The Boys from Syracuse

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The Boys from Syracuse
Music Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Lorenz Hart
Book George Abbott
Based upon William Shakespeare's play
The Comedy of Errors
Productions 1938 Broadway
1940 Film
1963 Off-Broadway revival
1963 West End
1991 West End revival
2002 Broadway revival

The Boys from Syracuse is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play, The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott. The score includes swing and other contemporary rhythms of the 1930s. The show was the first musical based on a Shakespeare play.[1]

Abbott directed and George Balanchine choreographed the original production, which opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theater on November 23, 1938 (after tryouts in New Haven, Connecticut and Boston, and ran for 235 performances, starring Eddie Albert (Antipholus of Syracuse), Ronald Graham (Antipholus of Ephesus), Teddy Hart (Dromio of Ephesus), Jimmy Savo (Dromio of Syracuse), Muriel Angelus (Adriana) and Marcy Westcott (Luciana).

Contents

[edit] Subsequent productions

The show was revived Off-Broadway, opening at Theatre Four on April 15, 1963 and running for 500 performances. Directed by Christopher Hewitt, the cast featured Stuart Damon (Antipholus of Syracuse), Clifford David (Antipholus of Ephesus), Danny Carroll (Dromio of Syracuse), Rudy Tronto (Dromio of Ephesus), Ellen Hanley (Adriana), Julienne Marie (Luciana), and Cathryn Damon.

There was also a West End production that opened on November 7, 1963 based on the off-Broadway production, starring Denis Quilley, Maggie Fitzgibbon, Paula Hendrix, Pat Turner, Sonny Farrar, Adam Deane, John Adams, Edward Atienza, Ronnie Corbett, Lynn Kennington, and Bob Monkhouse.[2]

A film version was released on August 9, 1940 by Universal Pictures. Directed by A. Edward Sutherland, the film starred Allan Jones in the dual roles of the two Antipholuses, Joe Penner in the dual roles of the Dromios, Martha Raye and Irene Hervey.

A revival directed by Judi Dench was mounted at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre in London in the summer 1991, and toured the UK the following autumn.

The Roundabout Theatre revival opened on Broadway, at the American Airlines Theatre on August 18, 2002 and ran for 73 performances and 29 previews. The revival featured a new book by Nicky Silver based on the original book. It was directed by Scott Ellis with choreography by Rob Ashford, and the cast featured Jonathan Dokuchitz (Antipholus of Syracuse), Tom Hewitt (Antipholus of Ephesus), Lee Wilkof (Dromio of Syracuse), Chip Zien (Dromio of Ephesus), Erin Dilly (Luciana) and Lauren Mitchell (Adriana).

[edit] Plot

Identical twins Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, were separated from each other in a shipwreck as young children. Their servants, both named Dromio, are also long-separated identical twins. When the pair from Syracuse come to Ephesus, a comedy of errors and mistaken identies ensues when the wives of the Ephesians, Adriana and her servant Luce, mistake the two strangers for their husbands. Adriana's sister Luciana and the Syracuse Antipholus fall in love. But all ends happily.

[edit] Songs

Act I
  • I Had Twins – A Sergeant, Aegon, Duke of Ephesus and The Crowd
  • Dear Old Syracuse – Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse
  • What Do You Do With a Man? – Dromio of Ephesus and Luce
  • Falling In Love With Love – Adriana
  • The Shortest Day of the Year – Adriana and Antipholus of Ephesus
  • This Can't Be Love – Antipholus of Syracuse and Luciana
  • Let Antipholus In – Entire Company (not in 2002 revival)
Act II
  • You Took Advantage of Me – The Courtesans (in 2002 revival, from Present Arms, 1928)
  • Ladies of the Evening – Singing Policeman, Another Policeman, Policemen and Courtezans (not in 2002 revival)
  • He and She – Dromio of Syracuse and Luce
  • You Have Cast Your Shadow on the Sea – Antipholus of Syracuse
  • Come With Me – A Sergeant and Syracuse Policemen
  • Big Brother – Dromio of Ephesus (comes before "Come With Me" in 2002 revival, and sung by both dromios)
  • Sing for Your Supper – Adriana, Luce, Luciana, Madam, The Courtesans and The Crowd
  • Oh, Diogenes! – Adriana, Luce and Luciana

The 2002 revival ended with :

  • Hurrah! Hurroo (reprise) (Sing for Your Supper) – Madam, Courtesans, Luce, Adriana, Luciana, and the Crowd
  • This Can't Be Love (reprise) – The Company

[edit] Roles and original cast

  • The Masks: Robert Sidney, Harry Peterson.
  • Singing Policeman: Bob Lawrence.
  • Another Policeman: James Wilkinson.
  • Antipholus of Ephesus: Ronald Graham.
  • Dromio of Ephesus: Teddy Hart.
  • Dancing Policeman: George Church.
  • Tailor: Clifford Dunstan.
  • Tailor's Apprentice: Burl Ives.
  • Antipholus of Syracuse: Eddie Albert.
  • Dromio of Syracuse: Jimmy Savo.
  • Merchant of Syracuse: Byron Shores.
  • Duke of Ephesus: Carroll Ashburn.
  • Aegeon: John O'Shaughnessy.
  • Luce: Wynn Murray.
  • Adriana: Muriel Angelus.
  • Luciana: Marcy Westcott.
  • Sorcerer: Owen Martin.
  • Courtesan: Betty Bruce.
  • Secretary to Courtesan: Heidi Vosseler.
  • Angelo: John Clarke.
  • First Maid: Florine Callahan.
  • Second Maid: Claire Wolf.
  • Third Maid: Alice Craig.
  • Merchant of Ephesus: Clifford Dunstan.
  • Seeress: Florence Fair.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Information from the LorenzHart.org website
  2. ^ Information about the 1963 London production

[edit] External links

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