All tagged E. Y. Harburg

Remembering Darling of the Day

Remembering Darling of the Day

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Darling of the Day was a 1968 musical that held many high expectations, with music by the great Jule Styne, lyrics by the always witty and wonderful E. Y. Harburg, and a book by filmmaker Nunnally Johnson. The show would star two great personalities, Patricia Routledge (who would go on to television fame playing Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances), and classic horror film star Vincent Price (who had starred in such flicks as House of Wax and House on Haunted Hill). With several important pieces in place, it seemed that the ingredients were there for a Broadway hit. Yet, Darling of the Day didn’t enjoy the run that was hoped for and that many felt it deserved.

Remembering Cabin in the Sky

Remembering Cabin in the Sky

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Musicals about the black experience were not unheard of in the early years of the Golden Age of Broadway, despite a society that didn’t exactly embrace black culture. Shows like Porgy & Bess (1935), Carmen Jones (1943), St. Louis Woman (1946) and Lost in the Stars (1949) told compelling stories about this underrepresented faction of the population. What was harder to come by were musicals about black characters that delved into the world of fantasy and folklore. There was, however, the 1940 musical Cabin in the Sky which gave us both a serious story about people of color that also delved into their cultural heritage and folklore while employing a touch of fantasy. 

Remembering Bloomer Girl

Remembering Bloomer Girl

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

The other night I was making my way through Amazon Prime video, looking for something to watch. After sorting through hundreds of movies and television shows that I just knew wouldn’t hold my interest at that moment, I stumbled upon the 1956, Producer’s Showcase made-for-television version of the 1944 Broadway musical Bloomer Girl. My streaming choice for the evening was set. I have always adored the Harold Arlen/E.Y. Harburg score ever since I was first introduced to it in my History of American Musical Theatre class in college. Having listened to the score multiple times and read the book of Bloomer Girl for that glorious seminar, I was sad to realize that no one hardly ever produces this adventurous and courageous show that came fast on the heels of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s groundbreaking Oklahoma!. Watching an abridged, made-for-television version was most-likely the closest I would get to seeing a production of the show, so I hit the play button, sat back, and took a little jaunt into musical theatre history, where I admittedly spend most of my time. 

Flahooley: The Broadway Musical that Dared to Be Too Honest

Flahooley: The Broadway Musical that Dared to Be Too Honest

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

Now here is a musical flop that I simply adore, as much for its audacity as for its simply enchanting score. Flahooley, which may have many of you wondering at its bizarre title, opened on Broadway in 1951 at the Broadhurst Theatre. The musical was expected to be a hit, enjoying an enthusiastic out of town tryout. Even theatre caricature artist Al Hirschfeld, who often visited shows in their tryout cities to begin his artwork, was certain that the show would be an enormous hit in New York. Sadly, the show ran for only 40 performances, closed, and faded into obscurity. 

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