Lorelei 1974 Musical Carol Channing
Lyrics by Betty Comden Adolph Green
Lorelei is a musical with a book by Kenny Solms and Gail Parent, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Jule Styne. It is a revision of the Joseph Fields-Anita Loos book for the 1949 production Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and includes many of the Jule Styne-Leo Robin songs written for the original.
The 1974 Broadway production of Lorelei, directed by Robert Moore and starring Carol Channing, Opened Jan 27, 1974 until Nov 03, 1974 at the Palace Theatre ran for 320 performances.
Synopsis
Subtitled Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes, it opens with the title character, a heavily-bejewelled, very wealthy widow, about to set sail on the SS Ile de France. The moment reminds her of a past voyage she took with her best friend and fellow showgirl Dorothy Shaw, and in a flashback we relive their madcap adventures after Lorelei’s plans to marry Gus Esmond are derailed by his father and the two women sail from New York City to Paris and settle in at the Hôtel Ritz.
Recordings
The show’s cast album was recorded on February 18, 1973 prior to the tryout tour. During eleven months on the road, songs were discarded and new ones added, so when the show reached New York City, it was decided to make a new recording on March 1, 1974.In 2003, Decca Broadway combined the two recordings, resulting in a definitive cast recording that includes all the songs from both
Musical Numbers
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Productions
In 1973 Carol Channing, who had originated the role of Lorelei Lee in 1949, reprised her role when Lorelei premiered in Oklahoma City at the (6000 seat) Civic Center Music Hall and broke box office records after six straight days of performances sold out within 24 hours. Lorelei then toured the country for nearly a year and earned a tidy profit. According to Steven Suskin, writing in Playbill, “Channing did great business in some places, and only so-so in others; the star pleased audiences, by and large, but the show didn’t. If the show had impressive grosses along the way, it also had outsized costs as they added songs and threw out songs along the way.”
The musical opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on January 27, 1974, following 11 previews and closed on November 3, 1974 after 321 performances. The musical was directed by Robert Moore, with choreography by Ernest Flatt and costumes by Alvin Colt. The cast featured Tamara Long as Dorothy and Peter Palmer as Gus, with Brandon Maggart, Dody Goodman, and Lee Roy Reams. Carol Channing was nominated for the 1974 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
In her review in Time, Martha Duffy described the show as “a particularly tawdry retread . . . The book, which always had the flaw of seeming more heartless than its heroine, now seems just plain crass.” Of its star, she noted, “Channing, who is now 51, looks much too old for the part . . . Instead of throwing herself into the proceedings, Carol seems to expend her energy with utmost calculation . . . she remains almost stationary and is offstage altogether for the strenuous tap-dance sequences.”
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing (born January 31, 1921) is an American actress, singer, dancer, comedian, and voice artist.
She won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy Van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television she has made many appearances as an entertainer on variety shows, from the The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s to Hollywood Squares. She is also known for her performance as The White Queen in a 1985 production of Alice in Wonderland. More at DataBase ….
Betty Comden
Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 – November 23, 2006) was one-half of the musical-comedy duo Comden and Green, who provided lyrics, libretti, and screenplays to some of the most beloved and successful Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green, called “the longest running creative partnership in theatre history”,lasted for six decades, during which time they collaborated with other leading entertainment figures such as the famed “Freed Unit” at MGM, Jule Styne and Leonard Bernstein, and wrote the musical comedy film Singin’ in the Rain….More at DataBase
Adolph Green
Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved movie musicals, particularly as part of Arthur Freed’s production unit at Metro Goldwyn Mayer, during the genre’s heyday. Many people thought the pair were married; they were not, but they shared a unique comic genius and sophisticated wit that enabled them to forge a six-decade-long partnership that produced some of Hollywood and Broadway’s greatest hits….More at DataBase
Lorelei 1974 Full Cast
Carol Channing – Lorelei Lee Dessert (Vive La Glace Chaude!)
Jean Bruno – Lady Phyllis Beekman
Bob Fitch – Robert Lemanteur/Ensemble
Jack Fletcher – Lord Francis Beekman
Dody Goodman – Mrs. Ella Spofford
Tamara Long – Dorothy Shaw
Brandon Maggart – Josephus Gage
Peter Palmer – Gus Esmond
Lee Roy Reams – Henry Spofford
Ian Tucker – Louis Lemanteur/Ensemble
Willard Beckham – Broadway debut Maitre D’/Ensemble
Raymond Cox – Bartender/Pierre/Announcer/Ensemble
Bob Daley – George/Engineer/Ensemble
Aniko Farrell – Pheasant Un Oiseau Dans Le Matin!/Bridesmaid/Ensemble
JoEla Flood – Zizi/Ensemble
Marie Halton – Salade A Votre Sante!/Bridesmaid/Ensemble
Marian Haraldson – Ensemble
Gregg Harlan – Ensemble
Sherrill Harper – Simone Duval/Bridesmaid/Ensemble
Brenda Holmes – Lobster Un delicieux Pince Rouge!/Ensemble
Linda Lee MacArthur – Ensemble
Wayne Mattson – Ensemble
Linda McClure – Caviar Un Bon Oeuf!/Bridesmaid/Ensemble
Jonathan Miele – Ensemble
David Neuman – Mr. Esmond
Susan Ohman – Ensemble
Gina Ramsel – Fifi/Ensemble
Jeff Richards – Ensemble
Robert Riker – Charles/Master of Ceremonies/Ensemble
Rick Schneider – Ensemble
Steve Short – Frank/Gendarme/Ensemble
Don Swanson – Ensemble
Roxanna White – Ensemble
Understudies: Raymond Cox (Gus Esmond, Josephus Gage), Bob Daley (Mr. Esmond), Marian Haraldson (Lady Phyllis Beekman, Mrs. Ella Spofford), Sherrill Harper (Dessert, Lorelei Lee), Wayne Mattson (Henry Spofford), Jonathan Miele (Engineer, Frank, George, Louis Lemanteur), David Neuman (Lord Francis Beekman), Gina Ramsel (Dorothy Shaw) and Robert Riker (Robert Lemanteur)
