''Simple Simon'' 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 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 ...

with 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 w ...

, and

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...

, lyrics by

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...

, music by

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...

, produced by

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, and starring Ed Wynn. It originally played from February 18, 1930 to June 14, 1930 at the Ziegfeld Theatre, then reopened on March 9, 1931 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 ...

. The play, a loose plot designed to show off Ed Wynn's fumbling, clowning, punning style, cast him as a newspaper vendor who spends his time in a fairy-tale land where bad news does not exist. The song " Ten Cents a Dance" was introduced by

Ruth Etting Ruth Etting (November 23, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American singer and actress of the 1920s and 1930s, who had over 60 hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. Known as "America's sweetheart of song", her signature tunes ...

in this show. " Love Me or Leave Me" by

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' By ...

and

Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...

was interpolated into the show about two months after it opened. "

Dancing on the Ceiling ''Dancing on the Ceiling'' is the third solo studio album by American singer Lionel Richie, released on July 15, 1986. The album was originally to be titled ''Say You, Say Me'', after the Academy Award-winning track of the same name, but it wa ...

", cut during the Broadway previews, was eventually sung by

Jessie Matthews Jessie Margaret Matthews (11 March 1907 – 19 August 1981) was an English actress, dancer and singer of the 1920s and 1930s, whose career continued into the post-war period. After a string of hit stage musicals and films in the mid-1930s, Ma ...

in the London production of ''

Ever Green Ever may refer to: * Ever (artist), creator of street art, from Buenos Aires, Argentina * Ever, Kentucky * -ever, an English suffix added to interrogative words in forms like ''wherever'' * KT Tech EVER, a South Korean mobile phone manufacturer o ...

'', and became a standard. The musical numbers written for the show included: *"Coney Island" *"Don't Tell Your Folks" *"Magic Music" *"I Still Believe in You" *"Send for Me" *"Dull and Gay" *"Sweetenheart" *"Hunting the Fox" *"Come On, Men" *" Ten Cents a Dance" *"Rags and Tatters" *"Dancing on the Ceiling" (dropped before the New York opening) *"

He Was Too Good to Me "He Was Too Good to Me" is a song with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was introduced in the tryouts of their 1930 Broadway musical '' Simple Simon'', but was dropped before the show's New York opening. Despite its inauspici ...

" (dropped before the New York opening) *"Oh, So Lovely" (unused) *"Peter Pan" *"The Simple Simon Instep" (unused) *"Prayers of Tears and Laughter" (dropped before the New York opening) *"Hunting Song" (unused) *"Come out of the Nursery" (dropped before the pre-Broadway tryout) *"Sing Glory Hallelujah" (dropped before the pre-Broadway tryout) The song "I Can Do Wonders with You", from a previous show, was interpolated.

References

External links

* * Article on ''Simple Simon'' i
Ruth Etting site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simple Simon (Musical) Broadway musicals 1930 musicals Musicals by Rodgers and Hart