Funny Face (musical)

Last updated
Funny Face
Funny Face1927.jpg
Music George Gershwin
Lyrics Ira Gershwin
Book Paul Gerard Smith
Fred Thompson
Productions Alvin Theatre (1927)
244 performances

Funny Face is a 1927 musical composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and book by Fred Thompson and Paul Gerard Smith. When it opened on Broadway on November 22, 1927, as the first show performed in the newly built Alvin Theatre, it starred Fred Astaire and his sister Adele Astaire. It was in this show that Astaire first danced in evening clothes and a top hat. [1]

Contents

Originally called Smarty, it first opened in Philadelphia on October 11, 1927, to poor reviews. This led to major rewrites and caused critic-humorist Robert Benchley, who had contributed to the script, to walk out. [2] The rewrites and changes continued as the musical moved from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. (October 31); to Atlantic City (November 7); to Wilmington (November 14); [3] before reaching Broadway and the Alvin Theatre on November 22, now renamed Funny Face. It became a major Broadway hit, and after 244 performances, the whole company transferred it to London, where Fred and Adele Astaire had had a successful run of Lady, Be Good! just before starting the rehearsals of Smarty in Philadelphia. [4] [5]

The London production opened at Princes Theatre on November 8, 1928, [6] and ran there until January 29, 1929. After a short tour of the UK provinces, the musical re-opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in London on March 11, 1929, where it ran until June 1929, [7] chalking up a total of 263 performances. [6] Leslie Henson shared top billing with Fred and Adele Astaire. [7]

Plot

Setting: The house of Jimmy Reeve; the house of Peter Thurston; Lake Wapatog, New Jersey and Atlantic City, New Jersey

Jimmy Reeve is the legal guardian of three pretty sisters, Dora, June and Frankie, whose prize belongings he keeps in his safe. June's pearl necklace is locked in there, and so is Frankie's diary, after having been confiscated by Jimmy. However, the diary contains very incriminating things, so Frankie convinces the aviator Peter Thurston to steal it from the safe. But somehow he manages to steal the pearls instead, setting off a merry chase that takes the cast to the Atlantic City pier. And to make matters even more complicated, two bumbling burglars, Herbert and Dugsie, also try to break into the safe and are swept along in the chase. At one point, they have a falling out, but Herbert is unable to shoot Dugsie as he has forgotten to get a shooting license. [1] [3]

Original Broadway production

The show opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 22, 1927, and ran for 244 performances. It was directed by Edgar MacGregor, with choreography by Bobby Connolly. [8]

Main cast [8]

Songs

Adaptions and inspirations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Astaire</span> American dancer, actor, and singer (1899–1987)

Fred Astaire was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter. He is widely regarded as the "greatest popular-music dancer of all time". He received numerous accolades including an Honorary Academy Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was honored with the Film Society of Lincoln Center tribute in 1973, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, and AFI Life Achievement Award in 1980. He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1972, and the Television Hall of Fame in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adele Astaire</span> American dancer and entertainer (1896–1981)

Adele Astaire Douglass was an American dancer, stage actress, and singer. After beginning work as a dancer and vaudeville performer at the age of nine, Astaire built a successful performance career with her younger brother, Fred Astaire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1927 in music</span> Overview of the events of 1927 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1937 in music</span> Overview of the events of 1937 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1937.

<i>Funny Face</i> 1957 American musical romantic comedy film by Stanley Donen

Funny Face is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical Funny Face by the Gershwin brothers, and featuring the same male star, the plot is completely different and only four of the songs from the stage musical are included. Alongside Astaire, the film stars Audrey Hepburn and Kay Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Schwartz</span> American composer and film producer (1900–1984)

Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz.

<i>Oh, Kay!</i> Musical

Oh, Kay! is a musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse. It is based on the play La Présidente by Maurice Hennequin and Pierre Veber. The plot revolves around the adventures of the Duke of Durham and his sister, Lady Kay, English bootleggers in Prohibition Era America. Kay finds herself falling in love with a man who seems unavailable. The show is remembered for its enduring song, "Someone to Watch Over Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Simon Theatre</span> Broadway theater in Manhattan, New York

The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for Alex A. Aarons and Vinton Freedley. The original name was an amalgamation of Aarons's and Freedley's first names; the theater was renamed for playwright Neil Simon in 1983. The Neil Simon has 1,467 seats across two levels and is operated by the Nederlander Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.

<i>Shall We Dance</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Mark Sandrich

Shall We Dance is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich. It is the seventh of the ten Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers films. The story follows an American ballet dancer (Astaire) who falls in love with a tap dancer (Rogers); the tabloid press concocts a story of their marriage, after which life imitates art. George Gershwin wrote the symphonic underscore and Ira Gershwin the lyrics, for their second Hollywood musical.

<i>Lady, Be Good</i> (musical) 1924 musical written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson

Lady, Be Good! is a musical written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson with music by George and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was first presented on Broadway in 1924; the West End production followed in 1926. The story of the musical is about a brother and sister who are out of money; both are eager to sacrifice themselves to help the other. This was the first Broadway collaboration of the Gershwin brothers, and the Astaire siblings play a brother-sister dance team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">'S Wonderful</span> Song by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns

"'S Wonderful" is a 1927 popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Funny Face (1927) by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns.

<i>My One and Only</i> (musical) Musical

My One and Only is a musical with a book by Peter Stone and Timothy S. Mayer and music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin. The musical ran on Broadway and in the West End.

"Funny Face" is a 1927 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

"My One and Only" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, written for the 1927 musical Funny Face where it was introduced by Fred Astaire, Betty Compton and Gertrude McDonald. It was originally titled "(What Am I Gonna Do) If You Turn Me Down?"

"He Loves and She Loves" is a 1927 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Thompson (writer)</span> English writer, best known as a librettist (1884–1949)

Frederick A. Thompson, usually credited as Fred Thompson was an English writer, best known as a librettist for about fifty British and American musical comedies in the first half of the 20th century. Among the writers with whom he collaborated were George Grossmith Jr., P. G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton and Ira Gershwin. Composers with whom he worked included Lionel Monckton, Ivor Novello and George Gershwin.

She Knew What She Wanted is a 1936 British musical comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Albert Burdon, Claude Dampier and Googie Withers. It was based on the stage musical Funny Face.

She Couldn't Say No is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Tommy Trinder, Fred Emney and Googie Withers. It was based on a play Funny Face by Paul Gerard Smith and Fred Thompson. The screenplay features a woman who arranges a burglary to try to recover a stolen diary with compromising details written in it.

Vinton Freedley was an American theater and television producer known for his productions of the works of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and television shows such as Talent Jackpot and Showtime U.S.A..

Sammy Lee, born Samuel Levy, was an American choreographer, dancer, and producer who worked mainly on Broadway and for 20th Century Fox film corporation in Hollywood.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Oxford Companion to American Theatre: Funny Face (1927) Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine Linked 2013-05-18
  2. Jablonski, Edward. Gershwin. Doubleday (1988), p. 144.
  3. 1 2 Howard Pollack: George Gershwin: His Life and Work, pages 406–09 Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine . Linked 2013-05-18.
  4. Philip Furia: Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist, pages 63–65 Archived 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine . Linked 2013-05-18.
  5. Talkin' Broadway Regional News & Reviews: San Francisco - "Woman in Black" and "Funny Face" - 5/22/00
  6. 1 2 Green, Stanley (1976). Encyclopaedia of the Musical. London: Cassell. ISBN   0-304-29930-8.
  7. 1 2 Theatre Programme: "Funny Face" Winter Gardens Theatre, London, dated "June 17" and "last weeks".
  8. 1 2 IBDB: Funny Face, Alvin Theatre 1927-1928 Linked 2013-05-18