''Wonderworld'' 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 lyrics by Stanley Styne and music by

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...

written specifically for presentation at the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...

's huge 11,000-seat

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

. The large-scale "aqua-stage spectacle" used 250 performers and starred

Chita Rivera Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson; January 23, 1933), is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in ''West Side Story'', Velma Kelly in ''Chica ...

. The expensive show filed for

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

after two months.

History

The production was conceived and staged by Leon Leonidoff, a senior producer at

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

. With admission prices ranging from $1.00 to $3.00, the $2 million production was presented four times a day Monday through Thursdays and five times a day on Saturdays and Sundays in the 11,000-seat

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

constructed for the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchas ...

. It used 250 performers, including

alternating with

Gretchen Wyler Gretchen Wyler (born Gretchen Patricia Wienecke; February 16, 1932 – May 27, 2007) was an American actress and dancer. She was also an animal rights advocate and founder of the Genesis Awards for animal protection. Biography Early lif ...

, and Ted Scott. The choreographer and assistant director was

Michael Kidd Michael Kidd (August 12, 1915 – December 23, 2007) was an American film and stage choreographer, dancer and actor, whose career spanned five decades, and staged some of the leading Broadway and film musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Kidd, stron ...

. Billed as an "aqua-stage spectacle", the 90-minute production opened in May 1964. It involved high divers, motorcycles, clowns, a sportscar ballet, a man propelled by a rocket and elaborate water scenes staged in the pool with a "giant waterfall". The Fair's official description of the musical noted: "The new production takes place on a turntable 75 feet in diameter, one of the largest in the world; in a swimming pool in front of the stage; and on movable platforms that shuttle back and forth over the pool. On either side of the stage are acoustical shells for an orchestra and choral groups." The costume designer for the show was

Alvin Colt Alvin Colt (July 5, 1916 – May 4, 2008) was an American costume designer. Colt worked on over 50 Broadway shows. His first job was in a theatrical fabric house, he also worked on painting scenery during the summer. '' On the Town'' was the firs ...

. He commented that Leonidoff had the designs done in Paris, France by

Erté Romain de Tirtoff (23 November 1892 – 21 April 1990) was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, from the French pronunciation of his initials (, EHR TEH). He was a 20th-century artist and designer in an a ...

, but when they arrived, Kidd said that he could not use them, stating "They can't dance in these. For instance, I'm doing a sports number and Erté's idea about a girl playing tennis was to put a headdress on her with tennis balls and rackets." Colt went on to say that ''Wonderworld'' was "full of crazy things, some quite unbelievable: a water ballet with costumes full of electric lights ... hundreds of dancers, swimmers, singers, clowns, and so forth, and scores of costumes." Songs in the show included "Wonderworld" and "Welcome". A

petition was filed at the end of June 1964, and the show received 250 performances before closing the week of July 6 due to poor business at the Fair's Lake Amusement Area. It lost $2,500,000. Max Allentuck, the General Manager of the Fair, said the "big production wasn't working" and they wanted to try a different kind of show. A 50-minute comedy-song show with a cast of 20 replaced it. None of the ''Wonderworld'' principals were involved in the new show.''The New York Times'' Walter Carlson, June 3, 1964, p. 37; Robert Alden, July 6, 1964, p. 30; and Phillip Dougherty, July 19, 1964, p. 64

References

*Shepard, Richard F. "At the Fair: A Lavish ''Wonder World''", ''The New York Times'', May 18, 1964, p. 32

External links

Photos showing the stage and empty seats at ''Wonderworld''
{{Jule Styne 1964 musicals Musicals by Jule Styne Original musicals World's fair music 1964 New York World's Fair

History

See also

References

External links