''Baker Street'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Jerome Coopersmith and music and lyrics by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel.

Background

Loosely based on the 1891 Sherlock Holmes story " A Scandal in Bohemia" by Arthur Conan Doyle with elements of "

The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title ...

" and " The Empty House" as well, it is set in and around

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1897, the year in which

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

celebrated the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniver ...

of the reign of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

(an event marked by an elaborate royal procession depicted by

Bil Baird William Britton "Bil" Baird (August 15, 1904 – March 18, 1987) was an American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century. In a career that spanned over 60 years, he and his puppets performed for millions of adults and children. One of his be ...

's marionettes). The musical veers from Conan Doyle's work in that Irene Adler becomes an associate of Holmes rather than his opponent, thus allowing an element of romance between the two. Because of problems the show went through during out of town tryouts,

Sheldon Harnick Sheldon Mayer Harnick (born April 30, 1924) is an American lyricist and songwriter best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on musicals such as ''Fiorello!'' and '' Fiddler on the Roof''. Early life Sheldon Mayer Harnick was ...

and

Jerry Bock Jerrold Lewis Bock (November 23, 1928November 3, 2010) was an American musical theater composer. He received the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Sheldon Harnick for their 1959 musical ''Fiorello!'' and the Tony ...

, the successful composing team of '' Fiddler on the Roof'' were brought in to contribute additional songs including "Cold Clear World" and "I Shall Miss You." They also wrote "I'm In London Again" which was the first number for Irene Adler, but after opening night, this number (which can be heard on the cast album) was dropped and replaced by another Bock-Harnick composition, "Buffalo Belle" which had Irene Adler performing an elaborate Wild West number. Stereo Review Magazine's review described the score as being "Warmed-over Gilbert & Sullivan with a gelid sauce of Lerner & Loewe."

Productions

The musical 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

Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

on February 16, 1965 running to October 30, and then transferred to the Martin Beck Theatre (now the

Al Hirschfeld Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and ...

) on November 3, 1965, where it closed on November 14, 1965 after a total of 311 performances and six previews. Directed by

Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...

, the cast included

Fritz Weaver Fritz William Weaver (January 19, 1926 − November 26, 2016) was an American actor in television, stage, and motion pictures. He portrayed Dr. Josef Weiss in the 1978 epic television drama, ''Holocaust'' for which he was nominated for a Primetime ...

Peter Sallis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

Martin Gabel Martin Gabel (June 19, 1911 – May 22, 1986) was an American actor, film director and film producer. Life and career Gabel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Rebecca and Isaac Gabel, a jeweler, both Jewish immigrants. He married Arlen ...

Inga Swenson Inga Swenson (born December 29, 1932) is an American actress and singer. She appeared in multiple Broadway productions and received two Tony nominations. She also spent seven years portraying Gretchen Kraus in the ABC comedy series '' Benson''. ...

, Virginia Vestoff,

Teddy Green Teddy Green is an English actor, choreographer, and dancer probably best known for playing supporting roles in two Cliff Richard films, '' The Young Ones'' and '' Summer Holiday''. Career His film roles include Chris in The Young Ones with C ...

, and, in supporting roles, Christopher Walken and

Tommy Tune Thomas James Tune (born February 28, 1939) is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and a star on the Hollywood Wal ...

, both in their Broadway debuts. Producer

Alexander H. Cohen Alexander H. Cohen (July 24, 1920 – April 22, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who mounted more than one hundred productions on both sides of the Atlantic. He was the only American producer to maintain offices in the West End as well a ...

felt the show was such an event that he announced, prior to the opening, men would not be admitted unless they were clad in jackets and ties, and women would be allowed in only if they wore dresses. This policy quickly changed once the mixed reviews were in.

Cast

The following list includes the roles in the musical and the cast members in the 1965 production. The production also included additional ensemble cast members and understudies.

Musical numbers

;Act I * "It's So Simple" – Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, Captain Gregg * "I'm in London Again" – Irene * "Leave it to Us, Guv" – Wiggins, The Irregulars * "Letters" – Irene * "Cold, Clear World" – Holmes * "Finding Words for Spring" – Irene * "What a Night This is Going to Be" – Holmes, Watson, Irene, Daisy * "London Underworld" – Company * "I Shall Miss You" – Moriarty ;Act II * "Roof Space" – Wiggins, The Irregulars * "A Married Man" – Watson * "I'd Do it Again" – Irene * "Pursuit" – Holmes * "Jewelry" – Baxter, Criminals

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

References

External links

*
Tams-Witmark listing for production and licensing information

Ballroom costume sketch
by

Motley Theatre Design Group Motley was the name of the theatre design firm made up of three English designers: sisters Margaret (known as "Percy," 1904–2000) and Sophie Harris (1900–1966) and Elizabeth Montgomery (1902–1993). Career The name ''Motley'', according t ...

-
Motley Collection of Theatre & Costume Design
- episode of ''I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere'' featuring an interview with

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker Street 1965 musicals Broadway musicals Fiction set in 1897 Musicals based on short fiction Musicals by Jerry Bock Musicals by Sheldon Harnick Plays set in London Tony Award-winning musicals Works based on Sherlock Holmes