''Fancy Free'' is a ballet composed in 1944 by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

. The

Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

premiered the ballet with choreography by

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

, scenery by Oliver Smith, costumes by

Kermit Love Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love (August 7, 1916 – June 21, 2008) was an American puppet maker, puppeteer, costume designer, and actor in children's television and on Broadway. He was best known as a designer and builder with the Muppets, ...

, and lighting by Ronald Bates. The premiere took place on Tuesday, 18 April

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...

at the old Metropolitan Opera House, New York. The New York City Ballet premiere took place on Thursday, 31 January 1980. ''Fancy Free'' provided the basis for the later musical, '' On the Town''. A portion of the score was also used in the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's '' Rear Window''.

Synopsis

The scene is a bar and the outside sidewalk in New York City, in wartime. Three sailors on liberty boisterously arrive, have a drink (two of their number conning the third into paying), and head outside looking for female companionship. A beautiful girl passes by and the three sailors vie for her attention. She demurs and escapes, pursued by two of the sailors. The Third, having been left in the dust, encounters another beautiful passer-by, and invites her to have a drink with him. He impresses her with a pantomime of his military exploits, and they dance a passionate '' pas de deux''. The other two sailors arrive with the first girl, who recognizes the second girl as a friend. The sailors realize their predicament: three men, but only two girls. The couples dance and change partners, with one always left dancing alone. Finally, it is decided that the three sailors will hold a contest and the loser will go dateless. Each sailor performs a solo variation (a galop, a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

, and a danzon), but they're so equally matched that the girls can't decide and the boys come to blows. In the midst of the fistfight, the girls flee in terror. Seeing their dates vanish, the sailors pick themselves up, have another drink and head outside again. Another beautiful girl passes by, and the three sailors take off in hot pursuit.

Original cast

* Muriel Bentley *

Janet Reed Janet Reed (September 15, 1916 – February 28, 2000) was an American ballerina and ballet mistress. She danced with San Francisco Ballet from 1937 to 1941 as leading ballerina. Reed worked with Ballet Theatre from 1943 to 1947 and then with Ne ...

* Shirley Eckl * John Kriza * Harold Lang *

Musical inspiration

A small portion of ''Fancy Free'' was apparently recycled from " Riobamba", a theme song Bernstein had written for a short-lived New York City nightclub of the same name.

''Fancy Free'' (1946 album)

In 1946,

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

released an album of the score for ''Fancy Free'' (Decca DA-406), conducted by

. Issued before the introduction of the LP, it was initially released in 78rpm album format, in which four 78rpm records were bound together in a photo album style book, with a booklet included. Each of the seven movements of the ballet, plus the introductory vocal number ''Big Stuff'', comprised one side of a 78. The sides were sequenced with the last number backing the first, the second-last the second, and so on, so that all four discs could be stacked and played in sequence, then flipped en masse to complete the album. The album was rereleased in 1953 in the new 10" LP format (DL 6023). The music was recorded by the Ballet Theatre Orchestra on June 2, 1944, and conducted by Bernstein himself, except for the song ''Big Stuff''. ''Big Stuff'' was performed by

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

, who was also signed to Decca, along with a band composed of Joe Guy (trumpet), Joe Springer (piano), Tiny Grimes (guitar), Billy Taylor (bass), and Kelly Martin (drums). Bernstein had composed the song with Holiday in mind, to be played as a recording in the theatre before the ballet proper began. He knew Holiday from her Cafe Society days, but at the beginning of his career did not believe he was in a position to have her record his song, so originally in 1944 the song heard in the ballet was a recording made by his own sister, Shirley. But Holiday heard and liked the tune, and recorded it several times, with this recording made March 13, 1946.Bernstein Meets Broadway: Collaborative Art in a Time of War
Carol J. Oja, 2014 * Big Stuff (Prologue) (with

(DA-23463-a) * Pt. I: Opening Dance (DA-23464-a) * Pt. II: Scene at the Bar (DA-23465-a) * Pt. III: Pas de Deux (DA-23466-a) * Pt. IV: The Competition Scene (DA-23466-b) * Pt. V: Galop Variation (DA-23465-b) * Pt. VI: Waltz Variation (DA-23464-b) * Pt. VII: Danzon Variation * Pt. VIII: Finale (DA-23463-b)

Articles

NY Times
Anna Kisselgoff, February 2, 1980
NY Times
Jack Anderson, February 5, 1980
NY Times, April 19, 1945

Reviews

John Martin, October 10, 1944
NY Times
John Martin, April 19, 1944

References

* ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's p ...

'', New York City Ballet, Thursday, May 1, 2008 * ''Repertory Week'', New York City Ballet, Spring season, 2008 repertory, week 1 {{Authority control Ballets by Jerome Robbins Ballets by Leonard Bernstein Ballets designed by Oliver Smith Ballets designed by Kermit Love Ballets designed by Ronald Bates 1944 ballet premieres New York City Ballet repertory