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The Band Wagon (musical)
Encyclopedia
For the film, see The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon is a musical revue
with book by George S. Kaufman
and Howard Dietz
, lyrics by Howard Dietz
and music by Arthur Schwartz
. It first played on Broadway
in 1931, running for 260 performances. It introduced the song "Dancing in the Dark" and inspired two films.
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
on June 3, 1931 and closed on January 16, 1932, running a total of 260 performances. Produced by Max Gordon
, staging and lighting were by Hassard Short
, choreography by Albertina Rasch
, and scenic design by Albert R. Johnson. The cast included Fred Astaire
, Adele Astaire
, Helen Broderick
, Tilly Losch
, and Frank Morgan
.
According to Steven Suskin, "very few people are around who saw The Band Wagon, but they all seem to insist that it was the finest Broadway revue ever." According to Furia and Lasser, The Band Wagon is "arguably the greatest of the 'little' revues of the 1930s". Ken Bloom states that The Band Wagon "is considered the greatest of all revues."
The show introduced one of the best Schwartz-Dietz songs, "Dancing in the Dark", which was also the title of one of the two motion pictures made from this show. (The other was The Band Wagon
.) This was the first New York production to use the double revolving stage
for the songs and sketches. Although it had incomparable dancing by Fred and Adele Astaire, it was the last time the brother and sister team appeared together.
Act II
In "Good Old Nectar", instead of cheering the football star, the old graduates cheer the history champion (Adele Astaire, Fred Astaire, John Barker, Phillip Loeb, Frank Morgan, Francis Pierlot, Roberta Robinson, Jay Wilson).
The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career...
The Band Wagon is a musical revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
with book by George S. Kaufman
George S. Kaufman
George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
and Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist.-Biography:Dietz was born in New York City and studied journalism at Columbia University...
, lyrics by Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist.-Biography:Dietz was born in New York City and studied journalism at Columbia University...
and music by Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
. It first played 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 1931, running for 260 performances. It introduced the song "Dancing in the Dark" and inspired two films.
Production
The revue opened on BroadwayBroadway 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...
at the New Amsterdam Theatre
New Amsterdam Theatre
The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater located at 214 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Theatre District of Manhattan, New York City, off of Times Square...
on June 3, 1931 and closed on January 16, 1932, running a total of 260 performances. Produced by Max Gordon
Max Gordon (producer)
Max Gordon was an American theatre and film producer. His credits included My Sister Eileen, which he produced both on stage and on film.-Biography:...
, staging and lighting were 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...
, choreography 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 scenic design by Albert R. Johnson. The cast included Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Adele Astaire
Adele Astaire
Lady Charles Cavendish , better known as Adele Astaire, was an American dancer and entertainer. She was Fred Astaire's elder sister. Her birthdate was often given as 1897 or 1898, but the 1900 U.S...
, Helen Broderick
Helen Broderick
Helen Broderick was an American film and stage actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick.-Career:...
, Tilly Losch
Tilly Losch
Ottilie Ethel Leopoldine "Tilly" Losch, Countess of Carnarvon was an Austrian-born dancer, choreographer, actress and painter who lived and worked for most of her life in the United States and United Kingdom....
, and Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
.
According to Steven Suskin, "very few people are around who saw The Band Wagon, but they all seem to insist that it was the finest Broadway revue ever." According to Furia and Lasser, The Band Wagon is "arguably the greatest of the 'little' revues of the 1930s". Ken Bloom states that The Band Wagon "is considered the greatest of all revues."
The show introduced one of the best Schwartz-Dietz songs, "Dancing in the Dark", which was also the title of one of the two motion pictures made from this show. (The other was The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon
The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career...
.) This was the first New York production to use the double revolving stage
Revolving stage
A revolving stage is a mechanically controlled platform within a theatre that can be rotated in order to speed up the changing of a scene within a show...
for the songs and sketches. Although it had incomparable dancing by Fred and Adele Astaire, it was the last time the brother and sister team appeared together.
Songs and scenes
Act I- Parody
- Where Can He Be? - Helen Broderick
- Nanette - Frank Morgan, Philip Loeb, Francis Pierlot
- Sweet Music - Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
- High and Low - John Barker, Roberta Robinson
- Hoops - 2 French children dance and play - Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
- (What's the Use of Being) Miserable with You? - Adele Astaire
- New Sun in the Sky - Fred Astaire
- I Love Louisa - in a BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n setting the company rides a merry-go-round - Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire
Act II
- White Heat - Adele Astaire
- The Beggar Waltz (dance) - Fred Astaire, Tillie Losch
- Dancing in the Dark - John Barker (singer), Tilly Losch (dancer) on a slanted, mirrored stage
- A Nice Place to Visit - Helen Broderick
Sketches
A parody of the set pieces of the typical show, involved moonlight seranade, the waltz number, and the overworked blackout ("Where Can He Be?") and ("Nanette"). In the "Pour le Bain" sketch, Helen Broderick is a Westchester matron shopping for bathroom fixtures in an expensive store, including bathtubs and washbowls. Noting that there was no mention of the "other fixture", the salesman replied with a line of poetry -- blackout. Frank Morgan, a Southern colonel in "The Pride of the Claghornes", throws his daughter out because she never did anything wrong, thereby going against Southern tradition. Percy Hammond repeatedly noted about the attractive chorus girls "They look, as Miss Laurette Taylor used to say, as if they all had mothers."In "Good Old Nectar", instead of cheering the football star, the old graduates cheer the history champion (Adele Astaire, Fred Astaire, John Barker, Phillip Loeb, Frank Morgan, Francis Pierlot, Roberta Robinson, Jay Wilson).