Remembering THE APPLE TREE on its 50th Anniversary

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 3:27am

It opened October 18th, 1966 at the Shubert Theatre.

Starring Barbara Harris (who won a Tony for her performances) as well as a pre-M*A*S*H Alan Alda and Larry Blyden this show musicalised three famous short stories. The Bock & Harnick score is beyond excellent and one of my ultimate favorites.

Act One: The Diary of Adam & Eve













Act Two: The Lady or the Tiger









Act Three: Passionella













Tony Awards Performance

Barbara Harris' Acceptance speech

 

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 3:45am

thank you for those wonderful photos Mr. Nowack. Pity the Apple Tree revival starring Kristin Chenoweth didn't get a cast recording.

[TheSassySam]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 6:49am

I love listening to "Passionella" whenever I am feeling blue! 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 10:20am

I know next to nothing about this show, but I do love the revival artwork with K-Chen holding an apple and smiling slyly over her shoulder. So cute!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:17am

I love THE APPLE TREE. Those "knockers" on Barbara Harris as "Passionella" are out of hand! LOL!

Fun trivia fact: Alan Alda and Barbara Harris went on to co-star in the 1979 drama, THE SEDUCTION OF JOE TYNAN, written by Alda himself and co-starring Meryl Streep.



 

Updated On: 10/18/16 at 11:17 AM

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:23am

I saw it on Broadway back in the day- and LOVED it- I was just a kid but it was one of my favorites at the time. It got great reviews I remember but did not last all that long on Broadway- I always wondered why.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:33am

I remember that Phyllis Newman did all the matinees for the show - instead of Barbara Harris. It was quite a new idea that actors didn't do all 8 shows at all times. 

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:36am

Barbara's Tony Acceptance speech always breaks my heart.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:41am

I remember that Phyllis Newman did all the matinees for the show - instead of Barbara Harris. It was quite a new idea that actors didn't do all 8 shows at all times.

Matinee alternates actually weren't uncommon in the 1960s -- and they were certainly more common then than now.

Harris did all performances for the first two months of the role, with Newman beginning in December 1966. As the run progressed, Harris began to miss a significant amount of performances and then eventually left rather abruptly.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 12:10pm

AC126748 said:.

Matinee alternates actually weren't uncommon in the 1960s -- and they were certainly more common then than now.
"

Really? I hadn't realized that. It was the only situation in the 60's that I have ever heard about. Were there any other matinee performers from then that were of note? Just curious..I find that interesting...

That said, as much as I loved Barbara Harris, Alan Alda was my personal main draw in the show... Even the wonderful Brian Darcy James couldn't come close in my mind...no matter how good he was in the revival.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 12:14pm

Phyllis Newman has discussed her time subbing for Barbara Harris in THE APPLE TREE.

This is courtesy of Playbill.com

"During the so-called Golden or Hey-Hey Days of the Broadway musical… I had a number of jobs in the theatre… One season I performed at the matinees of The Apple Tree while the brilliant Barbara Harris did the evening shows. Although she had an understudy, they often called me to come in at night. She was going through an illness, and the show consisted of three separate short musical plays with complete change of makeup, costumes, et. al. It required an enormous amount of energy; sometimes she did one and I did two or vice versa… or none and… well, you get it. The point being (oh, you want a point?) I was in Shubert Alley a lot of nights...."

 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 10:37pm

Always knew Newman replaced Harris eventually, but never knew she did matinees. I can see why it would be exhausting, as the leading lady had to play not 3 but 4 distinct characters throughout the course of the evening. And by all indications Harris gave her all for each.

Hal Linden also later replaced Larry Blyden I wanna say.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:00pm

After the first year of the run, Gordon MacRae and Carol Lawrence did matinees for Robert Preston and Mary Martin in I DO! I DO!, 1966-68: the subbing began in 1967.

Updated On: 10/18/16 at 11:00 PM

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:21pm

Thanks so much for this, and your other "anniversary" posts!

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/18/16 at 11:56pm

Mr. Nowack said: "Always knew Newman replaced Harris eventually, but never knew she did matinees. I can see why it would be exhausting, as the leading lady had to play not 3 but 4 distinct characters throughout the course of the evening. And by all indications Harris gave her all for each.

Hal Linden also later replaced Larry Blyden I wanna say.

 

"

And Hal Holbrook for Alan Alda...

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/19/16 at 4:15pm

I was 15 back in the days when it was easier to sneak into theaters, and The Apple Tree was playing at the Shubert.  I suspect that my age had a lot to do with my liking the very funny Acts 2 and 3 more than the more serious Act 1.  So it was no loss when my best friend and I only saw Acts 2 and 3.  We would wait for the intermission and walk back into the Shubert theatre with the returning audience.  It helped that The Apple Tree was never a sell-out hit...there were always empty seats if you stayed away from Saturday.  By the end, we saw the whole show twice, and Acts 2/3 5 times.

I occasionally listen to the score, which is quite enjoyable and still recall specific details of Barbara Harris's performance 50 years ago.  She gave one of the two or 3 greatest musical performances I have ever seen, right up to this date.  It is such a shame for us that she apparently never liked performing before a live audience, because she was amazing.