''Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen'' 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 Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

with a book by John Patrick and music and lyrics by

Stan Freeman Stanley Freeman (April 3, 1920 – January 13, 2001) was an American composer, pianist, lyricist, musical arranger, conductor, and studio musician. Biography Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Freeman studied classical piano in college and ear ...

and Franklin Underwood.

Overview

The musical is based on Patrick's 1953 play and screenplay '' The Teahouse of the August Moon''. It focuses on Capt. Fisby who, assigned to

Americanize Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of the American culture and economy on other countries outside the United States, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, technology ...

the village of Tobiki on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, encourages the residents to build a school. They would prefer a traditional

teahouse A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only ser ...

instead, and when Fisby discovers the potent alcoholic beverage they brew is popular with the American

GIs A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. Much of this often happens within a spatial database; however, this is not ...

and a big money-maker, he falls in with their plans. Helping him become assimilated to the local

mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

are local interpreter Sakini and

geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...

Lotus Blossom.

Production

The musical opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Shubert Theatre on August 19, 1970 in its out of town tryout and then had tryout performances in Los Angeles (Civic Light Opera) and San Francisco.Suskin, Steven
''Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen''
''The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations'', Oxford University Press, 2011, , page number unknown The latter production's opening night performance was greeted by roughly 250 to 300 picketers—some carrying signs reading, "Sakini Dyed for Our Sins"—whose spokesperson stated:

''Asians should be given the right to audition ... and to refuse to take such roles in a racist play.''

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 Stre ...

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 by ...

on December 28, 1970 and closed on January 9, 1971 after 19 performances and three previews. Directed by

Lawrence Kasha Lawrence Kasha (December 3, 1933 – September 29, 1990) was an American theatre producer and director, playwright, and stage manager. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Kasha began his Broadway career as a production assistant for ''Silk Stocking ...

and

choreographed Choreography is the art 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 creates choreographies thr ...

Marc Breaux Marc Breaux (November 3, 1924 – November 19, 2013) was an American choreographer and occasional film director best known for his work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his well-known work was in collaboration with Dee Dee Wood to ...

, the cast included

Kenneth Nelson Kenneth Nelson (March 24, 1930 – October 7, 1993) was an American actor. Born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Nelson appeared in several television series in the late 1940s, ''Captain Video and His Video Rangers'' and ''The Aldrich Family'' am ...

as Sakini, David Burns as Colonel Wainwright Purdy III, Ron Husmann as Capt. Fisby, and Eleanor Calbes as Lotus Blossom. Burns was nominated for the

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

for Best Actor in a Musical, and

Freddy Wittop Freddy Wittop (July 26, 1911 – February 2, 2001) was a costume designer. He enjoyed secondary careers as a dancer and college professor. Born Frederick Wittop Koning in Bussum, Netherlands, Wittop emigrated with his family to Brussels, where ...

was nominated for Best Costume Design.

Song list

;Act I * With a Snap of My Finger * Right Hand Man * Find Your Own Cricket * One Side of the World * Geisha * You Say-They Say * This Time * Simple Word * Garden Guaracha * It's Good Enough for Lady Astor ;Act II *Chaya *Call Me Back *Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen *You've Broken a Fine Woman's Heart *One More for the Last One

Critical response

Critic

Clive Barnes Clive Alexander Barnes (13 May 1927 – 19 November 2008) was an English writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977, he was the dance and theater critic for ''The New York Times'', and, from 1978 until his death, the ''New York Post''. Barnes had sign ...

, in his review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "Oh, dear! I come to bury ''Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentle man,'' icnot to praise it, but there were one or two decent things, and three or four half decent things, about this strangely dated musical that modestly opened last night at the Majestic Theater." Douglas Watt, reviewing for the ''News'', wrote "It is lively, colorful and generally engaging entertainment. The songs... are tuneful." The group Oriental Actors of America picketed the Majestic Theatre on opening night because of the production's use of "

yellowface Portrayals of East Asians in American film and theatre has been a subject of controversy. These portrayals have frequently reflected an ethnocentric perception of East Asians rather than realistic and authentic depictions of East Asian cultures, ...

Awards and honors

Original Broadway production

References

External links

*
Photos from NYPL Digital Collections
* * {{IMDb title, qid=Q1171405, title=The Teahouse of the August Moon, description=(1956 film) 1970 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in Japan Japan in non-Japanese culture Musicals based on films Musicals based on plays Musicals set in the 20th century