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1962 HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS
WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Inspired by a book by Shepherd Mead, this is a silly, campy musical about climbing the corporate ladder. Story: J. Pierpont Finch is a window washer who finds a book called "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," which he uses to get a job at World Wide Wickets and move up in the company. Frump, a co-worker he left behind on the way up, tries to sabotage Finch as he gets higher and higher in the organization, but in the end Finch is forced to make a few choices without the help of his book.
The musical, starring Robert Morse & Rudy Vallee, opened at the 46th Street Theatre on Broadway in October 1961, running for 1,417 performances. The show won seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle award, and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
In 1967, a film based on the musical was released by United Artists, with many of the original cast recreating their roles, especially Robert Morse in the lead role.
A 1995 revival was mounted at the same theatre as the original production (now named the Richard Rodgers Theatre) and ran for 548 performances. It starred Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally,
A 50th anniversary Broadway revival directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford and starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette opened on March 27, 2011, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and ran for 473 performances. In this revival, Darren Criss and Nick Jonas eventually took over the lead before the show closed.
FROM THE MOVIE STARRING THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST
MATTHEW BRODERICK TALKS ABOUT STARRING IN THE REVIVAL
DANIEL RADCLIFFE (HARRY POTTER) IN MOST RECENT REVIVAL
"I BELIEVE IN YOU" ROBERT MORSE
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"THE COMPANY WAY" DARREN CRISS
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AND HERE, NICK JONAS REHEARSES FOR HIS ROLE AS THE LEAD STAR:
1963 "A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM"
The first musical for which Steven Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus.
Story: Pseudolus, the laziest slave in Rome, has but one wish - to purchase his freedom. When he finds out that the young master has fallen in love with a virgin in the house of Lycus, he concocts a deal whereby he will be freed if he can procure the girl for Hero.
Broadway Premiere
Theatre: Alvin Theatre, Mark Hellinger Theatre, Majestic Theatre
Opening Night: May 8, 1962
Total Performances: 964
Original Cast: Zero Mostel, David Burns, John Carradine, Brian Davies, Jack Gilford, Ron Holgate, Ruth Kobart, Preshy Marker, Raymond Walburn, Judy Alexander, Lucienne Bridou, David Evans, Lisa James, Roberta Keith, Gloria Kristy, Eddie Phillips, George Reeder, Myrna White
Broadway Revival
Theatre: Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Opening Night: Mar 30, 1972
Total Performances: 156
Original Cast: Phil Silvers, Carl Ballantine, Larry Blyden, Pamela Hall, John Hansen, Carl Lindstrom, Lew Parker, Lizabeth Pritchett
Second Broadway Revival
Theatre: St. James Theatre
Opening Night: Apr 18, 1996
Total Performances: 715
Original Cast: Nathan Lane, Jessica Boevers, William Duell, Cris Groenendaal, Mark Linn-Baker, Ernie Sabella, Lewis J. Stadlen, Jim Stanek, Mary Testa
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS IN 1963:
BEST MUSICAL
BEST AUTHOR OF A MUSICAL
BEST ACTOR: ZERO MOSTEL
BEST FEATURED ACTOR: DAVID BURNS/JACK GILFORD (TIE)
BEST FEATURED ACTRESS: RUTH KOBART
BEST DIRECTION
BEST PRODUCER
OPENING SONG (movie)
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1964 "HELLO, DOLLY!"
A musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955.
Hello, Dolly! was first produced on Broadway by David Merrick in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical and nine other Tonys. The show album Hello, Dolly! An Original Cast Recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. The show has become one of the most enduring musical theatre hits, enjoying three Broadway revivals and international success. It was also made into a 1969 film that was nominated for seven Academy Awards
ORIGINAL BROADWAY POSTER/CAST ALBUM COVER
St. James Theatre , (1/16/1964 - 12/27/1970)
First Preview: Jan 15, 1964 Total Previews: 2
Opening Date: Jan 16, 1964
Closing Date: Dec 27, 1970 Total Performances: 2844
This musical (as of 6/4/2013) is the 19th longest running show in Broadway History
The plot of Hello, Dolly! originated in an 1835 English play, A Day Well Spent by John Oxenford, which Johann Nestroy adapted into the farce Einen Jux will er sich machen. Wilder adapted Nestroy's play into his 1938 farcical play, The Merchant of Yonkers, a flop, which he revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955, expanding the role of Dolly, played by Ruth Gordon. The Matchmaker became a hit and was much revived and made into a 1958 film of the same name starring Shirley Booth. The story of a meddlesome widow who strives to bring romance to several couples and herself in a big city restaurant also features prominently in the 1891 hit musical A Trip to Chinatown.
The role of Dolly Levi in the musical was originally written for Ethel Merman, but Merman turned it down, as did Mary Martin (although each eventually played it). Merrick then auditioned Nancy Walker. Eventually, he hired Carol Channing, who then created in Dolly her signature role. Director Gower Champion was not the producer's first choice, as Hal Prince and others (among them Jerome Robbins and Joe Layton) all turned down the job of directing the musical.
Hello, Dolly! had rocky out-of-town tryouts in Detroit and Washington, D.C. After receiving the reviews, the creators made major changes to the script and score, including the addition of the song, "Before the Parade Passes By ". The show was originally entitled Dolly, A Damned Exasperating Woman, but Merrick abbreviated the title immediately upon hearing Louis Armstrong's version of "Hello, Dolly". The show became one of the most iconic Broadway shows of its era, the latter half of the 1960s, running for 2,844 performances, and was for a time the longest-running musical in Broadway history. During that decade, ten "blockbuster" musicals played over 1,000 performances and three played over 2,000, helping to redefine "success" for the Broadway musical genre.
Story: Dolly Levi, the famous matchmaker, spends most of her time pairing others like Ambrose Kemper and Ermengarde, Cornelius Hackl and Irene Malloy, and Minnie Fayand and Barnaby Tucker, but soon decides its time to settle a match for herself - Horace Vandergellar.
CLICK HERE for more information and great videos on this very popular show.
MANY STARS CARRIED THE LEAD ROLE OF DOLLY LEVI INCLUDING THESE:
Carol Channing (Originated the musical role)
Ginger Rogers
Martha Raye
Betty Grable
Pearl Bailey
Phyllis Diller
Ethel Merman
Mary Martin
Carole Cook
Barbra Streisand (in the film version)
Dorothy Lamour
Eve Arden
Mary Ellen Ashley
Ann Miller
Danny LaRue
JoAnne Worley
Tovah Feldshuh
Karen Morrow
Ruth Gordon (Originated the non-musical role)
Shirley Booth
Mimi Hines
Jenifer Lewis
Marilyn Maye
Michele Lee
Sue Ane Langdon
Edwina Lewis
Nancy Sinclair
Betsy Palmer
Rachel York
Dora Bryan
Anne Russell
Ruta Lee
Judy Norton
Yvonne DeCarlo
Lainie Kazan
Jacquelyn Piro Donovan
Toni Lamond
Vicki Lewis
Cady Huffman
Ruth Williamson
Madeline Kahn
Thelma Carpenter
Carol Swarbrick
Sylvia Syms
Randy Graff
Alison England
Leslie Becker
E. Faye Butler
Ellen Travolta
Florence Lacy
Mary Robin Roth
Melissa Hart
Vivian Blaine
Deborah Jean Templin
Christine Toy Johnson
Karla Burns
Victoria Clark
Bibi Ferreira
Samantha Rehr
CLICK THIS LINK for a 50 year Celebration of the show
SOME SONG/VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
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1965 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
With this show, Zero Mostel who played the lead, cinched his musical stage career as one of the most popular Broadway stage stars of all time.
A musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, it is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales) by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters—each one's choice of husband moves further away from the customs of his faith—and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village and homeland.
The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. Fiddler held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. It remains one of Broadway's longest-running shows in history. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned four Broadway revivals, a successful 1971 film adaptation, and the show has enjoyed enduring international
popularity. It is also a very popular choice for school and community
productions.
A musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, it is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales) by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters—each one's choice of husband moves further away from the customs of his faith—and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village and homeland.
The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. Fiddler held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. It remains one of Broadway's longest-running shows in history. The production was extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning nine, including Best Musical, score, book, direction and choreography. It spawned four Broadway revivals, a successful 1971 film adaptation, and the show has enjoyed enduring international
popularity. It is also a very popular choice for school and community
productions.
BROADWAY PREMIERE/ ORIGINAL RUN
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MUSICAL NUMBERS
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The film version was released in 1971, and won three Academy Awards, including
one for arranger-conductor John Williams. Chaim Topol played the role of Tevye.
ORIGINAL PRODUCTION: TONY AWARDS
winner Special Award
winner Best Musical
winner Best Composer and Lyricist
winner Best Actor in a Musical - Zero Mostel
winner Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Maria Karnilova
winner Best Costume Design
winner Best Choreography
winner Best Direction of a Musical
winner Best Author (Musical)
UNDOUBTEDLY, THE MOST POPULAR MUSICAL MOMENT
THIS SONG (FROM THE MOVIE OPENING) SETS UP THE ENTIRE STORY CONCEPT
AS FAR AS MUSIC GOES, THIS ONE ACTUALLY MADE IT TO THE HIT CHARTS
CLICK THIS LINK to watch the full movie on youtube.
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