The Most Happy Fella

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The Most Happy Fella
London Cast Recording
Music Frank Loesser
Lyrics Frank Loesser
Book Frank Loesser
Based upon Sidney Howard play
They Knew What They Wanted
Productions 1956 Broadway
1959 Broadway revival
1960 West End
1979 Broadway revival
1980 U.S. Television
1992 Broadway revival
2006 New York City Opera

The Most Happy Fella is a theater musical (labelled an opera by various commentators [1] [2]) with music, lyrics and book by Frank Loesser. The story is based on the play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard. The show, directed by Joseph Anthony, opened at the Imperial Theatre in New York City on May 3, 1956 and ran for 676 performances. The cast included Robert Weede as Tony, Jo Sullivan as Rosabella, Art Lund as Joey, Susan Johnson as Cleo, Shorty Long as Herman, Mona Paulee[3] as Marie, and Zina Bethune as Tessie. (The show was featured in an episode of I Love Lucy entitled "Lucy's Night In Town," which aired on March 25, 1957.)

The West End production, directed by Jerome Eskow, opened at the London Coliseum on April 21, 1960 and ran for 288 performances. The cast included Inia Wiata as Tony, Helena Scott as Rosabella, Art Lund as Joey, Libi Staiger as Cleo, Jack De Lon as Herman, and Nina Verushka as Marie.

The show was produced for television in 1980. It starred Giorgio Tozzi as Tony, Sharon Daniels, as Rosabella, and Richard Muenz as Joe. A Broadway revival opened at the Booth Theatre on January 13, 1992 and ran for 229 performances. It was directed by Gerald Guttierrez, with musical direction by Tim Stella. The opening night cast included Spiro Malas as Tony, Sophie Hayden as Rosabella, Charles Pistone as Joe, Claudia Catania as Marie, Liz Larsen as Cleo, and Scott Waara as Herman.

Baritone Rod Gilfry starred as Joe in a recent Los Angeles production, and in the spring of 2006 New York City Opera presented the show with Paul Sorvino as Tony and Lisa Vroman as Rosabella.

[edit] Songs

Act I
  • Ooh! My Feet! - Cleo
  • I Know How It Is - Rosabella and Cleo
  • Seven Million Crumbs - Cleo
  • I Don't Know (The Letter) - Rosabella
  • Maybe He's Kind of Crazy - Cleo
  • Somebody, Somewhere - Rosabella
  • The Most Happy Fella - Tony and Company
  • A Long Time Ago - Marie and Tony
  • Standing on the Corner - Herman, Jake, Clem and Al
  • Joey, Joey, Joey - Joe
  • Soon You Gonna Leave Me, Joe - Tony
  • Rosabella - Tony
  • Abbondanza - Pasquale, Giuseppe and Jake
  • Plenty Bambini - Tony
  • Sposalizio - Giuseppe, Jake, Pasquale and Company
  • Special Delivery! (I Seen Her at the Station) - The Postman
  • Benvenuta - Pasquale, Jake and Giuseppe
  • Aren't You Glad? - Rosabella
  • No Home, No Job - Rosabella
  • Don't Cry - Joe
Act II
  • Fresno Beauties / Cold and Dead - Ensemble, Joe and Rosabella
  • Love and Kindness - The Doctor
  • Happy to Make Your Acquaintance - Tony, Rosabella and Cleo
  • I Don't Like This Dame - Marie and Cleo
  • Big D - Herman, Cleo and Ensemble
  • How Beautiful the Days - Tony, Rosabella and Joe
  • Young People - Marie, Tony and Ensemble
  • Warm All Over - Rosabella
  • Old People Gotta - Tony
  • I Like Everybody - Herman and Cleo
  • I Love Him / I Know How It Is - Rosabella and Cleo
  • Like a Woman Loves a Man - Rosabella and Tony
  • My Heart Is So Full of You - Tony and Rosabella
  • Hoedown - Tony, Rosabella and Ensemble
  • Mamma, Mamma - Tony
Act III
  • Abbondanza (Reprise) - Pasquale, Giuseppe and Ciccio
  • Goodbye, Darlin' / I Like Everybody (Reprise) - Cleo and Herman
  • Song of a Summer Night - The Doctor and Ensemble
  • Please Let Me Tell You - Rosabella
  • Tell Tony and Rosabella Goodbye for Me (Tony's Thoughts) - Joe
  • She Gonna Come Home Wit' Me - Tony
  • Nobody's Ever Gonna Love You - Marie and Tony
  • I Made a Fist - Cleo and Herman
  • Finale - Tony, Rosabella and Ensemble

[edit] External links


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Frank Loesser musicals