Wildcat (musical)
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| Wildcat | |
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| Music | Cy Coleman |
| Lyrics | Carolyn Leigh |
| Book | N. Richard Nash |
| Productions | 1960 Broadway |
Wildcat is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman.
At its core is Wildcat "Wildy" Jackson, who in 1912 arrives in Centavo City with dreams of striking oil but with neither capital nor know-how to help her accomplish her goal. Joe Dynamite, the most successful crew foreman in the territory, finds her ruggedness appealing and agrees to work with her if she can prove ownership to her claimed land and hire a crew. She finds ten acres owned by a hermit prospector, but Joe is certain the property is dry. Wildy attempts to lure him with her female charms, but when he still rejects her plans she has him falsely arrested, then released into her custody. A grateful Joe agrees to start work on the project but abandons it once he discovers it was Wildy who had him jailed. Left high and literally dry by her partner and crew, Wildy resorts to desperate measures to strike a Texas-sized gusher.
Nash had envisioned the character of Wildy as a woman in her late twenties, and was forced to rewrite the role when Lucille Ball expressed interest not only in playing it but financing the project as well. Desilu, the company owned by her and soon-to-be ex-husband Desi Arnaz, ultimately invested $360,000 in the show in exchange for 36% of the net profits, the rights to the original cast recording (ultimately released by RCA Victor), and television rights for musical numbers to be included in a special entitled Lucy Goes to Broadway, a project that eventually was abandoned. Ball also was permitted to choose her leading man. Kirk Douglas' salary demands and heavy film schedule eliminated him from the running, and Gordon Macrae, Jock Mahoney, and Gene Barry were considered before she selected Keith Andes.
The Philadelphia tryout opened on October 29, 1960 to a glowing review from Variety, although local critics were less enthusiastic. The scheduled Broadway opening had to be postponed when trucks hauling the sets and costumes to New York City were stranded on the New Jersey Turnpike for several days by a major blizzard. After two previews, the show, directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd, opened on December 16 at the Alvin Theatre where, hampered by lukewarm reviews and Ball's lingering illness, it ran for only 171 performances. In addition to Ball and Andes, the cast included Paula Stewart and Swen Swenson. Valerie Harper was among the chorus members.
Ball quickly realized audiences had come expecting to see her Lucy Ricardo persona and began mugging and ad-libbing to bring her characterization closer to that of the zany housewife she had portrayed in I Love Lucy. Clearly it was she that was drawing the crowds, and when she fell ill and demands for refunds ran high, the producers announced plans to close the show for a week in late March 1961 to allow her to recover her strength. The closure came sooner than planned when Ball, suffering from a virus and chronic fatigue, departed for Florida on February 8. She returned two weeks later, but on April 22 she collapsed on stage. It was decided the show would close for nine weeks at the end of May and reopen once its star had recovered fully, but May 24 proved to be her final performance, and the production closed permanently a week later.
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[edit] Songs
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[edit] Cast
- Wildcat Jackson--Lucille Ball
- Jane Jackson--Paula Stewart
- Sheriff Sam Gore--Howard Fischer
- Barney--Ken Ayers
- Luke--Anthony Saverino
- Countess Emily O'Brien--Edith King
- Joe Dynamite--Keith Andes
- Hank--Clifford David
- Miguel--HF Green
- Sookie--Don Tomkins
- Matt--Charles Braswell
- Corky--Bill Linton
- Oney--Swen Swenson
- Sandy--Ray Mason
- Tattoo--Bill Walker
- Cisco--Al Lanti
- Postman--Bill Richards
- Inez--Marsha Wagner
- Blonde--Wendy Nickerson
[edit] References
Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Coyne Steven Sanders and Tom Gilbert, William Morrow and Company, 2003, pp. 202-220 ISBN 0-688-13514-5
[edit] External links
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