The Lieutenant Vol. 2:
I had to go into the Tony database to make sure, but the 4 nominees for Best Musical in 1974-75 were The Wiz (which won; 7 awards in all), The Lieutenant (which flopped out after a week), Mack and Mabel (a two month flop) and Shenandoah, a sentimental show with a nice score and a Tony winning book and a real good cast headed by John Cullum, also winner of the Tony that year.
Notably missing from Musical, Book, Score and staging categories was Goodtime Charley, a star vehicle for Joel Grey and Ann Reinking's first lead. It was the story of Joan of Arc and her relationship with the Dauphin except that this show was geared toward the lesser character, him, as opposed to her. Whose story is it anyway?
I felt this show was dull although not in the 'ghastly' category.The nominators obviously felt something along the same lines since both Mack and Mabel and The Lieutenat had closed, but Goodtime Charley was still running.
Rumor had it that Goodtime Charley, when it was first thought about several seasons before it was produced, would be a real comic take on the situation and would star Gene Wilder and Barbara Harris! THAT might have worked.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
