''The Girl Friend'' is a
musical comedy
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
with music by
Richard Rodgers, lyrics by
Lorenz Hart and book by
Herbert Fields
Herbert Fields (July 26, 1897March 24, 1958) was an American librettist and screenwriter.
Biography
Born in New York City, Fields began his career as an actor, then graduated to choreography and stage direction before turning to writing. From 1 ...
. 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
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
Vanderbilt Theatre
The Vanderbilt Theatre was a New York City Broadway theatre, designed by architect Eugene De Rosa for producer Lyle Andrews. It opened in 1918,[Lew Fields
Lew Fields (born Moses Schoenfeld, January 1867 – July 20, 1941) was an American actor, comedian, vaudeville star, theatre manager, and producer. He was part of a comedy duo with Joe Weber. He also produced shows on his own and starred in c ...]
(Herbert's father), staged by John Harwood with musical staging by Jack Haskell, the cast starred
Sammy White,
Eva Puck and
June Cochrane. White and Puck were married and well-known
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
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