| Walk a Little Faster | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover (cropped) | |
| Music | Vernon Duke |
| Lyrics | E. Y. Harburg |
| Book | S. J. Perelman and Robert MacGunigle |
| Productions | 1932 Broadway |
Walk a Little Faster is a musical revue with sketches by S. J. Perelman and Robert MacGunigle, music by Vernon Duke, and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.
The Broadway production opened on December 7, 1932 at the St. James Theatre and then moved to the Selwyn Theatre, closing on March 18, 1933 for a total of 119 performances. Staged by Monty Woolley, the cast starred Beatrice Lillie, the comedy team of Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough, and Evelyn Hoey. The production design, by Boris Aronson, featured an innovative use of stage curtains; for example, one was shaped like an iris lens. [1]
The show was only a moderate success but contained the famous song April in Paris. It was introduced by Evelyn Hoey. According to an account by Stanley Green, the idea for this song title came about as Duke and friends were talking about Paris in a restaurant. When someone said 'Oh, to be in Paris now that April's here', Duke started composing on the spot. [2] According to Harburg, the song came from Aronson's model of a set of Paris. "Aronson was in love with Paris...he designed one of the most beautiful, sensitive sets that ever was seen." The producer wanted a song to match the set. [3]
Bea Lillie was a 1906 college girl, Penelope Goldfarb ("Scamp of the Campus"); the belle of the Yukon, "Frisco Fanny"; a radio songstress,
and a French chanteuse ("Quel Bijou"). Clark and McCullough provided additional humor with their usual outfits and props, including a cigar
for Clark. One of the sketches was a take-off on another show, Flying Colors, in which Clark pretended to be Clifton Webb
and Lillie was Tamara Geva.
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 Fine Romance", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Song Is You", "All the Things You Are", "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Long Ago ". He collaborated with many of the leading librettists and lyricists of his era, including George Grossmith Jr., Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg.
Edgar Yipsel Harburg was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", "April in Paris", and "It's Only a Paper Moon", as well as all of the songs for the film The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow". He was known for the social commentary of his lyrics, as well as his leftist leanings. He championed racial and gender equality and union politics. He also was an ardent critic of religion.
Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel, known as Bea Lillie, was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedic performer.
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