TREASURES FROM "ON YOUR TOES" 1936

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:02am

I'm feeling a little blue tonight and whenever I do, I like to look through my Broadway souvenirs. But I'm not in LA tonight, so I was browsing my image bank in the laptop and I came across a bunch of images from the original 1936 production of "On Your Toes." I own some of these items and I covet the others.

Here we go.....

Ray Bolger and Tamara Geva as Junior Dolan, a dance-mad music teacher and Vera Barnova, an ex-Russian ballerina in the finale number "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue."

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 12:02 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:03am

The cover of the pre-Broadway run in Boston

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:04am

The list of Pre-Broadway musical numbers. Note all the soon-to-be-cut scenes and numbers.

Excuse me... The Dig-a-Do Ballet?

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 12:04 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:08am

An amazing staged photo from before the costumes were finished. Note that the cast are wearing mix-n-match costumes and the scene depicted is not in the original show (perhaps Balanchine's choreography was still in the works?)

Did Ray Bolger just run in from a rehearsal for The Gaucho?

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 12:08 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:12am

An amazing photo, taken during rehearsals in street clothes. Notable in the photo are Luella Gear, Monte Wooley (holding a tool taken from the townspeople in Frankenstein), Tamara Geva and Ray Bolger.

He looks so young.

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 12:12 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:20am

An amazing photo taken from the wings of the "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" scene

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:24am

Luella Gear, who played the patroness of the Russian ballet had retired, but she came out of retirement to do the show. Her role was described in Stage Magazine as some wonderfully droll comments and several smutty songs.

Ah, times change...

Updated On: 1/13/08 at 12:24 AM

[soubrette]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 12:26am

These are just great! Thank you so much for sharing these artifacts of old B'way!
Hope you're feeling Glad to be Unhappy now:)

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 4:18am

Thanks Soubrette. It was a quiet night.

Here' the other page from the Pre-Broadway program which I purchased from the incomparable Paul Ydstie. (Broadway!!! on eBay)

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 4:21am

I have four or five editions of this magazine from the run of the show but, interestingly, not this one.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 1:10pm

Bump. Sorry. Excuse me. Coming through...

[keen on kean]

Posted: 1/13/08 at 2:23pm

Wasn't Baronova one of the "baby ballerinas"? Doing major ballet roles on pointe at 14? With Toumanova and I can't recall the third.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 4:38pm

bu bu bu bump

[bk]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 6:01pm

I love On Your Toes. It is one of Rodgers' most adventurous scores - musically fantastic in every way. The title song is one of my all-time favorite pieces of music, just brilliant in its conception. Of course I had to include it on the last Guy Haines CD as its opening song.

My favorite recording for nostalgia reasons is the Goddard Lieberson studio recording with Jack Cassidy and Portia Nelson.

They climb the heights to come through with air mail
The dancing crowds look up to some rare male
Like that Astaire male

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 10:23pm

I was made,
On lemonaide
The heart is quicker
than the eye.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 10:25pm

Thanks so much for these. I love Ray Bolger, so these are a treat.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 10:33pm

Thanks for posting these! This is a treat.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/10/11 at 3:55am

This just popped up. Ray Bolger and the cast in a posed press photo depicting a scene that wasn't in the original show as illustrated.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/6/13 at 10:03pm

Since City Center Encores is doing the show again this month.....