''Paint Your Wagon'' is a

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 ...

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, with book and lyrics by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story centers on a miner and his daughter and follows the lives and loves of the people in a mining camp in

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

-era

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Popular songs from the show included "

Wand'rin' Star "Wand'rin' Star" is a song that was originally written by Alan J. Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) for the stage musical '' Paint Your Wagon'' in 1951. Lee Marvin recording "Wand'rin' Star" was a number one single in the UK for thr ...

", "I Talk to the Trees" and "

They Call the Wind Maria "They Call the Wind Maria" is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, '' Paint Your Wagon'', which is set in the California Gold Rush. Rufus Smith originally ...

". The musical ran on

in 1951 and in the West End in 1953. In 1969 the film version also titled '' Paint Your Wagon'' was released. It had a highly revised plot and some new songs composed by Lerner and André Previn.

Synopsis

;Act I In the California Wilderness in May 1853, a crusty old miner, Ben Rumson, is conducting a makeshift funeral for a friend. Meanwhile, his 16-year-old daughter Jennifer discovers gold dust. Ben claims the land, and prospectors start flocking to the brand new town of Rumson ("I'm On My Way"). Two months later Rumson has a population of 400, all of whom are men except for Jennifer. Prospector Jake Whippany is waiting to save enough money to send for Cherry and her Fandango girls ("Rumson"), while Jennifer senses the tension building in town ("What's Going On Here?"). Julio Valveras, a handsome young miner forced to live and work outside of town because he is Mexican, comes to town with dirty laundry and runs into Jennifer, who volunteers to do his laundry. They also talk to each other ("I Talk to the Trees"). Steve Bulmarck and the other men ponder the lonely nomadic life they lead in the song "They Call the Wind Maria". Two months later the men want Ben to send Jennifer away, and he wishes her mother was still alive to help him ("I Still See Elisa"). Jennifer is in love with Julio ("How Can I Wait?"), and when Ben sees Jennifer dancing with Julio's clothes, he decides to send her East on the next stage. Jacob Woodling, a

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

man with two wives, Sarah and Elizabeth, arrives in Rumson where the men demand Jacob sell one of his wives. To his surprise, Ben finds himself wooing Elizabeth ("In Between") and wins her for $800 ("Whoop-Ti-Yay"). Jennifer is disgusted by her father's actions and runs away, telling Julio that she will be reunited with him in a year's time ("Cariño Mío”). Cherry and her Fandango girls arrive ("There's a Coach Comin' In"). Julio learns his claim is running dry which means he has to move on to make a living and that he will not be there to greet Jennifer when she returns. ;Act II A year later in October, the miners celebrate the high times in Rumson now that the Fandango girls are around ("Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans"). Edgar Crocker, a miner who has saved his money, falls for Elizabeth and she responds, although Ben does not notice since he thinks Raymond Janney is in love with her (he is). Another miner, Mike Mooney, tells Julio about a lake that has gold dust on the bottom and he considers looking for it ("Another Autumn"). Jennifer returns in December, having learned civilized ways back East ("All for Him"). Ben tells his daughter that he will soon be moving on since he was not meant to stay in one place for long ("

"). The next day as Cherry and the girls are packing to leave they tell her about Julio leaving to find the lake with a bottom of gold. Raymond Janney offers to buy Elizabeth from Ben for $3,000, but she runs off with Edgar Crocker. Word comes of another strike 40 miles south of Rumson and the rest of the town packs up to leave except for Jennifer, who is waiting for Julio to return, and Ben, who suddenly realizes that Rumson is indeed his town. Late in April, Julio appears, a broken man. Ben welcomes him and Julio is amazed to see Jennifer is there. As they move toward each other, the wagons filled with people move on.

Songs

;Act 1 *I'm On My Way - Steve Bullnack, Jake Whippany, Mike Mooney, Lee Zen, Sing Yuy, Sandy Twist, Edgar Crocker, Reuben Sloane and Miners *Rumson - Jake *What's Goin' On Here? - Jennifer Rumson *I Talk to the Trees - Julio Valveras and Jennifer *"

" - Steve, Miners and Dancer *I Still See Elisa - Ben Rumson *How Can I Wait? - Jennifer *Trio - Elizabeth Woodling, Sarah Woodling and Jacob Woodling *Rumson (Reprise) - Jake *In Between - Ben *Whoop-Ti-Ay! - Ben, Elizabeth and Miners *How Can I Wait? (Reprise) - Jennifer and Julio ;Act 2 *Hand Me Down That Can O'Beans - Jake and Miners *Rope Dance - Fandangos, Pete Billings and Singer *Can-can - Suzanne Duval, Rocky, Fandangos and Miners *Another Autumn - Julio Valveras, Dancer and Pete Billings *Movin' - Miners *I'm On My Way (Reprise) - Miners *All For Him - Jennifer *

- Ben *I Talk to the Trees (Reprise) - Jennifer *Strike! - Steve, Jasper and Jake *(I Was Born Under a) Wand'rin' Star (Reprise) - Jake, Steve, Sandy and Miners

Productions

The musical had a pre-Broadway try-out at the Shubert Theater in Philadelphia opening on September 17, 1951. It opened on

at the Shubert Theatre on November 12, 1951, and closed on July 19, 1952, after 289 performances. The production was directed by Daniel Mann, set design by Oliver Smith, costume design by Motley, lighting design by Peggy Clark, music for dances arranged by

Trude Rittmann Gertrud Rittmann (24 September 1908 – 22 February 2005) was a German Jewish composer, musical director, arranger and orchestrator who lived and worked for much of her life in the United States. Her career particularly flourished with major succ ...

, with dances and musical ensembles by Agnes de Mille set to the orchestrations of

Ted Royal Ted Royal ewar'' (6 September 1904, Skedee, Oklahoma - 27 March (?) 1981) was an American orchestrator, conductor and composer for Broadway theatre. He was most active in the 1940s and 1950s, being associated with the very successful original pr ...

.Green, Stanley
"Paint Your Wagon"
''The World of Musical Comedy'', Da Capo Press, 1984, , pp.442–43 It starred James Barton (as Ben Rumson),

Olga San Juan Olga San Juan (March 16, 1927January 3, 2009) was an American actress. Born in Brooklyn, she began her brief film career with Paramount Pictures after being scouted at Copacabana. She performed in several Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and on ...

(Jennifer Rumson),

Tony Bavaar Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...

(Julio Valveras),

Gemze de Lappe Gemze de Lappe (February 28, 1922, Portsmouth, Virginia – November 11, 2017 Manhattan) was an American dancer who worked very closely with Agnes de Mille and was frequently partnered by de Mille's favorite male dancer, James Mitchell. Born ...

(Yvonne Sorel), James Mitchell (Pete Billings),

Kay Medford Margaret Kathleen Regan (September 14, 1919 – April 10, 1980), better known as Kay Medford, was an American actress. For her performance as Rose Brice in the musical '' Funny Girl'' and the film adaptation of the same name, she was nominated ...

(Cherry), and Marijane Maricle (Elizabeth Woodling).

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

and

Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher; December 11, 1889Date and year of birth as per baptismal records of Precious Blood church, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where Dowling was christened — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director, ...

later took over the role of Ben Rumson, and Ann Crowley was a replacement for Jennifer. De Mille later restaged the dances as a stand-alone ballet, ''Gold Rush''. The West End production opened on February 11, 1953 at

Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...

and ran for 477 performances. It starred real life father and daughter

Bobby Howes Bobby Howes (4 August 1895 – 27 April 1972) was a British entertainer who was a leading musical comedy performer in London's West End theatres in the 1930s and 1940s. Biography Born in Battersea, Surrey, his parents were Robert William H ...

and

Sally Ann Howes Sally Ann Howes (20 July 1930 – 19 December 2021) was an English actress and singer. Her career on screen, stage and television spanned six decades. She is best known for the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film ''Chitty Chitty ...

. The Australian production opened on November 27, 1954 at

in Melbourne, with

Alec Kellaway Alec Kellaway (1894–1973) was a South African–born actor best known for his work in Australian theatre and film, notably playing a number of character roles for director Ken G. Hall. He was the brother of Cecil Kellaway. He also worked as a pr ...

as Ben. A new production, with a revised libretto by

David Rambo David Rambo (born May 28, 1955) is an American writer, playwright, actor and producer. Outside of work in the entertainment field, he is a distinguished guest speaker at Hampshire College and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, ...

, was premiered at the Brentwood Theatre, produced by the

Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse (or the Geffen) is a not-for-profit theater company founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhouse is located ...

in association with Christopher Allen, D. Constantine Conte, and Larry Spellman in Los Angeles, California, from November 23, 2004, to January 9, 2005. This new world premiere adaptation was directed by

Gilbert Cates Gilbert Cates (né Katz; June 6, 1934 – October 31, 2011) was an American film director and television producer, director of the Geffen Playhouse, a member of Cates/Doty Productions, and founding dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Te ...

and choreographed by Kay Cole. Design team included musical director Steve Orich, who provided arrangements and orchestrations. The design team featured Daniel Ionazzi (scenic and lighting), David Kay Mickeleson (costume) and Phil Allen (sound). The cast included Thomas F. Wilson as Ben Rumson,

Jessica Rush Jessica Rush (born December 23, 1980) is an American actress and singer. She won the Joseph Jefferson Award in 2014 for her performance in ''Gypsy: A Musical Fable, Gypsy'' at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Early life Born in Beaumont, Texas, ...

as his daughter Jennifer and

Sharon Lawrence Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence (born June 29, 1961) is an American actress who played Sylvia Costas Sipowicz in the ABC drama series '' NYPD Blue''. The role garnered her three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in ...

as Lily. One change from the original was "They Call the Wind Maria" staged as an ensemble number instead of a showcase solo. A subsequent production was produced by the

Pioneer Theatre Company The Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) is one of four professional theatre companies in Utah, and the only fully professional theatre in Salt Lake City, contracting with union members belonging to Actors' Equity Association (AEA), Stage Directors an ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, Utah and ran from September 28, 2007, through October 13, 2007. The director was Charles Morey and choreographer Patti D'Beck, with a cast of nearly 30.Lincoln, Ivan M. "'Wagon' is a cruisin' after overhaul", ''Deseret Morning News'' (Salt Lake City), October 2, 2007 The musical was presented in an

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 ...

staged concert production at New York City Center in March 2015. The production was directed by Marc Bruni, and starred

Keith Carradine Keith Ian Carradine ( ; born August 8, 1949) is an American actor who has had success on stage, film, and television. He is known for his roles as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's film ''Nashville'', Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series '' Deadwood ...

as Ben Rumson,

Alexandra Socha Alexandra Socha (born April 10, 1990) is an American actress who made her Broadway debut in the rock musical '' Spring Awakening'' in May 2008. Other notable stage appearances include Nora in the brief 2009 revival of ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'', D ...

as Jennifer and

Justin Guarini Justin Guarini (born Justin Eldrin Bell; October 28, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and actor who in 2002 was the runner-up on the first season of ''American Idol''. Early life Guarini was born in Columbus, Georgia. His father, Eldr ...

as Julio Valveras.

Reception

In 2010, Steven Suskin wrote, "The interwoven use of ballet that worked so well in the highlands was less effective on the prairies, and the subject matter was harsh and cold. In spite of the show's failure, Loewe displayed ... an uncanny ability to write scores indigenous to the time and locale of the characters and plots."Suskin, Steven.
"Paint Your Wagon"
''Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers'' (3 ed.), Oxford University Press US, 2000, , p. 224

Awards and nominations

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

:Tony Bavaar (winner)

References

External links

*
''Paint Your Wagon'' History and Synopsis at Tams-Witmark
{{Authority control Mormonism in fiction 1951 musicals Broadway musicals Original musicals California Gold Rush in fiction Plays set in California Plays set in the 19th century Fiction set in 1853 Musicals by Alan Jay Lerner Musicals by Frederick Loewe Works about polygamy in Mormonism