Two for the Show (musical)
Encyclopedia
Two for the Show is a musical revue with sketches and lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis
. The production was conceived by John Murray Anderson
.
on February 8, 1940 and closed on May 25, 1940 after 124 performances. It was produced by Gertrude Macy and Stanley Gilkey. Scenic design and costumes were by Raoul Pène Du Bois
; vocal arrangements were by Harold Cooke, with orchestrations by Hans Spialek and Don Walker
. Directed by John Murray Anderson, the sketches were directed by Joshua Logan
with musical staging by Robert Alton
.
The original cast included William Archibald, Eve Arden
, Virginia Bolen, Frances Comstock, Norton Dean, Alfred Drake
, Brenda Forbes, Nadine Gae, Willard Gary, Richard Haydn
, Eunice Healy, Betty Hutton
, Kathryn Kimber, Dean Norton, Richard Smart
, Robert Smith, Tommy Wonder, and Keenan Wynn
.
The sketches "The Age of Innocence" and "Cookery" were written by Richard Haydn. The most notable song introduced in the show was "How High the Moon
," which subsequently has been recorded by many pop
and jazz
artists, becoming a well-known standard.
There were two other revues in this series, all conceived and directed by John Murray Anderson: One for the Money (February 4, 1939-May 27, 1939), and Three to Make Ready (March 7, 1946-December 14, 1946).
Act 2
, Brooks Atkinson
called the successor to last year's revue a "very pleasant evening...little in size and breezily acted." He felt that Nancy Hamilton's sketches were more clever than entertaining, but were more professional than in the previous revue. He praised Richard Haydn's "limp mannerisms and gasping speech." Especially noted was "fresh and antic" Betty Hutton, "who dances like a mad sprite and sings breathlessly as though she enjoys it."
Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis may refer to:*Morgan Lewis , Governor of New York State, U.S.A.*Morgan Lewis *Morganics, hip hop artist Morgan Lewis-See also:*Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, law firm*Lewis Morgan...
. The production was conceived by John Murray Anderson
John Murray Anderson
John Murray Anderson was a theatre director and producer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, and lighting designer. He worked almost every genre of show business, including vaudeville, Broadway, and film....
.
Production
The musical opened on Broadway at the Booth TheatreBooth Theatre
The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan, New York City.Architect Henry B. Herts designed the Booth and its companion Shubert Theatre as a back-to-back pair sharing a Venetian Renaissance-style façade...
on February 8, 1940 and closed on May 25, 1940 after 124 performances. It was produced by Gertrude Macy and Stanley Gilkey. Scenic design and costumes were by Raoul Pène Du Bois
Raoul Pene Du Bois
Raoul Pene Du Bois was an American costume designer and scenic designer for the stage and film. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Career:...
; vocal arrangements were by Harold Cooke, with orchestrations by Hans Spialek and Don Walker
Don Walker
Don Walker may refer to:*Don Walker , Australian musician*Don Walker , American orchestrator*Don Walker...
. Directed by John Murray Anderson, the sketches were directed by Joshua Logan
Joshua Logan
Joshua Lockwood Logan III was an American stage and film director and writer.-Early years:Logan was born in Texarkana, Texas, the son of Susan and Joshua Lockwood Logan. When he was three years old his father committed suicide...
with musical staging by Robert Alton
Robert Alton
Robert Alton was an American dancer and choreographer, a major figure in dance choreography of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the 1930s through to the early 1950s...
.
The original cast included William Archibald, Eve Arden
Eve Arden
Eve Arden was an American actress. Her almost 60-year career crossed most media frontiers with supporting and leading roles, but she may be best-remembered for playing the sardonic but engaging title character, a high school teacher, on Our Miss Brooks, and as the Rydell High School principal in...
, Virginia Bolen, Frances Comstock, Norton Dean, Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake
Alfred Drake was an American actor and singer.-Biography:Born as Alfred Capurro in New York City, the son of parents emigrated from Recco, Genoa, Drake began his Broadway career while still a student at Brooklyn College...
, Brenda Forbes, Nadine Gae, Willard Gary, Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn was an English comic actor in radio, films and television.-Early life and career:Born George Richard Haydon in London, he was known for playing eccentric characters, such as Edwin Carp, Claud Curdle, Richard Rancyd and Stanley Stayle. Much of his stage delivery was done in a...
, Eunice Healy, Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedienne and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg, daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum . While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for...
, Kathryn Kimber, Dean Norton, Richard Smart
Richard Smart (actor)
Richard Palmer Kaleioku Smart was a musical theatre actor and singer who became owner of the largest private ranch in Hawaii.-Early life:...
, Robert Smith, Tommy Wonder, and Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
.
The sketches "The Age of Innocence" and "Cookery" were written by Richard Haydn. The most notable song introduced in the show was "How High the Moon
How High the Moon
"How High the Moon" is a jazz standard with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis. It was first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show, where it was sung by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock....
," which subsequently has been recorded by many pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
artists, becoming a well-known standard.
There were two other revues in this series, all conceived and directed by John Murray Anderson: One for the Money (February 4, 1939-May 27, 1939), and Three to Make Ready (March 7, 1946-December 14, 1946).
Songs
Act 1- Calypso Joe
- This 'Merry' Christmas
- That Terrible Tune
- Destry Has Ridden Again
- How High The Moon - Alfred Drake, Virginia Bolen, Norton Dean, Eunice Healy, Kathryn Kimber, Richard Smart, Robert Smith, Tommy Wonder
- That Terrible Tune
- That Terrible Tune
- A House With a Little Red Barn
- The All-Girl Band
Act 2
- Where Do You Get Your Greens?
- At Last It's Love
- Song of Spain
- Fool for Luck
- Goodnight, Mrs. Astor
Critical response
In his review for 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...
, Brooks Atkinson
Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson was an American theatre critic. He worked for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960...
called the successor to last year's revue a "very pleasant evening...little in size and breezily acted." He felt that Nancy Hamilton's sketches were more clever than entertaining, but were more professional than in the previous revue. He praised Richard Haydn's "limp mannerisms and gasping speech." Especially noted was "fresh and antic" Betty Hutton, "who dances like a mad sprite and sings breathlessly as though she enjoys it."