''The Second Little Show'' is a musical revue with lyrics by

Howard Dietz Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. Biography Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia Colle ...

and music mostly by Arthur Schwartz. Produced by William A. Brady, Jr. and Dwight Deere Wiman, in association with Tom Weatherly, the Broadway production opened at the Royale Theatre on September 2, 1930 and closed in October 1930, after 63 performances. Directed by Wiman and

Monty Woolley Edgar Montilion "Monty" Woolley (August 17, 1888May 6, 1963) was an American film and theater actor.Obituary ''Variety'', May 8, 1963, page 223. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his role in the 1939 stage play ''The Man Wh ...

and choreographed by Dave Gould, with scenic design by

Jo Mielziner Joseph "Jo" Mielziner (March 19, 1901 – March 15, 1976) was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both sta ...

, the cast included

Jay C. Flippen Jay C. Flippen (March 6, 1899 – February 3, 1971) was an American character actor who often played crusty sergeants, police officers or weary criminals in many films of the 1940s and 1950s. Before his motion-picture career he was a leading va ...

, Gloria Grafton, and Al Trahan. This was the second in a series of ''Little Shows'', notable for the song "Sing Something Simple" with words and music by Herman Hupfield, introduced by

Ruth Tester Ruth Tester (August 17, 1903 – March 21, 1993) was a singer and dancer in Broadway musicals of the 1920s and 1930s. Biography Tester was born on August 17, 1903. She was married for 59 years to Fredrick Carothers. In her later years, Tester ...

. Other songs include "I Like Your Face" (originally "Foolish Face"), "Lucky Seven", "What a Case I've Got On You", and "You're the Sunrise". In staging this production, producers of the first ''Little Show'' chose a cast of unknowns, and sales suffered as a result. At the same time, the stars of the first ''Little Show'' went on to success.

Third Little Show

The ''Third Little Show'' opened at the Music Box Theatre on June 1, 1931 and ran for 136 performances. The music was by various composers (including Hupfield) and the sketches were by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

, S. J. Perelman, Marc Connelly, among others. It was directed by Alexander Leftwich and starred

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989), known as Bea Lillie, was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedic performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debu ...

, Ernest Truex, and

Constance Carpenter Constance Emmeline Carpenter (19 April 1904 – 26 December 1992) was an English-born American film and musical theatre actress. Biography Carpenter was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1904, the daughter of Harold Carpenter and his wife Mabel An ...

. Lillie introduced the Coward song "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" to the American audience in this revue.''Third Little Show''
ibdb.com, accessed August 5, 2009

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Second Little Show 1930 musicals Broadway musicals Revues Musicals by Arthur Schwartz Musicals by Howard Dietz