.gif)
Jubilee (musical)
Encyclopedia
Jubilee is a musical comedy with a book by Moss Hart
and music and lyrics by Cole Porter
. It premiered on Broadway
in 1935 to rapturous reviews. Inspired by the recent silver jubilee
of King George V
of Great Britain, the story is of the royal family of a fiction
al Europe
an country. Several of its songs, especially "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things", became independently popular and have become part of the American Songbook.
The musical opened on Broadway
in 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression
. It had strong reviews and was considered "one of the great theatrical events of the 1930s." It ran for 169 performances. Although the original arrangements were lost after 1946, the musical was reconstructed and produced several times in concert versions by different companies in New York and London, from 1986 to 2004.
" luxury cruise on the Franconia, with their families, friends, and assistants accompanying them. Their intention was to write a new musical on the trip, and songs and scenes were inspired by their ports of call. For example, the song "The Kling-Kling Bird on the Divi-Divi Tree" came about after a trip through a botanical garden in Jamaica
. Playing off the recent celebrations in Britain for the silver jubilee of King George V
, they created a plot about a royal family, filled with characters based on their famous friends. For example, the swimmer who becomes an actor, spoofs Johnny Weissmuller
; and the well-known party hostess Elsa Maxwell
was portrayed as Eva Standing.
Act II
in Boston on September 21, 1935 for a three-week pre-Broadway tryout period. The Broadway
premiere opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 12, 1935 and closed on May 7, 1936, after 169 performances. Changes in the lead lessened its appeal. The production was supervised by Hassard Short
, who also was the lighting designer, directed by Monty Woolley
, choreographed by Albertina Rasch
and Tony De Marco, and with set design by Jo Mielziner
.
The cast included
reported on the musical's Boston opening (in September 1935), writing about Hart's book that it combines "satire, sentiment and humor in good proportion." Porter's score and lyrics were said to be "original and tuneful." Special mention was made of Mary Boland: "Miss Boland played the ingeniously sentimental matron with gusto and enthusiasm, wore royal robes or a one-piece bathing suit with equal aplomb, sang a bit, and danced with every sign of enjoyment."
It was considered "one of the great theatrical events of the 1930s." Of the Broadway opening (on October 12, 1935), Brooks Atkinson
(The New York Times) wrote that the show
of the NY Daily News declared Jubilee, "the most satisfying musical comedy produced in an American theatre within the length of trustworthy memories." Reviewers admired the "book", giving the show a strong plot and solid writing integrated with the music. They quickly picked "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things" as favorite songs.
In 1946, the St. Louis Municipal Opera used the production arrangements, but failed to return them to the Music Box Theatre. Jubilee became a lost show. It was not produced for 40 years.
In 1985, Bill Tynes, producer of The New Amsterdam Theatre Company, hired Larry Moore to reconstruct the show for his 1986 series. Tynes specialized in producing classic musicals in concert at The Town Hall
in New York. He intended to use the concert presentation for a backers' audition, hoping to generate financial support for a major revival of the show.
The reconstructed musical opened in concert version in March 1986 at The Town Hall, staged by James Brennan, with a cast that included Paula Laurence as The Queen,Robert Fitch as the King, Reed Jones as the Prince, Alyson Reed
as Karen O'Kane, Carole Shelley
as Eva Standing, Patrick Quinn
as Eric Dare, Rebecca Luker
, and Roderick Cook
as the Prime Minister.
The show has been produced twice by Ian Marshall Fisher's "Lost Musicals In Concert" series in London
. The second production, using the BBC Orchestra, performed in November 1999 at Her Majesty's Theatre
was broadcast in December 1999 by the BBC Radio-3.
On October 10, 1998, a concert version was staged at Carnegie Hall
, New York City, for the benefit of the Gay Men's Health Crisis
. Directed by Herbert Ross
, with choreography by Danny Daniels
, Lynne Taylor-Corbett
and Pierre Dulaine, the cast included Bea Arthur as The Queen, Tyne Daly
as Eva Standing, Sandy Duncan
as Karen O'Kane, Michael Jeter
as The King, Alice Ripley as The Princess, Stephen Spinella as Eric Dare, Bob Paris
as Mowgli, and Philip Bosco
as Prime Minister. The New York theatre company "Musicals Tonight!" presented a staged concert in October 2004.
s and/or sales of its sheet music. The following were among contemporary releases:
Moss Hart
Moss Hart was an American playwright and theatre director, best known for his interpretations of musical theater on Broadway.-Early years:...
and music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
. It premiered on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1935 to rapturous reviews. Inspired by the recent silver jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
of King George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
of Great Britain, the story is of the royal family of a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an country. Several of its songs, especially "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things", became independently popular and have become part of the American Songbook.
The musical opened on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It had strong reviews and was considered "one of the great theatrical events of the 1930s." It ran for 169 performances. Although the original arrangements were lost after 1946, the musical was reconstructed and produced several times in concert versions by different companies in New York and London, from 1986 to 2004.
History
Cole Porter and Moss Hart took a four-and-a-half month "around the worldAround the World
Around the World may refer to:* Circumnavigation, to navigate a circumference, as around the Earth-Music:* Around the World , a musical by Cole Porter* Around the World , a concert DVD by Mariah Carey...
" luxury cruise on the Franconia, with their families, friends, and assistants accompanying them. Their intention was to write a new musical on the trip, and songs and scenes were inspired by their ports of call. For example, the song "The Kling-Kling Bird on the Divi-Divi Tree" came about after a trip through a botanical garden in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Playing off the recent celebrations in Britain for the silver jubilee of King George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
, they created a plot about a royal family, filled with characters based on their famous friends. For example, the swimmer who becomes an actor, spoofs Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
; and the well-known party hostess Elsa Maxwell
Elsa Maxwell
Elsa Maxwell was an American gossip columnist and author, songwriter, and professional hostess renowned for her parties for royalty and high society figures of her day....
was portrayed as Eva Standing.
Synopsis
When an impending revolution threatens their regime, the Royal Family decides to abandon responsibilities and pursue their private dreams. The King meets party hostess Eva Standing; the Queen becomes enamored with swimmer-turned-actor Charles Rausmiller; the Prince pursues singer Karen O'Kane; and the Princess is wooed by playwright/composer/actor Eric Dare. When the hostile uprising proves to be a hoax, the four return to power, bringing with them the commoners who have taught them some important life lessons.Song list
Act I- Our Crown
- We're Off to Feathermore
- Why Shouldn't I
- Entrance of Eric
- The Kling-Kling Bird on the Divi-Divi Tree
- When Love Comes Your Way
- What a Nice Municipal Park
- When Me, Mowgli, Love
- Gather Ye Autographs While Ye May
- My Loulou
- Begin the BeguineBegin the Beguine"Begin the Beguine" is a song written by Cole Porter . Porter composed the song at the piano in the bar of the Ritz Hotel in Paris. In October 1935, it was introduced by June Knight in the Broadway musical Jubilee produced at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.-Music:The beguine music and dance...
- Good Morning, Miss Standing
- My Most Intimate Friend
- A Picture of Me Without You
- Ev'rybod-ee Who's Anybod-ee
- The Judgement of Paris
- Aphrodite's Dance
- Swing That Swing
Act II
- Sunday Morning Breakfast Time
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith
- Gay Little Wives
- To Get Away
- Me and Marie
- Just One of Those ThingsJust One of Those Things (song)"Just One of Those Things" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for the 1935 musical Jubilee.The song was later featured in two Doris Day musical films, Lullaby of Broadway and Young at Heart .-Influence in popular culture:...
Production
The musical opened at the Shubert TheatreCiti Performing Arts Center
The Citi Performing Arts Center is located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It consists of two theatres, Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, both of which are neighbors, on Tremont Street, in Boston's Theatre District...
in Boston on September 21, 1935 for a three-week pre-Broadway tryout period. The Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
premiere opened at the Imperial Theatre on October 12, 1935 and closed on May 7, 1936, after 169 performances. Changes in the lead lessened its appeal. The production was supervised by Hassard Short
Hassard Short
Hubert Edward Hassard Short , usually known as Hassard Short, was an actor, stage director, set designer and lighting designer in musical theatrewho directed over 50 Broadway and West End shows between 1920 and 1953...
, who also was the lighting designer, directed by Monty Woolley
Monty Woolley
Monty Woolley was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his best-known role in the stage play and 1942 film The Man Who Came to Dinner...
, choreographed by Albertina Rasch
Albertina Rasch
Albertina Rasch was a naturalized American dancer and choreographer.-Early life:Born in Vienna in 1891 to a family of Polish Jewish descent, Rasch studied at the Vienna State Opera Ballet school and became leading ballerina at the New York Hippodrome in...
and Tony De Marco, and with set design by Jo Mielziner
Jo Mielziner
Joseph "Jo" Mielziner was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He is "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both stage plays and musicals.-Career:He was the son of artist Leo Mielziner, Sr...
.
The cast included
- Melville CooperMelville CooperGeorge Melville Cooper , best known as Melville Cooper, was a British stage, film and television actor. Among his roles are the cowardly Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, and Mr...
as the King, - Mary BolandMary Boland-Career:Born Marie Anne Boland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of William Boland, an actor, and his wife Mary Cecilia Hatton. She had an older sister named Sara....
as the Queen, - Charles WaltersCharles WaltersCharles Walters was a Hollywood director and choreographer most noted for his work in MGM musicals and comedies in from the 1940s to the 1960s....
as the Prince James, - Margaret Adams as Princess Diana, May Boley as Eva Standing,
- Mark Plant as Charles Rausmiller,
- June KnightJune KnightJune Knight was an American Broadway and film actress.Aged 19, she appeared in the last Ziegfeld Follies show, Hot-Cha!...
as Karen O'Kane, - Derek Williams as Eric Dare, and
- Montgomery CliftMontgomery CliftEdward Montgomery Clift was an American film and stage actor. The New York Times’ obituary noted his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men"....
as Prince Peter.
Reception
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported on the musical's Boston opening (in September 1935), writing about Hart's book that it combines "satire, sentiment and humor in good proportion." Porter's score and lyrics were said to be "original and tuneful." Special mention was made of Mary Boland: "Miss Boland played the ingeniously sentimental matron with gusto and enthusiasm, wore royal robes or a one-piece bathing suit with equal aplomb, sang a bit, and danced with every sign of enjoyment."
It was considered "one of the great theatrical events of the 1930s." Of the Broadway opening (on October 12, 1935), Brooks Atkinson
Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960...
(The New York Times) wrote that the show
"is a rapturous masquerade...Each of the guilds that produce our luxurious musical shows has shared equally in the general excellence of an upper-class song-and-dance arcade...It is an excellent fable-good humored, slightly romantic and eminently pragmatic...The music is jaunty, versatile and imaginative...Mary Boland is the queen of the book and the performance and a carnival of comic delights."Burns Mantle
Burns Mantle
Robert Burns Mantle was a well-known American drama critic. He founded the Best Plays annual publication in 1920.. , The New York Times...
of the NY Daily News declared Jubilee, "the most satisfying musical comedy produced in an American theatre within the length of trustworthy memories." Reviewers admired the "book", giving the show a strong plot and solid writing integrated with the music. They quickly picked "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things" as favorite songs.
Later productions
Despite the popular success, the musical was not signed by a theatrical leasing company for stock or amateur performances after its initial run. Performances between 1936 and 1948 were negotiated by the producers Max Gordon and Sam Harris.In 1946, the St. Louis Municipal Opera used the production arrangements, but failed to return them to the Music Box Theatre. Jubilee became a lost show. It was not produced for 40 years.
In 1985, Bill Tynes, producer of The New Amsterdam Theatre Company, hired Larry Moore to reconstruct the show for his 1986 series. Tynes specialized in producing classic musicals in concert at The Town Hall
The Town Hall
The Town Hall is a performance space, located at 123 West 43rd Street, between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, in New York City. It seats approximately 1,500 people.-History:...
in New York. He intended to use the concert presentation for a backers' audition, hoping to generate financial support for a major revival of the show.
The reconstructed musical opened in concert version in March 1986 at The Town Hall, staged by James Brennan, with a cast that included Paula Laurence as The Queen,Robert Fitch as the King, Reed Jones as the Prince, Alyson Reed
Alyson Reed
Alyson Reed is an American dancer and actress.Reed grew up in Anaheim, California and attended Anaheim High School, where she graduated in 1976. She was a varsity songleader for two years, and was ASB President as a senior. She began performing in high school, and one of her major roles was as...
as Karen O'Kane, Carole Shelley
Carole Shelley
Carole Shelley is an English actress. Among her many stage roles are the character of Madame Morrible in the original Broadway cast of the musical Wicked.-Life and career:...
as Eva Standing, Patrick Quinn
Patrick Quinn
Patrick Dominic Quinn was an American actor and a former president of the Actors' Equity Association. Quinn's father was a mortician....
as Eric Dare, Rebecca Luker
Rebecca Luker
Rebecca Luker is an American musical theatre actress and soprano who has appeared in several prominent Broadway productions.-Life and career:...
, and Roderick Cook
Roderick Cook
Roderick Cook was an English playwright, writer, theatre director and actor of stage, television and film...
as the Prime Minister.
The show has been produced twice by Ian Marshall Fisher's "Lost Musicals In Concert" series in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The second production, using the BBC Orchestra, performed in November 1999 at Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
was broadcast in December 1999 by the BBC Radio-3.
On October 10, 1998, a concert version was staged at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, New York City, for the benefit of the Gay Men's Health Crisis
Gay Men's Health Crisis
The Gay Men's Health Crisis is a New York City-based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization that has led the United States in the fight against AIDS.-1980s:...
. Directed by Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross was an American film director, producer, choreographer and actor.-Early life and career:Born Herbert David Ross in Brooklyn, New York, he made his stage debut as Third Witch with a touring company of Macbeth in 1942...
, with choreography by Danny Daniels
Danny Daniels
Danny Daniels is an American choreographer, tap dancer, and teacher.Daniels was a featured dancer in several 1940s Broadway musicals, including Billion Dollar Baby, Street Scene, and Kiss Me, Kate; although he continued performing during the 1950s and after, including a tour with the Agnes de Mille...
, Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Lynne Taylor-Corbett is a choreographer, director, lyricist, and composer. She was born in Denver, Colorado.She works in theatre and film, and also choreographs for dance companies, both ballet and modern, and is the principal guest choreographer for Carolina Ballet...
and Pierre Dulaine, the cast included Bea Arthur as The Queen, Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
as Eva Standing, Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan
Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
as Karen O'Kane, Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter
Michael Jeter was an American actor.- Early life :Michael Jeter was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His mother, Virginia , was a housewife...
as The King, Alice Ripley as The Princess, Stephen Spinella as Eric Dare, Bob Paris
Bob Paris
Bob Paris is a writer, actor, public speaker, civil rights activist and former professional bodybuilder. Paris was the 1983 NPC American National and IFBB World Bodybuilding Champion, Mr. Universe....
as Mowgli, and Philip Bosco
Philip Bosco
-Personal life:Bosco was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Margaret Raymond , a policewoman, and Philip Lupo Bosco, a carnival worker. Bosco went to high school at St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City. He attended the Catholic University of Washington, D.C. Bosco married Nancy...
as Prime Minister. The New York theatre company "Musicals Tonight!" presented a staged concert in October 2004.
Recordings
In the pre-cast album era, musicals generally were popularized by recordings of its songs by vocalists or big bandBig band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
s and/or sales of its sheet music. The following were among contemporary releases:
- "Begin the Beguine/Waltz Down the Aisle" - Xavier CugatXavier CugatXavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra with vocal by Don ReidDon ReidDon Reid is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round of the 1995 NBA Draft. In his career, Reid played for the Pistons, Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic in 8 NBA seasons... - Begin the Beguine/Just One of Those Things/Me and Marie/When Love Comes Your Way/Why Shouldn't I? - Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and His Orchestra - "Begin the Beguine/Me and Marie/Why Shouldn't I?" - Joe HaymesJoe HaymesJoseph Lawrence Haymes was an American jazz bandleader and arranger.Born in Marshfield, Missouri, Haymes relocated with his family to Springfield, Missouri, after his railroader father was killed in an accident. Joe attended Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield and was a drummer in the local...
and His Orchestra - "Just One of Those Things" - Nat Brandywynne and His Orchestra, Ted FioritoTed FioritoTheodore Salvatore Fiorito , known professionally as Ted Fio Rito, was an American composer, orchestra leader and keyboardist who was popular on national radio broadcasts in the 1920s and 30s...
, Richard HimberRichard HimberRichard Himber was an American bandleader, composer, violinist, magician and practical joker.-Early life:He was born as Herbert Richard Imber in Newark, New Jersey to the owner of a chain of meat stores...
, Freddie Martin and His Orchestra, Garland WilsonGarland WilsonGarland Lorenzo Wilson was an American jazz pianist born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, perhaps best-known for his work with Nina Mae McKinney. Wilson was a boogie-woogie and stride pianist.- Career :... - "Me and Marie" - Johnny GreenJohnny GreenJohnny Green was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, and conductor. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earliest, "Body and Soul"...
and His Orchestra - "Waltz Down the Aisle" - Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra
- "When Love Comes Your Way/Me and Marie" - Jimmy DorseyJimmy DorseyJames "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
and His Orchestra - "Why Shouldn't I?/A Picture of Me Without You" - Jimmy DorseyJimmy DorseyJames "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
and His Orchestra with vocals by Bob Eberle/Kay Weber - "Why Shouldn't I?/When Love Comes Your Way" - Johnny GreenJohnny GreenJohnny Green was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, and conductor. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earliest, "Body and Soul"...
and His Orchestra - "Begin the Beguine" - Artie ShawArtie ShawArthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
and His Orchestra