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Miss 1917

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Miss 1917
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MusicVictor Herbert,Jerome Kernand others
LyricsHarry B. Smith,Otto Harbach,Henry Blossomand others
BookGuy Bolton
P. G. Wodehouse
Productions1917 Broadway

Miss 1917is a musicalrevuewith a book byGuy BoltonandP. G. Wodehouse,music byJerome Kern,Victor Herbertand others, and lyrics byHarry B. Smith,Otto Harbach,Henry Blossomand others. Made up of a string ofvignettes,the show features songs from such musicals asThe Wizard of Oz,Three Twins,Babes in Toyland,Ziegfeld FolliesandThe Belle of New York.[1]

Background

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In 1916,Charles DillinghamandFlorenz ZiegfeldproducedThe Century Girl,with music byIrving Berlin.Despite mildly positive reviews, the show closed without recouping its investment.[2]On their next production, which was to be calledMiss 1917,they hiredJerome KernandVictor Herbertto compose the score andGuy BoltonandP. G. Wodehouseto collaborate on the book. Kern and Bolton had collaborated on thePrincess Theatremusicals, includingVery Good Eddie(1915). British humorist and playwright Wodehouse then joined them for several innovative musicals there, includingOh, Boy!(1917).[3]

George Gershwin's introduction to Broadway

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The show is mostly known today asGeorge Gershwin's introduction to musical theatre.[4]During rehearsals forMiss 1917,Gershwin conducted thepit orchestraand played the piano in rehearsals.[2]He was hired in October 1917 and paid $35 per week. As the rehearsal period extended, Gershwin earned more money.[5]He would later record Kern's "The Land Where the Good Songs Go", which was used in the revue, as apiano rollin January 1918.[5]

While working for the show, Gershwin and his brotherIra Gershwinbefriended Herbert and Kern, keeping "in contact with some of the major figures on Broadway".[5]Sunday night concerts held in New York City by the show's cast introduced Gershwin's "There's More to a Kiss Than the Sound" and "You-oo, Just You", both with lyrics byIrving Caesar.[5]Gershwin's talent as a composer was noticedby Harms Music, which quickly offered him a contract.[4]His involvement withMiss 1917also brought him to the attention of music producer Harry Askins, who in turn mentioned him toMax Dreyfus,"one of the giants of music publishing".[4]

1917 Broadway production

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The producers of the show "had demanded extremely elaborate staging for the revue", so no out-of-town tryouts were held, and the show premiered directly on Broadway on 5 November 1917, at theCentury Theatre.[2][6][7]The production was staged, directed and supervised byNed Wayburn,with choreography by Adolph Bohm. The creative team also included set designerJoseph Urban,who built a rotatingthrust stagefor the theatre. Costume design was attributed to eight designers, including Paul Chaflin,Willy Pogany,and Max Weldy.

The original cast starred comedianLew Fields,Andrew TombesandVivienne Segal.it also included George White,Ann Pennington,Vera MaxwellCharles King,Bessie McCoy Davis, Bert Savoy,Irene Castle,Marion Davies,Lilyan Tashmanand the comedic teamVan and Schenck.[6]Kern originally wanted Segal to sing "They Didn't Believe Me"in the revue, though Dillingham and Herbert preferred her to sing" Kiss Me Again "fromMlle. Modiste.Segal's siding with the latter caused tension among the creative team.[6]According to a member of the production crew, technical rehearsals were interrupted several times due to disagreements in staging and choreography; at one point, Kern sought to close the show early, though Ziegfeld wouldn't have it.[8]

The show got rave reviews.[9][10]Although Castle was singled out for praise by reviewers, she was unhappy performing on stage without her husband and usual dance partnerVernon Castle:"I found myself hopelessly lost as a solo number. I had no training for dancing alone and I should never have tried it."[9]Though successful with critics, the revue failed to attract an audience; at least not enough of one to pay for the lavish production.[11][9]Castle, White and others were let go by the producers, but the show still foundered in its out-of-the-way theatre.[9]It closed on 5 January 1918, after only six weeks of performances.[2][12]

Subsequent events

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A month afterMiss 1917closed on Broadway, on 21 February 1918, items used in the show were sold in an auction, raising $11,300, according toThe New York Times.Most of the items for auction were bought byJ. J. Shubert.[13]The following day, Sam Harrison of theNew Amsterdam Theatrebought the performing rights to the musical.[14]A London transfer, planned for March 1920, as well as a US national tour were cancelled. According toThe New York Times,the creative team would not allow Ziegfeld to stage the show internationally due to planned major staging and plot changes that he hoped would make the humour more accessible to international audiences.[8]

Musical numbers

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Recordings

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Although no officialcast recordingwas made, brief excerpts from some of the songs used inMiss 1917can be heard on thecompilation album,"Jerome Kern: Silver Linings", which was officially released on 22 July 2008.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Song List of Miss 1917".IBDB: The Official Source for Broadway Information.The Broadway League.Retrieved13 March2011.
  2. ^abcd"Miss 1917, musical revue (collab. with V.Herbert)".Classical Archives.Retrieved13 March2011.
  3. ^Kenrick, John."History of The Musical Stage 1910–1919: Part I",Musicals 101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film,accessed 27 May 2008
  4. ^abcPollack, Howard (2006).George Gershwin, His Life and Career.California: University of California Publishing. p. 89.
  5. ^abcdHyland, William (2003).Gershwin: A Biography.Greenwood Publishing Group(2003).ISBN9780275981112.Retrieved14 March2011.
  6. ^abcBordman, Gerard Martin (1978).American musical theatre: a chronicle.New York: Oxford University. pp. 373–374.
  7. ^Viagas, Robert (5 November 2010)."Today in Theatre History: November 5".Playbill.Archived fromthe originalon 29 June 2011.Retrieved13 March2011.
  8. ^ab"'Miss 1917' Musical Cancels International Stagings ".The New York Times.12 June 1918.
  9. ^abcdGolden, Eve.Chapter Thirty-One,"Vernon and Irene Castle's Ragtime Revolution", p. 191, University Press of Kentucky, 2007ISBN081312459X
  10. ^"'Miss 1917' A Hit at the Century ".The New York Times.6 November 1917.
  11. ^Jasen, David A (2002).P.G. Wodehouse: A Portrait of a Master.Music Sales Group: Music Sales Group. pp. 71–72.ISBN9780857127549.
  12. ^"Miss 1917".Broadwayworld.com.Retrieved13 March2011.
  13. ^""Miss 1917" Brings $11,300 at Sale ".The New York Times.21 February 1918.
  14. ^"Boys Century Plays".The New York Times.22 February 1918.
  15. ^Kern, Jerome."Silver Linings".Classical Archives.Retrieved13 March2011.
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