At the Drop of a Hat

At the Drop of a Hat

Infobox Musical
name= At the Drop of a Hat
subtitle=


caption= Opening night program
music= Donald Swann
lyrics= Michael Flanders
book= Michael Flanders
Donald Swann
basis=
productions= 1956 London fringe
1959 Off-Broadway
awards=

"At the Drop of a Hat" is a musical revue by Flanders and Swann, described by them as "An After-Dinner Farrago". In the show, they both sang, accompanied by Swann on the piano. The songs were linked by contemporary social commentary, mostly by Flanders.

The show opened at the New Lindsey Theatre, a fringe theatre outside the London West End theatre district, on December 31 1956. It was successful and transferred to the Fortune Theatre in the West End on January 24 1957, where it ran for 808 performances. On October 8 1959 the show opened in New York City at the Golden Theater, running there for 215 performances.

Although they had performed together in the summer of 1940 in a revue they both directed and staged, this was Flanders and Swann's first show performing in the format for which they would become successful, and from 1959 to 1967 they toured with it off and on, performing it a total of 1,700 times over 11 years around the world. [ [http://www.iankitching.me.uk/humour/hippo/career.html Information from the IanKitching website] ] The two continued to perform together for three decades.

Description of the show

The two-man show was performed with Flanders in a wheelchair (he had polio) and Swann seated at a piano on an otherwise empty stage. The show consisted of a collection of mainly humorous songs, written by them, connected by topical comments. A second revue called "At the Drop of Another Hat" was produced in 1963.

Each performance ended with the song "Hippopotamus", in which the audience was encouraged to join in, followed, in Britain, by a musical rendition of the Lord Chamberlain's requirements.

Songs

* "A Transport of Delight" (The Omnibus Song)
* "Song of Reproduction"
* "Greensleeves"
* "In the Bath"
* "A Gnu"
* Songs for Our Time:
** "Philological Waltz"
** "Satellite Moon"
** "A Happy Song"
* "A Song of the Weather"
* "The Reluctant Cannibal"
* "Je suis le ténébreux"
* "Design for Living"
* "Tired by the Centre Court"
* "Kokoraki...A Greek Song"
* "Misalliance"
* "(Have Some) Madeira, M'Dear?"
* "Too Many Cookers" (added in later performances and recordings)
* "Vanessa" (added in later performances and recordings)
* "Tried by the Centre Court" (added in later performances and recordings)
* "The Wom Pom"
* "Hippopotamus" (Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud)

References

* [http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fas/hatintro.html Information from the Flanders and Swann website]
* "Oxford Companion to Popular Music" by Peter Grimmond - ISBN 0-19-280004-3
* "Guinness Who's Who of Stage Musicals" editor Colin Larkin - ISBN 0-85112-756-8
* Cover notes from London production recording - Angel Records 65042

External links

*ibdb title|id=2752|title=At the Drop of a Hat
* [http://www.donaldswann.co.uk/hatshow.html Information about the several productions]


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  • at the drop of a hat — phrasal : as soon as the slightest occasion is given : readily or promptly he would blush at the drop of a hat * * * at the drop of a hat 1. Immediately 2. On the smallest provocation • • • Main Entry: ↑drop * * * at the drop of a hat …   Useful english dictionary

  • At the Drop of Another Hat — Infobox Musical name= At the Drop of Another Hat subtitle= caption= music= Donald Swann lyrics= Michael Flanders book= Michael Flanders Donald Swann basis= productions= awards= At the Drop of Another Hat is musical revue by Flanders and Swann,… …   Wikipedia

  • at the drop of a hat — {adv. phr.}, {informal} 1. Without waiting; immediately; promptly. * /If you need a babysitter quickly, call Mary, because she can come at the drop of a hat./ Compare: ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT. 2. Whenever you have a chance; with very little… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • at the drop of a hat — {adv. phr.}, {informal} 1. Without waiting; immediately; promptly. * /If you need a babysitter quickly, call Mary, because she can come at the drop of a hat./ Compare: ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT. 2. Whenever you have a chance; with very little… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • at\ the\ drop\ of\ a\ hat — adv. phr. informal 1. Without waiting; immediately; promptly. If you need a babysitter quickly, call Mary, because she can come at the drop of a hat. Compare: on the spur of the moment 2. Whenever you have a chance; with very little cause or… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • at the drop of a hat — if you do something at the drop of a hat, you do it suddenly and easily, often without any preparation. I can t go rushing off to Florida at the drop of a hat. We now have a situation where laws may be changed at the drop of a hat …   New idioms dictionary

  • at the drop of a hat — If you would do something at the drop of a hat, you d do it immediately …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • at the drop of a hat — ► at the drop of a hat informal without delay or good reason. Main Entry: ↑drop …   English terms dictionary

  • at the drop of a hat — idi at the slightest provocation or without delay: to argue at the drop of a hat[/ex] …   From formal English to slang

  • at the drop of a hat —    If you would do something at the drop of a hat, you d do it immediately.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

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