Revivals of pre-1950 shows

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 8:59pm

Okay, my own little game to suggest.

It feels like the revivals either in production or in suggestion are all shows written post 1950, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. But Broadway has a long and wonderous history, with lots of brilliant scores that predate that era.

So, your mission, should you accept it: the revival of a show from 1900 to 1945. We'll assume you'll bring in someone to dust off the book a bit, but the score will be more or less inviolate. Let's hear some of those really early gems that deserve a second look.

My own contributions: STRIKE UP THE BAND (192 and THE PINK LADY (1905, I think). The former is, of course, Gershwin, and the script is a howling satire of corporate greed and war. The latter, written by the amazing Ivan Carryl, has a truly lush, gorgeous score, and a fun little book.

Yours?

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 9:35pm

also a Gershwin choice, Pardon My English

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 9:40pm

I'd actually like to see some of the old operettas come back. I've never really seen them or heard them.

[PennybankBill]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 11:19pm

husk_charmer, which operettas are you talking about?

I'd love to see revivals of Kurt Weill's American works and Marc Blitzstein's CRADLE WILL ROCK and REGINA. I don't know who could direct them or who would star in them, but I think they would be great fun to watch.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 11:29pm

Husk--you can start at the end , with Kern and Hammerstein's gorgeous Music in the Air. Here are Kristin Chenoweth and Douglas Sills singing "The Song Is You" from the Encores version:

http://youtu.be/Usn-5hr78SI

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 11:47pm

Now that the all-time greatest 1930's musical theater piece ever, Porgy and Bess, is coming back to Broadway this season, it'll be fun to focus on other gems:

1. LADY IN THE DARK. If anyone can purge the book of it's cliches, this show has some magnificent Weill-Gershwin songs and scene ideas. Who could direct a true dreamstate onstage? I vote for David Leveaux.

2. ST. LOUIS WOMAN. A treasure trove of brilliant Arlen-Mercer songs mired in a hopeless book. Could George Wolfe succeed in setting those songs free? (I know the show is from 1946 but that 1945 cutoff date is pretty arbitrary anyway.)

3. BABES IN ARMS. This one might be a stretch. Never seen it onstage so no idea how unplayable the book is. But those Rogers and Hart gems always deserve a fresh airing and Casey Nicholaw might find a way.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/20/11 at 11:53pm

Lady in the Dark
On Your Toes
Too Many Girls
Good News
Nymph Errant
Strike Up the Band
Fifty Million Frenchmen
Brigadoon
Allegro
High Button Shoes

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 12:03am

One that I've always wanted to find the libretto to is MR POPPLE OF ISLINGTON, which I think dates from 1911. A British "musicale", the score is slightly demented, and from what I can find of the story, so is it. LOL

LADY IN THE DARK? You bet! I dont think it's ever seen a proper stage production, which is kind of sad.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 12:10am

Sean, sensing you may be English, we saw a terrific production at the National Theater in 1997 starring Maria Friedman. But it's such a New York show that Broadway deserves its own production absolutely.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 12:12am

<-- Canadian. But I wouldnt mind being English. LOL

[undercoveractor]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 12:46am

There are a lot of shows that I would love to see on stage, many of them I realize may not work in our day or time. But based on that my votes would be for:
HIGH BUTTON SHOES
ONE TOUCH OF VENUS
BILLION DOLLAR BABY
BRIGADOON
THE DAY BEFORE SPRING
LOVE LIFE
DUBARRY WAS A LADY

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 5:43am

The Morton Gould score for BILLION DOLLAR BABY is not very good, IMO. But I would love to see a revival of Jule Styne's HIGH BUTTON SHOES, complete with its Bathing Beauties slapstick ballet. And I would appreciate a revival of LADY IN THE DARK, which originally starred the great Gertrude Lawrence.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 5:53am

@charlesjguitteau re "Babes in Arms": UCLA's Music Department did the show with the original book about 10 years ago. It's interesting as an historical piece (and the humor deals with serious subjects such as racism), but the FDR jokes get old after awhile for anybody but scholars of the period. The score, however, holds up beautifully.

Somebody named George Oppenheimer gave it the "Anything Goes" treatment (i.e., score augmented with additional hits by Rodgers & Hart) in 1957. I saw that version at a dinner theater in Paramus in the 1970s and it works well enough. In spirit, it's more closely related to the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movie than the original.

Apparently, Goodspeed revived it in 2002 with a new book by Joe DiPietro. Per this site, the 2002 book is "inspired" by the original and isn't afraid of themes topical to 1937. I haven't seen or read it.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/71228-Youth-Will-Arrive-Revised-Babes-in-Arms-Opens-at-Goodspeed-Aug-2



Updated On: 7/21/11 at 05:53 AM

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 6:02am

BTW, I think the dividing line for this question should be 1943 ("Oklahoma!" premieres) rather than 1950. Shows from the 1940s ("Kiss Me, Kate", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Brigadoon", Finnian's Rainbow", "On the Town") have all had Broadway revivals within the past 10 years or so. Others, such as "Street Scene" are done in regional theaters and opera houses, even if there hasn't been a major Broadway revival lately.

It's the pre-Rodgers & Hammerstein shows (except for "Show Boat" and "Porgy...") that aren't done as often.

"Pal Joey" is technically pre-"Oklahoma!", but it wasn't a hit until the post-"OK!" revival (1952). So I suppose it shouldn't count here either.

"Student Prince" still worked in stock 30 years ago; I see no reason it would be any more dated now.


Updated On: 7/21/11 at 06:02 AM

[twinbelters]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 10:44am

I second Love Life.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 11:20am

I was referring to almost any of the operettas. Song of Norway, The Red Mill, Naughty Marietta, Student Prince, Merry Widow, etc etc.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 12:16pm

There used to be a theatre company in Ohio that specialized in these; I tried getting a copy of the script to PRINCE OF PILSEN, but they were "Oh no, it'd under lock and key! No one can find the key! It's down in the basement and no one ever goes there! Because of lions!" ::sigh::

There's a lot of wild stuff from that era. If you dont know this site -- http://www.halhkmusic.com/victorian.html -- I'd give it a look. The midi work is pretty thin, but the site makes up for it by sheer volume. It's a pretty awesome resource.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/21/11 at 10:54pm

Yaye for Canadians. Lady in the Dark was going to be my choice too. Is there any point in trying to revive Love Life?

I'd ove to see Babes in Arms if they could somehow recreated the Balanchine numbers - actually On Your Toes could use a revival by now too, I know there was the famous one in the 80s.

Would any of the post Show Boat Kern/Hammerstein shows deserve revival? Music in the Air? Very Warm for May, using the original, pre Broadway, apparently superior book?