So Long, 174th Street
| So Long, 174th Street | |
|---|---|
 Original Cast Recording | |
| Music | Stan Daniels |
| Lyrics | Stan Daniels |
| Book | Joseph Stein |
| Basis | Enter Laughing by Joseph Stein Enter Laughing byCarl Reiner |
| Productions | 1976Broadway |
So Long, 174th Streetis amusicalwith a book byJoseph Steinand lyrics and music byStan Daniels.
Based on Stein's playEnter Laughing,which had been adapted from theCarl Reinerbook of the same name and served as the basis for a1967 film,it focuses on the journey of David Kolowitz from factory helper to actor and from insecure adolescence to self-assured adulthood in three whirlwind days in New York City in the late 1930s.
After six previews, the Broadway production, directed byBurt Sheveloveand choreographed byAlan Johnson,opened on April 27, 1976, at the Harkness Theatre, where it closed after only 16 performances. The cast includedRobert Morse,George S. Irving,Loni Ackerman,andRita Rudner.Morse starred as David. Though "boyish looking," he was 45 years old and played a character half his age.[1]
Clive Barnesof theNew York Timesobserved "The people involved are talented enough...So what went wrong? How didEnter Laughingend up leaving us yawning? "He noted composer/lyricist Stan Daniels was a producer ofThe Mary Tyler Moore Showand suggested "he should stay where he is well off...when the music and lyrics do not work for a musical, the musical does not work."[2]
Reiner said years later that he walked out on the play, that Morse was too old, and that "they made an abortion out of it."[3]
Despite the initial unfavorable reviews, one number from the show, "The Butler's Song," became a cabaret standard.[4]A recording of the score, withKaye Ballardadded to the cast, was released in 1981.
Song list
[edit]- "David Kolowitz, the Actor"
- "It's Like"
- "Undressing Girls with My Eyes"
- "Bolero on Rye"
- "Whoever You Are"
- "Say the Words"
- "You"
- "My Son the Druggist"
- "You Touched Her"
- "Men"
- "Boy Oh Boy"
- "The Butler's Song"
- "Being with You"
- "If You Want to Break Your Father's Heart"
- "So Long, 174th Street"
Revivals
[edit]The musical was revised in 2008 asEnter Laughingand staged Off-Broadway by theYork Theatre.[5]The York revivedEnter Laughingagain in 2019.[6]
References
[edit]- ^Berkvist, Robert (2022-04-21)."Robert Morse, Impish Tony-Winning Comedy Star, Is Dead at 90".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2022-04-21.
- ^New York Timesreview, April 28, 1976
- ^Byrd, Craig (2015-02-11)."Curtain Call: Carl Reiner's Enter Laughing Finally Gets a Worthy Musical Adaptation Los Angeles Magazine".Los Angeles Magazine.Retrieved2022-04-21.
- ^Simmons, Paulanne (May 31, 2019)."Enter Laughing".Theater Life.RetrievedMay 15,2021.
- ^"Enter Laughing".Variety.2008-09-10.Retrieved2021-06-10.
- ^"Enter Laughing: The Musical".York Theatre Company.2019-08-20.Retrieved2021-06-10.