70, Girls, 70
Encyclopedia
70, Girls, 70 is a musical with a book by Fred Ebb
and Norman L. Martin adapted by Joe Masteroff
, lyrics by Ebb, and music by John Kander
.
The musical is based on the 1958 play Breath of Spring by Peter Coke
. The plot concerns a group of larcenous old folks who steal furs from various New York City stores with the intent of using the proceeds from their resale to buy their Upper West Side
retirement hotel, the New Sussex Arms, which is slated to be sold to developers.
, where it ran for 35 performances and nine previews. The cast included Mildred Natwick
, Lillian Roth
, Hans Conried
, and Lillian Hayman
. Natwick was nominated for the Tony Award
for Best Actress in a Musical. Popular veteran Broadway actor David Burns
was also a member of the cast, until his sudden departure during a preview performance — he collapsed onstage at Philadelphia's Forrest Theatre from a heart attack, dying soon after. The production was supervised by Stanley Prager
, directed by Paul Aaron, with set and lighting design by Robert Randolph, costume design by Jane Greenwood
, musical direction and vocal arrangements by Oscar Kosarin, orchestrations by Don Walker
, dance music by Dorothea Freitag, and choreography
by Onna White
.
The show premiered in the West End
at the Vaudeville Theatre on June 17, 1991 running through September 1991. Directed by Paul Kerryson, it starred Dora Bryan
, Pip Hinton and Joan Savage. It featured a revised book, new songs, and reduced orchestrations. The production did away with the big sets, big numbers and full-scale orchestra. This production was staged on one set and with a band of five musicians with the score reorchestrated by Julian Kelly. Kerryson explained: "Part of the problem of 70, Girls, 70 on Broadway...must have been that it was done so big, which doesn't suit this particular musical. Its charm here is that it is so intimate."
The Encores!
series at New York City Center
presented a concert version in April 2006. Directed by Kathleen Marshall
and conducted by Paul Gemignani
, it starred Olympia Dukakis
, Bob Dishy
, Anita Gillette
, George S. Irving
, and Charlotte Rae
.
Act II
1991 London additions
Fred Ebb
Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera....
and Norman L. Martin adapted by Joe Masteroff
Joe Masteroff
-Career:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Masteroff graduated from Temple University and served with the United States Air Force during World War II...
, lyrics by Ebb, and music by John Kander
John Kander
John Harold Kander is the American composer of a number of musicals as part of the songwriting team of Kander and Ebb.-Life and career:Kander was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bernice and Harold S. Kander...
.
The musical is based on the 1958 play Breath of Spring by Peter Coke
Peter Coke
-Personal life:Peter John Coke was born in Southsea on 3 April 1913. His father was a commander in the Navy, who took his family to Kenya to run a linen plantation, however, this venture failed and he began to run a coffee plantation...
. The plot concerns a group of larcenous old folks who steal furs from various New York City stores with the intent of using the proceeds from their resale to buy their Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
retirement hotel, the New Sussex Arms, which is slated to be sold to developers.
Productions
The musical opened on Broadway on April 15, 1971 at the Broadhurst TheatreBroadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
, where it ran for 35 performances and nine previews. The cast included Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick was an American stage and film actress.- Early life :A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born to Joseph and Mildred Marion Dawes Natwick. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore...
, Lillian Roth
Lillian Roth
Lillian Roth was an American singer and actress.-Early life:Roth was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was only 6 years old when her mother took her to Educational Pictures, where she became the company's trademark, symbolized by a living statue holding a lamp of knowledge...
, Hans Conried
Hans Conried
Hans Georg Conried, Jr. was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.-Early years:He was born on April 15, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Hans Georg Conried, Sr. and Edith Beyr Gildersleeve. His mother was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna,...
, and Lillian Hayman
Lillian Hayman
Lillian Irene Hayman was a Tony Award-winning African American actress and singer.-Career:Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Hayman graduated from Wilberforce University with a BA before she began her career in the Broadway theatre...
. Natwick was nominated for the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Actress in a Musical. Popular veteran Broadway actor David Burns
David Burns (actor)
David Burns was an American Broadway theatre and motion picture actor and singer.Burns was born on Mott Street in the Manhattan Chinatown of New York City. He made his Broadway debut in Face the Music in 1932, Cole Porter's Nymph Errant was his London debut, and he appeared in many comedies and...
was also a member of the cast, until his sudden departure during a preview performance — he collapsed onstage at Philadelphia's Forrest Theatre from a heart attack, dying soon after. The production was supervised by Stanley Prager
Stanley Prager
Stanley Prager was an American actor and a television and theatre director.Born in New York City, Prager began his career as the stage manager for the Broadway production The Skin of Our Teeth in 1942...
, directed by Paul Aaron, with set and lighting design by Robert Randolph, costume design by Jane Greenwood
Jane Greenwood
Jane Greenwood is a costume designer for the stage, television, film, opera, and dance. Born in Liverpool, England, she works both in England and the United States. She has been nominated for the Tony Award for costume design seventeen times.-Biography:Greenwood attended Liverpool Art School and...
, musical direction and vocal arrangements by Oscar Kosarin, orchestrations by Don Walker
Don Walker (orchestrator)
Don Walker was a prolific Broadway orchestrator, who also composed music for musicals and one film and worked as a conductor in television.-Biography:...
, dance music by Dorothea Freitag, and choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
by Onna White
Onna White
Onna White was a Canadian choreographer and dancer nominated for eight Tony Awards.-Career:Born in Inverness, Nova Scotia, White began taking dance lessons at the age of twelve, and eventually her studies took her to the famed San Francisco Ballet Company, where she danced in the first full-length...
.
The show premiered in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Vaudeville Theatre on June 17, 1991 running through September 1991. Directed by Paul Kerryson, it starred Dora Bryan
Dora Bryan
Dora May Bryan OBE is an English actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Bryan was born as Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, England. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire...
, Pip Hinton and Joan Savage. It featured a revised book, new songs, and reduced orchestrations. The production did away with the big sets, big numbers and full-scale orchestra. This production was staged on one set and with a band of five musicians with the score reorchestrated by Julian Kelly. Kerryson explained: "Part of the problem of 70, Girls, 70 on Broadway...must have been that it was done so big, which doesn't suit this particular musical. Its charm here is that it is so intimate."
The Encores!
Encores!
Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert is a program that has been presented by New York City Center since 1994. Encores! is dedicated to performing the full score of musicals that rarely are heard in New York City...
series at New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
presented a concert version in April 2006. Directed by Kathleen Marshall
Kathleen Marshall
Kathleen Marshall is an American choreographer, director, and creative consultant.-Life and career:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Marshall graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and Smith College. She worked in the Pittsburgh theatre scene when she was younger, performing with such...
and conducted by Paul Gemignani
Paul Gemignani
Paul Gemignani is an award-winning American musical director with a career on Broadway and West End theatre spanning over thirty years.-Life and career:...
, it starred Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
, Bob Dishy
Bob Dishy
Bob Dishy is an American actor of stage, film and television. He is married to former actress Judy Graubart .He appeared on Broadway in:...
, Anita Gillette
Anita Gillette
Anita Gillette is an American actress, most notable for her work on Broadway and as a celebrity guest on various game shows....
, George S. Irving
George S. Irving
George S. Irving is an American actor, known primarily for his character roles on Broadway. Born George Irving Shelasky in Springfield, Massachusetts, he made his debut in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma!, only to be drafted days later to serve in World War II...
, and Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae is a prolific American character actress of stage, comedienne, singer and dancer, who in her six decades of television is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life...
.
Song list
Act I- Old Folks
- Home
- Broadway My Street
- The Caper
- Coffee in a Cardboard Cup
- You and I, Love
- Do We?
- Hit It, Lorraine
- See the Light
Act II
- Boom Ditty Boom
- Believe
- Go Visit your grandmother
- 70, Girls, 70
- The Elephant Song
- Yes
1991 London additions
- Well-Laid Plans
- I Can't Do That Anymore