Tomfoolery | |
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Music | Tom Lehrer |
Lyrics | Tom Lehrer |
Book | Cameron Mackintosh |
Productions | 1980 West End 1981 Off Broadway |
Tomfoolery (or Tom Foolery) is a musical revue based on the songs of American satirist Tom Lehrer.
Devised and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, it premiered in London at the Criterion Theatre, directed by Gillian Lynne, on 5 June 1980, where it had a successful run. It subsequently opened on December 14, 1981 Off-Broadway at the Top of the Gate in Greenwich Village, New York, where it ran for 120 performances. [1] [2] The cast included Jonathan Hadary. [3] Lehrer himself was brought in as a consultant.
The revue features 28 of Lehrer's satirical songs that were written in the 1950s and 1960s, known for their "witty naughtiness". [3] Stage directions suggest each actor use their own name and wait onstage in a bar area while the others perform. [2]
Two cast recordings have been released, one by the original London cast (Robin Ray, Jonathan Adams, Martin Connor and Tricia George), [4] the other much rarer one by the Canadian cast.
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The following two songs are optional:
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