Do Re Mi (musical)

For the song from the musical The Sound of Music, see Do-Re-Mi. For other uses, see Do Re Mi.

Do Re Mi is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and book by Garson Kanin, who also directed. The plot centers on a minor-league con man who decides to go (somewhat) straight by going into the business of juke boxes and music promotion.

Productions

The show opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on December 26, 1960 and moved to the 54th Street Theatre on December 25, 1961 for a total run of 400 performances. The choreographers were Marc Breaux and Deedee Wood. It was notable for its elaborate scenic design by Boris Aronson, who conceived the show as an enormous pop art jukebox and used then-extremely novel forms like collage in his design.

The London West End production opened at the Prince Of Wales Theatre on October 12, 1961 and ran for 169 performances.It starred Max Bygraves, Maggie Fitzgibbon, Steve Arlen and Jan Waters.

In 1999 Encores! at New York's City Center presented a concert version, starring Nathan Lane, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Heather Headley and Randy Graff.

Plot synopsis

Hubie Cram is "a loser endlessly scheming to win big." His long-suffering patient wife Kay urges him to "Take a Job", while he plots. He finds three pals and they scheme ("It's Legitimate") to enter the juke-box business. Hubie discovers a naive singer, Tilda Mullen, and they plan their future ("Ambition").

In the end Hubie realizes that he has nothing except a wonderful marriage.

Songs

Act I

• "Waiting, Waiting" -- Kay Cram
• "All You Need Is a Quarter" -- The Swingers
• "Take a Job" -- Hubie and Kay Cram
• "It's Legitimate" -- Hubie, Fatso O'Rear, Brains Berman, Skin Demopoulos and the Loaders
• "I Know About Love" -- John Henry Wheeler
• "The Auditions" -- Marsha, Lou and Gretchen
• "Cry Like the Wind" -- Tilda Mullen
• "Ambition" -- Hubie and Tilda Mullen
• "Success" -- The Tilda Mullen Fans, Tilda Mullen, Hubie, Fatso O'Rear, Brains Berman and Skin Demopoulos
• "Fireworks" -- Tilda Mullen and John Henry Wheeler
• "What's New at the Zoo" -- Tilda Mullen and Animal Girls
• "Asking for You" -- John Henry Wheeler
• "The Late, Late Show" -- Hubie

Act II

• "Adventure" -- Hubie and Kay Cram
• "Make Someone Happy" -- John Henry Wheeler and Tilda Mullen
• "Don't Be Ashamed of a Teardrop" -- Hubie, Fatso O'Rear, Brains Berman and Skin Demopoulos
• "V.I.P." -- The Public and Hubie
• "All of My Life" -- Hubie
• Finale -- Hubie, Kay Cram and Company

Original Broadway cast

• Hubert Cram--Phil Silvers
• Kay Cram--Nancy Walker
• Brains Berman--David Burns
• Tilda Mullen--Nancy Dussault
• Skin Demopoulos--George Givot
• Fatso O'Rear--George Mathews
• John Henry Wheeler--John Reardon
• Moe Shtarker--Al Lewis

Recordings

The Original Broadway cast recording was released in January 1961 by RCA. The 1999 Encores! cast recording was released on September 21, 1999 by Drg.

Tony Award nominations

• Best Actor in a Musical (Phil Silvers)
• Best Actress in a Musical (Nancy Walker)
• Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Nancy Dussault)
• Best Direction of a Musical (Garson Kanin)

References

• Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s (2002), Ethan Mordden, pp. 19-20, ISBN 1403960135

External links

• Internet Broadway Database
• Encores!
• "New York Times" review, May 8, 1999