165, 179, 196, 198, 281, 319, 346, 402, 435, 506, 517 de Min, Jacqueline, 274 Dempsey, Mark, 469

INDEX Dennis, Patrick, 152, 364–65 Dennison, Mac, 290 de Peri, Panchita, 274 Derefinko, Rod, 495 Derval, Paul, 251 DeSal, Frank, 493 Desilu Productions, Inc., 51, 362 DeSio, Al, 76, 102, 310, 453, 486, 527 Detroy, Gene, 168 Deutsch, Helen, 67, 69, 492 Deval, Jacques, 166–67 Devlin, John, 508 Devlin, Sandra, 54 De Vries, Peter, 458 De Witt, Fay, 34–36, 179, 191 De Wolfe, Billy, 359–60 Dexter, Alan, 314 Dexter, Joan, 308 Dexter, John, 291 Dhery, Robert, 344–45 Dhigh, Khigh, 422 D’Honau, Lillian, 78, 182 D’Honau, Marilyn, 512 Dialogue Black/White Company, 522 Diamond, I. A. L., 488, 489 Diaz, Natascia, 70 Dibble, Peter Davis, 511 Dick Button’s Ice-Travaganza, 242 Dickens, C. Stafford, 88 Dickens, Charles, 154, 318, 322 Dickens, Hamp, 228 Dickey, Annamary, 254 Die Dreigroschenoper, 288–90 Diehl, Bill, Jr., 497 Diener, Joan, 185–86, 335 Dierking, Sharon, 395 Dietrich, Dena, 445 Dietrich, Marlene, 56–57, 355, 429–30, 478–79 Dietz, Howard, 104–6, 194, 196 Dieu, Nicole, 274 Diffen, Ray, 512 The Difficult Women, 135 Di Giuseppe, Enrico, 294 Dillard, William, 232 Dilworth, Gordon, 328 Diplomat Production, 442 Dixon, Bob, 58 D’Lugoff, Burt Charles, 131 Do I Hear a Waltz?, 291–93 Dolan, Robert Emmett, 182, 215–16, 527 Domingo, Placido, 235 Domnitz, William, 497 Donahue, Robert, 418 Donaldson, William, 147, 207 Donath, Ludwig, 175 Donehue, Vincent J., 194 Donnybrook!, 76–78 Donovan, Linda, 194 Doolittle, James A., 56, 256

583

Doonan, Tony, 344 Do Re Mi, 53–56 Dorrin, John, 218, 369, 408, 453 Double Dublin, 205–7 Douglas, Larry, 481, 483 Douglass, Stephen, 196, 378–79 Dowlen, Glenn, 120 Doyle, Arthur Conan, 285 Doyle, David, 1 Drake, Alfred, 31, 102–3, 213, 215, 249, 316–17 Drake, Ervin, 217, 219, 481 Drat! The Cat!, 324–26 Drescher, Fran, 51 Dreyfuss, Richard, 183 Driving Miss Daisy, 447 Dubey, Matt, 133–34 DuBois, Jeannette, 266 Duckworth, Dortha, 12 Duke, Milton, 468 Duke, Vernon, 94, 248, 250 Dumas, Alexandre pere, 102 Dumas and Son, 464–66 Dumont, Ed, 126 Duncan, Andrew, 87 Duncan, Sandy, 408, 414 Dunford, Judith, 310 Dunham, Katherine, 146–47 the Dunhills, 168 Dunn, Elaine, 182 Dunn, Ralph, 42, 182 Duntiere, Victor, 313 Dupont, Jacques, 344 Duquette, Tony, 47–48, 51 Durant, Jack, 182 Durgin, Cyrus, 32 Durning, Charles, 324, 437 Dushock, Dorothy, 78, 182 Dussault, Nancy, 56, 276, 402, 408 Duvivier, Julien, 373 Dvonch, Frederick, 291, 414 Dyson, Ronald, 455 Eager, Edward, 213, 215 Earle, Richard, 82 Eason, Myles, 233, 235 East of Eden, 446–47 Easton, Sheena, 337 Eaton, Sally, 455 Ebb, Fred, 20, 34, 244, 302, 391, 395, 437, 485, 487 Ebner, Jacques, 344 Eck, Marsha, 510 Eckart, William and Jean, 63, 65, 93, 137, 175, 191, 194, 223–24, 235, 237, 243, 302, 331, 364, 411, 448, 483, 493, 514–15 Eddie Fisher/Buddy Hackett, 428 Eddie Fisher at the Winter Garden, 139–41 Eddleman, Jack, 131, 203 Ede, Diana, 236 Eden, Barbara, 317

584

INDEX

Edmonds, Louis, 310 Edmonds, Mitchell, 497 Edmund, Lada, 15 Edmund, Lada, Jr., 374 The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, 448–50 Edwards, Ben, 182 Edwards, Eugene, 232 Edwards, Paddy, 285 Edwards, Sherman, 503 Edward Specter Productions, 430 Edwin H. Morris & Co., Inc., 432 Eggerth, Marta, 255 Ehara, Mary, 394 Elder, Eldon, 213, 480 Elgar, Anne, 350 Elkins, Hillard, 266 Ellen, Sandy, 324 Ellington, Duke, 354–55 Ellington, Mercedes, 182 Ellinson, Izzy, 94 Elliott, Don, 10, 12, 33, 179–81 Elliott, Leonard, 104 Ellis, Lucille, 146 Elmore, Stephen (Steve), 194, 282 Elson, Charles, 51 Elston, Robert, 188 Emery, Karl, 497 Emka Ltd., 58 Emmanuel, Ivor, 362 Engel, Lehman, 4, 53, 118, 161, 179–80, 217, 276, 344 Englander, Roger, 120 Ensslen, Dick, 276, 448 Epic Production, 266 Epstein, Alvin, 19, 21, 114 the Erani Corporation, 476 Erickson, Philip, 354, 383 Ericson, Raymond, 121, 351, 354 Errico, Melissa, 234 Eskow, Jerome, 230 Essler, Fred, 371 the Establishment Theatre Company, Inc., 380 Esterow, Milton, 71, 130–31, 138 Evans, Beverly, 354, 383 Evans, David, 122 Evans, Maurice, 42, 44 Evans, Ray, 93, 95 Evans, Raymond, 375 Evans, Wilbur, 338 Even, Jean, 493 An Evening with Maurice Chevalier, 157–58 An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May, 39–40 An Evening with Yves Montand, 100–102 Everett, Tanya, 259 Everhart, Rex, 333, 505 Ewell, Tom, 10 Eyre, Richard, 264 Fabray, Nanette, 143, 145 Fabregas, Manolo, 187

Fabrizi, Aldo, 213 Fade Out–Fade In, 218–19, 235–38, 267 Fagan, Joan, 76–77, 199 Fain, Sammy, 26–27, 270, 272–73 Fair, Joseph, 383 Falco, Anthony, 269, 302 Falzone, Peter, 341 A Family Affair, 109–11 Farber, Sandy, 190 Farbman, Abel, 166 Farjeon, Herbert, 22 Farrell, Shellie, 182 Farrell, Walter, 58 Farren, Jack, 448 Faye, Joey, 299 Fazan, Eleanor, 147, 207 Fearl, Clifford, 269, 501 Fearnley, John, 28, 71, 129, 139, 160, 163, 179, 187, 232, 281, 303, 346, 414, 461 Featherstone, Kevin, 408 Feder (lighting), 12, 47, 233, 328, 402, 461, 473, 492 Feiffer, Jules, 375, 384, 386 Feigay, Paul, 242 Fein, Irving A., 165 Feingold, Michael, 290 Felder, Clarence, 497 Felhaber, Fred R., 339 Fellini, Federico, 347, 524 Fenn, Jean, 90, 371, 530 Ferber, Edna, 65, 378 Ferguson, Maynard, 83 Ferrer, Jose, 203, 219, 317, 338 Fesco, Michael, 111 Feuer, Cy, 95, 98, 152, 332, 395 Fialkov, Max, 170 Fibich, Felix, 389–90, 416 Fibich, Judith, 416 Fiddler on the Roof, 259–62 Field, Ronald, 149, 151, 230–31, 378, 391, 395, 406, 486 Fielding, Harold, 296 Fielding, Henry, 31 Fields, Dorothy, 347–48, 369 Fields, Herbert, 369 Fields, Joseph, 161, 163, 417 Fields, Julius, 316 Fields, Lynn, 371 The Fig Leaves Are Falling, 493–95 Finian’s Rainbow, 24–26, 407–9 Finkle, David, 452 Finneran, Katie, 491 Fiorello!, 137–39 Fischer, Howard, 51, 408 Fisher, Eddie, 139–41, 428 Fisher, Jules, 188, 223, 226, 244, 291, 296, 310, 322, 341, 380, 387, 425, 444–45, 455, 466, 499, 510, 512 Fisher, Lola, 137 Fitzell, Roy, 371 Flaherty, Stephen, 341 Flahooley, 143

INDEX Flaiano, Ennio, 347, 524 Flanders, Michael, 403–4 Flatt, Ernest, 235, 356 Flavelle, Robert, 182 Flaxman, John, 483 Flemming, Carol, 211 Fletcher, Bill, 190 Fletcher, Jack, 466 Fletcher, Robert, 63, 65, 95, 109, 149, 152, 185, 215, 226, 395 Fleutsch, Martin, 247 Flora, the Red Menace, 301–3 Flores, Paul, 187, 462 Fodor, Joleen, 190 Fogel, Al, 518 Fogelson, E. E., 201 Folies Bergère, 251–53 Fontaine, Norman, 371 Fontaine, Robert L., 437 Fontanne, Lynn, 305 Foote, Gene, 347 Forbes, Brenda, 440 Forbes, Esther, 506 Ford, David, 503 Ford, Frank, 404 Ford, John, 76 Ford, Paul, 10, 33 Forello, Ronn, 314 Forman, Milos, 458 Forrest, George, 102–3, 316, 339, 371, 464 Forrest, Paul, 519 Fosse, Bob, 59, 78, 80, 95, 152–54, 162, 182, 305, 309, 347–50, 359, 393 Foster, Gloria, 380 Foster, Judy, 70 Foster, Leesa, 74–75, 121 Foster, Marie, 12 1491, 530–31 Fowler, Gene, 519 Fownes, Henry, 481 Fox, Frederick, 87, 344 Fox, Herbert O., 274 Fox, Janet, 404 Foxy, 81, 182–84, 215–17 Foy, Eddie, 76–77 Foy, Eddie, Jr., 311 France, Richard, 66, 137, 163, 179, 218, 346–47, 492 Franchi, Sergio, 292 Francis, Nick, 290 Francks, Don, 25, 282 Frank, Dorothy, 42 Frank, Dottie, 459 Frank, Sherman, 58, 211, 354 Franklin, Anna, 514 Franklin, Daniel, 416 Frank Productions, Inc., 12, 95, 309, 352, 499 Fraser, Ann, 129, 160, 163 Fraser, Ian, 322 Fraser, Ronald, 344

Frawley, James, 223 Fredericks, Lydia S., 220 Fredericks, Norman, 45 Fredericks, Richard, 120 Fredricks, Rita, 380 Freed, Les, 373 Freedman, Gerald, 228, 242, 362, 364 Freeman, Bud, 1 Freeman, Everett, 248 Freeman, Gerald, 104 Freeman, Stan, 278, 280, 478–79 Freitag, Dorothea, 131 Freund, Kim, 437 Frey, Leonard, 261 Frey, Nathaniel, 175, 448–49 Friberg, Carl, 458 Fried, Howard, 178 Friedman, Bruce Jay, 514–15 Frierson, Andrew, 6, 178, 287–88 Frings, Ketti, 395 Frock, Richard, 371 Froehlich, Rico, 126, 128, 194, 243 The Frogs, 64 From A to Z, 19–22 From the Second City, 87–88 Frye, Ben, 26 Fryer, Robert, 25, 172, 347, 364 Fuerst, Jim, 111 Fuhrman, Richard, 492 Fujikawa, Jerry, 356 Fujimoto, Haruki, 422 Fuller, Larry, 128 Funke, Lewis, 67, 73, 126, 182, 187, 207, 212, 229, 282, 314, 316, 318, 420, 518 Funny Girl, 219–22 Funny Lady, 222 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 121–24 Fuqua, V. C., 354 Furman, Ariel, 480 Furse, Roger, 322 Furth, George, 173–74 Gabel, Martin, 285–86 Gabor, Eva, 168 Gabrielle, 389 Gabrielle, Josefina, 164 Gagh (Jerry Gaghan), 283 Gaige, Truman, 464 Gaines, Leonard P., 243 Gale, Richmond, 40 Galjour, Warren, 161 Gallico, Paul, 67, 492 Galloway, Leata, 268 Gamboa, Marcello, 344, 492 Gampel, Chris, 203 Ganay, Lydia Pinkus, 518 Gannon, James, 76 Garces, John, 187

585

586

INDEX

Garde, Betty, 163, 165, 179 Gardell, Tony, 26 Gardiner, Reginald, 235 Gardner, Rita, 109, 111, 270 Garfield, John, 267 Garinei, Pietro, 213 Garland, Judy, 103, 177, 426–27 Garlock, Tommy, 34 Garner, Jay, 498 Garrett, Betty, 1, 188 Gary, Harold, 93 Gasper, Eddie, 22, 36, 493 Gaus, Robert T., 375 Gavon, Igors, 208 Gay, John, 288, 387 The Gay Desparado, 135 The Gay Life, 104–5 Gaynes, George, 9, 120, 125–26 Gaynor, Charles, 56–57 Gaynor, Mitzi, 73 Gebirtig, Mordecai, 389 Geer, Will, 196 Geiss, Tony, 111, 458 Gelb, Arthur, 25, 87 Gelbart, Larry, 58, 122, 124, 154, 183 Geleznova, Katia, 166 Genevieve, 125 Gennaro, Peter, 45, 143, 276–77, 519–21 Gentlemen, Be Seated!, 244 Gentry, Michael, 116 George, George W., 269 George M!, 450–52 Gerard, Philippe, 251 Gerard, Rolf, 36, 166 Gerber, Ella, 287 Gerber, Ludwig, 146 Gershwin, George, 73, 75, 232, 287 Gershwin, Ira, 73, 121, 169, 232, 287 Gerstacker, Friedrich, 131 Gerstad, John, 506 Gersten, Berta, 170 Gerstman, Felix G., 211, 256 Gesner, Clark, 458 Get on Board! The Jazz Train, 184–85 Get Thee to Canterbury, 500–501 Geyans, Jon. See Gaynes, George Ghostley, Alice, 10, 375–76 Gibson, Julie, 308 Gibson, Scott, 74, 121 Gibson, William, 266 Gielgud, John, 264 Giftos, Elaine, 459 Gigi, 48 Gilad, Ami, 415–16 Gilbert, Justin, 101, 153 Gilbert, W. S., 555–56 Gilbert, Willie, 95, 98, 172, 359 Gilbert Becaud on Broadway, 388–89 Gilbert Becaud Sings Love, 479

Gildin, Leon H., 518 Gilford, Jack, 122–24, 391 Gilkey, Stanley, 182 Gill, Brendan, 185, 526 Gill, Geula, 444, 518 Gillette, Anita, 106, 117–18, 143, 299 Gilroy, Harry, 481 Gimbel, Norman, 58, 60 Ginaris, John, 308 Gingold, Hermione, 19–21, 92, 464 Ginnes, Abram S., 93 Ginzburg, Kalman, 452 Giovanni, Sandro, 213 Giralomi, Peter, 375 Giraudoux, Jean, 501 The Girl Can’t Help It, 56 The Girl Who Came to Supper, 203–5 Gish, Lillian, 339–40 Gitlin, Murray, 29 Glass, Philip, 531 Glassman, Stephen, 508 Gleason, John, 344 Glenn, Roy, 266 Glenn-Smith, Michael, 495 Glenville, Peter, 166 Gluckman, Leon, 352 Glueck, Grace, 388 Gobel, George, 93, 95 Goberman, Max, 31, 91 Gochman, Len, 359, 360 God Bless Coney, 279 Goddard, Willoughby, 154 Godfrey, Ilene, 247 Godkin, Paul, 82 Goeppinger, Susan, 524 Goland, Arnold, 445 Gold, David, 133, 324, 448 Gold, Ernest, 452–53 Gold, Zisha, 480 Goldblatt, Mel, 522 Goldby, Derek, 481 Goldemberg, Rose Leiman, 172 The Golden Age, 201–3 The Golden Apple, 270 Goldenberg, William, 39–40, 196, 226, 430 Golden Boy, 266–68 Golden Rainbow, 442–44 Goldenthal, Elliot, 311 Goldgran, Henri, 327 Goldin, Al, 220 Goldin, Jan, 131 Golding, Richard, 158 Goldman, James, 109 Goldman, William, 109, 111, 434 Goldoni, Carlo, 215 Goldsmith, Lee, 20, 34, 375 Goldstein, Shmulik, 389 Goldwyn, Samuel, 75 Gomez, Tony, 68

INDEX Good, Jack, 463 The Goodbye People, 279 Goodman, Al, 373 Goodman, Dody, 137 Goodman, Michael, 156 Goodrow, Garry, 258 Goodwin, Russell, 314 Gordon, Alex, 445, 447 Gordon, Barry O., 437 Gordon, Bruce, 149, 530 Gordon, Marie, 111 Gordon, Marvin, 354 Gordon, Michael, 120 Gorman, Bob, 107, 418, 432 Gormé, Eydie, 442–43 Gorney, Jay, 63 Gorshin, Frank, 519–20 Gose, George B., 530 Goss, Robert, 255 Gossett, Louis, 200, 243, 266, 331 Gottfried, Martin, 386, 392, 396, 398, 401, 404–5, 410, 412, 431, 434, 437–39, 441, 443, 446, 449, 452, 454, 460, 477, 482, 485, 487, 490, 494, 497–98, 500, 503–5, 507, 509, 520, 523, 526, 529 Gould, Elliott, 38, 118–20, 324 Goulet, Robert, 47, 93, 305, 320, 437–39 Goulston, Andre, 83, 133, 265, 448 Gourlay, Eileen, 153 Governors of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 158 Goz, Harry, 276 Gozzi, Carlo, 310 Graham, Ronny, 93, 111, 126, 243, 458 Grahame, Gloria, 164 Granat, Frank, 269 Granat, Richard, 373 Grand, Murray, 458 The Grand Music Hall of Israel, 444–45 Graner, Marjorie, 78 Granger, Farley, 29–30, 129 Grant, Douglas, 483 Grant, Maxwell, 34 Granz, Norman, 100 The Grapes of Wrath, 447 Gray, Dolores, 217, 404–5 Gray, Dorothy, 146 Gray, Harold, 409 Gray, Margery, 42, 44 Gray, Timothy, 226–28 Grayson, Kathryn, 305 Graziani, Itzchak, 444 The Great Waltz, 371–73 The Great White Hope, 523 Greek Theatre Association, 256 Green, Adolph, 53, 107–8, 161, 163, 184, 235, 411, 413, 417 Green, Amanda, 413 Green, Gerald, 272 Green, H. F., 133 Green, Martyn, 311, 499

Green, Phil, 34 Green, Teddy, 440 Greenberg, Edward, 253, 255, 316, 319, 464, 530 Greenberg, Kimberly Faye, 222 Greenberg, Richard, 422 Greenburg, Dan, 436 Greene, Herbert, 45, 104, 149, 172, 223 Greene, Leon, 124 Greene, Milton, 19, 259 Greene, Sam, 269 Greenhalgh, Edward, 182, 215 Greenspon, Muriel (Costa), 178, 294, 322, 350 Greenwillow, 12–15 Greenwood, Jane, 296, 452 Greer, Michael Barry, 185 Gregg, Julie, 439 Gregg, Mitchell, 114 Gregory, Dick, 139 Gregory, Joe, 362 Gres, Françoise, 251 Grey, Dolores, 317 Grey, Joel, 142, 391, 395, 450–52 Griffin, Bessie, 146 Griffin, Grant, 371 Griffin, Wally, 57 Griffis, William, 519 Griffith, Robert E., 22, 42 Grimes, Tammy, 4, 45–47, 226–27 Griner, Barbara, 246 Grinnage, Jack, 85 Grizzard, George, 476 Grogan, Norman, 120 Groneman, Sammy, 452 Gross, Shelly, 404, 444, 468 La Grosse Valise, 344–46 Grossman, Hal, 170 Grossman, Herbert, 306, 324, 326 Grosso, Guy, 344 Grosz, George, 393 Group V Ltd. (producer), 426 Grover, Stanley, 93, 95, 462 Groves, Regina, 54 Grudeff, Marian, 285, 466 Guardino, Harry, 223 Guare, John, 304 Guber, Lee, 63, 404, 444, 468 Guber-Gross-Ford Productions, Inc., 519 Guillaume, Robert, 98, 200, 232–33, 299 Guinan, Texas, 521 Guittard, Laurence, 512 Gunn, Moses, 380 Gunn, Nathan, 51 Gunther, Mizzi, 255 Gurian, Manning, 184 Guske, William, 411, 519 Gussow, Mel, 513 Gustafson, Karen, 409 Guys and Dolls, 12–13, 298–300, 377–78 Gwenn, Edmund, 192

587

588

INDEX

Gwynne, Fred, 36, 191 Gyarmathy, Michel, 251 Habunek, Vlado, 499 Hackady, Hal, 458 Hackett, Buddy, 278–79, 315, 428 Hadden, Richard, 247 Hadjidakis, Manos, 409–10 Hagen, Hans, 256 Hagman, Larry, 3, 73 Hagman, Maj, 165 Hague, Albert, 229, 493 Haines, Jim, 422 Hair, 455–58 Halasz, Andreij, 256 Halevi, Asaf, 415 Half a Sixpence, 296–98 Half Brothers, 165 Halfss, Roberto and Al, 165 Hall, Cliff, 404 Hall, Grayson, 107–9 Hall, Henry, 36 Hall, Juanita, 72 Hall, Margaret, 226 Hall, Pamela, 501 Hallelujah, Baby!, 411–13 Halliday, Buzz, 182 Halliday, Richard, 194 Hallow, John, 215 Hambro, Leonid, 271 Hamilton, Christian, 512 Hamilton, Eric, 462 Hamilton, James, 519 Hamilton, Margaret, 370, 378–79, 506–7, 517 Hamilton, Peter, 1 Hamlisch, Marvin, 430 Hammerstein, James, 313 Hammerstein, Oscar, II, 20, 28, 30, 65, 71, 163, 165, 179, 187, 253, 313, 319, 346, 378, 402, 413, 425, 461, 517 Hammerstein, William, 53 Hampton, Christopher, 334 A Hand Is on the Gate, 380–82 Haney, Carol, 126, 128, 175, 220 Hankin, Larry, 258 Hannafin, Daniel P., 163, 179, 302, 346 Hansberry, Lorraine, 132 The Happiest Girl in the World, 63–65 The Happy Time, 437–39 Haraldson, Marian, 203 Harburg, E. Y., 24, 63–65, 93, 408, 439 Hardwick, Paul, 158 Hardy, Michele, 296 Hared, Igal, 444 Harnick, Jay, 70, 139 Harnick, Sheldon, 34, 41, 43–44, 137, 175–76, 238, 259–62, 383, 481–82 Harnley, Leslie, 146 Harper, Herbert, 184 Harper, Wally, 508

Harris, Barbara, 87, 328–30, 384, 386–87 Harris, Charles K., 67 Harris, John Bartholomew, 521 Harris, Jones, 53 Harris, Joseph, 166, 347, 364, 442, 493 Harris, Julie, 332 Harris, Leonard, 212, 230–31, 477, 482, 484–85, 487, 491, 494, 509, 520, 526 Harris, Robert H., 215 Harris, Sylvia, 166, 347, 364 Harris Associates, Inc., 483, 493 Harrison, Ray, 19, 190 Harrison, Rex, 234–35 Harrold, Jack, 4, 178 Harrow, Charles, 308 Hart, Lorenz, 78, 181, 255 Hart, Moss, 47–48, 371, 404 Hartig, Herbert, 111 Harum, Avind, 474 Harvey, James, 253 Harvey, John, 102, 166, 172, 196 Haskell, Jack, 144 Hasson, Thomas, 22 Hastings, Harold (Hal), 42, 122, 175, 285, 302, 339, 356, 391, 486, 523 Hatch, David, 265 Hathaway, Anne, 69 Hauptmann, Elisabeth, 288, 387 Hausman, Al, 407 Havoc, June, 311 Hawkins, John, 499 Hawn, Goldie, 154 Haworth, Jill, 391–92 Hayden, Michael, 321 Hayes, Bill, 435 Hayes, Helen, 513 Hayes, Richard, 179 Hayes, Sean, 491 Hayman, Lillian, 411–13 Haynes, Tiger, 304 Hays, David, 4, 109, 114–15, 324, 326 Hays, Kathryn, 530 Hayton, Lennie, 133 Hayward, Leland, 143, 373 Hayward, Susan, 120 Haywood, Nancy, 179 Hayworth, Rita, 80 Hazell, Hy, 31, 309 Hearn, George, 362 Heathen!, 62 Hebert, Fred, 76, 440, 527 Hecht, Ben, 133 Hecht, Joshua, 8 Heckart, Eileen, 80, 109–11, 515 Hefer, Hayim, 480 Hegira, Anne, 524 Heller, Barbara, 34–36 Hellerman, Fred, 458 Hello, Dolly!, 208–10

INDEX Hello, Solly!, 406–7 Hellzapoppin’ ‘67, 466–67 Hendel, Helena, 444 Henderson, Florence, 203, 425 Henderson, Ray, 85 Henderson, Skitch, 178 Hendra, Tony, 264 Heneker, David, 36, 296 Henritze, Bette, 445 Henry, Emmaline, 34 Henry, Sweet Henry, 430–32 Henry, Vincent, 316 Hepburn, Katharine, 292, 527, 529 Herbert, John, 314 Herbert, Ralph, 288 Here’s Love, 191–94 Here’s Where I Belong, 445–48 Her First Roman, 481–83 Herget, Bob, 109, 111, 246, 272–73 Herlick, Jety, 175 Herlie, Eileen, 117 Herman, Jerry, 20, 57, 91–92, 147, 208–10, 270, 364–66, 501–2 Herman, John, 25, 172 Hernandez, Vivian, 71 Hero, Maria, 299 Herridge, Frances, 212 Hewer, John, 90 Hewes, Henry, 254, 329 Hewett, Christopher, 19, 102, 367 Heyer, Bill, 259 Heyward, Dorothy, 232, 287 Heyward, DuBose, 73, 121, 232, 287 Hickman, Darryl, 367–68 Hickman, James, 118 Hidley, Hal, 1 Higgins, James, 331 High John Productions, 521, 523 High Spirits, 226–28 Higuma, Emi, 82 Hiken, Gerald, 215 Hilgenberg, Katherine, 319 Hill, Arthur, 272 Hill, George Roy, 12, 430 Hill, Ralston, 319 Hill, Richard, 499 Hiller, Arthur, 338 Hilt, Ferdinand, 367 Hines, Gregory, 244 Hines, Mimi, 222 Hirschfield, Al, 368 Hirschfield, Nina, 368 Hirschhorn, Clive, 464 Hirshhorn, Naomi Caryl, 188 Hirson, Roger O., 395 Hitchcock, Alfred, 372 H. M. Tennent, Ltd. (producer), 36 Hobe, 526 Hobo, 109

589

Hodes, Stuart, 238 Hoefer, Anita, 288 Hoefler, Charles E., 519 Hoeller, Harold A., 256 Hoff, Louise, 19 Hoffman, Armin, 34, 301 Hoffman, Bill, 185 Hoffman, Jay K., 387 Hoffman, Naomi, 389 Hoffman, Patricia, 339 Hogsander, Arne, 387 Holbrook, Hal, 198 Holden, William, 267, 374 Holder, Geoffrey, 211–12 Holdridge, Lee, 399 Holgate, Ronald, 91, 109, 506 Holiday, Bob, 356 Holiday in Japan, 81–83 Holland, Leland, 247–48 Holliday, Judy, 172–75, 195 Holloway, Julian, 234 Holloway, Stanley, 40–41, 234, 246 The Hollow Crown, 158–60 Holly, Ellen, 380 Holly Golightly, 418–22 Holm, Hanya, 26–27, 47, 233, 303, 339–40, 368, 447, 473 Holm, John Cecil, 93 Holm, Klaus, 29, 76, 246, 249, 262, 352 Holmes, Jack, 111 Holmes, Jake, 469 Holt, Will, 506 Hook, Walter, 339 Hooks, Robert, 411 Hooper, Lee, 139 Hoopes, Isabella, 66 Hope, Anthony, 248 Hope, Bob, 521 Horen, Leah, 495 Horgan, Patrick, 285 Horne, Lena, 132–33, 221 Horne, Nat, 170, 486 Horner, Harry, 249 Horner, Richard, 226, 514 Horstmann, Del, 137, 517 Horton, Edward Everett, 464 Horwitt, Arnold, 163 Hotchkis, Joan, 358 Hot September, 373–75 Hot Spot, 172–75 Housman, Laurence, 513 Howard, Anthony, 247 Howard, Gayle, 375 Howard, Jerry, 242 Howard, Jordon, 12 Howard, Joseph E., 67 Howard, Ken, 489, 504, 521 Howard, Peter, 247–48, 432, 481, 492, 503 Howard, Robert, 107, 220 Howard, Sidney, 360

590

INDEX

How Do You Do I Love You, 467–68 Howell, Herman, 131 Howells, Reby, 296 Howes, Bobby, 24–25 Howes, Sally Ann, 98, 100, 129, 131, 160–61, 218, 234 How Green Was My Valley, 363 Howland, Beth, 360 How Now, Dow Jones, 432–34 How to Be a Jewish Mother, 436–37 How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, 95– 98, 359–60 Hubert, Rene, 255 Hudson, Travis, 111, 354 Hughes, Allen, 147 Hughes, Langston, 6, 178, 199–200, 350 Humphries, Barry, 154–56 Hunt, Grady, 85 Hunt, Martitia, 502 Hunt, Peter, 200, 316, 319, 369, 474, 476, 503, 506 Hunter, Diana, 170 Hunter, Ian McLellan, 182, 215 Hunter, Leslye, 26 Hunter, Robert, 56 Huntington, Rex, 290 Huntley, Jobe, 200 Hurok, S., 57, 265 Hurst, David, 47 Hurst, James, 89, 91 Husmann, Ron, 42, 44, 116, 117, 126, 338 Hussung, Will, 442 Hutton, Betty, 333, 370 Hylton, Jack, 213 Hyson, Ray, 70 Hytner, Nicholas, 321 I and Albert, 513 Iannuci, Michael P., 290 I Can Get It for You Wholesale, 118–20 I Do! I Do!, 397–99 I Had a Ball, 278–80 Illya Darling, 409–11 Impulse!, 83 I’m Solomon, 452–55 Ing, Alvin, 422 Inge, William, 373, 375 Irma La Douce, 36–39 Irving, George S., 31, 126, 288, 350, 437 Isaacson, Melvin, 356 Ish, Kathryn, 258 Isherwood, Charles, 368 Isherwood, Christopher, 391 Itamar, 416 Ito, Robert, 425 “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s SUPERMAN,” 356–59 It’s All True, 6 Jack Benny, 165–66 Jackman, Hope, 154 Jackman, Hugh, 164

Jackson, Ernestine, 299 Jackson, Ethel, 255 Jacobs, Bill and Patti, 519–20 Jacobson, Dan, 331 Jacobson, Irving, 335, 337 Jacobson, Kenneth, 373–74 Jacoby, Scott, 442 Jaeger, Frederick, 31 Jaffee, Charles, 228 Jakubee, Ron, 81 James, Hal, 335, 411, 506 Jameson, Joyce, 85–86 Jamieson, James, 129, 160, 281 Janney, Leon, 282, 309 Jansson, Ulf Hakan, 387 Javits, Joan, 70, 168 Jeanmaire, (Renée) Zizi, 274–75 Jeffreys, Alan, 34, 477, 482, 485, 488, 491, 494, 496, 498 Jendell, Gary, 369 Jenkins, George, 60–61, 194 Jenkins, Gordon, 139 Jennie, 194–96 Jennings, John, 250 Jennings, Mary, 294, 322 Jerome, Tim, 234 Jessel, Raymond, 285, 466 Jewell, Martin, 316 Jewison, Norman, 261 Jillson, Joyce, 306 Jimmy, 519–21 Joan of Arc, 140 Joffrey, Robert, 6 Johann, John, 473 John, Tom, 450 Johnny Mann Singers, 168 Johnny No-Trump, 527 Johnson, Alan, 22 Johnson, Barney, 126 Johnson, Carlton, 146 Johnson, J. C., 184 Johnson, Judy, 177 Johnson, Laurie, 31 Johnson, Nora, 430 Johnson, Nunnally, 420, 430, 441 Johnson, Richard, 201 Johnson, Susan, 77 Jonas, Nick, 97 Jones, David, 156 Jones, Gloria, 463 Jones, James Earl, 380, 447 Jones, John Randolph, 331 Jones, Judd, 200, 425 Jones, Quincy, 212 Jones, Shirley, 164, 315, 320, 359, 483, 485 Jones, Terry, 264 Jones, Tom, 62, 196, 198, 397, 495 Jongeyans, George. See Gaynes, George Jon-Lee (producer), 436 Jonson, Ben, 182, 215

INDEX Jonson, William, 281 Jordan, Marc, 384, 440 Jordan, William, 463 Jorgens, Linda, 442 Joseph, Jackie, 85 Joseph, Peter, 400 Josephine Baker and Her Company, 211–13 Josephine Forrestal Productions, Inc., 206 Jotham Valley, 248 Joy, 523 A Joyful Noise, 399–401 Judy Garland at Home at the Palace, 426–27 Julia, Raul, 289–90, 337 Julien, Jay, 265 Justus, Virginia, 249 Kabatchnik, Amnon, 480 Kahl, Howard, 314, 391 Kahn, Madeline, 305, 460 Kahn, Michael, 445 Kaldenberg, Keith, 230 Kaliban, Robert, 95 Kalmanoff, Martin, 399 Kander, John, 20, 36, 109–10, 244, 302, 391, 395, 437, 485 Kanin, Fay and Michael, 104–5 Kanin, Garson, 53, 220 Kapp, David, 76 Karaty, Tommy, 354 Karel, Charles, 185, 442, 501 Karmon, Jonathan, 444–45, 518 Karnilova, Maria, 259, 262, 486–87 Karr, Harold, 133–34 Karr, James, 31 Karr, Patti, 54, 234, 238 Kasha, Lawrence, 175, 220, 276–77, 378, 514 Kass, Alan, 442 Kasznar, Kurt, 288–89 Katis, Merry Lynn, 468 Katsoros, Doug, 185 Katz, Mickey, 407 Katz, Peter S., 39 Katzka, Gabriel, 285 Kauffmann, Stanley, 349, 353, 355, 357, 363, 365, 379 Kaufman, George S., 404 Kay, Monte, 83 Kaye, Danny, 168–69 Kaye, Robert, 161 Kazan, Lainie, 65, 128, 515 Kazantzakis, Nikos, 485 Kealy, Kenny, 272 Kean, 102–4 Kean, Jane, 66 Keating, Fred, 8 Keel, Howard, 47, 305, 317, 320, 370 Kegley, Kermit, 179 Keith, Lawrence, 226 Kelley, Norman, 9, 120 Kellin, Mike, 133 Kellogg, Lynn, 455

591

Kelly, 60, 282–85 Kelly, Gene, 79, 130, 210 Kelly, Kevin, 374, 421 Kelly, Patricia, 445 Kelly, Paula, 273–74 Kelly, Tresha, 391 Kelso, Jack, 463 Kelton, Gene, 191 Kelton, Pert, 12, 315 Kelvin, Walter, 161 Kendall, Jo, 265 Ken Murray’s Hollywood, 300–301 Kennedy, John, 517 Kennedy, John F., 205 Kennedy, Robert, 205 Kennedy, William, 160 Kenney, Ed, 61–62 Kenny, Sean, 31, 141, 154–56, 306, 318, 322–23 Kent, Guy, 93 Kenton, Stan, 375 Kercheval, Ken, 70, 445 Kermoyan, Michael, 166, 253, 339, 462 Kern, Jerome, 65, 378 Kerr, Jean, 196 Kerr, Walter, 3, 11, 14, 17, 27, 35, 37, 39–43, 48–49, 52–54, 56–57, 59, 61, 65, 76, 86, 89, 91–92, 94–96, 99, 103, 105, 108, 110, 113, 117, 119, 123, 125, 127, 145, 148, 151, 153, 155, 166–67, 171, 173–74, 176, 181, 189, 191, 193, 195–96, 198, 200–201, 203–6, 209, 214, 216, 221, 224, 227, 231, 237, 258–61, 264–65, 267, 269–71, 273–75, 277, 279, 283, 286, 292, 297, 303, 306–7, 317, 323, 325–26, 330, 332–34, 336, 340, 342, 345, 348, 353, 355, 357–58, 363, 365, 386, 392, 396, 398, 400–401, 403, 405, 408–10, 412, 433, 441, 451, 460, 477, 482, 487, 490, 498, 500, 503, 522–23 Kert, Larry, 22–23, 109, 111, 119 Kessler, Zale, 501 Ketchum, Dave, 85–86 Keyes, Daniel, 285 Kiaaina, Mokihana, 81 Kibrig, Joan, 70 Kicks & Co., 131–32 Kidd, Michael, 51–52, 95, 107–8, 125, 191, 193, 244, 269, 332, 334, 418–19 Kiepura, Jan, 255 Kiley, Richard, 114, 278–79, 335, 337–38, 481 Kilgallen, Dorothy, 334 Killion, Jeff, 223 Kim, Willa, 422 Kimbrough, Fred, 310 King, Alan, 299 King, Edith, 51 King, Rosalie, 200 The King and I, 28–31, 187, 253–54, 461–62 Kings, Nagata, 82 Kingsley, Gershon, 34, 211, 230, 452 Kinoy, Ernest, 276–77, 442 Kipness, Joseph, 278, 344 Kirkham, Sam, 8, 29, 187, 462, 517

592

INDEX

Kirkwood, Jim, 161 Kirsch, Carolyn, 418 Kiser, Franklin, 269 Kishon, E., 415 Kismet, 316–18 Kissel, Howard, 126 Kiss Me, Kate, 303–5 Kitt, Eartha, 147, 317 Kjellson, Ingvar, 387 Klein, Howard, 178, 294, 351, 383 Klein, Paul, 20, 34 Klein, Reid, 414 Klein, Robert, 384, 458 Klemperer, Werner, 393, 415 Kline, Marvin, 81 Kline, Norman, 458 Klotz, Florence, 356 Kneebone, Tom, 476 Knight, Jack, 417 Knight, Willa, 81 Knoblock, Edward, 316 Knowles, Allen, 310 Kobart, Ruth, 6, 97, 122, 178, 346–47, 350 Koch, Edward I., 138, 521 Kolb, Mina, 87 Kolitz, Zvi, 452, 453, 480 Koller, Dagmar, 256 Komack, Jimmie, 2 Kon, E., 415 Korbrich, Eddie, 94 Korngold, Erich Wolfgang, 371 Korthaze, Richard, 332 Kosarin, Oscar, 238, 272, 437, 499 Kourkoulos, Nikos, 409 Kova, Marija, 120 Kovach, Nora, 19 Kowa, Maria, 256 Kraber, Tony, 182, 215 Krachmalnick, Samuel, 6 Kraft, Hy, 229 Krasny, Diane, 223 Krauss, Marvin A., 404 Krawford, Gary, 449 Krebs, Beatrice, 6 Krellberg, Sherman S., 211 Kristen, Robert, 276 Kritz, Karl, 371 Kronenberger, Louis, 20 Kroon, Carol, 182 Kross, Ronald, 503 Krupska, Dania, 63, 65–67, 137, 213, 481 Kruschen, Jack, 118 Kruvi, Hovav, 444 Kuller, Sid, 248 Kummer, Martin, 499 Kupferberg, Herbert, 30, 410 Kurland, Jerry, 168 Kurnitz, Harry, 203 Kwamina, 98–100 Kwartz, Berta, 444, 518

La Belle, 185–86 La Cause, Sebastian, 70 Lacey, Franklin, 314 La Crosse, Bob, 110, 378 La Grosse Valise, 344–46 LaGuardia, Fiorello, 137–39 Lahr, Bert, 182–83, 215–17 Lake, Marie, 411 La Marchina, Robert, 464 Lambert, Hugh, 95, 243, 359 Lamont, Miki, 60 Lamont, Robert, 316 La Motta, Johnny, 453 Landesman, Fran, 3 Landi, Mara, 98 Landon, Margaret, 28, 187, 253, 461 Landres, Simm, 508 Lane, Abbe, 14 Lane, Burton, 24, 93, 328–29, 408 Lane, Nathan, 124, 299 Lang, Harold, 120 Langhofer, Vladanka, 274 Lanier, Sidney, 403 Lansbury, Angela, 223, 364–65, 367, 501–3 Lanteau, William, 34, 463 Lantz, Robert, 102 La plume de ma tante, 344–46 LaPrade, Jan, 208 Larabee, Louise, 402 Lardner, Ring, Jr., 182, 215 Larkin, Peter, 12–13, 51, 53, 133, 149 Larkins, Ellis, 354 Larsen, William, 296, 501 Lascelles, Kendrew, 352 Lascoe, Henry, 68, 225 LaSelva, Vincent, 293, 321, 354 Lashbrook, Ross, 131 Lasser, Louise, 120, 430 The Last Minstrel Show, 244 La Strada, 523–27 Laszlo, Miklos, 175–76 Latessa, Dick, 448–49, 491 LaTouche, John, 94, 356 Latour, Dany, 252 Lauder, Harry, 169 Laughs and Other Events, 40–41 Lauper, Cyndi, 290 Laurents, Arthur, 22, 118, 223, 228, 291–92, 411, 474 Lavie, Aric, 36 Lavin, Linda, 35, 111, 356–57 Lavine, W. Robert, 483, 519 Lawrence, Carol, 23, 107–8, 305 Lawrence, Eddie, 282 Lawrence, Elliot, 15, 95, 98, 191, 266, 383, 442, 524 Lawrence, Henry, 88, 359 Lawrence, Jack, 278, 280 Lawrence, Jerome, 364–65, 501 Lawrence, Steve, 218–19, 442–43 Lawrenson, John, 158 Laws, Jerry, 74, 287

INDEX Lawson, Lee, 373 Layton, Joe, 12–14, 18, 42–43, 88, 114–15, 154, 203–4, 324–25, 404, 425, 450, 452, 501 Lazarus, Milton, 255, 371 Leabo, Loi, 346 Lean, David, 292 Leap, Tommy, 187 Lebowsky, Stanley, 36, 109, 166, 244–45, 296, 418–19 LeClair, Henry, 302 Lederer, Charles, 316 Lee, Bill, 380 Lee, Gypsy Rose, 289 Lee, Harper, 15 Lee, Jack, 131, 493, 508 Lee, Leslie, 268 Lee, Michele, 35, 97, 521 Lee, Ming Cho, 362, 445, 508–9, 523, 526 Lee, Pete, 81 Lee, Robert E., 364–65, 501 Lee, Sondra, 178 Lee, Valerie, 191 Lee, Will, 68 Leeds, Phil, 26, 149, 161, 170 Lehar, Franz, 255 Lehne, John, 179 Leigh, Carolyn, 51–52, 152–53, 432, 434 Leigh, Mitch, 335–36, 338, 422 Leigh, Vivien, 166–68 Leight, Warren, 521 Leighton, Nancy, 238 Leinwand, Shirley, 230 Lemmon, Jack, 162 Lemoine, Fred, 527 Lena Horne in Her Nine O’Clock Revue, 132–33 Lenn, Robert, 139, 226, 462 Lennard, Mark, 133 Lennart, Isobel, 220–21 Le Noire, Rosetta, 71, 171, 200, 278, 378 Lenya, Lotte, 289–90, 391–92 Leon, Felix, 331 Leon, James, 125 Leon, Joseph, 255 Leon, Victor, 255–56 Leonard, Lu, 104, 324 Leonard, Michael, 341, 436 Leonardos, Urylee, 170 Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of ‘62, 111–13 Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of 1968, 458–61 Leonidoff, Leon, 244–45 LePage, Roger, 322 Lerit, Sharon, 15 Lerman, Oscar S., 26 Lerner, Alan Jay, 47–48, 129, 160–61, 233, 268, 281–82, 328–29, 406, 435, 473, 527 LeRoy, Ken, 23, 118, 120, 187 Les Hoganas (acrobat trio), 251–52 Lesko, John, 194, 246, 332, 397, 483 Les Poupées de Paris, 242 Lester, Arthur, 251 Lester, Edwin, 249, 255, 341, 371, 464, 530

Lester Osterman Productions, 514 Let It Ride, 93–95 Let’s Sing Yiddish, 389–90 Letter, Arthur, 344 Leve, Sam, 165, 230 Levene, Sam, 93–94 Levi, Gavri, 518 Levin, Herman, 203 Levin, Ira, 324 Levine, Elliot, 408 Levine, Joseph E., 154, 282, 380 Levine, Rhoda, 31, 70 Levinson, Richard, 34 Levin-Townsend Enterprises, Inc., 483, 493 Levister, Alonzo, 458 Lewis, Bob, 242 Lewis, Bobo, 243 Lewis, Brenda, 230 Lewis, Carrington, 287 Lewis, David, 264 Lewis, Jerry Lee, 463 Lewis, John, 375 Lewis, Joseph, 22, 182 Lewis, Nadine, 414 Lewis, Robert, 98, 182, 215, 328 Lewis, Sylvia, 34 Leyden, Leo, 440 Liberto, Don, 238 Libin, Paul, 510 Liebman, Max, 87 Liebmann, Robert, 354 Liff, Samuel, 233, 306, 418–19, 432, 469, 473, 488 Liker, George, 22 Lili, 67, 69, 492 Lillie, Beatrice, 183, 226–27 Lilo, 354–56 Lincoln Center Festival ‘67 Production, 425 Lincoln Center Festival ‘68 Production, 474 Linden, Ellika, 387 Linden, Hal, 272, 329, 410, 449, 512 Lindfors, Viveca, 182 Lindsay, Claudia, 287 Lindsay, Howard, 143–44, 413 Lindsey, Gene, 373 Lindsey, John, 521 Linhart, Joe, 411 Link, Peter, 411 Link, William, 34 Linn, Bambi, 120, 320 Linsk, Lester, 395 Linton, Betty Hyatt, 161, 314, 408, 417 Linville, Albert, 93 Lipscomb, David, 264 Lipson, Paul, 137, 262 Lipton, James, 149, 151, 404 Lisa, Luba, 229, 279, 466 Little Me, 151–54 Little Tanya, 407 Littlewood, Joan, 262–64 Livingston, Jay, 93, 95

593

594

INDEX

Livingston, Robert L., 282 Llewellyn, Richard, 362 Lloyd, John Robert, 40 Lloyd, Vivian, 407 Lloyd Webber, Andrew, 185, 279 Loane, Mary, 404 Locke, Harry, 31 Lock Up Your Daughters, 31–32 Loesser, Emily, 14, 415 Loesser, Frank, 12–15, 95–97, 298, 300, 309, 315, 359–61, 367–68, 377 Loesser, Jo Sullivan, 15, 368 Loewe, Frederick, 47–48, 129, 160–61, 233, 281–82, 435, 473 Logan, Ella, 284 Logan, Joshua, 71, 73, 93, 116–17, 143, 313, 373–74, 425 Lokos, Allan, 322 Lolita, My Love, 406 Lomax, Terry, 154 Lombardo, Sal, 276 London, George, 340 Lone, Robert, 116 Long, Avon, 287–88 Long, Tamara, 62 Longbottom, Robert, 70 Longpre, Guy, 242 Longtin, Ann Marie, 512 Lord, Sylvia, 113 Loring, Eugene, 371 Los Angeles Civic Light Opera Association, 371, 464, 530 Loudon, Dorothy, 98, 149, 151, 476–77, 493–94 Louise, Marie, 6 Louw, Allan, 341 Love, 284 Love, Edmund G., 107 Love Is a Ball, 375–76 Love Match, 512–13 Love Never Dies, 279 Lowe, Charles, 56 Lubitsch, Ernest, 255 Lucas, Jonathan, 34 Luckey, Susan, 249–50 Lucky Latinos, 244 Ludgin, Chester, 8 Luft, Joey, 426–27 Luft, Lorna, 426–27 Luft, Sid, 426 Luisi, James, 486 Lum, Alvin, 81 Lumet, Sidney, 149, 151 Luna, Barbara, 475 Lund, Art, 76–77, 135, 137, 360, 362 Lungreen, Margo, 10 Lunt, Alfred, 305 LuPone, Robert, 474, 476 Lusby, Vernon, 314, 495, 506 Luv, 284 Lux, Lillian, 480–81 Lynch, Hal, 188

Lynde, Paul E., 111 Lynn, Betty, 512 Lynn, Jonathan, 265 Lynn, Mara, 125–26 Lynne, Gillian, 306, 322, 432, 434 Lynne, Kitty, 290 Lyons, Donald, 145 Lysistrata, 63–64, 411 Macaulay, Joseph, 220 MacDermot, Galt, 455–56 MacDonald, Brian, 483, 485 MacDonald, Earl, 281 MacDonald, Hugh, 264 MacDonald, Jeanette, 255 MacDonald-Rouse, Heather, 352 Machiz, Herbert, 6, 178, 246, 350 MacKay, Bruce, 481 MacKaye, Percy, 501 MacKenzie, Will, 281, 296 Mackintosh, Robert, 133, 364, 404, 432, 493 MacLaine, Shirley, 38, 83, 349 MacMillan, Kenneth, 321 MacMurray, Fred, 531 MacRae, Gordon, 164, 305, 320 MacRae, Heather, 446 MacRae, Sheila, 299 MacVeigh, Earle, 316 Maddox, Lester, 497–99 Madigan, Betty, 466 Maggart, Brandon, 282, 466 Maggie Flynn, 483–85 Magoon, Eaton, Jr., 60–62 Mahoney, Billie, 78 Maitland, Dexter, 290–91 Malas, Spiro, 517 Maligmat Family, 82 Mallory, Victoria, 475, 492–93 Malone, Dale, 377 Maltby, Richard, Jr., 458, 468, 512 Maltin, Leonard, 464 Mame, 364–67 Management Three Productions Ltd., 499 Mancini, Henry, 375, 420 Mandell, Rick, 436 Manfredi, Nino, 213 Manger, Itzik, 389, 415, 480–81 Manheim, Ralph, 289 Mankowitz, Wolf, 322 Mann, Delbert, 219 Mann, Heinrich, 354 Mann, Howard, 442 Mann, Johnny, 168 Mann, Stuart, 253 Mann, Theodore, 331, 510 Manners, Gail, 399 Manning, Jack, 291 Man of La Mancha, 335–38 Mantle, Burns, 79

INDEX Manton, Stephen, 158 The Man Who Came to Dinner, 405 Marand, Patricia, 356, 358, 527 March, Eve, 527 Marcovicci, Andrea, 530 Marcus, Toni, 165 Marcy, George, 68, 417 Margolies, Abe, 452 Mari, Dolores, 6, 178, 350 Marie, Julienne, 291, 463 Marker, Preshy, 123 Marks, Alfred, 309 Marks, J., 375, 376 Marks, Peter, 97 Marks, Walter, 276–77, 442–43 Marlene Dietrich, 429–30, 478–79 Marlo, Maria, 120 Marouani, Felix, 479 Marquis Family (chimps), 168 Marre, Albert, 59, 91, 185–86, 338, 371, 422 Marsh, Jean, 368 Marshall, Mort, 116, 309 Marshall, William, 463 Marteeni, Stoney, 184 Martel, Michel, 352 Martin, Barbara, 242 Martin, Barney, 72, 116 Martin, Elliot, 463, 512 Martin, Ernest, 95, 98, 152, 332, 395 Martin, George and Ethel, 182 Martin, Hal, 34 Martin, Herbert, 341, 344, 436 Martin, Hugh, 226–28 Martin, Mary, 73, 194, 209, 370, 397–98 Martin, Millicent, 142 Martin, Norman, 20 Martin, Virginia, 97, 152–53 Martino, Fernando, 213 Marvin, William S., 308 Masiell, Joe, 501 Mason, Eric, 356 Mason, Marilyne, 163, 179 Mason, Marissa, 15, 76 Mason, Marlyn, 432 Mason, Ray, 95 Mason, Virginia, 141 Massey, Daniel, 175 Massi, Bernice, 114 Masteroff, Joe, 175, 391 Masters, Edgar Lee, 188 Masterson, Carroll and Harris, 1, 19, 111, 276 Mastrantonio, Mary Elizabeth, 337 Mata Hari, 469–71 Matalon, Zack, 36 Mates, Frederic S. and Barbara, 514 Mathews, Billy, 1 Mathews, Carmen, 250, 454–55 Mathews, George, 362, 400 Mathieu, William, 87

595

Mathis, Bonnie, 208 Matlovsky, Samuel, 282, 290 Matthaei, Konrad, 450 Matthau, Walter, 210, 299 Matthews, Billy, 60, 303 Mattox, Matt, 182, 194, 217 Matz, Peter, 88, 114 Maurette, Marcelle, 339 Maurice Chevalier, 157–58 Maurice Chevalier at 77, 295–96 Maury, Richard, 111 Maxwell, Norma and Bob, 244 Maxwell, Rosalie, 184 May, Elaine, 39–40 Mayehoff, Eddie, 33 Mayer, Clementine, 256 Mayer, Harry, 519 Mayforth, Leland, 47 Maynard, Ruth, 154 Mayro, Jacqueline, 270 Mazzie, Marin, 51 McClain, John, 3, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 28, 30, 38–39, 43, 49, 55, 59, 61, 64, 77, 86–87, 90, 92, 94–96, 99, 101, 105, 108, 110, 113, 123, 145, 148, 151, 153, 155, 159, 167, 169, 171, 174, 176, 189, 191, 193, 196, 198, 201, 203–4, 206, 209, 212, 214, 219, 225, 227, 231, 237, 261, 264, 267, 270–71, 273–75, 277, 279, 283–84, 292, 297–98, 303, 307, 323, 325–26, 332, 334, 337, 340, 342, 345–46, 349, 353, 355, 358 McClure, Bob, 172, 185 McClure, Robert, 139 McColl, Patricia, 430 McCown, Ellen, 14 McCullough, L. E., 185 McCurry, John, 24 McDonald, Bill, 58–59 McDonald, Earl, 435 McDonnell, Martin J., 277–78 McDonough, Justin, 419 McElhany, Tom, 24 McEnroe, Robert F., 76 McEntire, Reba, 73, 370 McGavin, Darren, 253–54 McGinn, Walter, 445–46, 448 McGiver, John, 10, 33 McGowan, Adair, 339 McGrath, Joe, 126, 432, 493 McGuire, Biff, 1 McGuire, Paul, 253, 319, 369, 402, 461, 517 McHenry, Don, 166 McHugh, Frank, 408 McKay, Bruce, 76 McKay, Don, 228–29 McKay, Scott, 281 McKayle, Donald, 131, 266–67, 362, 452 McKechnie, Donna, 448–49, 490–91 McKeever, Jacquelyn, 161–62 McKenna, Philip C., 175 McKenney, Eileen, 162, 417

596

INDEX

McKenney, Ruth, 161–62, 417 McLaughry, Bill, 247 McLerie, Allyn Ann, 23, 71–73, 179, 184, 378 McMartin, John, 309, 349 McMillan, Jim, 71 McNally, Terrence, 447 McNamee, Robert, 318 McNeil, Claudia, 481 McNight, Sharon, 172 McPherson, Don, 242 McReary, Bud, 34 McWhinney, Michael, 111, 458 Mead, Shepherd, 95, 359 Meade, Marion, 162 Medford, Kay, 182, 220, 320 Medoro, Al, 375 The Megilla of Itzik Manger, 480–81 Megna, Ave Marie, 15 Megna, John, 12–13, 15 Mehl, Brynar, 369, 512 Mehl, Charlene, 236 Meister, Barbara, 360, 377 Meister, Fred, 256 Mell, Joseph, 530 Mell, Marisa, 469 Mellow, Stephen, 448 Melnick, Daniel, 282 Melody, Deanna, 369 Melville, Herman, 508–9 Melvin, Murray, 262 Menotti, Gian-Carlo, 8, 120, 293–94, 321, 354, 383 Mention, Michel, 274 Mercer, Johnny, 182, 215–17, 420 Mercer, Mabel, 8 Mercer, Marian, 113, 460–61, 490–91 Mercouri, Melina, 409–11 Meredith, Burgess, 10, 33, 131–32 Meredith, Morley, 26, 28 Merlin, Joanna, 259 Mermaid Theatre, 31 Merman, Ethel, 209–10, 369, 371, 382 Merrick, David, 34, 36, 53, 67, 93, 107–8, 118, 141, 154, 156, 183, 196, 198, 208–10, 215–16, 262, 306, 318, 322, 373, 397, 418–19, 421, 432, 434, 437, 488 Merrick, Mahlon, 165 Merrill, Bob, 67, 69, 210, 220, 231, 418–19, 430, 492 Merriman, Dan, 4 Merritt, Theresa, 510 The Merry Widow, 254–56 Meschke, Michael, 387 Meth, Max, 24, 480 Metzger, Rita, 166 Meyer, Bernie, 58 Michael, Paul, 60, 166 Michaels, Bert, 499 Michaels, Frankie, 364, 367 Michaels, Sidney, 269 Michener, James A., 71, 313, 425 Middleton, Ray, 72, 313–14, 335, 338

Middleton, Tony, 232 Mielziner, Jo, 26–28, 71, 116, 125, 143, 187, 298, 313, 360, 377, 469, 503 Migenes, Julia, 229, 259, 290, 322 Milan, Frank, 160 Milburn, Ellsworth, 258 Miles, Bernard, 31 Miles, Ross, 440 Milhaud, Darius, 531 Milk and Honey, 91–93 Miller, Ann, 305 Miller, Arthur, 497 Miller, Bill, 82 Miller, Buzz, 126, 128, 174 Miller, Fred, 253 Miller, Jonathan, 147–48, 280 Miller, Mitch, 445 Miller, Romeo, 358 Miller, Wynne, 10–11 Mills, Gloria, 249 Mills, Richard, 29 Mills, Steve, 290 Milnes, Sherrill, 354 Minkoff, Fran, 458 Minnelli, Liza, 36, 302–3, 392, 495 Minnelli, Vincente, 130, 317, 330, 469–70 Minor, Kiki, 233, 473 Miranda, John, 318 Mr. President, 143–45 Mitchell, Arthur, 476 Mitchell, Brian Stokes, 337 Mitchell, Fred, 184 Mitchell, James, 506 Mitchell, Joseph, 276 Mitchell, Julian, 67, 75, 77 Mitchell, Ruth, 356, 391, 486 Mobley, Mary Ann, 149 Modo, Michel, 344 Mohica, Victor, 474 Mokihana, 62 Molina, Alfred, 262 Molloy, John, 206 Molnar, Ferenc, 319, 402 Monaster, Nate, 272 Monk, Julius, 88 Monnot, Marguerite, 36–38 Monroe, Marilyn, 204 Monson, Lex, 510 Montalban, Ricardo, 349 Montand, Yves, 100–102, 330 Monte, Barbara, 328 Montenegro, Sasha, 411 Montevecchi, Liliane, 251–53 Montford Productions, Inc., 527 Montgomery, Laried, 408, 508 Montresor, Beni, 291–92 Moody, David, 521 Moody, Ron, 156 Moore, Dudley, 147–49, 207, 280

INDEX Moore, James, 111, 173, 228, 324 Moore, John J., 436 Moore, Mary Tyler, 418–19 Moore, Mavor, 111 Moore, Melba, 317, 455 Moore, Robert, 488 Moore, Scott, 66 Moral Re-Armament, 247–48 Mordente, Tony, 418–19, 445, 468 More, Julian, 36 Morgan, Clark, 302 Morgan, Frank, 370 Morgan, Jane, 165 Moriarty, Michael, 234 Morison, Patricia, 304–5 Morley, Ruth, 4, 161, 230, 288, 445 Morningstar, Carter, 1 Morocco, 278 Morokoff, Paul, 290 Moross, Jerome, 244 Morris, Garrett, 232, 411 Morris, Jeremiah, 194, 364 Morris, John, 51, 53, 116, 172, 242, 362 Morris, Richard, 45, 530 Morrison, Paul, 10, 33, 71, 74, 190 Morrow, Karen, 278–79, 346–47, 360, 401, 435, 453, 455, 492 Morse, Robert, 95–96, 98 Morton, David, 34 Morton, Winn, 242–43, 448, 458, 474 Mosby, Jim, 184 Mosel, Tad, 15 Moser, Margot, 435 Moss, Larry, 228 Mostel, Zero, 122–24, 259–60, 262 The Most Happy Fella, 360–62 A Mother’s Kisses, 514–15 Mower, Margaret, 88 MPO Pictures, Inc., 356 Mukai, Masae, 82 Mulligan, Gerry, 83 Mullin, Stephen, 265 Munsel, Patrice, 255–56, 305 Munshin, Jules, 56, 104, 346–47 Murashima, Sumiko, 422 Murdock, Henry T., 246, 311 Murkin, Cyril, 448 Murphy, Brian, 262 Murphy, Marilyn, 272 Murray, Bob, 68 Murray, Jan, 377 Murray, Ken, 300–301 Murray, Peg, 223, 391, 395 The Music Man, 314–16 Music Theatre of Lincoln Center, 253, 255, 316, 319, 369, 378, 425, 474, 517 Musser, Tharon, 133, 149, 191, 266, 282, 302, 364, 411, 418–19, 463, 483, 493, 514 Musto, John, 183, 217

597

Myers, Henry, 63 Myers, Paulene, 382 Myerson, Alan, 258 My Fair Lady, 41, 233–35, 473–74 Nabokov, Vladimir, 406 Nadeau, Nicky, 82 Nadel, Norman, 89, 96, 100, 103, 105, 108, 110, 119, 123, 127, 140–42, 145, 148, 151, 153, 155–56, 169, 171, 174, 176, 189, 191, 193, 196, 198, 200, 203–4, 206–7, 214, 219, 221, 225, 227, 237, 252, 259, 261, 264, 266–67, 270–73, 275, 277, 279–80, 283, 286, 292, 296–97, 303, 307, 323, 325–26, 332, 337, 340, 343, 346, 349, 353, 355, 358, 364–65, 381, 386, 392, 396, 398, 401, 404, 406, 412 Naismith, Laurence, 191, 362, 508 Nakajima, Hachiro, 82 Narai, Kuniko, 469 Nash, N. Richard, 51–52, 196–97, 437 Nassau, Paul, 399, 448, 458 Neal, Sally, 453 Negri, Addi, 91 Neidus, L., 415 Nellie Bly, 270 Nelson, Barry, 493–95 Nelson, Mervyn, 184 Nemiroff, Robert Barron, 131–32 The Nervous Set, 3 Nesor, Al, 278, 354 Nestor, George, 492 Nestroy, Johann, 208 Nevertheless, They Laugh, 527 Neway, Patricia, 8–10, 120–21, 253–54, 320, 354, 383, 402 Newell Art Galleries, 201 New Faces of 1968, 458–61 Newley, Anthony, 140, 141–43, 306–7 Newman, Barry, 179 Newman, David, 356, 358 Newman, Edwin, 482, 485, 491, 494, 496, 500, 509, 512, 520–21 Newman, Judy, 236 Newman, Phyllis, 108–9, 175, 386, 468 The New Music Hall of Israel, 518–19 New York City Center Light Opera Company, 24, 28, 66, 71, 74, 78, 125, 129, 137–38, 160–61, 163, 179, 182, 187, 228, 232–33, 281, 298, 303, 313–14, 346, 359–60, 367, 377, 402, 408, 414, 417, 435, 461, 473, 492 New York City Opera Company, 4, 6–9, 120–21, 178, 287–88, 293, 321, 350, 354, 383 Nicholas, Carl, 377, 395, 440 Nichols, Barbara, 80, 93, 95 Nichols, James, 108 Nichols, Joy, 440 Nichols, Mike, 39–40, 383, 386 Nichols, Nichelle, 132 Nicholson, Jack, 330 Nickerson, Denise, 406 Nicks, Walter, 131 Niessner, Tony, 256

598

INDEX

The Night They Raided Minsky’s, 412 Nillo, David, 206 Nine O’Clock Theatre, 39, 207, 271, 403, 429, 478 Nixon, Marni, 30, 233–35 No Bed of Roses, 399 Noel, Tom, 70 Noel Coward’s Sweet Potato, 476–78 No for an Answer, 6 Nola, Johnny, 68, 492 Nolte, Charles, 510 Nordstrom, Clarence, 76, 299, 377 Norman, Jay, 384 Norman, Monty, 36 Norris, Donald, 468 North, Alan, 514 North, Sheree, 118 North, Zeme, 14 Norton, Elliot, 374 No Strings, 113–16 Notara, Darrell, 309 Noto, Lore, 341 Novak, Kim, 65, 80, 374 Nowhere to Go but Up, 149–51 Noy, M., 415 Noyes, Helen, 414 Nudelman, M., 389 Nugent, Frank S., 76 Nusbaum, Jane C., 296, 411 Nype, Russell, 160–61, 233, 320, 435 Oakes, Betty, 116 Oaks, J. Vernon, 302 O’Brady, Katey, 272 O’Brian, Hugh, 377 O’Brien, Louise, 163, 179, 281 O’Brien, Vince, 489 O’Callaghan, Deirdre, 206 O’Connor, Jim, 26, 35–36, 57, 127 O’Connor, John J., 430 O’Connor, Rita, 360, 394 Oddie, Bill, 264–65 Odets, Clifford, 266 Oestreicher, Gerard, 91, 185 Offenbach, Jacques, 63–65, 185–86, 531 Of Mice and Men, 447 O’Hara, Jenny, 493, 495 O’Hara, Jill, 489, 495 O’Hara, John, 78, 181 O’Hara, Maureen, 27–28 O’Hearn, Robert, 303 O’Horgan, Tom, 455 Oh What a Lovely War, 262–64 O’Keefe, Paul, 89 Oklahoma!, 163–65, 178–79, 346–47, 517–18 Olaf, Pierre, 68, 492 Olatunji, Michael Batatunde, 83 Oliver!, 154–56, 318–19 Oliver, Sy, 243 Oliver, Thelma, 184

Olivier, Laurence, 204, 264 Olrich, April, 352 Olson, Dale, 465 Olson, James, 419 Olson, Kurt, 517 Olufsen, Else, 152 Olvis, William, 104 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, 328–31 110 in the Shade, 196–99 O’Neil, Joyce, 220 O’Neill, Dick, 332 O’Neill, John, 244 Onikowski, Germaine, 518 On-Stage (producer), 226 Opatoshu, David, 126 Orbach, Jerry, 68, 299, 319, 321, 369, 371, 489, 491 Orchard, Julian, 322 Orefice, Frank, 308 Orfaly, Alexander, 432 Ornadel, Cyril, 322 Osborn, Paul, 373–74 O’Shea, Tessie, 205, 363–64 Osterman, Lester, 226, 235, 272, 514 Osterwald, Bibi, 243 Ostrow, Stuart, 133, 191, 383, 503 O’Sullivan, Michael, 356–57 Oxenford, John, 208 Oyster, Jim, 414 Pabst, G. W., 290 Pace, Jean, 521, 523 Padula, Edward, 15, 116, 276, 399–400, 497 Pagan, Peter, 203 Paige, Elaine, 307 Paige, Janis, 191 Pakula, Alan J., 194 Palca, Alfred, 93 Pal Joey, 78–80, 181–82 Palmer, Betsy, 313–14 Palmer, David, 264 Palmer, Leland, 400–401 Palmer, Peter, 129–31, 160–61, 163, 179, 281–82 Paltrow, Scot J., 277 Pancho Villa and Major Young, 135 Panko, Tom, 278, 296, 344, 364, 409, 442 Papa, Bruce, 350 Papich, Stephen, 146 Paradise Island, 62 Parent, Gail, 458 Paris, Norman, 243 Park, Richard, 354, 383 Parker, Larry, 82 Parker, Leonard, 74 Parker, Steve, 82–83 Parkhurst, Charles A., 42 Parks, Bert, 314 Parks, Hildy, 285, 362, 501 Parks, Larry, 1 Parmenter, Ross, 10, 158

INDEX Parnell, Peter, 330 Parsons, Billy, 4 Parsons, Estelle, 1, 289 Partington, Arthur, 66 Pascal, Gabriel, 233, 473 Pascal, John and Fran, 450 Passeretti, John, 395 Patachou, 251–53 Patrick, John, 479 Patten, Moultrie, 129 Patterson, Dick, 34–35, 85, 236 Patton, Lucille, 524 Paul, Thomas, 294 Pauley, Pat, 242 Paz, Rafi, 518 Pearce, Alice, 243 Pearlman, Stephen, 524, 527 Peck, Charles K., Jr., 26, 28, 523 Peerce, Alice, 480 Pegram, Nigel, 352 Pène du Bois, Raoul, 157, 161, 190, 310, 314, 417, 440, 441, 466 Penn, Arthur, 39, 266, 434 Penn, Robert, 102 Pennese, Giuseppe, 213 Peper, William, 101 Pepusch, Johann, 288, 387 Perelman, S. J., 376 Peress, Maurice, 474 Peretti, Hugo, 483 Perkins, Anthony, 13–14 Perkins, Garwood, 200, 232, 287 Perkins, Max, 34 Pernick, Solly, 145 Perry, Alfred, 183, 217 Perry, Rod, 238 Perselle, Jodi, 236 Peters, Bernadette, 370, 450, 515, 524, 526–27 Peters, Brock, 98 Peterson, Kurt, 474–75, 501 Peterson, Patsy, 42 Petina, Irra, 339 Petit, Roland, 274 Petrides, Alex, 486 Phelps, Tracy, 468 Phillips, Eddie, 122, 378 Pickwick, 322–24 Picnic, 65 Picon, Molly, 91–92, 422–23, 436–37 Pierson, Edward, 287, 350 Pierson, Harold, 121 Pilbrow, Richard, 266–67, 486 Pilgrim’s Progress, 338 Pinelli, Tullio, 347, 524 Pipe Dream, 447 Pippin, 59 Pippin, Donald, 154, 156, 196, 215, 269, 364, 366, 501 Pitkin, William, 58 Pitot, Genevieve, 185, 246, 324, 447

599

Platt, George, 266 Platt, Oliver, 300 Plautus, Titus Maccius, 122, 124 Playten, Alice, 430–32 Pleasures and Palaces, 308–10 Pleshette, John, 331 La plume de ma tante, 344–46 Pober, Leon, 1 Pockriss, Lee, 166–67 Pohlman, Ray, 463 Pollock, Michael, 170 Polonsky, Abraham, 120 Pond, Helen, 88, 125, 206, 217, 476 Pool, John, 85 Pool, Larry, 483 Poole, Roy, 503 Poole, Wakefield, 291 Popp, Wilhelm, 256 Popwell, Albert, 313 Porcher, Nan, 232 Porgy and Bess, 73–75, 121, 231–33, 287–88 Porretta, Frank, 253–54, 256, 464 Porter, Cole, 125–26, 169, 270, 303 Porter, Stan, 407 Portfolio Production, 495 Portofino, 273 Poston, Tom, 59 Pottle, Sam, 243, 458 Potts, Nancy, 455, 523, 526 Les Poupées de Paris, 242 Pousse-Café, 354–56 Powell, Jerry, 458 Prager, Stanley, 93, 126 Pratt, John, 146 Premice, Josephine, 380, 382 Prentice, Keith, 88 Presley, Elvis, 16 Preston, Robert, 133–35, 231, 269, 315, 397–99 Previn, Andre, 212, 527, 529 Price, Gilbert, 306–7, 317, 464–65 Price, Lonny, 51 Price, Lorin E., 450 Price, Michael, 211 Price, Sherill, 318 Price, Vincent, 440–41, 513 Prideaux, Tom, 496 Priestman, Brian, 158 Prince, Harold, 22, 42, 109, 111, 122, 124, 175, 259, 285, 302, 356, 391, 395, 486 Prince, Robert, 274, 296, 373 The Prince and the Showgirl, 204 The Prince of Grand Street, 231 Princess Flavia, 250 Pritchett, James, 88 Privitier, Joseph, Sr., 146 Prochnik, Bruce, 154 The Producers, 346 Promises, 488–91 Pronto, Joe, 45

600

INDEX

Proser, Monte, 139 Prowse, Juliet, 139–40 Prud’homme, Cameron, 45 Pruneau, Phillip, 170–71 Pryce-Jones, Alan, 45–46, 65, 68 Psacharopoulos, Nikos, 200 Pully, B. S., 299 Purdom, J. Robert, 251 Purinton, Jock, 81 Purlie, 523 Pygmalion, 233 Les Quat’ Jeudis, 56 Quayle, Anna, 141–43 Quick, George, 255 Quick, Louise, 15, 296 The Quiet Man, 76 Quillan, Joe, 94 Quinn, Anthony, 486 Quinn, Jessica, 414 Quinn, Michael, 395 Quintero, Jose, 354–55 Raby, Roger Allan, 236 Rachmaninoff, Sergei, 339–40 Radcliffe, Daniel, 97 Rado, James, 455, 458 Raffles, Gerry, 262 Ragni, Gerome, 455 Rain, Douglas, 201 The Rainmaker, 52 Rains, Jack, 143 Raitt, James, 62, 370 Raitt, John, 47, 319, 400 Rall, Tommy, 92, 230–31 Ramos, George, 474 Ramrod Production, 139 Ramsay, Robin, 318 Ramsey, Gordon, 243 Randall, Fred, 242, 492 Randolph, James, 74, 121 Randolph, Robert, 15, 17, 95, 126, 128, 152, 170, 215, 220, 272, 293, 309, 321, 332, 339, 347, 356, 359, 395–96, 404, 430, 436, 442 Raphael, Gerrianne, 463 Raskin, Thomas, 409 Ratfink, 497 Rattigan, Terence, 203 Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan, 341 Rawlins, Lester, 133, 201 Ray, Ellen, 125 Ray, Mavis, 179 Raymond, Sid, 442 Reams, Lee Roy, 517 Red, White and Maddox, 497–99 Redfield, Liza, 170, 172, 314 Redgrave, Vanessa, 447 Redwine, Skip, 310 Reed, Carol, 156

Reed, Fay, 230 Reed, Paul, 95, 489 Reeder, George, 122 Reese, Della, 244 Regan, Patti, 85 Regas, Jack, 358 Rehnolds, Lette, 185 Reich, George, 251 Reid, Elliott, 19, 21 Reifsteck, Odile, 146 Reilly, Charles Nelson, 97–98, 208, 333 Reilly, Walter, 45 Reilly, William, 328 Reinhardt, Stephen, 474 Reiss, Marvin, 10, 33, 39, 111 Rembach, Frank, 352 Remick, Lee, 223 Rena, Gita, 256 Renard, Colette, 37–38 Resin, Dan, 70 Reuben Reuben, 284 Revill, Clive, 36, 154, 404–5 Rey, Antonia, 276 Reynolds, Charles, 125 Reynolds, Debbie, 46 Reynolds, Dorothy, 90 Rhodes, Betty, 1 Rhodes, Erik, 474 Ribiero, Alfonso, 268 Rice, Adnia, 152 Rice, Elmer, 6–7, 52, 178, 332, 350 Rice, Peter, 322 Rich, Alan, 121, 257 Rich, Bernie, 139 Rich, Frank, 126 Rich, Ron, 521 Richards, Dal, 503 Richards, Lloyd, 278, 341, 343 Richardson, John D., 464 Richardson, Natasha, 393 Rifkin, Ron, 393 Rigby, Harry, 411 Riggs, Lynn, 163, 179, 346, 517 Riggs, Seth, 4, 29 Riordan, Irene, 258 Rios, Augie, 60 Ripley, Patricia, 512 Ritchard, Cyril, 63, 65, 306 Rittman, Trude, 172, 439 Rivera, Chita, 15, 17, 23, 244–45, 249, 276, 349, 530 Riverwind, 250 Rizzo, Francis, 321 The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd, 306–7 Robbins, Jerome, 22–23, 28, 123, 187, 220–21, 228, 253, 259–60, 262, 461, 474 Robbins, Mary Ann, 524 Robert Lenn Singers, 139 Roberts, Howard, 510

INDEX Roberts, Pernell, 469 Roberts, Rhoda, 373–74 Robertson, Ronnie, 242 Robeson, Paul, 380 Robin, Leo, 106, 162 Robinson, Mabel, 131 Rodgers, Bob, 85 Rodgers, Eileen, 42, 282, 371 Rodgers, Mary, 172–75 Rodgers, Richard, 20, 28, 30, 71, 78, 114–16, 163, 165, 169, 171, 179, 181, 187, 253, 255, 291–93, 313, 316, 319, 321, 330, 346, 369, 378, 402, 413, 425, 461, 474, 517 Rodriguez, Domingo A., 201, 510 Rodriques, H. Momi, 81 Rogers, Anne, 249 Rogers, David, 34, 111 Rogers, Doug, 436 Rogers, Ginger, 366, 529 Rogers, Jaime, 448 Rogers, June Walker, 118 Rogers, Lori, 116 Rogers, Marilyn, 259 Rogers, Paul, 445–46 Rogers, Suzanne, 394 Rogers, Timmie, 243 Rogo Productions, 328 Roland, Steve, 196 Roll, Eddie, 133 Rollins, Jack, 458 Rollins, Lois, 146 Romberg, Sigmund, 250 Rome, Harold, 118–19, 331–32, 344 Romoff, Colin, 98, 133, 235, 428, 469, 514 Romoff, Wood, 255 Roos, Casper, 95, 395, 445 Rose, Billy, 158 Rose, George, 395, 473–74, 499, 527 Rose, Jack, 519 Rose, Philip, 126, 230 Rose, Stewart, 161 Rosemont, Norman, 324 Rosenberg, Michael (Getzel), 407 Rosenfeld, Morris, 389 Rosenman, Leonard, 447 Rosenquist, Holger, 387 Rosenstock, Milton, 107, 141, 172–73, 220, 373, 506, 519 Rosenthal, Jean, 8, 22, 58, 104, 122, 179, 194, 208–9, 228, 238, 259, 285, 295, 362, 373, 378, 383, 391, 397, 409, 437, 501 Rosenthal, Laurence, 404 Ross, Herbert, 24, 26, 104–5, 118, 166–67, 223–24, 282, 291, 328–29, 343, 383 Ross, Jamie, 31 Ross, Jerry, 100 Ross, Joe, 230, 377 Ross, Linda, 259 Ross, Michael, 34 Ross, Steven, 492 Ross, Ted, 521

Rosten, Leo, 448 Roth, Ann, 278 Roth, Lillian, 118, 120 Roth, Phil, 125 Roth, Wolfgang, 288–89 Rotondo, Guy, 238 Rott, Adolph, 288–89 Rounseville, Robert, 66–67, 320, 335, 338 Routledge, Patricia, 440–41, 512 Rovin, Robert, 354 Rowles, Polly, 114 Roy, Hazel, 39 Roy, Renee, 514 Roy, William, 111, 185 Royal Flush, 310–11 Rubin, Arthur, 102, 104 Rubinstein, Arthur, 468 Rudel, Julius, 66–67, 71, 74–75, 121, 129, 160–61, 163, 165, 179, 232, 281, 288 Ruff, Alton, 63 Rugantino, 213–15 Rule, Charles, 483 Rule, Janice, 65 Runyon, Damon, 298, 377 Rupert, Gene, 362 Rupert, Michael, 437 Russell, A. J., 126 Russell, Anne C., 302 Russell, Charles, 88 Russell, Diana, 375 Russell, Robert, 302 Russell, Rosalind, 365 Rutigliano, Danny, 138 Ryan, Dean, 287 Ryan, Peggy, 81 Ryan, Robert, 143, 510 Rychtarik, Richard, 244 S. & H. Venture (producer), 200 Sachs, Evelyn, 8, 120, 354, 383 Saddler, Donald, 91–92, 133, 170–71, 238, 241 Sagall, Solomon, 452, 480 Sage, Eva Marie, 382 Sahlins, Bernard, 87 Saidenberg, Theodore, 328, 445 Saidy, Fred, 24, 63, 408 Sail Away, 88–91 Sainthill, Loudon, 296, 499 Saint-Laurent, Yves, 274–75 The Saint of Bleecker Street, 293–95, 321–22 Saint-Saens, Camille, 464 Saks, Gene, 296, 364–65, 514 Sales, Soupy, 466 Salle Productions, Inc., 100 Sallis, Peter, 285 Salvio, Robert, 508, 510 Sampliner, David W., 448 Samuels, Lesser, 12 Sand, Paul, 87

601

602

INDEX

Sandeen, Darrell, 70, 125, 493 Sanders, Honey, 313, 448 Sanders, Steve, 341 Sandifur, Virginia, 319 Sandrich, Mark, Jr., 269–70 Sands, Dorothy, 506 Sanford, Charles, 152 San Francisco Civic Light Opera Association, 371 San Francisco Contemporary Dancers’ Foundation, 375 Santa Fe Satan, 464 Sappington, Fay, 341 Sarfaty, Regina, 8 Sargant, Julie, 430 Sargent, Karen, 1 Saroyan, William, 230 Sartre, Jean-Paul, 102 Sasaki, Orie, 82 Sato, Ado, 60 Sato, Reiko, 469 Satow, Mark, 29 Sauer, Bernard, 389, 416 Saul, Peter, 125 Saunders, Bernice, 414 Saunders, Merl, 521 Saverino, Anthony, 51 Saville, Philip, 142 Saxe, Stephen O., 74, 121, 232 Saxon, Don, 519 Sayre, John, 247 Schaefer, George, 249 Schaefer, Jerry, 269 Schafer, Milton, 126, 324 Scharf, Stuart, 380 Schary, Dore, 45, 331 Schauler, Eileen, 238, 350–51 Schechtman, Saul, 67 Schenker, Joel, 440 Scheuer, Steven H., 149 Schier, Ernest, 134, 246, 423 Schippers, Thomas, 294 Schirmer, Gus, Jr., 78, 125, 161, 182, 206, 298, 314, 359, 377, 402, 408, 417, 435, 492 Schlegel, Jeanne, 299, 377 Schlitt, Robert, 310 Schmidt, Harvey, 62, 196, 198, 397, 495 Schnabel, Stefan, 288 Schneider, Alan, 523 Schneider, Charles, 476 Schnitzler, Arthur, 104–6 Schon, Bonnie, 476 Schonberg, Harold C., 255–56, 287–89 Schreiber, Avery, 436 Schreiner, Walter, 125 Schulberg, Budd and Stuart, 217, 219 Schulman, Arnold, 194–95, 442 Schumach, Murray, 519 Schwab, Buddy, 88, 114, 243, 466 Schwartz, Arthur, 104–6, 194, 196 Scotlin, Michael, 373

Scott, Bonnie, 35, 95–96 Scott, George C., 183 Scott, Harold, 132 Scott, Jeffrey, 369 Scott, Jerry, 211 Scott, Kenneth, 411, 453 Scott, Ted, 244 The Scottsboro Boys, 244 Scourby, Alexander, 166–68 Seabrook, Joan, 146 Seal, Elizabeth, 36, 38–39 Seaton, George, 191 Seawell, Donald R., 88, 158, 179 Secombe, Harry, 322 Seesaw, 521 Segal, Alex, 133 Segal, Erich, 452, 454 Segal, George, 185 Segal, Lynda, 87 Segal, Vivienne, 79 Seger, Richard, 499 Seibert, Wally, 276 Seidelman, Arthur A., 508–9 Seidenberg, Theodore, 512 Seigel, Joel, 18 Seitz, Dran, 65, 205 Selden, Albert W., 335, 411, 506 Sellers, Arlene, 223 Sellers, Peter, 431 Seltzer, Dov, 480 Sena, Joan, 294 Senn, Herbert, 206, 217, 476 Senn, James, 152, 483 Serabian, Lorraine, 486 Serio, Joy, 360 Serner, Hakan, 387 Sesnon, William T., Jr., 371, 464 Seven Arts Productions, 220 1776, 503–6 Sevryn, Michele, 375 Sewell, Danny, 300 Shaff, Monty, 166, 354 Shakespeare, William, 22, 228, 303, 463, 474 Shannon, Wanda, 249 Sharaff, Irene, 22, 29, 53, 187, 194, 203, 220, 228, 253, 347, 411, 461, 469 Sharif, Omar, 222 Sharkey, Jack, 458 Sharma, Barbara, 481, 506–7 Sharmat, Stephen W., 251 Sharpe, John, 107, 152, 347, 367, 418, 465 Shaughnessy, Mickey, 282 Shavelson, Melville, 519 Shaw, David, 166 Shaw, George Bernard, 233, 473, 481 Shaw, Howard, 126 Shaw, Leon, 499 Shaw, Sydney, 458 Shawn, Dick, 453–54

INDEX Shawn, Wallace, 290 Sheil, Mark Jude, 228 Shelley, Carole, 476–77 Shelly, Norman, 230, 489 She Loves Me, 175–77 Shelton, Reid, 41, 319, 499 Shelyne, Carole, 464 Shepard, Karen, 367 Shepard, Richard F., 245, 390, 407, 416, 423, 474, 481 Shepherd, Jean, 111, 113 Sheridan, Noel, 206 Sherman, Allan, 493 Sherman, Garry, 87 Sherman, Hiram, 432 Sherman, Jay, 6 Sherry!, 404–6 Sherwood, Madeline, 291 Sherwood, Robert, 166–67 Shevelove, Burt, 122, 124, 411 Shifman, Stanley, 82 Shigeta, James, 82, 422 Shimizu, Dana, 313, 425 Shimizu, Keenan, 313, 425 Shimkin, Arthur, 70 Shimoda, Yuki, 422 Shimono, Sab, 313, 364 Shinbone Alley, 3 Shire, David, 458, 468, 512 Shirley, Don, 244 Shoctor, Joseph, 508 Shove, Dawna, 318 Show Boat, 65–67, 378–80 Show Girl, 9, 56–57 Shulman, Max, 432, 434 Shurr, Buff, 68 Shuster, Joe, 356 Shutta, Ethel, 196 Sidney, George, 298 Siegel, Arthur, 40, 111, 458 Siegel, Jerry, 356 Sieger, Marvin, 1 Siegmeister, Elie, 102 Siepi, Cesare, 126, 128 Siff, Andrew, 109 Siggins, Jeff, 354 Sigman, Carl, 479 Sigmond, Ainsley, 98 Signoret, Simone, 101 Sigrist, Susan, 360 Sillman, Leonard, 111–13, 458 Sills, Paul, 87 Silly, Jean, 388 Silver, Joe, 331 Silver, Lee, 498 Silverini, Armando, 213 Silverman, Jack H., 60 Silverman, Jefry, 375 Silverman, Jerry, 40 Silvers, Phil, 54, 124

603

Simenon, Georges, 275 Simmonds, Stanley, 483, 519 Simmons, Connie, 437 Simmons, Jean, 300 Simmons, Stanley, 24, 29, 66, 71, 74, 121, 125, 129, 160, 163, 179, 187, 228, 232, 281, 287, 303, 313, 319, 346, 359, 378, 402, 414, 435, 473, 506 Simms, Hilda, 200 Simon, John, 117 Simon, Nat, 458 Simon, Neil, 152, 347, 488 Simone, Nina, 83 Simons, Ted, 458 Simpson, Michael, 177 Sims, Sylvia, 60 Sinatra, Frank, 80, 115, 300, 320, 443 Singer, Norman, 492 Sing Israel, Sing, 415–17 Siu, Franklin, 422 Sivuca, 523 Sjoblom, Ulla, 387 Skaff, George, 34 Skala, Lilia, 288 Skelton, Thomas, 256, 274, 506, 527 Skulnik, Menasha, 185, 331, 422 Skyscraper, 52, 332–35 Slater, Christian, 315 Slaton, Don, 373 Slavin, Millie, 238 Small, Neva, 272, 430 Smith, David, 354, 367, 383 Smith, Derek, 138 Smith, Eugene, 521 Smith, Fred T., 81 Smith, Harry B., 250 Smith, Jo Jo, 273–74, 400 Smith, Kenneth, 4 Smith, Kirby, 194 Smith, Lois, 448 Smith, Loring, 104 Smith, Malcolm, 322 Smith, Marjorie, 47, 49 Smith, Merritt, 404 Smith, Muriel, 73 Smith, Oliver, 22, 45, 47, 51, 56, 88, 104–5, 129, 139, 160, 196, 203–4, 208–10, 233, 269, 276, 281–82, 284–87, 328, 371, 373, 378, 397, 409, 414, 418–19, 432, 435, 440, 464, 473–74, 501, 506–7, 519, 530 Smith, Osborne, 36 Smith, Sally, 306 Smith, Sammy, 97, 346 Smith, Sarah Jane, 435 Smith, Sheila, 138, 174 Smith, Truman, 102 Smith, Walt, 453 Snow, Harry, 129 Soboloff, Arnold, 223 Solen, Paul, 492 Solms, Kenny, 458

604

INDEX

Solov, Zachary, 255 Solow, Herbert, 287 Something More!, 272–74 Somigli, Sergio, 213 Sondheim, Stephen, 14, 22, 64, 77, 122–23, 134, 174–75, 223–25, 228, 291–93, 386, 410, 474 Sophie, 170–72 Sorvino, Paul, 276, 334 The Sound of Music, 20, 413–15 South Pacific, 71–73, 313–14, 425–26 Space Is So Startling!, 247–48 Spearman, Rawn, 74–75, 121, 184 Spector, Joel, 93 Spewack, Bella, 303 Spewack, Sam, 303, 309 Spindelman, Alfred, 324 Spinedi, Goffredo, 213 Spiner, Brent, 505 Spinetti, Victor, 262, 264, 334, 345 Spivakowsky, Michael, 331 Spoon River Anthology, 188–89 Spradling, Grant, 316 Springer, Philip, 168 Squire, William, 50 Staff, Frank, 352 Stahl, Dick, 258 Staiger, Libi, 170–71 Stamer, Fred, 157, 295 Stamp, Terence, 510 Stander, Lionel, 58 Stanley, Art, 168 Stantley, Ralph, 218 Stanton, Bill, 192, 419 Stanton, Olive, 4 Stanwyck, Barbara, 267 Stapleton, Jean, 220 Starbuck, James, 10 Stark, Bruce W., 508 Stark, Marilyn, 58 Stark, Ray, 220–21 Starkie, Martin, 499 Starr, Bill, 45 Steber, Eleanor, 367, 414 Steele, Robert L., 476 Steele, Tommy, 296–98 Steffe, Edwin, 499 Steggert, Bobby, 51 Steiger, Rod, 164 Stein, Joseph, 259–60, 262, 485 Stein, Julian, 341, 436, 448, 530 Stein, Leo, 255–56 Steinbeck, John, 445, 447 Stern, Issac, 261 Sternberg, Josef von, 354 Stevens, Alex, 45 Stevens, Andrea, 468 Stevens, Carol, 54 Stevens, Connie, 15 Stevens, Craig, 191

Stevens, Leon, 133 Stevens, Ramse, 10, 33 Stevens, Rise, 253–54 Stevens, Roger L., 22, 58 Stevens, Tony, 344 Stevenson, Bob, 262 Stevens Productions, 296 Stewart, Don, 190 Stewart, John, 61, 95, 374 Stewart, Lesley, 332 Stewart, Michael, 15, 17–19, 67–68, 208, 210, 450, 467, 492 Stewart, Paula, 19, 51, 93 Stiles, Victor, 318 Sting, 290 Stites, Julane, 437 Stockholm Marionette Theatre of Fantasy, 387 Stockton, Frank R., 384 Stoddard, Haila, 10, 33, 88, 158, 179 Stone, Harvey, 78 Stone, Peter, 332, 503, 506 Stop the World—I Want to Get Off, 141–43 Storch, Arthur, 442 Stothart, Herbert, 255 La Strada, 523–27 Strater, Nicholas, 251 Stratton, John, 347 Stratton, Ron, 63 Stratton, Ronald, 314 Strauss, Johann, Jr., 256 Strauss, Johann, Sr., 371 Street Scene, 6–8, 178, 350–51 Streisand, Barbra, 30, 118–20, 171, 210, 220–22, 325, 330, 343 Strickler, Jerry, 143 Stritch, Elaine, 88–91, 417 Strouse, Charles, 15, 17–18, 116–17, 210, 266–67, 356, 513, 521 Stuart, Frank, 308 Stuart-Clark, Chris, 264 The Student Gypsy, or “The Prince of Liederkranz,” 189–91 Sturges, Preston, 58 Sturner, Lynda, 318 Styne, Jule, 53, 55, 107–8, 162, 220–21, 235, 237, 244, 272, 274, 411, 413, 439 Styne, Stanley, 244 Subways Are for Sleeping, 107–9 Sulich, Vassili, 251 Sullivan, Arthur, 555–56 Sullivan, Brad, 425 Sullivan, Dan, 381, 402–3, 415, 421, 426, 444, 475, 478–79 Sullivan, Ed, 18 Sullivan, Jo, 66–67 Sullivan, Knute, 24 Sullivan, Paul, 458 Sullivan, Roger, 287 Sullivan, Sheila, 243, 246, 359 Sultan, Arnie, 111

INDEX Summer Time Revue, 242–43 Sundgaard, Arnold, 70 Superman, 358 Suskin, Steven, 420 Susskind, David, 282 Sutherland, Don, 521 Swanlee (producer), 230 Swann, Donald, 403–4 Swann, Elaine, 12, 194 Sweet Charity, 347–50 Swenson, Inga, 196, 285, 473–74 Swenson, Karl, 113 Swenson, Swen, 153 Swerling, Jo, 298, 377 Swift, Allen, 190 Sydell, Paul, 252 Sydow, Jack, 170, 369 Sylbert, Paul, 6, 178, 350 Symonette, Randolph, 7 Szony, Francois, 244 Tahse, Martin, 40 Tainaka Family, 82 Tal, David, 444 Taliaferro, Dean, 54 Taliaferro, John, 302 Tallmer, Jerry, 271, 430 Tambourines to Glory, 199–201 Tanaka, Chio, 247 Tandy, Jessica, 398 Taniuchi, Rie, 82 Tannenbaum, Murray, 306 Tanner, Tony, 142 Tanzy, Jeanne, 223 Tapper, Lester, 468 Tartel, Michael, 508 Task, Maggie, 12, 514, 527 Taubman, Howard, 5, 35, 37–38, 40, 43, 49, 52, 54, 57, 59, 61, 65, 67, 74–77, 80, 86, 89–90, 92, 94, 96, 99, 101, 103, 106, 108, 110, 113–15, 119, 123, 127–28, 140, 142, 145, 148, 151, 153, 155–56, 159, 161–62, 165–67, 169, 171, 174, 176, 181, 189, 191, 193, 195–96, 198, 200, 203–6, 209, 214, 216, 218, 221, 224, 227, 230–31, 237, 241, 252, 254, 257, 259–60, 264, 266–67, 270–75, 277, 279–80, 283–84, 286, 292, 296–97, 300, 303, 305, 307, 323, 325–27, 330, 332, 334, 336–37, 340, 343 Tayir, Andre, 463 Taylor, Evelyn, 179 Taylor, Laurette, 194–96 Taylor, Mark, 131 Taylor, Noel, 217 Taylor, Renee, 436 Taylor, Robert Lewis, 116 Taylor, Samuel, 113–14, 437 Taymor, Julie, 311 Teague, Scooter, 196 Teichmann, Howard, 197 Teichner, Charles, 308 Teijelo, Gerald M., Jr., 173, 174, 328

605

Tenderloin, 41–44 Ter-Arutunian, Rouben, 76, 172, 255, 452, 454 Terry, Richard, 418–19 Tewiata, Inia, 464 Theatre Atlanta Production, 497 The Theatre Group, University Extension, University of South California, 188 Theatre Guild, 45, 440 Theatre Guild Productions, Inc., 165 Theatre Workshop, 262 Theatrical Interests Plan, Inc., 25 Themerson, Franciska, 387 Theodore, Lee Becker, 42, 285, 302, 305, 383, 440, 474–77 There You Are!, 135 Theyard, Harry, 322 13 Daughters, 60–63 This Was Burlesque, 290–91 Thomas, Brandon, 367 Thomas, David, 116, 378, 499 Thomas, Edward, 469 Thomas, Evan, 473 Thompson, Frank, 78, 182, 299, 316, 331, 360, 367, 369, 377, 408, 417, 461 Thompson, Howard, 301 Thompson, Jack, 259 Thompson, Jay, 310–11 Thompson, Virgil, 9 Thoreux, Therese, 274 Thorn, George, 481 The Threepenny Opera, 387–88 Thurber, James, 10–11, 33, 179–80, 375 A Thurber Carnival, 10–12, 33 Thurston, Barbara, 81 Thurston, Ted, 63, 230, 417, 466, 495 Tichenor, Tom, 67 Tierney, William, 163, 179 Timbuktu!, 317 A Time for Singing, 362–64 Tionco, Maureen, 313, 422 Tippey, James, 371 Tisher, Paul, 308 Tobey, Kenneth, 266 Tobias, Charles, 458 Tobias, Fred, 354 To Broadway with Love, 238–43 Todd, Michael, 141 Todd, Michael, Jr., 243 Toigo, Al, 31 Toigo, Alfred, 102 Tokatyan, Leon, 60 Tolin, Meg, 234 Tominaga, Haru, 82 Tomkins, Don, 52 Tomlin, Lily, 39 Tone, Richard, 178, 350, 355 Tookoyan, Arthur, 26 Topol, 261, 262 Topping, Frank, 404 Torkanowsky, Werner, 8–9, 120

606

INDEX

Toser, David, 476 Tovarich, 166–68 Towbin, Beryl, 109 Towers, Constance, 339, 378–79, 402–3, 414–15, 462, 464 Tozzi, Giorgio, 73, 371, 425–26 Tracey, Andrew, 352 Tracey, Paul, 352 Trapp, Maria Augusta von, 413 Travilla, Bill Smith, 426 Travis, Michael, 436 Tregre, George, 483 Trehy, Robert, 178 Trent, Jerry, 233 Troobnick, Eugene, 87 Trotter Brothers, 251–52 Trouble in Tahiti, 62 Trovaioli, Armando, 213–14 Troy, Louise, 226, 395 Trueman, Paula, 109 Truex, Ernest, 143 Trumpets of the Lord, 510–12 Tswever, Z. Berdi, 415 Tucker, Don, 497 Tucker, Ian, 474, 476 Tucker, John Bartholomew, 512 Tucker, Robert, 476 Tucker, Sophie, 170–72 Tune, Tommy, 400–401, 434 Tunick, Jonathan, 490 Tuotti, Joseph Dolan, 521 Turgeon, Peter, 10, 33, 152 Turk, Philip, 452 Turner, Pat, 161, 182 Turner, Ret, 34 Turque, Mimi, 185, 335 Tutin, Dorothy, 158–59 Twain, Mark, 383 Twain, Norman, 276, 327, 358, 388, 430, 479 Tweddell, Frank, 236 Tyler, Veronica, 232–33 Tyson, Cicely, 380, 510 Uggams, Leslie, 411, 413, 481 Uhry, Alfred, 445, 447 Ulmer, Georges, 251–52 United Artists, 409, 445 The Unsinkable Molly Brown, 44–47 Unterhauser, Oswald, 256 Urban, Joseph, 158 Ustinov, Peter, 510 Vaccaro, Brenda, 432 Vainio, Aura, 78 Valency, Maurice, 501 Valery, Dana, 352 Vall, Seymour, 436 Vallee, Rudy, 95, 97 Vanark Enterprises Ltd., 508 Vandervort, Philip, 331

Vandis, Titos, 409 van Druten, John, 391 Van Dyke, Dick, 15, 19 Van Heusen, James (Jimmy), 184, 242, 332, 334, 395, 443 The Vanishing Island, 248 Vanni, Vannio, 213 Vanoni, Ornella, 213 Van Patten, Joyce, 188 Van Rijn, Nancy, 54 Vanselow, Bob, 371 Van Witsen, Leo, 179 Varrato, Edmond, 322 Varrone, Gene, 107, 128, 166, 324 Veglia, Paul, 316 Vejar, Rudy, 249, 253, 255, 316 Venora, Lee, 102–4, 253–54, 318 Ventura, Clyde, 294, 322 Ventura, Toni, 213 Venuta, Benay, 319, 369 Verbit, Helen, 137 Verdon, Gwen, 125, 347–49 Vereen, Ben, 349 Vernon, Jackie, 426 Vest, Bud, 347 Vestoff, Virginia, 285, 504 Victor, Lucia, 344 Victor Borge on Broadway, 271 Victoria, queen of Great Britain, 512–13 Vidalin, Maurice, 388, 479 Villa, Danny, 508 Villella, Edward, 129, 131, 160–61, 281–82, 435–36 Vinaver, Steven, 441 Vintage ‘60, 33–36 Vitkin, Shlomo, 480 Voelpel, Fred, 19, 31, 34, 70, 114–15, 170, 324, 425 Voigt, Deborah, 103 Voketaitis, Arnold, 4, 6, 8, 178 Vollmoller, Kurt, 354 Vondermuhll, Alfred, 247 von Furstenberg, Betsy, 417 Von Gross, Erwin, 256 von Sydow, Max, 513 Vosburgh, David, 483, 503 Votos, Christopher, 291 Vucci, Ralph, 218 Vye, Murvyn, 72, 314 Waara, Scott, 362 Wager, Michael, 4 Wagner, Frank, 458 Wagner, Robin, 455, 488, 512 Wailes, Richard, 247 Wait a Minim!, 351–53 Wakefield, Jack, 278 Walberg, Betty, 282, 328 Waldman, Robert, 445, 447 Waldron, Jack, 78, 80 Waldrop, Mark, 175 Walker, Gillian, 510

INDEX Walker, James J., 138, 519–21 Walker, Nancy, 54–55 Walking Happy, 395–97 Wallace, Art, 400 Wallace, George, 194, 375 Wallace, Royce, 220 Wallace, Trudy, 430 Wallach, Barbara, 131 Wallis, Shani, 363–64 Wallner, Helmut, 256 Walsh, Maurice, 76 Walston, Ray, 73, 500 Walters, Gwendolyn, 121, 232–33 Walters, Susan, 389–90, 416, 480–81 Walton, Tony, 122, 266–67, 383 Waltzes from Vienna, 372 Ward, Bernard, 510 Ward, Clara, 165, 200 Ward, Robert, 527 Ward Singers, 165 Warfield, William, 74–75, 232–33, 378–79 Warhol, Andy, 181 Waring, Claire, 233, 299, 473 Warner, Elsie, 139 Warner, Jack L., 519 Warner, Neil, 335 Warner Brothers–7 Arts, 481 Warnick, Clay, 76–77 Warren, Lesley Ann, 196, 325 Warren, Rod, 88 Warriner, Frederic, 156 Warshavsky, M. M., 415 Washburn, Jack, 143 Washington, Lamont, 455 Wasserman, Dale, 335 Watkins, Gordon, 287 Watkins, Maurine, 153 Watkins, Perry, 184 Watson, Betty Jane, 88, 347, 370 Watson, Susan, 20, 270, 319, 346, 367, 400–401, 495 Watt, Douglas, 26, 28, 30, 35, 49, 62, 101, 273, 345–46, 353, 355, 358, 365, 382, 423, 430 Watts, Richard, 3, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 26, 38, 40, 43, 52, 55, 57, 77, 79, 89, 94, 96, 101, 108, 110, 113, 123, 145, 148, 153, 155, 159, 169, 171, 174, 176, 181, 189, 191, 193, 196, 198, 203–4, 206, 214, 219, 221, 224, 227, 231, 237, 252, 261, 267, 270, 273, 275, 277, 279–80, 283, 286, 292, 296, 298, 303, 307, 332, 334, 337, 340, 343, 349, 355, 358, 364–65, 381, 386, 396, 398, 401, 404–6, 412, 432, 434, 437, 439, 441, 443, 446, 449, 451, 454, 467, 477, 482, 485, 487–88, 490, 494, 496, 498, 500, 503, 507, 509, 512, 520, 523, 526, 529 Waukegan Hillbillies, 165 Waxman, Franz, 375 Wayne, David, 341, 378–79, 437 Wayne, Paula, 266 Weaver, Fritz, 117, 285, 473–74 Webb, Alyce Elizabeth, 304 Webb, Barbara, 74, 121, 404

607

Weber, Barbara, 464 Webster, Andy, 78 Webster, Byron, 233, 473 Webster, Paul Francis, 26 Wedge, Maura K., 300, 319 Weede, Robert, 91–92, 361 Weeden, Bill, 452 Weeks, Alan, 411 Weidman, Jerome, 41, 118–20, 137, 246–47, 354 Weill, Kurt, 6, 178, 288, 350, 387, 531 Weiner, Robert, 188, 219, 481 Weinstock, Jack, 95, 98, 172, 359 Weintraub, Jerry, 499 Weisfisch, Shlomo, 415 Weiss, George David, 483 Weiss, Noel, 243 Weissberg, Eric, 400 Welch, Charles, 266, 418, 440, 501 Welch, Mitzie, 190 Weldon, Charles, 521 Weldon, James, 510 Weldon, Joan, 102–4, 255–56 Wells, H. G., 296 Wences, Senor, 168 Wentworth, Robin, 31 Werner, Fred, 226, 309, 347 Wernher, Hilda, 26 Wertimer, Ned, 514 West, Bernie, 116 West, Judy, 175 West, Nathanael, 162 West, Paul, 290 Weston, Robert, 41 West Side Story, 22–23, 228–29, 474–76 We Take the Town, 133–35 Wexler, Peter, 400, 437 What about Luv?, 284 What Makes Sammy Run?, 217–19 Wheeler, Harold, 488 Where’s Charley?, 367–69 Whipple, Sidney B., 79 White, Eric, 272 White, Jessie, 282 White, Michael, 265 White, Miles, 15, 45, 56, 91, 249, 517, 530 White, Myrna, 469 White, Onna, 36, 38, 93–95, 156, 173, 278, 296–97, 314, 364–65, 409–10, 503, 514–15 White, T. H., 47 Whitehead, Allen B., 309, 499 Whitehead, Paxton, 149, 207 Whitehead, Robert, 58, 182 Whitelaw, Arthur, 300 Whyte, Ronny, 243 Wickwire, Nancy, 201, 445–46 Widney, Stone, 468 Wiegert, Rene, 400 Wiener Blut, 256–57 Wildcat, 51–53

608

INDEX

Wilder, Billy, 38, 488 Wilder, David, 486 Wilder, Jo, 290 Wilder, Marc, 34 Wilder, Thornton, 208 Wiley, Robert A., 12 Willett, John, 289 Williams, Barbara, 137 Williams, Billy Dee, 412 Williams, Clyde, 200 Williams, Derek, 62 Williams, Grant, 6 Williams, Jodi, 310 Williams, Musa, 71 Williams, Ralph, 175 Williams, Richard, 383 Willman, Noel, 440, 512 Willson, Meredith, 45–46, 191–92, 314, 316, 530–31 Willson, Rini, 316 Wilson, Charles, 350–51, 383 Wilson, Dolores, 341 Wilson, Jack, 34 Wilson, John S., 50, 71 Wilson, Julie, 519 Wilson, Lee, 512 Wilson, Marie, 308 Wilson, Mary Louise, 172, 174, 477 Wilson, Patricia, 138 Wilson, Robin, 430 Wilson, Sandy, 394 Winchell, Walter, 434 Windberger, Ferry, 256 Windsor, Barbara, 262 Winik, Leslie, 57 Winter, Edward, 391, 489 Winter, Richard, 63 Winters, Lawrence, 121 Winwood, Estelle, 502 Wisdom, Norman, 307, 368, 395–96 Wise, Robert, 23 Wishy, Joseph, 362 Withers, Iva, 47 Wittop, Freddy, 67, 107, 208–10, 238, 241, 276–77, 282, 306, 309, 328, 371, 397, 418–19, 437, 450, 464, 492, 501 Wittstein, Ed, 102–3, 126, 185, 341, 495 Wlaschin, Ken, 10, 294–95 Wodehouse, P. G., 67 Wohl, Jack, 422 Woldin, Judd, 180 Wolf, Peter, 228, 238, 241, 299, 377 Wolf, Tommy, 3 Wolfe, Karin, 15 Wolfe, Nancy, 375 Wolff, Beverly, 294, 322 Wolfson, Martin, 285, 419 Wolsky, Albert, 354 Wonderful Town, 161–63, 417–18 Wonderful World of Chemistry, 243

Wonder World, 244–45 Wong, Barbara-Jean, 422 Wood, DeeDee, 53 Wood, Eugene, 133 Wood, Helen, 245 Woodthorpe, Peter, 440 Woodward, Edward, 226 Woolever, Harry, 473 Wooley, Monty, 405 Woollcott, Alexander, 405, 406 The World of Charles Aznavour, 327 The World of Jules Feiffer, 386 The World of My America, 382 Worley, Jo Anne, 85–86, 209 Worth, Maggie, 203 Worth, Marvin, 111 Wright, Bob, 256, 304–5, 414 Wright, Ned, 74, 121 Wright, Robert, 102–3, 316, 339, 371, 464 Wyckham, John, 147, 154, 207, 318 Wyler, Gretchen, 244–45 Wyler, William, 222 Wynne, Angus G., Jr., 238 Wynne, Gordon R., Jr., 238 Xantho, Peter, 308 Yama, Conrad, 278 Yankee Doodle Dandy, 451 Yarnell, Bruce, 47, 63, 65, 369, 371, 402, 517 The Yearling, 341–44 Yeston, Maury, 253 Young, Cy, 107 Young, Marie, 232 Young, Ron, 364 Young, Stanley, 324 Young Abe Lincoln, 70–71 Younin, Sylvia, 389, 416 Younin, Wolf, 389, 415 Yukimura, Izumi, 82 Yuriko, 28–29, 187, 253, 461 Zachariasen, William, 8 Zadora, Pia, 135 Zaks, Jerry, 138 Zavin, Benjamin Bernard, 448 Zeiger, Hal, 407 Zeller, Mark, 423 Zenda, 248–50 Zindel, Paul, 366 Zipprodt, Patricia, 175, 259, 262, 339, 354, 391, 395, 486, 503 Ziskin, Victor, 70 Zizi, 274–75 Zolotow, Sam, 33, 421 Zorba, 485–88 Zuckmayer, Carl, 354 The Zulu and the Zayda, 331–32

• About the Author

Dan Dietz was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at the University of Virginia, and the subject of his graduate thesis was the poetry of Hart Crane. He taught English and the history of modern drama at Western Carolina University, and then later served with the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Education Department. He is the author of Off-Broadway Musicals, 1910–2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows (2010). The book was selected as one of the outstanding reference sources for 2011 by the American Library Association.

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