A Connecticut Yankee
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| A Connecticut Yankee | |
| Music | Richard Rodgers |
|---|---|
| Lyrics | Lorenz Hart |
| Book | Herbert Fields |
| Based upon | Mark Twain's novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court |
| Productions | 1927 Broadway 1943 Broadway revival 1955 television 2001 New York concert |
A Connecticut Yankee is a musical based on the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by American humorist Mark Twain. The music was written by Richard Rodgers, the lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and the book by Herbert Fields. It was produced by Lew Fields and Lyle D. Andrews. It enjoyed an original run on Broadway in 1927 of 421 performances and a number of revivals.
The 1931 film of the same name starring Will Rogers was not adapted from this musical.
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[edit] Productions
A Connecticut Yankee opened on Broadway at the Vanderbilt Theatre (which was demolished in 1954) on November 3, 1927 and closed on October 27, 1928, running for 421 performances. Directed by Alexander Leftwich, with dances by Busby Berkeley, it starred William Gaxton (Martin/The Yankee), Constance Carpenter (Alice Carter/The Demoiselle Alisande la Carteloise), and June Cochrane (Mistress Evelyn Al Belle-Ans).
A 1943 revival opened at the Martin Beck Theatre (now the Al Hirschfeld Theatre) on November 17, 1943 and closed on March 11, 1944, after 135 performances. Directed by John C. Wilson and choreographed by William Holbrook and Al White, Jr., it featured Vivienne Segal (Lt. Merrill/Queen Morgan Le Fay), Dick Foran (Lt. Martin Barrett), Vera-Ellen (Mistress Evelyn Al Belle-Ans), and Robert Chisholm (Admiral Arthur/King Arthur of Britain).
A television adaptation was broadcast on NBC in December 1955, with Eddie Albert, Janet Blair, and Boris Karloff.
In 2001 New York City Center Encores! presented a staged concert, with Christine Ebersole (Fay Morgan/Morgan Le Fay), Henry Gibson (Arthur Pendragos/King Arthur), Ron Leibman (Sir Launcelot) and Jessica Walter (Guinevere).[1]
[edit] Plot
In Connecticut in the 1920's, Martin is about to be married to Fay. When an old flame, Alice, visits him, Fay knocks him out in a jealous fit. As Martin dreams, he is seemingly in the court of King Arthur in 528. He falls in love with "Demoiselle Alisande" ("Alice") but the king's evil sister, "Morgan Le Fay" ("Fay"), kidnaps her. As Martin rescues her, he wakes up and realizes that is was Alice that he loved all along.
The 1943 revival was revised by Rodgers and Hart. The setting was changed to a more topical war-time setting, and the show art showed a knight and his damsel in a jeep. "Morgan Le Fay" was turned into a "singing sorceress" anti-heroine, and the song "To Keep My Love Alive" was written especially for this revival, for Vivienne Segal to perform.[2]
[edit] Songs
Among the best remembered songs are the up-tempo duet, "Thou Swell",[1] the ballad "My Heart Stood Still",[2] "On a Desert Island with Thee", and "I Feel at Home with You". For the 1943 revival, Rodgers and Hart added several additional songs, including "Can't You Do a Friend a Favor?",[3].
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[edit] Recordings
A recording of the 1943 revival was released on June 29, 1944 by Decca.
[edit] References
- ^ http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9F07E3DC1231F933A25751C0A9679C8B63 New York Times review, February 10, 2001
- ^ R&H Theatricals background information and Richard Rodgers (1998), William G. Hyland, p. 151, ISBN 0300071159
[edit] External links
- Overview of show
- A Connecticut Yankee plot summary & character descriptions from StageAgent.com
- Internet Broadway Database listings
- Internet Movie database listing 1955 television broadcast
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