''Johnny Johnson'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Paul Green and music by Kurt Weill. It premiered in 1936 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 ...

. Based on

Jaroslav Hašek Jaroslav Hašek (; 1883–1923) was a Czech writer, humorist, satirist, journalist, bohemian and anarchist. He is best known for his novel '' The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk during the World War'', an unfinished collection of farcical inc ...

's 1921–1923

satiric Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

novel ''

The Good Soldier Švejk ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who pretends to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungar ...

'', the musical focuses on a naive and idealistic young man who, despite his pacifist views, leaves his sweetheart Minny Belle Tompkins to fight in Europe in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He first tries to stop the war after meeting a young German sniper of the same name, who believes that the soldiers must unite. However, the commanders of the allied forces intend to use the discontent with the war among the German soldiers as a perfect time to advance in the war. Johnny then manages to bring the skirmish to a temporary halt by incapacitating a meeting of the generals with

laughing gas Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has ...

, but once they recover they promptly reinstate the war, resulting in hundreds of thousands of fatalities. Meanwhile, Johnny finds himself committed to an

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

for ten years. He returns home to discover Minny Belle has married a

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

, and he settles down as a toymaker who will create anything except

tin soldier Tin soldiers are miniature figures of toy soldiers that are very popular in the world of collecting. They can be bought finished or in a raw state to be hand-painted. They are generally made of pewter, tin, lead, other metals or plastic. Of ...

s, his personal gesture of peace in an increasingly warlike society. The musical was written and composed by Green and Weill during the summer of 1936 in a rented old house located in

Nichols, Connecticut Nichols, a historic village in southeastern Trumbull in Fairfield County, Connecticut, is named after the family who maintained a large farm in its center for almost 300 years. The Nichols Farms Historic District, which encompasses part of t ...

near the summer rehearsal headquarters of the Group Theatre at

Pine Brook Country Club Pine Brook Country Club is a private lake association in Nichols, Connecticut, a village within the Town of Trumbull. It began when Benjamin Plotkin purchased Pinewood Lake and the surrounding countryside on Mischa Hill. Plotkin built an audito ...

. Its title was inspired by the fact the name appeared on United States

casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

rolls more often than any other.

Productions and background

Weill was asked to develop the project by the socially conscious Group Theatre, but much of his music was scrapped when original director

Harold Clurman Harold Edgar Clurman (September 18, 1901 – September 9, 1980) was an American theatre director and drama critic. In 2003, he was named one of the most influential figures in U.S. theater by PBS.

was replaced by

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

, who opted to emphasize text over music. The

production opened on November 19, 1936 at the

44th Street Theatre The 44th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 216 West 44th Street in New York City from 1912 to 1945. It opened and operated for three years as the Weber and Fields' Music Hall. Its rooftop theatre, the Nora Bayes Theatre, present ...

, where it ran for 68 performances. The cast included Russell Collins as Johnny and

Phoebe Brand Phoebe Brand (November 27, 1907 – July 3, 2004) was an American actress. Life Brand was born in Syracuse, New York in 1907 and raised in Ilion, Herkimer County, New York. Her father worked for Remington Typewriter Company as a mechanical e ...

as Minny Belle, with

Luther Adler Luther Adler (born Lutha Adler; May 4, 1903 – December 8, 1984) was an American actor best known for his work in theatre, but who also worked in film and television. He also directed plays on Broadway. Early life and career Adler was born on ...

Morris Carnovsky Morris Carnovsky (September 5, 1897 – September 1, 1992) was an American stage and film actor. He was one of the founders of the Group Theatre (1931-1940) in New York City and had a thriving acting career both on Broadway and in films un ...

Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage. He often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectabl ...

Curt Conway Curt Conway (May 4, 1915 – April 10, 1974) was an American actor. He was sometimes billed as Curtis Conway or Kurt Conway. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Conway appeared in a number of Broadway plays, had small parts in films. such as '' Hud' ...

John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...

, Elia Kazan, Robert Lewis, and

Sandy Meisner Sanford Meisner (August 31, 1905 – February 2, 1997) was an American actor and acting teacher who developed an approach to acting instruction that is now known as the Meisner technique. While Meisner was exposed to method acting at the Group ...

in supporting roles. A 1956 production was presented Off-Broadway at the Little Carnegie Playhouse at Carnegie Hall. It was directed by

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
''

James Broderick as Johnny Johnson and

Gene Saks Gene Saks (born Jean Michael Saks; November 8, 1921 – March 28, 2015) was an American director and actor. An inductee of the American Theater Hall of Fame, his acting career began with a Broadway debut in 1949. As a director, he was nominated ...

as the Mad Psychiatrist. It ran from October 21, 1956 through October 28. Samuel Matlowsky was the musical director and conducted the 1956 record album which had none of the cast from the Stella Adler production. After 10 previews, a revival directed by

José Quintero José Benjamín Quintero (15 October 1924 – 26 February 1999) was a Panamanian theatre director, producer and pedagogue best known for his interpretations of the works of Eugene O'Neill. Biography Early years Quintero was born in Panama C ...

and choreographed by

Bertram Ross Bertram Ross (November 14, 1920 – April 20, 2003) was an American dancer best known for his work with the Martha Graham Dance Company, with which he performed for two decades. He was Martha Graham’s longtime dance partner and the originator ...

opened on April 11, 1971 at the

Edison Theatre The Edison Theatre was a Broadway theatre located in the Hotel Edison at 240 West 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Originally opening in 1931 as the hotel's ballroom, it became the Arena Theatre on May 31, 1950, with a revival of George Kelly ...

, where it closed after one performance. The cast included Ralph Williams as Johnny and Alice Cannon as Minny Belle. The play was staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company on 6–15 August 1986 at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

, London directed by

Paul Marcus Paul Coryn Valentine Marcus (30 May 1954 – 13 February 2011) was a BAFTA winning British television director and producer.Obituary '' London Guardian'', 4 March 2011. His most notable success was as producer of the television series ''Prime Su ...

. The cast was

Clive Mantle Clive Andrew Mantle (born 3 June 1957) is an English actor. He played general surgeon Mike Barratt in the BBC hospital drama series ''Casualty'' and '' Holby City'' in the 1990s, and Little John in the 1980s fantasy series ''Robin of Sherwood' ...

, Tina Marian, Michael McNally, Keith Osborn,

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadi ...

, Graham Turner and Andrew Yeats. In 2009, a concert-staging was mounted in London by the Discovering Lost Musicals Charitable Trust, with Max Gold in the title role. The ReGroup Theatre Company staged two sold-out staged readings that were directed by Estelle Parsons at the 47th St Theatre, in New York on December 12, 2011. Johnny was played by Pete McElligott, and his performances was named one of the 10 memorable performances of 2011 by ''Backstage''.http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-movie-tv-reviews/2011-memorable-new-york-stage-performances-1005792152.story

Recordings

A November 1956 studio recording ("MGM Records" MGM E 3447, later released on Heliodor, Polydor, and online at ArkivMusik.com) has

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" and "on ...

as Johnny, Evelyn Lear as Minny Belle, and

Hiram Sherman Hiram Sherman (February 11, 1908 – April 11, 1989) was an American actor. Biography Hiram Sherman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Clifford Leon Sherman, worked in the art department of ''The Boston Globe''. He made his Bro ...

as the Mad Psychiatrist; smaller roles are taken by

Jane Connell Jane Sperry Connell (pronounced con-NELL, née Bennett; October 27, 1925 – September 22, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Early years Connell was born in Berkeley, California, to Louis Wesley and Mary (née Sperry) Bennett. She majo ...

Lotte Lenya Lotte Lenya (born Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer; 18 October 1898 – 27 November 1981) was an Austrian-American singer, diseuse, and actress, long based in the United States. In the German-speaking and classical music world, she is best ...

, and Thomas Stewart, and the conductor is Samuel Matlowsky. A November 1996 recording (Erato 0630-17870-2) offers Donald Wilkinson as Johnny, Ellen Santaniello as Minny Belle, and Paul Guttry as the Mad Psychiatrist; Joel Cohen conducts.

Original Song List (Prior to Cuts)

Act One

;"How Sweetly Friendship Binds" *Over in Europe - Mayor, Men and Women *Democracy Advancing - Minny Belle, Men and Women *Up Chickamauga Hill - Grandpa Joe, Men and Women *Democracy Advancing (Reprise) - Minny Belle, Mayor, Men and Women *Interlude: Johnny's Melody - Orchestra ;"Keep The Home Fires Burning" *Aggie's Song - Aggie *Oh, Heart of Love - Minny Belle *Farewell, Goodbye - Minny Belle ;"Your Country Needs Another Man-And That Means You" *Captain Valentine's Tango (Part I) - Captain Valentine *Democracy March - Orchestra *Captain Valentine's Tango (Part II) - Captain Valentine *Army Interlude - Orchestra ;"Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag" *The Sergeant's Chant - Sergeant *The West-Pointer's Song - West-Pointer and Soldiers ;"A Light That Lighteth Men Their Way" *Farewell, Goodbye (Interlude)/Johnny's Song (Underscore) - Orchestra *Song of the Goddess - The Statue of Liberty

Act Two

;"Lead Kindly Light" *Song of the Wounded Frenchmen (Nous Sommes Blesses)- Wounded French Soldiers ;"There Is One Spot Forever England" *The Tea Song - An English Sergeant and English Soldiers *Oh the Rio Grande - Private Harwood *Johnny's Dream (Oh Heart of Love) - Minny Belle *Song of the Guns - The Guns ;"If Thine Enemy Hunger-" *Music of the Stricken Redeemer - Orchestra ;"'Tis Not So Deep As A Well-But 'Tis Enough. 'Twill Serve." *Mon Ami, My Friend - A French Nurse ;"In The Multitude Of Counselors There Is Saftey" *The Allied High Command - The Allied High Command *Dance of the Generals (We'll All Be Home For Christmas) - The Allied High Command and Johnny ;"Still Stands Thine Ancient Artifice" *The Battle (with Reprise of the Dance of the Generals) - Johnny, American and German Soldiers ;"There's Many A Mangled Body, A Blanket For Their Shroud" *In Time Of War and Tumult (Almighty God/Almachtiger Gott) - English and German Priests ;"Dulce et Decorum est pro patira mori" *Song Of The Wounded Frenchmen (Reprise) - Orchestra ;"Hail Mary, Full of Grace" *Reminiscence - Orchestra

Act Three

;"Is There No Balm in Gilead, Is There No Physician There?" *The Psychiatry Song - Dr. Mahodan ;"Out Of The Mouth Of Babes And Sucklings" *Asylum Chorus - Members of the Debating Society *Hymn to Peace (Round) - Members of the Debating Society *Asylum Chorus (Reprise) - Orchestra ;"Whither Have Ye Made A Road?" *Johnny's Song - Johnny

1971 revival song list

;Act 1 * Over in Europe * Democracy's Call * Up Chuckamauga Hill * Johnny's Melody * Aggie's Song * Oh Heart of Love * Farewell, Goodbye * The Sergeant's Chant * Valentine's Tango * You're in the Army Now (Interlude) * Johnny's Oath * Song of the Goddess * Song of the Wounded Frenchmen * Tea Song * Cowboy Song * Johnny's Dream * Song of the Guns * Music of the Stricken Redeemer ;Act 2 * Mon Ami My Friend * Allied High Command * The Laughing Generals * The Battle * Prayer: In Times of War and Tumults * No Man's Land * Song of the Goddess (Reprise) * The Psychiatry Song * Hymn to Peace * Johnny Johnson's Song * How Sweetly Friendship Binds * Oh Heart of Love (Reprise) * Johnny's Melody

References

External links

Donald Oenslager set design and diagrams for Johnny Johnson, 1936
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnny Johnson 1936 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Kurt Weill Musicals based on novels