''Follow the Girls'' 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 Guy Bolton, Eddie Davis and

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Tennessee f ...

and music and lyrics by Dan Shapiro, Milton Pascal, and

Phil Charig Philip Charig (August 31, 1902 – July 21, 1960) was a composer and lyricist for plays in New York and London. He wrote ''Follow the Girls'' and others. Musicals * ''Yes, Yes, Yvette'' (1927); music also by Ben Jerome * '' Just Fancy'' (1927); mus ...

. A major wartime hit in both

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and

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, its thin plot about a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "ex ...

queen who becomes the star attraction at the Spotlight, a servicemen's club in

Great Neck Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincor ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, serves as an excuse for a series of songs,

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

numbers, and

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

routines.

Productions

The Broadway production, produced by Albert Borde, conceived and directed by Harry Delmar and

choreographed Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

by Catherine Littlefield, opened on April 8, 1944 at the New Century Theatre. It transferred to the 44th Street Theatre and then the Broadhurst to complete its 888-performance run. The cast included

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

Danny Aiello Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. () (June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974), ''The Front'' (1976), ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), ''Hide in ...

, Walter Long, and Gertrude Niesen. The West End production, presented by Jack Hylton, opened on October 25, 1945 at

His Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre may refer to: *Her Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, Australia, known as His Majesty's Theatre 1901–1952, demolished 1983 * His Majesty's Theatre, London, England, known as Her Majesty's Theatre 1952–2023 *His Majesty's Theatre, ...

, where it ran for 572 performances. The cast included Arthur Askey and

Evelyn Dall Evelyn Dall (born Evelyn Mildred Fuss; January 8, 1918 – March 10, 2010) was an American singer and actress. Career Born in The Bronx, New York City as Evelyn Mildred Fuss, she took her stage name from the surname of two grandchildren of P ...

Follow_the_Girls_(Australian_Production)

The Australian production was presented by J. C. Williamson's and starred Don Nicol and Lois Green. The show opened at the Theatre Royal, Sydney on October 12, 1946. The Melbourne season commenced April 10, 1947 at Her Majesty's Theatre, followed by a Perth season commencing May 22, 1948 at

His Majesty’s Theatre His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1,400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906. ...

Song list

;Act I * At the Spotlight Canteen * Where You Are * You Don't Dance * Strip Flips Hip * Thanks for a Lousy Evening * You're Perf * Twelve O'Clock and All Is Well * Out for No Good * You Don't Dance (Reprise) * Where You Are (Reprise) * Follow the Girls ;Act II * John Paul Jones * Where You Are (Reprise) * I Wanna Get Married * Today Will Be Yesterday Tomorrow * You're Perf (Reprise) * A Tree That Grows in Brooklyn

References

''The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre'' by Stanley Green, published by Da Capo Press (1991), pages 131-32 () {{Refend

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
1944 musicals Broadway musicals West End musicals Musicals by Fred Thompson (writer)