The Pajama Game

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This article is about the stage musical. For other uses, see The Pajama Game (disambiguation).
The Pajama Game
Original Broadway production

Poster for the production
Music Richard Adler
Jerry Ross
Lyrics Richard Adler
Jerry Ross
Book George Abbott
Richard Bissell
Theatre St. James Theatre (1954–1956)
Shubert Theatre (1956)
Opened May 13, 1954
Closed November 24, 1956
Producer(s) Frederick Brisson
Robert E. Griffith
Harold S. Prince
Director George Abbott
Jerome Robbins
Choreographer Bob Fosse
Scenic designer Lemuel Ayers
Costume designer Lemuel Ayers
Originally starring John Raitt
Janis Paige
Eddie Foy Jr.
IBDB profile

The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7-1/2 Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The original Broadway production ran from May 13, 1954 to November 24, 1956. It was revived fromDecember 9, 1973 to February 3, 1974. A recent production by The Roundabout Theatre Company in 2006 starred Harry Connick, Jr. (Sid), with Kelli O'Hara (Babe) and Michael McKean (Hines). The original production won a Tony for best musical, and the most recent revival won a Tony Award for best revival.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven and a half cent raise are going unheeded. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the complaint committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent in from Chicago.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A strike is imminent at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory. The union is seeking a wage raise of seven and a half cents an hour. Sid and Babe are in opposite camps yet a romance is born between them. At first Babe rejects Sid and he is forced to confide his feelings to a dictaphone. During the picnic for the factory workers, he makes better progress, but their estrangement is reinforced when they return to the factory. A slow-down is staged by the union, strongly supported by Babe. Sid, as factory superintendent, demands an "honest day's work" and threatens to fire slackers. Babe is enraged by his attitude and kicks her foot into the machinery, causes a general breakdown and is immediately fired by Sid.

Hines, the popular efficiency expert, is in love with Gladys, the company president's secretary. Periodically, he brings a more optimistic outlook to the life of the factory. Becoming convinced that Babe's championship of the union is justified, Sid simulates an interest in Gladys by taking her out for the evening to the night club, Hernando's Hideaway. Through her help, he is eventually able to gain access to the firm's books and discovers that the boss Hasler has already given the raise, but is keeping all of the money for himself.

Sid then brings about Hasler's consent to a pay raise and is able to bring peace to the factory and to his love life. Everyone goes out to celebrate—at Hernando's Hideaway.

(Summary adapted from http://www.nodanw.com/shows_p/pajama_game.htm)

[edit] Characters

The following are the characters in the show:

  • Sid Sorokin, the handsome new factory superintendent..
  • Catherine "Babe" Williams, the leader of the Union Grievance Committee
  • Vernon Hines, the jealous factory timekeeper who believes Gladys is trying to entice all the men in the factory with her flirtatious behavior
  • Myron "Old Man" Hasler, the strict head of the pajama factory
  • Gladys Hotchkiss, Hasler's attractive, quick-witted secretary
  • Prez, the head of the union
  • Mabel, a no-nonsense mother hen of the factory, Sid's secretary.
  • Mae, a worker in the factory and a member of the Grievance Committee
  • Pop, Babe's kind and agreeable father
  • Brenda, a factory girl who teams up with Prez and Mae to fight for a raise.
  • Virginia, a factory girl who fights with the union.
  • Poopsie, a worker in the factory and a member of the Grievance Committee
  • Charley, a worker in the factory and the handyman

[edit] Songs

[edit] Broadway

[edit] 1954

The original Broadway production opened on May 13, 1954 and closed on November 24, 1956 after 1,063 performances. It was directed by George Abbott and Jerome Robbins and featured choreography by Bob Fosse. The original cast included John Raitt, Janis Paige, Eddie Foy, Jr., Carol Haney, and Stanley Prager.

[edit] Awards

  • 1955 Tony Award winner
    • Best Musical
    • Best Featured Actress in a Musical -- Carol Haney
    • Best Choreographer -- Bob Fosse

[edit] Investors

Among the investors in the production were wealthy businessman Floyd Odlum and Goldman Sachs head Sidney Weinberg.[1]

[edit] External links

[edit] 1973

A Broadway revival opened on December 9, 1973 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, but it closed on February 3, 1974 after just 65 performances. Directed by one of the two directors at the original production in 1954, George Abbott, with choreography by Zoya Leporska. The cast this time included Hal Linden, Barbara McNair, and Cab Calloway as Hines.


[edit] 2006

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled The Pajama Game (2006 revival). (Discuss)

The Roundabout Theatre Company opened a revival on February 23, 2006, with Kathleen Marshall as choreographer and director.

The Pajama Game (2006)
The Pajama Game (2006)

The cast includes Harry Connick, Jr. as Sid, Kelli O'Hara as Babe, and Michael McKean as Hines. The revival includes three added songs, by Richard Adler. Performances started at the American Airlines Theatre January 19, 2006, and is scheduled to run until June 11, 2006. A one week extension was announced on Valentine's day [1]. On April 6., the extension was announced to be 5 benefit performances running from June 13 to 17. Tickets, priced at $250-$2,500, benefit the Actors' Fund of America, the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village and the Roundabout's Education Program and Musical Theater Fund. [2]

The original book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell is revised by Peter Ackerman (screenwriter Ice Age). The Roundabout Theatre Company is producing the show with commercial producers, Jeffrey Richards, Scott Landis and James Fuld, Jr.

As of March 1, 2006, all tickets for the run of the show were sold out. The Pajama Game received a huge number of positive reviews after its opening, on February 23, and sold out within the week.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes with one 15 minute intermission.

[edit] Cast

  • Harry Connick, Jr. - Sid Sorokin
  • Kelli O'Hara - Babe Williams
  • Michael McKean - Hines
  • Peter Benson - Prez
  • Joyce Chittick - Mae
  • Megan Lawrence - Gladys
  • Michael McCormick - Pop, Ganzenlicker
  • Richard Poe - Hasler
  • Roz Ryan - Mabel
  • Bridget Berger - Virginia
  • Stephen Berger - Charlie
  • Kate Chapman - Martha
  • Paula Leggett Chase - Brenda
  • Jennifer Cody - Poopsie
  • David Eggers - Lewie
  • Michael Halling - Cyrus
  • Bianca Marroquin - Carmen
  • Vince Pesce - Jake
  • Devin Richards - Joe
  • Jeffrey Howard Schecter - Ralph
  • Debra Walton - Shirley
  • Michael O'Donnell-Roger
  • Amber Stone-Nancy

[edit] Musical Numbers

Act 1

  • "Racing With the Clock" -- Factory Workers
  • "A New Town Is a Blue Town" -- Sid (Harry Connick Jr)
  • "I'm Not At All in Love" -- Babe (Kelli O'Hara) and Factory Girls
  • "I'll Never Be Jealous Again" -- Hines (Michael McKean) and Mabel (Roz Ryan)
  • "Hey There" -- Sid (Connick)
  • "Racing With the Clock" (Reprise) -- Factory Workers
  • "Sleep-Tite" -- Joe (Devin Richards), Brenda (Paula Leggett Chase), Martha (Kate Chapman) and Cyrus (Michael Halling)
  • "Her Is" -- Prez (Peter Benson) and Gladys (Megan Lawrence)
  • "Once a Year Day" -- Sid (Connick), Babe (O'Hara) and Company
  • "Her Is" (Reprise) -- Prez (Benson) and Mae (Joyce Chittick)
  • "Small Talk" -- Sid (Connick), and Babe (O'Hara)
  • "There Once Was a Man" -- Sid (Connick), and Babe (O'Hara)
  • "Hey There" (Reprise) -- Sid (Connick)

Act 2

  • "Steam Heat" -- Mae (Chittick), Lewie (David Eggers) and Jake (Vince Pesce)
  • "The World Around Us" -- new number, Sid (Connick)
  • "Hey There" (Reprise) -- Sid (Connick), and Babe (O'Hara)
  • "If You Win, You Lose" -- number not in the original production, Sid (Connick), and Babe (O'Hara)
  • "Think of the Time I Save" -- Hines (McKean) and Factory Girls
  • "Hernando's Hideaway" -- Gladys (Lawrence), Sid (Connick) and Company. Harry Connick Jr also plays the piano in this number.
  • "The Three of Us (Me, Myself and I)" -- new number, Hines (McKean), Gladys (Lawrence)
  • "7 1/2 Cents" -- Babe (O'Hara), Prez (Benson) and Factory Workers
  • "There Once Was a Man" (Reprise) -- Sid (Connick), and Babe (O'Hara)
  • "Pajama Game" -- Full Company


Songs

"Hernando's Hideaway"

Harry Connick Jr shows his piano skills, when Gladys (Megan Lawrence), Sid, and Company are on stage for "Hernando's Hideaway". "The length and form of the song remain steady," Kathleen Marshall said, "but he can improvise within it."


"Steam Heat"

In the original production, and in the film version, the famed dance number "Steam Heat" was danced by Gladys. But here the number is made with Mae (Joyce Chittick), instead of Gladys. Kathleen Marshall explains: "Hines accuses Gladys of being a flirt, and she's not. So does it make sense that she'd go and strut her stuff in front of the whole union? Hines would say, 'Aha, you floozy, I caught you!' Also, she's the boss's secretary, so why would she be at a union meeting? I think it's much more fun that Gladys doesn't really let go until she goes out with Sid, gets real drunk, and throws caution to the wind."


New songs

  • "The Three of Us (Me, Myself and I)", words & music by Richard Adler

Hines (Michael McKean) performs the new number, "The Three of Us" at show's end with Gladys (Megan Lawrence). A song Richard Adler wrote for Jimmy Durante, in 1964, which he did in his live act but never recorded. "It was written for Jimmy Durante," says McKean, "and Durante used to do it in his act, but he never recorded it, so it’s kind of an orphan."


  • "The World Around Us"

"The World Around Us" was part of the 1954 Broadway previews and opening, but was dropped during the first week of the Broadway run, replaced by Babe's reprise of "Hey There." This would leave Sid with no songs in the second act. The number has been restored for the current Broadway revival, allowing star Harry Connick, Jr. to have a second-act song.


  • "If You Win, You Lose", words & music by Richard Adler

For the 1973 revival, in place of the second-act "Hey There" reprise, there was a new song, "Watch Your Heart." Retitled "If You Win, You Lose," the song has been heard in recent productions of the show and will be heard in the new Broadway production.


Music

  • Music orchestrated by Dick Lieb and Danny Troob
  • Musical Director: Rob Berman
  • Musical Supervisor - David Chase
  • Musical Coordinator - Seymour "Red" Press
  • Conducted by Rob Berman
  • Associate Conductor - Chris Fenwick
  • Piano - Chris Fenwick
  • Drums - Paul Pizutti
  • Violin - Marilyn Reynolds
  • Reeds - Steven Kenyon
  • Reeds - John Winder
  • Trumpet - Roger Ingram *
  • Trumpet - Christian Jaudes
  • Trombone - John Allred *
  • Trombone - Joe Barati *
  • Cello - Beth Sturdevant
  • Guitar - Jim Hershman
  • Bass - Neil Caine *
  • Synthesizer Programmer - Andrew Barrett

(*John Allred, Joe Barati, Neal Caine, and Roger Ingram are members of Harry Connick Jr's big band, and appear on several of his albums.)


[edit] Credits


[edit] Awards & Nominations

  • 2006 Tony Award winner
    • Best Revival of a Musical
    • Best Choreography -- Kathleen Marshall
  • 2006 Tony Award nominations
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical -- Harry Connick, Jr.
    • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical -- Kelli O'Hara
    • Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical -- Megan Lawrence
    • Best Direction of a Musical -- Kathleen Marshall
    • Best Orchestrations -- Dick Lieb and Danny Troob
    • Best Scenic Design of a Musical -- Derek McLane
    • Best Costume Design of a Musical -- Martin Pakledinaz
  • 2006 Theatre World Award winner
    • Harry Connick, Jr
  • 2006 Broadway.com Audience Award winner
    • Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Musical -- Harry Connick, Jr.
  • 2006 Broadway.com Audience Award nominations
    • Favorite Broadway Musical Revival
    • Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical -- Kelli O'Hara
    • Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Male) -- Harry Connick, Jr.
    • Favorite Onstage Pair -- Harry Connick, Jr. & Kelli O'Hara
  • 2006 Drama Desk Award winner
    • Outstanding Choreography -- Kathleen Marshall
  • 2006 Drama Desk Award nominations
    • Outstanding Revival of a Musical
    • Outstanding Actor in a Musical -- Harry Connick, Jr.
    • Outstanding Actress in a Musical -- Kelli O'Hara
    • Outstanding Director of a Musical -- Kathleen Marshall
    • Outstanding Orchestrations -- Danny Troob & Dick Lieb
    • Outstanding Sound Design -- Brian Ronan
  • 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award winner
    • Outstanding Choreography -- Kathleen Marshall
  • 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations
    • Outstanding Revival of a Musical
    • Outstanding Direction of a Musical -- Kathleen Marshall
    • Outstanding Costume Design -- Martin Pakledinaz
    • Outstanding Actor in a Musical -- Harry Connick, Jr.
    • Outstanding Actress in a Musical -- Kelli O'Hara
    • Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical -- Peter Benson
    • Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical -- Megan Lawrence

[edit] Cast recording

Cast recording: Harry on Broadway, Act I (2006). Music & lyrics by Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, and music & lyrics by Harry Connick Jr.
Cast recording: Harry on Broadway, Act I (2006). Music & lyrics by Richard Adler, Jerry Ross, and music & lyrics by Harry Connick Jr.
Main article: Harry on Broadway, Act I

The cast recording for the 2006 revival is a two-disc set: The first disc contains the original Broadway cast recording from The Pajama Game; and as a suggestion from the Sony record company, there is a second disc, which contains new recordings of songs from Harry Connick, Jr.'s compositions for the 2001 musical Thou Shalt Not, performed by Harry Connick Jr. and Kelli O'Hara. The double album is produced by Tracey Freeman and Harry Connick, Jr.

[edit] External links

[edit] Film

The film version was released by Warner Bros. in 1957 and featured the original stage cast except for Janis Paige, who was replaced by Doris Day.

[edit] External links

[edit] Trivia

Shirley MacLaine became understudy to actress Carol Haney in the original Broadway production; Haney broke her ankle and MacLaine replaced her. A few months thereafter, with Haney still out of commission, director/producer Hal B. Wallis was in the audience, took note of MacLaine, and signed her to go to Hollywood to work for Paramount Pictures.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also


Musicals of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
John Murray Anderson's Almanac • The Pajama Game • Damn Yankees

Songs: Rags to Riches • Hey There • Hernando's Hideaway • Steam Heat • Whatever Lola Wants • Heart • I'm Not at All in Love
Related articles: Harry on Broadway, Act I • The Pajama Game • Dance with Me

Musicals of Richard Adler: The Sin of Pat Muldoon • The Gift of the Magi • Kwamina • A Mother's Kisses • Rex • Music Is
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