''Rain or Shine'' 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 ...

in two acts with music by

Milton Ager Milton Ager (October 6, 1893 – May 6, 1979) was an American composer, regarded as one of the top songwriters of the 1920s and 1930s. His most lasting compositions include "Ain't She Sweet?” and “Happy Days Are Here Again”. Biography Ag ...

and

Owen Murphy Owen Murphy may refer to: * Owen Murphy (politician), Canadian politician * Owen Murphy (baseball), American baseball player See also * Eoghan Murphy Eoghan Murphy (born Dublin, 23 April 1982) is a former Fine Gael politician who was a Teach ...

, lyrics by

Jack Yellen Jack Selig Yellen (Jacek Jeleń; July 6, 1892 – April 17, 1991) was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the songs "Happy Days Are Here Again", which was used by Franklin Roosevelt as the theme ...

, and a book by James Gleason and Maurice Marks. Set in Higginstown,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, the musical takes place within a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

and features a variety of circus acts in addition to the typical song and dance numbers from a musical of its time period. It was one of several hit Broadway musicals in 1928.

Performance history

''Rain or Shine'' was staged on at

George M. Cohan's Theatre George M. Cohan's Theatre was a Broadway theatre at Broadway and West 43rd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was built in 1911 and demolished in 1938. History The theatre was designed by George Keister, and ope ...

where it premiered on February 9, 1928. It ran at that theatre for 356 performances; closing on December 15, 1928. It was written as a starring vehicle for comedian Joe Cook who portrayed the central character of Smiley Johnson. Other actors in leading roles included

Nancy Welford Nancy Welford (May 31, 1904 – September 30, 1991), also known as Christine Welford, was a British-born American actress in the early sound film era. The daughter of actress Ada Loftus and actor Dallas Welford, she was born in London, England ...

as Mary Wheeler,

Warren Hull John Warren Hull (January 17, 1903 – September 14, 1974), known professionally as Warren Hull, was an American actor, singer and television personality active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in t ...

as Jack Wayne,

Janet Velie Janet Velie (23 April 1895 – December 17, 1992)Benjamin, p. 761 was an American actress who was primarily known for her performances in Broadway musicals. She first came to prominence portraying the title roles in the musicals ''La La Lucille'' ...

as Mrs. Patricia Conway, and

Helen Lynd Helen Merrell Lynd (March 17, 1896 – January 30, 1982) was an American sociologist, social philosopher, educator, and author. She is best known for conducting the first Middletown studies of Muncie, Indiana, with her husband, Robert Staughto ...

as Frankie Shultz.

Musical numbers

;Act I *"Circus Days" *"Glad Tidings"—Mary Wheeler, Jack Wayne *"The Parade" *"Circus Days" (reprise) *"So Would I"—Smiley Johnson *"Add a Little Wiggle"—Frankie Shultz *"Rain or Shine"—Mary Wheeler, Jack Wayne *"Laugh, Clown, Laugh" *"Recitation"—Jack Wayne *"Ballet" *"Oh, Baby" *"The Roustabout Song"—Jack Wayne *"Hey, Rube" ;Act II *"Falling Star"—Mrs. Patricia Conway *"Feelin' Good"—Frankie Shultz *"Forever and Ever"—Jack Wayne, Mary Wheeler *"Who's Gonna Get You?"—Mary Wheeler *"Acrobatic Dance" *"Stair Dance" *"Hand Drill" *"Elephant Trainers" *"The Clown Dance"

Film adaptation

It was made into a film of the same name in 1930 by

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

starring Cook, however, none of the songs were performed in the film. The song, "Rain or Shine" is included as background music.

References

External links

* Broadway musicals 1928 musicals Musicals set in circuses Musicals set in Rhode Island {{musical-theatre-stub