''Fanny'' is a

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 ...

with a book by S. N. Behrman and

Joshua Logan Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American director, writer, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing other musicals. Early years Logan ...

and music and lyrics by

Harold Rome Harold Jacob "Hecky" Rome (May 27, 1908 – October 26, 1993) was an American composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater. Biography Rome was born in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated from Hartford Public High School. Originally, he ch ...

. A tale of love, secrets, and passion set in and around the old French port of

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, it is based on

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...

's trilogy of works titled '' Marius'' (1929), '' Fanny'' (1931), and '' César'' (1936). The musical premiered 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 ...

in 1954 and ran for 888 performances, and later was staged in the West End.

Plot

Fanny is a young woman whose childhood love, Marius, leaves her to go to sea as a sailor for five years. His father Cesar, a tavern owner, disowns him. After his departure, Fanny discovers she is

pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...

. Under pressure from her mother, she marries Panisse, an older man whose delight at having an heir prompts him to keep the boy's

illegitimacy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

a secret. Marius returns on his son's first birthday to claim both him and Fanny, but he is turned away by Cesar, who is Panisse's best friend. As the years pass the boy, now 13, longs to go to sea like his father, and runs away to join him. This is too much for the now-ill and aged Panisse. Marius brings the boy back to fulfill Panisse's dying wish for Marius and Fanny to be together. The role of Acolyte was originated by (then) child actor

Gary Wright Gary Malcolm Wright (born April 26, 1943) is an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs "Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and pop ...

who went on to become a successful musician and is best known for his highly popular 1976 hit single, " Dream Weaver". While still in the show, Wright replaced Lloyd Reese in the role of Cesario (Fanny's son).

Productions

The

production opened at 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 November 4, 1954, transferred to the

Belasco Theatre The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York Ci ...

on December 4, 1956 and closed on December 16, 1956 after a total run of 888 performances. Directed by Logan and choreographed by

Helen Tamiris Helen Tamiris (born Helen Becker; April 24, 1905 – August 4, 1966) was an American choreographer, modern dancer, and teacher. Biography Tamiris was born in New York City on April 23, 1902. She adopted Tamiris, her stage name, from a fragment ...

, the original cast included

Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Henderson also appeare ...

as Fanny,

Ezio Pinza Ezio Fortunato Pinza (May 18, 1892May 9, 1957) was an Italian opera singer. Pinza possessed a rich, smooth and sonorous voice, with a flexibility unusual for a bass. He spent 22 seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera, appearing in more than 750 ...

as Cesar, William Tabbert as Marius, and

Walter Slezak Walter Slezak (; 3 May 1902 – 21 April 1983) was an Austrian-born film and stage actor active between 1922 and 1976. He mainly appeared in German films before migrating to the United States in 1930 and performing in numerous Hollywood producti ...

as Panisse. Scenic and lighting design were by Jo Mielziner. Slezak won the

Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did no ...

. The West End production opened at the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

in 1956. The cast included

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...

, Kevin Kevin Scott, Ian Wallace and

Janet Pavek Janet Pavek (12 August 1936 – 6 January 2009) was an American operatic soprano and musical theatre actress. Biography Pavek was born and raised in Bronxville, New York and began studying singing at the age of eleven. She won the Miss Eas ...

. The

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...

East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the N ...

produced the musical in 1986 with

Chester Ludgin Chester Ludgin (May 20, 1925 – August 9, 2003) was an American operatic baritone. Biography Chester Ludgin was a native of Brooklyn, New York. He made his professional debut in 1956 with The Experimental Opera Theatre of America (affiliated wi ...

as Cesar,

David Hurst David Hurst (born Heinrich Theodor Hirsch; 8 May 1926 – 15 September 2019) was a German actor, best known for his role in the film ''Hello Dolly! (film), Hello, Dolly'' as Rudolph the headwaiter. Biography Early life and career Hurst grew ...

as Panisse, and Karen Culliver as Fanny. The

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

in Milburn, New Jersey produced ''Fanny'' in 1990. Directed by Robert Johanson, the cast featured George S. Irving as Panisse,

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...

as Cesar, and Teri Bibb as Fanny. 42nd Street Mo

in San Francisco, California presented a concert version of "Fanny" in September 1997, as the fourth show in its Lost Musical Series 1997 "Composer-Lyricist Festival," celebrating five great Broadway composers who also wrote their own lyrics. The cast featured Caroline Altman as Fanny, Kelly Houston as Cesar, Pierce Peter Brandt as Marius,

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

as Fanny's son (in his first professional acting role), Cesario and Lucinda Hitchcock-Cone as Honorine, Fanny's mother. The LOST MUSICALS™ project presented ''Fanny'' at the Victoria and Albert's Theatre Museum in 1990 with Jonathan Adams and James Corden and in the Lilian Baylis Theatre,

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

, London in 2005.

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 ...

presented a staged concert at

City Center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

from February 4, 2010 to February 7. The director was Mark Bruni, choreography by

Lorin Latarro Lorin Latarro is a Broadway Director/Choreographer whose work can be seen on Broadway, The Metropolitan Opera, and in dance companies internationally. She began her career as a dancer who performed in fourteen Broadway shows and toured with worl ...

, with a cast that featured Elena Shaddow (Fanny), Fred Applegate (Panisse),

George Hearn George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and singer, primarily in Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre. Early years Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before ...

(Cesar), David Patrick Kelly (The Admiral),

Priscilla Lopez Priscilla Lopez (born February 26, 1948) is an American singer, dancer, and actress. She is perhaps best known for creating the role of Diana Morales in ''A Chorus Line''. She has had the distinction of appearing in two Broadway landmarks: one o ...

(Honorine), Michael McCormick (Escartifique), James Snyder (Marius) and Ted Sutherland (Cesario). The production received mixed reviews.

Musical numbers

The musical numbers from the 1954 Pre-Broadway production are as follows: ; Act I * "Restless Heart" – Marius **"Duet" - Marius and Fanny * "Welcome Home" – Cesar * "Why Be Afraid to Dance?" – Fanny and Ensemble * "Octopus Song" – The Admiral * "Never Too Late for Love" – Panisse and Ensemble * "Cold Cream Jar Song" – Panisse * "I Like You" – Marius and Cesar * "Shika" – Arab Dancing Girl, Rug Seller and Ensemble * "I Have to Tell You" – Fanny * "Fanny" – Marius **"Duet" - Marius and Fanny * "Montage" - Cesar and Ensemble **"Fanny" **"Restless Heart" **"I Like You" * "Oysters, Cockles and Mussels" – Ensemble * "Panisse and Son" – Panisse **"Act One Finale" - Ensemble ; Act II * "Birthday Song" – Fanny, Honorine and Ensemble * "To My Wife" – Panisse * "Welcome Home" (Reprise) – Marius * "The Thought of You" – Marius * "Love is a Very Light Thing" – Cesar * "Other Hands, Other Hearts" – Fanny and Marius * "Montage" - Ensemble * "Be Kind to Your Parents" – Fanny and Cesario * "Divertissement" **"Slave Dance" - Nejla Ates and Ensemble **"Rope Dance" - Dean Crane, Nejla Ates and Ensemble * "Restless Heart (Reprise)" - Ensemble **Finale - Ensemble The musical numbers from the 1954 Broadway production are as follows: ; Act I * "Octopus Song" – The Admiral * "Restless Heart" – Marius and Male Ensemble * "Never Too Late for Love" – Panisse and Ensemble * "Cold Cream Jar Song" – Panisse * "Does He Know?" - Fanny and Marius * "Why Be Afraid to Dance?" – Cesar, Marius, Fanny and Ensemble **Danced by Cesar, Marius, Fanny and Ensemble * "Never Too Late for Love" (Reprise) – Cesar, Panisse and Honorine * "Shika, Shika" – Arab Dancing Girl, Rug Seller and Ensemble * "Welcome Home" – Cesar * "I Like You" – Marius and Cesar * "I Have to Tell You" – Fanny * "Fanny" – Marius * "The Sailing" – Fanny, Marius, Cesar and Ensemble * "Oysters, Cockles and Mussels" – Ensemble * "Panisse and Son" – Panisse * "Wedding Dance" – Danced by Charles Blackwell and Ensemble * "Act One Finale" - Ensemble ; Act II * "Birthday Song" – Fanny, Honorine and Ensemble * "To My Wife" – Panisse * "The Thought of You" – Marius and Fanny * "Love is a Very Light Thing" – Cesar * "Other Hands, Other Hearts" – Fanny, Cesar and Marius * "Fanny" (Reprise) – Fanny, Cesar and Marius * "Montage" - Ensemble * "Be Kind to Your Parents" – Fanny and Cesario * "Cesario's Party (Cirque Francais)" **Acrobats - Charles Blackwell, Michael de Marco, Ray Dorian, Bill Pope, Toni Wheelis **Pony and Trainer - Wally Strauss, Steve Wiland **Trained Seals - Dran and Tani Seitz **Living Statues - Betty Carr, Ronal Cecill, Norma Doggett, Michael Scrittorale, Ellen Matthews, Dolores Smith **Clowns - Herb Banke, Mike Mason, Henry Michel, Jack Washburn **Finale - Aerialist, Dean Crane and Ensemble * "Welcome Home" (Reprise) – Cesar and Panisse The original Broadway cast album was released on compact disc by RCA Victor (9026-68074-2).

Critical reception

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called the story "genuine and rueful," the music "melodic," and the casting "engaging," resulting "in a thoroughly absorbing theatre experience."Atkinson, Brooks. "The Theatre:'Fanny' Has Debut at Majestic", ''The New York Times'', November 5, 1954, p. 16

Film adaptation

Joshua Logan directed a 1961 dramatic film adaptation based on both Pagnol's original plays and the book he and S. N. Behrman had written for the stage musical. Although the songs were eliminated, Harold Rome's music was heard in the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

underscore An underscore, ; also called an underline, low line, or low dash; is a line drawn under a segment of text. In proofreading, underscoring is a convention that says "set this text in italic type", traditionally used on manuscript or typescript a ...

. The film starred

Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French-American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. She is one ...

, Maurice Chevalier,

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

, and

Horst Buchholz Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English- ...

References

External links

*
Marcel Pagnol official website

DVD Shelf, Playbill, Aug. 11, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanny 1954 musicals Broadway musicals Adaptations of works by Marcel Pagnol Musicals based on plays Musicals based on films Tony Award-winning musicals