Very Good Eddie
Encyclopedia
Very Good Eddie is a musical
with a book by Guy Bolton
and Philip Bartholomae, music by Jerome Kern
, and lyrics by Schuyler Green and Herbert Reynolds
, with additional lyrics by Elsie Janis
, Harry B. Smith
and John E. Hazzard and additional music by Henry Kailimai. The story was based on the farce
Over Night by Bartholomae. The show was the second of the series of "Princess Theatre musicals"
and was a hit for Bolton and Kern, running for 341 performances and leading to further successful collaborations.
The farcical
plot focuses on Eddie Kettle, a very short young man newly married to Georgina, who is extremely tall. They board a Hudson River
Day Line boat headed for the Honeymoon Inn in Poughkeepsie
. Also on board are extremely tall athlete Percy Darling and his very short bride Elsie. Chaos ensues when the couples cross paths and accidentally trade partners. The vaudeville
-style adventure continues at the hotel, where guests with names like Gay Anne Giddy, Fullern A. Goat, Tayleurs Dummee, Always Innit, and Madame Matroppo
, a sex-crazed opera coach whose student is "Lily Pond" (Lily Pons
), pop in and out of rooms while an inebriated desk clerk tries to sort through all the madness. Eventually the mismatched newlyweds find their way back to each other and, not surprisingly, true love prevails.
consisted of a mix of elaborate European operettas, like The Merry Widow
(1907), British musical comedy
imports, likeThe Arcadians (1910), George M. Cohan
's shows, the operettas of Victor Herbert
, and the spectacular revue
s of Florenz Ziegfeld
. But as Cohan's and Herbert's creative output waned, new creative talent was being nurtured on Broadway, including Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin
and Sigmund Romberg
. Kern began by revising British musicals to suit American audiences, adding songs that "have a timeless, distinctly American sound that redefined the Broadway showtune."
The Princess Theatre
was a simply designed, 299-seat Broadway theatre
that had failed to attract successful productions because of its small size. Theatre agent Elisabeth Marbury asked Kern and Bolton to write a series of musicals specifically tailored to its smaller setting, with an intimate style and modest budgets, that would provide an alternative to the star-studded extravaganzas of Ziegfeld and others. Kern and Bolton's first Princess Theatre musical was Nobody's Home (1915), an adaptation of a London show called Mr. Popple of Ippleton. Very Good Eddie was their second. This was followed by an even bigger hit in 1917, Oh, Boy!
and several others, all featuring modern American settings and simple scene changes (one set for each act) to more aptly suit the small theatre, eschewing operetta traditions of foreign locales and elaborate scenery.
and F. Ray Comstock, the original Broadway production
opened on December 23, 1915 at the Princess Theatre. In May 1916, it moved to the Casino Theatre, and in September it transferred to the 39th Street Theatre, returning to the Princess Theatre to end its run on October 14, 1916, after a total of 341 performances. The cast included Ernest Truex
and Helen Raymond
. The sets were designed by the interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe
, who also coordinated the costumes.
In 1975, the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut
revived the show to great acclaim, prompting the producers to transfer it to Broadway. After three previews, it opened on December 21, 1975 at the Booth Theatre
, where it ran for 304 performances. The cast, directed by Bill Gile and choreograped by Dan Siretta, included Charles Repole
, Virginia Seidel, James Harder, and Travis Hudson.
In 1976, the musical ran for 411 performances at the Piccadilly Theatre
in London's West End
. The cast included Prue Clarke
.
Act II
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book by Guy Bolton
Guy Bolton
Guy Reginald Bolton was a British-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the U.S., he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred working in collaboration with others, principally the English writers P. G...
and Philip Bartholomae, music by Jerome Kern
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
, and lyrics by Schuyler Green and Herbert Reynolds
Herbert Reynolds
Michael Elder Rourke , who assumed the pen name Herbert Reynolds in 1913, was an Irish-American lyricist.Reynolds wrote the lyrics to Jerome Kern's first big hit, "They Didn't Believe Me", interpolated into the 1914 American version of The Girl from Utah, produced by Charles Frohman...
, with additional lyrics by Elsie Janis
Elsie Janis
Elsie Janis was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and screenwriter. Entertaining the troops during World War I immortalized her as "the sweetheart of the AEF" .-Early career:...
, Harry B. Smith
Harry B. Smith
Harry Bache Smith was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works were librettos for the composer Victor Herbert...
and John E. Hazzard and additional music by Henry Kailimai. The story was based on the farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
Over Night by Bartholomae. The show was the second of the series of "Princess Theatre musicals"
Princess Theatre
The Princess Theatre was a joint venture between the Shubert Brothers , producer Ray Comstock, theatrical agent Elisabeth Marbury and actor-director Holbrook Blinn...
and was a hit for Bolton and Kern, running for 341 performances and leading to further successful collaborations.
The farcical
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
plot focuses on Eddie Kettle, a very short young man newly married to Georgina, who is extremely tall. They board a Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
Day Line boat headed for the Honeymoon Inn in Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
. Also on board are extremely tall athlete Percy Darling and his very short bride Elsie. Chaos ensues when the couples cross paths and accidentally trade partners. The vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
-style adventure continues at the hotel, where guests with names like Gay Anne Giddy, Fullern A. Goat, Tayleurs Dummee, Always Innit, and Madame Matroppo
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
, a sex-crazed opera coach whose student is "Lily Pond" (Lily Pons
Lily Pons
Lily Pons was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer she specialized in the coloratura soprano repertoire and was particularly associated with the title roles in Léo Delibes' Lakmé and Gaetano...
), pop in and out of rooms while an inebriated desk clerk tries to sort through all the madness. Eventually the mismatched newlyweds find their way back to each other and, not surprisingly, true love prevails.
Background
Early in the 20th century, American musical theatreMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
consisted of a mix of elaborate European operettas, like The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
(1907), British musical comedy
Edwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
imports, likeThe Arcadians (1910), George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
's shows, the operettas of Victor Herbert
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...
, and the spectacular 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...
s of Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
. But as Cohan's and Herbert's creative output waned, new creative talent was being nurtured on Broadway, including Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
and Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg was a Hungarian-born American composer, best known for his operettas.-Biography:Romberg was born as Siegmund Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Gross-Kanizsa during the Austro-Hungarian kaiserlich und königlich monarchy period...
. Kern began by revising British musicals to suit American audiences, adding songs that "have a timeless, distinctly American sound that redefined the Broadway showtune."
The Princess Theatre
Princess Theatre
The Princess Theatre was a joint venture between the Shubert Brothers , producer Ray Comstock, theatrical agent Elisabeth Marbury and actor-director Holbrook Blinn...
was a simply designed, 299-seat Broadway theatre
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...
that had failed to attract successful productions because of its small size. Theatre agent Elisabeth Marbury asked Kern and Bolton to write a series of musicals specifically tailored to its smaller setting, with an intimate style and modest budgets, that would provide an alternative to the star-studded extravaganzas of Ziegfeld and others. Kern and Bolton's first Princess Theatre musical was Nobody's Home (1915), an adaptation of a London show called Mr. Popple of Ippleton. Very Good Eddie was their second. This was followed by an even bigger hit in 1917, Oh, Boy!
Oh, Boy! (musical)
Oh, Boy! is a musical in two acts, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse. The story concerns befuddled George, who elopes with Lou Ellen, the daughter of Judge Carter. He must win over her parents and his Quaker aunt...
and several others, all featuring modern American settings and simple scene changes (one set for each act) to more aptly suit the small theatre, eschewing operetta traditions of foreign locales and elaborate scenery.
Productions
Produced by Elisabeth MarburyElisabeth Marbury
Elisabeth Marbury was a pioneering American theatrical and literary agent and producer who represented a prominent theatrical performers and writers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and helped shape business methods of the modern commercial theater...
and F. Ray Comstock, the original Broadway production
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...
opened on December 23, 1915 at the Princess Theatre. In May 1916, it moved to the Casino Theatre, and in September it transferred to the 39th Street Theatre, returning to the Princess Theatre to end its run on October 14, 1916, after a total of 341 performances. The cast included Ernest Truex
Ernest Truex
Ernest Truex was an American actor of stage and film.-Career:...
and Helen Raymond
Helen Raymond
Helen Raymond was a stage actress who did comedy roles on Broadway, and also appeared in Hollywood motion pictures. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Stage Actress:...
. The sets were designed by the interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe
Elsie de Wolfe
]Elsie de Wolfe was an American actress, interior decorator, nominal author of the influential 1913 book The House in Good Taste, and a prominent figure in New York, Paris, and London society...
, who also coordinated the costumes.
In 1975, the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut
East Haddam, Connecticut
East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,333 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
revived the show to great acclaim, prompting the producers to transfer it to Broadway. After three previews, it opened on December 21, 1975 at the Booth Theatre
Booth 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...
, where it ran for 304 performances. The cast, directed by Bill Gile and choreograped by Dan Siretta, included Charles Repole
Charles Repole
Charles Repole is an American actor, theatre director, and college professor.Repole made his Broadway debut in Very Good Eddie in 1975, earning a Tony Award nomination and a Theatre World Award for his performance...
, Virginia Seidel, James Harder, and Travis Hudson.
In 1976, the musical ran for 411 performances at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
in London's 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...
. The cast included Prue Clarke
Prue Clarke
Prue Clarke is a British actress.She first appeared on screen in 1974's Fall of Eagles. Since then her television credits have included Casualty, The Cleopatras, Doctors, Down to Earth, Holby City, Love Hurts and Midsomer Murders.-External links:...
.
Songs
Act I- Overture
- We're on Our Way – (Victoria Lake and Ensemble)
- The Same Old Game** – (Dick Rivers and Girls)
- Some Sort of Somebody – (Dick and Elsie Lilly) (from Miss Information; lyrics by Janis)
- Thirteen Collar* – (Eddie)
- Bungalow in Quogue* – (Elsie and Percy Darling) (lyrics By P. G. Wodehouse)
- Isn't it Great to Be Married? – (Eddie and Georgina Kettle, Elsie and Percy Darling)
- Good Night Boat* – (Company) (lyrics by Anne Caldwell and Frank Craven)
- Left All Alone Again Blues* – (Elsie Darling) (lyrics by Caldwell)
- Hot Dog!* – (Company) (lyrics by Caldwell)
- If You're a Friend of Mine* – (Elsie Darling and Eddie) (Lyrics by Harry Graham)
- Wedding Bells Are Calling Me – (from Nobody Home; Lyrics by Smith)
- *Songs from 1975 revival
- **Not in the 1975 revival
Act II
- On the Shore at Le Lei Wi** – (Elsie Lilly, Dick and Ensemble) (music by Kailimai and Kern)
- If I Find the Girl** – (Dick and Ensemble) (lyrics by Reynolds and Hazzard)
- Thirteen Collar** – (Eddie)
- Honeymoon Inn* – (Elsie Lilly and Company) (lyrics by Wodehouse)
- I've Got to Dance* – (M. de Rougemont and Company)
- Moon of Love* – (Mme. Matroppo and Company) (lyrics by Caldwell)
- Old Boy Neutral – (Elsie Lilly, Dick and Ensemble)
- Babes in the Wood – (Elsie Darling and Eddie) (Lyrics by Kern and Greene)
- The Fashion Show** – (Victoria and Ensemble)
- I Wish I Had a Million** – (Al Cleveland and Girls)
- Katy-Did* – (Mme. Matroppo) (lyrics by Smith)
- Nodding Roses – (Elsie Lilly, Miss Rivers and Dick) (lyrics by Reynolds and Hazzard)
- Finale – (Company) (lyrics by Reynolds and Hazzard)
Principal roles and original cast
- Steward (on "The Catskill") – Benjamin F. Wright
- Monsieur De Rougement – James Lounsbery
- Purser (on "The Catskill") – Lew Fullerton
- Dick Rivers – Oscar Shaw
- Mme. Matroppo – Ada Lewis
- Elsie Lilly – Anna Orr
- Eddie Kettle – Ernest TruexErnest TruexErnest Truex was an American actor of stage and film.-Career:...
- Georgina Kettle (his wife) – Helen RaymondHelen RaymondHelen Raymond was a stage actress who did comedy roles on Broadway, and also appeared in Hollywood motion pictures. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Stage Actress:...
- Percy Darling – John Willard
- Elsie Darling (his wife) – Alice DoveyAlice DoveyAlice Dovey was an American motion picture comedienne and actress who first appeared in The Last Commander . This was a Famous Players Lasky movie which was directed by Alan Dwan...
- Al Cleveland (clerk at The Rip Van Winkle Inn) – John E. Hazzard
- Victoria Lake – Julia Mills
- Chrystal Poole – Tess Mayer
- Lily Pond – Bessie Kelly
- Belle Fontaine – Arline Chase
- Flo Tide – Marie Kittridge
- Virginia Spring – Dorothy Silvia
1975 awards and nominations
- Tony AwardTony AwardThe 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 Featured Actor in a Musical (Repole, nominee) - Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Seidel, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Theatre World AwardTheatre World AwardThe Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
(Repole and Seidel, winners) - Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Seidel, nominee) - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Harder, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Hudson, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival (nominee)