All tagged Harold Rome

Remembering Destry Rides Again

Remembering Destry Rides Again

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

The musical western isn’t exactly a commonplace subgenre of the Broadway musical. Only a handful of westerns have been crafted for the musical stage, with varying results. The best known is of course Oklahoma!, followed by Paint Your Wagon. Other than that, the only other Broadway musical western that enjoyed a healthy run was  the 1959 also-ran Destry Rides Again. Based on the 1939 classic film of the same name, Destry Rides Again ran in a season that featured more celebrated titles such as The Sound of Music, Gypsy, and Fiorello!, and it’s charms were lost in that shuffle. Still, it managed a run of 472 performances, which in 1959 was a respectable (if not impressive) stay on the Great White Way.

Broadway Blip: Fanny

Broadway Blip: Fanny

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

How can a musical be such a hit in one decade, then become almost obscure the next? Fanny is a musical that was a minor hit in its day, had a healthy Broadway run, was predominantly a critics’ darling, garnered one Tony Award for Walter Slezak, but never received a Broadway revival and is seldom discussed today. Based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays entitled Marius, Fanny and César, Fanny has a book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. Directed by Joshua Logan and choreographed by Helen Tamiris, Fanny opened at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre on November 4, 1954 where it ran 888 performances. The cast included Florence Henderson as Fanny, Ezio Pinza as Cesar, William Tabbert as Marius, and Slezak as Panisse. 

"Revue"-ing the Situation: Musical Revues in the Spotlight

"Revue"-ing the Situation: Musical Revues in the Spotlight

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

I started out writing this piece, intending to explore all styles of musical revues, the "best of" the genre. I soon realized that, if I didn't apply certain parameters, I'd be writing until the end of time. So, I set some rules: the musical revues that I would discuss had to have original music, not an assemblage of showtunes such as in And the World Goes 'Round, or be composed of radio hits a la Smokey Joe's Café. Both are fine revues, but I decided I wanted to concentrate on the pieces that were written, from conception, as original revues. Here are some of my favorites to listen to and read about.