''Goldilocks'' is a musical with a book by

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

and

Walter Kerr Walter Francis Kerr (July 8, 1913 – October 9, 1996) was an American writer and Broadway theatre critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals as well as the author of several books, genera ...

, music by

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ) (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as ...

, and lyrics by the Kerrs and Joan Ford.

Background

A parody of the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

era when directors made quickie one-reelers overnight, it focuses on Maggie Harris, a musical comedy star retiring from show business in order to marry into high society, until producer-director Max Grady arrives to remind her she has a contract to star in his film ''Frontier Woman''. The two battle and

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...

situations ensue as the movie evolves into an epic about Ancient Egypt and filming extends well beyond the amount of time Grady promised it would take to make the movie.

Production

Following tryouts in Boston and Philadelphia, the Broadway production, directed by Walter Kerr and choreographed by

Agnes de Mille Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 – October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. Early years Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMill ...

, opened on October 11, 1958 at the

Lunt-Fontanne Theatre The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, originally the Globe Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 205 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1910, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was designed by Carrère and Hasti ...

and closed on February 28, 1959 after 161 performances. The cast included

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

(as Maggie),

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which ...

(as Max Grady),

Russell Nype Russell Harold Nype (April 26, 1920 – May 27, 2018) was an American actor and singer. Early years Born in Zion, Illinois, Nype majored in speech and English at Lake Forest College, earning a bachelor's degree. In World War II, he served in t ...

(as George Randolph Brown), Margaret Hamilton (as Bessie),

Pat Stanley Patricia Stanley (born April 12, 1931, Cincinnati, Ohio) is a retired American actress, dancer and singer. Career Stanley won her Tony Award in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Musical in the 1958-1959 season, for her performance ...

(as Lois Lee), and

Patricia Birch Patricia Birch (born October 16, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, film director, and theatre director. Early life Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including ''Brigadoon (musical), ...

(dancer)." 'Goldilocks' Broadway"
Playbill, retrieved March 18, 2017 Ameche was a replacement for Barry Sullivan, originally cast in the role. Musicals Tonight! presented the musical in concert in June 2000 in New York City.

42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in the preservation and presentation of early and lesser-known works by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Ku ...

in San Francisco, California presented the show in staged concert in 2001. ''Goldilocks''
42ndstmoon.org An

original cast recording Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

, orchestrated by composer Anderson and

Philip J. Lang Philip J. Lang (17 April 1911, in New York – 22 February 1986, in Branford, Connecticut) was an American musical arranger, orchestrator and composer of band music, as well as a musical educator. He is credited for writing the orchestral arrangeme ...

, was released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. Jean Kerr later recounted the trials and tribulations of creating a new musical in her books ''

Please Don't Eat the Daisies ''Please Don't Eat the Daisies'' (New York: Doubleday, 1957) is a best-selling collection of humorous essays by American humorist and playwright Jean Kerr about suburban living and raising four boys. The essays do not have a plot or through-sto ...

'', ''The Snake Has All the Lines'', and ''Penny Candy''.

Song list

;Act I * Lazy Moon * Give the Little Lady * Save a Kiss * No One'll Ever Love You * If I Can't Take It with Me * Who's Been Sitting in My Chair? * There Never Was a Woman * The Pussy Foot ;Act II * Lady in Waiting * The Beast in You * Shall I Take My Heart and Go? * Bad Companions * I Can't Be in Love * I Never Know When * The Town House Maxixe (Dance) * Two Years in the Making * Heart of Stone (Pyramid Dance)

Awards and nominations

Source: Playbill *

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Nype, winner, in a tie) *Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Stanley, winner) *Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee) *Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee) *Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director (nominee)

References

External links

''Goldilocks'' at Internet Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldilocks Compositions by Leroy Anderson 1958 musicals Broadway musicals Tony Award-winning musicals