St. Louis Woman
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''St. Louis Woman'' is a 1946 American
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 ...
by Arna Bontemps and Countee Cullen with music by
Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ...
and lyrics by
Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...
(lyrics). The musical opened at the
Martin Beck Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish and ...
in New York on March 30, 1946, and ran for 113 performances. The original cast included Robert Pope (Badfoot),
Harold Nicholas Harold Lloyd Nicholas (March 27, 1921 – July 3, 2000) was an American dancer specializing in tap. Nicholas was the younger half of the tap-dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother was ...
(Little Augie),
Fayard Nicholas Fayard Antonio Nicholas (October 20, 1914 – January 24, 2006) was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by u ...
(Barney),
June Hawkins June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian calendar, 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 summ ...
(Lilli),
Pearl Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer and author. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in '' St. Louis Woman'' in 1946. She received a Special Tony Award for the title role i ...
(Butterfly), Ruby Hill (Della Green), Rex Ingram (Biglow Brown), and Milton J. Williams (Mississippi). The production's scenic designer and costume designer was Lemuel Ayers. It is based upon the novel ''
God Sends Sunday In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
'' by African-American writer
Arna Bontemps Arna Wendell Bontemps ( ) (October 13, 1902 – June 4, 1973) was an American poet, novelist and librarian, and a noted member of the Harlem Renaissance. Early life Bontemps was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, into a Louisiana Creole family. His a ...
.


Background

The idea for the ''St. Louis Woman'' musical was developed by Hollywood producer
Ed Gross Ed, ed or ED may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ed'' (film), a 1996 film starring Matt LeBlanc * Ed (''Fullmetal Alchemist'') or Edward Elric, a character in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' media * ''Ed'' (TV series), a TV series that ran fro ...
, who wanted to create a musical based upon Arna Bontemps' novel ''God Sends Sunday''. The novel had already been adapted into a straight theatrical stage play by Bontemps and poet Countee Cullen in the early 1930s. Gross wanted a musical for the talents of
Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
and thought that a musical version of Bontemps' novel would be a powerful vehicle for her. He approached Cullen to write the book and Arlen and Mercer to write the music for the project. All of them accepted. Although Arlen and Mercer created what some consider to be their best score, the musical suffered from many misfortunes during production. First, the book suffered several serious problems. The show was not really a comedy and did not lend itself to standard Broadway musical treatment of its themes. Throughout the drama, any happiness the characters attain is offset by the deepest feeling of gloom. The correct balance for a musical comedy was never achieved, and a book that could have become an opera was treated neither humorously nor dramatically. These problems were compounded by the fact that Cullen died before rehearsals even began, and Ayers and Rouben Mamoulian, who came in after to work on the show's narrative, could not fix the show's sprawling plot. Secondly, the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
criticised the musical for "offering roles that detract from the dignity of our race". Lena Horne agreed with this assessment and refused to star in the show saying she had no intention of portraying "a flashy lady of easy virtue". When the show eventually opened there were several protests by African Americans outside the theatre, which negatively affected sales. Finally, the show suffered several staffing problems. The choreographer was replaced midway through production and the show's leading lady, Ruby Hill, was replaced after its pre-Broadway tryout in Boston. Hill returned to the show after only three performances in New York at the insistence of the show's cast, in particular Pearl Bailey. The show opened at the Martin Beck Theater on March 30, 1946, and lasted for only 113 performances.St. Louis Woman, musical play: Information and Much More from Answers.com
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Synopsis

The story is set in St Louis in 1898. Little Augie, a jockey who is on a winning streak, is enamoured of Della Green, the belle of St Louis. Della, however, is the girlfriend of Biglow Brown, the proprietor of the local bar. Biglow is abusive toward Della and she decides to leave him. Brown's previous mistress, Lila, is still around which produces complications. And then there is the barmaid, Butterfly. She is in love with Barney, another jockey, but unlike Little Augie, Barney is older and not that lucky. But Butterfly doesn't want things to go too far with Barney until she gets that elusive wedding ring. It's cakewalking time and Augie attracts the attention and admiration of Della with his virtuoso performance of the cakewalk. Things go so well between them that they agree to set up home together and prepare plans to marry. But, things are not destined to go smoothly. While Augie is off at the racetrack, Della gets an unwelcome visit from Biglow Brown. When she refuses to have anything more to do with him he beats her. It is at this point that Lila enters and begs Biglow to take her back. Augie returns and a shot is fired. Brown believing he has been shot by Augie swears a curse on him although it was, in fact, Lila who fired the gun. Although Augie is suspected by everyone that he killed Biglow Brown, it is at Brown's funeral that Lila confesses. However, the curse cast by Brown seems to be working. Augie's horses are no longer winning and Della blames herself for all the problems that have overcome them. She leaves, pretending that she wants a better life than that which can now be provided by Augie. Della's new friend, the new bar-owner, nonetheless tells Augie of Della's true feelings. Augie believes the curse to be so much mumbo-jumbo. He'll win his next race and he and Della can get back together again. He does - and they do!


Scenes and settings

*Act 1 **Scene I : A stable, early afternoon of a day in August. **Scene 2: Biglow's bar, late afternoon, the same day. **Scene 3: Outside Barney's room, at twilight. **Scene 4: A ballroom, evening of the same day. *Act 2 **Scene 1: Augie's and Della's home, late afternoon, the following week. **Scene 2: The alley. **Scene 3: Funeral Parlour. *Act 3 **Scene 1: Augie's and Della's home, early evening. **Scene 2: The alley. **Scene 3: The bar. **Scene 4: The stable. **Scene 5: Street corner close to the race track.


Original Broadway cast

* Badfoot: Robert Pope * Little Augie:
Harold Nicholas Harold Lloyd Nicholas (March 27, 1921 – July 3, 2000) was an American dancer specializing in tap. Nicholas was the younger half of the tap-dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother was ...
* Barney:
Fayard Nicholas Fayard Antonio Nicholas (October 20, 1914 – January 24, 2006) was an American choreographer, dancer and actor. He and his younger brother Harold Nicholas made up the Nicholas Brothers tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by u ...
* Lila:
June Hawkins June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian calendar, 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 summ ...
* Slim: Louis Sharp * Butterfly:
Pearl Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer and author. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in '' St. Louis Woman'' in 1946. She received a Special Tony Award for the title role i ...
* Della Green: Ruby Hill * Biglow Brown: Rex Ingram * Ragsdale: Elwood Smith * Pembroke: Merritt Smith * Jasper: Charles Welch * The Hostess: Maude Russell * Drum Major: J. Mardo Brown * Mississippi: Milton J. Williams * Dandy Dave: Frank Green * Leah: Juanita Hall * Jackie: Joseph Eady * Celestine: Yvonne Coleman * Piggie: Herbert Coleman * Joshua:
Lorenzo Fuller Lorenzo Dow Fuller Jr. (March 22, 1919 – January 8, 2011) was an American singer, musician, actor, and musical director. He was an original cast member of ''Finian's Rainbow'' and '' Kiss Me, Kate'', and in the radio show ''Van and the Genie'' ...
* Mr. Hopkins:
Milton Wood (actor) Milton LeGrand Wood III (August 21, 1922 – July 16, 2015) was a bishop suffragan in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta from 1967 to 1974. Background Wood was born in Selma, Alabama, on August 21, 1922, to Milton Wood Sr. and Roberta Hawkins Wood. ...
* Preacher: Creighton Thompson * Waiter: Carrington Lewis


Musical numbers

;Act I * "L'il Augie is a Natural Man" - Badfoot * "
Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" is a popular song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was first introduced in 1946 in the musical '' St. Louis Woman''. In the musical, the song was sung by a female character of easy virtu ...
" - Della Green and Ensemble * "I Feel My Luck Comin' Down" - Little Augie * "I Had Myself a True Love" - Lila * "Legalize My Name" - Butterfly * "Cakewalk Your Lady" - Badfoot, Mississippi, and Ensemble ;Act II * " Come Rain Or Come Shine" - Della Green and Little Augie * "Chinquapin Bush" - Children * "We Shall Meet To Part, No Never" - Piggie * "Lullaby - Della Green * "Sleep Peaceful, Mr. Used-To-Be" - Lila * "Funeral Scene/Leavin' Time" - Ensemble ;Act III * "I Wonder What Became Of Me" - Della Green * "A Woman's Prerogative" - Butterfly * "Ridin' On The Moon" - Little Augie * "Least That's My Opinion" - Badfoot * "Racin' Form" - Leah * "Come On, Little Augie" - Ensemble * "Finale" ("Come Rain Or Come Shine") - Entire Company


References


External links

* {{Authority control Broadway musicals 1946 musicals Musicals based on novels Musicals by Harold Arlen Musicals by Johnny Mercer