This production used a new book by Richard Greenberg; this was a revision of an earlier version by him, produced at the Huntington Theater Company in Boston (with Donna Murphy as Vera). I saw both shows live. The original book - as performed by the original Broadway cast headed by Gene Kelly - can be found in a Library of America anthology of American musicals, and the slightly revised version of that - for the first Broadway revival, starring Harold Lang - was published in paperback with John O'Hara's short stories that were the inspiration for the musical.
PAL JHOEY was the first truly adult-themed musical -30 years before COMPANY. Sondheim obviously studied Lorenz Hart's lyrics and then criticized them. Without Hart, there would be no Sondheim.
Hart's lyrics could sometimes seem a bit hit-or-miss, and I suspect that Sondheim, always a perfectionist, found them lacking in polish and sheer craft. But at his best, Hart not only had wit and bite but, well... HEART. And the synergy with Rodgers's wonderful tunes was very special. Few of their shows may be revivable as originally presented, but this "odd couple" of songwriters left us a catalogue of great American songs.
This production used a new book by Richard Greenberg; this was a revision of an earlier version by him, produced at the Huntington Theater Company in Boston (with Donna Murphy as Vera). I saw both shows live. The original book - as performed by the original Broadway cast headed by Gene Kelly - can be found in a Library of America anthology of American musicals, and the slightly revised version of that - for the first Broadway revival, starring Harold Lang - was published in paperback with John O'Hara's short stories that were the inspiration for the musical.
Yes! Thank you, I wanted to see this so badly when it opened.
PAL JHOEY was the first truly adult-themed musical -30 years before COMPANY.
Sondheim obviously studied Lorenz Hart's lyrics and then criticized them. Without
Hart, there would be no Sondheim.
Hart's lyrics could sometimes seem a bit hit-or-miss, and I suspect that Sondheim, always a perfectionist, found them lacking in polish and sheer craft. But at his best, Hart not only had wit and bite but, well... HEART. And the synergy with Rodgers's wonderful tunes was very special. Few of their shows may be revivable as originally presented, but this "odd couple" of songwriters left us a catalogue of great American songs.
thank you
nice!
Yay! :))
In Alan Alda's memoir he writes about his father, Robert Alda, who got his start as an MC in Burlesque theaters much like Joey.
The trouble with this production was "Joey".
He looked and acted like Miss Anderson Cooper in tights.