''Babes in Arms'' is a 1937
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
comedy with music by
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...
, lyrics by
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...
and book by
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart ...
. It concerns a group of small-town Long Island teenagers who put on a show to avoid being sent to a work farm by the town sheriff when their actor parents go on the road for five months in an effort to earn some money by reviving
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
.
Several songs in ''Babes in Arms'' became
pop standards
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
, including the title song, "
Where or When
"Where or When" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical ''Babes in Arms''. It was first performed by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green. That same year, Hal Kemp recorded a popular version. The song also appeared in the film version o ...
", "
My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart coming of age musical ''Babes in Arms'' in which it was introduced by teenaged star Mitzi Green. The song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 130 ...
", "
The Lady Is a Tramp", "
Johnny One Note
"Johnny One Note" is a 1937 show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical ''Babes in Arms'', where it was introduced by Wynn Murray. Judy Garland sang it in the Rodgers & Hart biopic '' Words and Music'' (1948).
Popular recordings in 1937 were ...
" and "
I Wish I Were in Love Again
"I Wish I Were in Love Again" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical ''Babes in Arms''. In the original show, Dolores, the Sheriff's daughter (played by Grace McDonald), talks to Gus, her former boyfriend (Rolly Pickert), who tries ...
".
The
film version
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
, released in 1939, starred
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
and
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...
and was directed by
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley (born Berkeley William Enos; November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berke ...
. Its radically revised plot retained only two songs from the original stage version—"Where or When" and "Babes in Arms". The film is credited with popularizing the "kids putting on a musical for charity" trope.
The original version had strong political overtones with discussions of Nietzsche, a Communist character, and two African-American youths who are victims of racism. In 1959
George Oppenheimer
George Seligman Oppenheimer (February 7, 1900 in New York City – August 14, 1977) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and journalist.
Career
In 1925, Oppenheimer cofounded The Viking Press, but becoming more interested in writing than pu ...
created a "sanitized, de-politicized rewrite" which is now the most frequently performed version. In the new version, the young people are trying to save a local summer stock theatre from being demolished, not trying to avoid being sent to a work farm. The sequence of the songs and orchestration are changed drastically, and the dance numbers eliminated.
The sanitized version was the only one available for performance until 1998 when the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music presented the original version (with a few race references slightly re-edited).
Production history
''Babes in Arms'' opened on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
at the
Shubert Theatre on April 14, 1937, transferred to the
Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to:
Australia
* Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished
* Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed b ...
on October 25, 1937, and closed on December 18, 1937, after 289 performances. The production, under the auspices of Dwight Deere Wiman, was staged by
Robert B. Sinclair
Robert Bruce Sinclair (May 24, 1905 – January 3, 1970) was an American director who worked in film, Theatre, theater and Television show, television.
Early years
Robert Bruce Sinclair was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of an insurance agent. ...
with choreography by
George Balanchine
George Balanchine (;
Various sources:
*
*
*
* born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
. Settings were by Raymond Sovey, and costumes by
Helene Pons
Helene or Hélène may refer to: People
*Helene (given name), a Greek feminine given name
*Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda
*Helene, a figure in Greek mythology who was a friend of Aphrodite and helped her seduce Adonis
*Helene (Ama ...
.
Hans Spialek
Hans Spialek (April 17, 1894 – November 20, 1983) was an Austrian-born American composer and orchestrator. Raised in Vienna and given an early musical education, he continued his studies in Moscow, at first as a prisoner of war during World War ...
created the orchestrations and Gene Salzer led the orchestra which included pianists Edgar Fairchild and Adam Carroll. The cast featured
Mitzi Green
Mitzi Green (born Elizabeth Keno; October 22, 1920 – May 24, 1969) was an American child actress for Paramount and RKO, in the early "talkies" era. She then acted on Broadway and in other stage works, as well as in films and on television ...
,
Ray Heatherton
Ray Heatherton (June 1, 1909 – August 15, 1997) was an American singer, Broadway musical theatre performer, and a New York City television personality in the early days of the medium.
Early career
Ray Heatherton was born in the New York C ...
, and
Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake (October 7, 1914 – July 25, 1992) was an American actor and singer.
Biography
Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Broo ...
, as well as the
Nicholas Brothers
The Nicholas Brothers were an entertainment act composed of biological brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s and 1950s. Best known for their ...
A studio cast recording starring
Gregg Edelman
Gregg Edelman (born September 12, 1958) is an American movie, television and theatre actor.
Biography
Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Li'l Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee G ...
as Val, Judy Blazer as Billie,
Jason Graae
Jason Graae (pronounced "grah" or "graw", but not "gray") (born 15 May 1958) is an American musical theater actor, best known for his musical theater performances but with a varied career spanning Broadway, opera, television and film. He has ...
as Gus,
Donna Kane as Dolores,
Judy Kaye
Judy Kaye (born October 11, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Ragtime'', '' Mamma Mia!'', and ...
as Baby Rose,
Adam Grupper
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
as Peter, with JQ and the Bandits as the Quartet and featuring the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra was released by New World Records in 1990.
On July 20, 2016, All Star Productions revived the original version at Ye Old Rose and Crown Theatre Pub, London. It was the first staging of the musical in the UK in almost 15 years. Theatre critic Darren Luke Mawdsley described the work as 'outmoded' stating that he "understand
why it has not been staged here in 15 years."
Porchlight Music Theatre presented ''Babes in Arms'' as a part of their "Porchlight Revisits" season in which they stage three forgotten musicals per year. It was in Chicago, Illinois in October 2015. It was directed by Jess McLeod and music directed by Alex Newkirk.
Revivals of original 1930s version
In addition to the revival of the 1930s original, a
New York City Center
New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and th ...
Encores!
Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...
staged concert version ran in February 1999. It was directed and choreographed by
Kathleen Marshall
Kathleen Marshall (born September 28, 1962) is an American director, choreographer, and creative consultant.
Life and career
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1980 and S ...
and featured
Erin Dilly
Erin Dilly (born May 12, 1972) is an American actress. She is most noted for her portrayal of Truly Scrumptious in the 2005 musical '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Act ...
,
David Campbell, Jessica Stone and
Christopher Fitzgerald.
The Cohoes Music Hall presented a reconstructed version of the 1937 production under the supervision of Richard Rodgers in 1976. This production was choreographed by Dennis Grimaldi and directed by David Kitchen and Dennis Grimaldi.
Productions of the 1950s version
In 1985,
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
directed a production at the Music Hall in
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...
, that starred
Randy Skinner
Randy Skinner is an American dancer, director and choreographer, primarily for the stage. He has been nominated four times for Tony Awards, three times for Drama Desk Awards, and four times for Outer Critics Circle Awards for choreography.
Ear ...
who also choreographed the show and
Karen Ziemba
Karen Ziemba (born November 12, 1957) is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre. In 2000, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''Contact (musical), Contact ...
as Susie. The song "
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
"I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the 1939 musical '' Too Many Girls''.
Introduced by Richard Kollmar and Marcy Westcott in the stage musical, early hit versions were r ...
" was added to the song list.
The musical was produced at the
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya
John Hidalgo Moya (5 May 1920 – 3 August 1994), ...
from June 7, 2007, through July 7, 2007, and cast
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
's daughter
Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress, author, and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli.
Early life
Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint John's Health Cent ...
as the domineering mother of former child star Baby Rose Owens. One reviewer complained that the musical seemed to have lost its legendary political bite, evidently unaware that this was the revised 1950s de-politicized version.
"Chichester"
''What's On Stage'', retrieved May 12, 2009. She was given two new songs from neither the stage version nor the film in which her mother appeared.
Goodspeed Opera House Production
In 2002, a very successful production was mounted at Goodspeed Opera using a new book by Joe DiPietro
Joe DiPietro (born 1961) is an American playwright, lyricist and author. He is best known for the Tony Award-winning musical ''Memphis'', for which he won the Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score as well as for writi ...
which included plot points from the original 1937 version and also elements from the 1939 MGM film. The original score was utilized along with several additional Rodgers and Hart songs. Randy Skinner
Randy Skinner is an American dancer, director and choreographer, primarily for the stage. He has been nominated four times for Tony Awards, three times for Drama Desk Awards, and four times for Outer Critics Circle Awards for choreography.
Ear ...
choreographed the production.
Plot of original 1937 version
In Seaport, Long Island in the 1930s, Val and Marshall's vaudeville parents leave them behind to do the circuits. Val meets Billie, a girl who has driven from the coast, only to have her car break down. The pair sing a love song about how they feel as though they have met before ("Where or When").
The Sheriff then visits them to inform them that they have to work at the work farm because they are not yet 21. The "kids" decide that they will stick around instead and find another way to support themselves ("Babes in Arms"), forming a group with Val as the leader. After deciding nothing (except that violence is good), they disperse.
Dolores, the Sheriff's daughter, talks to Gus, her ex, who tries to woo her, failing. However, the two then sing and flirt about how they do not care that their relationship is over ("I Wish I Were in Love Again"). Marshall arrives, jealous of Gus still wooing Dolores. When Val enters mentioning that he has also kissed Dolores, a fight begins and escalates when others enter. The sheriff comes in and the kids pretend to be dancing. This causes Val to decide to put on their own follies. The Sheriff decides to give them two weeks to put on the show ("Babes in Arms Reprise").
Later, Val enters and tells Irving and Ivor to practice their number ("Light on Our Feet"). Lee then arrives and chastises his brother, Beauregard, for hanging out with "the blacks". Billie then convinces Lee to invest his money in the show. Lee smears some of her lipstick on his cheek and convinces the boys that she kissed him.
The boys next convince "Baby Rose", a former child star, to be in their show. Rose performs a number she learned (''Way Out West'').
Billie enters with a jealous Val. After calming him, they discuss the show. Lee does not want Irving and Ivor in the show. After learning this, Val leaves in a huff. Billie reflects on her romance with Val ("My Funny Valentine"). They transition into the day of the show and show the final number of the follies performed by Baby Rose ("Johnny One Note"). Backstage, Lee and Val fight over letting Irving and Ivor go on despite their race. Val punches Lee, and Irving and Ivan go and do the big dance finale ("Johnny One Note Ballet").
Act 2 opens on the gang sitting despondently trying to cheer each other up because they are at the work farm ("Imagine"). Val comes in and calls them away to lunch, staying behind to inform Billie that his parents will be away for 3-4 more months. They talk and Val mocks Billie's beliefs on luck and her immaturity ("All at Once").
For the gang's first night off, the sheriff is throwing a party in a field on Val's property. The former communist Peter enters, having won money in a raffle, and proclaims that he is to travel the world and not share his money to which the gang is upset ("Imagine Reprise"). A ballet dream sequence of his travels ("Peter's Ballet") follows. After the ballet he decides to invest the money ("Imagine Reprise 2").
Later at the party, the Sheriff attempts to make good with the kids. Billie tells Val that she plans on leaving the farm for the road. Val insists on going with her before being called back to the kitchen. Billie sings about how she doesn't mind driving around. She also talks about how she likes living on her own terms ("Lady is a Tramp").
Peter returns to the party informing the crew that he lost all the money. The gang leaves following the news of a trans-Atlantic flight and Delores tells Gus that she will come work on the farm to be with him. He reacts by telling her how she doesn't return his affections and drags him along ("You are so Fair"). After pretending to not care about each other, they admit that they like each other.
The gang re-enters and listen to the radio. They realize the Aviator must make a forced landing, and in their field no less! After much scrambling, they call the airport to get reporters to come, and Val decides to impersonate the aviator. The reporters believe his impersonation and the city decides to throw the aviator a party. After concocting a scheme, Billie takes control of the unconscious and tied-up aviator and relishes the fact that the gang treats her as an equal ("Lady is a Tramp Reprise").
At the party, the gang repeatedly interrupts the mayor's introduction of the Aviator to delay the Aviator's speech. Performing a variety of musical numbers ("Specialty: You are so fair, Imagine, My Funny Valentine, Light on Our Feet, and Lady is a Tramp"). After The Aviator's speech the entire chorus performs a rousing closing number ("Finale Ultimo").
Original Broadway cast
* Mitzi Green
Mitzi Green (born Elizabeth Keno; October 22, 1920 – May 24, 1969) was an American child actress for Paramount and RKO, in the early "talkies" era. She then acted on Broadway and in other stage works, as well as in films and on television ...
as Billie Smith
* Ray Heatherton
Ray Heatherton (June 1, 1909 – August 15, 1997) was an American singer, Broadway musical theatre performer, and a New York City television personality in the early days of the medium.
Early career
Ray Heatherton was born in the New York C ...
as Val Lamar
* Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake (October 7, 1914 – July 25, 1992) was an American actor and singer.
Biography
Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Broo ...
as Marshall Blackstone
* Duke McHale as Peter Jackson
* Wynn Murray as Baby Rose
* Rolly Pickert as Gus Fielding
* Grace McDonald as Dolores Reynolds
* Harold Nicholas
Harold Lloyd Nicholas (March 27, 1921 – July 3, 2000) was an American dancer specializing in tap. Nicholas was the younger half of the tap-dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother was ...
as Ivor DeQuincy
* Fayard Nicholas
Fayard Antonio Nicholas (October 20, 1914 – January 24, 2006) was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance duo, who starred in the MGM musicals ''An All-Co ...
as Irving DeQuincy
* Dana Hardwick as Lee Calhoun
* George Watts as Sheriff Reynolds
Musical numbers
Overture ncluding the ''Lamars'' act and the ''Blackstones'' actOrchestra
ACT I
* "Opening Act I"—Orchestra
* "Where or When
"Where or When" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical ''Babes in Arms''. It was first performed by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green. That same year, Hal Kemp recorded a popular version. The song also appeared in the film version o ...
"—Billie & Val
* "Babes in Arms"—Val, Marshall, Billie & The Gang
* "I Wish I Were in Love Again
"I Wish I Were in Love Again" is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical ''Babes in Arms''. In the original show, Dolores, the Sheriff's daughter (played by Grace McDonald), talks to Gus, her former boyfriend (Rolly Pickert), who tries ...
"—Gus & Dolores
* "Babes in Arms—Reprise"—Marshall, Sheriff & The Gang
* "Light On Our Feet" with dance (originally the racially insensitive "All Dark People Are Light On Their Feet")—The DeQuincy Bros.
* "Way Out West" with dance break—Baby Rose & Men's Quartet
* "My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart coming of age musical ''Babes in Arms'' in which it was introduced by teenaged star Mitzi Green. The song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 130 ...
"—Billie
* "Johnny One Note
"Johnny One Note" is a 1937 show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical ''Babes in Arms'', where it was introduced by Wynn Murray. Judy Garland sang it in the Rodgers & Hart biopic '' Words and Music'' (1948).
Popular recordings in 1937 were ...
"—Baby Rose
* "Ballet—Johnny One Note" including (Orchestra):
** Section 1: Tango and Jazz Ballet
** Section 2: The Scene Moves Backstage
** Section 3: Move Back to Ballet
** Section 4: Finale—Act I
Entr'acte—Orchestra
ACT II
* "Imagine"—Men's Quartet, Baby Rose, Peter, & Marshall
* "All At Once"—Val & Billie
* "Imagine—Reprise #1"—Peter & The Men's Quartet
* "Peter's Journey (Ballet)"—Orchestra
* "Imagine—Reprise #2"—The Men's Quartet & Peter
* " The Lady Is a Tramp" with encore—Billie
* "You Are So Fair" with two dances—Gus & Dolores with Orchestra
* "Reprise: The Lady Is a Tramp"—Billie
* "Specialty #1 (Light On Our Feet) & Specialty #2 (Imagine)"—Orchestra
* "Finale Ultimo"—The Gang with Val & Billie
* "Bows (Johnny One-Note)"—Orchestra
* "Exit Music (Where or When)"—Orchestra
See also
* ''Babes in Arms'' (film)
References
External links
Liner Notes to cast recording with detailed synopsis of original 1937 version
Internet Broadway Database listing
"Babes in Arms" production information, Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization
{{Authority control
1937 musicals
Broadway musicals
Musicals by Rodgers and Hart
Original musicals