The Nervous Set

Last updated

The Nervous Set is a 1959 Broadway musical written by Jay Landesman and Theodore J. Flicker which centers on the Beat Generation. [1] It tells the story of a wealthy publisher and his wife from a Connecticut suburb exploring the Greenwich Village of New York City as they navigate their dysfunctional marriage. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The musical was based on Landesman's unpublished novel, inspired by Landesman's experiences as part of the Beat Generation or Cool Generation. [4] [5] It premiered on March 10, 1959, in the Crystal Palace theatre, located in the Gaslight Square of St. Louis. [6] The cast of the original production included Don Heller, Arlene Corwin, Tom Aldredge, Del Close, Janice Meshkoff, and Barry Primus. [7] A Broadway producer Robert Lantz, after watching the St. Louis production, brought the musical to Broadway of New York City and cast Larry Hagman, Richard Hayes, Tani Seitz, Gerald Hiken, David Sallade, and the original St. Louis cast, including Heller, Corwin, and Primus as the background chorus and understudies. The New York City production debuted on May 12, 1959, at the Henry Miller Theater and lasted 23 performances. [8] [9]

Songs

Songs include "Ballad of the Sad Young Men", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most", "Man, We're Beat", and "Laugh, I Thought I'd Die". An unused song "Pitch for Pot" features the controversial line, "I've got the finest grade of pot you've ever seen / I guarantee it'll get you high". [9]

The lyrics were written by Fran Landesman, and the music was composed by Tommy Wolf. [10] Four instrumentalists provided the accompaniment, listed in the opening-week Playbill as " 'The Nervous Set' Jazz Quartet": Tommy Wolf, piano; Billy Schneider, drums; Chuck Wayne, guitar; Joe Benjamin, bass. [11]

The song "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" would be later recorded by many popular vocalists including Petula Clark, Roberta Flack, [12] Shirley Bassey, [13] and Rickie Lee Jones. [14] Jazz vocalist Mark Murphy also included the song on his album, "Bop for Kerouac." "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" would be popular among gay bars. [15]

Off-Broadway cast recording

Originally released by Sony Music on May 18, 1959, the Off-Broadway Cast Recording is 47 minutes and 15 seconds long, and contains the following 17 songs.

Act 1

Act 2

Reception

The musical had mixed reception. The New York Daily News praised it as "most brilliant, sophisticated, witty, and completely novel", while the New York World-Telegram & Sun called it "weird". [9] Billboard music critic Bob Rolontz praised three songs out of eighteen — "Ballad of the Sad Young Men", "I've Got to Learn About Life", and "Rejection"—as highlights of the musical. [2] The New York Post found it to have "a certain juvenile brightness in its amiably frenetic activities." [16] The Brooklyn Daily thought it "perhaps the best play to hit Broadway this year." [17]

Related Research Articles

<i>My Fair Lady</i> Stage musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

My Fair Lady is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on the 1938 film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician, so that she may pass as a lady. Despite his cynical nature and difficulty understanding women, Higgins grows attached to her.

<i>The Music Man</i> 1957 stage musical by Meredith Willson

The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naïve Midwestern townsfolk, promising to train the members of the new band. Harold is no musician, however, and plans to skip town without giving any music lessons. Prim librarian and piano teacher Marian sees through him, but when Harold helps her younger brother overcome his lisp and social awkwardness, Marian begins to fall in love with him. He risks being caught to win her heart.

<i>On the Town</i> (musical) 1945 musical by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green

On the Town is a musical with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on Jerome Robbins' idea for his 1944 ballet Fancy Free, which he had set to Bernstein's music. The musical introduced several popular and classic songs, among them "New York, New York", "Lonely Town", "I Can Cook, Too", and "Some Other Time". The story concerns three American sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City during World War II, 1944. Each of the three sailors meets and quickly connects with a woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Strouse</span> American composer and lyricist

Charles Strouse is an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to such Broadway musicals as Bye Bye Birdie, Applause, and Annie.

Hot Spot is a musical with the book by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, lyrics by Martin Charnin, music by Mary Rodgers, and additional lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It had a brief run on Broadway in 1963. The musical is a political satire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Landesman</span> American lyricist and poet (1927–2011)

Fran Landesman was an American lyricist and poet. She grew up in New York City and lived for years in St. Louis, Missouri, where her husband Jay Landesman operated the Crystal Palace nightclub. One of her best-known songs is "Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most".

<i>Tovarich</i> (musical) 1963 stage musical

Tovarich is a 1963 stage musical in two acts with book by David Shaw; music by Lee Pockriss and lyrics by Anne Croswell; based on the comedy by Jacques Deval and Robert E. Sherwood.

Theodore Jonas Flicker was an American playwright, theatrical producer, television and film director, actor, television writer, screenwriter, author and sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liliane Montevecchi</span> French-Italian actress and entertainer

Liliane Montevecchi was a French Italian actress, dancer, and singer.

"Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" (1955) is a popular song with lyrics by Fran Landesman, set to music by Tommy Wolf. The title is a jazz rendition of the opening line of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, "April is the cruellest month". The song describes how somebody feels sad and depressed despite all the good things associated with spring.

<i>No Limit</i> (Art Pepper album) 1977 studio album by Art Pepper

No Limit is a 1977 jazz album by saxophonist Art Pepper playing with pianist George Cables, bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Carl Burnett.

Irving Ned "Jay" Landesman was an American publisher, nightclub owner, writer, and long-time expatriate resident in London, England.

<i>Pop Pop</i> 1991 studio album by Rickie Lee Jones

Pop Pop is an album by the American musician Rickie Lee Jones, released in September 1991.

Thomas Joseph Wolf Jr. was an American composer and piano player. He was best known for his songwriting collaboration with Fran Landesman.

<i>Little Jessie James</i>

Little Jessie James was a musical farce that was the biggest hit of the 1923-24 Broadway season.

"Endless Night" is a song written by Lebo M, Hans Zimmer, Julie Taymor, and Jay Rifkin. It premiered in 1997 as part of the musical The Lion King, a stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name. Mark Mancina produced the song and arranged by Mark A. Brymer. Taymor wrote the lyrics based on the melody from "Lala", a song from the 1995 soundtrack album Rhythm of the Pride Lands. Jason Raize, who first performed the role of Simba for the Broadway production, first performed and recorded "Endless Night"; his version is included on the original cast recording.

<i>All the Sad Young Men</i> (album) 1962 studio album by Anita ODay

All the Sad Young Men is a 1962 album by Anita O'Day, arranged by Gary McFarland and produced by Creed Taylor.

<i>All About Miriam</i> 1966 studio album by Miriam Makeba

All About Miriam is the 1966 ninth studio album of Miriam Makeba Arrangements for the album were by Luchi DeJesus and Sivuca. Sivuca also played guitar. Harold Dodson played bass, and drummer was Leopoldo Flemming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Whiting (actor)</span> American actor, singer and dancer (1901–1961)

Jack Whiting was an American actor, singer and dancer whose career ran from the early 1920s through the late 1950s, playing leading men or major supporting figures.

<i>Red, White and Maddox</i> Musical based on the life of Lester Maddox

Red, White and Maddox is a satirical musical revue written by Jay Broad and Don Tucker. The play debuted in Atlanta in October 1968 and later had a 41-performance run on Broadway from January 26 to March 1, 1969. The play was conceived by Broad, who at the time was the director of the Theatre Atlanta theatrical company. Modeled as a fictional biography of Georgia Governor Lester Maddox, the play is split into two acts. The first act chronicles Maddox's foray into politics as a firebrand segregationist, culminating in him becoming governor of the state. The second act, set in the future, details Maddox becoming president of the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Kim Howard Johnson (2008). The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legends of Del Close. Chicago Review Press. p. 75. ISBN   978-1-56976-436-7.
  2. 1 2 Rolontz, Bob (May 18, 1959). "Nervous Set Just Ain't Got It". Billboard. p. 11. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ Gary Marmorstein (2007). The Label: The Story of Columbia Records. Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN   978-1-56025-707-3. One of the label's more adventurous original cast recordings was of Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman's The Nervous Set, a gentle spoof of Greenwich
  4. ↑ Susan M. Trosky (1989). Contemporary Authors. Gale Research International, Limited. p.  265. ISBN   978-0-8103-1952-3. The Nervous Set" (two-act musical play; adapted from Landesman's ... Author of unpublished novels "The Nervous Set,"
  5. ↑ Porter G. Perrin (1966). The Perrin-Smith Handbook of Current English: Second Edition. p. 24. The new musical by Jay Landesman and Theodore J. Flicker takes a warm look at the cool generation.
  6. ↑ Daniel W. Pfaff (2005). No Ordinary Joe: A Life of Joseph Pulitzer III . University of Missouri Press. p.  299. ISBN   978-0-8262-1607-6. In 1959 The Nervous Set, a musical satire, opened at the Crystal Palace. Jay Landesman and Theodore J. Flicker wrote it, with lyrics by Jay's wife, Fran, and music by former St. Louisan Tommy Wolfe. The musical mocked both uptight "squares" and rebellious "beats.
  7. ↑ Corinne J. Naden (2011). The Golden Age of American Musical Theatre: 1943-1965. Scarecrow Press. pp. 110–. ISBN   978-0-8108-7734-4.
  8. ↑ "The Nervous Set – Original Broadway Cast 1959". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  9. 1 2 3 Weidman, Rich (2015). The Beat Generation FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Angelheaded Hipsters. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. ISBN   978-1617136344.
  10. ↑ "The Nervous Set". Playbill. 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Inside Playbill Gallery".
  12. ↑ Dyer, Richard (2002). "The Sad Young Men". The Culture of Queers. Routledge. p. 117. ISBN   0-415-22375-X. LCCN   2001048303 . Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Billboard's Top Album Picks: Pop". Billboard. December 25, 1976. p. 66. Retrieved February 11, 2020– via Google Books.
  14. ↑ Watney, Simon (2000). "Charles Barber: 1956–92". Imagine Hope: AIDS and Gay Identity. London: Taylor & Francis Group. p. 87. ISBN   9781135433666 . Retrieved February 11, 2020– via Google Books.
  15. ↑ Donaldson, Stephen (1990). "Music, Popular". The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. Vol. 2. p. 859. ISBN   9781317368120 . Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  16. ↑ Watts Jr., Richard. "Two on the Aisle." New York Post, 24 May 1959.
  17. ↑ Kaliff, Joe. "Magic Carpet over Broadway." Brooklyn Daily, 18 May 1959.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.