''Whoopee!'' is a 1928
musical comedy
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, 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, ...
play with a
book
A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
based on Owen Davis's play, ''The Nervous Wreck.'' The musical libretto was written by William Anthony McGuire, with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The musical premiered on
Broadway in 1928, starring
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era.
Some of h ...
, and introduced the hit song "
Love Me or Leave Me", sung by
Ruth Etting. A
film version opened in
1930.
Synopsis
Setting: Mission Rest,
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
; Black Top Canyon; The Bar "M" Ranch; the Wilderness; the Desert.
Sheriff Bob Wells and the daughter of a rancher Sally Morgan are getting married. She is in love with Wanenis, whose part-Indian heritage presents social difficulties for their romance. Sally abandons Sheriff Bob and their wedding, catching a ride with Henry Williams. As a
hypochondriac, Henry has problems of his own, but Sally adds to his problems when she leaves a note saying they have eloped. A chase ensues, with the jilted Bob; Mary, Henry's nurse who is in love with him; and a cast of others. Along the way they arrive at the Indian Reservation where Wanenis lives. The movie star Leslie Daw enters the proceedings and sings the
torchy, sentimental "Love Me, or Leave Me".
Songs
;Act I
* "It's a Beautiful Day Today"
* "Here's to the Girl of My Heart"
* "Red, Red Rose"
* "Gypsy Joe"
* "
Makin' Whoopee"
* "Until You Get Somebody Else"
* "Taps"
* "Come West, Little Girl, Come West"
* "The Movietone of the Gypsy Song"
* "Stetson"
;Act II
* "The Song of the Setting Sun"
* "Love Is the Mountain"
* "Red Mamma"
* "
Love Me or Leave Me"
* "Hallowe'en Whoopee Ball"
Productions
''Whoopee!'' opened on Broadway at the
New Amsterdam Theatre on December 4, 1928, and closed on November 23, 1929, after 407 performances. It was produced by
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He al ...
, directed by
Seymour Felix, dialogue staged by
William Anthony McGuire, and dances and ensembles staged by Seymour Felix. The musical starred
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era.
Some of h ...
as Henry Williams, Ruth Etting as Leslie Daw,
Frances Upton as Sally Morgan, Jack Rutherford as Bob Wells, Paul Gregory as Wanenis and
Ethel Shutta as Mary (replacing
Ruby Keeler), and featured
Buddy Ebsen and
Paulette Goddard in the chorus. George Olsen (Ethel Shutta's husband) and His Orchestra provided the music for both the stage production and the movie.
Donald J. Stubblebine reports, "It was still going strong after six months but
Sam Goldwyn, who bought the rights, closed it down to make the movie with Cantor." ''
Whoopee!'' was filmed in
1930 as a
musical comedy
Musical theatre is a form of theatre, 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, ...
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
. Although the plot followed the stage version closely, much of the music was changed.
1979 Revival
A revival, based on a
Goodspeed Opera House production, was presented at the
ANTA Playhouse from February 14, 1979, to August 12, 1979, for 204 performances and 8 previews. Directed by
Frank Corsaro with choreography by Dan Siretta, the cast featured
Charles Repole
Charles Repole is an American actor, theater director, and college professor.
Repole made his Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in ''Very Good Eddie'' in 1975, earning a Tony Award nomination and a Theatre World Award for his performance. Addition ...
(Henry Williams) Beth Austin (Sally Morgan), Carol Swarbrick (Mary) and
Susan Stroman
Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. Her notable theater productions include ''Oklahoma!'', ''The Music Man'', ''Crazy for You (musical), Crazy for You'', ''Contact (musical), Co ...
(Leslie Daw). This revival added Kahn/Donaldson songs not in the original 1928 show:
"My Baby Just Cares For Me" (from the 1930 film version),
"Yes, Sir, That's My Baby", and "You" (lyrics by
Harold Adamson). Also, "Love Me or Leave Me" is sung by Mary and Henry rather than the essentially unrelated Leslie.
Response
Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theater critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...
, the theatre critic for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', reviewed the 1928 Broadway production and called it "a gorgeous spectacle" with "long stretches of excellent comedy". He especially praised the comedic abilities of Eddie Cantor, "a comedian of deftness and appealing humor. He is sad; he is preoccupied; he is apprehensive or insinuating with those floating eyes...In the past he has been funny, clever and ludicrious. But he has never been so enjoyable." As to the music, "Walter Donaldson has composed an appropriate score worthy of better singing than it falls heir to."
The ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' critic Richard Eder called the 1979 Broadway revival a "frequent delight though not an unmitigated one...Most strikingly, it is a superabundance of songs. There is not a poor song in it, and its best ones — the lovely and musically witty "Makin' Whoopee", the jiggly "My Baby Just Cares for Me", and of course the irresistible "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" — are magnificent."
Walter Kerr, then the Times' Sunday critic, also reacted favorably to the show while calling attention to its nonsensical frivolity: he deemed it "light as a breeze, and just plain out of its head."
Brendan Gill
Brendan Gill (October 4, 1914 – December 27, 1997) was an American journalist. He wrote for ''The New Yorker'' for more than 60 years. Gill also contributed film criticism for ''Film Comment'', wrote about design and architecture for Architectu ...
of
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
, however, panned the show.
Repole received a nomination for
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
,
Outstanding Actor in a Musical, and Dan Siretta was nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Choreography.
References
External links
*
* {{IMDb title, qid=Q2567265, id=tt0021549, title=Whoopee! (1930 film adaptation)
1928 musicals
Broadway musicals
Musicals based on plays
Musicals set in Arizona
Musicals set in deserts