George M. Cohan: anyone else write/star in a Broadway Musical

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 8:53am

Besides George M. Cohan anyone else (write, compose) and star in a Broadway Musical?

[flamingo]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 9:07am

Peter Allen, wrote the music and lyrics and starred in "Legs Diamond"

I think this show was not considered sucessful.



internet broadway data base

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 9:12am

There's Gerome Ragni and James Rado, who wrote the book and lyrics for Hair, and also starred in it.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 9:37am

Anthony Newley --- Stop the World... and The Roar of the Greasepaint...

And of course Noel Coward, who did it about 3,000 times, at least.

Updated On: 7/21/06 at 09:37 AM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 9:39am

Anthony Newley wrote the book, lyrics, score, directed and starred in STOP THE WORLD I WANT TO GET OFF and THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT, THE SMELL OF THE CROWD

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 10:41am

I should have remembered Anthony Newley. I have both of these.

I guess I have never read the liner notes for Hair.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 10:43am

Bob Martin... kind of

[Jon]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 10:57am

Gretchen Cryer co-wrote and starred in the Off-Broadway show I'M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 11:06am

Irving Berlin starred in "This Is The Army" in 1943, singing "Oh How I Hat To Get Up In The Morning" with 250 soldiers, sailors and airmen.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 11:23am

Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote both book & lyrics, and starred in On the Town.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 11:45am

Digging around, I also discovered that both Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson wrote (either music, lyrics or some songs for) and starred in a couple of Broadway shows each.

Also Eubie Blake, Aubrey Lyles and Noble Sissle with "Shuffle Along."

EDIT: Also Avon Long with "Bubbling Brown Sugar."

And although he wasn't in the original cast, Roger Miller wrote "Big River" and stepped in as a replacement for Pap Finn during the run.

Updated On: 7/21/06 at 11:45 AM

[achancetofly]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 1:19pm

allofmylife, I was gonna say Irving Berlin in "This is the Army" too!

Dang, beat me to it.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 1:42pm

Didn't Comden also do a stint in On The 20th Century?

JRB performed his own song in Urban Cowboy

and off broadway, there's always [title of show]

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 1:45pm

for off-Broadway, there are legion. But notable lately is MUSICAL OF MUSICALS (though I'm not a fan of the writer/composers as performers).

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 1:48pm

Schmidt and Jones have also appeared in their own works (mainly off-b'way, but also GROVER'S CORNERS near Chicago). Jones will direct and act in the newest version of THE FANTASTICKS opening later this month...he also acted under a pseudonym for the original off-B'way production, causing remarks that a promising actor would have a better career ahead than the writer.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 1:52pm

Updated On: 7/21/06 at 01:52 PM

[Sluggy]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 2:38pm

Hershey Felder wrote and starred in "George Gershwin Alone", but of course he didn't write the music!

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 2:42pm

There's also Michael Rupert, who wrote the music for Mail, and also starred in it.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 4:52pm

speaking of Ruperts, Rupert Holmes wrote and appeared in ACCOMPLICE on Broadway. But it was not one of his musicals (DROOD, REMEMBER WENN, the forthcoming CURTAINS). He also wrote and recorded "The Pina Colada Song."

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 5:09pm

Also you could count Lebo M for "The Lion King." He wrote some of the choral music and lyrics and incidental music for the stage show of "The Lion King" as well as appeared in the OBC.

Also several from the "New Faces" Broadway shows... Leonard Stillman and James Shelton wrote songs and/or sketches for the 1934 (first) version, as well as starred in it. June Carroll and Ronny Graham wrote songs and sketches for "New Faces of 1952" as well as starred in it, and Paul Lynde was in it and also credited with "additional text." John Lund wrote book and lyrics for the 1943 installment, plus starred in it. Probably others I'm missing, but you get the idea!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 5:12pm

I am not sure but Rado & Ragni might have been off broadway's Rainbow"

[Tirso de Molina]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 9:44pm

this was off-Broadway, but Phyllis Newman co-wrote the book (with Arthur Laurents) for her semi-autobiographical musical The Madwoman of Central Park West, which featured songs from various composers. Newman reprised "Don't Laugh" from that show (Sondheim's lyrics) at the Wall To Wall Sondheim event in March 2005.

[BroadwayBulldog]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 11:03pm

^

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/21/06 at 11:56pm

"Don't Laugh" was actually originally written for Hot Spot, the failed Judy Holliday musical.

And The Madwoman of Central Park West played a bizarre little Broadway theatre called the 22 Steps, which used to stand on 48th Street on the triangle between Seventh Avenue and Broadway. The 22 Steps was later renamed the Princess, hosting flop after flop, until Pump Boys and Dinettes played there.