Most Happy Fella

We might be doing this show at my school next year and I was just curious to hear some well-versed and educated opionions. So let me know what you think of the show.

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Thanks Joe. I appreciate your opinion. We have a pretty strong group of students right now(We did The Mikado this past February) and we are getting a brand new musical theatre person who will be music directing our shows. I'm anxious to find out what is happening with our musical.

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The Most Happy Fella is a wonderful, but challenging show. It first opened on Broadway in 1956. It was overshadowed in publicity and awards by a show that opened six weeks earlier - My Fair Lady. Written by Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), Fella is based on Sydney Howard's They Knew What They Wanted. It tells the story of a mail order love affair between an aging Italian grape farmer (Tony) in the Napa Valley and a waitress (Rosabella) he meets at a restaurant in San Francisco. The story is set in 1927.

Because he is "old and not very good looking," Tony sends Rosabella a picture of his handsome young ranch foreman. When Rosabella arrives to marry Tony, she meets the foreman... then later learns of Tony's deception. That same night, Tony has an accident with his truck, and is severely injured. After a hastily arranged wedding, Rosabella is left with her wounded pride and Joe (the ranch foreman) comes on to her.

At the start of Act 2, Tony is in a wheelchair. Because he is a nice kind man, he gradually works his way into Rosabella's heart, and she comes to care for him and later professes her love for him. But soon after she discovers that she is pregnant... from that encounter with Joe. She tells Tony that she is leaving, and why. He is angry at first, but comes to his senses... promising to tell everyone that the baby is his.

The Most Happy Fella is a lush musical - operatic at times - with a soap opera type story. Excellent voices are required of the two leads. In addition, there are a number of great roles in the show. Joe, the ranch foreman. Marie, Tony's sister. Cleo, Rosabella's friend. Herman, a ranch hand who becomes Cleo's love interest. Several Chorus guys who sing "Standing on the Corner" with Herman. Three "cooks" on Tony's ranch, whose numbers can steal the show. A singing postman. A doctor. And finally a great chorus.

The original production starred Robert Weede - a Metropolitan Opera star - and Jo Sullivan (who later became Mrs. Frank Loesser). Their full OBC recording is, in my opinion, the best. The show was revived in 1979 with Georgio Tozzi in the lead. Spiro Malas lead a 1992 revival that featured a twin piano musical arrangement (a recording is available). There is also a more recent 3 CD recording of the complete show, as well as songs that were cut from the original production. Emily Loesser (daughter of Frank Loesser and Jo Sullivan) plays Rosabella in that recording.

Hope this information helps. Feel free to ask for more specifics.

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Updated On: 4/23/05 at 09:45 PM

I've seen the show many times over the years, but a recent community theatre production pointed up a potential problem with staging the show: Pacing. Act One is fine, but Act Two is a bit of a sag (since we're waiting for Tony to recover and Rosabella to fall in love with him.) Act Three is short and pretty much to the point. The production I saw last spring streched a show that should have lasted 2 1/2 hours to a deadly 3 hours and 20 minutes. Keep it moving crisply and the audience will find it moving and enjoyable.

And yes, get the original Broadway cast on Sony - a 2 CD set containing virtually the entire show with dialogue.

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