WW II Musical/Plays

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 9:57pm

Are there any shows out there about World War II or written in that time period, I have to do a project on somthing relating to this and any information would help, thanks

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 9:58pm

There was one that irving berlin (I think ) did that involved soldiers. It was on the PBS American Musical special. I forgot the name of it though.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 10:04pm

All My Sons by Arthur Miller
Home of the Brave by Arthur Laurents
Mister Roberts by Josh Logan
South Pacific by Rodgers & Hammerstein
Diary of Anne Frank by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich
Bent by Martin Sherman

LOTS of other plays about Nazis

Updated On: 1/13/05 at 10:04 PM

Posted: 1/13/05 at 10:06pm

The Sound of Music
Cabaret
Over Here
Annie
Something For The Boys
South Pacific
I'd Rather Be Right

I'm sure there are so many more, but those were the first to pop into my head....

In Films I'd recommend "Stage Door Canteen" and "Mrs. Minnever" two films that perfectly captured life on the home front during WWII.

[Natalie 2]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 10:12pm

Isn't Annie more depression-era? They sing about the Hoovervilles...

"Waiting for the Parade"...forget the playwright
"The All Night Strut" is a musical review...the second act is devoted to WWII and post-WWII songs

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 10:30pm

On The Town - Comden/Green/Bernstein

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 10:35pm

'Human Comedy' - based on William Saroyan's book. There have been both film and musical adaptations.

'On The Town' - Bernstein, Comden and Green musical.

Updated On: 1/13/05 at 10:35 PM

[Jon]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 11:34pm

Don't forget these two revues: THIS IS THE ARMY - written by Irving Berlin and performed by an all soldier cast, and CALL ME MISTER by Harold Rome, which dealt with adjusting to civilian life after the war, and had a cast of all veterans and women who had performed with the USO.

Posted: 1/13/05 at 11:39pm

There's also OVER HERE, a musical written by the Sherman Brothers (MARY POPPINS), that starred the two surviving Andrews Sisters, Patty and Maxine.

The list of plays & musicals that are contemporaneous with the WWII years is damned exhaustive.

Your question could be answered by a visit to your local library. No offense.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 11:44pm

Good by C.P. Taylor
The Hasty Heart by John Patrick

Posted: 1/14/05 at 12:16am

OK.

Watch On The Rhine by Lillian Helman
Stalag 17
Voice of the Turtle by John Van Druten
Something For The Boys, Cole Porter
Let's Face It, Cole Porter

Posted: 1/14/05 at 12:17am

How can one forget

The Caine Mutiny Courtmartial

[virgil blessing2]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 12:43pm

i just skimmed the postings. did anyone mention TRIAL AT NUREMBERG yet? there's BREAKING THE CODE by Hugh Whitemore, about the gay man Alan Turing who broke the Nazi's famous Enigma Code during WWII.

There's also "Kindertransport" by Diane Samuels. Here's a cut and paste on it: In 1938, around 10,000 Jewish children were brought to England from Europe to escape increasing persecution by the Nazis. Once in England, they were adopted and many became naturalized British preferring to forget their pasts and knowing that they would never see their parents again. Such a person is Evelyn, on whom the play centres. Now in her fifties and with a daughter (Faith) in her twenties, we learn her story with a series of dramatic flash-backs, from her leaving her parents in Germany through her journey to England and her adoption by her foster mother Lil, now in her eighties. Having renounced her past, she now finds herself at odds with her daughter who only discovers her mother's background during the course of the play.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 12:44pm

Jon--Thank you for saying the name of the Irving Berlin show. I was going crazy trying to remember it.

[robbiej]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 12:50pm

There's the Lionel Bart musical Blitz!, as referenced in Ken Mandlebaum's column today.

I used to have a book of plays about the Holocaust. One, which was very disturbing and pretty darn good, was Ghetto (I think). One of the main characters was a Jewish man who ratted on other Jews to the Gestapo.

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 1:14pm

There have been at least two differing adaptations of Studs Terkel's Pulizer Prize THE GOOD WAR.

Similar to WORKING, the book is a series of wide-ranging interviews with people who directly experienced WWII, be it on the Bataan Death March or serving donuts at a USO.

Michael Hildebrandt staged several versions in and around Chicago featuring a USO review format, intersplicing monologues with music of the period.

Northlight in Chicago did a different adaptation fo the material a couple of seasons back.

Posted: 1/14/05 at 2:35pm

Let's not forget "Attic!" The musical version of The Diary of Anne Frank, which was so awful that, on opening night, when one could hear the noises of the Nazis searching the house below, members of the audience rose up to yell "She's in the ATTIC!!!"

Sorry, bad old joke that i just couldn't resist repeating...

[Jon]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 2:39pm

Very funny, except for the fact that there IS a musical version of Anne Frank called YOURS, ANNE. It played Off-Broadway and was well-received. We did it at my theatre and got excellent reviews and good audience response.

[virgil blessing2]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 2:49pm

coincidentally, jon, mr. frank in that original cast was played by the father of a girl i went to high schhol with. LOL
she was in my english class.

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 9:29am

There's also Werfel's Jacobowsky and the Colonel, which became the basis for Jerry Herman's Grand Tour.

And who could ever forget Follow The Girls, WWII's greatest musical.

Miriam

Updated On: 1/15/05 at 09:29 AM

[SideShowMan]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 9:39am

How about "Oh What A Lovely War", it was a late 60s,early 70s musical satirizing World War 2. The music is done in period style, its a very funny show.

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 9:41am

I think Oh What A Lovely War was a staire of WWI!

Miriam

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 10:44am

Miriam, thanks for bringing up FOLLOW THE GIRLS.

Reportedly, it was Broadways biggest musical hit during WWII (and was a real favorite with servicemen) but it has been completely forgotten. I'd love to know more about it.

"I Wanna Get Married" is from it.

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:20am

If you can find it, read George Jean Nathan's review of FOLLOW THE GIRLS. You'll s*** in your pants laughing.

FTG was the cheesiest, cheapest, deplorable musical you ever saw. The book, music and lyrics were horrendous, the performances over the top and somewhere over the rainbow. But it hit a chord during WWII. There was something so basic, so primal about the show, that everyone wanted to see it. Myself included!!!!

But FTG had a few things going for it. It had Gertrude Niessen in the leading role, with a low steady belt that went like a tidal wave throughout the theatre. Better than Merman or Martin. And a wonderful comedienne. After the show closed she married and was never heard from again. And there was no cast album. You had to hear some of the lyrics to believe what was going on. And, of course, there was the Nazi spy subplot, although the Nazis had Amercan accents. But all in the spirit of fun.

FTG also had the very famous ballerina, Irina Baronova. Dottie Littlefield, who had a ballet school in Connecticut, was hired to create dances for the show. She devised dances in all genres and had Baronova spinning across the stage. In the midst of all the crudity she had Baronova and her partner do the pas de deux from SWAN LAKE. Don't ask!!!!

Many celebrities would come again and again to see the musical. There were some people who thought the musical should have received the Pulitzer Prize. Joan Blondell loved it so much that she virtually memorized the show and would talk back to the actors on stage. But, given the situation and the show, who cared.

This almost makes you want to buy a ticket and see it.

Take care,

Miriam

Updated On: 1/15/05 at 11:20 AM

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:38am

"The Producers."