''The Girl Friend'' is a musical comedy with 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 ...

, 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 ...

and book by Herbert Fields. This was the longest running show for the trio to that date.Secrest, Meryle. ''Somewhere for me:a biography of Richard Rodgers'' (2002), Hal Leonard Corporation, , p. 78

Production

''The Girl Friend'' opened on Broadway at the Vanderbilt Theatre on March 17, 1926, and closed on December 27, 1926, after 301 performances. Produced by Lew Fields (Herbert's father), staged by John Harwood with musical staging by Jack Haskell, the cast starred Sammy White, Eva Puck and

June Cochrane June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in t ...

. White and Puck were married and well-known vaudeville performers of the time.

Plot

Setting: Long Island, New York A cyclist trains on a wheel connected to a butter churn on his dairy farm. He is in love with the daughter of a professional cyclist. He is urged to enter a six-day bicycle race by questionable cycling promoter. Various gamblers try to cause him to lose, but he wins the race and the girl.

Songs

;Act 1 * "Hey! Hey!" * "The Simple Life" * "The Girl Friend" * "Goodbye, Lenny" * " Blue Room" * "Cabarets" * "Why Do I?" * "The Damsel Who Done All the Dirt" * "He's a Winner" * "Town Hall Tonight" * "Good Fellow, Mine" ;Act 2 * "Creole Cooning Song" * "I'd Like to Take You Home" * "What Is It?"

Critical response

Reviewers praised the humor, dancing, and the "captivating music." The ''New York American'' reviewer wrote: "This WAS music, instead of molasses. There was a ditty called 'The Blue Room' which should be sung to exhaustion".

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing

Ovrtur Page for The Girl Friend
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girl Friend, The 1926 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Rodgers and Hart Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties Musicals set in New York Musicals set on farms Musicals by Herbert Fields Sports musicals Musicals set in Long Island