''The Happy Time'' 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 ...
with music by
John Kander
John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Ca ...
, lyrics by
Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Ri ...
, and a book by
N. Richard Nash
Nathan Richard Nusbaum (June 8, 1913 – December 11, 2000), known as N. Richard Nash, was an American writer and dramatist best known for writing Broadway shows, including '' The Rainmaker''.
Early life
Nash was born Nathan Richard Nusbau ...
loosely based on a 1950 hit
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 ...
play, ''The Happy Time'' by
Samuel A. Taylor
Samuel A. Taylor (June 13, 1912 – May 26, 2000) was an American playwright and screenwriter.
Biography
Born Samuel Albert Tanenbaum, in a Jewish family, in Chicago, Illinois, Taylor made his Broadway debut as author of the play ''The Hap ...
, which was in turn based on stories by Robert Fontaine. The story had also been made into a
1952 film version.
The original 1967 Los Angeles and 1968 Broadway productions were directed and choreographed by
Gower Champion
Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.
Early years
Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice ...
, who won
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
s in each category.
Background and productions
Producer
David Merrick
David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards.
Life and career
Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gradua ...
had initially asked
Cy Coleman
Cy Coleman (born Seymour Kaufman; June 14, 1929 – November 18, 2004) was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.
Life and career
Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman in New York City, United States, to Eastern European Jewish parents ...
and
Dorothy Fields
Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), "On th ...
to write the songs and
Yves Montand
Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer.
Early life
Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held strong ...
to play the lead, but they were all busy with other projects and declined to participate. Merrick then asked N. Richard Nash to write the script, but Nash suggested an original story of his own. Merrick, holding the rights to ''The Happy Time'', asked that the setting be changed to Canada, and the deal was set. The final script had little of the Taylor play but did use the characters and some minor details from Fontaine's stories. Nash showed the outline of the story to Kander and Ebb, who agreed to write the music.
Merrick had approached
Gower Champion
Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.
Early years
Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice ...
to direct the new musical. Champion agreed, with the provision that it open in Los Angeles at the
Ahmanson Theatre
The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center.
History
The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson Sr, the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings an ...
. Rehearsals began in September 1967 in Los Angeles, and the show opened on November 19 at the Ahmanson. Although the reviews were poor, the show was sold out. The show ran to December 23, 1967.
''The Happy Time'' opened 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 ...
at
The Broadway Theatre
The Broadway Theatre (formerly Universal's Colony Theatre, B.S. Moss's Broadway Theatre, Earl Carroll's Broadway Theatre, and Ciné Roma) is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 1681 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway (near 53rd Street (Manhatta ...
on January 18, 1968. It received mixed reviews from the critics, who generally admired the performances but noted large deficiencies in the script. It closed on September 28, 1968, after a run of 286 sparsely attended performances and 23 previews. It was the first Broadway musical to lose a million dollars. The production was directed, filmed, and choreographed by
Gower Champion
Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.
Early years
Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice ...
, set design by Peter Wexler, costume design by
Freddy Wittop
Freddy Wittop (July 26, 1911 – February 2, 2001) was a costume designer. He enjoyed secondary careers as a dancer and college professor.
Born Frederick Wittop Koning in Bussum, Netherlands, Wittop emigrated with his family to Brussels, where ...
, lighting design by
Jean Rosenthal
Jean Rosenthal (born Eugenia Rosenthal; March 16, 1912May 1, 1969) is considered a pioneer in the field of theatrical lighting design. She was born in New York City to Romanian-Jewish immigrants. northern.edu, retrieved May 20, 2009Fippin, CaroBio ...
, film sequences created by Christopher Chapman, film technical direction by Barry O. Gordon, orchestrations by
Don Walker, musical direction and vocal arrangements by Oscar Kosarin, associate choreography by Kevin Carlisle, and dance and incidental music arrangements by Marvin Laird.
John Serry Sr.
John Serry Sr. (born John Serrapica; January 29, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator. He performed on the CBS Radio and Television networks and contributed to Voic ...
collaborated as the orchestral accordionist in the Broadway production.
The production starred
Robert Goulet
Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...
(Jacques Bonnard),
David Wayne
David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan, January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years.
Early life and career
Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen M ...
(Grandpere Bonnard),
Michael Rupert
Michael John Rupert (born October 23, 1951, Denver, Colorado) is an American actor, singer, director and composer. In 1968 he made his Broadway debut in ''The Happy Time'' as Bibi Bonnard for which he received a Tony Award nomination and the T ...
(Bibi Bonnard),
George S. Irving
George S. Irving (born Irving Shelasky; November 1, 1922 – December 26, 2016) was an American actor known primarily for his character roles on Broadway theatre, Broadway and as the voice of Heat Miser in the American Christmas television spe ...
(Philippe Bonnard),
Charles Durning
Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays.Schudel, Matt (December 26, 2012) "''In real life and on the screen, he played countless role ...
(Louis Bonnard),
Julie Gregg
Julie Gregg (born Beverly Scalzo; January 24, 1937 – November 7, 2016) was an American television, film and stage actress.
She is best known for her portrayal of Sandra Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972). Also notably, she was nominated f ...
(Laurie Mannon), Gena Page (Annabelle Bonnard), Julane Stites (Gillie Bonnard), Connie Simmons (Nanette Bonnard), June Squibb (Felice Bonnard), Jacki Garland (Lizette), Mary Gale Laverenz (Dorine), Tammie Fillhart (Sylvie), Gil Gimbel (Henri), Mary Ann O'Reilly (Monique), Vicki Powers (Bella), Susan Sigrist (Grace), Jeffrey Golkin (Foufie), and Dallas Johann (Ganache).
The play was profiled in the
William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...
book ''
The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway'' (Hal Leonard Corporation, 1984; ). Goldman noted that "the projections simply overpowered the small size and feel of the show." (pg. 295).
The
Goodspeed Opera House
Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...
,
East Haddam
East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, presented the show in April 1980-May 1980. The production was revised, by rewriting the book "so that it no longer changes its tune in the second act", eliminating photographic projections and adding four songs that had been dropped.
In May 2002, the
Niagara University
Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...
Theatre in
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...
staged a revival of ''The Happy Time''. John Kander and Fred Ebb went to
Niagara University
Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...
to work with the cast, helping recreate the work. "They were here a few weeks ago for rehearsals and thought the show was just beautiful..." Most notably, they incorporated five songs, originally cut from the musical, into the production, as well as making a few other minor changes. "This NU Theatre production, with Kander and Ebb's blessing, has reinstated several songs and restored text, prompting them to label this version 'definitive.'"
The revised version was performed in New York City for the first time in 2007 in a staged reading by "Musicals Tonight!", as part of their season long tribute to
George S. Irving
George S. Irving (born Irving Shelasky; November 1, 1922 – December 26, 2016) was an American actor known primarily for his character roles on Broadway theatre, Broadway and as the voice of Heat Miser in the American Christmas television spe ...
, who returned to the show, this time playing Jacques' father, Grandpere.
The
Signature Theatre in
Arlington,
VA staged a revised production of ''The Happy Time'' from April 1, 2008 through June 1, 2008. The production was directed by Michael Unger and choreographed by Karma Camp. It received favorable reviews. For example, the ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' reviewer wrote: "A little charmer... Effervescent. The cast is strong... which is part of why it generally feels like a luxury to be able to see the show in this space." ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' agreed: "Fresh and earnest... staged with ultimate intimacy in Signature's tiny ARK Theater."
Plot
Jacques Bonnard is a prize-winning photographer who travels the world. He returns to his 1920s French-Canadian village, after five years away, seeking the happy time of his childhood. His cantankerous but lovable father (Grandpere), two brothers and their wives, and their children all welcome him ("He's Back"). His stories of his travels have a profound effect on his nephew Bibi, who is having trouble at school and going through an especially rough puberty, inspiring the boy to want to live life to the fullest. Jacques goes to a nightclub and takes Grandpere and Bibi, where they are entertained by the dancers (Six Angels) ("Catch My Garter"). After their night on the town, Bibi begs Jacques to "Please Stay".
When Bibi takes Grandpere's "naughty" pictures to school and is discovered, his stern father Philippe forces him to apologize to his school-mates. Bibi is embarrassed and upset and tries to cajole Jacques into taking him away when he leaves. Although Jacques at first agrees, thinking that Bibi will be a companion, he quickly realizes that this would not be good for Bibi.
Meanwhile, Jacques finds it difficult to commit to his former sweetheart Laurie ("I Don't Remember You"). The couple finally realize that they have opposite ideas about life and the future ("Seeing Things"), with Laurie understanding that Jacques is emotionally a boy, like her students. Grandpere, Jacques and Bibi playfully sing an ode to "A Certain Girl". Jacques finally realizes that he returned home searching for family and love ("Running"), and understands that he must set out alone again.
Songs
;Act I
*"The Happy Time" – Jacques Bonnard and Family
*"Jeanne-Marie" - Jacques and Family +
*"He's Back" – Family
*"Catch My Garter" – Six Angels
*"Tomorrow Morning" – Jacques, Grandpere, Bibi, and Six Angels
*"Please Stay" – Bibi and Jacques
*"I Don't Remember You" – Jacques
*"St. Pierre" – Glee Club, Laurie Mannon, and Jacques
*"I Don't Remember You (Reprise)" – Laurie and Jacques
*"Without Me" – Bibi and Schoolmates
*"In His Own Good Time" - Suzanne and Phillipe +
*"The Happy Time (Reprise)" – Jacques
;Act II
*"Among My Yesterdays" – Jacques
*"Please Stay (Reprise)" - Laurie +
*"The Life of the Party" – Grandpere, Six Angels, and Schoolboys
*"I'm Sorry" - Bibi +
*"Seeing Things" – Jacques and Laurie
*"A Certain Girl" – Grandpere, Jacques, and Bibi
*"Running" - Jacques +
*"St. Pierre" - Bibi, Laurie, and Glee Club
*"The Happy Time (Reprise)" – Jacques and Company
+Denotes songs added during the revised 2002 Niagara University production.
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
Recordings
The Original Broadway cast recording was released by RCA Victor Broadway in January 1968 and the CD was released on March 10, 1992.
Amazon.com: The Happy Time (1968 Original Broadway Cast)
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Notes
References
*Gilvey, J., "Before the Parade Passes by: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical" (2005), St. Martin's Press,
External links
*
*
archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Happy Time, The
1967 musicals
Broadway musicals
Musicals based on plays
Musicals by Kander and Ebb
Plays set in the 1920s
Works by N. Richard Nash
Plays set in Quebec
Tony Award-winning musicals