''Sally'' is a

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 music by

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

, lyrics by Clifford Grey and book by

Guy Bolton Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred ...

(inspired by the 19th century show, ''Sally in our Alley''), with additional lyrics by

Buddy De Sylva George Gard "Buddy" DeSylva (January 27, 1895 – July 11, 1950) was an American songwriter, film producer and record executive. He wrote or co-wrote many popular songs and, along with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs, he co-founded Capitol Recor ...

Anne Caldwell Anne Marsh Caldwell (August 30, 1867 – October 22, 1936), also known as Anne Caldwell O'Dea, was an American playwright and lyricist. She wrote both pop songs and Broadway shows, sometimes working with composer Jerome Kern. Biography Anne Ma ...

and

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

. The plot hinges on a mistaken identity: Sally, a waif, is a dishwasher at the Alley Inn. She poses as a famous foreign ballerina and rises to fame (and finds love) through joining the Ziegfeld Follies. There is a rags to riches story, a ballet as a centrepiece, and a wedding as a finale. " Look for the Silver Lining" continues to be one of Kern's most familiar songs. The song is lampooned by another song, "Look for a Sky of Blue," in Rick Besoyan's satirical 1959 musical ''

Little Mary Sunshine ''Little Mary Sunshine'' is a musical that parodies old-fashioned operettas and musicals. The book, music, and lyrics are by Rick Besoyan. The original Off-Broadway production premiered November 18, 1959 at the Orpheum Theatre in New York Cit ...

''. The piece was first produced in 1920 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 ...

by Florenz Ziegfeld, and ran for 570 performances, one of the longest runs on Broadway up to that time. The show was designed as a debut star vehicle for

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of these ...

. It had a successful London run and was revived several times on Broadway and in the West End, although it has had few productions since the 1950s. The musical was adapted into a 1925 silent film and a 1929 musical film.

Background and original production

Kern, Bolton, and Wodehouse had collaborated on a number of musical comedies at the Princess Theatre. The story combined the innocence of these earlier "Princess musicals" with the lavishness of the "

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

" formula. The score recycles some material from previous Kern shows, including " Look for the Silver Lining" and "Whip-poor-will" (with lyrics by De Sylva, from the flop "Zip Goes a Million"); "The Lorelei" (lyrics by Anne Caldwell); and "You Can't Keep a Good Girl Down" and "The Church 'Round the Corner" (lyrics by Wodehouse). Grey supplied the lyrics for the few new songs in the score. At the request of Ziegfeld,

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

was engaged to write the music to "The Butterfly Ballet" in Act Three. The musical was originally produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, opening on December 21, 1920 at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built fro ...

on Broadway. It ran for 570 performances, which was one of the longest runs on Broadway up to that time. By the time it closed in 1924 (including revivals), it would prove to be among the top five money makers of the 1920s. The show was designed as the musical comedy debut of

, a 22-year-old ''Ziegfeld Follies'' girl. Miller would continue to be a star on Broadway until her death in 1936.

Roles and original cast

*"Pops", ''proprietor of the Alley Inn, New York'' – Alfred P. James *Rosalind Rafferty, ''a manicurist'' – Mary Hay *Madame Nookerova's maid – Mary Hay *Sascha, ''Violinist at the Alley Inn'' – Jacques Rebiroff *Otis Hooper, ''a theatrical agent'' –

Walter Catlett Walter Leland Catlett (February 4, 1889 – November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian. He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards. Career Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in S ...

*Mrs. Ten Broek, ''a settlement worker'' –

Dolores Dolores, Spanish for "pain; grief", most commonly refers to: * Our Lady of Sorrows or La Virgen María de los Dolores * Dolores (given name) Dolores may also refer to: Film * ''Dolores'' (2017 film), an American documentary by Peter Bratt * ' ...

*Sally of the Alley, ''a foundling'' –

*Madame Nookerova, ''a Wild Rose'' – Marilyn Miller *Premier Star of the Follies – Marilyn Miller *Connie, ''a waiter at the Alley Inn'' –

Leon Errol Leon Errol (born Leonce Errol Sims, July 3, 1881 – October 12, 1951) was an Australian-American comedian and actor in the United States, popular in the first half of the 20th century for his appearances in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in film ...

*Duke of Czechogovinia – Leon Errol *Miss New York, ''a niece'' – Agatha Dehussey *Admiral Travers, ''a gay one'' – Phil Ryley *Blair Farquar, ''an only son'' – Irving Fisher *Jimmie Spelvin –

Stanley Ridges Stanley Charles Ridges (17 July 1890 – 22 April 1951) was an English-born, American actor who made more than 100 appearances in theatre and movies from 1917 to 1951. After his American film debut in ''Success'' (1923), he appeared in films s ...

*Billy Porter – Wade Boothe *Harry Burton – Jack Barker

Musical numbers

;Act I * Opening and Violin Solo * The Night Time - Jimmie Spelvin and Ensemble (lyrics by Grey) * On with the Dance - Otis Hooper, Rosalind, Betty and Harry Burton (lyrics by Grey) * On with the Dance (Encore) - Otis Hooper, Rosalind, Betty and Harry Burton * Joan of Arc ("You Can't Keep a Good Girl Down") - Sally of the Alley and Foundlings (lyrics by Grey & Wodehouse) * Look for the Silver Lining - Sally and Blair Farquar (lyrics by De Sylva) * Look for the Silver Lining - (Reprise) - Sally, Duke of Czechogovinio, Boys and Girls * Sally - Blair and Ensemble (lyrics by Grey) * Dance - Sally * Finale Act One - Sally, Duke of Czechogovinio, Otis Hooper, Rosalind and Company ;Act II * Opening Act II: The Social Game - Jimmie and Ensemble * Wild Rose - Sally and Diplomats (lyrics by Grey) * (On the Banks of) The Schnitza Komisski - Duke of Czechogovinio and Ensemble (lyrics by Grey) * Schnitza Komisski Dance (Pzcherkatrotsky) - Duke of Czechogovinio * Whip-poor-will - Sally and Blair (lyrics by De Sylva) * The Lorelei - Otis Hooper, Rosalind and Jimmie (lyrics by Anne Caldwell) * The Church Around the Corner - Rosalind and Otis (lyrics by Grey & Wodehouse) * Finale Act II: - Entire Company ;Act III * Land of Butterflies (ballet) (music By Victor Herbert) * Wild Rose (Reprise) - Sally and Boys * Finale - Dear Little Church 'Round the Corner

Subsequent productions

The musical enjoyed a successful production in 1921 in London at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

, starring British musical comedy veterans George Grossmith Jr. and

Leslie Henson Leslie Lincoln Henson (3 August 1891 – 2 December 1957) was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall come ...

, which ran for 387 performances. It also played well in 1923 in Australia, produced by the J. C. Williamson company. There were Broadway revivals in 1923 (at the

) and 1948 and London revivals in 1942 (at Prince's Theatre) and 1952 (Oxford New Theatre). Other productions included a 1944 LACLO Production in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and a 1988 concert production Off-Broadway at the Academy Theatre.

Adaptations

A 1925 silent

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film of the same name starred Colleen Moore and was directed by Alfred E. Green, produced by Moore's husband John McCormick. The screenplay was adapted by

June Mathis June Mathis (born June Beulah Hughes, January 30, 1887 – July 26, 1927) was an American screenwriter. Mathis was the first female executive for Metro/MGM and at only 35, she was the highest paid executive in Hollywood. In 1926 she was voted ...

. The 1929 musical film version was only the third all talking all-color feature movie ever made. It retains three of Kern's songs (" Look for the Silver Lining", "Sally", and "Wild Rose"). The rest of the music newly written for the film by Al Dubin and Joe Burke. Miller was hired by the Warner Brothers to reprise her role at an extravagant sum (reportedly $1,000 an hour for a total of $100,000). The film was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Art Direction by

Jack Okey John Clark Okey (June 3, 1889 – January 8, 1963) was an American art director. Personal life He was raised in Los Angeles and attended the Harvard School for Boys, where he excelled in sports. After leaving, he was given instruction ...

in 1930. ''Sally'' was presented on '' The Railroad Hour'' April 6, 1953. The 30-minute radio adaptation starred

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and '' Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

and Lucille Norman.

References and sources

;References ;Sources
Description of the musical

External links

Vocal score
*

* ttp://www.hat-archive.com/Sally.htm Information about the Australian productionbr>Site gives length of long-running shows
{{Authority control 1920 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Jerome Kern Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties