Mameis amusicalwith a book byJerome LawrenceandRobert Edwin Leeand music and lyrics byJerry Herman.Originally titledMy Best Girl,it is based on the 1955novelAuntie MamebyPatrick Dennisand the1956 Broadway play of the same nameby Lawrence and Lee. A period piece set inNew York Cityand spanning theGreat DepressionandWorld War II,it focuses on eccentricbohemianMame Dennis, whose famous motto is "Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death."[1]Her fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. They cope with the Depression in a series of adventures.
| Mame | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway Poster | |
| Music | Jerry Herman |
| Lyrics | Jerry Herman |
| Book | Jerome Lawrence Robert Edwin Lee |
| Basis | Auntie Mame byPatrick Dennis |
| Productions | 1966Broadway 1967 Tour 1968Los Angeles 1968Australia 1968Las Vegas 1969 Tour 1969West End 1983 Broadwayrevival |
The musical opened onBroadwayin 1966, starringAngela LansburyandBea Arthur.The production became a hit and spawned a1974 film versionwithLucille Ballin the title role, and Arthur reprising her supporting role; as well as a London production, a Broadway revival, and a 40th anniversary revival at theKennedy Centerin 2006.
Background
editThe musical was inspired by the success of the 1956 Broadway comedy and subsequent 1958 film version starringRosalind Russell,as well as the 1955 novel byPatrick Dennis.According to Stephen Citron, inJerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune,the "kudos [forAuntie Mame] made all involved immediately think of musicalizing the play. "[2]Dennis wrote several more comic novels, including a sequel,Around the World with Auntie Mame,andLittle Me,which was made into a Broadway musical starringSid Caesar.The success of that musical may have prompted Lawrence and Lee to turnMameinto a musical.
Rosalind Russell didn’t want the role,Mary Martinbacked out after her initial acceptance, andEthel Mermandeclined. The producers “heard from—or considered…Eve Arden,Lauren Bacall,Lucille Ball,Kaye Ballard,Constance Bennett,Georgia Brown,Kitty Carlisle,Barbara Cook,Bette Davis,Doris Day,Olivia de Havilland,Phyllis Diller,Irene Dunne,Nanette Fabray,Arlene Francis,Judy Garland,Greer Garson,Mitzi Gaynor,Dolores Gray,Tammy Grimes,Julie Harris,Susan Hayward,Katharine Hepburn,Lena Horne,Lisa Kirk,Margaret Leighton,Beatrice Lillie,Gisele MacKenzie,Jane Morgan,Patrice Munsel,Geraldine Page,Ginger Rogers,Dinah Shore,Simone Signoret,Maggie Smith,Elaine Stritch—and…Angela Lansbury, "who was eventually cast.”[3]
For its second run,Jerry Hermanwanted to castJudy Garland,but that request was denied by the producers of the show, who deemed her a liability.[4][5][6][7]
According to Herman it took six months to write the score.[8]
Productions
editOriginal Broadway
editThe musical opened onBroadwayat theWinter Garden Theatreon May 24, 1966. Three years later, it transferred toThe Broadway Theatre,where it remained until closing on January 3, 1970. Between the two venues, it ran a total of 1,508 performances and five previews. The musical was directed byGene Saks,choreographedbyOnna Whitewith scenic design byWilliam and Jean Eckart,costume design by Robert Mackintosh, lighting design byTharon Musserand orchestrations byPhilip J. Lang.Besides Lansbury as Mame, the cast included Bea Arthur as Vera Charles,Frankie Michaelsas Patrick,Jane Connellas Agnes Gooch, Charles Braswell as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside,[9]andWillard Waterman(who had played Claude Upson in the 1958 film) as Dwight Babcock.
Lansbury, Arthur and Michaels all wonTony Awards,while Saks, White, the writers, Herman, and set designers William and Jean Eckart all received nominations.
When Lansbury took a two-week vacation in August 1967,Celeste Holmplayed the title role, prior to heading the National Tour, and "garnered ecstatic reviews" including fromThe New York Times[10] When Lansbury left the Broadway production on March 30, 1968, to take the show on a limited US tour,Janis Paigewas the star chosen to be the new Broadway Mame, starting in April 1968.[6]Paige's run and the show itself continued to be so successful that she was followed byJane Morgan(December 1968), who was followed byAnn Miller(May 1969).[11][12]
US national tours
editCeleste Holm,who played the role on Broadway for two weeks when Lansbury took a vacation, continued in the role in the first national tour. The cast also includedLoretta SwitandWesley Addy.This production toured from August 29, 1967 to June 15, 1968.[13]
When Lansbury left the Broadway production, she led a brief two-stopCaliforniatour that played theCurran TheatreinSan Franciscofrom April 30 to June 23, 1968 and theDorothy Chandler PavilioninLos Angelesfrom June 25 to August 31. This production starredAnne Francine,who had replaced Arthur on Broadway, and Connell.[14]
A third tour opened inNew Haven, Connecticutin January, 1969. It starredJanet Blairas Mame andElaine Stritchas Vera. This tour closed the following May inLouisville, Kentucky.[15]
A fourth tour opened the following September inHartford, Connecticutstarring Sheila Smith.Patrice Munseland Anne Russell later led this tour. It closed in June, 1970.[16]
Juliet Prowselead a fourth tour in 1990, produced byTheatre Under The Stars.Delphi Lawrencereprised her role of Vera from the 1968 Las Vegas production.[17]
Australia
editThe Australian production presented byJ. C. Williamson'sopened atHer Majesty's Theatre, Melbourneon May 25, 1968, and subsequently played seasons in Adelaide, Perth and Sydney. Gaylea Byrne starred as Mame Dennis, alongsideMary Hardyas Agnes Gooch, Sheila Bradley as Vera Charles and Geoff Hiscock as Beauregard.[18]
West End
editThe 1969West Endproduction starredGinger Rogersin the title role andMargaret Courtenayas Vera. It ran for a fourteen-month engagement at theTheatre Royal, Drury Lanewith a special performance forQueen Elizabeth II.Victor Woolfwas the stage manager for this production.[19][20][21]
Other productions
editSusan Haywardappeared in the Las Vegas production, while such stars asAnn Sothern,Janet Blair,Jane Russell,Elaine Stritch,Edie Adams,Patrice Munsel,Kitty Carlisle,Carol Lawrence,Shani Wallis,Jo Anne Worley,and Sheila Smith appeared in stock, regional or touring productions.
In 1976, a Mexican production was performed in Mexico City withSilvia Pinalin the title role andEvangelina Elizondoas Vera. In 1985, Pinal reprised the production with the Spanish actressMaría Rivasas Vera. In 2014/2015, a Mexican new production was performed in Mexico withItati CantoralandAlicia Machadoin the title role and Dalilah Polanco as Vera.
Despite the presence of Lansbury, a much-heralded Broadway revival was ultimately unsuccessful. After seven previews, it opened on July 24, 1983, at theGeorge Gershwin Theatre,[22]where it ran for only 41 performances.[23]
Juliet Prowse,who in August 1969 subbed for Ginger Rogers in the original West End production ofMame,would subsequently reprise the title role in a number of US productions, led off by a 1970Dallas Summer Musicalsproduction whose cast included Jane Connell as Gooch,Ruth Gilletteas Mrs. Burnside/Mrs. Upson, andWilliam LeMassenaas Babcock. In the autumn of 1970 Prowse headlinedMameat theWestgate Las Vegas(then known as the International Hotel) in a production featuring reprises by Jane Connell and Ruth Gillette, with Upson being played by Connell's husbandGordon Connelland Vera played byAnne Francinewho had replaced Beatrice Arthur in the original Broadway production: by 1983, which year Francine reprised (briefly) the role on Broadway, Francine had played Vera some 800 times. The Westgate production ofMamealso featuredJohn McCookas adult Patrick. Prowse resumed headliningMamein a 1989–1990 North American tour whose cast includedMeghan Duffyas Gooch,Thomas Hillas Upson, andDelphi Lawrenceas Vera. Subsequent to headliningMameatHarrah's Lake Tahoein the summer of 1992, Prowse headlined a production ofMamewhich played theAlex Theatre (Glendale)and alsoSpreckels Theater (San Diego)in respectively April and May 1994 with a cast which includedFranklin Coveras Babcock andMarsha Krameras Gooch.[24]
In July–August 1991Mariette Hartleyheadlined theSt. Louis Municipal Opera Theatreproduction ofMamewhose cast also includedGeorgia Engelas Gooch,Alan Muraokaas Ito, andGretchen Wyleras Vera.[25]
In the mid-90s, a concert staging was done forBBC Radio 4.The cast includedJulia McKenzieas Mame,Libby Morrisas Vera,Claire Mooreas Agnes, Bob Sessions as Mr. Babcock,Jon Leeas Young Patrick,David Kernanas Beauregard, andRobert Meadmoreas Older Patrick.
In 1999,The Production CompanyinMelbourne,Australia stagedMamefor their very first season, starringRhonda BurchmoreandPamela Rabe.[26]In 2008,The Production CompanystagedMameonce more, in celebration for their tenth anniversary, with Rhonda Burchmore reprising her role.[27]
ThePaper Mill Playhouse(Millburn, New Jersey) production ofMamein September and October 1999 was headlined by Christine Ebersole and featuredKelly Bishopas Vera andPaul Iaconoas Young Patrick.[28]
TheKennedy Centerproduction ran from June 1, 2006 to July 2, and starredChristine Baranskias Mame,Harriet Sansom Harrisas Vera, andEmily Skinneras Gooch.[29]
Michele Leeheadlined a single performance production ofMameat theHollywood Bowlon 1 August 2004 whose cast also includedAllyce Beasleyas Gooch,Ben Plattas Young Patrick, Christine Ebersole as Vera,Jennifer Hallas Gloria,Lauri Johnsondoubling as Madame Branislowski and Mrs. Burnside,Edie McClurgas Mrs. Upson,Robert Picardoas Babcock,Alan Thickeas Mr. Upson,John Schneideras Beauregard, andFred Willardas Woolsey. Lee would subsequently headline thePittsburgh Civic Light Operaproduction ofMamein July 2008, which featuredDonna Lynne Champlinas Gooch.[30]
The first UK production ofMamein 50 years opened at theHope Mill Theatre (Manchester)in September 2019, directed byNick WinstonwithTracie Bennettheadlining a cast which includedTim Flavinas Beauregard,Harriet Thorpeas Vera, andPippa Winslowdoubling as Sally Cato and Mrs. Upson.[31][32]WithDarren Dayreplacing Flavin, the production encored at theRoyal & Derngate Theatre (Northampton)andSalisbury Playhousein respectively January and May 2020.[33][34]The show received sevenWhatsOnStage Awardnominations.
Adaptations
editA 1974film version of the musicalstarredLucille Ballas Mame,Bea Arthurreprising her role as Vera Charles,Jane Connellreprising her role as Agnes Gooch andRobert Prestonas Beauregard. It was both a US box office failure and a critical disappointment with Ball being considered not up to the musical demands of the title role.
Synopsis
editThe madcap life of eccentric Mame Dennis and her bohemian,intellectualarty clique is disrupted when her deceased brother's 10-year-old son Patrick is entrusted to her care. Rather than bow to convention, Mame introduces the boy to her free-wheeling lifestyle, instilling in him her favorite credo, "Life is a banquet, and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death." Figuring in the storyline are Agnes Gooch (Mame's personal secretary and nanny-in-law), Vera Charles (her "bosom buddy" baritone actress and world's greatest lush) and Dwight Babcock (the stuffy and officious executor of her brother's estate). Mame loses her fortune in theWall Street Crash of 1929and tries her hand at a number of jobs with comically disastrous results but perseveres with good humor and an irrepressible sense of style.
Mame then meets and marries Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, aSouthernaristocrat with aGeorgiaplantationcalled Peckerwood. The trustees of Patrick's father force Mame to send Patrick off to boarding school (the fictional St Boniface, inMassachusetts), and Mame and Beau travel the world on an endless honeymoon that stops when Beau falls to his death while mountain climbing. Mame returns home a wealthy widow to discover that Patrick has become a snob engaged to an equally priggishdebutante,Gloria Upson, from a bigoted family. Mame brings Patrick to his senses just in time to introduce him to the woman who will eventually become his wife, Pegeen Ryan. As the story ends, Mame is preparing to take Patrick's young son, Peter, toIndiawith her usual flair.
Principal casts
edit| Character | Broadway (1966) |
Tour (1967–68) |
California (1968) |
Las Vegas (1968–69) |
Tour (1969) |
West End (1969) |
Tour (1969–70) |
Broadway Revival (1983) |
Tour (1990) |
Kennedy Center (2006) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mame Dennis | Angela Lansbury | Celeste Holm | Angela Lansbury | Susan Hayward(replaced byCeleste Holm) | Janet Blair | Ginger Rogers | Sheila Smith | Angela Lansbury | Juliet Prowse | Christine Baranski |
| Vera Charles | Bea Arthur | Vicki Cummings | Anne Francine | Delphi Lawrence | Elaine Stritch | Margaret Courtenay | Sandy Sprung | Anne Francine | Delphi Lawrence | Harriet Sansom Harris |
| Agnes Gooch | Jane Connell | Loretta Swit | Jane Connell | Loretta Swit | Isabelle Farrell | Ann Beach | Isabelle Farrell | Jane Connell | Meghan Duffy | Emily Skinner |
| Dwight Babcock | Willard Waterman | Wesley Addy | Willard Waterman | Rufus Smith | Sam Kressen | Guy Spaull | Sam Kressen | Willard Waterman | Jim Bernhard | Michael L. Forrest |
| Young Patrick | Frankie Michaels | Shawn McGill | Stuart Getz | Shawn McGill | Darel Glaser | Gary Warren | Darel Glaser | Roshi Handwerger | Joseph R. Sasnett | Harrison Chad |
| Beauregard Burnside | Charles Braswell | Robert R. Kaye | Charles Braswell | John Vivyan | Richard Higgs | Barry Kent | Brian Moore | Scot Stewart | John Almberg | Jeff McCarthy |
| Patrick Dennis | Jerry Lanning | John Stewart | Jerry Lanning | Roger Rathburn | Sean Allan | Tony Adams | Peter Shawn | Bryon Nease | John Scherer | Max von Essen |
| Sally Cato | Margaret Hall | Betty McGuire | Cathryn Damon | Betty McGuire | Anne Russell | Betty Winsett | Anne Russell | Barbara Lang | Jennie Welch | Alison Cimmet |
| M. Lindsay Woolsey | George Coe | William Gibberson | Robert Goss | Chet London | Barry Jackson | Alan Sanderson | Donald Torres | Frank Joachimsthaler | Ed Dixon | |
| Ito | Sab Shimono | Arsenio Trinidad | Sab Shimono | Alvin Ing | Franklin Siu | Burt Kwouk | Arsenio Trinidad | Sab Shimono | Frank Kamai | Alan Muraoka |
| Junior Babcock | Randy Kirby | Gerry Dalton | Roy Smith | Role cut for time | Larry Burton | Ken Walsh | Bill Biskup | Patrick Sean Murphy | Kevin Bernard | Shane Braddock |
| Mr. Upson | John C. Becher | David Huddleston | Gordon Connell | Tom Batten | Ed Fuller | Norman MacLeod | Ed Fuller | John C. Becher | Thomas Hill | Harry A. Winter |
| Mrs. Upson | Johanna Douglas | Louise Kirtland | Lorraine MacMartin | Ruth Gillette | Louise Kirtland | Sheila Keith | Hazel Steck | Louise Kirtland | Cheryl Massey-Peters | Ruth Gottschall |
| Gloria Upson | Diana Walker | Stacey Jones | Ann Willis | Dorothy Poiselle | Gail Hecht | Julia McKenzie | Sandi Smith | Michaela Hughes | Michelle DeJean | Sarah Jane Everman |
| Mother Burnside | Charlotte Jones | Ruth Gillette | Tally Brown | Ruth Gillette | Louise Kirtland | Sheila Keith | Hazel Steck | Fran Stevens | Lou Ann Miles | Mary Stout |
| Pegeen Ryan | Diane Coupe | Kathryn Malone | SuEllen Estey | Rosemary Harvey | Marsha Hastings | Jill Howard | Deborah St. Peter | Ellyn Arons | Darchell Stevens | Melissa Rae Mahon |
Notable Broadway Replacements
editMame:Celeste Holm,Ann Miller,Jane Morgan,Janis Paige
Vera:Anne Francis,Audrey Christie
Agnes:Helen Gallagher
Musical numbers
edit
|
|
Recording
editAcast recordingof the Broadway production was released on theColumbia Masterworkslabel in 1966. [35]A CD version, with fivebonus tracks,was released byLegacy Recordingsin 1999. The bonus tracks include demo versions of "St. Bridget", "It's Today", "Open a New Window", and "Mame", as well as the song "Camouflage" (intended to be sung between Mame Dennis and Vera Charles prior to the discussion of whether Patrick could stay with Mame), all performed by Jerry Herman and Alice Borden. (Another cut song, "Love is only Love", was to be sung by Mame to Patrick before "The Fox Hunt"; it was later used in the movie version ofHello, Dolly!.)
In 1966,Bobby Darin,Louis Armstrong,andHerb Alpertall charted in theUnited StatesandCanadawith theircover recordsof the musical's title song.Eydie Gorméhad a huge success with her recording of "If He Walked into My Life",[35]for which she received a 1967Grammy Awardfor Best Female Vocal Performance. "We Need a Little Christmas" is a well known holiday tune and can be heard in several Disney Christmas parades.
Awards and nominations
editOriginal Broadway production
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Nominated | |
| Best Composer and Lyricist | Jerry Herman | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Angela Lansbury | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Frankie Michaels | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Beatrice Arthur | Won | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Gene Saks | Nominated | ||
| Best Choreography | Onna White | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design | William and Jean Eckart | Nominated | ||
| Theatre World Award | Jerry Lanning | Won | ||
| 1967 | Sheila Smith | Won | ||
See also
edit- Auntie Mame,thefictionalnovel byPatrick Dennis.
References
edit- ^"Sons of bitches" was changed to "suckers" in the film version. Weaver, David E."Mame’s Boys: Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee"Archived2014-02-22 at theWayback Machine,Ohioana Quarterly,Fall 2006, Ohioana Library Association, accessed September 5, 2012.
- ^Citron, Stephen. "'Mame'",Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune,Yale University Press, 2008,ISBN0300133243,p. 124.
- ^Hallowell, John (17 June 1966). "How the Angels Smiled on Angela".Life.pp. 92B, 97–98.
- ^"50 Great Things About MAME".tamswitmark.com.Tams-Witmark: A Concord Theatricals Company.Archivedfrom the original on 16 December 2019.Retrieved16 December2019.
Jerry Herman wanted Judy Garland to replace Angela Lansbury when Lansbury's run ended, and he worked with Garland on the numbers. But the producers knew she was unfit to handle the rigors of a Broadway schedule.
- ^"Mame Fact #5: 'Multitudes of Mame-ies'".Iwillregretthislater.com.11 September 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 16 December 2019.Retrieved16 December2019.
But for all the Mames there were, there was the one that wasn't: Judy Garland. Jerry Herman thought she'd be perfect. And he almost got his wish. Almost. It was a big help that Garland adored the show; she'd seen it three times starring Lansbury during 1967. When she expressed interest in playing the role, Herman says, "I just about lost my mind. I was the craziest, most ardent Judy Garland fan of all time. I still am. I worshipped that woman. It was a passion that went beyond reason. She sang, and it was a religious experience for me." The pursuance of her for the role even led to several meetings. But her reputation preceded her. After having been recently fired from the film adaptation of Valley of the Dolls, Judy was deemed to be too much of a liability. The producers of Mame told Herman, "We cannot entrust this show to Miss Garland. We have the backers to consider, and we cannot risk a show that is at its peak and has many more years to go. If it all falls apart because she doesn't show up on opening night, we will have destroyed everything that we worked so hard to create." Herman still lobbied on her behalf. As he put it, "Even a bad performance from Judy Garland would be an event. Just to have Judy Garland in this show for one night would be magical— historical." Reflecting on the incident, Garland told her daughter Liza Minnelli her, "heart was broken, because she knew how right she was for it." Garland was dead two years later. And, for Herman, she would always be 'The [Mame] That Got Away.'
- ^abJordan, R. T. (2004).But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame!: The Amazing History of the World's Favorite Madcap Aunt.Kensington Books. pp. 111–112, 142–143.ISBN0758204825.
- ^"'Mame'".AngelaLansbury.net.RetrievedDecember 31,2011.
- ^Hansen, Liane; Herman, Jerry (4 June 2006)."Jerry Herman on 'Mame', One Grand Dame".npr.org.NPR.Archivedfrom the original on 16 December 2019.Retrieved16 December2019.
'How long did it take you [, Mr. Herman,] to finish [writing the score after writing the first song]?' [...] 'About six months, which is fast'
- ^"'Mame' Broadway ".playbillvault.com.
- ^Jordan, p. 140.
- ^Mordden, Ethan.Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s (Golden Age of the Broadway Musical),Palgrave Macmillan, 2001, p. 115.
- ^"'Mame' Replacements ".playbillvault.com.RetrievedJanuary 10,2015.
- ^"Mame – Broadway Musical – 1967-1968 Tour".ibdb.com.Retrieved2023-08-19.
- ^"Mame – Broadway Musical – 1968-1968 Tour".ibdb.com.Retrieved2023-08-19.
- ^"Mame – Broadway Musical – 1969-1969 Tour".ibdb.com.Retrieved2023-08-19.
- ^"Mame – Broadway Musical – 1969-1970 Tour".ibdb.com.Retrieved2023-08-19.
- ^"Mame – Broadway Musical – 1990-1990 Tour".ibdb.com.Retrieved2023-08-19.
- ^"AusStage".ausstage.edu.au.Retrieved2020-06-19.
- ^"Victor Woolf Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos".Broadwayworld.com.Retrieved2019-08-21.
- ^"'Mame' Cast ".broadwayworld.com.RetrievedJanuary 10,2016.
- ^"'Mame' West End "".broadwayworld.com.RetrievedJanuary 10,2016.
- ^Rich, Frank."Stage: Angela Lansbury Stars In 'Mame' Revival",The New York Times,July 25, 1983.
- ^"'Mame' 1983 ".playbillvault.com.RetrievedJanuary 10,2016.
- ^"Juliet Prowse theatre profile".abouttheartists.com.
- ^"Mame at the Muny 1991".abouttheartists.com.
- ^"Mame".ausstage.edu.au.Retrieved2020-06-19.
- ^"Mame".ausstage.edu.au.Retrieved2020-06-19.
- ^Jones, Kenneth and Ehren, Christine."Bosom Buddies Bow: Paper Mill's 'Mame' Officially Opens Sept. 11"playbill.com, September 11, 1999.
- ^Gans, Andrew."Christine Baranski 'Mame' Will Not Play Broadway"Archived2007-09-30 at theWayback Machine,Playbill, June 27, 2006.
- ^"Mame".The House on Sunset.
- ^"Mame".Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester Theatre Company.
- ^"Photos: First Look at MAME at the Hope Mill Theatre".broadwayworld.com.
- ^"Mame at the Royal & Derngate Northampton Review".whatsgoodtodo.com.
- ^"Review Mame".winchestertoday.co.uk.23 January 2020.
- ^ab"'Mame' Cast Recording" allmusic.com, accessed January 10, 2016.